Teaching Strategies, Tactics, and Methods

1. Why did the teacher wear sunglasses inside?

The pupils were so bright.

2. Why did the boy eat his homework?

Because his teacher said, it was a piece of cake.

3. Why did the music teacher need a ladder?

To reach the high notes.

4. What pencil did Shakespeare write with?

2B

5. What did the ghost teacher say to the class?

Look at the board, and I’ll go through it again!

6. You know what’s odd?

Every other number!

7. Why did the teacher marry the janitor?

Because he swept her off her feet.

8. What is 5Q + 5Q?

10Q, and you are welcome.

9. Why are seagulls called seagulls?

Because if they flew over the bay, they’d be bagels.

10. How do all the oceans say hello to each other?

They wave.

11. On the first day of school, what did the teacher say her three favorite words were?

June, July, and August.

12. What is a maths teacher’s favorite dessert?

Pi.

13. Why did the teacher write the class rules on the window?

She wanted the rules to be evident to the students!

14. Why did the teacher jump into the pond?

To test the waters.

15. What are ten things a teacher can always count on?

Their fingers.

16. Teacher: Whoever answers my next question can go home. One boy throws his bag out of the window. Teacher: Who just threw that?! Boy: Me! I’m going home now!
17. Why was the math book sad?

It had so many problems.

18. What’s the king of all the school supplies?

The ruler.

19. What kind of school do you attend if you are an ice cream man?

Sundae school!

20. Why do magicians do so well in school?

They are so good at trick questions!

If you are teaching students how to speak Spanish, it can be helpful to start with simple vocabulary to help students understand the basics of the language. It is best to start with common words or phrases, such as the names of various fruit in Spanish. For example, in Spanish, the word for fruit is ‘frutas.’

What are the names of fruits in Spanish?

In Spanish:

• Apples are called manzanas.
• Oranges are called naranjas.
• Bananas are called plátanos.
• Grapes are called uvas.
• Pineapples are called piñas.
• Cherries are called cerezas.
• Strawberries are called fresas.
• Blackberries are called moras.
• Blueberries are called arándanos.
• Raspberries are called frambuesas.
• Pears are called peras.
• Apricots are called albaricoques.
• Avocado is called palta.

Some fruits have the same name in Spanish as in English, such as kiwi or mango.

Why do students learn the names of fruits in Spanish?

To learn a new language, students must understand the basic vocabulary first. This is essential foundational knowledge for the subject. Knowing how to say simple, everyday words in Spanish is an excellent way to begin building a comprehensive vocabulary, which is the first step to learning a new language. When students’ vocabulary is strong enough, they can progress to more complex phrases.

The names of fruit are an excellent place to teach children words from a new language. Fruit is colorful and tasty and comes in various shapes and sizes. This makes the subject more engaging for students. Fruit is also helpful in teaching other aspects of vocabulary, such as the names of colors or how to express a like or dislike for particular foods.

Spanish fruit phrases that students need to learn

To progress from foundational Spanish knowledge, students must learn how to use the Spanish words they know in everyday conversation. For example, it is not enough for students to know the names of the fruits in Spanish. For that knowledge to be practical, students must also learn about the phrases commonly associated with fruits in Spanish.

Here are some phrases that students might find helpful:

• I like fruit – Me gusta la fruta.
• I want some fruit – Quisiera algo de fruta.
• What fruit do you have? – ¿Qué fruta tienes?
• What is your favorite fruit? – ¿Cuál es tu fruta favorita?
• My favorite fruit is… – Mi fruta favorita es…

Characterization makes stories come to life! It focuses on creating fictional characters, from their physical appearance to their personality, views, and actions. Characterization is also known as character development.

What is characterization in literature?

So, what do we mean by characterization? Characterization is how an author or a playwright describes or shows what a character is like.

A combination of factors can influence characterization, including dialogue, narrative choices, and literary devices deliberately crafted to make the character appear in a particular light.

Why is characterization important?

Characterization is essential for sculpting a story-driven work, as it allows characters to be modeled realistically and develop traits that aid the narrative.

For readers or an audience to feel invested in the plot of a book or play, they need to believe that the characters involved are individuals. Part of that involves these characters behaving believably, according to their constructed persona.

It’s the process of characterization that makes this happen.

What are the different types of characters?

The characters also help us to feel connected to the story. They should be authentic and relatable – someone we believe we could meet in real life. Have you ever rooted for a character or felt empathy toward them? Perhaps you can think of a few characters you loathe. When this happens, it’s a sign of solid characterization. Check out the different characters your students might come across in their stories.

• The hero: The hero or the protagonist is the main character and the person the story is written about. The writer usually develops the plot around the hero. For example, the plot may revolve around something the hero wants or a problem they must solve.
• The villain: Every hero needs a villain, right? This person opposes or fights against another character (usually the hero/ protagonist). They may have their plot or mission in the tale that the hero is trying to stop.
• Supporting characters: The supporting characters are anyone who isn’t the hero, villain, or love interest. These can be the protagonist’s friends and family or people they meet along the way. They tend to be flat characters.

How do authors make characters?

So, now that we know that authors use characterization to make their characters believable, how exactly do they do that?

Typically, authors know all about their characters before they even start writing. This helps them to build characterization through the language they use.

When designing characters, they might think about questions such as:

• What is the character’s name?
• How does the character behave? (Do they behave differently alone than when around people?)
• How old are they?
• Where are they from?

Once they have the basics of characterization down, the author might dig even deeper into their character with questions such as:

• What’s their family like?
• Did they have a good upbringing?
• What do they want?
• What’s stopping them from getting what they want?
• How do they handle their emotions?
• How are they feeling at the start of the story?
• What are they thinking at the beginning of the story?

Knowing the answers to these questions will inform how they write about that character.

Authors may answer these questions for several characters in their story – that’s a lot of people to get to know!

Direct vs. Indirect Characterization

When writing, you may have heard of the phrase ‘show, don’t tell.’ This also applies to characterization.

