Novel Box

Apologies for not posting last weekend- I had a leaving party to attend, which involved quite a lot of travelling in a short space of time.

Anyway, as promised...here is the Novel Box post.

So the idea is that you introduce this box to the class prior to introducing the text they'll be studying. The Novel Box should be filled with things relating to the text in order to garner interest in the text. Where you go next with it is entirely up to you.

Here is my Novel Box:

It contains

• 3 letters, all addressed to Mrs Saville, England.
• A map featuring locations such as, Geneva, Mont Blanc and The North Pole
• Some test tubes
• A locket
• A copy of Paradise Lost

Can you guess the text?

Wobbly Bits

The negativity is starting to creep in. I’ve been in school this past week and have been chatting with current teachers, getting their opinions on their jobs and some advice.

Mostly it’s been a lot of ‘it’s hard work, but if you’re serious about teaching, you’ll deal with it’ kind of thing. That’s great. I am serious about teaching. I am preparing myself for the workload. But mixed in with the warnings is a kind of resignation. All of them seem disillusioned with the mountain of paperwork/red tape they have to manage, in addition to lesson prep and marking. Even the best teachers, the ones that are so passionate about what they do, are rolling their eyes at the paperwork. They say it’s really dragging them down. They almost seem defeated by the paperwork. At the same time I’ve been reading articles online, and in other blogs, and they’re all focussing on the same problem: the paperwork. Just today, I read this thread which highlights the current problem of just getting a job, after completing the PGCE.

Now, I know I can be a bit of a dreamer, but the reality of seeing so many fantastic teachers suffering under paperwork is really striking home. I’m going into teaching to teach. I understand that there will be paperwork, and there will be long hours; but right now (from what I’m seeing and hearing) it’s bordering on the ridiculous. And it seems like a problem that’s set to get worse before it gets better. If it gets better. 

I guess this is just a bit of wobble because it seems that all the negative aspects of teaching are presenting themselves to me en masse right now! Of course I was aware of the issues, just not the full extent of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still 100% up for it, only now I’m realising the true size of the hill that I’ve got to climb.

On a cheerier note, I’ve been given some advice to pass the time until I can get stuck into the PGCE. Anyone wanting to teach English, take note. I have been told that, yes, while the course is demanding, you can save yourself a lot of hassle by reading lots of teenage fiction before the course starts: even if, like me, you haven’t received your course reading list yet. By getting the reading in now a) you might, accidentally, read something that’s on the list. Wonderful. One less thing to read from scratch in the midst of essays and planning and researching; and b) you’ll have a better grounding in what your students will be reading. You’ll be able to suggest books for them to read, and you’ll be able to relate the set texts to something.

I’m using libraries to read teenage fiction, partly because I don’t want to be buying books just to read them once (I’ll buy them later if I love them), and partly because the librarians know what’s good teenage fiction and what’s best to avoid. Librarians are true fonts of knowledge. Oh, and, supporting my local library! I’d miss it if it closed. Really.

So I’ve just read Once, which is the first in Morris Gleitzman’s tetralogy (looked up that word especially for this blog. See, it’s educational.), Once/Now/Then/After.  Once tells the story of Felix, a young Jewish boy in war-time Europe. It’s comparable to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas especially with regards to the narrator, with both stories being told from the point of view of a young boy. It’s also pretty short- I read it in two hours- and, as it’s aimed at children, it’s not a difficult read. Saying that, it is really well written: I’m definitely going to read the following three books, more for pleasure than for the course.

Next up is Kevin Brook’s Naked, set in London’s punk scene of the 1970s. This was recommended to me as an example of modern, gritty teenage fiction. I’m only a few pages in, so I’ll review the recommendation later. However, I am slightly dissuaded by the Guardian’s review. Nevermind, I shall continue.  

Still, I think reading teenage fiction is sound advice, and- so far at least- is quite an enjoyable task. If anyone has any recommendations for good teenage fiction please place them in the comments and I’ll give ‘em a whizz.

Know Your Onions

As of September I’m going to be learning about teaching English to teenagers, so I figured it was about time I brushed up on my subject knowledge. The English half of my undergraduate degree was English Literature (joint honours with History) so while I’m not going to get complacent about my English Lit knowledge, I definitely need to brush up on English Language.

When I was at school English Language was something you were just expected to pick up as you went along. I remember being taught in primary school that (and I quote) “An apostrophe is a comma with its flying license”. Funny when you’re seven, but useless when you need to know how to apply it. By secondary school it was just assumed that we all knew how to use punctuation. Thankfully one discerning teacher realised the problem just before our GCSEs and gave us a crash course in apostrophes, with a bit about colons and semi-colons. Sometimes I wonder if we weren’t taught this stuff because our teachers didn’t know it. Even now, when I’m in school, I hear confused explanations of how to use punctuation, unless it’s a full stop. Aside from punctuation, I think I got most of my knowledge of what is a ‘verb’ or ‘adverb’ from French classes. And as for what constitutes correct sentence structure…well, I’m still waiting for that little lightbulb to appear.

Obviously, I can’t be doing that much wrong. I did complete an English dissertation, and no one mentioned any problems with my language skills. I guess I have just picked it up as I went along. But, I have identified English Language as my weak area. So I’ve been out and bought a book. Now, I’ve not finished it yet but I’m going to recommend it you.

My Grammar and I (or Should That Be ‘Me’?)- Caroline Taggart & J.A. Vines
This book is brilliant. It is not a dull drudge through the rules of correct grammar. It’s hilarious. I’m sure I’ve been annoying everyone around me by sporadically bursting out laughing, then reading out snippets from the book. It is so funny. It’s also really well organised, so you can just dip into sections as and when you need them.

I’ve also had Trevor Wright’s How to Be A Brilliant English Teacher recommended to me. I’ve yet to read this, but once I do I will review it in the blog.

Not forgetting the dreaded QTS skills tests. Apparently Jim Johnson’s Achieving QTS Skills tests books are good (again, I’ll write about them once I’ve read them). Although until then, I have bookmarked the online practice tests.

 

 And in order to maintain that ever-so-important work/life balance; I’ll also be taking Rachel Khoo’s The Little Paris Kitchen with me to University. I think on my one day away from work I’ll be trying out the recipes. Very excited.

 



Any suggestions for what I else I could be reading to improve my subject knowledge?

This ‘Know Your Onions’/ reading corner could become a semi-regular feature on this blog, especially if I keep finding books as brilliant as My Grammar and I (or Should That Be ‘Me’?)

Oh, and as an afterthought, after deciding on the title of this post, I got to wondering about the origins of the phrase 'Know you Onions'. After a quick google, voila, an explanation.

UPDATE: After I posted this, the tes posted on Twitter this page of recommended reads for trainee teachers. Handy.