Beyond Booked Up
Final Report
April 2014
Cathy Burnett, Claire Wolstenholme, Bernadette Stiell and Anna Stevens.
Contents
Contents ...... 1 Acknowledgements ...... 1 Executive Summary ...... 2 Introduction ...... 2 Methods ...... 2 Key Findings ...... 3 Recommendations ...... 5 1. Introduction ...... 7 2. Expert review of Beyond Booked Up Resources ...... 9 2.1 Introduction ...... 9 2.2. Findings ...... 15 3. Beyond Booked Up survey ...... 22 3.1 Survey Methodology ...... 22 3.2 Survey Findings ...... 22 4. Beyond Booked Up: Best Practice Case Studies ...... 37 4.1 Methodology ...... 37 4.2 Case Study 1: Cockburn School ...... 39 4.3 Case Study 2: Turves Green Girls' School and Technology College...... 46 4.4 Case Study 3: Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Engineering College ...... 54 4.5 Case Study 4: Forest Academy ...... 60 4.6 Telephone interview summary ...... 67 4.7 Case study and telephone interview conclusions ...... 68 5. Conclusions and Recommendations ...... 69 6. References ...... 72 Appendix 1: Criteria for expert review of resources ...... 77 Appendix 2: Scores ...... 81 Appendix 3: Collated scores ...... 86 Appendix 4: Staff interview questions ...... 87 Appendix 5: Student interview questions ...... 91 Appendix 6 Additional Survey Analysis ...... 94
Acknowledgements
This project was funded by Booktrust. The authors would like to thank the following:
Catherine Harris, research coordinator, Laura Venning, research manager and Caroline Wright, the secondary schools project manager at Booktrust;
The members of the expert review panel: Guy Merchant, Sarah Butler, Paul Dickinson and Gayle Knowles;
All the staff and students in the schools who participated in the case studies and survey;
Denise and John McBride for their work with schools in recruitment to case studies and survey completion.
For more information please contact: Ian Chesters Centre for Education and Inclusion Research Sheffield Hallam University Unit 7 Science Park Howard Street Sheffield S1 1WB Tel: 0114 225 6060 Fax: 0114 225 6068 e-mail: [email protected] www.shu.ac.uk/ceir 1
Executive Summary
Introduction Launched in 2011, Beyond Booked Up is a targeted programme which provides materials for secondary schools to use with students in Years 7 and 8. It is available free to schools identified by the Department for Education as having more than 20% free school meals and where the attainment gap between those eligible for free school meals and those not eligible is at least 20%. In 2013/14, approximately 370 schools were registered for the programme. The programme is designed as a series of sets of resources, one per term, to be used during Years 7 and 8.
In October 2013, Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Education and Inclusion Research (CEIR) was commissioned to undertake an evaluation of Beyond Booked Up on behalf of Booktrust. The evaluation sought to investigate the following questions:
RQ1 To what extent, and in what ways, is Beyond Booked Up aligned with existing policy and prior research related to the teaching of English/literacy at Key Stage 3, with a particular focus on igniting pupils' interest in books and reading?
RQ2 How is Beyond Booked Up being implemented in schools?
RQ3 What are the views of teachers on the programme’s pedagogical value and operation?
RQ4 What are the characteristics of effective practice in using Beyond Booked Up?
Methods Research Question 1 was explored through an expert review of the resources. A panel of experts with complementary areas of research and practice-related expertise was assembled. The panel drew on research evidence and recent policy documentation to construct a review framework to evaluate the Beyond Booked Up materials. First the panel identified a series of aims linked to the new National Curriculum, effective practice and Booktrust’s intended outcomes. They then identified a set of criteria, mapped to these aims, and used these to score and judge the materials.
Research Questions 2 and 3 were addressed through a survey of teachers. An initial hard copy survey was posted to all 224 Beyond Booked Up schools who had been involved in the programme for over a year at the beginning of January 2014. This was followed up by an email at the end of January. In total, 134 (35 hard copy and 99 online) responses were received, giving a response rate of 60%.
Lastly, case studies and interviews with participating Beyond Booked Up schools were carried out to explore Research Question 4. Case studies were conducted in 4 secondary schools. Half day visits to the school involved either focus groups or interviews with staff involved in the Beyond Booked Up programme, as well as focus groups or interviews with students who had utilised the resources. Students were from Years 7-9. These were supplemented with telephone interviews with the lead Beyond Booked Up contact in an additional 2 schools. These case studies and interviews focussed on best practice use of the resources including any innovative or creative uses.
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Key Findings
Expert review of resources
These results provide an impression of how experts in the field view the resources in the Beyond Booked Up programme. They are useful in identifying the relative strengths of the programme and in identifying areas that may merit review and/or revision. The panel concluded that:
Beyond Booked Up is well-structured to fit with the new National Curriculum, with a particular focus on inspiring a love of reading and engaging students with a range of genres and text-types. The materials are aligned with many relevant principles of effective practice established through prior research. Beyond Booked Up’s focus on building a literacy programme around authentic texts is a real strength. The programme includes a wide range of texts, topics and genres by new and established authors. In particular, resources focused on graphic novels, flash fiction and performance poetry were judged likely to be engaging to teenage readers and to open up new avenues for reading. The use of Bookbuzz, in autumn, Year 7, plays an important role by emphasising book choice and reading for independence and pleasure at the beginning of Key Stage 3. The range of texts across the programme might be improved further by including: texts representing a greater diversity of experiences and perspectives, complete graphic novels and/or sophisticated picture books, and digital formats. Three of the termly resources relied on extracts rather than complete texts. The panel recognised that there may be pragmatic, logistical or copyright reasons why this was the case. Where extracts were used, opportunities to contextualise these were important. Beyond Booked Up provides a bank of activities and lesson plans that are likely to make a valuable contribution to schools' work in promoting interest in reading. There is an emphasis on encouraging students to share responses to texts, to engage in dialogue, to communicate responses in a variety of ways, and to connect talk, reading and writing. There are some areas in which the programme could be strengthened further, particularly if Booktrust intends the resources to be used more extensively as a complete programme. The guidance that the panel felt was most effective was that which was likely to complement or extend existing practice. It was felt that whilst the resources appeared accessible and easy to use, more detailed guidance could be provided to support non-specialists in using the resources to support pupil progress in reading, writing and spoken language, e.g. in structuring learning to support dialogue and creative responses, and in developing critical reading . Further suggestions could also be provided to support specialists in creative use of Beyond Booked Up. Production values for Beyond Booked Up were high and online availability of resources was important. Easier online access to resources for three terms from the beginning of the year might increase uptake, as schools would be better able to choose which resource best works alongside existing plans.
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Survey
The majority of the survey respondents (58%) were librarians rather than classroom based staff. The results showed that they were less likely to be aware of how, and how often, resources were being used as well as their impact and effectiveness in the classroom.