When we write characters, we can describe their feelings and actions directly or indirectly.

When we describe them directly, we explain their feelings to the audience.

• She was feeling nervous.

When we describe them indirectly, we give the reader an impression of what they’re feeling through descriptions of their appearance and their actions.

• She bit down on her lip, her thoughts racing through her mind. Her hands shook as they held the interview notes.

Comparing these two different descriptions, we see more characterization through the indirect description than the direct one.

By indirectly describing characters’ thoughts and feelings, we can paint a much clearer picture of their characterization to the audience.

A worksheet, in its primary meaning, is simply a piece of paper used to work on. This may be to complete a task, to log or accompany work, and they are commonly used in school, finance, and tax.

While this is the most common meaning of the word ‘worksheet,’ the introduction of software is slowly taking over the meaning of the paper-based worksheet.

Using worksheets in school

In a classroom setting, a worksheet usually refers to a loose piece of paper that children use to answer questions or complete a task. A worksheet in this primary, the paper form, is always associated with a school setting. It is frequently used to assess students’ knowledge and is one of the most common materials teachers use in assignments and assessments.

Children become familiar with worksheets from as early as EYFS years and continue using them in their learning through the Key Stages and into University.

Often these worksheets will contain some form of exercise and instructions or a set of questions with areas for students to respond and answer by recording a written response. They usually only require a child to have a pen or pencil to complete, making them perfect for in-class activities, homework tasks, and assessments.

Why are worksheets helpful in school?

Studies have shown that worksheets aren’t only useful for students and their parents too!

In contrast to whole-class activities and tests, the child can usually complete worksheets at their own pace. This makes them great for students who struggle with time restrictions and working under pressure. Even if they are conducted in the lesson, working through a worksheet instead of group-based tasks allows individuals to ask questions at their leisure and gives many of them the confidence to seek help in areas where they may be struggling.

Parents can very quickly and easily digest a worksheet at a glance in most cases, which can help a parent to understand the learning processes their child is going through, as well as give a parent more context towards helping their child’s education. They also usually only require children to have a writing instrument to complete, meaning they are quick, easy, and universal for obtaining progress reports and seeing how children’s knowledge has progressed.

As well as this, curriculums are becoming increasingly advanced over succeeding years, which means that parents may not be equipped with the best knowledge to guide their children through their homework or to support their child’s learning in other ways. Unfortunately, worksheets can take many of these issues and dilute them, as children can usually complete the worksheets independently, using the knowledge they should have already learned in their lessons.

The future is paperless

Traditionally, worksheets were hand-drawn and copied many times to be given to students. However, technology has made it easier to create your worksheets, with many teachers going completely paperless.

This could be as simple as sending the worksheet home digitally, requiring parents and students to print it off themselves at home, or it can even be as easy as completing the worksheet solely electronically. It is now not uncommon for homework tasks and assessments to be completed on a computer. Marks and results are also commonly given electronically, making the whole process completely paperless.

With many opting to go paperless in a bid to be more eco-friendly, the word ‘worksheet’ has changed its meaning many times over the years!

Other types of worksheets

As well as assessing children in school, worksheets of other kinds are also used in finance and tax.

In accounting, a worksheet refers to a sheet of green-tinted, ruled paper that the accountant could use to perform calculations and take note of information. This type of ‘worksheet’ is also sometimes called a columnar pad.

In tax, many numbers and formulas are often involved in calculating fundamental values. Rather than including these calculations in the main tax form, they are usually offloaded onto a separate sheet for working these values out, called a ‘worksheet.’

In software, spreadsheets have commonly taken the place of paper worksheets. For example, the Microsoft Excel program helps people create their spreadsheets and is used worldwide for many different reasons. For this reason, online spreadsheets are also commonly referred to as ‘worksheets’; a series is called a ‘workbook.’

The apostrophe is a punctuation mark that is commonly used in the English language. It has two main functions; to indicate possession (a possessive apostrophe) and to show where letters have been omitted in a contraction (e.g., shouldn’t). In rare cases, they’re used to mark the plural form of a noun.

Definition: What is an apostrophe?

Have your students ever asked any of the following questions?

• What is an apostrophe, and what are some examples of apostrophes?
• When are apostrophes used?
• What is an omissive apostrophe?
• How can we learn about apostrophes?

Well, the answers to all of these questions are right here!

An apostrophe is one of the several essential punctuations marks your pupils will learn in primary education. In the English language, we typically use them in two different ways:

• to show possession
• to show contraction/ omission

What does an apostrophe look like?

An apostrophe is a small dash punctuation mark placed above the line. To see what an apostrophe looks like, check out the image below for an example:

 

You might have noticed that they look similar to another piece of punctuation, the comma. But, while they might look similar, the key difference is that commas appear at the bottom of a line of text, while apostrophes appear at the top.

What are the different uses of the apostrophe?

So, when should you use an apostrophe? Apostrophes can be used in writing for a few reasons, including indicating missing letters, possessing an object, and indicating plurals of numbers, notes, and symbols. But to understand all of these different uses, let’s examine them each in detail:

1) What is an omissive apostrophe?

Because of omission, also known as omissive apostrophes, are some of the most commonly used types of apostrophes. Your pupils might come across these a lot when they start reading more extended texts, and they’ll also need to be aware of them by Year 2 as part of the National Curriculum. But just what is an omissive apostrophe?

An apostrophe because of omission is where an apostrophe is used to indicate the missing letters in a contraction (the shortened form of a word or group of words). For example, the terms ‘could not’ and ‘should not’ can be contracted using an omissive apostrophe into ‘couldn’t’ and ‘shouldn’t.’ Let’s take a look at another quick example:

• ‘What is an omissive apostrophe?’
• ‘What’s an omissive apostrophe?’

