#English language skills for primary students

[smartstudy-24x7]

Preparing Kids for Success: English Exam Preparation Strategies

As children progress through their education, English exams become a significant part of their academic journey. Mastering the English language is essential for achieving good results in exams, and effective preparation is crucial. This blog will explore various strategies and resources to support English exam preparation for kids, with a focus on vocabulary building activities and the benefits of online English classes for children.

Understanding the Importance of English Exam Preparation

English exams assess a student's understanding of the language, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. They often cover various topics, including grammar, comprehension, and vocabulary. Proper preparation is essential for several reasons:

Building Confidence: Adequate preparation helps students feel more confident in their abilities, reducing anxiety during exams.

Enhancing Understanding: Through consistent study and practice, children deepen their understanding of the English language and its nuances.

Improving Performance: Well-prepared students are likely to achieve higher scores, opening doors to future academic opportunities.

Encouraging Lifelong Learning: Mastery of the English language provides a foundation for continuous learning, as it is essential in both personal and professional contexts.

Vocabulary Building Activities

One of the key components of English exam preparation for kids is vocabulary development. A strong vocabulary enhances reading comprehension, writing ability, and overall communication skills. Here are some engaging vocabulary building activities to help kids expand their word bank:

Word Games:

Scrabble: This classic board game encourages kids to form words and learn new vocabulary in a fun way.

Boggle: A word search game that helps children think quickly and expand their vocabulary by finding words in a grid of letters.

Flashcards:

Create flashcards with a new word on one side and its definition or a picture representing the word on the other. Use these cards for quick review sessions and to reinforce learning.

Vocabulary Journals:

Encourage children to keep a vocabulary journal where they can write down new words they encounter. They can include definitions, sentences using the words, and synonyms or antonyms.

Contextual Learning:

Read books, articles, or stories with your child and discuss unfamiliar words in context. This approach helps them understand how to use words correctly in different situations.

Thematic Word Lists:

Create themed word lists around specific topics (e.g., nature, emotions, technology) and encourage children to use these words in sentences or stories.

Interactive Apps:

Many educational apps focus on vocabulary development through engaging games and quizzes. Some popular options include Vocabulary.com, Quizlet, and Memrise.

Online English Classes for Children

In today’s digital age, online English classes for children have become an increasingly popular option for parents seeking to enhance their child's language skills. Here are some of the benefits of online English classes:

Flexible Scheduling:

Online classes often offer flexible schedules, allowing parents to choose times that best fit their family's routine. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for busy families juggling multiple commitments.

Personalized Learning:

Many online programs allow for personalized instruction tailored to each child's learning style and pace. This individualized approach can help children grasp concepts more effectively.

Access to Qualified Instructors:

Online platforms often provide access to experienced English teachers who can offer valuable insights and support. These instructors can address specific challenges students may face.

Interactive Learning Environment:

Online classes typically incorporate multimedia resources, such as videos, interactive quizzes, and discussion forums, to engage students and make learning more dynamic.

Diverse Learning Resources:

Online courses often include a wealth of materials, including reading assignments, practice tests, and vocabulary exercises, ensuring that students have a well-rounded approach to exam preparation.

Safe Learning Environment:

For students who may feel shy or anxious in traditional classroom settings, online classes can provide a comfortable space to learn and participate without the pressure of a physical classroom.

Strategies for Effective Exam Preparation

In addition to vocabulary building activities and online English classes for children, several strategies can enhance overall English exam preparation. Here are some tips for parents and educators:

Create a Study Schedule:

Establish a structured study schedule that breaks down study sessions into manageable chunks. Consistent daily practice is more effective than cramming close to exam time.

Practice Past Papers:

Familiarize children with the exam format by practicing past papers. This exposure helps them understand the types of questions they may encounter and build confidence in their abilities.

Incorporate Reading and Writing:

Encourage daily reading and writing to reinforce language skills. Reading a variety of texts, from fiction to non-fiction, broadens vocabulary and enhances comprehension.

Engage in Conversations:

Encourage open conversations at home, prompting children to express their thoughts and ideas. This practice develops verbal communication skills and reinforces vocabulary usage.

Join Study Groups:

If possible, arrange study sessions with peers. Collaborative learning can motivate students and help them learn from each other.

Monitor Progress:

Regularly assess your child's progress and adjust the study plan as needed. Celebrate achievements to keep motivation high.

Leveraging Technology for Learning

Technology plays a significant role in modern education. There are numerous online resources and tools that can support English exam preparation for kids:

Educational Websites: Websites like Khan Academy, BBC Bitesize, and Scholastic offer interactive lessons, quizzes, and activities tailored for children's language learning.

Language Learning Apps: Applications such as Duolingo and Busuu provide engaging platforms for children to practice vocabulary and grammar through gamified experiences.

Video Resources: Platforms like YouTube host educational channels that cover grammar rules, vocabulary, and reading strategies, providing visual and auditory learning opportunities.

The Role of Parents in English Exam Preparation

Parents play a vital role in their child's academic journey. Here are some ways parents can support English exam preparation:

Encourage a Love for Reading:

Provide access to various books that match your child's interests and reading level. Regular reading can spark curiosity and improve comprehension skills.

Be Involved:

Stay informed about what your child is learning in school. Attend parent-teacher conferences, communicate with teachers, and ask about ways to support your child's learning at home.

Create a Positive Learning Environment:

Establish a quiet, dedicated space for studying that is free from distractions. A positive environment fosters focus and motivation.

Celebrate Efforts:

Recognize and celebrate your child's hard work and achievements, no matter how small. Positive reinforcement can boost their confidence and motivation.

Be Patient and Supportive:

Encourage your child to ask questions and seek help when needed. Your support and understanding can ease their stress during exam preparation.

Conclusion

English exam preparation is a vital part of a child’s educational journey, and incorporating effective strategies can lead to success. By engaging in vocabulary building activities, enrolling in online English classes for children, and utilizing technology to enhance learning, parents and educators can provide children with the tools they need to excel.

At Kiya Learning, we are committed to helping kids develop strong English language skills through our tailored programs and experienced instructors. With the right preparation and support, children can approach their English exams with confidence and achieve their academic goals. By fostering a love for learning and providing engaging activities, we can empower the next generation to become skilled communicators and lifelong learners.

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Business Email - contact@kiyalearning.com

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[townpostin]

Young Voices Shine at Loyola School Telco's Recitation Event

Annual competition showcases linguistic talents of UKG to Std 3 students Young learners at Loyola School Telco demonstrate linguistic prowess in annual English choral recitation competition. JAMSHEDPUR – Loyola School Telco’s annual English choral recitation event showcased the talents of its youngest students, fostering confidence and teamwork. The Loyola School Telco campus buzzed with…

[gloomwitchwrites]

Thinking about…Teacher!141

Teacher!Price is a secondary school history teacher and wrestling coach. He specifically focuses on teaching world history, but once a term teaches a class on government. The school he works for doesn’t have a wrestling team, but a joint agreement with a local youth wrestling club, allowing students to join. Coach Price keeps tracks of the kids, taking them to competitions and practices. He walks his own children to school every morning, dropping them off at the primary school across the street, and picking them up after when he can. His wife packs his lunch each day and leaves a tiny love note inside for him to find. His life is quiet, calm, and perfect.

Teacher!Gaz is a primary school art teacher. He lives for the mess and chaos. Some days he’s cleaning paint off tiny hands, and other days he’s making sure no one shoves clay into their mouths during the pottery unit. If there isn’t occasional glitter in Kyle’s hair, he might find the odd chalky handprint on his pants or a smear of color he didn’t notice during the day. After school, he coaches youth football, working with children in the same age group to not only hone their athletic skills but help build their confidence.

Teacher!Soap is a secondary school English teacher in the Scottish Highlands. His best friends (the rest of 141) endlessly tease him over it since he “can’t really speak the bloody language.” But they often forget that in moments of quiet on missions while serving in the military, Soap would calm his mind with a book. Now, he teaches the youth, talking about metaphor and thematic elements, engaging in conversations on symbolism. When he’s not teaching, he’s at the pub enjoying a strong drink and a rugby match on the television or helping out on the family farm.

