HWRK Magazine: Issue 9 - Autumn 2019 by HWRK MAGAZINE

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almost WRITTEN EXCLUSIVELY BY TEACHERS FOR TEACHERS

AUTUMN 2019 / ISSUE 9 / FREE HWRKMAGAZINE.CO.UK

FILL YOUR SCHOOL LIBRARY FOR FREE SUREFIRE STRATEGIES FOR ACCUMILATING LITERATURE WITHOUT ANY BUDGET

SERIOUSLY SPOOKY! 13 OF THE MOST DEVILISH HALLOWEEN DAYS OUT FOR TEACHERS AND PUPILS

CLASS COMMANDMENTS

10 KEYS TO HALT CHAOS

DON’T WORRY BE HAPPY... WHY YOUR WELLBEING MUST COME FIRST

THE DOS AND THE DON’TS TO ENSURE A CALM CLASSROOM

1,107 HINTS & TIPS FOR TEACHERS

BRINGING THE VICTORIAN AGE TO LIFE TEACHER, AUTHOR AND HISTORIAN DR JOHN WOOLF’S FAVOURITE LESSONS

EAT, SLEEP, TEACH, REPEAT Easy and nutritious meals and practical workouts you can fit between classes.

We work tirelessly to change the lives of those affected by bullying and we know we make a difference. We see it in the way young people engage in our projects, how we empower them to Make a Difference and how they develop confidence and learn new skills. By developing a positive ethos across a whole school/organisation community, we can create an environment that meets the emotional, academic and social needs of pupils and staff. Creating an anti-bullying and respectful ethos is a powerful way to Inspire Change. Our Youth Ambassadors are a dynamic team of young volunteers working together to help deal with the issue of bullying. They are committed and dedicated and all have a passion to Make A Difference in their local communities. The programme is open all year round and you can join wherever you live and whatever your background and interests are.

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BIG Read

FILL YOUR LIBRARY FOR FREE

BIG Opinion

With school budgets tighter than ever, here are seven super strategies for accumulating literature on the cheap WORDS: BEN KING

IT STARTS WITH YOU!

OPEN A BOOK

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EXPAND YOUR MIND ONE SUBJECT AT A TIME

MAKE YOU YOUR PRIORITY

JUICE BAR IS OPEN 48 time-poor trainin

50 bingo wing war

52 juice box party

54 time to chill

HEALTH

Staff wellbeing is essential – it’s time to make you your number one priority

INTERVIEW: KEVIN LISTER

FREE BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS

Time again to let the juice loose As the dark, cold nights start rolling in it’s a perfect time to dig out that juicer you bought at the start of the year, the one you had planned to use to get that beach body for summer! There is no better time than Autumn and winter to start mixing juices, especially as the bright colours and antioxidant

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Paper books far better than digital

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ENGLISH RS MATHS BOOK REVIEW COLUMN READING

When it comes to reading, nothing beats a good old fashioned book rather than a tablet or reader. A new study found that reading with new technology, for children at least, is often way more of a distraction with their focus on ‘playing’ with the device having a negative impact on their reading and focus. The University of Michigan study found that tablets, ebooks and reading apps are designed to draw attention and distract from other activities, so for young minds they’re probably not the best to read with. More classroom reading hints – Page 20

laden ingredients are the perfect flu-battling booster. Juicing is a great way to squeeze in all your daily requirements of vitamins, minerals and fibre while also combating cancer cells, boost brain power and give the old ticker a real overhaul too. Check out our favourite daily juices – Page 52

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TAKING LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

Don’t be afraid to turn the page alloween is one of the very best holidays when it comes to lesson planning, but despite decorations and activities teachers are often worried about reading horror stories in class. But studies have proven that spooky fiction is actually a vital part of a young person’s development. Scary stories teach valuable life lessons, like ‘don’t walk alone at night’ and ‘listen to your parents’. It also teaches that fear is perfectly normal and acceptable. Plus, it helps children control the fear – after all, it’s easy to close a book and ask questions for reassurance. Halloween trips: check out 13 of the best ghoulish UK days out – Page 71.

GUEST COLUMNIST

OVERSEAS EDUCATOR l HOGWARTS EXPRESS l BULLIES OUT! l

13 SERIOUSLY SPOOKY TRIPS

SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS MOST

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CONTENTS CURRICULUM

FEATURES

62 WHO WAS MALCOLM X?

HEALTH

EXPERIENCE

Master how to go with the flow in class.

48 15-MIN FAT LOSS

72 SPOOKY OUTINGS

UK’s 13 most ghoulish Halloween days out.

11 POETRY MADE EASY

23 FREE BOOKS!

Tips and techniques for fool proof KS1 rhyming.

Practical advice on how to fill your library for free.

66 SUSTAINABILITY MATTERS

Three time-saver circuits to get you fit and active.

14 MATHS CONFIDENCE

28 JOHN WOOLF Q&A

Why teachers should make it a British value.

50 BINGO WING WARFARE

74 STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Try the LAMP method for enhanced number learning.

HWRK talks freak shows with the acclaimed historian.

Get your flabby arms tight and trim today.

How EAL support change on Academy’s outlook.

18 GUEST COLUMN

34 IT STARTS WITH YOU

42 THE GALLERY

52 SUPER SALMON

76 BULLIESOUT!

Easy ways to ensure you thrive as an NQT this term.

Why your wellbeing should be your #1 priority.

Self-portraits on display at Kingham Primary.

The strength foods your body requires.

New school term = new anti-bullying approach.

20 STOP. DROP. READ

57 CLASS COMMANDMENTS

44 DANCE FEVER

54 CHILL FACTOR

78 EDUCATION EMAILS

Throw a curve ball at your class to making reading fun.

10 ways to make your life so much easier in class.

Make moving to the music a curriculum essential.

The health benefits of the late, cold nights.

The latest upload from behind schools lines.

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ARTS

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CONTRIBUTORS W R I T T E N BY T E AC H E R S FO R T E AC H E R S EDU AUTHOR

EDU INSIDER

Kevin Lister

JS Sumerfield

@ListerKev Former engineer & project manager. Now Maths teacher, SeniorAHT for Data, Progress, curriculum & awesomeness. SLE & NPQ facilitator. More recently author of “Teach Like You Imagined It”.

@Jssumerfield Teacher, lawyer, writer, playwright and author. BOOK WORM

Jon Love

@Jonthelegend Former SLT who’s now back in front of the classroom.

CEO

PUPILS FAVOURITE

Linda James MBE

Sarah Wordlaw

@BulliesOut Founder of award-winning charity BulliesOut.

@Smwordlaw London primary school teacher and leader: reader, dreamer, smiler, cheese and polkadot lover. Believer in leadership which coaches, empowers and inspires. Acclaimed and established HWRK contributor with her finger on the pulse of primary teaching in the UK.

ROVING REPORTER

Jenny Holder

@JennyHolderLiv Liverpool Learning Partnerships reading coordinator. MATHS LEADER

Jamie Marshall

@Jamie61116 Armed with 12 years experience teaching in KS2 classrooms, Jamie is passionate about education, has a lifelong love affair with books, is the current Maths leader at his school, is a keen published writer, a well-travelled adventurer, musician and a husband and father. Phew!

PODCAST HOST

Ben King

@MrBKing1988 A Reading lead in Horsham, West Sussex and is also the founder of The Teacher Book Awards the only purely teacher voted book awards in the UK. He also co-hosts the HWRK Podcast and is an active member of the EduTwitter community.

DEEP THINKER

Gemma Papworth

@PapworthRe L&T Lead for RS across GLF, Head of RS in Surrey, M Ed. BEHVIOUR TRAINER

Robin Launder

@Behaviourbuddy Secondary school teacher, writer, educational consultant and trainer. HISTORY CHAPPY

HEALTH EXPERT

CLASSROOM GURU

Kevin Kearns

Andy McHugh

@BurnwithKearns School touring anti-bully campaigner and fitness guru. PUPILS POET

Paul Delaney

@DPoetryBuzz Former teacher turned touring poet, author and pianist.

@Guruteaching North East-based Andy is a teacher, HOD, blogger and examiner who loves nothing more than a good debate. He writes over at teachingandlearningguru. com with a strong focus on pupil and faculty support.

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Patrick O’Shaughnessy

@Historychappy Head of a History Department in the Middle East and can usually be found tweeting or posting on his website, historychappy.com. He has co-authored a number of history books and is co-editor of Versus History – a popular history podcast and blog resource. Check out versushistory.com. @hwrk_magazine

FULLY CERTIFIED TRAINING PROVIDER

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Tel. 01689 822 663 Mob. 07557 387210 Covering Orpington, the South East and London

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climate change? WHO

Demonstrators at the Climate Strike rally and march: National Museum of Wales.

WHAT

The event was part of the global protest on climate change.

WHERE

Cardiff, UK.

WHEN

20 September 2019.

Ray Morgan.

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EXPAND YOUR MIND ONE SUBJECT AT A TIME

Paper books far better than digital When it comes to reading, nothing beats a good old fashioned book rather than a tablet or reader. A new study found that reading with new technology, for children at least, is often way more of a distraction with their focus on ‘playing’ with the device having a negative impact on their reading and focus. The University of Michigan study found that tablets, ebooks and reading apps are designed to draw attention and distract from other activities, so for young minds they’re probably not the best to read with. More classroom reading hints – Page 20

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ENGLISH RS MATHS BOOK REVIEW COLUMN READING

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CURRICULUM

english

Blast off into some poetry PUPILS POET PAUL DELANEY has some handy ideas for KS1 learning

On almost every school visit, at least one teacher will say: “Oh, err, poetry. I can’t teach that, so I’m glad you’re here today!” Despite the invention of our dependable friend Google, teachers are still finding teaching poetry difficult. Here are some simple, tried and tested ideas that I’ve used in countless schools across the UK and all over Europe. Nothing’s changed since I first started out. It’s 1996, I’m back in my primary school, gripping my medium-term English plans. I’m staring at my half termly ‘poetry’ unit, about as welcome in my planning file as a dog with a dangerous disease slobbering all over me. Five weeks of poetry – 30 lessons. Why? How? Flashback even further, and old Mr McDermott is back, with his nicotine stained fingers wrapped around a ‘classics’ poetry book. I’m sitting in my secondary English lesson, aged 15, imitating Simon Le Bon from Duran Duran. “What’s Mr McDermott on about?” I’m thinking, trying but failing to understand the words of the ‘classic’ poem being recited. I didn’t like poetry and I didn’t like teaching it either! So, here’s three ideas from my own school visits to try in KS1: The following poems can be found in my book, Hedgehogs 1 Big Trucks 0. If you need word copies, please email me for free copies at info@pdelaney.co.uk RECEPTION Obviously, in KS1 especially, lots of movement is required and sound effects and noise and musical instruments. Don’t sit still, let’s write our own poems and make them into cool performances. Red is a juicy tomato, yearning to be picked. Orange is an ice-cold lolly ice, wanting to be licked. Yellow is a bowl of custard, coating an apple pie. Green is an ancient mountain, stretching across the sky. Blue is the colour of Everton, Chelsea and Manchester City. Indigo is a strange one, a symbol of sorrow and pity. Violet is a rare wild flower, it’s also a beautiful name. It’s sometimes the colour of toilet roll, and that’s a terrible shame!

