Haneen Al Jaaf, English and reading coordinator at The King Fahad Academy in London explains how Discovery Education Espresso brings literacy lessons to life and saves teachers time…
How do you use Espresso?
Discovery Education Espresso supports my teaching in every subject, but especially English. The digital content is appealing for children because it’s so interactive.
My students particularly like the phonics resources. The short videos introduce letters and sounds in a fun way, helping pupils with reading and spelling. Students can practice sorting new sounds and segmenting words before putting these skills into practice.
Assessing progress is easy too, thanks to the various built-in activities. I also use Espresso to teach grammar, punctuation and poetry in KS1 and KS2. The platform helps me to make lessons engaging, while meeting national curriculum objectives.
What do teachers like about Espresso?
Espresso has lots of tools to save teachers time. Many of the channels have detailed Teacher Guides, with an overview to show how content matches the curriculum. This is helpful for evidencing because I can show that I’m delivering what’s needed.
Espresso also reduces my workload in terms of preparation and marking. I don’t have to look elsewhere for resources and I can use the built-in Quiz tool for assessments.
As well as saving time, Espresso provides me with fantastic teaching ideas – particularly through ‘Spotlight on Strategies’ which gives me creative, practical ideas for using digital media in the classroom.
“When I use Espresso, I know that my lessons will be engaging”
How does Espresso support different learning needs?
One of the best things about Espresso is that it allows me to differentiate learning. Working with a very diverse cohort including EAL learners, this is essential. My pupils have individual logins, so it’s easy to assign work directly.
There is also a feature called Studio which by assigning ‘boards’ with embedded quizzes, lets me see what students have completed and assess progress. Let’s say a child in Year 6 is struggling with fronted adverbials. I can assign a bespoke grammar lesson in Studio by uploading a video, text and quiz. It’s a great way of providing targeted learning support.
Why is Espresso different from other digital learning platforms?
Espresso is an amazing resource. It saves teachers time and inspires students, helping them to become independent learners who take the initiative.
When I use Espresso, I know that my lessons will be engaging. But what really makes the platform stand out for me is the exceptional customer service. This is a company that really wants to help teachers; not just to provide excellent resources but to support every step of the way.
As a practitioner, it’s important for me to be able to access information quickly. If I ever need support, the team at Discovery Education are always there.
Find out more about Discovery Education Espresso.
- Engaging and interactive
Students love the digital content, which makes English lessons exciting
- Save time planning
Find lesson planning, preparation and ready-to-use activities all in one place - Differentiate learning
Assign and share content directly with students using individual logins - Track progress
Use the interactive Quiz tool to promote active learning and check understanding
