Diane Relf was concerned by what felt like an unbridgeable gulf between Year 7's vocabulary and comprehension, and her aspirations both for their inclusion in history and their later academic success. As a subject leader without the benefit of any history-specific training at the start of her career, she embarked on a journey of intensive reading…

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL, the teaching of another curriculum subject through a foreign language), although more widespread in Europe, is still relatively innovative in England. Since the government's decision to remove the requirement for all pupils to learn a foreign language at Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16) the numbers of pupils…

A schools council study concludes that: secondary students are not being taught to read thoughtfully, texts and worksheets are too difficult, insufficient time is allotted to silent reading, and reading comprehension should not be taught as a discrete skill. The SRA Reading Laboratories are suggested as one tactic for improvement. (SJL)

The author outlines reading experiences appropriate to students in the middle grades, including reading strategies, study skills, comprehension development, and experiences with literature. Provision of these experiences in the middle school curriculum, through both formal instruction and integration into other curriculum areas, is discussed. (SJL)

"The Geography Teacher" provides hands-on reference and educative material for K-12 Geography teachers. The journal also pioneers innovative ideas for contemporary teaching methods, including lesson plans. This issue contains the following: (1) Ask Dr. de Blij (Dr. Harm de Blij); (2) Refugees in America (TGT); (3) Guinness and the Irish…

Special needs teachers and subject teachers simplified text in British secondary level science and humanities courses and used the text with a class of mixed attainment groups. Subsequent assessment indicated that marks of higher achievers were consistently high and marks of low achievers were significantly improved compared to a control group.…