Y1 I love BUT… Such a simple idea but this works every time with Y1, also Y2. Some children in later terms can even use expanded noun phrases: I love hot, spicy curry but it sometimes burns my mouth! I love… I love my mum, but she sometimes shouts at me! I love my dad, but he often burns my tea! I love my sister, but she’s sometimes not my friend. I love my brother, but he drives me round the bend! I love my grandad, but his favourite word is ‘NO!’ I love my Nana, but she always walks so slow. I love my friends, but we’re often falling out. I love my teacher, but she has a nasty shout. I love my dog, but he chews and rips my shoe. But I don’t love one thing… That’s cleaning up his poo! Y2

Of course, it’s so easy for reception to reproduce this, even in first term. No writing required. Produce a class poem. Hold up objects. Use more adjectives. Red is the colour of my grandma’s smooth, fluffy scarf. Blue is the colour of a big, fat blueberry, sitting on my yoghurt. (Extend sentence) Video your class poem. Put it onto your school website. Then Tweet about it!

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I’ve included this one as it’s a firm favourite on my KS1 school visits. Reception and Y1 also love performing this poem in the hall. This is also a fantastic poem or Y2 to perform before writing own version. What I love about this poem is this: It can be linked to any topic at all, which is

Just Pretend! Pretend you’re a dinosaur! Rah! Rah! Rah! Stomp around the hall! Rah! Rah! Rah! Reach for the sky! Rah! Rah! Rah! Strong and tall! Rah! Rah! Rah! Pretend you’re a baby! Blah! Blah! Blah! Cry for your mummy! Blah! Blah! Blah! Bang your spoon! Blah! Blah! Blah! Hungry tummy! Blah! Blah! Blah! Pretend you’re a fire engine! Wah! Wah! Wah! Drive to a fire! Wah! Wah! Wah! Climb up ladders! Wah! Wah! Wah! Higher and higher! Wah! Wah! Wah! Pretend you’re your mum! Pretend you’re your dad! Pretend you’re happy and pretend you’re sad. Pretend you’re a monster! Pretend you’re a tree! Fall on the floor and pretend to go asleep!

Try writing a couple more verses. Explore language, movement, music. This poem is great for the use of interesting verbs and adjectives. Three poetic ideas there to choose from, which I hope you can use this year. Remember in KS1, it’s all about the ‘performance’ too – sound effects, musical instruments, voice and body sounds, etc. Have fun with this too. Writing’s supposed to be fun AND it’s supposed to be written for an audience. Happy poetry writing everybody.

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CURRICULUM

Who makes the decisions? BIASED BELIEFS GEMMA PAPWORTH attempts to answer one of religion’s toughest questions

The issue of authority in religion is an often complex, confusing area which tends to have an even more complex, confusing answer. For many, the concept of a benevolent, transcendent God is an almost impossible idea to comprehend. Yet for others, the words of humans can be seen as untrustworthy and open to being misinterpreted. So, as an RS teacher how do we decipher these complex ideas? Religions are always changing. Over the 16 years that I’ve taught, I’ve lost count of the number of textbooks that have been published and become redundant due to the changing nature of religion. Of course, the basic premise of each religion has predominantly remained the same, but the application of these beliefs has often had to change with time to allow for followers to apply it to their lives. This isn’t a weakness but a demonstration of how religion is, for many, a way of life and not just something followed on certain days of the week. However, something that can often cause frustration for many is the issue of authority in religion. Should religion remain unchanging to have any credibility? If God created the world, why does religion change so much? I’m not suggesting there is an answer to this highly complex and possibly controversial question, but it is one that links directly to the issue of authority. It’s true to say that, on the whole, most religions accept there is an unchanging truth. Is it more acceptable to follow the authority of a human who can we can empirically prove, or the authority of a God who, for many, cannot be experienced? This is something, as RS teachers, that we must get across to our students while getting them to explore different ideas.

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TRADITIONAL

Max Weber has a particular viewpoint on religious authority; he divides it into groups, two of them being charismatic and traditional. Although Weber was discussing authority figures, not the power or right to give orders, these groups still apply. While he did not believe these types of authority exist in pure form, he said in every society you will be able to identify the concepts. For example, traditional authority will have a focus on traditions and customs that regulate how people act or behave. It will be based on what has happened in the past and actions have become regulated and continued to happen. For example, the

Catholic Church following the authority of the Pope. This is demonstrated in the idea of marriage – traditionally seen to be a union between man and woman with the purpose to procreate; in today’s society we have civil partnership and gay marriage. For many religions it’s difficult to accept gay marriage as it is not seen as ‘traditional’ as their religious authority permits marriage with the aim to procreate. However, young people need to be accepting of all viewpoints and this is something, as RS teachers, we need to present to them. An RS teacher needs to be unbiased, regardless of their own beliefs. This is not to say they need to be accepting of anything immoral, more that young people need to understand and appreciate there is always more than one belief.

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RELIGIOUS STUDIES

APPLICATION

One thing I always do at the start of Year 7 is teach Ninian Smart’s seven dimensions of religion. This allows students to understand what makes a belief system a ‘religion’ while giving them something concrete to use in their definitions and ideas.

‘RS is vital in giving students the tools to see different perspectives and understand that religion and belief are not two dimensional’ CHARISMATIC

Another type of authority Weber discusses is charismatic authority, which is often seen to be synonymous with religion. An example of a charismatic leader would be a prophet or a sage, someone who is different to others, spreading information about their beliefs to those who hold alternative beliefs while often claiming to have special powers. While this is not true for all prophets, many of whom were messengers of God rather than possessors of special powers, there are many who claim to have had a religious experience and feel they have a

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duty to tell others about this. While charismatic authority often stems from traditional ideas, it’s more emotive in nature allowing humans to feel closer to it and part of it. This is why there are often negative feelings or emotions connected to the charismatic ideals, as many feel that it’s removed from the true meaning of religion. This is where it becomes difficult to distinguish religious authority as there are many adherents who believe charismatic authority is the ‘right’ way, while others argue only traditional authority is ‘right’ as it’s closer to the original meaning. In a classroom it becomes almost impossible to present these ideas, so close yet so far from agreeing with each other.

I use it to explain the nature of religion rather than give a definitive definition. This way students can see and decide where religious authority comes from. In today’s world, RS is vital in giving students the tools to see different perspectives and understand that religion and belief are not two dimensional. There are very few subjects where the nature of authority comes under such scrutiny and we need our students to be able to deal with this conundrum. There will be people reading this who disagree with what I have said and that’s fine, it just goes to show how complex and confusing religious authority really is, and I’ve only scratched the surface.

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MATHS

Rebuilding confidence in numbers MATHS HEAD JAMIE MARSHALL champions the LAMP method to better understanding mathematics

‘This sense of failure haunting still, Lack of confidence feeding my fear, Descending sun invites the darkness in.’ These lyrics by the Finnish band My Darkness encapsulate a great deal of the feelings I see in students when they are asked to be mathematical. Why is this? When does it start? How can we change it? Initially, the role of mathematics is often shown to be finding the one and only answer to a question. Therefore, the slower children do it, and if they don’t get to the answer, they are under the illusion they are not mathematical. This leads to a profound lack of confidence in their understanding of numbers. The ideas I have to improve confidence in students in maths focus on four main areas: Lesson, Atmosphere, Memory and Personalised Learning. LESSON

Many students struggle because they are expected to understand numbers or concepts in an abstract way soon after it has been introduced. Using the CPA (Concrete, Pictorial, Abstract) pedagogy by Jerome Bruner gives students the ability to ‘see’

mathematical concepts. Speaking frames give wonderful guidance to students when trying to explain a concept, this helps throughout each of the CPA stages. Learning through play should be used throughout primary school – maths games and purposeful lessons (measuring the school playground, or creating a company to sell items) can embed enjoyment into students.

ATMOSPHERE

The atmosphere of the classroom is key. Students need to feel confident enough to explore new ideas and to be able to make mistakes. The best classrooms will be those where everyone is guided through their learning via discussion: enabling students to find an idea and explore misconceptions. Paired discussion gives students time to practice their ideas within a less pressured atmosphere. The challenging level of work may mean mistakes are made, but these are seized upon as learning adventures. There may be different methods for solving the same question and these are explored, praised, and justified by the students.

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MEMORY

At primary level there is arguably no new mathematics to be learnt after early exposure to the numbers and shapes around them. All lessons just build upon the knowledge they already have. For example, algebra is introduced to students in Year 5 and 6, however algebra is using symbols to represent quantities in a formula, which is exactly what students do in Early Years when they are placing five teddies next to each other to represent the number five. Remind students of what they already know, and help them see the connections of one topic to another. Things such as connection webs can really help at the beginning of a topic. Continually returning to concepts is vital. At my school, we start every maths lesson with four (normally number based) questions which link to concepts taught in the previous; lesson, week, term, and year. This builds fluency and aids long term memory storage and retrieval. Students need time to reflect on their own learning throughout each lesson, and phrases such as ‘Today in maths, I learned/realised/discovered/

noticed/thought…’ work really well to enable children to use their own words in this process. PERSONALISED LEARNING

Students will come to lessons with different sets of knowledge, and will learn at different rates. Following each individual journey is vitally important in order to make sure every student is challenged. Recently, I introduced the Lesson Study approach into my school. In a nutshell, this is a way of grouping teachers together who have a particular skill set or need, in order to enable them to plan, teach and reflect on a series of lessons together. It also gives you a chance to talk to a specific group of students and ask them what they learned, what they enjoyed, what they would do differently and plan your lessons accordingly. At its heart, a confident mathematician is created at an early stage; they will need to experience lessons where mathematics is shown as an engaging, adventurous, practical and challenging subject that can help them make sense of the world around them, and give them an appreciation of the beauty and power of mathematics.

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book review

The names Junior, James Bond Jnr! BOOK KEEPER JON LOVE dives back into 007’s school years, thanks to Charlie Higson’s SilverFin

We are in danger of forgetting the immense wealth of children’s books that we grew up on and are in danger of overlooking. Books so rich and vital that to forget would be criminal. My mission is to select and celebrate such books. Continuing HWRK’s ‘Modern Classics’ series, this issue I am devouring the re-imagining and reinvigorating take on a classic figure of popular culture; James Bond in SilverFin.

Y O U O N LY L I V E T W I C E

SilverFin traces the early years of that most famous of British spy James Bond. In this, the first in a series of many Young Bond books by the excellent Charlie Higson, we see our young protagonist as he starts his first day at Eton. Before long, the young Bond is neck deep in an adventure involving a deranged arms developer and a lot of genetically mutated eels. The book is able to cleverly side step the non-pc baggage of the Bond of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s by focusing on our hero before he became 007. The action is thick and fast and will have your readers cheering on our hero.

