Teaching Strategies, Tactics, and Methods

So what does treating people equally actually mean?

To treat people equally means that you treat everyone the same regardless of their race, sex, social status, disability, religion, or anything else.

We are all different, each of us, which is excellent! However, sometimes people can be harsh and unpleasant to someone other than them; this could be as small as ignoring them to violence and discrimination, which would not be considered to treat someone equally.

What is the difference between treating people equally and treating people fairly?

• Doing the same thing for everyone means treating people equally.
• Doing the right thing for that person, so you are meeting their individual needs, means treating people fairly,

Sometimes in school or learning environments, treating people somewhat, rather than equally, is much better because not all pupils, teachers, parents, and carers need the same thing. So it may be fairer not to treat people equally depending on their needs.

What can you do to treat people equally:

Here you can find some tips and examples on how to treat everyone equally. It is also about being kind and respectful to others!

• Encourage children to stand up for a friend if someone calls them names!
• Encourage all children to follow the rules and make sure the rules are the same for everyone
• Sharing things with others is an excellent way of encouraging equality and fairness
• Promote equality and diversity in the classroom or learning environment
• Use a variety of teaching and assessment methods, so you can find something to suit everyone
• Give all students equal opportunities and equal opportunities to participate
• Plan lessons to reflect diversity and equality and represent multiculturalism
• Ensure that all learning resources promote equality and diversity and that no learning material discriminates against someone.

How Do Similes Work?

Similes are fantastic linguistic devices writers can use to amplify specific themes in their texts. One thing about similes is that they are inherently emphatic or exaggerated for dramatic effect. For instance, the simile ‘Michael and Joanna fought like cats and dogs’ does not mean that Michael and Joanna were fighting like these animals. Instead, the simile draws on the famous and natural animosity between cats and dogs and applies it to Michael and Joanna. This comparison helps the reader understand the dynamic between Michael and Joanna.

When using a simile in your writing, there are several common ones that you can use. Some of the most famous similes that you are bound to have heard before are:

• (he was) as white as snow.
• (they) fought like cats and dogs.
• (the car was) as clean as a whistle.
• (the instructions were) as clear as mud.
• (the book was) as interesting as watching paint dry.
• (she was) as strong as an ox.

In addition to using the ones above, you can get creative and come up with your own!

How Do You Write a Good Simile?

The formula for creating a simile is straightforward:

‘X is like Y’ or ‘X is as ___ as Y.’

Here are a few critical components to making an effective simile:

Keep it simple

Often, the best similes are the most simple ones. However, while it can be tempting to get carried away using beautiful, complex, poetic language, it is important to never do so at the expense of clarity. After all, there is no point in writing a beautiful story if no one knows what it means. So, if you’re trying to come up with your simple simile, there are just a few things to think about:

• What is it that you are comparing?
• What is the general mood or emotion of your writing?
• Is it something that your character would say?
• Does it fit the style of the rest of your writing?

Create a mental image

The purpose of a simile is to create an image in the reader’s mind. Therefore an effective simile tends to be easy to picture. Keeping your simile simple will help with this, and you can also try using super graphic language to create strong imagery.

Be unique

While there are lots of good standard similes that you can use in your writing, it is perhaps more effective to use one of your creations. Try to be as original as possible when making your simile and lean into your writing style. This means avoiding overly clichéd language and settling for the first comparison that pops into your mind.

Top Tips for Writing a Good Simile

Here are some more top tips for creating an engaging, thought-provoking, and original simile:

Be intentional with your use

While a simile is a powerful poetic device, its placement within your writing has much to say about its effectiveness. To successfully communicate whichever idea or theme you try to convey, your simile must be carefully positioned within your essay.

Use them sparingly

Following on from the point above, similes are a great way to amplify your writing, but it is essential not to get carried away. The whole purpose of a simile is to emphasize a particular thought or idea, but if you use too many of them, they begin to lose all meaning. Littering your writing with tons of similes makes it hard to understand, and your readers will soon lose interest.

Opt for a contrasting comparison

The most effective similes tend to compare two wildly different things. Taking two seemingly opposing ideas or objects and comparing them makes for a super original simile and makes the reader think. It also helps to create a solid mental image in the reader’s mind. The more authentic the comparison, the longer it will stick in the reader’s mind. Of course, staying within the realm of reason and making sure your simile still makes sense is essential.

Is a Simile a Metaphor?

Similes and metaphors are both linguistic devices that use comparison to emphasize an idea or thought within the text. However, while their core use is the same, there are critical differences between the two devices.

The term ‘metaphor’ is a general one that is used to describe any comparison, usually a poetic one. This means that similes are classed as metaphors.

What does a good simile look like?

A good simile plants an image in the reader’s mind. As you can see, they can be great fun to use and are fantastic for encouraging your child to use an adventurous and creative vocabulary!

• The sun was as hot as fire.
• Her face was as smooth as porcelain.
• The old man had a voice like gravel.

Why is it essential to use similes?

In a nutshell, similes help make your child’s written work more interesting. Now that your child can use adjectives (describing words), they can move on to using similes. Similes are particularly effective in poetry and stories, as they can help your child to create that all-important picture in the reader’s mind.

1. Isaac Newton has two birthdays

Isaac Newton was born on the 4th of January 1643, in line with today’s calendar. However, back in the 17th century, when Newton was alive, they lived by a different calendar called the Gregorian calendar, and Newton’s birthday is another on this calendar. According to the Gregorian calendar, Newton’s birthday would be Christmas in 1642! Newton was very weak as a baby and wasn’t expected to survive; luckily for us, he did as he went on to make some significant scientific discoveries.

2. Isaac almost gave up on his education

It’s no surprise that Isaac loved school; his favorite subject was Chemistry. However, due to family circumstances, Isaac’s mother made him leave school at 12, so he could tend to the family farm. Some children would love to leave school to go to work instead, but not Isaac; he hated working on the farm and longed to return to education. Luckily, Isaac’s uncle stepped in and convinced his mother to allow him to go back to school.