The resources were used by most schools in the survey. However, schools were much more likely to be utilising some of the resources (up to 70%) rather than all of them (1 in 5). Bookbuzz was the most popular and well used resource, used by 92% of schools with their Year 7s. 61% of respondents used Introducing Graphic Novels with Year 7s and 45% with Year 8s. Performance Poetry appeared to be utilised the least, used by 37% with Year 8s and 21% with Year 7s (some schools used the resources with both Year 7 and 8s). Beyond Booked Up resources appear to be used for between 2-4 lessons in most schools, perhaps suggesting that they are mostly used as an introduction or part of a scheme of work. Around a third of the respondents did not know how often the resources had been used. As highlighted, this was perhaps because most respondents were not classroom based staff. Open comments about how the resources were used suggested that they were seen as complementary to existing curriculum-based activities. Resources were used predominantly within English lessons with the exception of Bookbuzz which was used slightly more often in library lessons. Respondents to the survey felt that teachers had free choice about which resources they used and how they adapted them (85%) and that the resources could be adapted to fit into the school’s current plans and resources (64%). However respondents were less likely to agree that they would change their schemes of work to fit with the resources (16%). There seems to be some difference in opinion concerning the best time for schools to receive the resources and this could be an area Booktrust may want to investigate further in consultation with teachers. Overall respondents felt that the Beyond Booked Up programme as a whole was a good service for schools (93%) and that the resources provided were of a high quality (96%). When asked to respond to specific statements, respondents were very positive. 94% of respondents felt the resources encouraged students to make their own reading choices, 90% felt they inspired a love of reading, and 82% agreed they helped reluctant readers gain confidence in reading different types of texts.
Best practice case studies
Staff and students were very positive about the high quality presentation and format of the resources including the students' workbooks/sheets. Schools that appear to make most effective use of resources seem to be those where staff are able to make time to discuss how the programme could be implemented and explore how the resources can be adapted to complement their existing provision.
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Staff felt that resources were easy to use, adapt and build on.The resources were often seen as a starting point for introducing new topics and texts rather than a complete package to be used in isolation. Bookbuzz was appreciated and celebrated across the schools, both for its ability to engage students in reading, and for enabling each student to own a copy of a book, an opportunity which many students had previously lacked. The programme was seen to be particularly valuable in making available texts that may otherwise be difficult, expensive or time-consuming to source. Staff and students enjoyed the scope available in the resources for creating tasks that involved paired or group work, in order to facilitate discussions. Students particularly enjoyed being able to create their own stories, and having the opportunity to create meaning through illustration or performance, e.g. through use of the Graphic Novels and Performance Poetry resources. Students were often excited to work with new texts and genres some of which they had not experienced before. They enjoyed opportunities to engage in activities that were different from an average English lesson. Impacts seemed to relate mainly to reading, with both staff and students reporting that students were more engaged in reading and that this reading included a wider range of genres/formats and new texts. Some students also stated that their reading had improved in a measureable way. Some students felt that their confidence had improved through being involved in activities with a performance element. There were a small number of comments from staff and students about impacts on students' speaking, listening and writing abilities.
Recommendations
We recommend that Booktrust: 1. Continue to provide a scheme designed to promote enthusiasm for reading and meaningful engagement with complete, authentic texts. 2. In order to further canvas teachers' views, consider consulting with or convening a panel of teaching staff (and potentially additional school staff and students) to further discuss the usability and value of the resources. Appendix 1 could be adapted and used as part of this and to support an ongoing review of each resource and to identify areas that could be strengthened. 3. As schools appear to use the programme selectively, consider whether to address a narrower set of specific aims for Beyond Booked Up. 4. Continue to review the range and diversity of texts provided across the programme, including Bookbuzz, in terms of perspectives of authors, experiences and issues explored as well as interest level, genres, media, formats and degrees of challenge. 5. Provide more detailed guidance for non-specialist staff and further suggestions to support specialists in the creative use of Beyond Booked Up. 6. Develop stronger links between different parts of the programme and signal the array of resources that teachers may draw on in extending the work described here (from Booktrust and other sources). 7. Explore other ways in which web-based resources and activities might support the offer through providing extension activities, resources and opportunities to celebrate and share responses to, and outcomes from, Beyond Booked Up tasks. 5
8. Capitalise on links to Bookbuzz and reduce dependence on extracts. 9. Review how resources are presented and organised on the website to ease navigation and location of resources from previous terms and years. 10. Provide best practice case studies for schools exemplifying how schools have organised, used and adapted Beyond Booked Up. 11. Consult with schools around the most appropriate timings for distribution of resources.
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1. Introduction
Booktrust is an independent charity that aims to change lives through engaging people with reading. Booktrust run a variety of programmes for children of early years, primary and secondary school age, including universal and targeted offers. Beyond Booked Up is a resource designed for 11-13 year olds which aims to ‘ignite students' interest in books and reading by introducing them to a range of the very best writing across a number of different formats’ (Booktrust, 2014). Launched in 2011, Beyond Booked Up is a targeted programme which provides materials for secondary schools to use with students in Years 7 and 8. It is available free to schools identified by the Department for Education as having more than 20% free school meals and where the attainment gap between those eligible for free school meals and those not eligible is at least 20%. All schools meeting these criteria were invited to participate. In 2013/14, approximately 370 schools were registered for the programme.
The programme is designed as a series of sets of resources, one per term, to be used during Years 7 and 8. In 2013/14, the resources were1:
Autumn term, Year 7: Bookbuzz Bookbuzz offers all Year 7 students the opportunity to choose a book to keep from a selection of titles. Two sets of the 12 core books are provided for the school library and the school receives a guide to developing writing across the school – special schools receive the core books, plus five accessible titles. Bookbuzz is available at a cost to all secondary schools, but is free to Beyond Booked Up schools.
Spring term, Year 7: Beyond Play Scripts This resource invites students to read short play scripts based on two of the Bookbuzz titles and provides synopses of excerpts from other Bookbuzz titles as stimuli for students to write their own scripts.
Summer term, Year 7: Introducing Graphic Novels Excerpts from a series of graphic novels and comic books are provided. The resource encourages students to investigate different genres and critically consider the impact of different styles of design.
Autumn term, Year 8: Exploring Stories – King Arthur This resource focuses on different versions of the same episode from the King Arthur story. It provides excerpts representing a range of narrative genres, styles and forms. Excerpts are available online and in CD-Rom format.
Spring term, Year 8: Introducing Performance Poetry This resource centres on the work of two performance poets: Charlie Dark and Dfiza Benson. Videos (available online and on a CD-Rom) show the two poets performing their work, talking about the origins and development of poems performed, and giving advice for performing poetry. Guidance is provided on hosting a poet in school and holding a poetry event.
Summer term, Year 8: Flash Fiction This resource presents a series of very short stories for reading and discussion. The resource aims to support students in writing their own flash fiction and features a
1 The resources listed are the current resources, which were focused on in the review - the resources referred to in the survey and case studies may also refer to resources from previous years.
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videoed interview (available online and via CD-Rom) with an author, who also provides step-by-step guidance for writing flash fiction.
All resources except Bookbuzz and Exploring Stories include students’ booklets containing texts and activities, and a teachers’ guide to using the materials. Class sets of student booklets are provided and booklists featuring new books and authors are emailed to schools each term to encourage the promotion of independent reading.
