Show Don't Tell in a (quick) Nutshell!
Last week, in one of my free comprehension sessions, I asked the kids to put up their hands if they were unsure how to use ‘Show Don’t Tell’. I would say half of the fifty-four kids on the call put up their hands.
If it’s cold, don’t tell me that, have your character shiver, put on a coat, etc. Tell me their breath was ‘smoke in the air’.
If it’s sunny, have them put on sunglasses or sweat. Don’t tell me it’s sunny.
If your character is sad, don’t tell me that, have their eyes mist and their lip quiver.
If someone is tall, have them stoop beneath the door frame and so on.
I asked them if they knew when to show and when to tell. Again, many didn’t. We absolutely need to tell at times. To show all or tell all would be boring.
To make it simple, I told them two basics things:
1) Tell the boring stuff (write this quickly with brevity). The exposition stuff should be brief and earn its place.
2) Show the interesting stuff (use descriptive language here). The action stuff should be shown.
17/12/2022
Brand new KS2 Science term of webinar sessions uploaded! I had the most requests for “more human anatomy” and “more about germs/microbes and the immune system” so this is what I’ve come up with! Booking link and full info: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DkXFAuJGQMaD_CEIE07-XQ
Key stage 2 means a level of science that 7-11 year olds generally work at (according to UK National curriculum). However, I also have some slightly older students (12-13 year olds) who also enjoy these, and slightly younger (5-6 year olds). Feel free to give one a go and see if it suits your child’s science level - if it doesn’t, and it’s your first session, I’m more than happy to offer a refund or suggest an alternative session.
Each webinar is 30 minutes, 1-130pm on Monday afternoons, however, if you register, you will also receive a full recording, worksheet and slides, so you do not need to come live! Lives have the slight added benefit of a live typed Q&A to ask me questions. Each webinar is £1.50. You can book each webinar individually in the drop down list by ticking which ones you’d like to come to. You can choose to just come to one or two, or book the whole term at once. Please ensure you check for an email from Zoom which should be instant, automatic and contain your live login info. If you don’t receive the email, please contact me ASAP! My email is [email protected].
Note: many of these sessions have simple follow along “experiments” or activities as part of the webinar. Please check the full booking description on the link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DkXFAuJGQMaD_CEIE07-XQ
For details of equipment (I always try pick things that use cheap household items). If you don’t have these things in - still absolutely come along! There will still be quizzes, slides and lots of watching and learning me complete the activity.
I have a few places left in KS3 and IGCSE English groups for next term.
Lessons are £9.50 each for KS3 and £10.50 each for IGCSE.
Next term, KS3 will be studying a unit on speech writing. We will be studying famous, influential speeches and learning to write our own about issues that matter to us.
Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions! 😊
Tomorrow kicks off the first of our charity webinars! First up is Damian from Earthlings Learning talking about our changing earth and why time travellers need swimsuits!
Learn to code in the Minecraft Mod Club
- [For members of The Code Zone] Support from your Hack Club or PyClub mentor, and access to holiday game jams & build battles
Check out for Hogwarts-inspired online offerings for home educators 🧙♀️🧙
Hogwarts for Home Educators — Susie Sparkles
Join us in The Zoom of Requirement and be transported into a world of magic and wonder! With a holistic approach to education our primary aim is to engage your child’s imagination through creative play and transfigure muggle teaching topics into magical classes.
07/12/2022
Goddesses Key Stage 2 Course
Goddesses Key Stage 2 Course
Goddesses have played a part in religions and mythology since the beginning of time. In fact, many cultures see females as creating the beginning of time! Take a tour through time and culture in this course on mythology with a focus on the feminine.
07/12/2022
Philosophy and Religion: Female Philosophers Key Stage 3 Course
Philosophy and Religion: Female Philosophers Key Stage 3 Course
Philosophy has been dominated by male voices for a long time. Most of the most famous are male and they often shout the loudest. The truth is though, that many of those men have been influenced by or, in some cases, blatantly stole the ideas of women! This course looks at the lives and thoughts of s...
05/12/2022
🐝CHARITY WEBINAR BOOKING LINKS 🐝
Charity webinar series to raise awareness of the dangers of aerosol cans, in name of Giorgia Green, a beloved and dearly missed student and friend.
In December myself and some fellow tutors will be running a set of charity webinars based on ‘change’. These webinars are FREE, instead we are asking for donations to Giorgia’s families Just Giving Page, for raising awareness of the dangers of aerosol cans.
Do your children love Arts and Crafts? I will be posting the last few boxes today for my online Art workshops starting next week. If you would like to book get in touch Theartanddesignroom
Love Laura xx
28/11/2022
Functional Skills English Level 2 — Catherine Mooney Tutoring
This image is loaded with information....remember that each person is an individual and this won’t be accurate for 100% of people.
24/11/2022
Charity Webinar Series in memory of Giorgia Green
Announcing a charity webinar series with some amazing tutors in memory of a truly amazing student, Giorgia Green, a student of Jake at Humanatees who is sadly no longer with us.
This will be a series of free webinars all on the concept of change at 7pm every evening all week from Monday December 12th.
If you'd like to participate, please donate anything you can to:
Zoom links will be released nearer the time on Facebook
23/11/2022
Home Educators! I want to talk to YOU this week about your choices and experiences and what the DfE really need to learn from you.
And if you’re not a ‘home edder’, please tag in someone who is!
I’d love to record a 15-20 minute chat with you to include in my live show on Teachers Talk Radio Official later this week.
Thank you! 💚🎙
17/11/2022
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, is set to take place on Saturday, 6 May 2023, at Westminster Abbey.
