The Geek School Blog
-
How exactly can you support your child’s academic progress during the summer holidays? Three simple tips.
Schools are out for summer, but if your child has exams this coming up, you probably haven’t switched off mentally. How exactly can you support your child’s academic progress – or help them catch up – while allowing them to have some much-needed downtime?
-
15 Creative Writing Prompts for 11-year-olds Preparing for the 11 Plus English Exam
If your child is in year 5 of primary school, then chances are they may be sitting their 11+ exams soon. In many of the 11 Plus exams will be an English paper that includes a creative essay, in which your child will be expected to demonstrate their literacy skills creatively by using extensive language,…
-
11 Plus Creative Writing: Pictures for Writing Stories
Does your child need some inspiration to get started with their creative writing? Use our pictures to help your child to create their own short stories. Encourage your child to come up with the main character, the setting, a conflict of some sort and a resolution to get started with writing the plan for their…
-
Creative Writing Task Countdown Timer – Perfect for 11 Plus Preparation
Timing is crucial when it comes to scoring highly in the the 11 Plus creative writing task – for both grammar and independent school exams. Typically, children are given anything from 20 minutes to 50 minutes to produce an excellent piece of writing that follows the instruction of the question (descriptive writing, a report, a…
-
Spelling Lists Do Not Improve Spelling and Vocabulary – Plus Special Announcement!
The problem with spelling lists and weekly spelling tests is that children do not learn the correct spelling to use in their writing when they just learn lists of words without any explanation. Every week, children who are given these dry and mundane spelling lists learn the words for the test and then immediately forget…
-
The 11+ English Exam: What Your Child Can Expect for the Creative Essay – Plus Sample Creative Writing Questions
Did you know that the English paper in every 11+ exam that has the essay element, will each have particular elements they will focus on. But regardless of this, there will always be a core standard of writing required in the English exam. Mastering the process of essay writing to 11 Plus standards takes a…
-
Spelling Lists Do Not Work: Your Child Hates Them and So Do You!
Are you preparing your child for their 11+ exams? Do you want to improve their spellings to improve their scores on the verbal reasoning anf English test papers? Most parents who answer ‘yes’ to the above questions tend to look for spelling lists; they are usually the most likely tool to come to mind –…
-
How Do Synonyms And Antonyms Help With Building Problem Solving Skills?
In the lead up to the 11 plus exams, your child will need extensive practise and preparation to ensure they are in the best possible position to succeed in their assessments tests. In doing so, they will need to have a very good understanding of various words. This will include synonyms and antonyms as they…
-
An 11 Plus Guide For Parents: Grammar School and Independent (Private) School Entry From 2021
Ideally, you will have decided which grammar schools you are considering registering your child into. It is a good idea to visit each school with your child, to get a better feel and see if it is the right environment for them – now that the lockdown rules are easing, it should be possible to…
Search the Geek School Blog for more articles