The current research In October 2013, Sheffield Hallam University's Centre for Education and Inclusion Research (CEIR) was commissioned to undertake an evaluation of Beyond Booked Up on behalf of Booktrust. The evaluation sought to investigate the following questions: RQ1 To what extent, and in what ways, is Beyond Booked Up aligned with existing policy and prior research related to the teaching of English/literacy at key Stage 3, with a particular focus on igniting pupils' interest in books and reading? RQ2 How is Beyond Booked Up being implemented in schools? RQ3 What are the views of teachers on the programme’s pedagogical value and operation? RQ4 What are the characteristics of effective practice in using Beyond Booked Up? Research Question 1 was explored through an expert review of the resources. Research Questions 2 and 3 were addressed through a survey of teachers. Case studies and interviews with participating Beyond Booked Up schools were carried out to explore Research Question 4. The next three sections of the report describe the methods and outline the findings for each in turn.
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2. Expert review of Beyond Booked Up Resources
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1Beyond Booked Up and the contemporary context The situation regarding the English curriculum is increasingly diverse in secondary schools. There is no requirement that the new National Curriculum (DfE 2013), implemented in Key Stage 3 from September 2014, needs to be followed by free schools and academies. Nevertheless supporting young peoples’ progress as motivated and engaged language and literacy users remains a priority. The 2012 PISA study found that 15 year-olds' reading performance had not increased since the 2009 PISA study which also reported that about 40% of 15 year olds did not choose to read (Bradshaw et al, 2010). Moreover there is an apparent deterioration of attitudes towards reading as children move from primary to secondary school (Clark, 2013). Educationalists have found this particularly concerning given the suggestion of a strong correlation between motivation, enjoyment and attainment in reading (Petscher, 2010; Clark and DeZoyser, 2011; Clark, 2013) and that reading for pleasure has been associated with progress in mathematics as well as vocabulary and spelling (Sullivan and Brown, 2013).
Previous evaluations have demonstrated that Booktrust programmes have made an important contribution to promoting young people’s engagement with and enjoyment of reading (e.g. Hope Stone Associates, 2008; Merchant et al, 2012a). Specifically, a recent telephone survey (Creese, 2013) suggested that schools believe the Beyond Booked Up programme can play a valuable role in supporting students’ skills in reading, writing and spoken language and that students are motivated by the programme. It is clear from the survey, however, that there is considerable variation in how the programme is being used and administered, and how it is situated within schools’ overall provision for reading, writing and spoken language. The extent to which specialist staff are involved, and to which the programme is located within a broader school reading culture, also varies. Creese concludes that, in order for schools to make informed decisions about whether and how best to use the programme, Booktrust needs to: ‘make the case for how, when and why materials should be used effectively and the evidence to support it’ (p.16). There is a need for further information about effective administration and deployment of the programme and more specific information about the particular contribution Beyond Booked Up can make to a school’s provision for English and literacy. Moreover, as secondary schools may draw on a variety of programmes to support aspects of literacy, there is a need to identify the distinct contribution of Beyond Booked Up. If the programme is to be implemented successfully within the changing context described above, there is a need to ensure that a strong rationale can be provided for use of the programme in schools and to identify any ways in which the resources can be improved. This section of the report focuses on the first research question:
RQ1 To what extent, and in what ways, is Beyond Booked Up aligned with existing policy and prior research related to the teaching of English/literacy at Key Stage 3, with a particular focus on igniting pupils' interest in books and reading?
It addresses the following sub-questions:
- How far does Beyond Booked Up fit with the new National Curriculum and other policy developments for Key Stage 3?
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- How far do Beyond Booked Up materials align with relevant principles of effective practice established through prior research? - How could the materials be improved to better fit recent policy developments or the findings of prior research?
2.1.2 Methodology In addressing these questions, an expert review of the Beyond Booked Up resources for 2013/14 was conducted using a methodology developed for a prior evaluation of Bookstart (Merchant et al, 2012b). A panel of experts with complementary areas of research and practice-related expertise were assembled. Convened by Dr Cathy Burnett (literacy expert), the panel included Guy Merchant (Professor of Literacy in Education), Gayle Knowles (Head of English, Wath Comprehensive School, Rotherham), Paul Dickinson (secondary English expert) and Sarah Butler (secondary English expert).
The panel drew on research evidence and recent policy documentation to construct a review framework to evaluate the Beyond Booked Up materials. First the panel identified a series of aims linked to the new National Curriculum, effective practice and Booktrust’s intended outcomes. They then identified a set of criteria, mapped to these aims, by which to judge the materials. These criteria were designed to consider three dimensions of the materials: the texts (books and texts included within resource booklets); activities (teacher and student guidance in booklets, lesson plans and any supplementary items); and the resource format (see Appendix 1).
After Booktrust had been invited to comment on and add to the review framework, the panel re-convened to review the materials and score them against the criteria on a four point scale:
1 – no coverage; 2 – limited coverage; 3 – significant coverage; 4 – complete coverage
Where the group decided that a criterion was not relevant for the specific resource, this was not scored. Discussions were held to generate moderated ratings against each relevant criterion for each of the six resources and across grouped criteria for Beyond Booked Up programme as a whole. The process of scoring was used to prompt discussion about strengths and areas for development.
It is important to note that in the time available it was not possible to moderate these judgements through assessment of other resources or with other literacy/KS3 experts. Moreover the success of the resources is likely to depend to a great extent on how they are used, interpreted and adapted by teachers working with specific groups of students. The scores then should be used as the starting point for discussions about the development of Beyond Booked Up, rather than as reflecting definitive judgements about its appropriateness. Nevertheless there was considerable consensus amongst the group about the relative strengths of the programme in relation to the criteria and about areas to consider for the future. Summary results are discussed in Section 2.2 which considers the fit between materials and the policy and research literature.
2.1.3 Background to developing the criteria Policy framework A number of the criteria used for our review derive from the new National Curriculum for English (DfE, 2013) for Key Stage 3 which, from September 2014, will provide the framework for many schools in structuring English provision in Years 7 and 8. The current Beyond Booked Up resources were developed before the new National Curriculum was finalised so
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part of the purpose of this review was to consider whether any changes needed to be made to provide better fit with this curriculum. The curriculum is presented in 4 sections: Reading; Writing; Grammar and Vocabulary; and Spoken English: The programme of study for Reading places particular emphasis on enabling students to ‘develop an appreciation and love of reading’ and on promoting independent reading and reading for pleasure. Students are expected to engage with a wide range of ‘increasingly challenging’ fiction and non-fiction and are specifically required to read ‘whole books’. They are required to read texts that include ‘high quality’ works in English literature, Shakespeare plays, and works from different periods including pre-1914 literature and ‘seminal world literature’. The curriculum focuses on developing comprehension and ‘reading critically’, which in this context involves considering the use of organisational, linguistic and literary features to create meaning for different purposes, audiences and effects. It is worth noting that the new National Curriculum for English makes no reference to texts in different formats, to digital media or to multimodality. The programme of study for Writing requires students to be taught to ‘write accurately, fluently, effectively and at length for pleasure and information.’ Students are expected to write a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. There is an emphasis on use of grammatical, literary and rhetorical features for effect and an expectation that students will craft their writing through planning, drafting, editing and proofreading. The specifications for Grammar and Vocabulary require students to develop their knowledge and use of grammar and vocabulary, to distinguish between ‘formal and informal registers’ and be able to use standard English in writing and speech. The curriculum also states that students should be able to confidently draw on an extensive range of literary and linguistic terminology to support their discussion of written and spoken texts. The requirements for Spoken English focus on developing students’ confidence and skill in using spoken language effectively in a series of formal and informal contexts including group discussion. There is also a focus on talk for presentational purposes, such as improvising, rehearsing and performing play scripts and poetry, ‘using role, intonation, tone, volume, mood, silence, stillness and action to add impact.’ The specifications for the National Curriculum as a whole require that schools support the development of spoken language, reading and writing across the curriculum, recognising English as both a subject in its own right and as the means of accessing learning across the curriculum. The document makes it clear that the National Curriculum does not constitute the entire curriculum and, of course, an increasing number of schools (academies, free schools) do not have to follow the curriculum at all. In providing a resource for schools that truly meets Booktrust’s aims, it might reasonably be expected that Beyond Booked Up would both present innovative and creative ways to interpret the National Curriculum and give direction in complementing that curriculum.
