Bedrock Shoutouts

A huge shoutout to 9HD, where 78% of students committed to their vocabulary this week – they’re leading the way!

For May, it’s looking really close. Katarzyna T is still leading, with 144 points, but not too far behind her are Dylan R, Jacob H, Megan R, and Maria-Grace S… There are 19 students who could steal 2nd and 3rd places just by meeting their 20 point targets, and many more who could overtake by earning just a few more bonus points. Little and often is the way.

Remember, the expectation is that all Year 9 students earn 20 points each week during term time.

Work of the Week

Three of Mrs Hunt’s Year 11 students made the most of a quiet lesson to really explore the structure of a Power and Conflict point – and they went big! Well done to Macie, Krishan and Rhys for your brilliant ideas: fingers crossed you get to use them in the exam this week!

Year 11: Revision after half term

We continue to be proud of Year 11 as they enter this phase of the exams: pre exam ‘breakfast’ sessions have seen 50+ students, and after school sessions are nearing the one hundred mark across the various rooms, so well done! 

After half term, we will offer shorter, more focused skills sessions, as follows:

Tuesday: Paper 2, Question 5 (Miss Cann, A6)

Wednesday: Paper 2, Question 2 (Miss Cameron, A6)

Thursday: Paper 2, Question 4 (Mrs Bell, A8)

Friday: Paper 2, Question 3 (Mrs Hunt, A15)

Year 10:Exam Preparation

Year 10 students should look on Talaxy to find some useful “10 day revision” activities for Romeo and Juliet and Anthology Poetry, ahead of their summer exams. These sheets are designed to take 20 minutes or so each, and there are 10 for each topic area. Great for half term!

To prepare for the Language (Paper 1) assessment, students should be following specific guidance from their teachers. GCSE pod is also a useful resource. There are a lot of resources available on line, not all of them reputable. However, we really recommend Mr Bruff and Madame Anglaise (https://madameanglaise.wordpress.com/2018/01/23/tips-for-answering-aqa-gcse-english-language-paper-1-question-3/).

Carnegie Reading Group News

We met to discuss which book we should vote for to win this year’s Yoto Carnegie Medal – the popular choice was ‘NEEDLE’ by Patrick Lawrence.

Here is some blurb about the book which might encourage you to try reading this too!

 ‘Quick-tempered yet big-hearted, Charlene is a passionate knitter and a loyal sister. This concise yet punchy novella follows the challenges Charlene experiences as a black teenager in foster care. Things in her life begin to unravel when the special blanket she has been knitting for her little sister gets deliberately destroyed, entangling Charlene within the overwhelming world of the justice system.

An extremely powerful story that has you empathising and rooting for a complex main character from the outset. Readers are offered a painfully real glimpse into the teenage mind, exploring the microaggressions, racial-stereotyping and institutional racism that can be faced by black teenagers.’

Each member of the group now has the chance to place their own individual vote on the Carnegie website. Closing date is June 6^th.

Thank you to all participants. We will not meet as a club again but you and any other keen readers in years 9 and 10 are welcome to come and borrow other books in the shortlist to read next half term.     Mrs Baldwin