Teacher!Ghost is a former middle school SPED teacher turned vice principal working in the States. He’s the sweet, female principal’s scary dog privilege. Have an angry parent? Send in Mr. Riley. They’ll have to break their necks looking up just to yell at him. He doesn’t take shit from anyone, but he’s always fair. When he’s not answering emails or setting behavior resolutions for unruly children, he’s the acting activities and events coordinator, making sure the coaching positions are filled and that the drama department has enough money for the play. He might have a tough exterior, but he has a terrible crush on the librarian (and all the kids ship it.)

main masterlist

[dreamdolldeveloper]

back to basics

mostly free resources to help you learn the basics that i've gathered for myself so far that i think are cool

everyday

gcfglobal - about the internet, online safety and for kids, life skills like applying for jobs, career planning, resume writing, online learning, today's skills like 3d printing, photoshop, smartphone basics, microsoft office apps, and mac friendly. they have core skills like reading, math, science, language learning - some topics are sparse so hopefully they keep adding things on. great site to start off on learning.

handsonbanking - learn about finances. after highschool, credit, banking, investing, money management, debt, goal setting, loans, cars, small businesses, military, insurance, retirement, etc.

bbc - learning for all ages. primary to adult. arts, history, science, math, reading, english, french, all the way to functional and vocational skills for adults as well, great site!

education.ket - workplace essential skills

general education

mathsgenie - GCSE revision, grade 1-9, math stages 1-14, provides more resources! completely free.

khan academy - pre-k to college, life skills, test prep (sats, mcat, etc), get ready courses, AP, partner courses like NASA, etc. so much more!

aleks - k-12 + higher ed learning program. adapts to each student.

biology4kids - learn biology

cosmos4kids - learn astronomy basics

chem4kids - learn chemistry

physics4kids - learn physics

numbernut - math basics (arithmetic, fractions and decimals, roots and exponents, prealgebra)

education.ket - primary to adult. includes highschool equivalent test prep, the core skills. they have a free resource library and they sell workbooks. they have one on work-life essentials (high demand career sectors + soft skills)

youtube channels

the organic chemistry tutor

khanacademy

crashcourse

tabletclassmath

2minmaths

kevinmathscience

professor leonard

greenemath

mathantics

3blue1brown

literacy

readworks - reading comprehension, build background knowledge, grow your vocabulary, strengthen strategic reading

chompchomp - grammar knowledge

tutors

not the "free resource" part of this post but sometimes we forget we can be tutored especially as an adult. just because we don't have formal education does not mean we can't get 1:1 teaching! please do you research and don't be afraid to try out different tutors. and remember you're not dumb just because someone's teaching style doesn't match up with your learning style.

cambridge coaching - medical school, mba and business, law school, graduate, college academics, high school and college process, middle school and high school admissions

preply - language tutoring. affordable!

revolutionprep - math, science, english, history, computer science (ap, html/css, java, python c++), foreign languages (german, korean, french, italian, spanish, japanese, chinese, esl)

varsity tutors - k-5 subjects, ap, test prep, languages, math, science & engineering, coding, homeschool, college essays, essay editing, etc

chegg - biology, business, engineering/computer science, math, homework help, textbook support, rent and buying books

learn to be - k-12 subjects

for languages

lingq - app. created by steve kaufmann, a polygot (fluent in 20+ languages) an amazing language learning platform that compiles content in 20+ languages like podcasts, graded readers, story times, vlogs, radio, books, the feature to put in your own books! immersion, comprehensible input.

flexiclasses - option to study abroad, resources to learn, mandarin, cantonese, japanese, vietnamese, korean, italian, russian, taiwanese hokkien, shanghainese.

fluentin3months - bootcamp, consultation available, languages: spanish, french, korean, german, chinese, japanese, russian, italian.

fluenz - spanish immersion both online and in person - intensive.

pimsleur - not tutoring** online learning using apps and their method. up to 50 languages, free trial available.

incase time has passed since i last posted this, check on the original post (not the reblogs) to see if i updated link or added new resources. i think i want to add laguage resources at some point too but until then, happy learning!!

[redsugarx]

[EVENT RECAP] Spring, Skirts & Serpents: An Exploration in Hanfu

HELLO I am not dead! I see that some of my informational guide posts have been garnering attention recently; I will return to continuing that series soon, I have just been very busy x-x

I wanted to recap on this event that ate up my entire spring break (I posted about it a bit ago but I'm taking that post down so it doesn't get confusing). The event description is as follows:

"We will be presenting at “Spring, Skirts & Serpents: an Exploration in Hanfu” at Fremont Main Library (2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont, CA) on 3/29 from 1pm-2:30pm! We’ll be showcasing some of our Year of the Dragon + Year of the Snake designs runway style, followed by an interview-style talk (with me it's me I'm getting interviewed).

The event is in English and is free and open to the public, but space may be limited on the day of, so we’ve made sure you can preregister as VIPs and guarantee yourself a seat!"

As indicated, the event was held at Fremont Main Library in Fremont, CA. In addition to sharing some photos & videos, I want share the inner workings of making this event happen as well as reflect on some highlights/improvements that could be made.

Purpose

Several months ago I was approached by my past Chinese teacher Tung Laoshi (ya boi went to Chinese school for many years like a good little child, but transferred to private tutoring after elementary school) with an invitation to run a showcase event. For context, with the high concentration of Chinese-speaking families in the bay area, there's a fairly extensive network of Chinese teachers here—the circle closest to me is primarily Taiwanese (so we learn traditional characters instead of simplified). Tung Laoshi is a teacher in the Palo Alto area where I grew up. Wu laoshi was the other primary event coordinator, another Taiwanese Chinese teacher from Fremont, where the event was held, bringing in the support of the Wang & Wu Foundation.

Basically, the people organizing this event (other than me) were mostly coming from a Chinese education perspective. It's gotten harder and harder for these teachers to pique interest in Chinese language & culture from American-born kids. I'm not an exception to this, I hated going to Chinese school as much as any other kid, but due to a combination of factors including switching to private tutoring, higher-than-average immersion in Taiwan, and getting bribed with sweets, I ended up with a better handle on the language than a lot of other ABCs and ABTs (and running Cloud9 Hanfu DEFINITELY improved my language skills via immersion). From what I could gather, one of the questions at the core of their reasoning for holding this event was, why are you so interested in Chinese culture? How can I make my students/kids interested in it too? How do I get them to enjoy it enough to seek it out themselves, like you did, rather than needing to force them into begrudgingly learning it?

Honestly, I don't have a direct answer to that question. My appreciation for culture is multifaceted, driven by a combination of factors that aren't necessarily controllable. I can only hope that by sharing my work with everyone I can help inspire someone—if not the kids learning Chinese, then the teachers teaching it, to keep doing what they're doing.

On my side of things, this was an opportunity to share my work in person. I rarely hold events myself—Yulan deals with most of that, and has experience with several shows under her belt—but I have to say that, sort of like the Feynman technique, looking at my work through the lens of presentation to other people helped me get a lot of my thoughts in order and develop the concepts I wanted to express into intentional points.

I'm typically very very uncomfortable with public speaking, and will take any possible opportunity to move out of the spotlight, but I suppose I won't get better at it if I don't practice, and there will be times when it's necessary. After all, understanding the artist is crucial to understanding the art, so if I want to share my work then I will, to some extent, have to share about myself. It wasn't perfect, but it was an experience that I'm glad I went through :)

Prepwork

Preparations for the event were mostly concentrated into t minus 2 months or so. I was still in the depths of midterm hell for most of these two months and our MC Sandra was in Taiwan/Japan so we had to rely on Zoom for most of our meetings. Over this period we worked together to decide on an overall agenda, what sets we wanted to show, and the content of what we wanted to focus on for the interview.

Originally the event was supposed to be focused on the Year of the Snake collection alone, but our contact from Fremont Main Library felt that focusing on snakes only would drive away audiences that didn't like snakes, so we compromised on showing 4 sets from the Year of the Dragon collection and 5 sets from the Snake collection. The styling was mostly up to me, so during this time I put together the components of each of the 9 looks: the set, shoes, accessories, hair, makeup (kinda), etc. and made the necessary purchases.

Our 9 models ranged in age all the way from 7th grade to 31 years old. They were recruited from various places, some being students of the teachers, some being server members of Cloud9's discord. None of them had experience modeling, and very few of them had experience performing in any regard, but I think that choosing fresh faces to participate is a good thing: it gives new people a chance to experience hanfu, not limiting it to a small circle of people who are already invested in it.

We had one rehearsal a week before the event and another rehearsal on the morning on the 29th, so in total the models had maybe 5-6 hours of practice time to learn how to move around in clothes they'd never worn before, posing, coordinating with the MC etc.

