Creating Texts emphasises a practical approach to composition and enables students to understand what is involved in the creation of a text and to learn from the practice of other writers. Extensively rewritten and updated from Walter Nash's earlier volume, Designs in Prose, attention is paid to the general theory of composition, in both traditional and original terms, so that students are made familiar with the basic resources of composition, in grammar and in the lexicon. The essence of every chapter is the discussion of examples of text, sometimes devised by the authors, but more often drawn from the work of authors writing in diverse styles of English. This practical approach is most evident in the final section of the book where detailed suggestions for projects and exercises reinforce the connection between theory and practice, and encourage students to develop their creative sense and to adapt their style of writing to fit the particular audience and context. In addition, this section is cross-referenced to the main text to allow students to consult easily the relevant chapter.

Given the increased use of digital reading and writing tools in the classroom, this book provides secondary and college English language arts teachers with activities and classroom examples for using a range of different digital tools—blogs, wikis, websites, annotations, Twitter, mapping, forum discussions, etc.—to engage students in understanding and creating digital texts. It therefore integrates reading and writing instruction through goal-driven activities supported by uses and affordances of digital tools. This book also provides a framework for designing these activities that encourage students to define purpose and audience, make connections between digital texts and people, collaborate with others, employ alternative modes of communication and gain new perspectives, and constructing identities; practices that are linked to addressing the high school English Language Arts Common Core State Standards. The book also describes ways to use digital tools to support these practices—for example, using digital tools to foster students’ collaborative reading and writing. The book also describes use of digital feedback and e-portfolio tools to foster students’ reflection on their uses of these practices.

This is the Insight English Skills books for Year 9

These innovative course books are based on the Australian Curriculum and develop an integrated approach to English. They also offer a special Learning Resource section to further build a wide range of competencies in English. INSIGHT ENGLISH SKILLS 8 presents a stimulating range of text types as the starting point for developing language, literacy and literary knowledge and skills. Units offer a themed approach - e.g. humour, bystanders and racism. Each unit retains the three sections: INTERACTIVE INTERPRETATION - text extracts introduce engaging and relevant issues and ideas; WORKING WITH TEXTS AND LANGUAGE - creative activities analyse text/s, literary techniques and language use; RESEARCH AND CREATING TEXTS - several ideas per unit offer diverse options over the 20 units. LEARNING RESOURCES - in Year 8 we introduce more advanced approaches for group work, developing interactive skills and building language and literacy skills.

In a struggling global economy, education is focused on core subjects such as language arts and mathematics, and the development of technological and career-readiness skills. Arts education has not been a central focus of education reform movements in the United States, and none of the current education standards frameworks deeply address the processes, texts and literacies that are inherent to arts disciplines. This lack of clarity poses a problem for state and district leaders who might be inclined to advocate for the arts in schools and classrooms across the country, but cannot find adequate detail in their guiding frameworks. This volume acknowledges the challenges that arts educators face, and posits that authentic arts instruction and learning can benefit a young person’s development both inside and outside of the classroom. It presents ways that arts teachers and literacy specialists can work together to help others understand the potential that arts learning has to enhance students 21st century learning skills.

While traditional writing is typically understood as a language based on the combination of words, phrases, and sentences to communicate meaning, modern technologies have led educators to reevaluate the notion that writing is restricted to this definition. Exploring Multimodal Composition and Digital Writing investigates the use of digital technologies to create multi-media documents that utilize video, audio, and web-based elements to further written communication beyond what can be accomplished by words alone. Educators, scholars, researchers, and professionals will use this critical resource to explore theoretical and empirical developments in the creation of digital and multimodal documents throughout the education system.

All teachers are responsible for assessing the children they teach and the outcomes of any assessment are important for individual learners and the wider school. This book is your one-stop-shop for understanding assessment in schools. It covers formative and summative approaches used across primary and secondary education, supporting a balanced overview with policy examples drawn from the UK, Ireland and wider international contexts. Designed as a pragmatic handbook for new teachers and those training to teach, the book discusses key principles of assessment, before providing guidance on developing and carrying out assessment in the classroom, and looking at how assessment information can be used to benefit your teaching and the children you teach.

Is there an ‘ideal’ primary school curriculum? Who should decide what the curriculum is? Should teachers have autonomy over how they teach? The curriculum is the heart of what teachers teach and learners learn: effective teaching is only possible with an effective curriculum. Yet in spite of its importance, there has been a crisis in curriculum that has been caused in large part by governments assuming direct control over the curriculum, assessment, and increasingly, pedagogy. Creating the Curriculum tackles this thorny issue head on, challenging student and practising primary school teachers to think critically about past and present issues and to engage with a new wave of curriculum thinking and development. Considering curriculum construction and its impact on teaching and learning in the four countries of the UK, key issues considered include: who should decide the curriculum, its aims and its values the extent to which issues in primary education swing back and forth Subjects versus thematic organisation, stages and phases, progression, breadth and balance prescription versus teacher autonomy the key features of effective classroom practice strategies for assessing the whole curriculum how language in the classroom influences curriculum design understanding curricula in the context of children’s social and personal circumstances creativity, curriculum and the classroom. Illustrated throughout with strategies and case studies from the classroom, Creating the Curriculum accessibly links the latest research and evidence with concrete examples of good practice. It is a timely exploration of what makes an effective and meanginful curriculum and how teachers can bring new relevance, motivation and powerful values to what they teach.