You can see here how an apostrophe is used to represent the ‘I’ which is omitted when the phrase ‘what is’ is contracted to form ‘what’s.’ Contractions like these are usually considered relatively casual and are mainly used when teaching your pupils to write with an informal tone of voice. Below is a list of example contractions using apostrophes:

Contraction

Meaning

You’ll

You will

Must’ve

Must have

You’re

You are

Contracted verbs are single words that have been formed from a subject, and a verb, for example, ‘do not,’ creates ‘don’t’ with the use of an omissive apostrophe. Check out these example sentences using a contracting apostrophe:

• ‘She didn’t do the homework that was due this morning.’
• ‘I’m planning on reading that book you recommended.’
• ‘You shouldn’t talk to strangers while walking home.’
• ‘It’s snowing again; that’s three days in a row now.’

2) What is a possessive apostrophe?

Since the question of “what is an omissive apostrophe?” is behind us, let’s look at the second type: the possessive apostrophe.

You need to indicate something in your writing if something belongs to someone else. But how do you do that? You guessed right, with an apostrophe! This is where learning when apostrophes are used can get a little tricky for you and your pupils, as the rules can change depending on what type of noun you are making into a possessive. If you add an apostrophe to a single noun, add the apostrophe between the noun and the ‘s.’ For example, ‘the writer’s desk.’ However, if you add an apostrophe to plural nouns, add the apostrophe after the ‘s.’ For example, ‘The writers’ desks.’

You can use an apostrophe to indicate possession to show that something belongs to someone. Check out these examples to teach possessive apostrophes:

• ‘Where is the dog’s leash?’
• ‘We have to protect the Earth’s atmosphere.’
• ‘This weekend, we went to my Aunt’s house.’

3) Plurals

Apostrophes can also be used to mark the plural form of a noun, although this isn’t very common. It can also be tricky to tell if using an apostrophe in this way is right or wrong. For example, an unnecessary apostrophe to form the plural of a noun is a widespread mistake and is sometimes referred to as a grocer’s apostrophe. However, there are a few important exceptions to this mistake. The most notable exception to this rule is the plural form of lower case letters, which are formed with an apostrophe to prevent misreading. For example, the sentence, ‘don’t forget to dot all your i’s, ‘ needs the apostrophe to avoid being misread.

To make it easier to remember when to use an apostrophe, remember that most plurals do not contain apostrophes. However, as mentioned above, an apostrophe can be added to the plural form of lowercase letters and numbers. These words are formed with an apostrophe to prevent misreading. Examples of this plural apostrophe include:

• ‘Dot your i’s and cross your t’s.
• ‘There is 1 m, four i’s, four s’s, and two p’s in ‘Mississippi.”
• ‘There are two 7’s in 747.’

How to check your apostrophes are correct

It’s always worth checking the apostrophes in a piece of writing, as missing one (or adding one that isn’t needed) is one of the most commonly made punctuation mistakes. To check your apostrophes are correct, you must:

• Identify its purpose -what is it, an omissive apostrophe or a possessive one?
• Is the purpose correctly punctuated?

Check out these examples below to see if you and your students can correct the apostrophe errors in these sentences.

• The bats’ wings ‘arnt black.
• At seven oc’lock this morning, I was woken up by Steves car.
• In the 1920s the TV was invented.
• Its in the horses’ stables

Motor skills are the muscle movements we use in our everyday lives. They allow us to do everything from walking and running to brushing our teeth. Importantly, motor skills are learned abilities, meaning we aren’t born with them. Instead, we acquire motor skills through practice and repetition. Eventually, motor skills require little to no effort and can be performed with a great deal of accuracy.

Because motor skills are learned abilities, they’re often used as benchmarks in children’s development. For example, by five, it’s expected that most children can walk and run efficiently. However, the so-called ‘critical period’ for motor skills development is between three and five. This is because the nervous system is at a stage where new skills can be learned relatively quickly.

What Is an Example of a Motor Skill?

Not all movements are motor skills. Some, like blinking and breathing, are involuntary, which means they can’t be improved through practice. Walking is perhaps the best example of a motor skill, given that it’s learned in early childhood. Once mastered, walking requires little effort and can be performed with great precision. In fact, for most people, it’s something that’s rarely acknowledged.

Motor Skills Development:

Motor skills are critical; we use them every day; from opening the door to typing on a keyboard, we are constantly employing our motor skills to help us complete our everyday tasks.

We develop our motor skills as newborns and continue building them into adulthood.

As adults, we use our motor skills without thinking about them. Still, babies and toddlers may need encouragement in the form of different exercises and activities to help them to develop their motor skills.

Ways you can help babies with motor skills development include:

• Tummy time
• Rolling a ball to them and getting them to move it back to you
• Practice giving and taking objects from them to develop skills like grasping and tugging
• When a child is old enough to start eating solid food, getting them to pick pieces of food up can help them get used to picking up smaller objects

How do Motor Skills Develop?

Mastering motor skills is the first step in helping children to feel independent. In addition, being confident with gross motor skills can help children perform essential everyday tasks such as getting out of bed and going up and downstairs.

While the actions we do when we use our fine motor skills tend to be smaller, they can be just as important; for example, brushing our teeth and fastening clothes with buttons and zips require fine motor skills. Therefore, motor skills development is the best way to help children reach these levels of independence.

When children are young, doing activities that require fine motor skills, such as coloring or playing with toys with smaller pieces like puzzles, can feel frustrating. However, as children begin to master their use of fine motor skills, they will be able to employ a broader range of hand manipulations, such as holding crayons between two fingers and a thumb (the way that an adult would have a pen or a pencil), be able to draw circular and cross shapes, and slowly begin to keep their coloring and drawings within the borders of the lines or the whole coloring page.

Motor skills development typically happens in a set order, along with three guiding principles:

1. Motor skills involving moving body parts closer to the head develop earlier than those further away. This explains how children can use their hands and arms before walking.
2. Movements of body parts closer to the body are mastered before those further away. Again, this explains how children can move their arms before performing finer activities with their fingers.
3. Finally, larger muscle groups tend to develop before smaller muscle groups.

The last of these principles highlights the difference between fine and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills involve handwriting (the smaller muscle groups), whereas gross motor skills involve walking and running (the larger muscle groups).

