This past year has been unpredictable and disruptive for many students. But if your son or daughter has just finished Year 6 and is about to move into secondary school, you are probably even more worried than most about how they will cope with the transition after such a disjointed year of learning.
There are the usual concerns over whether they’ll be able to cope in a large secondary school setting, read their timetable, carry all their books etc. On top of all these worries, there is an added stress of whether they will cope with the Year 7 curriculum, especially when children have so many gaps in their learning with home learning during lock down and children being sent home at short notice when their class/year group bubble burst.
As an experienced English teacher, it goes without saying that even pre-Covid times, many students struggled with the transition from primary to secondary. Specifically, in English, the main difference is that the Year 7 English curriculum expects students to be able to infer and deduce, in addition to the comprehension of a text. This is an extremely advanced skill and takes practice, maturity, and confidence.
Here are some tips for success in this area:
-Read ‘between the lines’ rather than looking for obvious meanings in texts.
-Look for language techniques such as metaphors and similes as these will often contain hidden messages as different people will read into these in different ways.
-Talk to your son/daughter about texts they are reading in school and try to read these too so you can talk about the text together.
-Don’t force a reluctant reader to read, it will only put them off reading further.
-Remember reading doesn’t just cover fiction texts. Websites, newspapers, magazines, and non-fiction texts also contain words, so these are just as important! The main thing is that your son/daughter reads something of interest to them; reading shouldn’t be a chore!
If you would like extra support and guidance for your son/daughter, please get in touch for a free consultation to find out more about the support I can offer.
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