3. An apple never actually fell on his head

One of the most talked-about subjects regarding Newton is the apple that supposedly fell on his head when he was sitting under an apple tree one day. However, this is a bit of a lie! Newton witnessed an apple falling from a tree one day, which got him thinking about what caused the apple to fall to the ground. Newton later developed his theory of Gravity, believing that Earth has a force that pulls objects down, which prevents objects from aimlessly floating around. Isaac thought Gravity attracted things to one another, which kept them grounded. Remember, the bigger the object, the more Gravity that object has. Newton kept developing this theory and eventually claimed that Gravity kept the Moon in orbit around the Earth.

4. Newton discovered a lot more than gravity 

While we know that Isaac Newton discovered Gravity, he also made many other scientific discoveries. Newton is also credited with discovering the three laws of motion. The first law, otherwise known as Inertia, is an item that is still and unmoving until a matter of force is applied. A great example is a swing; it will hang unmoving until pressure is applied. The second law is that acceleration happens when force is applied to an object. For example, if someone is sitting on the swing, it requires greater power to cause movement. The third law states, ‘for every action, there is an equal opposite reaction. Isaac believed that forces worked in pairs. When a force is applied in one direction, another comes back in the opposite direction. Newton’s cradle is an excellent example of the third law. Newton also discovered that light is made up of a spectrum of colors. The real question is- what did Isaac Newton not do?

5. Isaac has his special 50p

Interestingly, Isaac was the Master of the Royal Mint in 1699. The Royal Mint is where all the money in the UK is made. Isaac came to the Royal Mint’s rescue when one in ten circulating coins was found to be forged money. Thanks to Newton’s hard work and unique vision, British money is hard to generate even today. In 2017, the Royal Mint released a particular 50p coin dedicated to Sir Isaac Newton to recognize his impact. The unique coin was released 375 years after his birth.

6. Newton never got married

In his later life, Newton was well known for making generational donations to charity. It’s believed that Isaac didn’t have many friends and never found anyone to settle down with. It is said that their friend Newton did have, found him to be mentally unstable toward the end of his life. In his final years, he lived with his niece and her husband.

7. He died at age 84

Isaac Newton died on the 31st of March 1727; he was 84 years old, considered very old for the period. Newton is buried in Westminster Abbey alongside other scientists like Charles Darwin. After his death, an examination was done of Isaac’s body. It was found that his hair contained traces of mercury, suggesting he had mercury poisoning. Mercury poisoning would explain Newton’s unstable behavior towards the end of his life.

8. His dog once set his laboratory on fire 

Isaac had a dog named Diamond. Isaac loved Diamond very much, and it is rumored that she once set his laboratory on fire. When Isaac was alive, they had to work by candlelight as electricity had not yet been discovered. On one occasion, when Isaac left the room, Diamond accidentally knocked over a candle, causing a fire that destroyed important work. It is said that it took Newton over a year to rewrite all the lost work! That’s one mischievous pup.

A digraph combines two letters to make a single sound in written or spoken English. A digraph can consist of consonants and vowels. These shouldn’t be confused with adjacent consonants, where each letter makes a distinct sound rather than combining to make one sound.

Quadgraphs are a single sound that is made up of four letters. Despite being a four-letter grapheme, they produce a singular phonetic sound when these letters are grouped. Some examples of quadraphs include:

• Ough – This grapheme can have a variety of sounds. For example, ‘ough’ can be used in words like ‘cough,’ ‘bough,’ and ‘through.’
• Augh – can be found in words like ‘laugh’ and ‘naught.’ Although they both contain ‘augh,’ the pronunciations vary.
• ious – it can be found in words like ‘glorious,’ ‘pious,’ and ‘suspicious.’
• Eigh – it can be found in words like ‘eight,’ ‘neigh,’ and ‘weigh.’
• eous – it can be found in words like ‘hideous,’ ‘gorgeous,’ and ‘nauseous.’

Consonant digraphs are taught in EYFS up to five during their study of phonics and English. During year 1, there are many vowel digraphs that children will learn. These can come at the beginning of a word, an ‘initial’ digraph, or the end, a ‘final’ digraph.

What is the difference between digraphs and trigraphs?

Young learners must become familiar with these and confident in recognizing the unique sounds formed by digraphs and trigraphs. Although digraphs and trigraphs have similarities, with both creating a single sound, they are made up of a different number of letters.

An excellent way for pupils to remember the difference between these two terms is to look for the clue in the name. Many words in English have Greek or Latin roots, which can help us understand their meaning. For example, ‘Di’ comes from the Greek ‘dis,’ which means twice. At the same time, ‘tri’ comes from the Latin word ‘trial’ and the Greek word ‘treîs,’ which both mean three. You might like to challenge your pupils to add some more examples to this list:

• dilemma – people who find themself in a dilemma often have to decide between making two different choices
• dioxide – an oxide that is made up of exactly two atoms of oxygen
• tricycle – a three-wheeled version of a bicycle
• triceratops – a dinosaur with three distinctive horns

So, the key takeaway here is that a trigraph is a single sound made with three letters, such as igh, ore, air, ear, and so on. Whereas a digraph is a single sound that has been formed by two letters.

What is a Consonant Digraph?

Consonant digraphs are groups of two consonants that make a single sound. Here are some examples of consonant digraphs:

• Sh – as in ‘she’ or ‘wish.’
• kn – as in ‘know’ or ‘knock.’
• ch – as in ‘chair’ or ‘chat’
• ph – as in ‘phone’ or ‘phonics.’
• wr – as in ‘wrench’ or ‘wreck.’
• ck – as in ‘tick’ or ‘pluck.’
• ss – as in ‘chess’ or ‘class.’
• tch – as in ‘watch’ or ‘witch.’
• th – as in ‘think’ or ‘throw.’
• wh – as in ‘when’ or ‘where.’
• ch – as in ‘rich’ or ‘much’
• sh – as in ‘shoe’ or ‘sheep.’

Vowel digraph examples

These groups of two letters make one sound, where at least one is a vowel. Vowel digraphs are typically placed in the middle of words, although this isn’t always the case.