In developing our criteria we also referred to reports produced by Ofsted that have highlighted their perspectives on best practice in English/literacy particularly with respect to the expectation that schools should help students make outstanding progress in English through the use of inspiring, creative curricula, good quality oral work, and taking ‘the business of reading for pleasure seriously’ (Ofsted, 2011: 9). In 2009, Ofsted concluded that the most effective schools were those where ‘the teachers responded to pupils’ interests and the world in which they lived, and sought to extend their experiences and knowledge’ (2009: 11
53).In Excellence in English (Ofsted, 2011) and Moving English Forward (Ofsted, 2012), Ofsted argued that schools need to devise innovative and creative reading curricula suited to the students they teach. Schools they identified as successful were those that provided time to talk about books and developed enthusiasm through encouraging reading choices and reading for a purpose. They drew on new technologies in mediating responses to literary texts - e.g. video conferencing with authors, making radio programmes, animation and podcasts - and acknowledged and built upon students’ experience of a wide range of reading outside school.
Other Ofsted reports of relevance to this review include a recent study (Ofsted, 2013a) which raised concerns about provision for those students who had achieved most effectively at the end of Key Stage 2, concluding that a large proportion of lessons (four fifths) did not provide adequate challenge and that in 40% of schools students were not making the progress of which they were capable. In 2013, Ofsted (2013b) also highlighted the need to do more to develop literacy across the curriculum to support learning in all subject areas.
Research Evidence It is against this policy background and in light of research evidence that Beyond Booked Up aims to address a wide variety of aims associated with the development of reading, writing and spoken language. The field of research that has possible relevance to the programme is extensive. In developing the framework for our expert review, we therefore chose to supplement our analysis of the curriculum and Ofsted findings with reference to the research we deemed most relevant to the aims and purposes of Booktrust’s work. We have focused particularly on research related to literacy engagement or motivation with an emphasis on developing students’ interest in books and reading.
We know from research that engaged and committed readers make choices about what to read and that providing students with opportunities to make reading choices is therefore an important part of encouraging reading for pleasure (Sanacore, 1999). This suggests a need to think carefully about how we create a climate in which young people choose to read and how young people’s reading choices are supported. In providing reading matter that will engage young people, researchers have highlighted the need to address a diversity of interests and genres and cater for a wide range of readers (Millard, 1997; Hall and Coles, 1999; Merchant et al, 2012a). Much emphasis has been placed in recent years, for example, on providing ‘boy friendly’ books given gender-related differences in reading patterns and literacy attainment. Some writers, however, warn against arriving at overly- simplistic responses to this issue. Moss (2000) reminds us not to ignore the experience of less-engaged girl readers, for example, and others have explored how ethnicity and socio- economic status may be significant to reading practices and success in literacy as presented at school (Heath, 1983; Gillborn and Youdell, 2000). Drawing on a survey in the USA, Moje et al (2008: 25) found that young people liked to,
‘read books about people like them, and not only in terms of race, ethnicity, age, class, or gender (although these features are important). They also like to identify with characters who are resilient through struggles, people who are working through relationships, people trying to figure out who they are. They want to read books and write texts that offer them social capital in the form of information, ideas for self- improvement, models for identities, or ways to maintain existing relationships and build new ones.’
This reflects the findings of other studies that have found that teenagers read more for pleasure when they chose books themselves and when they were relevant to their lives (Ivey and Johnstone, 2013). Cliff Hodges’ (2010) interviews with secondary students, for example, explored how engaged teenage readers read books in the light of personal experiences and 12
used literature to help reflect on their experiences. Her research highlights the affective dimension of reading and the role of literature in enabling students to explore complex issues. From this perspective, book selections should reflect a diversity of interests and experiences but also enable readers to engage with challenging themes explored from a variety of perspectives. Themes explored across the curriculum also provide important foci (Stevens, 2011). An important part of our review framework for Beyond Booked Up therefore involved considering the range of themes, experiences and perspectives represented by texts included in the programme. Linked to this, we considered how far the activities invited students to engage critically with the texts on offer: both through examining how they were crafted but also considering what this suggested about how different texts positioned their readers (Janks, 2009).
Research indicates that a disparity between school and community literacy practices may be problematic for some young people and helps to explain why they achieve less well in literacy at school (Heath, 1983; Thompson, 2002). Researchers and educationalists have argued that schools should recognise and build on the diverse literacy practices students engage in out of school, including those associated with popular culture and new technologies (e.g. Marsh and Millard, 2000; Hull and Schultz, 2001; Jenkins, 2006; Knobel and Lankshear, 2010). Much of young people’s independent reading is now often in digital format (Love and Hamston, 2004) and young people’s activities in digital environments are often associated with a wide range of reading (Apperley and Walsh, 2012) and complex reading skills (Steinkuehler, 2007). As well as acknowledging the large body of research that has explored the possibilities for language and literacy development presented by digital media (e.g. Jenkins, 2006; Davies and Merchant, 2010; Curwood, 2013), it is important to note that for many young people digital texts are not an alternative to books but are read alongside them. Enthusiastic readers of books tend to engage with a repertoire of texts including popular media texts such as films, websites, games and so on (Clark and Poulton, 2011; Mackey, 2002). Researchers and educationalists have highlighted the possibilities for learning generated when digital texts are used alongside printed literature including classic texts within the English curriculum, for example, Beavis’s work on computer games (2014) or Jenkins work on fanfiction (2006). In recognition of this work, we integrated criteria related to the range of forms into our review framework and paid particular attention to the role of popular culture and digital media alongside printed texts as well as possibilities for making intertextual references (or links between texts).
Some studies have explored the role adults play in suggesting new avenues for reading and argued that teachers need a good knowledge of texts for young people in order to be proactive in making recommendations to their students (Cremin et al, 2009; Protacio, 2012). Others highlight the importance of the peer group, demonstrating that for enthusiastic readers, reading often has a social purpose; talking to others about texts is an important dimension of reading for enjoyment (Cremin et al, 2009; Merga, 2014). Ivey and Johnston (2013) found that teenagers’ discussions about books reinforced social bonds, and in turn, that reading choices were motivated by others’ recommendations, or by hearing others talk about a book. Young people may choose to read because of the enjoyment of reading itself, but may also choose to read because of what is made possible through reading, or the social interactions mediated through and around reading. Sharing and discussing texts can help broaden reading repertoires, deepen responses and develop a sense of the value of reading.
