THS Languages

Following on from Progress Assessments and Learner Conversations we have identified a number of student whom we are keen to support to improve specific elements.  Consequently we have identified a number of students whom we have invited to come to folio clinics, either at lunchtime or after school.  These clinics will allow one-to-one support to help students to improve their folio of writing, which is worth 30% of the final award.  If your son/daughter is invited to attend please encourage them to take advantage of this invaluable support.

If you have any questions regarding our interventions then please contact Mrs Murphy, Pupil Support Teacher for S4.

 

Mrs Burton

We will be embarking on our Read to Succeed programme shortly to encourage all S1 students to engage in reading for enjoyment.  Research tells that reading is good at supporting attainment and also to enhance our well-being.  All S1 classes are working on the reading Olympics where they can work through the Bronze, Silver and Gold reading awards.  As part of this we encourage all S1 students to bring a book on their Literacy day.  They should also pick four days in the week where they read for at least 15 minutes and the pages they have read are recorded in their planner to allow for discussion with their Literacy teacher.

As part of the Read to Succeed initiative North Lanarkshire Council fund a free book for each S1 student.  Below you will find a link to the books which are available for selection which will allow you to discuss choices with your young person before they have to choose.

https://www.brownsbfs.co.uk/institution/North-Lanarkshire

I would also be very grateful if you could complete this short survey on reading for the Read to Succeed team.

https://forms.office.com/r/TStiHJhbVE

If you have any questions regarding the Read to Succeed programme then please feel free to contact me via the school office.

 

Mrs Burton

 

 

Our Prelims took place  last Monday (31st)  and we are now busy moderating, marking and verifying papers before we can return them to students.  We are very grateful to students and to you for your patience as we work hard to ensure the results are as accurate as they can be.  Once results are returned we will embark on a round of target setting and learner conversations as we work together to support our young people in the Language learning.

We are pleased to announce that we will be continuing Supported Study for our S4 National 5 candidates in the run up to the Progress Assessment next Tuesday (30th).  Mrs Fraser will run a session on Friday at 12.40pm and Miss MacPhail will offer her usual Monday slot at 3.45pm on Monday.

In addition to this students should all have access to both Achieve and Scholar which will help them with additional preparation.  Any student who needs their Scholar login details should ask their English teacher asap.

Higher Supported Study will start on Monday 29th November at 3.45pm.  Mrs Rooney will take students through RUAE.  In addition to this Miss Sullivan, Miss MacPhail and Mrs Burton will all offer Folio Clinics on a Wednesday lunchtime.  Students should bring along their folio piece for additional support and advice.

S2 have been working on the Newspaper project which saw them learn about the world of journalism and culminated in them writing their own newspaper report.

We are now moving on to experience our own TOP Summit.  (Taylor’s Official Project).  Students will be learning about climate change and what we can do to prevent it.  Through engaging with documentaries, speeches and research students will grasp an understanding of the issues before choosing one area to research and present on. This project will allow students to develop their research skills as well as their ability to work with others in their group before the presentation which allows developement of the talking and listening skills.

Before delivering presentations the children will study Milestone Two having completed Milestone One in S1.  Talking Milestones is a programme which develops the skills necessary to present to audiences.  The programme starts in S1 and moves through the curriculum to Higher with students learning new skills with each new milestone.

We are excited about this new unit of work and the young people seem to be too.  Prepare to learn all about recycling and clean energy once they come home.

S1 are currently preparing and delivering their first individual presentation “All About Me” which is designed to let the children get to know each other better.

Classes has been developing their skills through the “Talking Milestones” programme which we use to develop talk skills through a series of milestones which develop on as pupils progress from S1 through to Higher.

Whilst presnting can be daunting for may of us the skills required are essential for life in the twenty-first century.  Many jobs require regular presentation and sharing of ideas orally, indeed these skills are what make us successful in the interview progress.  Given the importance of these skills we would ask parents/carer to work with us and support your child/young person by encouraging them and helping them to practise.

The children have been given que cards to help them and know that the more they practise the more succesful they will be.  We are not looking for perfection or polished performances, just an honest communication which allows the class to get to know them and allows first year a chance to stand up and speak in front of their class.  The first time is always the worst and therfore it is better to start this journey as soon as we can as the presentation is an essential assessment in the National Qualifications in English.

If you have any questions or concerns then please let us know by contacting Mrs Valente the Pupil Support teacher for S1 and thank you for your support in this matter.

All English students in S5/6 should have handed in the first draft of their folio to their English teacher.   The folio is worth 30% of the final mark and therefore it is worth working really hard on it.  In Session 2021-22 candidates need only complete one folio piece (not the usual two) therefore all students should ensure they take on board the feedback they are given and work hard to ensure their folio piece is a true reflection of their capabilities.  They are lots of helpful materials available on Scholar which students can access.  Any student who does not know their Scholar login should ask their English teacher for help.

We are delighted to announce that we are relaunching our First Minister’s Reading challenge for S1 students.  Reading is integral to life, it is one of the ways we gain information and learn about the world.  The FM’s Reading challenge encourages our young people to read for pleasure, pure enjoyment.  Each S1 register class is is competition with the other classes to  read the most books !   Once a month we will count up the books and put the tally onto our amazing reading board which is at the entrance to the school.  We will also post the monthly figures on Twitter and on this blog.   All S1 students are encouraged to choose five days in the week where they will read for enjoyment, they then note the pages they have read in their diaries.  Please encourage your child to read and to participate in this fabulous activity.  Students can borrow books from the school library and hopefully our local libraries will be open again soon.  If your child doesn’t have library card it would be beneficial to them if you could take some time to join your local library as libraries offer a wide range of facilities for all of us.

Over the course of this week students in S4-S6 English will be setting their targets for the exam diet in May 2022.  Students consider their prior attainment and then establish the grade they are working towards.  On a monthly basis they will discuss their specific targets and how they can help them to meet their eventual target.  Learner conversations will take place with the class teacher who will offer guidance and advice as well as help students to set a specific monthly target.  We would encourage parents and carers to discuss targets with students and support them on their journey.  If we can help in any way then please contact me via the school office.

Mrs Burton

We are delighted to welcome all of our students back and look forward to a more settled acacademic year this year !

At the end of last term we said goodbye to Miss McKenna from the English Department and Mrs Bell from the Modern Languages Department.  We are delighted to report that Miss Sullivan, Mrs Fraser, Mrs Gonzalez and Mrs MacDonald will all be staying in the faculty.  Mr Campbell is going part-time and we are delighted to welcome Mrs Lamb who will join the English Department part-time and Mr Milarvie our new DHT who will also teach Modern Languages.

All students should be members of a MS Team for English.  IN S1-3 there are two teams for English depending on which register class a pupil is in.  Pupils should be in the appropriate team and work will then be posted on the channel for their teacher/s.   If any pupil is unsure if they are in the correct team or how to access their channel they should speak to their class teacher.

S1 & S2 should be a member of both the Spanish and the Frenh team for their appropriate year.

S3 should all be in the Spanish team for the Spanish for Life and work which is a compulsory class and which is taught one period per week.   If students have opted to study Spanish in S3 with a view to continuing study in S4 then they should also be in the S3 Spanish class team.

Students from S2-6 are asked to bring their jotters back as a record of their achievements.  Please ensure your child returns these records and can I ask at this time that you return any text books or English texts which you may have lying at home as lost books all have to be replaced.

If you have any questions or worries then please contact me via your child’s Pupil Support Teacher and I will be only too happy to help.  Myself and my team look forward to working with you and your young people in the year ahead.

 

Mrs Burton

Principal Teacher of Languages and Literacy.