When teaching phonics, teachers often look at one sound and show children other ways it can be made and written down as a grapheme (the written symbols/letters that represent sounds).

For example, ‘say,’ ‘gain,’ and ‘pray’ all contain the same sound but have different digraphs.

Children will also learn about split digraphs. These occur when digraphs like ‘ae,’ ‘oe,’ ‘ie,’ ‘ee,’ and ‘ue’ are ‘split’ by consonants. Below are a couple of examples:

• The word ‘lie’ contains the digraph ‘ie.’ In the word ‘line,’ this digraph has been ‘split’ by the consonant n to form a new word.
• The word ‘rue’ contains the digraph ‘ue.’ In the word ‘rule,’ this digraph has been ‘split’ by the consonant l to form a new word.

Common vowel digraph examples include:

• ow – as in know or snow
• ui – as in fruit or bruise
• oe – as in toe or goes
• oa – as in boat or road
• ea – as in thread or lead
• ea – as in read or beach
• ie – as in pie or lie
• ie – as in a field or chief
• ue – as in glue or fuel
• oo – as in wood or flood
• ey – as in they or prey
• ai – as in rain or pain.

Double letter digraphs

There are two different types of digraphs: heterogeneous digraphs and homogeneous digraphs. Heterogeneous digraphs consist of 2 different letters, while homogeneous digraphs contain two instances of the same letter. Homogeneous digraphs are often referred to as ‘double-letter digraphs.’

Double-letter digraphs are very common and are used to indicate a range of different sounds. For instance, they are often used with two vowel letters to convey a long vowel sound in words.

Here are some examples of heterogeneous digraphs:

• chair
• luck
• think
• Earth
• whale
• writing
• their
• read
• toe
• recruit
• argue

Here are some examples of homogeneous digraphs:

• cook
• boom
• moon
• feet
• beet
• peek
• sheet
• buzz
• fluff
• bell
• confess

Split digraphs

Split digraphs can be confusing for kids learning phonics as the letters are not directly beside one another in words. In its simplest form, a split digraph is a set of 2 letters that make one sound but are separated within the word.

The split digraph uses an ‘e’ after the initial vowel to warp and change the sound of the vowel. For example, it turns the word ‘hug’ into ‘huge’ and ‘sit’ into ‘site.’ The addition of the ‘e’ after the initial vowel changes the sound of the word from a short, harsh one to a longer, soft sound.

There are five split digraphs in the English language. They are as follows:

a-e

• cake
• tame
• make
• fake
• cape
• flame
• gave
• amaze
• lake

e-e

• swede
• evening
• theme
• delete
• compete
• these
• concrete

i-e

• pipe
• time
• slime
• ripe
• tike
• shine
• bride
• knife

o-e

• zone
• phone
• come
• alone
• drone
• mole
• hose
• pose
• drove

u-e

• prune
• cube
• tube
• commune
• June
• flute
• huge
• tune

Ambiguous letter sequences

In addition to teaching kids how to identify digraphs in words, it is also essential to teach them how to recognize when letter pairs are not digraphs. For example, specific pairs of letters are not classified as digraphs because of compounding, for instance, cooperate. Sometimes, these words will be separated by a hyphen; for example, cooperate becomes co-operate. However, this is not always the case, so it is helpful to be able to recognize them regardless.

What is the Difference between Digraphs and Diphthongs?

A Diphthong is a sound formed by combining two vowels in a single syllable. The sound pronouncing these two vowels begins as one vowel sound and moves towards another. Some examples of diphthongs are:

• coin
• cloud
• slide

In the English language, there are 5 different diphthongs:

• aʊ

This diphthong can manifest in various spellings, although it is most commonly written as ow or ou. This diphthong is also pronounced differently depending on which accent is used and what form of English is spoken. Some examples of aʊ words are town, brown, mouth, and count.

• aɪ

The most common writing of this diphthong is ‘igh.’ However, some English words can also be written using a single ‘i’ or ‘y’. In the instances where it is written as a single ‘i’, it is typically followed by a consonant and then an ‘e,’ for example, ‘bite.’ Some examples of aɪ words are might, fight, bike, and why.

• eɪ

In the English language, this diphthong has several different spellings, including ay, ai, ei, ey, ea, or a. Just like the sign before, when this diphthong is written with a single ‘a’, it is generally followed by a consonant and then an ‘e,’ for example, ‘fake.’ Some examples of eɪ words are: play, betray, great, gait, weight, and plate.

• eə

The pronunciation of this diphthong is very similar to the pronunciation of the one above. This diphthong, however, tends to precede the letter ‘r.’ Some common spellings of this diphthong are ai, e, and a. Some examples of eə words are pair, bare, hair, and where.

• ɪə

This diphthong also tends to appear before a select few consonants in words. For example, the ɪə diphthong can occur before the letters ‘r’ and ‘l.’ The spellings of this diphthong include ee, ea, and e. Some examples of ɪə words are: deer, meat, disappear, and sphere.

• oʊ

This diphthong is perhaps the most versatile of them all. It can be written in various spellings, including ow, oa, and o. However, when written as a single ‘o’, it tends to be followed by a consonant and the letter ‘e.’ Some examples of oʊ words are: row, bow, float, goat, bloke, and wrote.

• ɔɪ

This diphthong can only be written using two spellings: oy and oi. Some examples of ɔɪ words are avoided boy, toy, and steroid.

• ʊə

This diphthong likes to lie low and is often pronounced as just a single vowel sound. Some examples of ʊə words are jury, poor, sure, and tour.

The primary difference between digraphs and diphthongs is that they are pairs of letters, and diphthongs are sounds.

 

 

1. . Hot springs and thermal vents.

To start with, let’s establish what we mean when we say ‘segmenting.’

Segmenting words involves breaking down a word into each of its phonemes and graphemes. A phoneme is a term that means a unit of sound, while graphemes are the groups of letters that are used to represent these sounds. For instance, the phoneme /sh/ can be written down as ‘sh,’ c’h,’ ‘si,’ or even ‘ti.’

