As a graduate in both English Language and Literature, I always had a vague notion that vocabulary development was best undertaken through reading a variety of texts and encountering new words in context. I assumed that vocabulary could be built merely by using context clues and by encouraging pupils to read for pleasure. We would […]
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As if Covid didn’t present enough problems – we have noticed a frightening increase in the number of students who have completely disengaged with reading. I blame the pandemic for this because the National Literacy Trust’s annual survey found: ‘some children and young people reported that a lack of access to books (with schools and […]
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We still don’t know the full impact that COVID-19 has had on children’s education, but we do know that the more children read, the better equipped they are for school and more importantly life. So now more than ever, it’s important to keep children reading during this last term and over the summer. Here are 5 easy ideas from Camilla Macoun, Founder of The Bear Can Read, to share with your families to keep the reading momentum up at home.
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This month’s reading list is full of books about pets and animals, great for building children’s empathy and introducing difficult topics.
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Super authors, super accessible, simply super-readable fiction for KS3/11-14 Written by award-winning authors and developed in partnership with Barrington Stoke, the experts in producing accessible fiction, Super-Readable Rollercoasters aim to encourage less-confident readers and support them to become life-long readers. With findings from the latest Word Gap report by Oxford University Press showing that pupils may have read less widely for pleasure during lockdown, these new titles […]
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If you’re new to the role of literacy lead, or just have an interest in approaching Literacy across the school I’d strongly advise beginning your journey with vocabulary – I have written two blogs on this (links below). It makes sense that before students can access texts, we teach them how to access words, and […]
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Teaching the very earliest stages of reading using phonics in the last term of nursery will give children a head start in Reception. However, at this stage, it’s really important to keep phonics teaching simple. Read our top tips for teaching phonics at nursery.
Read moreDo you have students with varying levels of English in your classes? Wondering how you can ensure all your students achieve reading fluency with Read Write Inc. Phonics? Experienced Reading Leader, Jane Spicer, talks to us about her continued success implementing Read Write Inc. Phonics in a school where there is a wide range of […]
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Read this blog for ideas to engage parents and carers with developing good reading habits with their nursery-aged children at home, including downloadable worksheets to print which are perfect for sending home.
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Oxford Levelled books use a well-established and expertly researched system to engage children from the start while ensuring continuous skills progression at every stage of their reading journey. OUP Head of publishing Andrea Quincey shares how we can ensure progress through levelling. Why use levelled books? Accessing the right level of books can support children’s […]
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