Reading

Blog tour: Chasing the Shy Town by Erika McGann

I am so pleased to be hosting a stop on the Chasing the Shy Town blog tour. I loved the fun nature of Chasing the Shy Town, which encapsulates the innocence of children’s natural curiosity and delves into the impossibility of perfection in a child friendly way. Chasing the Shy Town was released in JuneContinue reading “Blog tour: Chasing the Shy Town by Erika McGann”

Reading strategy updated

Why must reading be a priority? Reading is at the heart of our curriculum. If children can’t read, they can’t access the lessons. Poor literacy leads to negative-life outcomes, low confidence and high frustration. BBC documentary: Jay Blade Learning to read at 51 brings this topic firmly into the spotlight. I have written about theContinue reading “Reading strategy updated”

A book for every pupil in lockdown

Reading is a multifaceted skill that develops through instruction and practice (Scarborough 2002). Children need to have a grasp of word reading: they need to have a secure understanding of the relationship between print (spelling) and the sounds they represent, the ability to manipulate these sound-spelling correspondence, segment words into individual sounds and blend them back together to readContinue reading “A book for every pupil in lockdown”

Another Twist in the Tale

Utterly brilliant, funny and immersive to say the least! I absolutely loved reading Another Twist in the Tale. Catherine Bruton writes with a flair that immerses you in the heart of the story and what an adventure I feel I have been on. Another Twist in the Tale follows Twill, a baby thrown out onContinue reading “Another Twist in the Tale”

What Stars Are Made Of

This was an emotionally cleansing and grounding story to read after a long term as a teacher in these current challenging times. Providing perspective where needed. Another fantastic addition to our ReadingWell book selection and quite possibly, this year’s summer class reader for Y6. Libby is a 12-year-old girl, who was born, with Turner Syndrome,Continue reading “What Stars Are Made Of”

The Weather Weaver

Fans of Sophie Anderson and Abi Elphinstone rejoice – this magical story reminiscent of folklore and myths will captivate your imagination. A great support in teaching the weather, acceptance, hidden strength, courage and teamwork. Returning home to Shetland, 11-year-old Stella will spend the summer with her Grandpa but everything has changed. Stella is catapulted intoContinue reading “The Weather Weaver”

Are children listening?

Daily story time is embedded in my school, nothing is out on the tables, the children intently listen to the adult read from the class reader. But are they really listening or simply dreaming about the contents of their lunch boxes? This year we introduced Accelerated Reader (AR), a system to motivate children to read.Continue reading “Are children listening?”

Supporting the wider curriculum

Our school has been on an epic reading journey to say the least, from no library to an embedded reading culture. You will find reading advocates everywhere – one year 6 teacher promised her class at the start of the year, that she would read one children’s book a week and then place it onContinue reading “Supporting the wider curriculum”

Weaving non-fiction into the curriculum

Importance of non-fiction We want children to know and remember more, knowledge is power and is the epicentre of education. There is an array of evidence depicting that background knowledge is vital for reading comprehension. The more children know about a subject, the easier it is to read a text, understand it, and retain the information for later recollection. (Alexander, Kulikowich, &Continue reading “Weaving non-fiction into the curriculum”

Beetle Boy

This summer I have reignited my love for reading through a variety of children’s literature. I visited my local library, scouring for titles and authors recommended on Twitter. Bettle Boy by M. G. Leonard was one of them. I purchased this book amongst others at the beginning of the last school year and it hasContinue reading “Beetle Boy”