LIVE AND LET DIE

There are lots of reasons why this book will prove to be a smash hit in your classroom and here are some of them. First off, the author really knows how to pace his narratives. In >SilverFin< the chapters are short and punchy – which I love – and make them ideal for reading aloud as they don’t over tax your reading voice or strain the attention of your young listeners. Read the prologue to your class, it’s such a great set-up for the novel. So many questions for the reader to ask. Another reason: Charlie Higson understands the power of a good cliff-hanger. Used well, these leave your listeners begging for just one more chapter before the end of the day. Now who doesn’t want that? The structure and settings really lend themselves to the sense of adventure that we join Bond on, while the action sequences from the author really deliver. Another huge pull of the book is our young main character and the unfamiliar school setting

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that he finds himself in. Novels that deal with children and how they navigate school (whether that be a primary, regular secondary or indeed an exclusive private school like Eton) really resonate with children as this is their turf. They are experts at this stuff. They can relate. They can comment with insight. They can contribute to discussions effectively. THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

an interesting and revealing comparison of children’s attitudes and experiences. Add to this the state of the global stage in the 1930’s and how that differs (or not) from today’s state of affairs again gives rise to deep dialogue. Then there are the ethical issues raised throughout the novel from the money to be gained from the buying and selling of weapons during war time to the use of genetic dabbling to irrevocably change the very nature of a thing. LICENCE TO KILL

One thing this book does really effectively is generate quality discussion amongst its readers/listeners. Right from the start. Who is this mysterious poacher trespassing on the land of an unpopular Laird? And for that matter, what is a Laird? What and where is Eton? Why does James spend so much time complaining about his strict school uniform? A quick Google with your group will reveal fascinating images of a school system many will find quite alien. Although interestingly, having used this book in inner-city schools and then on the outskirts of Edinburgh where such schooling is much more prevalent proved

This is a cracking book and a great start to a mostly great series of adventures. Children do love to be introduced to a new author and genre that they love then to discover they have written many other books in the series. There is always a good few in the class who go on to devour the rest of the books, really immersing themselves in the world that Charlie Higson has written for us. I really rate Higson as someone who understands his audience well. He knows what makes them tick and what a story needs to contain in order to keep them along for the ride.

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CURRICULUM

Welcome to the greatest job in the world CLASSROOM GURU ANDY McHUGH on how to thrive (not just survive) In your NQT year

There’s a lot to be said for just surviving your NQT year. It’s physically, academically and emotionally tough. But, what if you could change your mindset to one of openness to opportunity rather than doing just enough to get by? What if you embraced the challenge, rather than hide from it? My guess is that you’ll enjoy this first year of your career far more. It’s easy to moan about what lies ahead (and believe me, there certainly will be some legitimate times to moan), but NQT induction is not just some task you have to check off your to-do-list, it’s the beginning of something exciting. Here are some ideas to help enrich your teaching experience and get you started:

GET TO KNOW YOUR STUDENTS

One thing that sets teachers apart from others is the relationship they have with their students. When I think about my own experiences at school, I (rightly or wrongly) seemed to put in more of a shift when I was being taught by someone who genuinely seemed interested in my life. Teachers who bothered to ask about hobbies they knew about, or who asked about our families just seemed to have a distinct

advantage when it came to getting us to buy-into whatever it was they wanted us to do. It has to be genuine though, students can smell ‘fake interest’ a mile off! GO EXTRA-CURRICULAR

One of the easiest ways for NQTs to build a strong reputation amongst students is to help run a club, be it sports, drama, music, reading, chess, or anything else. Students

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love it when teachers are willing and able to give up their time outside of lessons. When I first began teaching, I ran a football team. This gave me so many opportunities to develop a rapport with students throughout the school and my reputation among them grew quickly and lasted for years. TA K E R I S K S I N Y O U R T E A C H I N G

This one can seem a little controversial. Sometimes, when you are planning lessons early on in your career, it can be difficult to assess whether something will work or not. In my experience, most things work, given enough enthusiasm on the part of the teacher, providing that they have a

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good rapport with the students. So, try that activity that could be amazing, even if it might also flop. You have a long career ahead of you (hopefully), so you might as well take these calculated risks early on when you can get away with the excuse of being inexperienced. The ups and downs are part of the journey. Embrace them! BUILD AND USE YOUR NETWORK

Treat teaching as a team sport. Use the support and guidance of others when you need it, but also give back as often as you can. There are so many groups, both online and offline that you can benefit from when it comes to sharing and collaborating on teaching resources, schemes of work, exam materials and pedagogical tips. You’ll find that many MATs and LAs offer NQTs the opportunity to meet up to discuss

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and work with each other. Additionally, search for your subject on Facebook or Twitter and see what comes up. There are often weekly chats on Twitter, depending on your subject. Just scroll through the timeline to see if any subject-specific hashtags frequently appear and make a note of when, eg. 7pm each Thursday, so you know what to look out for in the future. But remember to get involved too, you never know what useful connections you might make. BE HONEST AND REFLECTIVE

The quickest way to grow is by acting on feedback. So be honest in your self-appraisal. Take time at the end of the day to go through what worked and the possible reasons why, then do the same for what didn’t work and the reasons for those too. Over time, you will begin to spot patterns.

You will improve much quicker and will also spend much less time planning and marking as a result. Maintaining a work-life balance is crucial and we’re in this for the long haul, so honesty is the best policy. SIT WITH THE RADIATORS, NOT DRAINS

One of the best pieces of advice I can give you is this: spend your time with people who are enthusiastic and energetic about teaching. You will benefit from their ideas and be put into a positive mood just by being in their presence (and there will be days where this is all that matters). So, let’s not just ‘survive’ NQT induction. Enjoy it for what it is: an exhilarating rollercoaster, with all the ups and downs that make it the greatest job in the world. Good luck!

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CURRICULUM

reading

Stop. Drop. Read GURU TEACHER BLAIR MINCHIN reading aloud doesn’t need to send the classroom into turmoil, you just need a different approach

“Right, who wants to start reading today” “I do, I do” “But Mr Miller, Jackson started last time!” “No I didn’t” “Yes you did” “Boys, I’m going to let Fiona start” “But I don’t want to start” “Well I’m asking you to start” “But I don’t want to” “I’ll start” “Nooooo Jackson, you started last time. Mr Miller, please can I start?” “No, Fiona needs to start” “Fine. It was a dark, stormy night and…” “Mr Miller, what page are we on?” “Drew how can you not know what page we’re on?!” “…and the rain howled thr…” “No Fiona you need to stop” “But you told me to read so I’m reading” “Yes but Drew doesn’t know what page we’re on” “I’ll read Mr Miller” “Nooooo! Jaaaacksoooon! Mr Miiiiilleeeeer!” In my first week of teaching this exchange is what was happening all too often in my Primary 3/4 reading sessions.

It’s mind-numbing scenario that most teachers have suffered from in the past, but one that’s easily avoided. Providing every child with their own book avoids scenarios like this entirely. More time spent reading, more time for each pupil to read, more of everything… except the moaning, hopefully! Stop. Drop. Read. If you’re not doing it already, I can’t encourage you enough to give it a go. Every day, interrupt your lessons (use the timer on your iPhone) and insist your pupils halt what they are doing, fetch their reading book out of their bag and silently read for 20 minutes. No, you’re right, this is not reading aloud. However, if during this time you spend five minutes with a child (so that is four children every Stop Drop Read session) you’ll have listened to 20 children read every week. If you have a Pupil Support Assistant, you could easily add another 20 onto this. At the end of every Stop Drop Read session I like to select one child from choosing sticks to read aloud to the class. Only those kids who want to read aloud have their names added to the pot. The option is always there

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to add names to the pot and during your five-minute sessions you can nudge them in the right direction. When reading aloud, ask the kids what they would be listening out for things like:

story? Does the reader want to use a hand puppet, put the book on the visualiser, stand or sit? It’s totally up to them. It’s their classroom after all. They must have a choice. They must have the opportunity to use their voice. Adapting is of equal, if not greater importance, than creating. Pace With regards to the final question Pitch posed above, I have some serial forgetters in my class. Stop Drop Pause and Read can be difficult to do Expression when you don’t have a book. One child suggested we get some non-fiction, fact books and To make this easier for pupils add them to the lower shelves of to identify, use tissue paper the bookcase so that, if they were and place it on top of the page to forget their book they would be they’re reading. The kids can able to pick up one of those books then annotate their books (again, at any page and read, it works. they come up with the style of They also came up with the idea annotations either individually or that, should you forget your book as a whole class) and can choose three days in a row, you write your to read with the tracing paper own note home to give on the page or take it to your parents, telling off. The fact they’ve This article is them to remind you to identified where to an extract from bring your book into inflect their voice and Blair Minchin’s class. pause is an exercise in book ‘Pupil Voice’ The class didn’t like itself. available now from the idea per say (apart But how they read Blurb.co.uk from the future dictator aloud – that is up to who developed the idea) the children. Does the but they thought it would be reader want everyone to shut effective, so we did it and it works. their eyes, to lie down in a comfy Give pupils a choice and empower position or to move around the to raise their voice. classroom, acting along with the

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BIG Read

FILL YOUR LIBRARY FOR FREE With school budgets tighter than ever, here are seven super strategies for accumulating literature on the cheap WORDS: BEN KING

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ooks, glorious books. Ask anyone associated with schools at the moment what is the biggest challenge facing education currently and more often than not you’ll get the same response: Budget. Or lack of to be more precise. How do we provide for more children, a better quality of the education with less money to do it? Simply, we can’t. We can’t continue to operate in the same ways anymore and we can’t pretend that this lack of cash will somehow magically sort itself out. So, what can we do? Well we need to find alternative ways of giving our kids what they need and what has been proven time and time again to help drive standards and positive outlooks to education: books. But ‘books are expensive’ I hear you cry! Well, have no fear because here are my top tips on how to fill your school or classroom library for free… well almost.

ASK FOR HELP

Public perception is a tricky beast to manage, how can we ask for help whilst still ensuring our community that their child’s education won’t suffer? Simply, with honesty, people aren’t daft and a short piece in a local paper asking for any unwanted books to be donated to the school can go a long way. Most local papers will run a short piece for free especially if you are using it as the launch of a new reading initiative etc. Simply asking your local community to drop any unneeded books off can result in hundreds of books landing on your desk in weeks. Give it a go.

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BIG Read

AMAZON WISHLIST

Many schools purchase from Amazon whether that’s books or glue sticks most have an account now (if you don’t then get one). This means that you can create a Wishlist particularly for your school. Now some don’t like this idea – apparently giving parents the chance to gift things to the school is wrong? However, in the first week of the Wishlist being open we received over 100 brand new books, parents included gift notes which now form a corridor display and every one of our classrooms has a box of brand new non-fiction books. Parents, grandparents even the local vicar, understand that for us to have purchased these books privately would have cost us thousands of pounds that we simply don’t have. Worth noting this can be done through an independent book store (as many people on EduTwitter told me) however we wanted to make this as easy, cheap and user friendly for our community as possible and Amazon was easily the best way.

TESCO TOKENS Completing a simple form online can see you become one of Tesco’s three charities in your local store. You know the system, people buy some shopping and place their token in the one they most want to support. Now most people think that only the winner gets some money, this is not the case with even the third placed option receiving £1,000. That’s a lot of books and when potentially coupled with Point 1 you could end winning and receiving a whopping four grand! Pretty nice for one simple form and yes schools are eligible.

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CHARITY SHOPS

Whilst not always a guaranteed win, the charity shop bargain bins are often a source of much hidden treasure especially for books that have been out a few years. Ask to buy books in job lots and they will often do you a deal too. Twitter is awash with photos of people’s successes and you really haven’t got anything to lose.

DON’T BUY NEW Perhaps you do have some loose change down the back of the staff room sofa or under the PE benches. What do you spend it on? Now as enticing as it is to run to the nearest book store and grab the latest release it is imperative to bargain hunt for maximum book numbers. Many outlets – think The Works and Waterstones – offer Buy one Get one Free etc. However even better than that is the used section on Amazon (other sites are available but I have always found them the cheapest. For example, Piers Torday’s brilliant The Last Wild is currently £6.57 new on Amazon or you can get one for 50p in the Amazon used section.

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BIG Read

BEG, BORROW & STEAL Work as a broader school community. If you are aiming to study Brightstorm for a term before you blow your entire budget (if you have one) on 15 copies of it, call round your local schools and see if anyone already has a collection. Can you borrow them? Get the local library service in nab as many books off them as possible for as long as possible. Put in your newsletter every week that the school would love any unwanted books from home and make a big thing of it in class when children do donate from their own collection.

