Book review part 2: Primary English, Knowledge and Understanding

Hey to all who were waiting for the 2nd part of this book review. It's been a manic 10 days and most of it had been spent with INSET Training, 1st week at school and generally getting stuck in. 

However, today I finally read the final chapter and must thank the contributiors Jane Medwell, David Wray, George Moore and Vivienne Griffiths. 

This is Achieving QTS:Meeting the Professional Standards Framework books and gives 'all the subject knowledge you need to teach primary English'.

In a nutshell, it refers to the Teachers' Standards at the start of each chapter, gives Curriculum Context, and also highlights the Early Years Foundation Stage and Early Learning Goals. This is a great read for both KS1 and KS2 teachers. 

Chapters 8-14 have now been read and they cover; Punctuation, Cohession:grammar at the level of the text, The qualities of stories, The qualities of poetry, The qualities of drama, Looking at information books, and Electronic texts.

Since the 1st part of this book review, I have attended a Grammar and Language training session held at my new school. 

This was great because it backed up a lot of what I had recently read and I was able to put my newfound subject knowledge to good use.

The layout of the book was easy to follow, each chapter summarised key points, there were pedagogical links and also Masters Level investigations (which could prove useful in future learning). 

The content had been an eye-opener to literacy and has also provided me with some useful resources for Spelling Punctuation and Grammar (SPAG) lessons. When I have time, I will carry out a few of the self-assessment tasks, although some I may be able to do with my class.