In recent years, much work has explored the role of talk in learning and highlighted the importance of encouraging dialogue around texts in supporting comprehension and composition. Building on Mercer et al’s research into children’s use of exploratory talk (e.g. Mercer and Littleton, 2007), much development work in schools has focused on strategies to support students to engage in the kinds of talk that involves hypothesising and exploring 13
meanings together. Other work has highlighted additional dimensions of collaborative talk that may be important. Vass (2007) for example highlights the emotional dimension of group discussion around writing, whilst Pearson (2010) explores how children’s playful and humorous talk can mediate their engagement with novels. It would certainly seem that discussion and dialogue play an important role in developing comprehension and response and in enabling teenagers to engage with reading as a social activity. Various approaches have been developed to facilitate dialogue around reading. These include weekly reading groups in libraries; book cafes where students meet to share recommendations over a coffee (Ofsted, 2011); use of social media (Stewart, 2009); or more structured approaches such as literature circles (Daniels, 2002; Allan, Ellis and Pearson, 2005; Medina 2010) through which participants are encouraged to share responses to texts and make sense of them in relation to their experiences. In the light of such work, our review framework reflected the desirability of providing opportunities for discussion around texts and for developing communities of readers.
As explored in the previous section, some schools have explored the use of different media to offer powerful ways for children and young people to express, share and discuss their responses to texts (Ofsted, 2011). Others have focused on performance and expressive arts, using drama, images and music to engage students with texts and share responses (Ofsted, 2011). The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE)’s ‘Power of Reading’ Project has generated many examples of such responses and enabled teachers and children to share these across the country. Whilst aimed at primary schools, its approach is worth noting due to its positive impact on attainment in both reading and writing. Evaluations suggested that children who participated in the project chose to read more for pleasure, were more confident when talking about what they read, and selected more challenging texts (Barrs, 2000; 2001). The sharing of responses through the CLPE website was a significant feature of the project. Our review framework therefore highlights the desirability of open- ended and creative opportunities for sharing and developing responses to texts.
The most effective strategies for promoting reading for pleasure seem to be those that encourage children to take charge of their reading and that support them in seeing the intrinsic pleasures of reading (Guthrie and Wigfield, 1997). Indeed surveys (Sainsbury, 2003; Clarkson and Sainsbury, 2007) have suggested that a decline in primary school children’s attitudes to reading was linked to the introduction of the National Literacy Strategy and the shift from reading class novels to increased use of isolated extracts (Frater, 2000; Cremin et al, 2008a; Nightingale, 2010). This may have had implications for children’s attitudes towards reading as an activity and how they saw themselves as readers (Cremin et al, 2008a). Similarly, whilst a sound knowledge of the language used to refer to language (such as 'noun' or 'verb', also known as metalanguage) has been seen as important in developing critical reading and authorship (e.g. see Pantaleo's (2011) work on developing response to graphic novels), this focus on terminology in schools has often been associated with a shift from an intended emphasis on ‘reading like writers’ (Barrs and Cork, 2000; 2001) to a ‘naming of parts’ that does little to encourage students to engage with texts as readers and causes anxiety amongst teachers (Watson, 2012). Metalanguage appears valuable when used to support discussions about reading and writing, but less so when focused on in isolation or as an end in itself.
In developing engagement in writing, research has, for many years, highlighted the importance of encouraging students to see themselves ‘as writers’ rather than writing purely for schooled purposes (Graves, 1983; National Writing Project, 1991). Effective writing interventions, such as Everybody Writes (http://www.booktrust.org.uk/programmes/primary/everybody-writes), have provided opportunities for students to engage in writing for meaningful purposes and authentic audiences and provided time for students to craft their writing for impact and effect. Work on 14
developing communities of writers has provided a productive context for such work, enabling students to share, comment on and review their writing with each other and their teachers (Cremin and Myhill, 2012). Jones and Myhill’s large-scale study of the role of grammar in the teaching of writing emphasised that the most effective grammar teaching tended to explore grammar in the context of reading and writing for meaning, rather than through decontextualised exercises (e.g. see Jones and Myhill, 2012; Jones et al, 2013).
Over the last ten years there has been growing interest amongst literacy educators in research highlighting the increasing multimodality of texts (Kress, 2010). Such work recognises the contribution to meaning-making of a variety of semiotic modes in addition to the written word – speech, images, moving images, sound, texture and so on – and considers how students may develop the skills and orientations needed to effectively combine modes and understand and develop the affordances of each. It has been suggested that schools might devise curricula that interpret ‘writing’ in terms of a much broader set of skills and practices associated with ‘design’ (Myhill, 2009). Such principles currently inform national curriculum frameworks in other countries, such as Australia (ACARA, 2013) and the USA (National Governors’ Association, 2012). Textual transformations - e.g. re-writing a narrative in a new genre - have long provided motivating opportunities for learning about different forms. The possibilities are enhanced by use of digital alongside more traditional class texts. Such work provides powerful opportunities to consider the impact of different features and for exploring the meaning-making affordances of different forms. Our review framework therefore included criteria reflecting the need to provide students with meaningful opportunities for communication, whilst considering the kinds of support they may need to effectively use a wide range of textual forms for different purposes.
In summary then, research suggests that in promoting engagement in literacy, schools need to use pedagogic approaches that support a culture of reading and writing, but also that present literacy as inclusive of a range of literacy practices. Promoting reading choices involves introducing a wide range of reading options but also including those that link to existing literacy practices. Children and young people need access to a range of reading material that both builds on and reflects their current interests and introduces them to new worlds and experiences. This needs to include screen and paper-based texts, fiction and non-fiction.
2.2. Findings
2.2.1 The criteria for this review In view of the research evidence summarised above, the requirements of the new National Curriculum, and consultations with Booktrust, the expert review panel identified 15 aims that reflect what a programme of this kind might reasonably be expected to address:
1. Inspire a love of reading 2. Encourage students to make independent reading choices 3. Help students to develop critical response to texts 4. Encourage creative responses to texts 5. Help students to develop confidence in communication 6. Develop students’ understanding of different genres, styles and forms of texts 7. Provide meaningful and relevant activities for learning about different texts
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8. Engage reluctant readers by providing structure for students to access different types of texts 9. Provide the right level of challenge for students 10. Support students in understanding how texts are crafted to shape meaning 11. Support deep engagement with texts 12. Promote English as central to the whole curriculum 13. Introduce students to new perspectives/experiences 14. Stimulate students to think differently or critically about the world around them 15. Be presented in formats conducive for use in school
In order to the judge the appropriateness of the Beyond Booked Up resources in relation to these aims, the panel developed a number of criteria for judging 3 aspects of Beyond Booked Up:
- Texts (criteria related to: range; content; quality); - Activities (criteria related to: promoting interest in reading; promoting response to texts; writing/production; promoting talk; pedagogical approach); - Resource Format (criteria related to: contents; production; usability).
These criteria are listed in Appendix 1. Column 1 in Appendix 1 is intended to show how these criteria map onto the aims listed above. The final column references key sources informing each criterion.
