Sample of pages from Maria’s book.

The children are used to this style of marking and know that they are expected to show what they have learned. Rather than just stating that Al Anjal is in Jeddah, Maria has also shown that she knows this is on the coast.

Again, rather than just stating ‘yes’, Maria has shown how her thoughts have changed over the course of the lesson.

Here Maria has made a comparison but perhaps she could have demonstrated her understanding in more depth if I had have asked a slightly different question. This could have been what she thought were the reasons for the rules in Saudi Arabia. Or perhaps why do we have such rules and why are they different in different places and in different households in the same country?

This marking was on the bottom of Maria’s extended picture. It shows that Maria has retained her knowledge of the location of Jeddah. It also shows that Maria is able to apply this knowledge in a new situation.

This question was answered at the start of the following lesson. Maria had remembered some of the information that she had learned. When the children were answering such questions it sparked conversation about the previous session. They were discussing and laughing about their role plays, helping to consolidate their leaning.

Maria’s letter requesting a penpal.