The morning of was—not unexpectedly—a giant chaotic mess, but still fun nonetheless! I had to do nine people's hair in roughly 2 hours and barely finished before the event started. At the end of the day all nine models exceeded my expectations and presented beautifully :)

The interview portion was as terrifying as I expected but mostly went smoothly. I think I looked awkward as hell, but I at least didn't look like I wanted to dissolve into the floor, which is how I felt, so I'll count it as a success. For some reason the interview was cut really short, so there was a lot of content that we didn't really get to discuss, but I'm glad we got some of it out there: explaining the inspiration behind some of the sets in the snake collection, describing my experience & interest in hanfu, taking some questions and answers, etc etc.

Runway Lineup

KUKRI / 赤松子

Year of the Snake, Warring States Period, based on the Kukri snake, modeled by Natalie Chung. Natalie is in eighth grade and does competitive dance, and presented some of my favorite poses during the show. Her control of the giant sleeves was phenomenal, especially considering she had so little time to get used to them.

HUNDRED-PACER / 百步蛇

Year of the Snake, Han Dynasty, based on the hundred-pacer snake/Chinese moccasin, modeled by Edith Huang (ig: @ediithhuang). Edith is in eighth grade and has the tiniest waist I have ever set eyes on. I keep saying that it's like this set was made for her.

SPIRIT / 白素貞 + DRAGUN / 翠青兒

Year of the Snake, Northern & Southern Dynasties (specifically Northern Wei), inspired by the Legend of the White Snake, modeled by sisters Emma (ig: @eeeeemma_wang) & Audrey Wang (ig: @audreyolafz). Emma is a third year at UCSB and Audrey is a first year at UC Berkeley. They went up together with a pair of oil-paper umbrellas and executed the umbrella-spinning moves perfectly.

EQUINOX / 天欲暮

Year of the Dragon, Tang Dynasty, modeled by sword gremlin Kevin T. Wong (aka Sword Kevin or Sevin) (@ktw-shu). His aerial & sword flowers were a crowd favorite. During q&a we asked a little boy which set was his favorite and it was, unsurprisingly, this one. I also dared him to dab onstage.

HESPERUS / 升天行

Year of the Dragon, Tang Dynasty, modeled by Anyka Chan (ig: @an.bri.ka). Longtime server member. I don't know exactly what it is, but she carried this set with that kind of energy that just radiates out from her like she's glowing. The Tang beizi was not presented because we lowkey lost is oopsies.

AQUARELLE / 海霞紅

Year of the Dragon, Song Dynasty, modeled by Alicia Ho (ig: @lala38520). Alicia is in 7th grade, our youngest model this show, and I'll admit I was a little concerned, but as soon as the clothes + makeup + hair went up it was like she walked out of a painting. The white crown on her head is called a guan, popular in the Song Dynasty. This one was 3D printed.

MARQUIS / 隨侯珠

Year of the Snake, Ming Dynasty, modeled by Xing Chan (ig: @xingnificant). Xing Chan is a chemistry student at UC Berkeley. He has the most luscious hair ever and I will never stop asking for his haircare routine and then immediately forgetting what he said, causing me to ask about it yet again a month later.

SERAPHINE / 雲化龍

Year of the Dragon, Ming Dynasty, modeled by Lydia Wang (ig: @lydiaa_wang). Lydia is a sophomore in high school. As soon as she picked up the ruyi scepter on the day of rehearsal I knew I'd chosen the right model to close the show—this is a very elaborate set and can be hard to hold up, but she executed flawlessly.

Reflections

The Good Stuff

The models!!!!!! I am so thankful to everyone who volunteered their time to help out at this event but especially to the models, who had to spent hours on hours drilling their poses and had to go on stage one at a time all by themselves. Modeling isn't just as simple as walking across a stage either; the number of things that you have to remember at the same time is WILD: posture, expression, eye contact, focusing on shifting weight, coordinating timing with the MC, all while remembering the choreography that you're supposed to be doing. Everyone worked so hard and I'm so so grateful for their efforts, the results turned out beautifully.

Kept putting down our water bottles, losing track of them, and then needing to get a new water bottle because we couldn't remember which one was ours. I think I went through like five separate bottles.

Another thing was the Chinese teachers that helped out or attended as part of the audience. I haven't been in Chinese school in years, and when I actually was there I certainly didn't notice, but a lot of these women are really very hardworking, passionate teachers who find meaning in what they're doing. It was like I could see a ray of light shining in their eyes when I went up there, something to indicate that their efforts would not always be in vain. Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of hating on Chinese school too, but after hanging out with a lot of the aunties & teachers it's clear that, as immigrants, it really does bring them joy and inspiration to see cultural continuance. It was very heartwarming.

I think what makes it even more personal is that these were specifically Taiwanese teachers. Many of them still struggle with English, but they came anyway because it was worth it to them. And for me these are the voices I grew up around and how I learned the language (many people from China will mock Taiwanese accents, but it feels very familiar and comforting to me). It was significant to them that I—the person being interviewed—was Taiwanese too.

Katy Wu from Wang & Wu Foundation

Overall I think I gained a lot of exp from the event! I still hate public speaking with a seething passion but it did make me think about some of my motivations and ideas more cohesively, since I needed to present my thinking to the public. Ultimately I think I came out of this feeling even more strongly about what I do, and I'm glad I did it.

The Error Analysis

When you have events that have expenses and higher-ups in politics or big nonprofit organizations are invited, you have to spend a lot of time acknowledging sponsors and shaking hands. I will not lie, I didn't know like 80% of the Important People that I was told to shake hands with, all I can offer is that I'm glad they came to watch anyway. The whole PR side of things isn't something that I'm very comfortable doing, though, hence why I usually leave it to Yulan, and it was definitely not my favorite part of this event.

Other limitations including time and audience also made it so that I had to cut out a lot of what I wanted to say during the interview. We did briefly talk about what topics to focus on before the event, but otherwise the interview was entirely organic. Unfortunately that also meant that a lot of it was out of my control. It's hard to describe without getting into detail, but I do think that there were subjects that the other event organizers wanted to focus on that I didn't want to focus on, and things that we knew the audience would want to hear about that I didn't think were important. Compromises have to be made!

Anyka doing her eyeshadow :>

Chaos is mandatory during event planning, but I also think that switching the topic from year of the snake -> snakes & dragons made it much less cohesive. I talked about the inspiration behind the year of the snake collection during the interview and highlighted a few specific sets for their connections to folklore & adjacent cultures, but the dragon sets were kind of just not mentioned. Not sure if audience members noticed it but it felt weird to me.

Another thing is that after discussing with my parents after the event (it's a thing we do, my dad likes to Get Deep into things), I realized that the event presented me as a designer and only as a designer. This is similar to how I depict myself online usually, but the truth is that there's more behind it that I didn't do a good job at communicating: I don't just draw pictures of clothes, I do a mind-numbing amount of research, international logistics tracking, supply chain management, etc. etc. to make this happen, and I do sometimes wish I was able to express that, because it's a big part of what I'm doing.

Conclusions

I am SO TIRED, this ate up all my energy for two months and then I had to take my special relativity midterm right after the event. I'm probably not going to have the energy for something like this for a while! That being said, going through the whole process was really fun and interesting and I'm curious about more events—informational, in person, online, whatever—in the future. With any luck, the more I do them the better I'll get at them, right?

Backstage shenanigans. Screenagers smh

Anyway, this post is long enough as it is. If anyone who attended sees this, hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for coming!!!!!!!!! Otherwise I will go gorge myself on post-midterm snacks to untwist my brain from quantum physics. <3

Press:

SF Epoch Times - 穿越千年時光 灣區漢服秀展現華夏章服之美

Worldjournal - 「蛇龍舞春 漢服演��」活動 洪兆寧設計9套漢服 感受傳統魅力

OCAC News - Cultural Fusion on the Runway: ‘Spring, Skirts & Serpents’ Highlights Hanfu Designs

快樂方程式 - 認識漢服之美 由Ariel 與董秀婷老師介紹蛇龍舞春的漢服活動

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

OC Profile: Rory Sinclair

General

Name: Rory Sinclair

Callsign: Lamb

Age: 36

Date of Birth: September 5, 1988

Birthplace: Vancouver, BC, Canada 

Citizenship: Canada/UK (dual)

Face Claim: Phoebe Tonkin

Occupation: British Special Forces operative

Affiliations: British Army, Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR), TF141

Rank: Lieutenant

Height: 5’6”

Languages: English, French, Arabic, Pashto, Russian (minimal)

Appearance

Hair: Dark brown, wavy hair. Short, choppy bob

Eye Colour: Hazel

Scars/Marks: Scar at her hairline 

Tattoos: None

Piercings: 3 in each earlobe

Personality

MBTI: ESTJ-A

Enneagram: Performer (type 3)

