“That was a really good lesson – I'm going to use those sentences in my speech because it really helps with my description."
These words came from one of our Year 7 students after a lesson exploring how adjectives and adjectival phrases can be used to add description and persuasive impact. His enthusiasm captured the heart of what we aim to achieve through our current cross-curricular, project-based unit - authentic engagement with, and meaningful learning of, grammar and spelling for writing.
To create the conditions for this kind of genuine engagement, our Year 7 teaching team has worked to design a unit that builds students' confidence and skill in writing for a genuine purpose and real audience.
The unit is part of a Year 7-8 programme which reflects our commitment to developing not only student success but also teacher expertise in teaching targeted areas of grammar and spelling for writing. When teachers grow alongside their students, the impact is profound. This shared growth has been strengthened through our partnership with Kylie Layton, BCE SEA for Literacy.
Kylie has worked closely with the teaching team to identify areas where explicit writing instruction could be embedded meaningfully within the unit. By weaving explicit teaching of grammar and spelling for writing into authentic learning contexts, students have been able to apply and practise their new skills and, importantly, with regularity.
As well as working with our department behind the scenes, Kylie has been an active collaborator in teachers' professional learning. Through a co-teaching model, she has worked alongside each Year 7 English teacher, building on existing strengths and modelling new strategies to deepen our shared understanding of effective writing instruction.
“I learnt so much. I would never have thought of doing it that way."
That was the reflection of one of our staff members after our initial co-teaching experience; they are now considering how they could embed teaching grammar and spelling for writing in their other subject areas. And that spirit of curiosity and professional growth has been a defining feature of this initial collaboration and the longer-term project to enhance our student's writing capabilities.
Personally, I have loved the opportunity to visit each of our Year 7 English classrooms and to be a learner alongside the students. Each classroom offered the opportunity to learn from the creativity and expertise of every teacher, and it was incredibly rewarding to see how engaged our students were with their learning. I came away from each class reminded of the power of shared practice and of how fortunate our students are to have such dedicated and inspiring teachers guiding them.
Our English faculty's strength lies in its openness; a willingness to learn from one another and to embrace new approaches. This partnership has reminded us that powerful teaching and learning happen when staff and students alike are positioned as learners. Together, we've built confidence and capability as well as a shared understanding of what effective writing instruction looks like.
Because when we work collaboratively - as teachers, learners and a community, every lesson truly tells a story of shared learning.
Victoria Snell
Curriculum Leader - English and Languages
