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Are you making the most of your English Stars resources?

English Stars 4/8/20

English Stars is packed with tools to enhance your lessons. With Semester 2 underway, it’s the perfect time for a refresher on how to make the most of your English Stars resources. Here’s everything you can use during a typical teaching week.

Check out the Concept Notes

There are very few professions that require such a broad knowledge of subjects as a primary school teacher. From long division to the Solar System, you need to teach it all. If you find you need to brush up on some English-based knowledge before diving into a lesson, read the Concept Notes. Available within most modules, the Concept Notes ensure you’re armed with answers to any questions that may pop up in class, such as “Why doesn’t the ‘i before e except after c’ spelling rule work in the word conscience?”

Use the Teaching Plan

The Teaching Plan in each module follows the gradual release model (I do, we do, you do) and contains links that let you quickly navigate through the lesson’s resources. Use the discussion questions and teacher tips provided in the Teaching Plans to enhance your lessons.

Plan ahead with printing

Planning ahead with printing is not a new concept, but it is made easy with English Stars. You’ll find printable resources readily available within all units and modules.

Units

In each unit you’ll find templates and planners students need for upcoming writing tasks, as well as the Spelling Spot Student Booklet, which contains the spelling activities taught throughout that unit. Print a class set of these resources before you begin teaching the unit.

Modules

Most modules within a unit can be completed online or offline. Before teaching a module, determine how you want students to complete the activities. If you want students to work offline, download the Printable Activity Pack from the module home page.

When it comes to Comprehension modules, both the text and activities are available in online or offline format. Regardless of which format you want students to complete the activities, it’s a good idea to print off some copies of the text as a handy alternative to reading it onscreen.

Understand the module types

Knowing the different types of modules found in English Stars will help you understand the nature of the lessons you’ll be teaching, and help you determine the right module for your class at the right time.

Content modules are the most common in English Stars and cover a variety of Australian Curriculum content descriptors, including grammar and punctuation. Activities in these modules are usually automatically marked and streamed, allowing students to progress through the activities and receive real-time feedback. Content modules also include the Spelling Spots.

Comprehension modules include a comprehension stimulus, such as an extract from a popular book, a video or a persuasive essay exemplar. These modules also include three sets of activities that allow students to respond at a literal, inferential and applied level.

Task modules require students to work with the unit’s focus text type, where they apply the knowledge and skills taught in preceding modules to create their own texts. Use task modules as an opportunity to work more closely with students who need extra assistance while the rest of your class work independently.

Assessment modules are either an automatically marked test, or a written or oral task with an interactive rubric.

Track student performance

Within a module, use the Activity Tracker to see how students are performing with the activities in real time. This will indicate whether you need to work further with a couple of students or the class as a whole, since the Activity Tracker will show any gaps in student knowledge for that module.

Within My Classroom, use the student and class portfolios to view data conveniently collated into graphs and tables for all assessment, comprehension and activities completed to date.

Are you ready to dive into English Stars lessons? Log in and check out the resources available in your upcoming units and modules.

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