BOOK SALES

All of the big publishing houses offer book fayres and in doing so the chance for your school to bring in extra rewards. This may come in the form of vouchers to be spent with them or extra copies of the books that the children have bought but if you aren’t already doing at least one a year, get on it.

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Well that covers pretty much everything I feel. Obviously, there are more methods than those listed here but my main message would be – don’t be too proud to beg. We need to get books in hands, we need to get children reading and we need to ensure they have access to as wide a range of texts types as possible. Happy reading!

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BIG Interview

Q&A

Dr John Woolf The teacher, writer and acclaimed historian talks about his fascination with freak shows, the splendour of the Victorian age and has advice on how you can bring history to life in the classroom

INTERVIEW: JENNY HOLDER

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I would be most surprised to walk into a school these days where the pupils are not aware of the film The Greatest Showman. The track This Is Me has become an anthem of self-confidence, especially for those who feel marginalised and has been performed in many end of year assemblies. However, although the film features figures from history such as Charles Stratton, known as General Tom Thumb, and Chang and Eng Bunker, the reality of their stories is much different to how it was portrayed in the movie. Dr John Woolf’s new book The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age tells the real stories of these individuals, showing both the indignities and ignorance they faced as well as the ways that they were able to find a sense of agency in performance. I had the opportunity to talk with John, who also co-authored the Audible show Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets, about his interest in the Victorian freak show, the impact of The Greatest Showman and the relationship between writing about history and teaching it.

What is it that drew you towards studying the history of the ‘freak show’? I was first introduced to David Lynch’s film The Elephant Man when I was about 11. I remember watching this and feeling this combination of both a sense of childlike horror at the creature of the Elephant Man in the shadows of Victorian London but also profound compassion for Joseph Merrick as an individual. As I got older and went to University, I became interested in how society labels and defines difference and how difference exists on the margins of society whilst also reflecting societal concerns and developments. It was a combination of a real interest in the human stories but also what that tells us about history and society’s construction of difference and how that shifts over time.

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What was your main motivation when writing The Wonders? I wanted to give a voice to the voiceless performers of the past, particularly in light of The Greatest Showman. It’s a great film with great music and I’m sure children in primary and secondary schools are humming the tunes. But for me, it missed the more interesting story, which was the lives of these individuals who were defined by bodies deemed different; people who navigated a world which was quite literally designed against them. There is an amazing mix of triumph and tragedy in the stories of these performers, who were marginalised in their own lives and have been forgotten through the passage of time. I wanted to centralise their stories and give them a voice.

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BIG Interview What types of responses do you get when discussing your work? Often you get a sense of discomfort when dealing with this subject of the freak show. You use the term ‘freak’ and that makes people feel uncomfortable as it doesn’t seem very politically correct. Actually, when I talk about the ‘freak’ I very much mean a performance created as part of a constructed identity. This character is different to the individual ‘freak performer’ who brings the character to life on stage. So, you get that sense of discomfort, but you also get that simplified view of this world that has been propagated through the likes of The Greatest Showman.

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How has the movie contributed to a more simplified view of the figure of PT Barnum?

freak show carefully, not simply rejecting it as exploitation. There’s a relationship of exploitation and power, choice and coercion in the freak show so when studying this we approach it with this sense of complexity.

In that film, PT Barnum is very much lauded as a hero. In reality, he was a complicated man of his time; he was a slave owner who first found fame on the back of Joice Heth, a senile paralysed slave who he lugged across the North East of America, displaying her in taverns (advertised as the 161-year-old former slave of George Washington). Indeed, when she died, he held a public dissection of her body and made a lot of money. There’s a darker side to PT Barnum’s story that was whitewashed in the film. I think it’s right that we discuss Barnum warts and all. I also think that we should consider the

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Are there any parallels between the Victorian freak show and aspects of modern The freak show still lives on through our TV screens in the likes of Love Island (and Jeremy Kyle, before it was cancelled). Reality TV is the monstrous offspring of the Victorian freak show, full of sensationalism, voyeurism and titillation – the central ingredients of the freakshow that have been co-opted in reality TV. Outside of reality TV, it’s interesting speaking to people with disabilities and disability theorists because they often argue that the legacy of the freakshow still lives on in interrelationships between people without and people with disabilities. In the book I talk about how people with disabilities often talk about how they feel the need to undergo a performance to make people without disabilities feel comfortable in the presence of a person with a disability. So, these dynamics, the performative side of freakery and freakshow still lives on in relationships between people with disabilities and those without.

came during the Victorian age – the development of science, medicine, zoology. There’s something about the optimism of that period that is quite appealing when living in the dark world we’re living in now. The Victorian age is so rich with stories that are fascinating in themselves but also tell us something unique about our own period.

‘Reality TV is the

monstrous offspring of

the Victorian freak show, full of sensationalism,

voyeurism and titillation

– the central ingredients of the freakshow’

Another project you’ve worked on has been the Audible show Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets. Why should we be interested in the Victorians? They’re the making of the modern world. Some of the great technological advancements

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BIG Interview What other non-fiction texts would you recommend for someone hoping to find out more about the Victorian era? There’s lots of accessible historians out there. AN Wilson is very good. His biography of Queen Victoria provides a really accessible but intellectual insight into the breadth and depth of the Victorian age. The Butchering Art by Lindsay Fitzharris is a fantastic look at the development of modern surgery. Also, Catherine Arnold’s Bedlam: London and its Mad is great!

‘I’m encouraging

students to get into

the mindset of people at that time’

The breadth involved in the History curriculum is extensive. Indeed, the KS2 history curriculum covers Stone Age to 1066 (with a few other topics following this date). What tips would you have for a non-history specialist approaching a topic that’s new to them?

I always find going to some of the educational resources really helps. Even as a PhD student I picked up GCSE and A-level textbooks to allow me to get to grips with the basics. This gives a chronological framework or thematic framework for the period that you’re going to be teaching. Build those foundations and then try to find some stories of individuals, families or

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events that help to bring alive that subject. For me, that then becomes the way in for exploring a particular theme or period. For example, in my own work, following the life and story of Charles Stratton, known as General Tom Thumb, provides a brilliant way of illuminating different trends of the Victorian age, whether that’s the rise of commercial culture, views on marriage or a preoccupation with fairies and children’s literature. What would you say is one of the key skills in History that pupils should develop and how can teacher support pupils with this? It sounds really cliched and simplistic but the thing I always say to my students is

‘think’- think, think and think again. It’s amazing how underestimated that can be in the curriculum. We need to really develop a student’s critical faculties. Do they think through statements that they’re making, arguments that they’re advancing? Are they thinking through different interpretations of source materials? I’m encouraging students to get into the mindset of people at that time. For example, if you’re studying industrialisation, what would it have felt like for someone who moved from the countryside into the sprawling metropolis of London in 1860 and was living in a tenement and working in a factory? It’s important to get students to think about the human element and to interrogate the nature of the sources that they are working with. Getting students to interpret, analyse and think is absolutely crucial.

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BIG Opinion

IT STARTS WITH YOU! Staff wellbeing is essential – it’s time to make you your number one priority

INTERVIEW: KEVIN LISTER

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he autumn term is a time of transition. It starts with the optimism and excitement of the new academic year, alongside fresh memories of summer holidays. As the term progresses the evenings become darker, the weather in general turns a bit more miserable, and the realities of life as a working teacher start to bite. The fullness of the timetable, the accumulation of a few weeks planning and marking, a few deadlines come and go causing workload spikes, and often there will be a few parents’ evenings or similar. Alongside all this there will be things, both professional and personal, that you just can’t find the time for. Updating a scheme of work, getting a haircut, or tidying your desk; even the smallest task can feel like a step too far in amongst a hectic term. The result is increasingly stressed and tired teachers yearning for the brief respite of the next holiday.

Workload balance When discussing teacher stress or workload there is often a need to find someone to blame. School management may well be the first villains identified that contribute to increased workloads. Other people that may get blamed are the government, who could perhaps resolve some of the issues by throwing more money into the system to reduce contact ratios, or by reforming the accountability systems and relieving some of the pressures. However, the issue with assigning blame is you have to wait for those blamed to change something and provide a fix; if ‘they’ don’t change anything then nothing is resolved. While we must continue to improve school leadership practices, and also must continue to fight for appropriate funding and reasonable accountability measures, I prefer not to

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Prioritise you! wait for someone else to fix my workload challenges. A few years ago, I realised there is actually quite a lot in our workload that we can control for ourselves, and by actively managing what we do and don’t do there is an opportunity to find a better balance despite the surrounding circumstances. Before you qualified and imagined being a teacher, that person would have been busy but not frantic, and would have worked hard but not to exhaustion. Additionally, I hope person would have had time outside of teaching for themselves, their friends and their family as part of being a happy, well rounded adult. There is scope for us to get closer to our imagined teachers without compromising on our professionalism or the quality of our work.

In a school that adheres to the standard teacher’s terms and conditions, directed time cannot total more than 1,265 hours per year, which averages out at around 33 hours per week across term time. However, we also know that nobody expects a teacher’s job to be completed within directed time; the terms and conditions document states clearly that additional hours will be required in order to “fulfil professional duties”. The workload issue doesn’t really lie in the 33 hours of directed time, it becomes toxic if the non-directed portion of a teacher’s working hours grows too far. This non-directed time is self-managed; school leaders are not allowed to specify what is or isn’t done beyond directed time, and this is where we have the opportunity to take more control. For a teacher the list of jobs is effectively

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BIG Opinion

infinite as there is always something else that could be done, be it another book to mark, lesson plan to tweak, or resource to update. Every one of us already chooses when to stop when we have done ‘enough’ to get through the next day or week. However, lots of us stop with a nagging doubt there is still more that we ‘should’ be doing, or with the suspicion that someone somewhere is doing more. These causes feelings of guilt and stop us from fully relaxing in what should be time for ourselves, families and friends. If we accept our workload is infinite then we

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must also accept it is impossible to complete it all. By investing a bit of time in planning and prioritising tasks to ensure the most important and most urgent things are done, we can more comfortably leave the remaining less important or less urgent tasks undone. Don’t feel guilty about leaving some things undone, it’s ok and normal, and by prioritising properly we can feel sure they are the right things to leave. There are tools to help do this, but if you need more support in prioritising tasks then talk to your line manager, that’s what they are there for.

It is not slacking off to leave some of your workload undone, it is simply acknowledging that you are a human with a finite capacity for work. Your classes and school will be better served if you are happy, well rested and able to function on a day to day basis rather than frantically working yourself to exhaustion trying to do everything at once. The students in your care will do better when taught by a happy teacher who enjoys their work rather than someone chronically exhausted. There is no need to feel guilty about looking after yourself, it makes you better at your job.

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BIG Opinion it’s good to talk Of course, there is the chance that your school leadership will insist on certain things being done in ways that drive excessive workload and individual teachers may feel unable to challenge these expectations. In some cases, there is truth in this, individually we can’t fix bad management, but professionally we can try to take the best decisions for us and our students. If you happen to work at a school where the management culture is one that reinforces excessive workloads then there is a strong case to leave. With that said there is much to be gained by having conversations with your leadership about priorities. Every teacher that leaves a school due to excessive workload is a sign of failure of that school’s management. As a professional you

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“ You have the right to manage your workload, and a right to a good balance between work and life”

have the right to manage your workload, and a right to a good balance between work and life. If your leadership are not supportive of this then you have a right to challenge it. If you are a school leader then please consider how you can simplify the tasks of your teaching staff, they’ll be better for it. I believe there is a route for all of us to be the effective, contented and successful teachers we imagined we would be. There are as many ways to manage schools as there are schools, there are as many ways to manage a classroom as there are classrooms. You owe it to yourself to look at all aspects of your teaching practice for things that you can choose not to do, or to do more efficiently. This means doing the things that matter most better, and doing less of the things that matter least.