Star Sign: Virgo

Major Arcana: The Chariot

Strengths:

Dedicated, Strong-willed, Loyal, Reliable, Efficient, Ambitious, Charismatic, Confident, Intelligent, Responsible, Compassionate, Perceptive

Weaknesses:

Stubborn, Judgemental, Difficulty expressing emotion, Perfectionist, Workaholic, Anxious tendencies

Skills 

Trained in Advanced Interrogation Techniques

Underwent Scout Sniper Course (SSC) and Sniper Commanders Course

Completed her officer’s training at Sandhurst in 2020 to rank-up to Lieutenant

First Aid Level 1

Able to translate French, Arabic, and Pashto both verbally and through writing

Other Info

Received her callsign of “Lamb” due to the fact that she is often deemed less of a threat at first glance. She’s petite, has big doe eyes, and a friendly demeanor that doesn’t exactly give cold killer vibes, but underneath it all she’s a force to be reckoned with. As some would say, she is a wolf in sheep’s clothing

Loves 80’s New Wave music. Her favorite bands are Depeche Mode, Blondie, and New Order, but the genre as a whole is her preferred music to listen to

A heavy smoker. Will not be caught without her cigarettes and lighter. One of her varied coping methods for her trauma and anxiety

Diagnosed with PTSD. Symptoms include: anxiety attacks, flashbacks, hypervigilance, nightmares

A collector of fine whiskeys and scotches. Will only buy and drink top shelf. 

Favorite flowers are pink roses, but is associated with lupines

Loves being outdoors. Kayaking, bike riding, running and hiking are some of her favorite activities. Also enjoys swimming

#1 coping method is to slap on a smile. Her trauma response is to joke and laugh and make light of what is troubling her. She prefers to try and hide when she’s anxious because she doesn’t like feeling pitied or making others concerned

Aesthetic

Rory would be considered high femme when not in fatigues. She enjoys the luxury she is afforded with her wealthy upbringing, and often surrounds herself with elegance and polish. She has a collection of lingerie, as well as top shelf whiskey, vintage perfume bottles, lighters, and cigarette cases. 

Her signature scent is vanilla and cashmere, soft and warm, with just a hint of amber beneath. 

She tends to dress more casually elegant when she’s at home, though she also has a closet of dresses and heels at her disposal as well. She can most often be found wearing a long coat, skinny jeans or wide leg trousers, and boots.

Family 

Debbie Lang (Mother)

Face claim: Carla Gugino

A primary school teacher from Vancouver, Canada who cared deeply for her job, her students, and her family. She was a kind and loving presence in Rory’s life, who instilled in her the importance of doing what was right even when it’s hard. Rory’s primary guardian until her death to breast cancer that spread to her lymph nodes in 2002. 

Michael Sinclair (Father)

Face claim: Hugh Grant

A defense barrister who had immigrated to Canada from London, England in 1986. He is intelligent, forthright, and proud. Became Rory’s primary guardian in 2002 after her mother’s death when she moved to the UK to live with him. 

Affiliates

Captain John Price 

Kate Laswell

Nikolai

Sgt. Kyle “Gaz” Garrick

Lt. Simon “Ghost” Riley

Sgt. John “Soap” MacTavish

Andrew Owen (MI6 Officer - OC)

Dr. Sydney Macallen (Military doctor - OC)

Relationship: You Are The Sword To My Shield

As of 2017, Rory has been in a long term relationship with Captain John Price of the SAS and TF141. Having served together on a mission where he acted as her commanding officer while taking down a Russian oligarch, they grew close after spending time holed up together in a safehouse. That hadn’t been the first time they met, however. In 2012, they had initially hooked up for a quick romp in the stall of a bar’s toilets thinking they would never see one another again. 

Since then, the two soldiers have moved in together in Rory’s London townhouse and got engaged in early 2023. Their wedding rushed to an elopement in 2024, where they went to Russia and only Nik and Kate were in attendance due to the still looming issue of Price’s assassination of General Shepherd in cold blood.

Biography

Rory was born an only child in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on September 5, 1988. She was a child who had been given the world on a platter and had no reason not to succeed no matter what she put her mind to. Kind and gentle, she was the kid on the playground that made sure everyone was included. With a gift for being witty even at a young age, she made friends very easily.

Always a good student, Rory was well-liked by her peers and teachers alike, known for being active and enjoying spending most of her time outdoors. She was considered an overachiever and took part in several extracurricular sports and activities throughout her school career.

In 1996, her parents divorced after a 10 year relationship, citing irreconcilable differences, though the split was amicable. Rory was raised by her mother afterwards in their home in North Vancouver so as not to disrupt her life, while her father returned to England shortly after the proceedings, starting his own legal firm with his prestigious, noble family name. While her relationship was strained with her father after the separation, Rory still spent her summers in the UK and often kept in touch with him the rest of the year.

In 2000, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer – an invasive ductal carcinoma  or IDC – and while Debbie did seek out treatment, it proved to be a long, slow battle. The cancer ultimately spread to her lymph nodes, and resulted in her death in 2002. With no other family to act as guardian in Canada, Rory was sent to live with her father.

Enrolled in classes at the local secondary school in London to continue her education, it was expected she would easily keep up with course requirements. However with the upheaval of moving halfway across the world and the grief of losing her mother, Rory quickly fell behind in her studies and her grades began to slip. Barely graduating, she was left with little options for her future and enlisted in the military, preferring not to become a trust fund baby and live off her father’s name and reputation. A decision that her father greatly disagreed with.

Military Career

In 2006, Rory enlisted with the British Army and after her basic training was complete began her tour of Afghanistan where she served for six years. She became well-known for her calm under pressure, confidence with a weapon, and her courage. As a corporal she was awarded the King’s Medal for Bravery after completing a risky mission to save a portion of her unit who had been taken hostage by Al-Qaeda forces.

During this time she was also recommended by her commanding officer to take part in the Scout Sniper Course and joined a sniper platoon shortly after. 

In 2013, she was moved to Iraq to work with the NATO alliance during the civil war. This was where she met Lt. Andrew Owen and began working more closely with American Armed Forces. Her sniper training led her to be called upon to remove high value targets and resulted in her working more closely with the CIA and undertaking black missions. This was when she learned how to complete interrogations, something she seemed to have a knack for, always having a natural perceptive quality. 

In 2016, on one such black mission that had taken her into Syria, she was dealt a major blow when intel proved to be incorrect regarding the shipment of weapons and instead uncovered a human trafficking ring. The trauma of the incident resulted in Rory’s PTSD. Due to her symptoms, she was taken off active field duty and placed on desk duty instead, which resulted in her being transferred to SRR with her skillset. Her focus became anti-terrorism both at home and abroad, working as an analyst regarding scouting missions.

Her time out of the field didn’t last long however before being volunteered for a joint CIA/SAS mission in 2017, headed by Kate Laswell and Capt. John Price. (The events can be found in the fanfic “All Along the Watchtower”)

During the events of COD:MW, Rory was a sergeant with the SRR, called in after the attack on Piccadilly Circus by Laswell and Price to deal with the AQ threat, a group she had been observing during this time as part of her work. Arriving in Urzikstan after the invasion of the US Embassy, she assisted with removing the Wolf, interrogating the Butcher, and destroying Barkov’s gas lab. (The events can be found in the fanfic “Evening of Score”)

In 2020, Rory began her officer’s training at Sandhurst and was ranked up to Lieutenant. It was shortly after this that she was added as a member of Task Force 141. 

*(The events of COD:MW2 are included in the fanfic “Shadow Dance” and the fic for COD:MW3 is still TBD)

[topaz-witch-tea]

okok listen

baiheng shows yanqing how to braid and with his newly acquired skill he braids EVERYTHING. jys hair, yingxings hair, dan fengs hair, even mimis mane. and they all dont have the heart to take them out but they know they have to.

also i know that in the future he wants to learn diffrent braiding styles and he's determind to master them all. also he has his styling models w/ him (jy, yinxing, dan feng)

(sorry for any mistakes, eng isnt my first language)

Ahhhhh! This is adorable!!! Thank you so much for sending me an ask. Please feel free to send more.

There were no mistakes, don't worry! English actually isn't my first language either, it's my primary language now but I learned it later than most kids around me.