Segmenting is a vital skill for learners during their early phonics education. By segmenting words into their different sounds, kids can see how a word is sounded and written down. This will help them develop their reading and writing skills in the long run.

What is an example of segmenting words into sounds?

The best way to understand how segmenting works is with the help of a few examples. Let’s take the word ‘cat,’ for instance.

If you segment the word orally (through speech), you’ll find that the word ‘cat’ comprises three separate phonemes: /k/, /a/, and /t/. These sounds can be represented in writing using the graphemes ‘c’, ‘a’, and ‘t.’ And just like that, you end up with the word ‘cat’ again!

Let’s look at a slightly more complex example using the word ‘bubbles.’

Bubbles

/b/-/u/-/b/-/l/-/z/

B-u-bb-le-s

Once we segment this word, we’re left with five different phonemes. Once we write these with the graphemes ‘b’, ‘u,’ ‘bb,’ ‘le,’ and ‘s,’ we again end up with ‘bubbles.’

From these examples, we can see how segmenting words allows us to take a word apart, see the different sounds it’s made up of and then piece them back together. Combining sounds to form words is called blending, and in this next section, we’ll look at the relationship between blending and segmenting phonemes in phonics.

What’s the difference between blending and segmenting phonemes?

Blending and segmenting are two very different skills. As we mentioned, segmenting is about breaking a word down into phonemes while mixing combines phonemes to form words. Moreover, we could also say that blending is a more relevant skill for reading while segmenting is more relevant for writing.

However, blending and segmenting are closely related to one another and are essential parts of phonics education. By combining and segmenting phonemes, children will build their understanding of sounds in their written and spoken forms. This will help them as they work their way towards reading and writing fluency.

Consistency is carrying out something the same way or staying the same as it’s achieved in a certain way. An example of this could be when we’re painting a wall to achieve the same color and look overall. This creates a uniform look consistent with making the same color or design.

Helping children understand the concept of consistency is an excellent way to grasp routines and achieve better results. Consistency is also a skill that will set children up for life in many ways. For example, it can help children with their sentences, building relationships, daily routines, behavior, and so much more.

Examples and benefits of consistency in life

Consistency is essential to help you find routines and methods that work for you and your habits throughout your life. Once you commit to being more consistent, you’ll become regular with your exercises and find making plans and schedules easier.

Here are some ways you can add more consistency to your routine:

• If exercise is your thing, try and stick to the same time and days per week. For example, if you work out three times a week, pick three dates and times and stick to those. This will help you stay with the routine and remain consistent.
• Use to-do or checklists to structure your days, routines, or lesson plans.
• As a teacher, stick to the same filing and grading systems to achieve consistency.
• As a parent, try and stick to the same morning routine with your child, have breakfast at the same time, and set off to school or work at the same time too. This is a great way to help children understand routines and consistency.

Why is consistency important in schools?

Creating consistency is vital to help create an effective learning environment. Students will then establish a clear understanding of classroom rules, routines, and behavior, allowing them to remain more in control of their actions. It will also help children understand everyday classroom expectations as you will have established consistency for all, assisting children in behaving appropriately in the classroom.

Creating consistency in the classroom:

Firstly, we should begin with the teacher by creating a consistent behavior management system in the classroom. To make the set of rules and instructions as straightforward as possible, teachers must deliver clear instructions avoiding any confusion or any questions, so there is no confusion. These set of rules should be clear for children to understand so that they know exactly what is expected of their behavior in the classroom. It would be a great idea to use examples to show children what you expect of their behavior in your learning environment; you could also offer incentives to reward kids for good behavior and to help maintain consistency.

The learning environment: To achieve further consistency and good behavior in the classroom, it’s essential to provide a controlled space to help with children’s learning. This can be achieved by using visuals such as classroom rules to remind children of the expectations and remain consistent – behavior charts could also work well.

It’s always a great idea to organize your classroom so every resource has its rightful place and children know exactly where to collect and store their items. This creates consistency while helping enforce a good routine.

Reinforcements in the classroom: This is also a significant step to help achieve consistency in good behavior. Your school will usually create school-wide rules and principles that children will be aware of so they know what is expected of them regarding their behavior. As well as school-wide principles, there should be rules just for your classroom to help achieve consistent good behavior.

What is another word for consistency?

There are many different words for consistency, and this could be a great way to help teach children synonyms – Take a look at our list below for some great examples:

Synonym:	Example in a sentence:
Stability	“The person’s condition is stable.”
Regularity	“She saw him with increased regularity.”
Dependability	“They have so much dependability.”

1. Two truths and a lie

This is a great game to play with small classes, as it helps them get to know each other better. Learners in a small class will also be more inclined to get involved, asking more questions as they’ll have less of an audience.

For this game, all you need is a board and pen or just something to write on. Then each learner has to write down two things about themselves that are true and one that’s a lie. Then the rest of the class should ask them questions to check out which is the lie.

This game allows learners to practice speaking skills and explore different vocabulary. It’s a great icebreaker activity for the start of a lesson at the beginning of a new year, but equally, you can break it out whenever you want a bit of fun in your learning.

1. Question relay

This fast-paced, straightforward warm-up activity is easily adapted to different topics. First, you must pick a topic, usually one you’ve been covering in class, and set a time limit, maybe 60 seconds. Then start by asking a learner a question on that topic, for example, ‘what’s your favorite sport?’. The learner then answers your question, then asks another question on the same topic to another learner. The point of this game is to ask and answer questions fast. See how many you can get through in your allotted time, and make it into an ongoing competition as you cover different topics, challenging your class to beat your record. This works well with your small class as learners have less time to come up with new questions before it comes back around to them, making it more of a challenge.

1. Spot the word

Put a long word on the board, ideally with a topic you’ve been covering, something with at least nine letters. Then set learners a time limit to see how many words they can create from that word. The beauty of this game is that it can keep going for as long or as little as you want. Then, add another comment to the board if you’re going to pass a few more minutes. Award points for the most and the longest words found.