Awarding bodies are currently reviewing their timetables.
We will confirm whether this will impact examination schedules as soon as the information becomes available.
Booking at www.elearnwithamy.com - each webinar is 1 hour long and £3. All registrants receive a recording, so it’s no problem if you miss the live session! The live webinar has the added benefit of being able to ask me questions via a typed Q and A box. One worksheet provided per webinar and sent via email, as well as a full recording sent after the session.
02/11/2022
Photos from Theartanddesignroom's post
01/11/2022
Back in the UK and supporting my learners in-person - although some have chosen to stay online 👍🏻
Online are easier to fit in for those with busier schedules.
In-person enables longer sessions without losing focus.
PS We do love highlighters 😂
31/10/2022
Happy Halloween everyone :) Whatever you are doing today remember to be nice and be safe! 👻👻👻
30/10/2022
6 WEEK ONLINE POP-UP COMICS AND 3D PAPERCRAFT COURSE FOR HOME EDUCATING FAMILIES STARTING TUESDAY 15TH NOVEMBER 930AM!
Join bestselling cartoonist and super-experienced tutor James Parsons on Zoom for an awesome creative course exploring papercraft and pop-ups alongside cartoon creativity! Each week we’ll be cutting, folding, flapping and sticking, creating awesome constructions to make our art even more EPIC!
I’ve been collecting pop-up books since I was 7 years old, and some years back started using pop-ups in my workshops… now is the time to give this a whirl virtually! Each week we’ll be using templates and my guided instruction, plus pro-drawing tips as always, to create 3D objects and pop-up pictures using card, folds, a little bit of glue, and lots of imagination!
Click on the relevant workshop link for more info!
28/10/2022
Photos from Play at Home Mom's post
26/10/2022
26/10/2022
🤯
25/10/2022
Photos from Made By Dyslexia's post
24/10/2022
Photos from Holly King-Mand: Holly's Classroom's post
21/10/2022
New 4-week complete short courses running from W/C 21st Nov (2 short courses on the same topic, for different age groups). Booking will remain open from now until 21st Nov at 10am.
The topic of these courses is the classification of living things.
What is the science of taxonomy and classification?
“taxonomy, in a broad sense, is the science of classification, but more strictly the classification of living and extinct organisms—i.e., biological classification. The term is derived from the Greek taxis (“arrangement”) and nomos (“law”).”
What’s a species vs. A subspecies? Why do we use scientific names? What’s the difference between a phylum, genus and order? What are the characteristics of the kingdoms of life? Why isn’t algae or seaweed in the plant kingdom? Find out in these courses!
There will be two levels / age groups.
Full Info, dates, times and booking for the advanced level course (KS3/4 biology level):
I have had a keen interest in the learning and development of babies, children and young students, since 2008. My relentless research into educational approaches and resources was largely fueled by the needs and development of my own children – who have been a constant reminder of how individual a child can be.
Our first-born is an extremely confident social-butterfly, with an aptitude for learning that demands a challenging schedule, and still she will stay up late reading several books simultaneously. Our son is an over-thinker, with worries and anxieties, and yet he is extremely imaginative and naturally agile, whilst possessing a bold personality to keep us all on our toes! Both children excel academically; however, they learn in quite different ways.
Our daughter began her early years in a Montessori setting, and, after a recommendation from MENSA, we ensured that she gained a full-time place in a local primary school with a reputable gifted-and-talented provision. However, when she was 6 years old (in 2015), we took the decision to home educate as it proposed a more flexible curriculum suited to her interests and abilities. In contrast, our summer-born son attended the same Montessori setting, but he never really settled. And, after the success of home educating his older sister, we never even registered him at a school. In fact, home education suits our son even more than it does our daughter - who would enjoy certain aspects of a school setting, but doe prefer the freedom of being home-schooled.
As a family, we only ever envisaged home educating throughout the primary years; therefore, I prepared our daughter for entrance exams at reputable grammar and independent schools. She repeatedly passed exams, assessments and induction days - receiving offers of a place at the private junior and high schools, as well as at a very selective grammar school. However, having begun to embrace online distance-learning options from the age of 10; she chose to remain home educated with online courses in Math, English, Geography, Physics and Business Studies - facilitated at home by myself – thus, allowing her to space out IGCSE exams, taking a couple each year from age 11.
Core Learning Support exists because of the interest that other parents have shown in our home educating journey and, moreover, the influx of requests for tips and advice in how to support their own children in their home learning, outside of school hours.
Throughout the past decade, I have empowered parents of children from birth to 21 years – mentoring the oldest of my students throughout university degrees. I have supported parents and their children in the run up to entrance exams, and, subsequently, I have delighted in hearing of their successes.
Undoubtedly, I specialize in the familiarization of England’s 11+ entrance exams for grammar schools: including Cognitive Ability Tests (also known as ‘CAT4’ or ‘GL’), and ‘Durham (CEM)’ selective testing. Additionally, I am knowledgeable in the preparation for bespoke independent school assessments, as well as the SATs in the primary schools in England, (Year 2, KS1 and Year 6, KS2). My areas of expertise include: Verbal, Non-Verbal, Spatial and Numerical Reasoning; Literacy and Numeracy; as well as Comprehension and Exam Technique.
I believe in parent empowerment, so that parents feel that they can confidently support their own child at home, with appropriate resources and an individualized learning plan.
Cliff Hill Day Nursery provides a secure, caring and stimulating atmosphere vital for your child's well being and all round development.
We are next to Wakefield college and a 5 minute walk from Westgate railway station (ideal for commuters).