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Today my classes and I chatted about loan sharks 💰 and ghosts 👻.

We answered the vital question 'Is it too early to put up my Christmas tree?" 🎄🎅🎄

We also talked about tricks, the origins of colonialism, essay writing, crossing thresholds and whether Scrooge was really that bad. 🌍🌎

All in all a fab Friday of #lockdown teaching. 👩‍🏫🏫👩‍🏫

And...I am loving my new brogues from @sainsburys #feetupfriday 👞👞👞

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I promised myself that I would take a photo showin

I promised myself that I would take a photo showing something from each day of Lockdown 2. Here’s day 1: my early morning supermarket run before school – all the usual winter cure-alls that teachers need. Berocca. Fruit. Lemsip. Lip balm. Added to this was a new bobble hat and gloves because we have to keep all our classroom windows open for good ventilation. It was 8 degrees this morning. Brrrr. Eating anything that actually looks like a meal during the day is impossible. We have 2 half an hour breaks, shorter once you have dismissed one class and then are ready for the next class. So instead of lunch, I am now the queen of snacks. Finally, I couldn't resist this Toffee Coffee treat from Starbucks. Yum. Teaching, as always, sponsored by caffeine. Otherwise school is pretty like normal. Masks. Distancing. And then lessons as usual.

#lockdown2
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Well done everyone, we made it through the first w

Well done everyone, we made it through the first week. Here's a few things I learned:
1. I need rethink lunch, 30 mins is not long enough to queue for the microwave and eat.
2. Hand sanitizer all day every day = dry hands.
3. Handing out sheets and paper to kids is a faff now. I need to be better organized.
4. In person and remote teaching is knackering.
5. Microsoft Teams is amazing.
6. Kids are used to being our personal space, they forget easily - this isn't poor behaviour.
7. Kids love learning, get straight down to it was the best.
8. I need a coffee machine in my classroom.
9. Kids are better at complying with Covid safety rules than some adults.
10. I love being back in the classroom.

Tomorrow we go back to school proper after weeks o

Tomorrow we go back to school proper after weeks of preparation. Tomorrow I will see my amazing Year 13 for the first time since March. For the first and maybe only time this year. Our Year 13s aren't coming to form time anymore if they don't have lessons and if I do see them, it'll be for like 5 minutes. I am pleased for them - they get a sweet lie in. But gutted for me, cos they are so much fun.
🍬
So tomorrow is my chance to show them some love. Here's step 1. Everyone loves a Skittle, right?!
🍬
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It's 9pm and it's still as hot as hades. It doesn'

It's 9pm and it's still as hot as hades. It doesn't look like we're going to get sleep anytime soon. Sigh.
🥵
I usually wake up around 5am, so 'early to bed" is a maxim I live by. Not today though.
😴
Maybe one day in the future aircon will be a thing over here! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
🥶
Anyho, I didn't have too many plans today (see my to-do list) but I somehow pulled it out the bag. Here's what I achieved:
- drank a ton of water
- took 2 bag of clothes to the charity shop
- worked on my Animal Farm Google quizzes (on TpT if you're interested)
- made some video pins
- designed some reading skills posters, also on TpT
- watched my boy get a haircut (too cute)
- got an iced latte from Costa
👑👑👑👑👑
I count that a win.
What about you? Any fun stuff today??
❔❔❔❔❔
#teachergram #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #iteachhighschool #iteachwriting #iteachela #creativewriting #writingteacher #writingprompts #writingideas #2ndaryela #teachingideas #highschoolteacher #highschoollessons #Shakespeare #iteachShakespeare #iteachBritLit #teacherspayteachers

Help create a positive culture in your classroom w

Help create a positive culture in your classroom with these inspirational posters. In this pack, there are 6 inspirational quotes each one champions positivity. The posters are multi-functional for use with table work and centers or to be printed b-i-g for your classroom displays!
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#teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstragram #teachersofig #iteachELA #2ndaryELA #iteachwriting #iteachsecondary #iteachhighschool #iteachBritLit #iteachShakespeare
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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Classroom-Inspiration-Posters-4024150

Question: what changes are you making to your curr

Question: what changes are you making to your curriculum for the new school year?
👩‍🏫
I've seen this question being asked and answered a lot in the last few weeks. And I get it, I really do. We are living in in crazy new times, loads of us being asked to teach in ways that are completely new. We have to make some adjustments.
🆕️
I can't make specific changes to my English literature curriculum because of coronavirus. I still need to teach the syllabus so my students can go on and do their end of year exams. But I am going to make some changes so that my students leave this year having read and experience more than before. Here's what I am going to do:
✌🏾Champion Diversity - English literature is full of dead white guys. This year I plan to find more BAME writers and women writers who not only tell their own stories but are also fantastic models for my own students' writing.
🏳️‍🌈 I also want to find and more or LGBTQI+ novels, articles and poems to have in my classroom.
✍ I also want to go back to doing daily writing with each of my classes. It's been a while since I've been able to do this and when I say daily I don't mean everyday! But I want each of my students to write for a short amount of time every single lesson.

