by Rebecca Evans, Read Write Inc. manager for Abbey Catholic Primary school We teach children to read but how do we keep them reading? Here at the Abbey Catholic Primary school, reading is at the heart of our school. Not only do we have reading displays around school which include photos of parents reading to […]
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The long nights are drawing in, the holiday lights are up… what could be better than curling up on the sofa with a mince pie and losing yourself in a thrilling winter classic? To get you into the spirit, we’ve been reflecting on our top five festive tales from TreeTops: Greatest Stories. All five are […]
Read moreSome stories have a kind of DNA. The characters, themes and ideas pass from story to story, evolving and changing along the way. Each new storyteller adds their own ideas and interprets the characters and the dilemmas they face in new and unexpected ways. In popular culture, we retell these great stories again and again, […]
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Good reading comprehension is a critical skill, fundamental to learning across the curriculum, to reading for pleasure and for success in life. Helping children to develop this skill can feel like a challenging process. However, a strong body of research evidence, including a recently published report from the Education Endowment Foundation , reveals three identifiable aspects that underpin […]
Read moreYear after year, when SATs and GCSE results are announced, the headlines shout about girls outperforming boys, but there is very little or no explanation for parents as to why this might be happening. As educators, we owe it to parents to show them what the issues are, what their school is doing about it, […]
Read morePutting brilliant reading corners, libraries and learning spaces at the heart of your school As the headteacher at Our Lady & St. Hubert’s in Sandwell, I was recently given the opportunity to expand our school to two-form entry and build a brand new school. We wanted a building that flowed, suited Sandwell children and approached […]
Read moreGood comprehension requires a range of different knowledge and skills. So we’ve gathered together some of our top teaching tips and free resources to support your comprehension teaching. Advice from Nikki Gamble, Series Advisor, Oxford Reading Tree Story Sparks Developing vocabulary During reading, children are challenged by words they don’t understand such as words that […]
Read moreWith World Book Day taking place around the globe very soon, now is the perfect time to plan your celebrations… What is World Book Day? World Book Day is by far the biggest event of its kind. It’s a huge, exciting celebration of reading and books marked in more than 100 countries around the world, […]
Read moreWriting, whilst second nature to most of us, is a difficult skill for children to master. The key to helping them develop that magical potential from an early age is to make writing exciting and to make it matter. Once that bridge is crossed, there’s no turning back and you’d better buy some extra pencils! […]
Read moreJumping into the unknown We are all probably familiar with the fear of the blank page when writing: we know that many children experience it; we may even feel it ourselves sometimes. It’s possible that something similar happens when insecure, struggling, or simply young readers look at a previously-unseen text: a daunting fear of the […]
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