Category: English

Saturday 21st March is World Poetry Day

Saturday 21st March is World Poetry Day

In 1999, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared that every year the 21st March was to be World Poetry Day. Why would they want to draw our attention to poetry as a literary form? One reason is that reading and listening to poetry can enrich our lives. Poetry is ‘heightened language’,…

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What is Semantics and why is it important?

What is Semantics and why is it important?

A number of us may be familiar with the term ‘semantics’ when used in an idiomatic sense, i.e. ‘that’s just semantics’. This kind of statement is often used as a put-down when someone is trying to complicate an argument with a wordy explanation. However, in truth, semantics is a very important subject. Semantics is the…

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Are your children prepared for the potential ‘war on illiteracy and innumeracy’?

Are your children prepared for the potential ‘war on illiteracy and innumeracy’?

You may have read the Sunday Times article this weekend (a front-page commentary written by Tim Shipman and Sian Griffiths), about the ‘war on innumeracy’ that could take place over the next few years. The article states that ‘at present the UK ranks 23rd for reading, and 26th for maths in international league tables for…

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What can Alice’s Wonderland teach my child about creative writing skills?

What can Alice’s Wonderland teach my child about creative writing skills?

‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a delightful story written by Lewis Carroll (a mathematician whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson). The story originated from an experience when Carroll was out rowing with three daughters of a friend of his, Henry Liddell. In order to entertain the girls during the five-mile journey, Carroll made up a…

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What value does Creative Writing add to my child’s ability to pass the 11+ exam?

What value does Creative Writing add to my child’s ability to pass the 11+ exam?

In December, I posted a list of 15 classic book titles that I suggested children should add to their reading lists. A few parents have asked why their children should read these books, as an old fashioned style of writing can make it a little harder to read. My response is always the same. These…

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