It is worth noting that, in devising these criteria there was, unsurprisingly, considerable overlap between the principles for practice identified through the review of research evidence and the review of policy. At the same time there were differences in emphasis as well as aspects identified in the research literature which do not appear to be reflected in the new curriculum, most notably in relation to digital media and multimodality. Detailed guidance and assessment frameworks for the new National Curriculum have yet to emerge and it may be that these aspects are more fully represented in these later guidelines.
Scoring the Resources Appendix 2 includes detailed scoring for each termly resource in relation to all criteria. We have not arrived at final summative gradings here or presented these in percentage form. To do so would require some weighting in terms of the significance of each criterion and this is beyond the scope of this review. Given the complexity of the scoring however we have presented aggregated scores for each termly resource and for Beyond Booked Up as a whole in Appendix 3. These are intended as indicative rather than conclusive. The scorings need to be read as evidence of the process informing the commentary rather than as conclusive judgments in themselves.
It is recognised that it would be very unusual for a programme of this type to score highly against all criteria, and also that some of the criteria have featured more strongly than others in Booktrust’s plans for the programme. Others may be difficult to address due to budgetary constraints. It is also worth emphasising that, as explored above, these results provide an impression of how experts in the field view the resources in the Beyond Booked Up offer, but have no wider empirical validity. They are useful in identifying the relative strengths of the programme and in identifying areas that may merit review and/or revision. The following commentary is intended to support Booktrust in assessing how effectively the
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programme meets its internal aims and also in considering other areas that they may wish to strengthen in the light of the research evidence and new National Curriculum. In outlining our findings we have provided detailed commentary on areas we thought could be developed further in future. These detailed suggestions however are not intended to detract from our comments on the general strengths outlined at the beginning of each section.
2.2.2 Texts This section provides commentary on the texts used within the termly resources outlined in Section 1, focusing on range, content and quality. The expert panel were impressed by the wide range of texts, topics and genres addressed through the programme and the presence of work by new and established authors. Beyond Booked Up’s focus on building a literacy programme around authentic texts is a real strength. In particular the panel felt that the inclusion of graphic novels (of varied design and genre), performance poetry and flash fiction was to be applauded. These forms were identified as complementing a more traditional diet of English literature and were judged likely to be engaging to teenage readers and to open up new avenues for reading. The inclusion of flash fiction in particular was seen as a valuable opportunity to read and discuss multiple complete texts within the constraints of current lesson planning and timetabling arrangements in schools. The use of graphic novels was considered highly appropriate given the increasing focus on visual dimensions of texts and the role of multimodality in meaning-making. The panel did however identify aspects of the range of texts presented through Beyond Booked Up (2013/14) which Booktrust may wish to review.
As explored above, the National Curriculum requires that students engage with whole texts and research evidence suggests that an over-dependence on extracts may be limiting and de-motivating. Panel members noted that three of the resources (Beyond Play Scripts, Exploring Stories, and Graphic Novels) relied on extracts. The panel recognised that there may be pragmatic, logistical or copyright reasons why this was the case. Also, these resources were designed before the new curriculum was finalised. The set of King Arthur extracts used in Exploring Stories, however, enable comparisons to be made and have potential to stimulate rich discussion around the relationship between form and content. Where extracts were used, opportunities to contextualise these were appreciated by the panel. For example, the extracts used as a stimulus in the Beyond Play Scripts resource derived from Bookbuzz books that some of the students are likely to have read. Panel members noted that graphic novels were only represented by extracts and that no graphic novels were included in the Bookbuzz selection (see below). In 2012/13, sets of graphic novels were provided to schools but this was not possible in 2013/14 for budgetary reasons. It would seem key to provide opportunities for students to engage with graphic novels as complete texts and explore and respond to their content as well as their form. It is worth noting here that Booktrust does include graphic novels as part of its free School Library Pack (http://www.booktrust.org.uk/programmes/secondary/school-library-pack/) and it may be that there is potential to make reference to these books within Beyond Booked Up.
It is not the purpose of this review to evaluate Bookbuzz as a programme on its own merits. As Bookbuzz forms part of Beyond Booked Up, however, we did consider how effectively the current set of Bookbuzz texts worked in the relation to the full programme. The panel agreed that the titles represented different genres, interests and levels of reading challenge. It was pleasing to see non-fiction and poetry represented alongside fiction and to see a range of genres of fiction represented. The panel were of the opinion however that there were some aspects of the range that could be developed further, both within the Bookbuzz selection and across the programme in its entirety. It is recognised here that current omissions may be difficult to address due to gaps in the published literature for this age group. 17
First, the panel felt that the Bookbuzz selection could have been improved by the inclusion of at least one graphic novel and by further texts with connections to popular culture or digital media. The Bookbuzz titles include a young Sherlock Holmes novel (Lane, 2010) and the set of graphic novel extracts include a section from Stormbreaker (Horowitz et al, 2006). However the panel felt there was greater potential here to capitalise on opportunities for linking popular narratives available in different narrative forms. Whilst recognising that Bookbuzz seeks to extend and expand young people’s reading habits, the panel felt that this might be effectively achieved by making further explicit connections with existing interests and preferences. The panel also noted that there was limited recognition across the programme of new digital forms and formats. Many of the resources could include non- paper based texts, such as film/animation (Beyond Play Scripts), fan-fiction (Exploring Stories), Twitterature (Flash Fiction). Including more explicit and frequent references to and examples of digital forms may support students in expanding their repertoires of texts based on established practices, which the research literature suggests can be so important.
Second, the panel felt that there could have been greater diversity in both the perspectives and experiences represented by the texts included. There seemed to be a predominance of White British authors. Whilst the Bookbuzz titles are limited by what is currently available and Beyond Booked Up should not be expected to resource the whole English curriculum, it is worth highlighting the need to address a range of perspectives in view of the research evidence explored in Section 2.1.3 and also the reference to world literature in the new National Curriculum. The panel also noted that 19 of the 20 recommended poems in the Performance Poetry resource were written by men and the majority were British. Stories which related to students’ lives focused frequently on issues that might be expected to cut across the experience of different groups, e.g. friendship and bullying. Such subject matter is likely to be appealing to 11-13 year-olds but the panel commented that experiences equally relevant to teenagers but perhaps more challenging - e.g. those linked to racism, homophobia or (dis)ability - were less well represented. Clearly, judgments about the degree of challenge offered by specific issues are a matter of opinion and the selection is limited by what is available. Gillian Cross’s dystopian novel, After Tomorrow, could certainly be seen as addressing challenging themes. However, it was felt that a collection could include a greater diversity of experiences represented in the stories and poems presented as well as to the diversity of authors.
Third, the panel questioned the age-appropriateness of the extra picturebooks in the Bookbuzz selection for special schools. The panel welcomed the inclusion of audio and tactile books and agreed that it was highly appropriate to include a range of texts for students with different needs and interests. The panel felt, however, that a wide range of high interest picture books and graphic novels are available that make less demand on print literacy and that these would be engaging for Year 7 students. Part of the offer might include for example graphic novels, or picture books such as those by Shaun Tan, David Wiesner or Gary Crew/Steven Woolman. Whilst, as explored above, it is recognised that budgetary constraints may limit the choice of texts, the panel agreed that the inclusion of such texts would not only provide accessible reading experiences to less confident readers but also raise the status of visual as well as verbal modes of engagement for all readers. Linked to this, the panel suggested that the book choices for Bookbuzz could have included additional sophisticated texts to challenge the most avid and/or able readers.