Difficulties with either of the above generally present as clumsiness. This could mean dropping objects or bumping into things. Another symptom might be slowness or inaccuracy when practicing sports, although this is slightly harder to define.

Why Are Motor Skills Important?

Motor skills are essential for several reasons, not all of which are limited to movement. At a basic level, motor skills determine the ability of younger children to explore their environment. If they cannot do so, this can have knock-on effects on their perceptual and cognitive development.

Beyond this, walking and running from a young age can help children develop stamina for exercise. This will be important for keeping fit and healthy as they grow older.

Where fine motor skills are concerned, although handwriting is becoming less important at school and in the workplace, the same muscle groups are involved in typing and using smartphones, so children must get the hang of them from an early age.

What Are the Five Motor Skills?

Motor skills are essential in the classroom, and excellent motor skills, govern things like handwriting. Many consider fine motor skills to be critical to a child’s learning. With this in mind, here’s a list of five fine motor skills you can practice with your class or child:

• Construction Skills

Common in many EYFS classrooms, construction areas are essential for younger children’s learning. Construction activities are a fun way for children to practice fine motor skills. By working in teams, a construction area could also be used to help children learn valuable social skills, like teamwork.

• Pencil Skills

This is perhaps the most crucial classroom motor skill on this list. Aside from preparing children for handwriting exercises, pencil control activities can be a fun way for children to explore their creativity.

• IT Skills

Many of the same muscles used for handwriting and pencil control are also needed for a computer, meaning that what you explore in your IT lessons can have far-reaching effects.

• Scissor Skills

Scissors are a notoriously tricky piece of equipment for younger children to master. Though they’re easily neglected, being able to use scissors is essential, not only for practical reasons but also for reasons relating to personal safety. Apart from this, practicing cutting out with scissors can help with finger strength and hand-eye coordination.

• Self-Care Skills

This includes being able to tie shoelaces, use cutlery and fasten zips and buckles without assistance from an adult. By improving these skills, parents and teachers can help children improve their fine motor skills and develop an age-appropriate level of independence.

Fine Vs. Gross Motor Skills:

Motor skills fall into the category of either fine motor skills or gross motor skills. Fine motor skills tend to be more minor actions requiring higher precision, such as handwriting. Gross motor skills are more significant actions that use large muscles, like jumping in the arms, legs, torso, or feet.

Fine Motor Skills:

Activities that require fine motor skills also tend to employ our use of hand-eye coordination.

Examples of everyday activities that use our fine motor skills include:

• Squeezing objects
• Handwriting
• Using zips
• Using cutlery and scissors
• Drawing

Different children will reach fine motor skill milestones at other times. If you are looking at which fine motor skills may require extra support, ensuring children can do fine motor skills needed for school and play is an excellent place to start – this includes any activities that may require pens and pencils.

There are some uses of fine motor skills we rarely even think about. For example, our tongues are capable of many fine motor skills when speaking and eating. This means that some speech development difficulties are down to a lack of fine motor skills, and helping to develop fine motor skills around the mouth may be a vital part of the support.

Gross Motor Skills:

Gross motor skill activities tend to be bigger and more energetic than fine motor skill activities.

Examples of everyday activities that we do use our gross motor skills include:

• Ball skills such as throwing, catching, and kicking
• Jumping
• Going up and downstairs
• Riding a bike
• Reaching for things on a shelf

There is a lot of opportunity to develop these skills in the playground

Children will reach gross motor skill milestones like fine motor skills at different stages. However, it may be more evident that children struggle with gross motor skills at a younger age because it may take them longer to pull themselves up to stand or crawl.

Gross motor skills are sometimes considered riskier because children are more likely to fall over while practicing. Still, they should be perfectly safe with adequate adult supervision.

One big difference between fine and gross motor skills is that fine motor skills typically depend on another object being involved, whereas we do lots of gross motor skills by ourselves.

Assonance is a literary technique that repeats the same or similar vowel sound.

It’s often used in poetry or narrative prose to create an atmosphere and rhythm. Most often, the assonance will be internal to a word – for example, the phrase ‘he rowed the boat’ uses the long ‘oh’ sound twice. That’s assonance, meaning in the literature that there’s a flow between the words, and a lovely link, even though they don’t rhyme.

What is an example of assonance?

Chances are, your students will already know some common examples of assonance. Lots of common phrases and sayings utilize assonance, as assonance makes them more catchy. Assonance is also an excellent device for remembering things, which is why it’s so commonly used.

• Dumb luck
• In awhile, crocodile
• See you later, alligator
• Chips and dip
• Good day; I’ll be on my way
• Cock of the walk
• Chow Chow, for now
• Lean, mean, fighting machine
• Toodles, Poodles!

The effect of assonance: Why is assonance used?

There are all sorts of reasons why you might use assonance. When you read a text, think about what the assonance adds to the overall feel and meaning to help you decide why it has been used. There are many reasons for using assonance, meaning in literature, it crops up quite commonly. Read on to learn more about the uses for assonance in writing and poetry.

1) Create a rhythm and flow to writing: One core reason already discussed is to provide a lovely flow to the words. Assonance can help link comments together so that even poetry that doesn’t rhyme still has continuity.

2) Create tongue twisters: This is common in tongue twisters, where the same vowel sounds are often repeated in proximity to each other to attempt to trip up the speaker. A good example is ‘she sells seashells on the sea shore,’ which alternates a long and short ‘e’ sound to create a tangled forest of complicated sounds. These are great exercises in pronunciation and are often used by actors before they go on stage.

3) Pairs with the use of onomatopoeia: You might also come across more onomatopoeic examples of assonance, meaning in the literature that the sound highlighted specifically exists to mimic something. So, for example, the phrase ‘the wind wails and flails around the stables’ repeats the ‘ay’ sound, miming the thrashing wind’s intensity as it batters the stables about.

4) Helps you to remember things: The sing-song, rhyme-y effect that assonance often has can be a great mnemonic device, which can help you to remember things. That’s why so many common phrases and idioms use assonance. Next time you try to remember something, why not attach some adjectives with the same vowel sounds? This is a great way to help keep it in your mind.