1. Question scramble

Write a question on the board based on what you’ll cover in that lesson. For example, if you’re learning about pets, you could write, ‘what noise does a dog make?’. But scrambling up the words so they’re not in the correct order- the longer the sentence, the more complex the challenge for learners. Then set learners a certain amount of time to try and unscramble the sentence and put it back in the correct order. This is a fun way to introduce the lesson.

1. Chatterbox challenge

Confident talkers in the class will love this game. Write some topics on the board and number them. Then get learners to roll a dice- whatever number they land on, they have to speak about the matching topic for a set amount of time, maybe one minute or two. They lose the challenge if they run out of things to say before the timer is up. A great activity to develop speaking skills and vocabulary.

1. Pictionary

This is a fun warm-up game that you can use to focus on a specific topic or a range of topics. Get a list of words or phrases together and put them into a hat. Then get a learner to come to the board, pick one of these out of the hat, and give them a specific time limit to draw the word or phrase they’ve chosen. The rest of the class then has to guess what they’re trying to draw. Whoever guesses correctly gets the point, and the learner drawing also receives a point if their word or phrase is correctly guessed.

1. Word ladders

This game aims to start with one word and aim to get to another by only changing one letter at a time. So, for example, you could write the word ‘rope’ on the board and tell learners that they’re trying to get to the word ‘pile.’ The sequence of words could go like this rope-ripe-pipe-pile. They get the point for every word it takes to get to the target word. But this game aims to bring the minor issues possible.

1. The alphabet game

Pick a topic. Then get a learner to start with the letter ‘a’ and see if they can think of a word for that topic that either begins with that letter or contains it. Then the next learner has to think of a word for that topic, starting with ‘b,’ and so on. See how far you can get in the alphabet before running out of words. An excellent game for building vocabulary and particularly good for small classes, as everyone will get multiple turns. Finding a word that starts with that letter offers more of a challenge, so you could always start with that, and then if learners are struggling too much, switch to finding words that contain that letter.

1. What’s missing?

A game inspired by the hangman, but it is better at giving contextual clues. First, put some images on the board (get creative and draw your own, or use some ready-made images) that belong in a particular place or room. For example, you could choose the bathroom and include pictures of a bath, a sink, a rubber duck, etc. Then choose the word for something that isn’t there- like a shower, maybe- and represent each letter of the word with a dash. The rest of the game follows the usual rules of hangman- if a learner guesses a letter correctly, you fill it in on the dash; if they guess a letter wrong, you start to draw the figure of a hanging man. Learners must guess the correct word before the man dies (less sinister than it sounds, I promise).

1. Spot the error

An activity to help learners develop their spelling, punctuation, and grammar. For example, put some sentences on the board, each with various errors, and challenge learners to spot them. Easy!

1. Creative writing exercise

This one is great for getting learners to practice their writing skills. It’s not as upbeat as the others, but an excellent warm-up exercise. Give learners a starting sentence, such as ‘my favorite holiday ever was…’ or ‘last summer, I went…’. Encourage learners to be as creative as possible, allowing them to make up any bizarre scenario their imagination can create or write about an authentic experience if they’d like.

1. Would you rather?

This can be a funny one guaranteed to have your class in stitches. Go around your class, asking each learner to come up with a ‘would you rather’ scenario to ask the person next to them. This could be anything from ‘would you rather be a fish or a bear?’ to ‘would you rather never eat chocolate again or have to eat a slug every day for a year?’. This can be a fun getting-to-know-you activity to help your class settle in and grow more comfortable with each other.

1. Dinner party

Ask your learners to think about who they would invite to their house for dinner if they could invite anyone in the world, dead or alive. Then each learner gets a few minutes to explain their choice. After that, the rest of the class can ask them questions, like what food they would serve, what games they would play, and things like that. Again, this is a valuable icebreaker for learners at the start of the year.

1. Quick-fire role play

Role-play is an excellent way for learners to develop their conversational skills. So as a quick warm-up activity, put your class into pairs (if there’s an odd number, one learner can work with you, how lucky are they?) and pick different conversation starter scenarios. This could be anything from one learner being an alien who accidentally flew to Earth, and the other learner asking about their home planet, or one learner being a painter doing some decorator, and the other complaining about the work they’ve done on their house. Give learners a few minutes to get into character and see what weird and wonderful conversations you can hear.

1. Hot potato

In this game, you pass around an object- this could be a potato, or equally, it could just be a rubber or a pencil sharpener, anything that you have to hand. Set up a timer in your classroom. As each learner passes around the ‘hot potato,’ they must think of a word or phrase for a particular topic you’ve chosen. They can give the’ hot potato’ on as soon as they’ve thought of one, and you approve. Whoever is holding it when the timer goes off is out. (No potatoes were harmed during the making of this activity.)

1. Flashcards

Flashcards- are a super helpful tool for every educator. Find an array of flashcards on different topics with various words. Then go around each learner, give them a time limit of like 60 seconds or so, then hold up a flashcard with which they have to try and make a sentence. Once they’ve spoken a sound sentence that includes the word on the flashcard, you can hold up another. See how many sentences learners can create within the time limit.

1. Odd one out

This activity is great as it allows learners to be creative with their answers and use logic and reasoning. For example, put three or four words on the board; these could be ‘banana, lemon, apple, custard,’ and then children have to decide which they think is the odd one out. This could be an apple because it’s not yellow or custard. After all, it’s not a fruit. The possibilities could be endless. See what ideas your learners can come up with together.

1. Spelling game

This fun spelling challenge can help learners develop their spelling and vocabulary skills. Start with a word and pass it to the first learner in the circle, who has to say the first letter, then the next learner has to tell the second letter, and so on. Every time your class successfully spells a word, they bank a point. If a learner gets a letter wrong, they lose one- see how many points your class can get to by the end of the activity.

1. Obstacle course game

This excellent team game helps children develop their prepositions of movement. Set up an obstacle course in the classroom- this could be a series of arrows on the floor or a series of commands like ‘jump to the next cone.’ Learners take turns to be blindfolded and try to make their way through the obstacle course using the directions of the rest of the class.