Devising a selection of 12 texts for Year 7 readers (and the 5 additional texts for special schools) with different interests and levels of confidence and enthusiasm for reading is inevitably challenging and Booktrust are to be commended on including texts that are likely to appeal to a range of readers. It is also worth noting that some points made by the panel are difficult to address given availability of published literature. The commentary above,
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however, emphasises the complexity of this task and the need for the kind of annual review in which Booktrust engages.
2.2.3 Activities This section provides commentary on the review of activities used within the termly resources outlined in Section 1, which focused on: promoting interest in reading; promoting response to texts; writing/production; promoting talk; and pedagogical approach. The suggested activities included in each Beyond Booked Up resource are clearly designed to motivate and engage Year 7 and Year 8 students and are evidently based on many of the principles for effective practice underpinning the criteria for our review. In all cases, for example, there is an emphasis on encouraging students to share responses to texts, to engage in dialogue, to communicate responses in a variety of ways, and to connect talk, reading and writing. The guidance that the panel felt was most effective was that which might complement and extend existing practice. For example, The Bookbuzz Guide to Whole School Creative Writing provides compelling examples to inspire teachers to develop writing communities and to support deep and creative engagement with books across the curriculum. Panel members were also particularly impressed by resources that directed teachers and/or students to follow-up resources and links. Examples included the lists of recommended books, videos of performance poets performing their work, interviews with authors (Flash Fiction, Performance Poetry, Graphic Novels), and guidance on holding events and developing new initiatives (as in the writing guide and advice for hosting a poet in school). The use of Bookbuzz in Autumn, Year 7, plays an important role in the programme, by emphasising the role of book choice and reading for independence and pleasure at the beginning of Key Stage 3.
As can be seen in Appendix 2, however, the panel rated most resources as including limited, rather than significant or complete, coverage of the aspects considered. The reasons for this are explored below.
The panel felt that many of the texts (discussed in the previous section) invited creative responses from teachers and their students. However they felt that the extent to which the activities encouraged and supported such responses varied and in many cases this potential was not made explicit. Ideas for developing responses through expressive or performing arts could be developed further. For example, the panel would have welcomed activities that suggested less commonly used approaches or which supported teachers and students in extending their understanding of the role of drama in developing and communicating responses. It was felt for example that drama could have been used more extensively across the resources to deepen responses and Beyond Play Scripts could have included more emphasis on the role of directors or performers in interpreting play scripts. The panel would have also welcomed further references to use of digital media to support responses, or in supporting students’ production of texts (building, for example, on the references to use of Twitter and blogging in the Bookbuzz writing guide).
All resources recognise relationships between reading, writing and talk but relationships between these were linear. Typically, activities or sequences of activities encouraged students to read texts, talk about them, and then produce a piece of writing. There was for example a well-structured sequence of activities designed to support the writing of play scripts and model texts were provided to support with this. This read-talk-write sequence is well-used in schools - and such resources are likely to be appreciated. However the panel questioned whether this linear structure was always appropriate or most effective and discussed ways in which other kinds of relationships between reading and writing and talk could be explored. For example: a sequence might start with drama based on a situation or theme and lead into writing. Following this, students may explore similar themes through 19
reading and this may lead to further discussion and writing which then feeds back into the drama work.
Striking a balance between flexibility and progression is clearly a challenge for Beyond Booked Up. Currently each resource is teacher-friendly to the extent that it operates separately and activities and texts can easily be extracted for stand-alone use or to complement existing programmes. The numerous examples included in the Flash Fiction and Exploring Stories booklets provide rich banks of resources from which teachers are likely to select texts based on their students’ experiences and interests. These were seen as offering a variety of possibilities and useful flexibility. The ‘parcelling up’ of each resource however sometimes means that opportunities to make cross-references between resources are missed. Other than in Beyond Play Scripts, there are few references to the Bookbuzz books or to other resources available via Booktrust. Exploring Stores includes an excerpt from a graphic novel but could make references back to the previous Graphic Novels resource or to the graphic novels in the School Library Pack. It would seem that links between resources could usefully be made in the teacher guidance. If, as explored in Section 2.1.3, enthusiastic readers make inter-textual links, it would seem to be helpful for teachers to be reminded about when and where such links might be made (although of course the extent to which this is possible will depend on how far and when schools use other Beyond Booked Up resources).
The programme seems to vary in the extent to which it supports critical reading as defined by the National Curriculum. In some sections - e.g. Graphic Novels and Beyond Play Scripts - the guidance for teachers and students to reflect on form is specific and overt. In others, e.g. Flash Fiction, this is less the case, and yet the panel felt that it is with these kinds of texts that practitioners, particularly non-specialists - might arguably need greater support in helping students to explore ‘how’ a text works. The guidance on writing Flash Fiction (video and paper-based) provides a useful starting point but in the panel’s view did not get to the heart of what makes a very short story work or engage readers in what made the examples provided so effective. The resources did include examples of textual transformation – from novel to play script, etc – which offered potential for critical analysis. However the panel thought that the teacher guidance and activities could include a greater emphasis on what is gained or lost in terms of meaning as texts are transformed.
2.2.4 Resource Design This section provides commentary on the design of the resources, with a focus on contents, production and usability. Production values for Beyond Booked Up were rated highly by the panel. Booklets were considered to be durable and attractive compared to other commonly used classroom resources. Colour was used effectively although the panel did question how effectively the resources would work for those children who used rollerball pens (given the shiny surface) or needed coloured overlays for reading. Digital formats were welcomed and CDs were seen as useful as Internet access is not always reliable in schools and texts in digital form could be easily projected onto electronic whiteboards. For one panel member, accessing the CD-Rom using a Mac was problematic. Some photocopiable resources - e.g. the empty mindmap and the book review proforma for Bookbuzz - were seen as generic resources that were unlikely to add value to existing school provision. The panel questioned how far the cost of production of these photocopiable resources could be justified.
Beyond Booked Up is used in schools by a range of staff and some parts, such as the Writing Guide, seem aimed at English subject leaders whilst others seem more suited to non-specialists. Whilst the panel considered the resources themselves to be useful or ‘usable’, they felt that many of the suggested activities and lesson plans would not extend existing practice, or at least that they did not fully explore the possible potential presented 20
by the texts. As such they felt that English teachers were unlikely to use the programme as a whole but instead select from the resources and provide supplementary activities. At the same time, the panel considered that the resources were not sufficiently developed or detailed to support less confident adults who may be tasked to work with students using Beyond Booked Up. Whilst the resources appeared to be accessible to a range of users, the panel thought that the activity summaries and online lesson plans could provide more detailed guidance for non-specialists such as form teachers, librarians, teaching assistants to manage the tasks and plan for learning, e.g. structuring activities designed to promote dialogue or creative responses.It was felt that the potential for learning was there but was not always made explicit for the less experienced teacher or non-English specialist and the panel felt that some learning objectives were not sufficiently specific to be helpful in guiding the adult to support students’ progress in reading, writing and spoken language. For example, the lesson plan objectives for Beyond Play Scripts are very similar to learning objectives students would have encountered during their primary years. Whilst re-visiting is likely to be necessary, it was not clear how these activities are intended to build on previous encounters with similar kinds of texts.