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JUST DANCE ive reasons why dancing should be high up on every class curriculum - Page 44

AR TS

The Gallery

Dance School

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THE GALLERY

SELF-PORTRAITS A PLENTY When the English curriculum meets Art with spectacular results utobiographical sketch writing in English at Kingham Primary School led to Y6 transforming the written word to portraiture on canvas. Liz Mahony, Art lead at Kingham, said: “The children felt like ‘true artists’ as they prepared their canvases with a gesso and, as

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confidence developed, they became increasingly ambitious in their quest for truer definitions of likeness. Slowly but surely, the individual characteristics of our Year 6 cohort came to life.” Acrylics provided a superior medium to ready-mixed/powder paints and gave the children the opportunity to manipulate and

mix the limited range of colours more creatively. A true test of their success came when parents, teachers and peers had little difficulty in recognising who was who – a clear testimony to the success of the project and the importance of art as a meaningful investment in the primary curriculum.

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ARTS

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ARTS

dance school

5 REASONS TO DANCE The health benefits of cutting loose and throwing some shapes should be more than enough reason to turn the music up in class ot all children enjoy PE and quite often the rules and regulations associated with organised sport can alienate some children, who either find it difficult to participate in groups or are intimidated by the performance of others. That’s where dancing comes in. There is no better way to relax a

class, have fun, get fit and raise some smiles than putting on some music an encouraging all to cut some shapes and let go. Even the shyest of children lose their inhibitions when a favourite song comes on. Here are 5 reasons why dancing should be a part of every school curriculum:

AGE DOESN’T MATTER Whether you are a toddler or a pensioner, dancing is available to everybody to enjoy. Whether it’s just a simple nod of the head or side step, or full on hokey pokey or locomotion, there are no rules to dancing and everybody has their own style. There is so much to gain from dancing, both physically and mentally.

BALANCE & COORDINATION Techniques taught in dance classes increase body awareness and encourage low-impact landings, this resulting in far less injuries in real life or whilst playing sports. Children developing motor skills and teenagers playing high impact sports can benefit greatly from perfecting the movements associated with dancing styles.

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YOU CAN DO IT ALONE BRAIN BOOSTER A study conducted at Colorado State University published in >Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience< looked at adults ranging from their 60s to their 80s who had no signs of memory loss or impairment. Participants were assigned to one of three activities: brisk walking, stretching and balance training, or dance classes. At the end of the study, brain scans were done on all participants and the dancers fared better and had less deterioration than the other groups.

And you don’t need any kit or special equipment. Just an active imagination or access to music. The workout you get from dancing can vary depending on the type of movements being performed. A serious ballet class will ensure your muscles are stretched better than any yoga session, while 30 minutes of the running man listening to dance music is way better than any treadmill race.

MENTAL BREAK Dancing can offer the escape your brain needs after a long day, whether in front of the class or as part of one. It’s a great way to break up heavy lessons and long hours of revision. And science agrees. A 2014 study found positive changes in mood for recreational dancers. Participants had higher energy levels and were less tense compared with competition dancers, who had stress levels similar to those of other competitive athletes.

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48 time-poor trainin

50 bingo wing war

52 juice box party

54 time to chill

HEALTH

Time again to let the juice loose As the dark, cold nights start rolling in itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a perfect time to dig out that juicer you bought at the start of the year, the one you had planned to use to get that beach body for summer! There is no better time than Autumn and winter to start mixing juices, especially as the bright colours and antioxidant

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O! -G GO 2 AMERICAN PANCAKES Top with something sweet like fruit, jam or syrup, or go full on Yankee with a couple of rashers of crispy bacon You’ll need (serves 4) 200g self-raising flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp golden castor sugar

3 large eggs 25g melted butter, plus extra 200ml milk Coconut oil Salt

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, caster sugar and a pinch of salt together in a large bowl. Create a well in the centre with the back of your spoon then add the eggs, melted butter and milk. 2. Whisk together either with a balloon whisk or electric hand beaters until smooth then pour into a jug. 3. Heat a small knob of butter and 1 tsp of oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. 4. When the butter looks frothy, pour in rounds of the batter, approximately 8cm wide. Make sure you don’t put the pancakes too close together as they will spread during cooking. 5. Cook the pancakes on their first side for about 1-2 mins or until lots of tiny bubbles start to appear and pop on the surface. Flip the pancakes over and cook for a further minute on the other side. Repeat until all the batter is used up. 6. Serve stacked on a plate with a drizzle of maple syrup and any of your favourite toppings.

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BREAK TIME FITNESS

Breakfast

A 15-MINUTE WORKOUT FOR THE CLASSROOM

HEALTH NO TIME? NO KIT? NO PROBLEM The full body transformation programme that takes just 15 minutes three times a week! hen school term deadlines and weekly marking is stacked against you it can be impossible to find time for the gym, which is where HWRK’s 15-minute fitness ideas come in essential. But it can be tough to stay consistent when you’re pinching 15-minutes here and there. It’s hard to maintain a balanced workout. So, here are 3 x 15-minute workouts to squeeze into your working week, whether that’s before school, during break or after dinner at home. If you stick to these three short workouts a week you’ll be handing your body a well-balanced time-poor training regimen that will produce real results. Just three exercises per day, three days a week, with each session lasting just 15 minutes. Surely even the busiest of NQT’s can find 45 minutes per week to get fit and healthy? Do as many reps as you can per exercise before moving onto the next move. Work for seven minutes, then have a oneminute break, before going again for seven.

COACH SAYS: Don’t worry if you miss your day, just catch up tomorrow.

personal coach Kevin Kearns is an acclaimed strength and conditioning coach, nutrition advisor & anti-bullying campaigner

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M O N D AY W O R K O U T

F R I D AY W O R K O U T

PRESS-UPS Lie on your chest, palms down shoulder width apart, ankles together and up on the balls of your feet. Lift your body off the ground by pressing out your arms until they almost lock, then lower back down. Press again before your chest touches the ground. Targets: Shoulders, chest, arms and belly

BACKPACK SWINGS Like kettlebell swings, only using a weighted backpack or heavy water jug. Stand with your legs 3-4 foot apart while holding the backpack between your legs. Use your hips to swing the bag away from the body, and explode your hips forwards to raise the bag to chest height. Targets: Lower back, shoulders, belly, legs & bum

WATER BOTTLE CURLS Stand with your feet hip-width apart and holding a full water bottle (or heavy book) in each hand. Bend your elbows to curl the weights to almost touch your shoulders. Squeeze your bicep at the top of the movement, then lower. Targets: Arms & belly

BEAR CRAWLS Drop onto all fours with your hands directly beneath your shoulders, then rise up onto your feet so your knees are off the ground. Move your hands and knees in unison as your â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;crawlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; around the classroom. Try to reverse the movement, to crawl backwards. Targets: Shoulders, thighs & core

TABLE DIP Stand facing away from a table or chair. Hold onto the surface with both hands, shoulder-width apart. Extend your legs out in front of your and slowly lower body by flexing at the elbows until your arms create a 90-degree angle. Now push yourself back up to the start position. Targets: Bingo wings, shoulders & belly

ALEKNAS Lie flat on your back (ideally on a yoga mat or rug) with your legs and arms fully outstretched. Raise your hands and feet slightly off the ground. Move your arms forward, grab your knees and bring them towards your chest. Then release and return to outstretched start position. Targets: Belly & lower back

W E D N E S D AY W O R K O U T

SQUATS Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Keep your back straight and chin up as you bend your hips and knees to lower your bottom towards the ground. Engage your core and drive through your heels to restart. Targets: Bum, thighs, calves & belly

LUNGES Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Step forward with your left foot and bend your left knee until your right knee almost touches the ground. Step back to restart. Now step forward with your right foot to reverse the movement. Targets: Bum, thighs, calves & belly

BURPEES Begin in a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you. Kick your feet back so your now in a press up position. Return your feet to squat and leap up as high as you can, throwing your arms above your head. Land softly and reset. Targets: Bum, thighs, lower back & chest

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COACH SAYS: If the workouts are too easy, load up with a weighted backpack or some heavy text books.

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HEALTH Stand up straight, feet shoulder width apart, bag grasped in either hand, resting either side of your upper leg. Now raise the bag with both arms mushing the elbows out to the sides until your hands are under your chin and elbows at least shoulder height. Lower back down. Targets: Arms, chest & shoulders

4 SPLIT STANCE DEADLIFTS (8 reps left leg, then right) With your legs split, one front

BINGO WING WARFARE! Pack a rucksack full of books and get fat blasting

his workout couldn’t be any easier: throw a few (heavy) books into a rucksack, pick it up and don’t put it down again until you’ve finished the circuit. Work your way through all six exercises continuously before putting the

bag back on the floor. To get maximum results, perform each number of reps as fast as possible while maintaining good form. Try breaking up three full circuits with a lap around the playground or a brisk walk around the school.

forward and one behind, bend over your front foot and with straight arms until the bag almost touches the ground. Now keep your feet flat on the ground and your stand up straight and push your chest out, lifting the bag in the process. Targets: Lower back & arms

5 BENT OVER ROW (8 reps) Hold onto the weight rucksack, one strap in each hand, and bend over at the waist with your legs straight until it almost touches the ground. Now lift the bag up into your chest while maintaining a straight back. There should be a slight bend in the knees. Targets: Arms & back

ZERCHER SPLIT SQUAT (8 reps)

PUSH PRESSES (8 reps)

BICEP CURLS (8 reps)

This time balance the weighted

Stand straight, feet shoulder width apart, with your hands

Finish off with the classic curl:

bag across your forearms and curl your hands towards your chest to lock the bag in place.

grasping the bag straps, pressed up against your chest (think

feet shoulder width apart, back straight, strap in either hand and arms fully extended. Now slowly

Now take a step forward and lower your body until your back

standing pull up position). In one movement throw both hands

curl the weighted bag up towards your chest before

leg knee is close to touching the ground. Stand back up and

high above your head until your arms lock out and weighted bag is over the top of your head.

slowly lowering back to start position. The slower the best to

switch sides by stepping forward with the other leg and repeating the movement. Targets: Arms, legs & back

Carefully lower.

attack both the biceps and triceps.

Targets: : Arms, chest, back &

Targets: Arms (big time)

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LUNCH BREAK TRAINING

HIGH PULLS (8 reps)

Kevin Kearns trains professional athletes, kids and teams

SCHOOL YARD CALISTHENICS IN 30 MINUTES

personal coach

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LUNCHBOX FOR...

VEGGIES Ditching meat can be daunting for some, but this will keep you firing all day ONIONS High in quercetin,

from meat with cheese, a low-fat option like edam works best.

another useful powerful anti-inflammatory compound.

POPCORN A wholegrain treat thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a filling low-fat snack â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ideal for

EGGS Cheap, versatile and packed full of protein, eggs should

diluting afternoon hunger

feature in your diet biweekly

pangs.

at least.

