Why ‘Less is More’ in Genre instruction
Being a writer has been a lifelong dream of mine. From a young age, I’d tell Mum and Dad I was going to be an author, an illustrator and a …
Are you considering a leadership role?
Have you ever dared to think ‘maybe, just maybe, I could take on a formal leadership role in a school?’ Just to be clear: By ‘formal leadership role’ I’m not …
Perfect poems to celebrate World Poetry Day
Happy World Poetry Day! Today is a wonderful day for me as I’ve always loved reading and writing poetry. I can’t remember exactly where this love started but I do …
Strategies for supporting reluctant writers
Lots of teachers ask me how to engage their reluctant writers. It’s like they know my secret when they ask me. The secret that my family know only too well: …
bad leadership advice for women
When I was first considering taking on a formal leadership role in a school, I attended a Women in Leadership workshop where it was recommended that, in order to be …
4 Steps For Navigating Towards Literacy Success
My husband and I enjoy rogaining (long distance orienteering that requires a minimum of two people per group). It’s not just the fact that it usually involves running around the …
3 Common Misconceptions About The 6+1 Traits of writing
It’s no surprise that I get a lot of questions about the 6+1 traits of writing. I do, after all, bang on about them ALL. THE. TIME. Why? Because even …
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Should You Teach Genre or the 6 + 1 Traits?
I get asked this question quite a lot. And it excites me. Why? Because it’s generally asked after a teacher has had their eyes opened to the 6+1 traits of …
1 Confession and 2 learnings about guided reading
I have a confession to make. When I first started teaching, I was a guided reading fraud. I had NO IDEA what I was doing. Being shown the location of …
Why Guided Reading shouldn’t be mandated in schools
Imagine there was a hospital that only trained its surgeons to put plaster casts on its patients. They’d heard about the benefits of plaster casts and how great they were …
Read moreWhy Guided Reading shouldn’t be mandated in schools