What is the difference between alliteration and assonance?

You might be starting to wonder what exactly the difference between alliteration and assonance is. Unfortunately, the two literary techniques are somewhat similar, meaning it’s easy to confuse them.

Here’s the easiest way to remember the difference between alliteration and assonance:

Assonance is when the same vowel sounds are repeated in multiple words. For example:

• The gleaming sunbeams shone down on the vast green fields.
• The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.
• Goodnight, sleep tight, and don’t let the bedbugs bite!

The main effect of assonance in literature is to create a sense of rhythm. It helps dictate which syllables should be stressed within a line of text. This rhythm-making has a flow-on effect, making a phrase sound more memorable. This is partially what makes sayings like “there’s no place like home” – where we can spot assonance on the “o” sound of “no” and “home.”

Alliteration is when a word’s consonant sounds are repeated in multiple terms. For example:

• The slippery snake slithered away as he sang a silly song.
• Heather was hysterically happy.
• Emily is envious of everyone except for Emma.
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

An effect of alliteration is that it can direct the readers’ focus to a particular section of text. In addition, alliterative sounds create rhythm and mood and sometimes have specific connotations. For example, the repetition of an “s” sound can make a snake-like quality, giving the text a sense of trickery and danger.

What is the difference between assonance and sibilance?

Assonance and sibilance are often used in the same context, as they have similar effects in writing. However, because it is so easy for these devices to get confused, your students must become familiar with how they each work.

• Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound. This is either at the beginning or in the middle of words. Fore example, mighty cries in the night.
• Sibilance: Sibilance, on the other hand, is the repetition of the ‘s’ sound throughout a phrase or a sentence. For example, she slowly staggered across the street.

Spot the assonance: How can you identify assonance?

A great way to identify assonance is to read things out loud. This is because the same sounds don’t always look the same on paper! Sometimes they do; for example, ‘stood’ and ‘hood’ both have the same vowel sound. However, if you were to highlight every instance of a double ‘o’, you might fall into the trap of highlighting words like ‘food,’ where the vowel sound is very different and much longer. So instead, by reading things aloud, you’re much more likely to notice words with the same vowel sound. For example, ‘push’ has the same internal vowel sound but looks very different on paper.

It’s much easier to hear assonance, meaning it can often go unnoticed in literature. Use our handy tool to help avoid this, and ensure you and your learners are picking up on all the literary devices you could be.

A homework diary is essential for students to remind them of their responsibilities and tasks they must complete in the evening. They also allow parents to get involved with their child’s studies and be aware of what is required.

What to write in a Homework Diary?

It may seem obvious to write the homework task in a homework diary, but there are also other important factors to include, such as:

1. Details of the homework task
2. When the homework is due
3. Parent and teacher signature

Details of the Homework Task 

It may not be helpful for students to write down ‘English Homework’ as they may forget what they may have been asked to read or study. Instead, they should write down ‘read chapter 1 of (name of the book)’ or ‘write a paragraph or summary on the chapter of (name of the book).’ Being more specific about the assignment will make it easier for them when they get down to completing it.

As students get older, their homework will become more difficult and include more detail. Therefore, teachers should ensure that students have written everything they need; for example, if the task was to ‘read the handout,’ questions like: which handout? What is the handout about? Are there any questions about it? Doing this will ensure that students become self-sufficient and can do it next time without being reminded.

When the Homework is Due

Students need to note when the homework is due so they can time-manage themselves and not get into trouble for forgetting and falling behind.

Most of the time, homework tasks are set for the next day, which is simple to remember; however, if students are selected for bigger projects that take a few weeks to complete, parents can help children set mini-deadlines to focus on certain aspects of the task.

Parent and Teacher Signature

Including both a parent and teacher signature box in a homework diary means that parents can feel confident that their child has written the correct amount of detail of the homework task if their teacher has signed it. Vice versa, if a student’s parent has signed the homework diary, the teacher knows they have completed the noted assignments.

Conifers are gymnosperms, which are non-flowering seed plants.

They are the oldest-known group of seed plants, dating back over 250 million years in the fossil record.

Conifers encompass around 630 different species.

Features of Conifers

• Small, needle-like leaves
• Conifers keep their leaves all year round

Examples of conifers include pine, fir, and spruce trees.

Coniferous and Deciduous Trees

Coniferous trees are different from deciduous trees.

Deciduous trees have broad, flat leaves and drop them seasonally, such as during autumn.

An Antarctic animal is any creature that lives in the southern continent – the coldest and driest continent in the world.

Although the Antarctic gets snow, it gets hardly any rainfall at all. Ice can be up to 4 kilometers deep, and with temperatures in the region sinking to blistering lows, it’s only along slightly warmer coastlines where animals come to the shore. The lowest temperature ever recorded was in Antarctica at minus 129 °F! (ca. 54 °C)

Most of the animals that live in Antarctica are seasonal visitors, as the conditions in winter are too harsh for most animals. However, a select few, like the emperor penguin, call it home all year round. The South Pole doesn’t support animal life, but Antarctica has various animals.

What animals live in Antarctica?

The Antarctic is still quite a mystery to many of us – no people live there, so many children may wonder what animals live in Antarctica. The ice-covered continent has low biodiversity, but a variety of specially-adapted animals can survive there, at least on a seasonal basis. Scientists visit the mainland for periods, as the location and its animals are fascinating.

Sea Life

The seas around Antarctica are the most populated in the region. Their inhabitants range from microscopic plankton to the blue whale – the largest animal ever living on planet earth.

Crustaceans mainly live in the sea; crabs, sea spiders, and shrimp are just a few examples of crustaceans that reside in Antarctica. Antarctic krill is only 6 cm, but they form the basis of the food web in the Antarctic, acting as the prey of whales, seals, and even birds. Scorpions and arachnids are often seen too. In addition, many invertebrates live in Antarctic waters, including jellyfish, sea urchins, octopus, squid, and marine snails.