1. Tell me a story

Write out a story using a few sentences. It could go like this:

‘Little Red Riding Hood walked through the woods. She picked some fruit from the trees for her grandmother. When she got to the house, she saw a wolf. She ran away and screamed!’

Break up this story into sections, giving each learner a different section. Each learner then has to try and draw what is happening in the section of text they’ve been given. When learners have finished, they should put together their pictures in order and see if their classmates can try and write out what their picture represents, working together to rewrite the story. Using familiar stories in this game can make it easier, and new, made-up stories increase the challenge.

1. Write a story

Staying on the story trend, we have another fun activity to try. Write a short sentence on a piece of paper, like ‘the girl entered the dragon’s cave,’ and hand over the paper to a learner. Then the learner has to add their sentence but folds over the paper so the next learner they hand it to can only see the sentence they’ve written. Then each learner, only ever seeing the sentence written before them, adds another part of the story. You can go around the class however many times you want to create this story. Then at the end, unfold the page and see what magical tale your learners have managed to weave!

1. Job interview

Nominate one learner to the front of the classroom and sit in a chair facing the rest of the class. Then show the rest of the class a specific job role for which they are interviewing this learner without showing the student facing them. Then the rest of the class has to ask the student sitting at the front questions as if they are in an interview. In the end, the learner has to try and guess which job they were being interviewed for.

1. Vocabulary builder

Similarly to the last game, one learner has to go up to the front. However, this time, instead of showing the rest of the class a job, you can show them any piece of vocabulary. The class then has to try and describe this word or phrase to the learner at the front for them to guess it.

1. Shout it out

A noisy but fun game for your classroom. Ideal for smaller classes as fewer children is shouting over each other. Pick a topic, pick a letter, and write them on the board. Then learners have a set amount of time to shout words beginning with that letter for the topic. See how many they can get!

1. The rearranged game

Give each learner a different word from a sentence on a piece of paper and stick it to their back or forehead (sticky notes are ideal for this activity). Then, get learners to line up and try and rearrange themselves so that the sentence is in the correct order, without each learner ever seeing which word they have. This is a great teamwork game.

1. Yes or no

This is a great way to test learners’ memory on different topics and vocabulary. Dedicate one side of the room to ‘yes’ and the other to ‘no.’ Hold up different images, like a car, a skirt, or a dog. Then ask questions asking, ‘is this a car?’ and see which side of the room learners go to.

1. Don’t say yes or no!

Give learners a token amount- it may be fake coins, counters, or even small pieces of paper. They should walk around the classroom and, when they bump into another learner, ask them a question. If you’re asked a question, you can reply in any way you like, but you can’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ If you do, you have to give one of your tokens to the other learner. See who has the most tokens by the end of the game.

1. True or False?

It is a bit like the two truths and a lie game, but this allows learners to further develop their truths or lies. First, each learner tells the class a story- this could be entirely made up or accurate. Then the class has to guess whether it’s true or if it’s a lie.

1. What’s the Question?

In this game, learners write down an answer to a question about themselves. The aim of the game is for the rest of the class to try and work out what the question is. For example, if the answer is ‘strawberries,’ the question could be ‘what’s your favorite fruit?’, ‘what’s your least favorite fruit?’ or ‘what did you have for breakfast this morning?’.

1. Whispers

A whispering communication game. Start with a sentence- this could be on a specific topic you’re studying- and whisper it to one learner. They then have to whisper it to the next learner, and so on. The last learner then has to say out loud what they think the sentence they heard- this is often completely different from the sentence you started with and can be incredibly funny and nonsensical.

1. Speed speaking

This is an excellent way for learners to practice their listening skills. Find an article or blog and read a section of it- but at supersonic speed (you may need to practice before learners arrive to get around any tongue twisters). Learners then have to try and write down as much of what they hear as possible and rewrite their version of the article. Award points for the most accurate.

1. Brainstorm

A creative activity to get children to solve problems by using their imagination. Come up with an entirely made-up, bizarre scenario. This could be ‘a man is stuck on the moon, how do we get him down?’ or ‘my dog won’t stop eating my homework.’ Then, get your learners to devise a ten-point action plan to solve the problem- this could be as creative a solution as they can dream of.

1. If I were in charge for a day…

A scary thought, I know, students ruling the school, but it’s what this activity is all about. Give learners around ten minutes to write precisely what they’d do if they were in charge of the school for a day, then let them present their ideas to the rest of the class.

1. Getting to know you

This is another excellent getting-to-know-you activity. Task learners with going around the class and finding out three facts from each learner by asking them different questions. This is a perfect way for a new class to get more familiar with each other. If you’re not dealing with a new class, you can still use it and change it so that learners have to find out three things that have happened to each learner between their last lesson together and now.

1. Describe the picture

Put the class into pairs. Show one-half of each team a picture- make sure it’s a picture with lots of detail. Then that learner has to try and describe the image to their partner in 30 seconds. Their partner then has to try and draw and recreate this picture based on their partner’s description. Award points for the closest matching picture.

What is a Feature Article?

A feature article is a persuasive text that expresses an opinion, informs the reader about a subject, and is enjoyable to read. Feature articles differ from many other news articles because they share a general perspective on a subject instead of reporting news about a particular situation. This makes feature articles last longer, as they’re less likely to lose relevance as time passes.

Feature articles can differ widely, appearing in many forms. For example, opinion pieces on current issues, interviews, human interest stories, and personal reflections on current events. In addition, they can appear in different places, including newspapers, blogs, websites, magazines, and newsletters.

How to Write a Feature Article

Here are the steps you may go through when writing and planning your feature article.