Yanqing sees Baiheng braid hers and Jingliu's hair and thinks it looks so cool. Since he has long hair, she asks her to braid his so he can look like his aunties. Baiheng teaches him with ribbons first and then he starts with his aunts hair. He starts doing it to Dan Feng's hair since he has long, straight hair and can sit on the ground for long periods of time. He then moves on to Jing Yuan's hair when he takes a nap, always making sure to not braid in the little finches. The lasts person he practiced on is Yingxing since he spends most of his time either in the forge at work or his own personal forge at home. Mimi's hair is the hardest since they're short and wispy and his little fingers are not as nimble. He does manage to do little braids all over its mane thought.

None of them take them out. Partially because they don't have the heart to and because Yanqing likes to see how his work withstands day to day life. Dan Feng keeps his hair braided when he goes to meeting with the Preceptors, earning himself glares and rumors over his doting/spoiling behavior. Baiheng absolutely adores it and buys him ribbons and hair ties and try out. Jing Yuan keeps it since he thinks it's cute (the man keeps birds in his hair, no one will care about the braids). Jingliu will actually request a tight, single braid so that she can train in it. Yingxing's students will actually tease him about the little braids at the end of his hair since Yanqing is so short and cannot reach higher when Yingxing is working in his office.

Once he masters the standard braid, he starts moving on to different styles. He seeings the noble girls and their attendants have different types of braid styles and accessories in their hair and thinks they're really cool. For Yanqing, he sees braids in the same way he sees swords. He admires the intricacy and skill it takes to do certain styles, and in the same sense of possessing swords, he seeks to possess the skill of braiding. Tingyun is really supportive of this, showing him pictures of different cultures from other planets and how they braid their hair and style them.

*******

Baiheng had her hair in a thick long braid today, tied at the end with a bright, red ribbon. Her fellow companions were sporting similar hairstyles. Yingxing’s white hair was tied in a messy fishtail braid similar to Jing Yuan’s, whose layered hair caused little bits to poke out everywhere. JIngliu’s hair was in tiny braids scattered with small, thin rubber bands holding them together. Dan Feng, who in all his refined manner as High Elder, had his hair in twin tail braids with a teal ribbon braided through them. If anyone had seen the High Cloud Quintet in this state, the gossip rags would have a frield day.

The perpetrator of this fashion trend had turned his sights on a new victim- Mimi, the white lion of the Seat of Divine Foresight. Yanqing sat on the ground, his face in tense concentration, as he braided little parts of Mimi’s mane and secured them with little flower clips. Mimi proved to be an excellent client as she sat quite still. Satisfied with his handiwork, Yanqing stood up and yelled, "TADA!!! Now we all match!" Mimi, the once ferocious beast who fought off assassins, had little braids poking out all arounds its head and adorned brightly-colored flower clips.

"Mrrow" Mimi called out.

Yanqing turned around, his eyes beaming. "Do you like it Mimi? I'll do a new style tomorrow. Maybe with ribbons this time!"

Yanqing turned arounds. "I'll do ribbons in everyone's hairs tomorrow!"

It seems the gossip rags will be getting a story after all. Most of them had meetings tomorrow and ribbons weren't exactly professional wear, but what were they going to do? Take out Yanqing's handwork? That's ridiculous.

I hope you like this one!

[fitzrove]

hello duchess of fitzrovia,, I see on your Mate interview translation video that you learned german for 3 years before being able to translate the video. may I ask how you learned? do you have any tips? thanks and stay well!!

Hii, thanks for asking! :D

This got long, so TL;DR:

1) Immerse yourself by putting yourself into situations where you truly have to speak/try to understand German to get through it. (Can be "I desperately want to understand this information I found online, but I won't unless I decipher and translate it".)

2) For listening and reading: Seek out a topic area you're genuinely interested in and learn about that in German. (I've never found Duolingo or other apps like that super helpful or interesting/motivating...)

3) For speaking practice especially, consider "real" language courses! For pronunciation, consider making musical cover songs your hobby xD (This is genuinely how I've gotten most of my pronunciation practice.)

I've been passively learning German for about 8 years now (started listening to German-language musicals in 2016), but I did only start learning actively and with intent in 2021. My "official" studies have been:

An A1 basic course in 2021 (6 weeks, 2ish hours a week)

A B1.2 Goethe course in 2023 (10 weeks, 2 hours a week)

A failed attempt at a B2.2 course in 2024 (stopped going because I got too busy with uni), and another B2.2 attempt that I'm currently completing :D

However, I would say that I've learned most of the language on my own, from watching musicals and interviews, reading books, articles and blog posts, and finally immersion - moving to Germany into a city where a lot of basic life things won't get done if you can't speak the language. For example: my apartment building caretaker (who gave me the keys and who I needed to call to fix my shower drain a month in) didn't speak any English, and neither did people at the tax bureau, town hall, supermarket, regional theatres... On trains, some important announcements will only be given in German, and some museums don't give all of their guided tours in English. This has been a huge help for me - sometimes it's a headache, but it does teach you a lot!!!

The major advantage in taking courses, though, is that there's 1) someone to motivate/"force" you to do vocab and grammar exercises, 2) someone to give feedback and corrections, 3) a group to practice speaking with. The last point has been the most helpful for me, I think, because learning super eclectically means that my skills are kind of unbalanced... I read academic texts really well if I can look up individual words & I understand speech in most situations, but I struggle a lot with grammar and independent writing, and I used to be nervous speaking before starting to practice more formally in a classroom setting where there's help.

I think the most important tip I can give is to just dive in - force yourself into situations where the only way you get what you want is by speaking German or figuring out what words mean :D I picked up basic vocabulary and phrases from listening to musicals and reading transcriptions (important!) and translations of the songs I was listening to, and from there, it was easy to expand. For reading, I really recommend finding something that you're organically interested in otherwise (for me it's been 19th century history research and primary sources from that era, as well as musical theatre stuff); for listening, I recommend looking up documentaries/music/movies that you would also watch if they were in English. In many language classes they will purposefully teach you about German/DACH culture and show students "classics" from those countries, and while that's also important, I think for independent learning it's more effective to find something that you're really, genuinely personally passionate about.

I still Deepl difficult words and make a huge amount of grammar mistakes when speaking (my current course includes one-on-one discussion hours with the teacher which has been so helpful, but she needs to interrupt me about once a minute with "syntax... SYNTAX!!" xD) but I get complimented a lot on my German skills, largely due to the fact that I speak confidently despite the mistakes & have a decent accent >:)

[needsmoreresearch]

more teaching natter

should also add, relative to previous post about present continuous--there are branches of english that i notice using -ing gerunds/verbs even more than the american english i use, and i think that makes its own landscape for people who do use some english already but not as a primary means of communication, and are now frustrated with fitting the parts of english they already know into an american-english setting which has different rules from the english they have been using. that's a whole 'nother situation and oh man do i feel for the students i've had who are, eg, transitioning from being high school science teachers in bangladesh and now finding that no one here understands them, and their education gets no acknowledgement from american employers, and it all fucking sucks (and also it's fucking cold and snowy and icy).

but mostly in my current class of beginners i have people who are impatiently asking me about -ings because they hear it all the time and wtf is that. teacher you are using those -ing words all the time, you are doing it right now, we want to know what that is.

so i don't want to be holding out on the special secret -ing verbs but also it's just...so tricky to help people distinguish language structures when we don't have any shared language for talking about language. and it's got to be so hard to learn a language when you're surrounded by that language every time you leave your home but you just get these tiny little windows to try to ask questions and figure out what's going on. if you're not someone who intrinsically enjoys learning languages--and has the leisure not to stress about getting together enough skills to survive--it's got to be hellish, i'm so sorry :(

anyway, we'll wade around for a while, try to a) accumulate some handy verbs without getting too frustrated and b) get comfortable enough using them one way or another that when people come back and examine the grammatical structure again they will be able to get a little farther on picking apart how it works and ask more pointed questions and get answers they understand better

...also i should fucking go back to school myself and finish getting a degree in how to do this, i'm currently kind of isolated and stagnating in terms of developing the teaching part of my job. i don't have much faith in grad school but it does keep one connected with resources. buuut i also really like this setting where i can pretty much make up my own curriculum as i go along, with small class sizes where i can pay more attention to individual students and tailor the work to their specific needs, and there's less scope for that in more formal settings that i could "qualify for" more strongly with a finished degree.

which is, among other things, to say thank you to m-siecle for chatting last night, it was good to connect with another language teacher.

[educationensure]

Best University in Russia for MBBS: A Comprehensive Guide

Russia is among the top countries in the world for students looking to pursue medical degrees abroad. Russia has emerged as a major destination for prospective physicians because to its internationally renowned colleges, reasonably priced tuition, and excellent educational standards. But with so many options available, finding the finest university in Russia for MBBS might be a challenging endeavor. This post will walk you through the best options, emphasizing the unique qualities of these universities.

