Part of the challenge of teaching English within the revised National Curriculum is to embrace the personal learning and thinking skills (PLTS). These are described by QCA as “essential to success in life, learning and work” and published in a framework that you may download here.
This framework identifies six groups of skills and asks that students be taught how to be:
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independent enquirers
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creative thinkers
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reflective learners
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team workers
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self-managers
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effective participators
The way my school is managing this one is to focus on one of the PLTS each half-term. Y7 will begin the Autumn Term with a focus on teamwork and my colleagues in our English department began planning this process last Thursday.
We discussed many ideas where collaboration is a key feature in English but eventually settled on a scheme of work that I have taught five or six times on the theme of Ballads (originally a development of Julie’s excellent scheme on Narrative Poetry).
Briefly, the scheme centres on writing a whole-class ballad. Examples of this work adorn classroom walls and display spaces around the school and one of my favourites was written by a class who decided that the story of the Titanic was to be their subject. Their complete version only exists as a display piece now but the first verse was…
It’s a great poem and a fantastic example of teamwork at its best in English. I thought you might like to see the scheme and its resources so I’ve placed links for them at the bottom of this posting. The key steps in the scheme are outline in the document entitled “Teaching Ballads and Teamwork.doc”. The other links are to various supporting resources.
I hope you can make use of the sequence somewhere as its always been one of my favourite pieces of work.
Teaching Ballads and Teamwork.doc
Payment for such nice resources is a comment by way of a thank you on this blog 
Filed under: Poetry, Resources, Teaching English | Tagged: ballads, cooperation, Display, Poetry, teamwork, Writing
Another fantastic set of recources. I love teaching ballad poetry but the addition of the teamwork aspect is excellent.
This looks great – I really like the crispness of the termly focus idea – and your choice of ballads. Big thanks
Thanks Jane. I think, with a bit of a polish and shine, this one could be a really positive start to the year.
Thanks. A wonderful resource.