Thursday, 14 December 2017

Phonics 'first', 'fast' and....'ONLY' ???

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Some enthusiasts of systematic synthetic phonics get quite cross with those of us who suggest that the principle advocated is 'first, fa...

Justine Greening, 4 year olds, diktats and language.

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Justine Greening has made a statement about social mobility, focussing in part on Reception children. 1. How dare these politicians make int...
Wednesday, 13 December 2017

Using literary methods to find out how the opening of 'A Christmas Carol' works, and what is it trying to say?

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In a previous blog, I produced several 'trigger' questions as ways of breaking down the categories of narratology, stylistics, pragm...

Do we need 'grammar' to tell us what 'Where the Wild Things Are' is about?

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Literary criticism is like an old footballer facing opponents who are schooled in the latest techniques of fitness and tactics. In my lifeti...
Tuesday, 12 December 2017

13 more thoughts about writing

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1. Every genre of writing has a ‘syntax’ and a series of paradigms. (Think eg the rom-com). The syntax is the storyline-structure-plot. The ...
Monday, 11 December 2017

Writing: how? 19 thoughts.

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1. Year 8, Harrow Weald County Grammar School, 1959: we read Browning’s ‘dramatic monologues ‘ and talked about what was told and how. Homew...
Friday, 8 December 2017

Trump, Jerusalem, our MPs and the 'facts on the ground'

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Facts on the Ground How wise and thoughtful the MPs sound talking about Israel and the 'facts on the ground'! They have 'reserva...