Turnstones: Stage 2

Reviews / Votes

Gillian MacDonald writes about the TESS/Saltire Awards Judges liked the book's format of "manageable chunks" of writing on the pages and felt that the pupils would by the content and enjoy dipping into it. It presented the English language in a lively way, introducing topics and turning them into investigations that could be taken further. -- TESS 20030221 The writers have again drawn heavily on Scottish writing -- though not exclusively -- and this with the sections of Scots language strongly supports the book's claim to be 'an English course for Scotland.' A useful 5-14 curriculum mapping guide for teachers has been provided! and there has been a welcome improvement in illustrations. !chapters 23 and 24 are good, sound units covering basic 'knowledge about language' which could easily be used at any point in S1 or S2. A particularly strong section is 'Unlocking your imagination', which looks at storylines, characterisation and other features of a good story. It finishes with students being asked to write their own story, it looks like and excellent compact and focused unit. There is also a good section which examines mass media, which has a contemporary feel to it. ! The book is peppered with references to appropriate websites and has a very good unit on research skills, 'Treasure chest', which highlights the strengths and dangers of Internet resources. !However [Turnstones 2] is used, [teachers] will find high quality materials relevant to Scottish schools. -- TESS Scotland Plus 20030221 The writers have again drawn heavily on Scottish writing -- though not exclusively -- and this with the sections of Scots language strongly supports the book's claim to be 'an English course for Scotland.' !chapters 23 and 24 are good, sound units covering basic 'knowledge about language' which could easily be used at any point in S1 or S2. A particularly strong section is 'Unlocking your imagination', which looks at storylines, characterisation and other features of a good story. It finishes with students being asked to write their own story, it looks like and excellent compact and focused unit. There is also a good section which examines mass media, which has a contemporary feel to it. ! The book is peppered with references to appropriate websites and has a very good unit on research skills, 'Treasure chest', which highlights the strengths and dangers of Internet resources. !However it is used, [teachers] will find high quality materials relevant to Scottish schools. -- TESS, Scotland Plus 20030221