CIDER VINEGAR

FLAXSEEDS

Bacteria busting, blood

A rich source of omega-3

sugar blasting, belly fat obliterating super salad dressing!

healthy fats, antioxidants and fibre, all round superfood.

Good for your heart, your hair, your nails, your skin and your gut. As good as food gets! PUMPKIN SEEDS Laced with impressive levels of polyunsaturated fats, zinc and prostate protective powers. LOW-FAT FETA More cheese and plenty more

BANAN

BANANA

EDAM Replace that vitamin B-12 lost

819k

metric tonnes of bananas were sold in the UK in 2018.

SUPER JUICE Combine ginger, carrot and lemon juice for heaps of vitamin C, to aid digestion and inflammation. For more great juices see page 52.

B-12 plus lashings of calcium and strength bolstering protein. TOMATOES Packed with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant to protect your body from attack.

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HEALTH 24-HOUR JUICE BOX

Blend your fruit and vegetables for maximum nutritional results

ack to school and long hours of marking and lesson planning is taking up the bulk of your day, so managing to squeeze in prep time for healthy and nutritious meals is no doubt hitting the back burner. But before you go and ruin all your hard work over summer by making the ‘Just Eat’ delivery driver your new best friend, invest in a juicer and let it do the work. Juicing is a simple and easy way to pack your body with nutrients and minerals, and also pretty handy when you’re trying to get fruit and veg into the kids bellies too! Here are four simple but delicious and effective HWRK tried and tested juice recipes to get you started. You may need a quick trip to the local Holland & Barrett for some supplements, but they can make all the difference.

B R E A K FA S T ‘Full Body Protection’

Ingredients Apple (whole) Orange (peeled) Banana (peeled) Pomegranate (peeled) CLA capsules (x3) + Once blended add a handful of blueberries then give it one quick final blast

HEAD CHEF Chef Ian Leadbetter has spent 20 years in restaurants across Europe and works as a nutrition consultant

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How it works: A decent breakfast is essential and skipping it is an all too common way to weaken the immune system and risk fatigue or worse illness. Orange and banana contain vitamin C, while bananas are good for slow release carbs throughout the day. Apples are packed with fibre, while the pomegranate and blueberries are full of antioxidants. CLA is an omega-6 essential fatty acid that has fat burning effects.

How it works: Designed to fire you up during the day, this juice feeds your muscles and protects your organs. Asparagus and broccoli are both high in protein for maintenance, while asparagus and lemon contain potassium to replace lost energy stores. Ginger tackles headaches, while the iron in the spinach and the kale keeps your blood well oxygenated. Ably supported by the nitrate in the carrot, which boosts blood flow. The B6 form the pepper ensures efficient digestion and the oil helps burn fat and reduce inflammation.

LUNCH

‘Mid-Day Pickup’

Ingredients Asparagus (whole) Broccoli (stem) Spinach (handful) Kale (handful) Lemon (peeled) Bell pepper (de-seeded) Carrot (peeled) Ginger (dice size) Flaxseed oil (2 tbs) @hwrk_magazine

DINNER

VEGETARIAN THAI RED CURRY

This vegan friendly dinner is extremely easy to make and has that wow factor you need after a long day at the front of the class

‘Repairing & Refreshing’ Ingredients Apple (whole) Celery (stick) Cucumber (half) Banana (peeled) Lime (peeled) Sesame or Pumpkin seed (1 tbs) How it works: After a long day the body is devoid of nutrients, the glycogen that’s stored in your muscles for energy, and fluids. Apple, celery, cucumber, banana and lime will all help replace fluids and glycogen, rehydrating and replenishing your body. The potassium from the banana is an electrolyte that’s lost during activity, while the lime’s vitamin C aids the healing process. And the seeds are rich in amino acids, essential building blocks of protein.

Red curry base 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised 2 tins low-fat coconut milk Handful of sugar snap peas, halved Handful asparagus, trimmed Handful green beans, trimmed 1 cup edamame beans

Instructions 1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok while you toss the butternut squash cubes into the soy sauce. Add the soy-coated butternut squash to the wok and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened and browned, stirring frequently.

4. Remove and discard the lemongrass stalk. Add the sugar snap peas, asparagus, green beans and edamame beans to the curry sauce and cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are just cooked.

2. For the green curry base, heat the remaining coconut oil in a large frying pan. Add the lemongrass and Thai red curry paste, and fry over a high heat for 1 minute. 3. Stir in the coconut milk, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 10 minutes.

SUPPER

Ingredients Orange (peeled) Tomato (whole) Mango (mashed) How it works: This simple juice may seem a little light, but it’s delicious and has all the night time essentials you need. All three fruits are rich in vitamin C, which will aid the healing process of a long day and flush out diseasecausing free radicals. Mango is also rich in potassium, and important component of cell and body fluids that helps in controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

15-MINUTE DINNER

‘Heal 4 Real’

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You’ll need (makes 4) 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 butternut squash, diced 3 tbsp light soy sauce 1 lime, wedged to serve Handful coriander, torn 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced 1 spring onion, finely chopped Jasmine rice

5. Ladle the curry into bowls and spoon in the softened soy-glazed butternut squash. Top each bowl with a squeeze of lime juice, sprinkle with the coriander, add a few slices of chilli and a scattering of spring onion. Serve with bowls of jasmine rice.

HEAD CHEF Ian leadbetter is a chef and nutrition consultant.

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HEALTH CHILL OUT – IT’S GOOD FOR YOU

4. MELTING METABOLISM

Embrace the colder, darker nights as its good for your wellbeing

Brown fat is the mitochondria-packed fat cells that burn energy and produces heat in the body. And research has shown that when men are exposed to cooler temps, they have an increase in brown fat – thus a corresponding boost in metabolism.

ate autumn and winter can be brutal, but research shows you can get real health benefits during the colder months. When it’s cold, your body has to work harder to maintain its core body temperature and, as a result, you burn more calories. Colder temperatures help reduce both allergies and inflammation, plus so much more.

5. CHILL ALLERGIES INFLAMMATION Pollen counts are virtually nonexistent in cold and frosty weather. While you might notice your joints feeling less swollen or puffy too, because the cold air acts like a natural ice pack to decrease inflammation.

1. NO BRAIN FREEZE

6. FREEZE DISEASEFLAMMATION

Research shows people perform tasks better when the room temperature is set at a cooler setting. What’s more, people are less inclined to tackle cognitive problems in the summer, as opposed to winter, because the summer uses more glucose that’s needed for mental processes.

You may be more likely to catch a cold, but you’re in the clear for several diseases and viruses that are more prevalent in warmer temps. That’s because pesky mosquitoes hibernate during winter, which translates into a decrease of mosquito-borne diseases.

2. OUT COLD… ZZZ!

7. BLAST INFECTIONSMATION

Your body’s core temp drops naturally when you’re trying to sleep and can take as long as two hours in the midst of summer but is much faster in winter. Plus, those darker mornings naturally aid you to sleep in later. If your bedroom temperature is between 60 and 67 degrees you may even burn calories too!

Yes, you might get more colds during the winter, but you are actually better primed to kick your immune system into gear and fight the infection more effectively. Studies have shown when exposed to the cold the human immune system kicks into overdrive.

3. CRUNCHING CALORIES When it’s cold, your body works harder to maintain your core temp. Our bodies use a considerable amount of energy to keep us warm, and humidify the air we breathe when we’re out in the cold.

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8. SILKY SKIN Yes, you might get more colds during the winter, but you are actually better primed to kick your immune system into gear and fight the infection more effectively. Studies have shown when exposed to the cold the human immune system kicks into overdrive.

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BIG Advice

Classroom Commandments Vital advice thou shall need to keep your pupils engaged and attentive WORDS: ROBIN LAUNDER

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here’s lots of advice out there (some of it bad and some of it mine) about what to do in order to be great at behaviour management. But there isn’t much about what not to do, the things to avoid, the things that stop you from being great – the things, in fact, that can contribute to classroom chaos. Well, now there is. Here are 10 Classroom Commandments of things that thou shall not do.

1.Thou shall not shout Shouting is wrong in and of itself – and that’s reason enough why you should never shout at students. It’s also counterproductive. First, the student may shout back. Second, it makes you an unlikeable person. Third, it generates more student misbehaviour, not less. Sure, in the very short term, shouting does indeed stop students misbehaving. But the students soon get used to your raised voice. It becomes white noise. So, to recapture that initial success, you shout louder and more frequently. But that too ends up as white noise. And hence it all begins to spiral out of control. So never shout. Raising your voice to get student at-

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tention is not the same as shouting, so is fine. Just make sure that there’s no anger or other negative emotion involved.

2.Thou shall not humiliate Humiliating students, like shouting at them, is also unethical and counterproductive. It’s simple really: humiliate a student and they will not like you. Which means that they won’t work for you – or at least they won’t work as hard for you as they could. In fact, because of the sting of that humiliation, they may even work against you, try to undermine you in some way, try to get their own back on you. So, never humiliate. Also, don’t be sarcastic, don’t lecture and don’t make a joke at a student’s expense.

2. “Humiliate a student and they will not like you. Which means that they wont work for you - or at least they wont work as hard for you as they could”

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BIG Advice 3.Thou shall not say please Instead of saying ‘please’, say ‘thank you’. Both are equally as respectful, but ‘please’ makes it seem like you are begging for student compliance, whereas ‘thank you’ implies that what you want to happen will happen because otherwise why would you be thanking them. So, it’s not, ‘Pens down, please’ but ‘Pens down, thank you’.

6.Thou shall not praise for the things they should be doing If you do, you will be lowering the bar of your expectations, when you should be raising it. You’ll be communicating that doing the everyday and the commonplace is noteworthy of extra and special attention, when it’s not. What’s worthy of extra and special attention is extra and special behaviour. Sure, a polite ‘thank you’ or non-verbal acknowledgement is fine, but anything beyond that is counterproductive – and a bit needy.

4.Thou shall not argue Arguing doesn’t resolve situations – in fact, it entrenches positions. Not only that, an argument can quickly turn into a shouting match, and when that happens no one wins, not you, not the student, and not the students witnessing the exchange. So, avoid arguing at all costs. If a student wants to engage you in an argument, tell them that you’re happy to have a chat at the end of the lesson. Be genuine in this offer, too. That said, when the end of the lesson comes, most students will no longer need to talk to you, and even if they do, they (and you) will be much calmer. Oh, and there won’t be any audience present to enflame the situation.

5.Thou shall not turn a blind eyedoing Don’t do it in your classroom, don’t do it in the corridors, and don’t do it in the playground. In fact, don’t do it anywhere. If you pretend that you didn’t see something when you did, the students will conclude that either you are; a) scared of dealing with the misbehaviour or; b) a bit inept. Either way, they’ll believe (probably rightly) that they can get away with loads.

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7.Thou shall not break your word

deal with misbehaviour effectively: to avert it, to manage it, to de-escalate it. Hence, your standing in the eyes of classroom falls, to the point that

the students who are normally well behaved might themselves begin to misbehave. So now you kick out even more students.

What you say and what you do must be one and the same thing. If what you say is the same as what you do, then what you say will carry the weight of what you do, but only if they are the same. So, no idle ultimatums and no broken promises. If you say you are going to speak to a student at break, be in your classroom waiting. If you say you are going to issue a consequence, issue it. If you say you are going to the school play on Thursday night, go to the school play on Thursday night. If, for some out of the blue reason, you can’t do what you said you are going to do, address it with the student at the next opportunity. Oh, and be doubly-sure that you don’t break your word again with that student.

