So much time, and so little to do! Strike that, reverse it.”

That line from Willy Wonker should become the teachers' mantra.

With only a week left, it is the crunch time for fitting as much as possible into the time remaining until term resumes. The pile of marking that is the curse of English teachers is probably the biggest hurdle for most - every term I pledge that I will set less or mark more creatively.

There are some very imaginative resources available from TES at the moment, including some interesting ideas for using poetry clusters.

Have enjoyed preparing material for a Dystopian comparative unit using 'V for Vendetta' and '1984' with my Prelim class. After setting the contextual framework, I will begin with 'V' to ensure that the students finish reading the book that should (ha, ha) have read during the holidays. The unit will hopefully establish many of the ground skills needed for the Module A comparative 'Frankenstein' and 'Blade Runner' unit.

Would still like more teachers to begin using the HSC english ning that I have set up. The need for high quality resources still remains the biggest, single issue with teachers that I work with at workshops and at school. So another call to combine forces.