Over 200 different species of fish form part of the diets of various mammals and sea life.

Arctic Shark

There are many species of arctic sharks that live in the Arctic ocean. These include the Greenland shark, a member of the sleeper shark family. This is the only Arctic shark found in these waters all year round and has evolved to live in the chilly depths. This shark’s tissues contain high levels of chemical compounds that act as anti-freeze and prevent ice crystals from forming in the body. As a result, these sharks conserve energy by swimming very slowly (about 1.12 feet per second) but can exhibit short bursts of speed to ambush prey.

The Greenland shark is one of the largest cartilaginous fishes. It can reach a length of 7 meters (23 feet) and a weight of 1,025 kg. Not only is this a vast arctic shark, but they also live very long lives. It can live for 400 years, twice the age of the oldest land mammal, the giant tortoise.

So, what does the Greenland Arctic shark eat? Greenland sharks are not fussy and consume various fish, squid, and carrion. Stomach contents of sharks have even included polar bears, horses, and reindeer.

Mammals

60% of the world’s seal population live in Antarctica, with around six different varieties – the elephant seal, leopard seal, Weddell seal, crabeater seal, ross seal, and the fur seal. These penguins are the only land animals in the Antarctic.

Besides the impressive blue whale, there are orcas, humpback whales, sperm whales, fin whales, southern bottlenose whales, southern right whales, sei whales, and minke whales. You will also see walruses and narwhals.

There are 24 mammal species in Antarctica, all of which are marine. Below is the complete list:

• Antarctic fur seal
• Southern elephant seal
• Leopard seal
• Weddell seal
• Crabeater seal
• Ross seal
• Southern right whale
• Pygmy right whale
• Common minke whale
• Antarctic minke whale
• Sei whale
• Blue whale
• Fin whale
• Southern fin whale
• Humpback whale
• Sperm whale
• Arnoux’s beaked whale
• Gray’s beaked whale
• Southern bottlenose whale
• Spectacled porpoise
• Commerson’s dolphin
• Long-finned pilot whale
• Hourglass dolphin
• Orca
• Arctic shark

Birds

There are millions of seabirds in the Antarctic. Penguins are one of the first animals we associate with the Antarctic, and besides seals, they are the only land animal on the continent. Many types of penguins live in the region. For example, the emperor penguin can be found all year round – they’re the only species able to breed in winter. The female penguin lays a giant egg on ice sheets, leaving it behind for the male while she searches for food underwater. The male penguins keep the egg warm until the female eventually returns with a belly full of food that she regurgitates and gives to both her young and the male penguin.

Rockhoppers, chinstraps, king, macaroni, gentoo, and Adélie penguins can also be found at different times of the year. Other species of penguin breed on nearby islands.

Albatrosses are also commonly associated with Antarctica; these seabirds have the most extensive bird wingspan, at around 3.1 m! There are also several other species of birds in the Antarctic, with the South Georgia pipit being the only Antarctic songbird.

How many species of animal live in Antarctica?

Thanks to adaptation, there are 235 animal species inhabiting the sterile environment of Antarctica.

Top Antarctic Animals

Blue Whale

Weight: 200 tonnes

Length: 30 m

The largest and loudest animal ever known to have existed, blue whales are about 30 m long and 200 tones in weight. Their calls are louder than a jet engine, allowing them to hear one another from up to 1,000 miles away! Their hearts are the size of a small car, and they’re one of the world’s longest-lived animals, with an average lifespan of 80 to 90 years. Aggressive whaling in the 20th century nearly led to the species going extinct, and blue whales remain under threat today. Their population in Antarctica is around 2,000 – similar to that in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Blue whales follow a seasonal migration pattern: during the feeding season, they consume krill in cold polar waters before traveling to warmer, tropical waters to mate and give birth.

Adélie Penguins

Weight: 5 kg

Length: 70 cm

Often found on pack ice on the Antarctic continent and the sub-Antarctic islands, Adélie penguins are the most southerly of the continent’s penguins. They’re one of the smaller penguin species, weighing around 5 kg and standing less than a meter tall. Their rookeries are large and loud and can contain up to 500,000 birds. To start the breeding process, males make a nest out of pebbles. Both males and females share parental duties, and their egalitarianism has been a frequent source of fascination for scientists.

Chinstrap Penguins

Weight: 4.5 kg

Length: 65 cm

At around 4.5 kg and 65 cm in height, chinstrap penguins are more miniature than Adélie penguins. Their name is derived from a line of black feathers that wraps around their chin. Commonly, chinstrap penguins are found breeding on rocky coasts, away from the ice, between December and March. They inhabit the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic islands, and sub-Antarctic islands. The species is noisy and sometimes violent, especially when making nests. To attract a mate, males make impressive nests from pebbles. However, it’s common for males to steal one another’s stones, leading to many little conflicts! Their striking appearance and eccentric behavior make them fantastic to observe.

Wandering Albatross

Weight: 7 kg

Length: 1.1 – 1.4 m

With the longest wingspan of any bird on Earth, the wandering albatross is incredible to behold. Their wingspan can measure between 3.1-3.5 m, allowing them to fly huge distances without expending much energy. They’re often found in sub-Antarctic regions, most notably on exposed ridges on South Georgia and Prince Edward Island, and they stay with their mate for life. The number of wandering albatrosses is falling, with longline fishing hooks continuing to be a threat. Plus, the slow breeding process of the species means that their numbers aren’t replaced quickly, and with an estimated population of around 26,000, they’re considered vulnerable.

Leopard Seals

Weight: 300 – 500 kg

Length: 3.8 m

A leopard seal’s name is derived from the spots on its coat that are suggestive of the big cat. Leopard seals are ferocious predators who feed on smaller seals, penguins, fish, and squid. In addition, they employ ambush tactics and tend to wait below an ice shelf for birds to dive in to find food. They weigh between 300-500 kg and can grow to as long as 3.8 m! The species inhabit the sub-Antarctic islands and can also be found on open-pack ice – often nearby penguin colonies during their breeding season.