1. Decide what topic you’re writing about and form an opinion on it. Persuasive texts are about convincing your reader to see an issue/subject from your point of view, so the first step is identifying what this is.
2. Think about who your target audience is. Once you’ve identified your ideal demographic, this can help shape the tone of your writing and the way you approach your article.
3. Research the facts. Collect interesting data, statistics, and information that helps to support your opinion. These will help make your article informative and convincing by making it more credible.
4. Plan your article. Using a feature article template can help with this. Map out some key points you want to make and order them, so they will build your argument as your audience reads.
5. Write your article. The best way to start your article is with something catchy and interesting. Anecdotes are a great and natural way to use your experience to bring a reader into your writing.
6. Expand on each of your points. These will form the body of your feature article. After you’ve hooked the reader with your introduction, you can get into the nitty-gritty. Use persuasive language features such as emotive language, statistics, rhetorical questions, facts, quotes, direct addresses, and inclusive pronouns to engage your audience and make your argument relatable.
7. Conclude by reiterating your opinion. Don’t mention anything new in the conclusion, but summarise your argument. Try leaving readers with something to think about, like a question, or remind them why your perspective is so important.

What are feature article headlines?

A feature headline is the title of your feature article, which is the perfect opportunity to hook your reader and summarise your article. These headlines are usually written in large block letters to make them stand out on the front page of your newspaper.

How to write a headline for a feature article

Do you want to learn more about how to write a headline for a feature article? An article headline is essential in writing an entertaining and exciting feature article. Your feature headline should hook your reader and summarise why your article is necessary and why they should read it.

To help your students develop a good headline for their feature article, why not ask them to pretend that they are talking to their friends? How would they sum up the most exciting part of their story? You should also remember to keep the words simple, and avoid superlatives, focus on what’s most interesting about your topic. And emotive language. Great headlines give you an edge and convince your audience to read and respond to your copy. So if you or your class are struggling to nail those catchy headlines, try these simple tricks and tips.

• Try writing your feature article first and coming back to your headline later. By starting your feature writing with the article first, you will be able to understand the direction and essential factors of the story. This direction should help you to write the most concise, catchy, and accurate feature article headline.
• Use numbers and statistics to catch your reader’s attention. There’s a reason why so many journalists and writers use numbers in their headlines – it works. Listing numbers or quoting short statistics is also a great way to make your writing seem more factual or authoritative.
• Use the ‘what,’ ‘why,’ ‘when,’ and ‘how’ questions to summarise the necessary information in your article.
• Talk to your readers directly by using questions. When putting the question in a headline should be something that your audience wants to know.

Examples of good feature article headlines

1. A boy finds a stash of Roman gold coins in the local park.
2. A girl from your local area is chosen for the Team GB Gymnastic team at the 2020 Olympics.
3. A giraffe escapes from a zoo and goes down the road into the supermarket car park.
4. Five hundred dogs and their owners do a 5 km run and raise thousands for charity.
5. A bridge in a local town falls into the river, causing chaos in the city.

More Tips for Writing Feature Articles

• Don’t be afraid to use humor. This can make your writing more engaging.
• The language for a feature article can be formal or informal, and you can use the first-person point of view.
• Anticipate what counterarguments people may have to your arguments. Don’t shy away from these. Identify them in your writing and talk about why you disagree.
• Use data from reliable sources wherever you can. This will help people see that you’ve researched your topic and give them some solid facts to consider your opinions.
• The show, don’t tell – wherever you can. People are more likely to resonate with an opinion if they conclude themselves by being guided there instead of being told what to think.
• Use other writing tools to help your general written communication skills, vocabulary, and sentence structures.

Games aren’t just fun for elementary children; they also help them regulate behavior, develop core social skills, and maintain physical and emotional well-being.

That’s why we’re so important to allow students to play safely as schools have reopened following the COVID outbreak.

1. Charades

This dramatic play game is suitable for all ages and requires no social contact.

In this classic game, you take to act out the names of famous books, movies, T.V. shows, or characters. Then, it’s up to the rest of the people to guess the clues and shout out the answer.

To bring this game to life, you could use props and costumes, but make sure they’re sanitized before and after each use.

2. Scavenger Hunt

Why not challenge your kids to take part in a socially-distanced scavenger hunt? All you need to get started is a checklist of objects.

3. Sidewalk Chalk

With just a single piece of chalk, you have a whole world of fun, COVID-aware games right at your fingertips, including:

• chutes and ladders
• follow the line
• checkers
• tic-tac-toe
• hangman
• bean bag bullseye

Why not take your regular lessons outside onto the playground and turn them into fun, interactive learning experiences?

Draw the human digestive system on the tarmac, write out sight words for your students to spell out, or set up a multiplication ladder that kids can only climb by solving times tables problems. The choice is yours!

4. Hide and Go Seek

Hide and seek has been helping kids keep their distance for years, so it’s the perfect addition to this list. Plus, if you play it outside, there are many more hiding places to choose.

We know you already know the rules for this one, but here’s something you might not know… There is an official hide-and-seek world championship!

It’s held in Bergamo, Italy, annually, and people travel worldwide to compete. So who knows, maybe there’s a future hide-and-seek world champion in your class!

5. Field Day

How about setting up a socially-distanced field day?

We all know how good exercise is for our physical health, but did you know that breaking a sweat is also proven to boost kids’ ability to concentrate in class?

On top of that, active games are a great way of helping students break the ice and form lasting friendships – especially at the start of the year.

These field day activities are all suitable for socially-distanced fun:

• water balloon toss
• 100-yard dash
• obstacle course
• sack race
• egg-and-spoon race
• noodle javelin

6. Footgolf

Footgolf combines the skill of golf with the fun of soccer, and best of all, like golf, it’s a one-player game, so social distancing is built-in.

Not sure how to play it? Don’t worry; it’s easy. The aim is to kick a soccer ball into a “hole” – a circular target like a hula hoop, or a chalk circle will work fine.

First, make a short course of five holes in a safe, outside space. Then, keep a score of how many kicks each child takes to make it around.

7. Hula Hoops

Who doesn’t love hula hoops? They are fun and a great way of encouraging kids to get active, which is essential for their physical and emotional well-being. Plus, hula hoops are the perfect makeshift social distancing device!

8. I Spy

An oldie but a goodie.

For this game, start by taking your class outside. There’s so much more to spy out there! Arrange them in a wide circle so that they are six feet apart.

Start the game off yourself by saying, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with…” and set a timer for one minute. Then, have your students shout their guesses; whoever gets the correct answer will go next.

If no one answers correctly, move onto the next child. Go around the circle clockwise until every child has had a go.