What changes are you making this year?

These literacy quick fire 'do now' tasks are an ex

These literacy quick fire 'do now' tasks are an excellent way to enable students to consolidate and practise their spelling and word knowledge. This pack includes three different word work activities: common misspellings, new vocabulary, and spelling correction. There are 20+ different tasks that your students can complete, giving you a whole semester of word work practice.
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#teachergram #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #iteachhighschool #iteachwriting #iteachela #creativewriting #writingteacher #writingprompts #writingideas #2ndaryela #teachingideas #highschoolteacher #highschoollessons #Shakespeare #iteachShakespeare #iteachBritLit #teacherspayteachers
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https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spelling-Vocabulary-Literacy-Worksheets-3452272

Friends! My free CPD session on writing action in

Teaching language change and development is one of

Teaching language change and development is one of my favourite units. The English language is constantly changing – MTV was fly in the 90s. What is the link between Generation X’s slang and teaching The Seafarer? https://www.literaturedaydreams.com/teaching-the-seafarer/
#teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstragram #teachersofig #iteachELA #2ndaryELA #iteachwriting #iteachsecondary #iteachhighschool #iteachBritLit #iteachShakespeare
#theseafarer

Literature teachers! I promised to upload a bunch

Over the last few days, lots of fellow teachers ha

Over the last few days, lots of fellow teachers have shared diverse reading lists and diverse books you can use in your classroom library. There are SO many wonderful books written by black authors that to create a list like this feels overwhelming. So I decided to make my list something real and honest. These are books I have by black (and other non-white) authors in my classroom right now. Yup, I took this photo today. This is where I am starting, but not where I will finish. I have loads more suggestions to add now.
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I'm going to share why I love these books over the next few days.

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One of the things with school on #lockdown is that

One of the things with school on #lockdown is that you miss all of those asides that happen a hundred times in a normal day.👩‍🏫
The chat with kids at the door, the gossip from the playground, the "Miss you'll never guess what?!". 🙄
Even if you are able to host live video lessons (we don't do this for safeguarding reasons) you can't manage 32+ individual interactions via video link.🚸
So how can I make lesson time via email (or whatever) more personal?
Here are a few things I tried:
- off topic quizzes every once in a while
- a quick video or voice message from me sharing what I've been up to
- a softer register/tone/style to my emails
- creative lessons
- fun challenges - rounds of would you rather or never have I ever - sharing podcast, TV, film recommendations - asking kids for their fave food ideas so I can try new recipes - getting the kids to set us quizzes and challenges - calling home just to say hi.
😁
What else can I try? Anymore suggestions for me?? #lockdownteachers
#remotelearning
#teachersofig
#teacherspayteachers
#distancelearning
#secondaryela

Leaving the house to go to the post box 📮 makes

Leaving the house to go to the post box 📮 makes me feel like I'm in a period drama. 👒
I don't know how well my jeans would go down in Austen-ville but I'd be happy to give it a go. 👖😁 I've sent more cards in the last couple of weeks than I did in the whole of last year. 💌💌💌
📬📨💌📮📭📫📪
#lockdown
#remotelearning
#distancelearning
#lockdownlife
#teachersofig
#teachersfolllowteachers
#secondaryela

While our school buildings are closed, we're now b

While our school buildings are closed, we're now building remote communities. Here in London we can't do drive bys at our students homes. So our remote communities are built with different bricks. .
We've been working hard to let our kids know that we care. Here are a few things we've tried:
1. Whole school challenges. For Earth Day we took the whole school off timetable and challenged them to be creative.
2. Weekly challenges. Each week we set a challenge for every form group in the school. We post the results on our school social media.
3. We do an assembly via video each week.
4. We are sending actual postcards to our students so they know we are thinking about them.
5. We set wellbeing work, not just academic work. In fact, each week we set it instead of academic work.
6. We ask kids how they are.
7. We teach life skills - this week it was making perfect scrambled eggs.
8. We share all manner of open access cultural experiences.
9. We host 'no pub, pub quizzes'.
10. We don't chase late work without first doing a wellbeing check.
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Remote communities can be just as vibrant as present ones.
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Do you have anymore suggestions for me? .
#teachergram #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #iteachhighschool #iteachwriting #iteachela #creativewriting #writingteacher #writingprompts #writingideas #2ndaryela #teachingideas #highschoolteacher #highschoollessons #Shakespeare #iteachShakespeare #iteachBritLit #teacherspayteachers