Elephant Seals

Weight: 800 – 3,700 kg

Length: 3.7 m

This impressive creature is the largest of all seals in Antarctica. Males can range between 1,500 kg to 3,700 kg, while females tend to be no more than 800 kg. This incredible disparity in size is known as sexual dimorphism, meaning that females are often mistaken for juveniles when seen next to male elephant seals. The creatures appear throughout the Antarctic region, particularly on sub-Antarctic islands, although they’re sometimes found as far north as the Falkland Islands. They can dive to 500 m for as long as 20 minutes. Males tend to forage on the ocean floor for food, while females hunt more in the open ocean.

King Penguins

Weight: 15 kg

Length: 85 – 95 cm

King penguins are the second-largest penguin species, smaller only than emperor penguins. They weigh around 15 kg on average and have golden feathers around their head and necks. They form huge colonies on slopes near the sea on sub-Antarctic islands, with notable examples on South Georgia, Macquarie Island, Prince Edward Island, and Heard Island. King penguins raise an average of two chicks every two years, and the creatures are serially monogamous.

Emperor Penguins

Weight: 30 kg

Length: 1.2 m

Emperor penguins are the creatures most associated with Antarctica. The instantly-recognizable species are the giant penguins in the world and weigh an average of 30 kg. They have golden feathers around the sides of their head and are found all around the coasts of Antarctica. They generally live and breed on sea ice; many never step foot on land! Emperor penguins breed in the brutal winter of Antarctica, where temperatures can fall to a low as -60 °C, and huddle to shield against harsh conditions. The creatures were first spotted on Captain Cook’s second voyage between 1773-1775, and there are approximately 595,000 adult Emperor penguins in Antarctica.

Killer Whales (Orcas)

Weight: 3,000 – 4,000 kg

Length: 5 – 8 m

Killer whales – also called orcas – are the world’s largest species of dolphin. With a population of around 100,000, the creatures inhabit all of Earth’s oceans; however, most are found in Antarctica. They eat fish, seals and sea lions, porpoises and dolphins, sharks and rays, giant whales, cephalopods, seabirds, and more. They communicate through vocalizations and calls unique to pods and family groups. Males weigh up to 5,400 kg and measure up to 8 m in length; the creatures are lovely to see in the wild.

Snow Petrels

Weight: 270g

Length: 36 to 41 cm

Pure white besides their black eyes and beak, snow petrels are beautiful creatures. Despite being so small (snow petrels are about the same size as a pigeon), they’re hardy birds and can live in Antarctic conditions for up to 20 years. Around 4 million are in the wild and lay eggs between October and November, with their chicks fledging within six weeks. They’re often found near open water and are characteristically seen sitting on icebergs.

Antarctic Krill

Weight: 2 g

Length: 6 cm

Antarctic krill are a species of fish found in the Antarctic waters. They’re among the largest of the 85 known krill species, and their estimated population ranges from 125 million tons to 6 trillion tons in the water around Antarctica. At different times of the year, krill congregate in swarms so dense and widespread that they’re visible from space. Despite being widely hunted – krill is a popular meal for many animals in Antarctica – the fish can live for up to ten years. As a result, they’re an essential cog in the ecosystem of the Antarctic, and in terms of biomass, the species is one of the most abundant on the planet.

Snowy Sheathbills

Weight: 460 – 780 g

Length: 34 – 41 cm

Snowy sheathbills are small birds that live throughout the Antarctic region, from the Antarctic Peninsula and throughout the Scotia arc through the South Shetland, South Orkney, and South Sandwich groups to South Georgia and different islands along the way. These birds also migrate to the Falklands and various coastal regions of South America but live and breed primarily in Antarctica.

It is estimated that there are just under 200,000 snowy sheathbills worldwide, but their conservation status is not of enormous concern. In terms of their diet, snowy sheathbills are not picky eaters. These Antarctic animals are known as ‘opportunistic feeders,’ meaning they eat almost anything that crosses their path. You will often find snowy sheathbills foraging for food along shorelines, picking among washed-up seaweed for invertebrates. During the breeding season, these birds hang around sea-bird colonies, searching for eggs, chicks, and carrion (dead animals) to eat.

Sheathbills make a noise that sounds like ‘mutt-mutt-mutt,’ which has earned them the nickname ‘Mutts.’ Another nickname these birds have earned is ‘the bin men of the Antarctic’ because they will eat just about anything. Snowy sheathbills are also the only Antarctic bird species that don’t have webbed feet and cannot fish for food like the other birds.

Fin Whales

Weight: 48,000 kg

Length: 26 m

While all whales are known for being huge, the fin whale is the second-longest, second only to the blue whale. At full size, it can grow up to 26 meters in length and weigh around 48,000 kg. Fin whales fall into the subcategory of baleen whales, which, among other things, means that the females of the species are slightly larger than the males.

In terms of its appearance, the back of fin whales is a dark grey/brownish-black, which fades down into a white belly. Their heads contain both color palates, with the majority being dark and the right lower jaw white.

Fin whales live predominantly in temperate and calm waters in the open ocean, staying away from super icy waters. It is in these waters that fin whales feed almost exclusively on krill.

Like all large whales, the fin whale is heavily endangered. This is mainly due to the vast amount of whale hunting in the 20th century that caused the population of fin whales to decrease drastically from the early 1900s until 1975.

Salps

Weight: N/A

Length: Around 10 cm

These strange-looking creatures can be found in the waters of Antarctica. They are mainly transparent, jelly-like, cylindrical animals, ranging from just a few millimeters in length at birth to around 10 cm at full size. However, one species of salps can grow more than a few meters.

Two types of salps can be found in Antarctic waters. The first is Salpa thompsoni, which thrives in ice-free areas, and the second is Ihlea racovitzai, which can be found only in high-latitude ice-edge areas.