Why Choose Russia for MBBS?

Let's examine why Russia is a popular place to study medicine before getting into the list of universities:

International Recognition: Prominent institutions such as WHO, UNESCO, and MCI (now NMC) have acknowledged Russian MBBS degrees.

Reasonably priced tuition: Russia provides high-quality medical education at a significantly lower cost than Western nations.

The state-of-the-artInfrastructure for the Arts: Russian universities have state-of-the-art labs and technologies to offer experiential learning opportunities.

English-Medium Programs: To make things easy for overseas students, many colleges offer MBBS courses in English.

Cultural Diversity: You will be immersed in a varied cultural context with students from all over the world.

Top Universities in Russia for MBBS

Here’s a curated list of some of the best universities in Russia for MBBS, ensuring quality education and a promising future:

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU):

Known for its excellent medical faculty and research facilities.

Offers a comprehensive MBBS program with hands-on training and internships.

Ranked among the top universities globally, providing international exposure.

Kazan State Medical University (KSMU):

One of Russia’s oldest and most prestigious medical institutions.

Offers modern facilities and clinical training at top hospitals in Saint Petersburg.

Focuses on both theoretical and practical aspects of medicine.

Kazan Federal University:

Famous for its innovative teaching methods and high-quality education.

Provides an English-taught MBBS program with extensive clinical practice.

Known for its supportive student environment and excellent facilities.

Omsk State Medical University (OSMU):

Offers a globally recognized MBBS degree with an emphasis on clinical skills.

Features state-of-the-art laboratories and research centers.

Known for its multicultural environment and student support services.

How to Choose the Best University in Russia for MBBS

Selecting the right university is a critical decision. Here are some factors to consider:

1. Recognition and Accreditation

Verify the university's recognition by the National Medical Commission (NMC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other international organizations. The aforementioned universities are all highly accredited.

2. Instructional Medium

Although some programs may contain Russian, English is the primary language of instruction at several of the top MBBS universities in Russia. Before applying, confirm the language of teaching.

3. Exposure in Clinical Settings

For medical students, hands-on training is essential. Universities like Pirogov and Sechenov excel in providing hands-on experience at renowned hospitals.

4. Cost-effectiveness

While Russia is known for its affordable education, tuition fees and living expenses vary by university and city. Universities like Kazan and Siberian Medical University offer cost-effective options.

5. Location

Cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg offer vibrant lifestyles and excellent infrastructure but may be more expensive than smaller cities like Kazan or Novosibirsk.

Why Sechenov University Stands Out

Among all the universities, First Moscow State Medical University holds a special place as the best university in Russia for MBBS. Its legacy, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and emphasis on research make it a favorite for international students.

Student Testimonials

Rahul Sharma, India: "Choosing Kazan State Medical University was the best decision of my life. The education quality and clinical exposure are unmatched!"

Fatima Khalid, India: "Kazan Federal University has an amazing environment for learning. I loved the diversity and support system here."

Application Process for MBBS in Russia

Choose Your University: Research and shortlist the top universities in Russia for MBBS based on your preferences.

Check Eligibility: Most universities require a minimum of 50% in Physics, Chemistry, and Biology in 12th grade and NEET qualification.

Submit Application: Apply online or through a consultancy.

Receive Admission Letter: Once accepted, you’ll get an official offer letter.

Apply for Visa: Submit your documents and secure a student visa for Russia.

In conclusion:

Russia is still a popular destination for students looking to study medicine overseas. Discovering the top university in Russia for MBBS can put you on the way to a fulfilling medical career because of its esteemed institutions, reasonably priced tuition, and international recognition. You may be confident that you will receive top-notch instruction and training whether you select Kazan Federal University, Kazan State Medical University, or any other choice on our list.

Choose one of the best MBBS programs in Russia to fulfill your ambition of becoming a doctor, and begin your path to a prosperous medical profession right now!

[oswinsdolma]

i've been reading a bunch of modern aus lately, and i've noticed that quite a lot are a bit uncertain about how the british education system works. it's not a problem by any means, but for anyone who wants it, here is a brief explanation:

we don't say "grades", we say "years", e.g. 7th grade would be year 7. we also don't say things like freshman/sophomore/senior etc. it's just the numbers.

however, some primary schools split into infants and juniors, infants being from yR-2 and juniors being y3-6

we also have a national curriculum all throughout compulsory education, which means everyone studies the same thing, more or less. there are discrepancies at GCSE/A-level with different exam boards, but in general, most people take either the same, or very similar exams, and are taught the same skills.

you start primary school when you are four or five in year R, and continue through primary school from years 1-6.

at the end of year six, you take the SATS, which are a really insubstantial national standardised test for english, maths and spag

it is also optional to take an exam called the 11+ at the end of y6. if you pass, you can go to grammar school. these can be state or private, and are basically redundant nowadays, and just used so parents can say that their child passed the 11+ and got into the Smart School. These are usually single gender and low-key cult like, but otherwise, are exactly the same as normal state "comprehensive" schools.

secondary school is from y7-11. at the end of y11, everyone takes the GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education). you have to do english, maths and sciences, plus several other subjects. most people have between 7-13 GCSEs, and if you fail english language or maths, you have to retake until you pass, even into college.

GCSEs are graded on a scale of 9-1, 9 being an equivalent to A** and is the top 1% of the students who got 7+, and 1 being an F/U. the pass mark is a 4.

the grades you get in your GCSEs are kind of irrelevant, except they determine which subjects you can take for A-level.

After secondary school, you have to stay in full time education for another two years (allegedly, though ik a few people who dropped out), and most people do A-levels (Advanced Level Exams). Instead of doing loads of subjects like at GCSE, you pick 3-4 and study them for two years. these are a LOT HARDER than GCSEs.

if you do four a levels, you're kind of a try hard. honestly, if you do it, good for you, but as a cultural thing, so many people who did four a levels were the most insufferable people who only did it to gloat, and then couldn't handle the workload.

oh, also this entire system is pretty much 100% exam based. for 2/3 of my a levels, i had a coursework essay that was pre graded, but it was only worth 20% of my final grade, and those were rare occurrences. at GCSE, unless you do art or something like that, everything is exam based.

A-levels are graded on a scale of A*-E, and then a U if you literally get nothing. which happens more often than you might think.

this is the bit that i see a lot of people get confused about. in the UK, we don't call university "college". college, to us, is where you take your a levels. if it's an independent institution, it's a "college/further education centre". if it's attached to a secondary school, it's called a "sixth form" (because y12 was year six of senior school in the old system).

i'm sorry i'm trying to be as clear as i can but our education system is complex af

your A-level grades determine where you can apply to uni, which you HAVE to do through a system called UCAS.

UCAS (the university and colleges admissions service) is a national system where you put in all your details required to apply for uni. you start it in the june of y12 and send it in by January** IN MOST CASES

to apply for uni, you need to list all your qualifications/details, predicted grades, personal statement essay and teacher references. this all gets submitted by your school.

HOWEVER. if you are applying to medicine, vet, dentistry, oxford or cambridge, the deadline is in october, and you have to submit written work, do multiple assessments and do rounds of interviews in addition to everything else (would not recommend).

you can also apply to conservatoire for music/drama schools, which tend to have their own deadlines and systems because they're not technically universities

okay nearly at the end

the closest thing we have to an Ivy League is the Russell Group, but it's not as prestigious. Russell Group unis tend to be higher ranked, offer niche courses and demand high grade requirements.