8.Thou shall not send students out into the corridor The student is misbehaving. You’ve given him/her chances. You’ve gone through your range of behaviour interventions and – argh! - still they’re mucking around. So, you play your get-out-ofjail-free card and kick ‘em out. Problem solved. Except it isn’t. At best it’s been delayed, at worst, worsened. The student still has to come back into the lesson – assuming he or she hasn’t wandered off and is causing mischief somewhere else in the school. Worse, you now know what to do if this student misbehaves again: you kick ‘em out. Which means, guess what, you are much more likely to kick ‘em out again. And again. And again. And every time you do, the effectiveness of the strategy – assuming it was ever effective – reduces. Then there’s all your other students. Every time you send a student into the corridor, you are communicating to your class that you do not have the skills to

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BIG Advice 9.Thou shall not have favourites Or, if you like, have every student as your favourite.

10. “ Misbehaviour is a mistake that can be learned from - and if you view it that way, the student will be more likley to view it that way too”

10.Thou shall not take misbehaviour personally If you do, it will get under your skin and wind you up. Instead, view misbehaviour as a learning opportunity. If students get a sum wrong, or misspell a word or don’t know their gluteus maximus from their elbow, you, as the teacher, would see that as a learning opportunity. It’s the same with misbehaviour. Misbehaviour is a mistake that can be learned from – and if you view it that way, the student will be more likely to view it that way too. So, there you are. 10 Classroom Commandments to make sure you don’t have, ahem, hellish misbehaviour in your classroom.

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BIG History

WHO IS MALCOM X? And what did he contribute before and after his death?

WORDS: PATRICK Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;SHAUGHNESSY

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istory is filled with the achievements of great leaders, but what were they so good at, and how did they achieve the things that made them great? The short answer is: they were spectacular at some things and, more often than not, lacking at others. But doesn’t that make them all the more fascinating. HWRK recently looked at the lessons we could learn from Winston Churchill, and we’d lie to continue the theme of analyzing the lives and times of great leaders this issue but examining the impact of African American human rights activist Malcolm X. Analyzing the achievements of great leaders is a surefire way to engage the class, offers dozens of potential idea streams and there is plenty of content out there for further reading for more advanced year groups. But for now, here’s enough to get things going.

BLACK MUSLIM Malcolm X was one of the most enigmatic characters of the 20t century. For most of his public life, he was a committed member of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm was born in 1925 and died in 1965, just before his 40th birthday. Between 1952 and 1964, Malcolm X was an active and prominent member of the so-called ‘Black Muslims’, serving as the national spokesman for Elijah Muhammad’s religious and social movement. For a time, he was a close friend of boxing champion and fellow Nation of Islam member Muhammad Ali. This was a successful period for the Nation of Islam and Malcolm X. As author Herbert Berg argues: “From 1955 to 1959, Elijah Muhammad sent Malcolm X to various cities to hold rallies and

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help establish new temples. Malcolm X helped found numerous new temples and increase membership dramatically. “That is not to suggest that Malcolm X was single-handedly responsible for all these temples and converts. However, the growth of the Nation of Islam coincided with his ministry: in 1945 there were but four temples, a decade later there were 15, and by 1960 there were 50.”

TRUE LEADER By the time Malcolm X officially left the Nation of Islam in March 1964, he had less than a year to live before he was to be assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan on 21st February 1965. In that time, Malcolm established a secular

political group, the Organisation of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), as well as a small religious group, Muslim Mosque Incorporated (MMI), while spending much of the final year of his life abroad in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. Both of the groups established by Malcolm X after his split from the Nation of Islam folded shortly after his death. In chronological terms, therefore, Malcolm spent the majority of his public life – some 12 years – promoting and advocating for the separatist religious vision of Elijah Muhammad. Given that Malcolm X spent just one year outside the Nation of Islam before his assassination and some 12 years as a leading member of that organisation, it is within the aegis and paradigm of Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam that we find many of Malcolm X’s more ‘tangible’ achievements during his lifetime, rather than the OAAU and/or the MMI.

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BIG History CIVIL RIGHTS However, Malcolm X’s energetic contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and his significant impact on the Black American community cannot be accurately gauged by the yardstick of chronology alone. Moreover, Malcolm X’s role was not solely limited to popularising the Nation of Islam’s religious creed. Malcolm’s wider intellectual contribution to the black diaspora and the Civil Rights Movement was seismic. The author of Malcolm’s most celebrated biography, Manning Marable, claimed: “He keenly felt, and expressed, the varied emotions and frustrations of the black poor and working class. His constant message was black pride, self-respect and an awareness of one’s heritage. At a time when American society stigmatised or excluded people of African descent, Malcolm’s militant advocacy was stunning. “He gave millions of younger African Americans newfound confidence. These expressions were the foundation of what in 1966 became Black Power, and Malcolm was its fountainhead.”

More recently, Malcolm X’s legacy has inspired countless artists, individuals and movements which is a testament to his enduring impact. Musicians from across the world, such as Beenie Man, KRS One, Durrty Goodz, Jeezy and Public Enemy have mentioned Malcolm X in their music. In the 1990’s, Malcolm X the movie was a Spike Lee epic and the autobiography by Alex

Haley continues to flourish in both print and electronic formats. Today, there is a Malcolm X Boulevard and a market bearing his name in Harlem, New York. The message is therefore loud and clear; Malcolm X continues to inspire and influence people long after his life was abruptly terminated, proving that the chronology of his life alone cannot contain him.

BLACK POWER Intriguingly, Malcolm X was dead before the Black Panthers were established. He was dead before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 came into effect. He was also dead before the famous ‘Black Power’ salute at the 1968 Olympic Games took place. However, the legacy and influence of Malcolm X outlived Malcolm X himself, perhaps gaining a posthumous momentum and allure. Much of Malcolm’s philosophy, worldview and influence permeated the many movements, groups and individuals that followed him in the quest for black equality. While Malcolm X himself did not create the ‘Black Power’ phrase and was not alive to witness it become part the lingua-franca of the Black American community, his role as an architect of the ‘Black Power’ movement cannot be denied.

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Sustainability takes forever – that’s the point It’s time teachers on the front line made sustainability a British value WORDS: SARAH WORDLAW

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BIG Read

limate change is affecting our world for the worse. The planet is warming up fast – faster than at any other time scientists know about from their studies of Earth’s history. Because of human actions, we are living in a warmer and wetter world which means there are more extreme weather conditions. The extreme weather on the equator is causing animals and humans to migrate towards the poles. If we don’t take immediate action to reduce our carbon emissions, there could be over a billion climate refugees. There is one fundamental truth about climate change: those that did the least to create it are in general the most affected by it. The link between poverty and climate change is often overlooked. By 2050 we could lose 50% of all species: our children could grow up in a world without some of the beautiful species we have known. Climate change is a real crisis, impacting people all around the world today. It negatively impacts our health, and that of our children.

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BIG Read Cultural Change Sustainability is the ability to exist constantly. In the 21st century, it means our capacity for the earth and human civilisation to coexist. Sustainability should be at the heart of everything we do. If we don’t all adjust our choices, the world will be a much different place, and those who will be most affected will be children today. It is imperative we teach young people how to be sustainable and look after the planet, so the next generation can do a better job than we have. So, what can we do in schools? If every school became 1% more efficient, this would have a huge impact nationally. Becoming more sustainable is not just about making a few small lifestyle changes. While this will help, true sustainability comes from cultural change. Schools have a golden opportunity as they are the heart of most communities. By leading the way in adopting good sustainability practices, it will influence the community it serves to also become more sustainable. This is why sustainability should be made a British value.

Reducing carbon emissions As teachers we all know the power of getting children involved and enthusiastic for change. Ensure sustainability on the curriculum is being taught to a high standard and get children involved in projects both in school and out in the local community. Some fabulous ideas from schools around the country are getting pupils to monitor energy use and read energy meters in the school, reporting back to the school community. Recycled art projects are a great way to engage and involve children and local communities.

Walk/Cycle to school projects Encouraging, praising and supporting children and staff to walk or cycle to school is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Making sure there are safe bike racks available. Living Streets offer badges and projects to encourage

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this, found at: livingstreets.org.uk/walkto-school Furthermore, if you’re going on a school trip, discuss with the children the best way to get to where you’re going using the least amount of carbon.

Save pennies reducing carbon Better insulation and efficient heating and lighting both reduces carbon emissions but also saves pennies! Some local authorities have offered loans to invest in saving energy and reducing bills. Sustainability is becoming higher on our local authorities’ agendas too – did you know that their school’s carbon emissions are measured? Get in touch with your local authority and see what they can offer you!

Food waste Sourcing local food reduces freight emissions, supports your local community and improves children’s awareness of where food comes from. Also, minimising food waste is imperative – think about how you could compost any leftover food from your school kitchen. If you contact your local authority they may be able to provide compost bins for your school, free of charge. Everyone can be involved – teachers and children alike – adding items such as tea bags, coffee granules, fruit and vegetable cuttings from the school kitchen. You could even add leaves, grass trimmings and plant cuttings to your compost heap!

Reduce, reuse, recycle Recycling schemes in schools can reduce money spent by the school on waste disposal and help to improve the environment. Paper is the main form of waste created by schools, making up at least a quarter of all its rubbish. Make sure each classroom has a paper recycling bin, clearly labelled. Involve

children in the process, holding assemblies and getting children to make posters (on recycled paper!) about recycling to display around your school environment. As teachers we have a real chance to make a difference, by fostering a new generation of young people who care about the world around them and want to make a difference. Let’s work together to reduce our carbon emissions and save our planet. Let’s make sustainability a British value!

Well Read Here are three great books which teach the idea of sustainability:

1. The Problem of the Hot World by Pam Bonsper Water and food have run out. A beautiful story book about environmental changes through the eyes of some lovable animals. 2. One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Mirana Paul An inspirational true story demonstrating how one person’s actions really can make a difference to the world we live in. 3. Winston of Churchill: One Bear’s Battle Against Global Warming by Jean Davies Okimoto Polar bear Winston’s ice is melting and his home is being destroyed. A fabulous story of one bear’s battle to save his home.

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OVERSEAS EDUCATOR l HOGWARTS EXPRESS l BULLIES OUT! l

TAKING LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

GUEST COLUMNIST

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13 scary Halloween days out Whether you’re brave enough to book a class trip, or fancy a night being terrified by zombies rather than marking, HWRK has you covered he October half term and Halloween are fast approaching, so here’s 13 frightfully sook-tacular events that promise enough fiendish fun and terrifying frivolity to scare your

socks off! HWRK has scoured the UK for the very best thrills, spills and newly-inked wills to keep you busy this Halloween – the question is, are you brave enough to take one on?

TULLEYS SHOCKTOBER FEST (WEST SUSSEX)

Oct 4 – Nov 2 With nine horrifying live attractions, daredevil fairground rides, street theatre, two live music stages and three food courts, this spooky event is sure to be electrifying! It’s a great night out for all the family, with a perfect blend of horror, comedy and a friendly festival atmosphere.

SCARE KINGDOM: SCREAM PARK (BLACKBURN)

SPIRITS OF SCONE (SCOTLAND)

Oct 25–31 A fright-fest like no other, the Spirits of Scone in Perth is a real trick or treat. The grounds are transformed into a truly terrifying playground where ghouls and horror film freaks are lurking in the woods and hiding in the maze. This is where nightmares come to life!

