Blog
Stories, insights, and learning adventures
Adhere — A Vocabulary Story
The Sticker That Would Not Die --Wesley had a problem, and the problem was stuck to his forehead. A bright gold star sticker — won at swimming — had decided to...
Fidget — A Vocabulary Story
The Longest Seven Minutes --Davina had been sitting in the waiting room for seven minutes. She knew this because she'd counted the ceiling tiles three times,...
Abstract — A Vocabulary Story
Drawing a Feeling --Nadia hated this homework. Draw something abstract, the teacher had written, and she'd been staring at the blank page so long her eyes had...
Charismatic — A Vocabulary Story
Magnetic at 3,400 Metres --The base camp sat at 3,400 metres — high enough to make your lungs feel borrowed from someone smaller. There were twelve of them,...
Thrive — A Vocabulary Story
Concrete-Cracker --Dayo's first month at his new school had been the quiet kind of hard – the sort where nobody is actually cruel, you just eat your lunch...
Tenacious — A Vocabulary Story
Tenacious to the Core --Three seconds on the clock. Down by one. The entire sports hall holding its breath. Dara had been knocked down twice already in the...
Adore — A Vocabulary Story
The Beloved Garden --Nadia's grandfather didn't say much. He let his hands do the talking — pruning, planting, turning soil with a patience that made it clear...
Influential — A Vocabulary Story
The Sneeze that Changed Everything --It started, of all things, with a sneeze. Otis sneezed in assembly — a tremendous, room-shaking HRRSHOO — and to cover his...
Robust — A Vocabulary Story
The Robust Runner --Kofi had absolutely no business entering the school cross-country run. He knew it. His PE teacher, Mr Briggs, strongly suspected it. And by...
Biased — A Vocabulary Story
What the Commentator Said --Every Saturday, Idris and his grandad claimed the sofa, two mugs of tea, and the big match on telly. This particular Saturday,...
Dissent — A Vocabulary Story
Breaking a Family Tradition --The Fernandez family had one tradition that could not be questioned: Sunday pizza from Rosario's. Dani had always been the quiet...
Truce — A Vocabulary Story
The Thermostat Treaty --The thermostat war for the home's temperature had raged in the Danes house for eleven days. Dad liked the living room "like a butcher's...