Are you working longer hours at the moment? It sur

Are you working longer hours at the moment? It sure feels like it for me.
So I am plonking my butt down on the sofa for a cuppa and a cop show (don't judge).
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While one kid is on Zoom choir, one kid is playing swing ball, and one kid is scrolling thru Pinterest, I am gonna watch the interceptors chase some bad guys.
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Time to switch to relax mode. What are you watching tonight?! 📺

#relax
#lockdown
#copshows
#stayathome
#momwin
#teachersfolllowteachers

Are you missing your students like I am? I can't b

Are you missing your students like I am? I can't believe that even though we haven't been closed for that long, it feels like years. Those kids - I miss their sass, their smiles and spark. The chat, giggles, and lightbulb moments. .
I love the email and online contact. Kids are funny online. I like the 'kk' replies. They make me chuckle. Those kids are still themselves. This makes me feel better.
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They are helping me stay strong. My plan is to help them be strong too.
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#teachergram #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #iteachhighschool #iteachwriting #iteachela #creativewriting #writingteacher #writingprompts #writingideas #2ndaryela #teachingideas #highschoolteacher #highschoollessons #Shakespeare #iteachShakespeare #iteachBritLit #teacherspayteachers

Happy Wednesday friends! Today I am recording more

Happy Wednesday friends! Today I am recording more videos of analysis for The Handmaid's Tale. In fact I am planning to record a latte videos today 🤣. What are you doing today?

Among other things today we got out all our story

Among other things today we got out all our story cubes. These are such a delight to use in the classroom but at home - well, dare I say, they were even more fun! 😁
Here's what we did:
1. Which story cube best represents your mood right now?
2. Which story cube is something you miss?
3. Take 2 story cubes and create a Lockdown comedy.
4. Take 4 story cubes and create a Lockdown disaster.
5. Take a story cube, use it to create a superhero.
6. Take another one and create a villain.
7. Line up a bunch of story cubes and ask someone else to create the story.
We went on and on...
What are you doing today?
😁
#teachergram #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #iteachhighschool #iteachwriting #iteachela #creativewriting #writingteacher #writingprompts #writingideas #2ndaryela #teachingideas #highschoolteacher #highschoollessons #Shakespeare #iteachShakespeare #iteachBritLit #teacherspayteachers

The PERFECT accompaniment to Romeo & Juliet. This

Hey everyone happy Wednesday! How's it going? The

Hey everyone happy Wednesday! How's it going? The last few days have been pretty low key in our house. We've accepted that getting up and then going back to bed is ok. I have made my peace with my kids being glued to their phones. We have little projects that distract us for an hour or so, then we flop again.
What are you doing today?

I use the same copy of The Handmaid's Tale for my

I use the same copy of The Handmaid's Tale for my A Level lessons that I had when I was 16 and first studied it. Clearly my 16 year old self was amazed that an adult would use the word 'tart'! 🤣 Or maybe I was training myself away from using some of the more choice language in the novel!
I am having so much fun planning distance learning experiences for my class on this novel. 💻
If you teach THMT check out my slowly growing YouTube playlist here.
📱https://youtu.be/dbyJMlTTreI
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#teachergram #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #iteachhighschool #iteachwriting #iteachela #creativewriting #writingteacher #writingprompts #writingideas #2ndaryela #teachingideas #highschoolteacher #highschoollessons #Shakespeare #iteachShakespeare #iteachBritLit #teacherspayteachers

Latest family drawing challenges.

Latest family drawing challenges.

Introducing Loo Roll Literature - our students are

Introducing Loo Roll Literature - our students are using up all those spare loo rolls to display quotes or depict scenes from our exam texts.

Using my copy of Handmaid's Tale (from when I was

Using my copy of Handmaid's Tale (from when I was at school) today to record a lecture for my pupils. In 1992 (when I didn't know how to spell inherently) we did not have debit cards 💳, mobile phone 🤳, the internet of things, FB or any social media. I mean still we used VHS 📼, and had TVs on wheels at school 🤣.
So today recording a lecture for my students seems like an amazing privilege.

#stayathome
#remotelearning

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