Oxford and Cambridge are not normal universities. i CANNOT stress this enough. you apply through ucas, but the courses themselves are unique and highly competitive (the one i applied for had like 10 spaces)(i got rejected lmao). also they are arranged in colleges within the uni, so it's like a collection of tiny unis linked by a larger institution. colleges are not subject specific and most of them have weird cults. if you're writing oxbridge students, google it, not just for accuracy, but because it's absolutely hilarious.

interviews are also more like interrogations. i was reduced to tears on several occasions, and you also have to swear not to reveal the questions you were asked (everyone does it anyway but STILL IT'S WEIRD). for example, one of my interviews, i was given a poem about feet and asked to analyse it on the spot over a blurry zoom screen. they don't ask you about yourself. they don't ask you about school. they just quickfire questions at you for forty minutes and roll their eyes when you take more than a few seconds to answer.

we also don't have majors/minors. you choose one subject that you apply for specifically, and spend 3-7 years studying that subject pretty much exclusively. the only deviations from this might be if you were taking archaeology and took an art history class or something — everything is really closely related.

we can also drink at 18. not that an age limit has ever stopped anyone in the uk from getting drunk. getting pissed in a field is a major pastime for anyone from the ages of 12-28. it's a problem.

instead of having dorms at uni, most people live in flats. there will be like ten people on a corridor with a shared kitchen. you only live in university housing for your first year, unless you are at oxbridge, in which case i think it's mandatory to live in your college for your whole course.

community college and private universities aren't a thing either. when you apply to uni, you apply to student finance (unless your parents are absolutely LOADED and pay for you) and get a loan for your tuition, and also a maintenance loan based on your household income, which is used to pay for rent, food, etc. you cannot be exempt from financial aid but a lot of people do not receive enough, particularly in recent years when the cost of living in the uk has gone up so much.

university is roughly £9-10k per year (depending on where you study) which is a Lot. but why are people in the US paying hundreds of thousands of dollars, are you guys okay???

also, if you're scottish, university in scotland is free. they also have a standard four year systm rather than the three year system in england and wales (idk about ni i didn't apply there). why?? because the english government is absolute shite and they got rid of the state university programme for england (blame the tories)

don't do your research on the student room. just don't. for your own sake.

and a couple more cultural things before we leave off

we all wear uniform until we get to year twelve. everyone. even the four year olds.

Nottingham Trent university is just the butt of so many jokes and I really don't understand why (they're not even the lowest in the league table 😭😭)

Durham is full of Oxbridge rejects who are in denial about it, and is also the butt of a lot of jokes

everything i have mentioned so far is about STATE education. private education runs on different tracks: you have prep schools, which run from yR-8, and senior schools that run from y9-11, and most of them have attached sixth forms. there is a massive cultural and economic divide between state and private school kids, because they get so much more help applying for uni, and also there is so much nepotism in our government. like. politicians wear their old school ties in parliament so they know who to give favours to. it's AWFUL.

some private schools are so fancy they loop back around and are known as "public schools". they're schools like Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Marlborough, etc. really old institutions that basically guarantee you a place at oxbridge because of family legacy (though this has got a lot better over the last decade or so)(but they still have an unfair advantage).

a lot of compulsory education schools are really religious because education in the uk used to be run basically by the church, and the church still own a lot of schools. universities though, even the ones with roots in the church, are atheistic, their religious links symbolic or supplementary to their main purpose.

okay that ended up being way longer than i thought, but i hope someone finds this useful when writing, or at least interesting.

[arkhammaid]

Hi Anne! I've been thinking of sending this ask for a while now, so here I am.

I've been following you for a while now and got to experience your developement of writing (x Reader Fics, Crossovers, AO3 Fics and now SMAU's) and I wanted to say that I think your journey as author is incredible! So I wanted to ask, what has helped you? In general for writing but also finding inspiration? Because I know you somewhere mentioned that English is not your first language, which is the same for me.

I too have ideas for Fics, but writing them is a bit intimidating, if not scary to me. So I would be very interested to hear your thoughts and advice!

Thank you in advance and have a nice week!

hi there, dearest anon! thank you so much for your message, it's always so lovely to receive them <33

some of my thoughts, advice and more below the cut!

(please note that i'm kinda rambling here, i tried to sort it out but.. yeah, take your time reading through it!! and as always, not edited/proofread LMAO)

so first of all, here is an awesome post about writing advice (focused on smau's) by @formulafics. please check it out, because all of this can also be applied to any other fic form

the most important part, before anything else: write whatever you want!! it's your time, your passion, it's your work.

WHAT HAS HELPED ME TO LEARN ENGLISH:

reading: reading in english helps so much! but not only just regular books, the classics or bestsellers, fics as well! by reading you get to know and learn so many different writing styles, influenced by the time, genre and presonal preference. believe it or not, but i went from an A2 (borderline B1) level to B2/C1 level within months. i consumed all kind of media in english (movies, books, news, i even set my phone to english) speaking: speaking with native speakers or even fluent speakers helps especially for dialogue specific skills. it helps with general use of the language, which can be learned by eather studying or reading. i've been texting and speaking mostly in english with my best friend for years now, also having started during lockdown. her english was much better than mine, so i learned much from her, even if she didn't correct me! writing: start writing! be it small ideas, essays, or just some notes. anything in which you apply what you've been learning actively will help you to basically cement that knowledge in your mind and will make you more sure footed in your use of language. don't hesitate about mistakes, there is no reason to worry! you're still learning and mistakes can help you to advance further. i started fic writing in german and then did the scary jump to english years later... if i would read the text now, which i produced and posted, well, i would shudder to be honest. but i'm still proud of it, because it's my first fic in english, the first big step! and even now i make mistakes, but that's totally fine. because these mistakes don't stop me from being creative, instead the encourage me to do better.

2. WHAT HAS HELPED ME WITH WRITING:

german: my second language. german is a difficult language, especially if it's not your first. i was lucky enough that my mother encouraged me to read, she spent so much time next to me helping me read my first books in kindergarten and she flueled the passion by going to the weekly library visits during primary school. i've always been ahead of many other students in my age (as arrogant as this sounds), simply because i devoured books at any time i could. i had a phase once where i read around 40 or so books in a week... so yeah, my vocabulary was and still is advanced for my age, and i never had to study the grammar rules, i just knew them by feeling and always passed the exams. i have no idea if you could ever gain that kind of... level?? in a language, because my childhood has been filled with books and i only stopped reading german books in my teens, so at least 6-7 years of my life were filled with me just... reading. because of this, and because i didn't have much tv as a kid (i got my first phone at 14, which was kinda late compared to others) i have a vivid fantasy. reading fluels your own creativity, the ability to imagine!!! words paint pictures and you have to think of what happens between the lines yourself, so yes, a big contributor to my creativity goes to the thousands of books i've read (yes it's thousands, i work at the library we've been going when i was a kid and i can still access to the account information... i was curious don't come at me) rp servers: surprise surprise! a big help and a way to practice your writing are rp servers. i have no idea if they're still a thing but i've been in (german) rp servers for years now. it not only helps you practice your writing, especially dialogue, but also how to create plots (within plots), and how to write a character. either one that already exists or your own. it helps you to develop and build your character, grow with it, which has also been a good way for me to characterize the people i've been writing! frigga, my first marvel rp character, will always be dear to me. i took her because other characters i would've loved to write for the first time were already taken, but i'm glad i picked her in the end. experimenting: writing fics is all about what you like. what characters you like (or write in spite, it really depends), what fandom like, which style of writing. so it's important to experiment! do you like dialogue heavy fics? or focus more towards world building? or is it smau fics that have caught your eye? if something interests you, try it out! there is no wrong or right, as long you have fun, it's all good!! it took me YEARS to find a writing style i like, especially in longer fics. i especially struggle with filler scenes, scenes that connect two important things happeneing or even a long scene that spawns over two pages. so now i'm writing in snippets, different povs and it works out perfectly for me! don't worry if you don't immediately find something you like, it will take time. and your current prefered writing style can always change, so nothing is set in stone!

3. ABOUT FINDING INSPIRATION:

books: well, as i already mentioned, books have been a big part of my childhood. so i have so many ideas stored in my head, simply because i've somewhere read something similar! be it classics or a niche book, any work can be an inspiration for a fic (or even another book) music: music has also been a big part of my life. as piano player, i enjoy classical music, but also songs with lyrics. i once wrote a fic inspired by a k-pop song, simply because i've been listening it on repeat. daily life: so many stories, fics, books, plots, movies, etc. are inspired by real life stories. be it by something that happened to you, to family, or someone you don't know, our life gives so much inspiration to create wonderful plots! other media: movies, series, literally anything can be an inspiration to your fic! be it a trope, or even to fandoms smashed together, there are so many ideas and plots out there, you will never go out on creative ideas. BUT! it is also important to note, if you ever take some heavy inspiration of someone else idea's, credit them! CREDIT THEM!!!

4. OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS:

if you have any idea for fics, for a work, write it down!! don't make the mistakes like me and say "oh yeah i will definitely remember that, i could never forget this idea" YOU WILL. or at least, you will forget major ideas and then you will be sad :(( and we don't want that. so. write that shit down!!! never delete any written work! no matter how frustrated you are with a fic, never ever delete something. even if it's just a passage. you can always revisit it later, or write something based off that. maybe you'll even like it after some time. experiment!! i've already said it, but!! experiementing is so important. trying out, finding yourself, what fandom you wish to write for, how you want to write it, everything!! nothing will work for the first time, it's okay to be frustrated, but only if you try something out, you can develop your skills and grow as a writer and most importantly... have fun!! writing is something beautiful, you're creating worlds with mere words. you should feel happy with your works, even if you don't share it with others, because this is YOUR work. as long you're not harming anyone, only the boundaries you set are the boundaries you have!

phew, that should be the most important things... i hope this has answered your questions and can help you on your journey as writer <3

[engin-program]

👩‍💻 Alina Kucher, a 21-year-old Master’s student at the Faculty of History of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a trainee in the diplomatic field, shares her journey with ENGin. Initially joining in 2021, Alina took a break in 2022 before returning with renewed vigor in 2023. Throughout her time in the program, she engaged in conversations with volunteers from China, Cuba, and America, which continue to enrich her learning experience.

📈 Alina significantly improved her writing, listening, and speaking skills by working with several volunteers. These interactions not only enhanced her language proficiency but also broadened her cultural understanding, exposing her to diverse perspectives and mentalities.

📚 Alina applies the knowledge gained from ENGin not only in her academic pursuits but also in her professional and personal life. She emphasizes independent learning in history, politics, and diplomacy in English, utilizing primary sources to deepen her understanding.

💬 “I am immensely grateful to my mentors who instilled faith in my abilities and taught me to assess my capabilities accurately. Moreover, this program has allowed me to build meaningful friendships. As I look ahead, I am confident that numerous discoveries and enriching experiences await us.”

🤗 Join ENGin as a volunteer today and help students like Alina enhance their English proficiency and cultural understanding while building meaningful connections! ✨

[letterslaura]

Writing as an articulating axis and practices involving Educational Technologies

Coucou everyone! 

Today we are going to tackle a very important topic: developing writing skills in school. 

What memories do you have of writing practices in school? In my case, it was always fun and natural, just because I was so eager to practice my writing skills, but we know that this may not be the reality for most children. When I was in school, the methods were pretty strict and mechanical, with very little room for imagination. In Portuguese we were taught (a lot of) fixed rules, systems, genres (not the cool ones) and structures, everything for the sake of Enem’s essay. In the English classes things were not so different. In a room full of people, with a diversity of confidence and enthusiasm, imagine trying to apply the same monotonous pattern. What could it lead to? This rigid approach to writing can turn it into a monster for students, a real struggle, especially when in another language. It should not be like this. Students should be encouraged  to see writing as a simple skill that helps us convey messages in the best possible way. And they should know that they are all capable of learning it!

Now, let’s move away from the past and take a look at what schools are teaching today. From the Common National Curriculum Base (BNCC), we can grasp how things should be done inside the classroom. Regarding writing practices in primary education, the BNCC states that writing is an essential competency that crosses many areas, not being restricted to language itself. In other words, writing practices in school should not focus only on language or on grammatical rules. Instead, it should aid students express their ideas and communicate adequately in the other disciplines as well. Could you spot the difference from the previous approach? I was so thrilled to read about how much has changed!

Further on, the BNCC stresses the relevance of integrating educational technologies into the writing practices, such as softwares, collaborative platforms, multimedia resources, etc. Thankfully, there are plenty of resources at our disposal and they can greatly enhance the teaching learning experience. This integration opens up a world of possibilities.

After that, according to Liberali, “social activities in second language teaching focuses the study on activities where the students interact with each other in determined and historically dependent cultural contexts.” (LIBERALI, 2009, p. 12). Educational technologies are able to facilitate social interactions with speakers of the target language (in this case, English) and there lie glorious opportunities to teach writing practices smoothly. 

One of my favorite writing activities (if not my favorite) was a movie review requested in the third period of the English discipline. Learning every aspect of an adjective was never so fun! In my opinion, it is a brilliant idea, since there are many interesting literary and linguistic aspects to be explored in a movie review and it can be done with just the amount of difficulty you want. How cool would it have been to write a review of "Finding Nemo" back in the day?

Movie reviews are also easily relatable, as everyone has a favorite movie, making it much easier for the students to connect and really engage with the proposal. To make the experience even more realistic, if the students' age group allow, it is also possible to introduce the Letterboxd website, according to the students' age group. In this site, they can read reviews of the movies they like and maybe even post their own later. In order to enrich the activity a little more, there can also be held peer reviews and presentations.

Another idea is to explore the world of comics! What Brazilian kid does not know Monica's Gang? Comics are very appealing for primary students, it is usually a genre that they are comfortable with and it really stimulates creativity. You can begin with reading and understanding the components of comic books, leaving the writing to the end. By creating setting and characters first, the story will be less difficult to write. It is important to get to know your students in order to pinpoint what activity would be a better fit to them.

Finally, there are plenty of writing resources online, which can be used to help students in their process. My favorites include: Thesaurus, Cambridge Dictionary, Collins Dictionary, Linguee and Grammarly. These tools can give a little extra confidence to those embarking on the adventure of writing in another language.

Now that you know a little more about writing practices and educational technologies, make sure to leave a comment below with your own experiences. I want to know all about it! 

XOXO

Laura

[abcooper]

Anyways here’s how the nyc public school system is doing math, if you were wondering

Step 1: each curriculum covers more material than any student could possibly actually digest in a year, giving us the option to race through and encourage short-term memorization and superficial learning, or try to actually work with kids on developing their understanding and problem solving skills but we only get through half to 2/3 the curriculum

Step 2: make sure schools are doing this curriculum by giving a state standardized 3 hour cumulative exam at the end of each course. Passing it is a graduation requirement. The questions will be across all topics in this vast curriculum. But we want our multiple choice test to require actual critical thinking skills, not just memorization. Let’s throw in a lot of trick questions deliberately worded to lead you in wrong directions if you have only partial understanding. Or if English is your non primary language. Oh and if you have ADD you can take the test for 6 hours instead of 3, that won’t be your own personal hell.

Step 3: oh no, nobody is passing, and we said that this was a graduation requirement. OK, it’s now also wildly curved, you only have to get 30% to pass. And it’s mostly multiple choice, so if you know how to do 2 questions and get a normal amount of lucky in your guessing, you officially know math, good job.

Step 4: let’s tie teacher ratings to how well their students do on the test. For some reason, this seems to shake out in the paperwork that teachers with honors classes are higher rated than teachers with special ed classes. That won’t enforce any stigmas or make teachers resent being given neurodiverse populations to work with.

Step 5: oh, also grading these is getting kind of expensive. Let’s switch to just having them graded in-house by the teachers. Yes we’ve said your ratings depend on the scores and also you love your students who need to pass to graduate. There’s no conflict of interest here.

Just nonstop rational decision making by people whose top priority is the education of the youths, over here

[jordanianroyals]

3 October 2023: Queen Rania visited the Conway Education Centre in Belfast, where she met with a group of asylum seekers, refugees, members of the local community, and representatives of the Belfast City Council to learn about the experiences of displaced people in Northern Ireland.

Speaking to a group of asylum seekers, including children, from across the Middle East and Africa, Queen Rania noted the important work the city and people of Belfast have done to support their refugee community, adding that their ongoing commitment speaks volumes about their “generosity of spirit.” (Source: Petra)

Her Majesty commended the Conway Education Centre for providing a lifeline to refugees and asylum seekers, not only through education and training opportunities, but also by providing a space where they can build friendships, regain their sense of community, and find “a new lease on life.”

She also described the successful integration of refugees into countries of resettlement as “difficult to quantify,” because it gives them a sense of dignity and belonging, which in turn helps them become productive members of their new communities.

In 2015, Conway Education Centre introduced a number of programs to serve the city’s growing refugee population, including English language classes, a homework club for primary and secondary school students, and an annual summer school for refugee families. Run by teachers and trained volunteers, the programs aim to help refugees integrate into the community.

Based on the feedback of refugees participating in its courses, Conway recently launched a capacity-building program to help adult refugees build on their existing skills and enhance their independence. Supported by the Belfast City Council, the program offers accredited English language, ICT, and advocacy training, as well as parenting courses.

In addition to participants in Conway’s various programs for refugees, the meeting also included members of the Art Route Collective, an initiative launched in 2016 to promote artistic and cultural activities within Belfast’s refugee and asylum-seeking community.

Established by ArtsEkta, a local organization focused on community-building and cultural diversity, the Art Route Collective consists of a group of men and women who meet regularly to discuss their experiences as asylum seekers and to develop their artistic talents. The group has produced a variety of creative works, including a recipe book featuring dishes from the members’ different countries of origin.