FARMAGGEDON 2019 (LANCASHIRE)

Oct 4 – Nov 2

OctT 4 – N 1

Experience Britain’s most famous ghost story inside Manormortis – Borley Rectory, where the phantom nun and her ghostly company make ‘high spirits’ in the old Victorian mansion. Plus, Psychomanteum returns with an all-new one-on-one assault on the senses. Officially dubbed ‘the UK’s sickest attraction’!

Billed as ‘the ultimate indoor, and outdoor, interactive extreme scare experience!’. There are three ‘scare houses’, including Beast of Terror (the UK’s largest), The Contagion and The Meat Locker. There’s also outdoor Zombie Paintball and a terrifying outdoor secret scare maze.

DREAMLAND’S SCREAMLAND (KENT)

Oct 18 – Nov 1 Back for its fifth year, this chilling event immerses visitors in a frightening world of interactive scare mazes set to horrify and haunt even the darkest soul. A Screamland ticket includes access to all seven scare mazes from 6pm and unlimited use of the rides in the amusement park.

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THE LONDON DUNGEON, SCREAMFEST (LONDON)

October

Sept 27 – Oct 31

London’s scariest attraction just got scarier with its special October event, Screamfest! With 20 haunting tales and two thrilling rides, guests will come faceto-face with London’s most terrifying and notorious characters, Sweeney Todd, The Plague Doctor, The Torturer and Jack the Ripper!

XTREME SCREAM PARK (LEICESTERSHIRE)

SCARESVILLE, THE HAUNTED VILLAGE (SUFFOLK)

Those who dare to enter can experience a fantastic event including six award-winning purpose-built attractions, festival entertainment with live local bands, and spook-tacular street theatre.

GLASGOW ORROR FEST (GLASGOW)

Oct 2 – Nov 2

Oct 13

Now in its 13th year with visitors coming from all over the UK for a good old-fashioned fright. Ghosts, ghouls and other creatures stalk the night are said to be able to cross through from the ‘other side’ into this haunted village!

Featuring a packed day of scary film screenings in the heart of the city. Taking over Blackfriars appropriately spooky basement, Popcorn Horror in partnership with Neon Frights is proud to be bringing a program of stand-out indie horror films from around the world.

PAISLEY HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL (SCOTLAND)

SPOOKY SLEEPOVERS (WARWICK)

Oct2 5-26

Oct 19 – Nov 3

Inspired by Paisley’s dark and deathly 17th-century witch history and set against a backdrop of the town’s historic steeples and spires, expect flying witches, giant pumpkins, breathtaking aerial displays, a mardi-gras-style parade a much more.

Whether you’re a Plucky Pumpkin, Daring Duke or Brave Knight, a Halloween short break at Warwick Castle has fearful levels of fun for all ages! Including surprises for those that enjoy a high-level fright-factor! Plus, our late night opening enables you and your family to enjoy a truly immersive Haunted Castle experience!

SCREAM FACTORY (NORTH YORKSHIRE)

TERROR MOUNTAIN 5 (WALES)

Oct 11 – Nov 1

Oct 18 – 31

The North East’s largest purpose-built Halloween haunt is made up of nine terrifying scare zones. Set in the grounds of an old ‘haunted’ nursery behind Kirkleatham Museum, it features all the sounds and sights you would only expect to find on a Hollywood movie set.

In the shadows of the Cambrian Mountains, just outside Aberystwyth, Terror Mountain returns for its fifth incarnation. Set in an original Victorian mine, visitors can look forward to four terrifying horror attractions, including some of the most terrifying specimens from favourite horror genres.

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Support is out there The power Hub that’s improving EAL Support at Essa Academy in Bolton ssa Academy in Bolton has 945 students on its roll with 73% classed as those with English as an additional Language (EAL) and 20 languages spoken. An Ofsted inspection in 2018 identified the school needed to offer greater support to its EAL students. As a proactive school with a drive to continuously improve and a strong leadership team, Essa addressed the need for enhanced EAL provision. Following the inspection, two higher level teaching assistants were employed, an EAL strategic lead was selected to work across the Trust, and a teaching and learning review was conducted by Alliance for Learning Teaching School offering access to resources from EALhub.co.uk. Through this new partnership, they can now offer EAL training, SLE reviews and support to schools across the North West. The aim, of course, is to help students to learn in the mainstream classroom where possible, while providing versatile and holistic EAL support for teachers. Alliance for Learning – a partnership of educational organisations sharing knowledge – offers school-toschool support and diagnostic visits, providing access to mentoring, resources and training. Termly reviews were carried out by Alliance for Learning as part of a teaching and learning assessment. Working closely with the EAL lead, Klaudia Giermaniuk, the school recognised a need to broaden EAL students’ access to the curriculum, placing greater emphasis on learning vocabulary and comprehension, linking back to the curriculum. Changes were quickly implemented by the school’s EAL team, with the

four language skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening being linked with other curriculum areas including Geography, History and Science. A year on, the EAL team is flying. Aspire lessons within the school (classes not just for EAL learners, but anyone with a low reading age) now focus on different reading strategies such as using graphic organisers, making predictions based on visual cues, locating

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key words or using context clues, giving greater attention to learning new vocabulary and a wider range of topics. Students aren’t just assessed on their reading age and are evaluated using a variety of methods, depending on their needs and individual circumstances. Pearson’s Global Scale of English is used, while some are assessed using the Salford Reading Test to determine their decoding age. Writing speed and written language cohesion methods are also used to get a fuller picture of ability. While the emphasis isn’t solely placed on improving reading age, some students have increased their reading age by three years within just one term. Feedback from students and parents is also used to inform planning for the sessions. The school also has plans to in@hwrk_magazine

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What is the EAL Hub? Working in an SLE capacity and offering CPD and training, EAL Hub also offers resources and assessment via its website (ealhub.co.uk). Since launching a year ago, EAL Hub has thrived and now has thousands of subscribers. EAL Hub Topic Packs each contain 10 resources to provide scaffolding for popular topics and units. Packed with knowledge organisers, topic mats, flash cards, vocabulary activities and so much more, and there are now 80 of these on the site. Over the summer, the site was overhauled to create searchable themes so teachers can now search for keywords, topics or books and find them instantly. Each theme contains book resources, video resources, picture resources, topic packs, Snapshot mat packs, comprehension, vocabulary and inference resources as well as suggested high quality picture books to use alongside.

troduce a more structured and regular audit of feedback. Martin Knowles, Principal at the ESSA Academy, said: “The review helped us to make EAL a real focus and drive forward our development plans. We made real progress knowing that advice was on hand when we HWRKMAGAZINE.CO.UK

needed it, and this helped us to sustain our focus on EAL in the long-term. “Not many schools are lucky enough to have access to a dedicated team of EAL specialists. The review confirmed to us why it’s so important to have an expert team on hand.” A u t u m n 2 0 1 9 // H W R K M AG A Z I N E // 75

Making a stand together

If you or your school would like to work with BulliesOut, simply email: mail@ bulliesout.com

Why going back to school shouldn’t mean going back to bullying t’s almost hard to believe the summer holidays are over (I swear that holiday gets shorter ever year) and the UK’s children and young people have returned to school. For many, this will be an exciting time. But for the 57% who have been bullied at some point in their school life, the start of a new school year will bring anxiety and fear. Young people spend 11,000 hours of their lives at school and these hours should be spent learning, having fun with friends, improving their skills and knowledge and preparing for their futures – not living in fear of being bullied. Sitting in a classroom with the person or people who bully you is traumatising and can really affect a person’s learning as well as their emotional well-being.

It’s so important children and young people feel prepared for a successful school year and that includes knowing what to do if they are bullied and having the confidence that all reported incidents will be dealt with effectively and they will receive the support they need. For a school to reduce bullying, the emphasis must be placed on creating a culture of acceptance, tolerance and respect. Whilst we fully understand the many funding constraints and increased workloads that affect schools and LEAs, it is too important to be ignored. It is every school’s responsibility to offer support to its students if they are affected by bullying in or outside of school. There are a number of strategies that young people can use to report incidents of bullying, including:

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• Internal reporting tools on intranets • Mobile phone apps, such as Tootoot • Reporting and supporting post boxes • Allocated, trained Peer mentors • Facetime with teaching staff We will never eradicate bullying completely but we must all work together to inspire change. A change where we can greatly reduce incidents, increase young people’s well-being and stop suicides in young people because of bullying. Over the coming weeks, BulliesOut will be working with schools to support their anti-bullying campaigns and we will be delivering workshops and training programmes – all aimed at educating young people on the effects of bullying, recognising and understanding their own behaviour, encouraging empathy, respect and responsibility.

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Bonfire night bonanza Smoke free classroom ideas for November 5th Bonfire night provides a wonderful opportunity to bring chemistry to life in the classroom. The festivities around November 5th make for a great chance to demonstrate flame tests; sprinkle iron filings into a Bunsen flame to make a pretty sparkler affect

or carry out a spot of fire-writing. But as fun as these pursuits are tend to fill the lab with smoke and mess, not to mention they can only be done with classes who are on their very best behaviour. Here are a couple of ideas for a less stressful Bonfire night lesson:

Bonfire Night Reactions This check sheet is ideal for KS3 classes, but could be used to stretch the more able KS2 students. It asks students to discuss which of the things they might see at a Bonfire night party are chemical reactions. This could be used as a starter to any lesson on chemical reactions or could be used for a Bonfire night reactions special lesson where the students could go on to do some of the reactions mentioned above.

A burning bonfire

Fireworks

Melting sugar

A lit sparkler

Hot Tea

Toasting burger buns

Your breath cooling

Wellies getting muddy

A lit match

Fizzing drinks going flat

A hot pack warming up

Keeping warm in a coat

Dazzling Glow Sticks For KS4, light-sticks give an interesting way of learning about rates of reaction and collision theory. Students can do this experiment in pairs, each pair getting three glow-sticks. They snap each to activate them and then place one in a beaker of cold water, one in warm water and keep one at room temperature. Whilst the sticks are in the water ask the students to predict what differences they will see in each stick after 10 minutes. Change the conditions to represent the different temperatures the light-sticks are experiencing and run the simulation. Explain to them that the green and blue particles represent the chemicals in the light-stick that mix when you bend them and the red particles are a new chemical that is produced which glows. They should understand from this that the warmer the light-stick is, the faster the rate of reaction and the more â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;glowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is produced. They can then compare the brightness of the light-sticks to see if their predictions are correct.

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If you have any interesting Bonfire night lesson ideas that you have tried out in your classroom please let us know on Twitter @HWRKmagazine - and we promise to retweet the best ones.

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TOP SECRET//EDUINT//HWRK//DOC4

The Education Emails Edited by JS Sumerfield

In 2018 HWRK obtained an anonymous upload of documents originating from the secure email servers of an unidentified high school. Neither the recipient nor the sender have ever been traced. This email is the fourth classified document we have reproduced in HWRK as part of our mini-series, in the interests of transparency and numerous Freedom of Information requests from our teachers.

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HWRK MAGAZINE PUBLISHED BY PICTURES UP DESIGN LTD 5 Hackins Hey, Liverpool L2 2AW, UK E: enquiries@hwrkmagazine.co.uk T: 0151 237 7303 CONSULTANT EDITOR Nick Peet PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Alec Frederick Power DESIGNER Jessica-May Wright MANAGING DIRECTORS G Gumbhir, Alec Frederick Power Legal Disclaimer: While precautions have been made to ensure the accuracy of contents in this publication and digital brands neither the editors, publishers not its agents can accept responsibility for damages or injury which may arise therefrom. No part of any of the publication whether in print or digital may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owner.

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