9. Dance Battle

Encourage your children to bust out their best moves in a class dance-off!

Get your kids to make a large circle outside and ask for a volunteer to go in the middle and be the dance master.

The rest of the class must copy whatever move the dance master makes (the sillier, the better). Keep going clockwise around the circle until everyone has had a go.

If any of your students don’t feel comfortable being the center of attention, that’s fine. Let them stay outside the circle and participate in a way that is comfortable for them.

10. Simon Says

Simon Says is an old-school recess classic, and it’s perfect for socially distanced fun.

Choose one of your students to be “Simon” and arrange the rest of your class safely in front of them.

Explain to your kids that whenever Simon starts, an instruction with the words “Simon says,” they have to do it. So, for example, Simon could say, “Simon says do ten push-ups,” and your whole class would have to do it. But, sorry, kids, we don’t make the rules.

But watch out because if Simon tells the class to do something without saying “Simon says” first, they should ignore it. They’re out of the game if they follow instructions without hearing the magic words.

This game is an excellent test of children’s ability to concentrate and stay alert. It’s also good old-fashioned fun. Who needs computer games?

11. Pool Noodle Tag

Put a social distancing spin on a tag by introducing foam pool noodles. To play, gather your class outside – or in the gymnasium if it’s a bad weather day – and give each student a pool noodle.

Anyone tagged with another player’s pool noodle has to leave the game. The last noodle standing is the winner.

12. Jump Rope

A great way of having fun and staying healthy, jump rope is one of those games that’s just as much fun whether you play it on your own or with friends.

Why not challenge your kids to see how long they can jump rope without stopping? Or, have your students get into pairs or small groups and try jump rope tricks, like the skier, scissors, straddle-cross, heel-toe, or forward 180.

13. Hopscotch

Draw an eight-square grid on the ground (use chalk so it washes away easily) and number the boxes from one to eight.

To start, invite one of your students to toss a marker into the first square. Then, making sure they miss out on the first square, have them hop their way up and down the course, remembering to retrieve their marker at the end.

Repeat until all players have completed the course. Perfect for solo or group fun!

Did you know? Hopscotch has been a childhood staple since before the Roman times. That means that kids have been hopscotching for over 2000 years!

14. Bubble Blowing

This idea is an excellent way of bringing science learning to life.

Gather your students outside and arrange them in a socially distanced circle. Then pick one student to stand in the middle and be the chief bubble blower.

And everyone else? They have the most crucial role – ensuring the bubbles don’t hit the ground. Encourage these children to blow the bubbles from beneath to keep them from falling to the floor.

15. Make Your Own

You don’t need us to tell you that kids can have pretty vivid imaginations, so why not put that creativity to good use and have them invent their social distancing games?

Put your kids into small groups and encourage them to create team games. This way, they can improve their communication and problem-solving skills at the same time!

Your learners will love seeing their ideas come to life outside on the playground.

Bingo

A timeless classic. Your class will love the thrill of checking the numbers off their bingo board one at a time. Plus, it’s a great way of getting younger kids to practice their number recognition skills.

Puzzles

When the weather’s too bad to play outside, puzzles are a great option. Not only are they fun, but they also help kids develop fine motor, problem-solving, and memorization skills – not to mention their mindful benefits.

Math

Who says math learning can’t be fun? We have a wide range of online math games suitable for all ages. Choose from topics like:

• times tables
• fractions
• shape recognition
• counting

Literacy

Bring ELA lessons to life with our teacher-made phonics games.

Learning through play is especially important for younger children, and your kindergarten and first-grade kids will love this hands-on digraph roll and read math pack.

In maths, an expression combines numbers, variables, and functions (such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc.)

Expressions can be thought of as similar to phrases. In language, a phrase may include an action but doesn’t make a complete sentence.

Here are some examples of expressions and how they relate to word phrases:

Expression: 3 + 7

Word Phrase: The sum of three and seven

or

Expression: n− 5

Word Phrase: the difference between n and five

These expressions express a mathematical operation, but they don’t tell us the outcome of the operation or what the operation is equal to.

What is the difference between expressions and equations?

The difference between expressions and equations is that an expression comprises a combination of numbers, variables, and operation symbols. In contrast, an equation is two different expressions connected by an equal sign in between. This indicates that each side of the expression is of the same value.

For example:

15 + 5 is an expression

But 15 + 5 = 20 is an equation

2n + 6 is an expression

But 2n + 6 = 14 – 2 is an equation

y + 9 is an expression

But y + 9 = 3y – 1 is an equation

Sometimes children are introduced to equations as ‘number sentences.’

Equations and expressions are often used in higher levels of mathematics and can require particular calculations to solve graphical problems and geometric figures. Sometimes they are used in explanations of lines, cartoons, and diagrams. They also have their place in computer software and are used for developing animations.

Children need to develop a sound understanding of equations and expressions and the difference between them, as they’ll likely encounter both throughout their time studying maths in school.

Example questions about expressions

Example 1:

Apples are sold in packs of 4 and oranges in bags of 8.

Emily buys p packs of apples and r bags of oranges. Write an expression for the total number of apples and oranges purchased.

There are four apples in each pack, so the number of apples bought is which is four xp or 4p

There are eight oranges in each bag, so the number of oranges bought is which is 6 x r or 6r

The total number of apples and oranges bought is 4p +6r

Example 2:

A rectangle has a width of x cm. The height is 4cm less than the width. Write an expression for the perimeter of the rectangle.

The perimeter is found by adding the lengths of a shape’s different sides.

The width of the rectangle is given as x cm. The height of the rectangle is four less than the width, which is x – 4 cm

Perimeter = x + x + (x – 4) + (x – 4)

Perimeter = (4x – 8) cm

Example 3

Some maths questions might ask you to take extended expressions with many of the same variables and simplify them into shorter, easier-to-read expressions.

3b + 11b + 7b – 9b

In this expression, all the terms are like terms, as the variable in each term is always b. This means we can simplify the expression like so:

3b + 11b + 7b = 21b

21b – 9b = 12b