A2 - you wanted to see an amazing baby reading!

Link to a clip of a genius baby:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vys9jvXwcU

The very thought of this hurts my soul a little...

A2 will find this very useful for CLA but AS should read it too to get ahead on ideas that are critical in Language. And in life.

Don't kill reading, naughty government ministers!

Please comment on how you learned to read and what you think of synthetic phonics as the number one strategy for readers to use.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25917646

vlog book recommendations

Please comment with links to your vlog recommendations for reluctant readers/ World Book Night :)
Thank you very much!

AS and A2 look at Andrew Moore's site

I cannot strongly enough recommend the wonderful, free cornucopia of Language information available at Andrew Moore's site.

Look at the guides under Langage and Social Contexts for Power, Gender and Technology.

http://www.universalteacher.org.uk/contents.htm#langa

Language and Power and being open to finding out more

This guy is very motivational and I like how he asks questions that make people "drop the invisibility cloak". It is very interesting how he then characterises that as equivalent to a conversational karate kick, but see what you think:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5RknemM8Hw

A2 link to a child reading Hairy Maclary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7xlK4yfmeo

AS: coursework lesson on Friday

There were quite a few people missing today (Tuesday) so you need to try and pick up your commentaries and one of the 'Feedback code' sheets from my desk in C102.

On Friday, we will be swapping your coursework pieces - try and imagine you are one of the target readers and give the writer feedback accordingly.

We will go through the criteria at the start of the lesson.

Padlet wall - AS please read

I have created a Padlet wall and I want to see how it works. Please visit the link below and add a quote and comment - your choice of quote entirely but there is no way to place a trigger warning, so be sensitive. Add your name to your comment so I can see who has posted - Beths please add a last name initial too!

http://padlet.com/wall/auq906a48o

AS/A2 work in Halla's absence

So you knew I was going to be out Monday. The work I set is below (as far as I can remember it without my notes, so if you spot something I've missed, please comment). I am also now out tomorrow/Friday, so the work will be on the door and you will need to sign to say you have read it and will do it. AS are collecting short texts in a variety of genres, including transcribing fiction or non-fiction. A2 are writing an overview, a detailed plan and at least one PEE paragraph on the Castle transcript.

Also, AS need to get their commentaries back urgently - they are marked and will be handed out in the 2.30 lesson but otherwise please collect first thing Mon from the English office or I will leave them on my desk if necessary.

Monday's work:
AS: vlog reccommendations, coursework and/or text message investigations
A2: coursework and gender theory revision

Interesting words from other languages

http://blog.maptia.com/posts/untranslatable-words-from-other-cultures

The mask we live in gender clip

I can't find a link for this on my iPad but if you search on YouTube for The mask you live in, it's the trailer for The Representation Project. The phrases we use and their implicature shape behaviour and can create damaging cultural expectations of our children. 'Man up', 'that's not very ladylike', 'that's ballsy' etc. how many more can we collect that have those gender stereotypes behind them. Please comment on this post and say, if you can, the context you heard or read it in (obviously name no names).

Gender and Technology article - a useful roundup of last year's trends of female language use

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/12/31/creaky_voice_uptalk_gendered_texting_do_women_communicate_differently_than.html