In terms of diet, salps are what are known as non-selective filter feeders. Salps have a feeding net that captures all of their food. The net is made of a mesh material that is optimized for catching various sizes of particles, from bacteria to nauplius larvae. However, the primary food source for salps is phytoplankton. Therefore, salps tend to live in offshore environments with a decent concentration of phytoplankton. On the other hand, salps cannot survive in coastal areas because of the high concentration of inorganic particles there. These particles are dangerous for salps because they get in their feeding nets and cause them to become clogged, which, in turn, causes salps to die.

The process of eating for salps is all about filtration. Salps filter food particles by pumping seawater in from the mouth opening and out through the atrial opening using muscle contractions. This action of pumping water through the mouth also acts as a way to propel salps forward so that they can swim and feed at the same time.

How have Antarctic animals adapted to the cold conditions?

When considering what animals live in Antarctica, we must consider why these species survive these cold conditions.

Keeping body heat

• As seals do, thick blubbery skin can help insulate against the cold. Whales also have a layer of fat that keeps them warm.
• Penguins and even seals’ compact body shape allows heat to be kept for longer. But, on the other hand, the blue whale is enormous; it weighs over 150,000 kg, and its tongue alone weighs the same as an elephant. Nevertheless, it can be up to 30 meters long, so it survives well in these conditions.
• Emperor penguins behave cooperatively to escape the cold winds that are often as chilly as -62 degrees Celsius. They huddle together to keep their bodies warm.
• Many species of fish and insects in Antarctica have special chemicals due to a genetic mutation that acts like an anti-freeze. This ensures they don’t become frozen in harsh conditions.
• Birds’ feathers are waterproof and downy to keep them warm.

Seasonal visitors

• Many animals choose to leave Antarctica in winter – between June and August – as the conditions become too much to bear.

Getting around on the ice

• Despite the sheer weight of seals, which can weigh up to 450 pounds (0.2 tons), they are surprisingly agile, and their flippers can support most of their weight.

What will happen to animals if Antarctica melts?

Global warming will continue to impact all life on Earth, but Antarctic animals like krill and the penguins that depend on them for food may be the most vulnerable to the changes it will impose. The impact of melting ice and rising sea levels on Antarctica may have grave consequences for even the most resilient animals.

The impact of human industrial activity is already unfolding in this remote, icy desert, showing a dire future for the region and its inhabitants. Greenland and Antarctica have lost over 6 trillion tons of ice since 1994, leading to a spike in sea levels worldwide. Temperatures are slowly increasing in parts of the Southern Ocean, and rising greenhouse gas emissions have exposed the waters to acidifying carbon dioxide. These changes and pollutants may not bode well for the many species that live in the region.

For the species that live in the region, the atmosphere is changing faster than most of Earth’s species have ever experienced. The alarming sea ice loss will transform habitats, expanding the seafloor and opening up waters. Species that depend on ice for food, breeding grounds, hunting areas, and shelter will find it harder to meet their physiological needs for survival.

Laternula elliptica are a species of underwater clams equipped to handle transient increases in temperature; however, long-term gains are more likely to threaten their numbers. Decreasing sea ice levels are predicted to impair species like krill; the fish rely on sea ice for food and shelter, so losing this invaluable resource could trigger one of two things: an exodus out of Antarctic waters or an epic annihilation. This would have repercussions for the predators who feed on krill, such as chinstrap and Adélie penguins. The fate of emperor penguins may be worse still. While the species don’t depend solely on krill to survive, they rely on sea ice and ice shelves as breeding grounds.

As is the case with most changes to an environment, some species will benefit. However, in any complex ecosystem, even the most minor adjustments have wide-reaching implications that have the potential to change the whole structure. The growth of another doesn’t remedy the decline of one species. Species that benefit from environmental changes may find that these benefits don’t last long, and continually rising temperatures may jeopardize more and more animals.

What animals are endangered in Antarctica?

An endangered animal is in danger of extinction, meaning it will die soon if further steps to protect it are not taken. Unfortunately, like in other parts of the world, some species in Antarctica are threatened with extinction.

Albatross

The most endangered animal in Antarctica is the albatross. Most die because of oil spills or after being caught in plastic. They are also suffering because of climate change and loss of habitat.

Penguin

Six out of eight species of penguins that live in Antarctica are also endangered. The other two species have not been included on the threatened with extinction list, but they are close to this.

Whales and seals

One of the reasons whales and seals in Antarctica are endangered is human intervention. They were almost killed entirely by people in the 19th century, and even after that brutal hunting stopped, numerous whales and seals were still hunted for commercial purposes.

For example, blue and sei whales are still threatened with extinction, even though their population is increasing. However, unlike whales, even though they were close to disappearing, seals’ numbers have increased, and they seem to be on the road to recovery.

Are there sharks in Antarctica?

No – the cold waters of the Antarctic are inhospitable to sharks, who would struggle to keep their metabolism and energy levels high enough to keep moving.

What is the most dangerous animal in Antarctica?

Leopard seals are perhaps the most fierce predators in Antarctica, and their powerful jaws and long teeth make them feared hunters!

What eats a penguin?

In water, penguins are threatened by leopard seals, fur seals, sea lions, sharks, and killer whales.

On land, they can be attacked by foxes, snakes, lizards, and dogs, while some other animals threaten eggs and chicks in the case of species, not in the Antarctic regions.

Interesting facts about animals that live in Antarctica

• The fastest penguin in Antarctica is the gentoo penguin, which can swim up to 22 miles per hour ca. 35 km/h).
• Leopard seals live to 26 years old.
• Weddel seals can spend almost one hour and a half underwater.
• The largest insect species in Antarctica is The Belgica Antarctica, which is 0.5 inches (1.27 cm).
• The snowy sheathbill is the only land bird local to the Antarctic continent.
• Albatrosses come to land just for breeding. They spend 80% of their life in the water.
• Penguins can live up to 60 years.
• Twenty-five species of penguins lived in the Antarctic millions of years ago. Their fossils have been found across the continent.
• Leopard seals like to play with their prey when they’re not hungry.
• Ants can be found on all other continents except Antarctica.