The panel would like to see clearer signposting to ensure teachers can see how different elements of the resource relate, e.g. the role of the website, and relationships to other Beyond Booked Up resources. Furthermore, in view of comments in the previous section, the panel thought there was room to provide further suggestions and options for extending reading and writing in relation to the genres and texts explored, for example by providing more book blurbs, links to other videos of Performance Poetry, or competitions and initiatives (such as the Poetry by Heart initiative www.poetrybyheart.org.uk). Greater use of and reference to the Beyond Booked Up website and the general Booktrust website might be a possible avenue here, e.g. through providing links to the author interviews, recommended booklists, and further guidance on using graphic novels. The panel was of the opinion that such resources could enrich the Beyond Booked Up offer. There are also potential opportunities for schools to share, publish and celebrate teachers’ approaches and/or student responses as in the CLPE’s Power of Reading project. Finally it is worth noting that the panel found it difficult to locate resources on the website, particularly those designed for previous terms. Given that schools are likely to use the programme flexibly and alongside other resources, it would seem appropriate to consider how a range of resources could be made available from the beginning of the year, perhaps by keeping the previous year's resources online until new ones are produced, even if resources intended for the current term are given prominence.
2.2.5 Summary The preceding commentary provides an impression of how experts in the field view the resources provided through Beyond Booked Up, both separately and as a complete offer. It highlights aspects that the panel identified as areas of strength as well as aspects that could be developed further. As stated in Section 1, there are some limitations to the methodology for this expert review, due to the impressionistic nature of the data. It is also worth reiterating that it is highly unlikely that a single programme of this scale would score highly against all the listed criteria. This would demand a far more developed and detailed scheme of work than it is possible to provide through Beyond Booked Up. Indeed, as schools will have other arrangements in place, it is unlikely that there is a need for a comprehensive resource of this kind.
The panel was of the opinion that Beyond Booked Up is well-structured to fit with the new National Curriculum, with a particular focus on inspiring a love of reading and engaging students with a range of genres and text-types. The panel also concluded that the materials were aligned with many relevant principles of effective practice established through prior 21
research. The panel identified a number of ways in which they believed the programme could be strengthened. As explored above, ratings were relatively high with regard to the range and quality of texts and in terms of resource design. However, whilst some features of the Bookbuzz resource (notably the guidance on developing writing) were seen as exemplary, activities outlined in the other termly packs were rated less highly. Whilst activities were seen to be rooted in principles associated with effective practice, the panel felt these could be developed to provide further inspiration to specialists and/or to provide the level of detail needed to support the non-expert.
3. Beyond Booked Up survey
3.1 Survey Methodology
The aim of the survey was to answer research questions 2 and 3, to explore how the Beyond Booked Up programme is currently implemented in schools and investigate the views of teachers on the programme's pedagogical value and operation.It should be noted that the resources described in the survey were slightly different from those in the expert review as the survey focused on the 2012-13 and Autumn 2013-14 resources. This was due to timing as the survey was distributed before the Spring and Summer 2014 resources were sent to schools.
An initial hard copy survey was posted to all 224 Beyond Booked Up schools who had been involved in the programme for over a year at the beginning of January 2014. This was followed up by an email at the end of January giving schools the chance to complete the survey online. Alongside these communications, telephone calls were made to the schools to further increase response rates. In total, 134 (35 hard copy and 99 online) responses were received, giving a response rate of 60%. It should be noted here that there were a number of respondents (35) who did not complete the survey fully. 18 respondents gave reasons for not having used the resources whilst the remaining missing responses could perhaps be explained by those who started the survey but then did not feel they had the knowledge to answer the questions about how it was implemented in their school.
3.2 Survey Findings
The findings from the survey analysis are outlined below.
3.2.1 Role of survey respondent The Beyond Booked Up co-ordinators were asked to complete the survey on behalf of the school. As Figure 1 shows, the majority (58%) of respondents were librarians or Learning Resource Centre Managers, 18% were English teachers, 13% were 'other' roles, 11% were literacy co-ordinators and 10% were heads of English. It is worth noting therefore, that most of the responses were not directly from classroom-based staff.
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Figure 1: Respondent roles (%)
Librarian/LRC Manager (%) 58
English teacher (%) 18
Other (%) 13
Literacy co-ordinator (%) 11
Head of English (%) 10
Head of Year (%) 2
Headteacher/Deputy headteacher (%) 1
0 20 40 60 80 100 n = 134
3.2.2 Use of Beyond Booked Up resource Around a fifth (19%) of respondents stated that they had not used any of the resources in Autumn 2013/14 whilst 11% indicated they had not used the resources in 2012/13. The majority of respondents (62% in 2013/14 and 70% in 2012/13) stated that they had used some of the resources, whilst across both years 19% had made use of all the resources.
Figure 2: Use of resources (%)
19 We did/do not use any of the resources (%) 11
62 We use/d some of the resources (%) 2013/14 % (n=115) 70 2012/13 % (n=125)
19 Yes we use/d all resources (%) 19
0 20 40 60 80 100
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Open comments were received from 19 respondents, about the reasons for not using any of the resources. These suggested that time/timetabling pressures; difficulties liaising with or engaging staff in English or other subjects; the resources not fitting with current priorities or schemes of work; and intentions to use them in future, had affected past and current use. These comments were typical:
There wasn't time to fit them in with the schemes of work already in place in the school.
The Year 7 & 8 English timetable is structured within specific units of work each week with little flexible time to make use of the resources.
Last year, I passed the resources on to the English department who sadly did not make use of them.
It has been hard to engage staff from other departments with the resources. Attempts were made with English and Art but no one felt the resources fitted into a scheme of work.
3.2.3 Use of different Beyond Booked Up elements As shown in Figure 3, the Bookbuzz resources were the most widely used of all the Beyond Booked Up resources, with 92% of respondents using them with Year 7 and 14% with Year 8 students. Only 7% of schools hadn't used the Bookbuzz resources. Of the other resources, Introducing Graphic Novels was most popular, used with Year 7s in 61% of survey schools and with Year 8s in 45%. Short Stories, which is intended for Year 8 and was used by half the survey schools for this year group, was also frequently used with Year 7s (used in 41% of cases). Although the resources were mostly used by the intended year groups, it is notable that all were used across both Year 7 and Year 8 year groups. Introducing Performance Poetry was the least used resource overall - unused by 44% of responding schools.
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Figure 3: Use of each element of Beyond Booked Up resources (%)*
Used with Y7 (%) 92
Used with Y8 (%) 14 Bookbuzz
Did not use (%) 7 programme (n=99) programme
Used with Y7 (%) 46
Used with Y8 (%) 31 (n=94)
Did not use (%) 35 Beyond Play Scripts Scripts PlayBeyond
Used with Y7 (%) 61
Used with Y8 (%) 45
(n=101)
Introducing
Graphic Novels Novels Graphic Did not use (%) 16
Used with Y7 (%) 29
Used with Y8 (%) 47 (n=83)
Did not use (%) 39 Exploring Stories ExploringStories
Used with Y7 (%) 21
Used with Y8 (%) 37
Introducing
Performance Performance
Poetry (n=94) Poetry Did not use (%) 44
Used with Y7 (%) 41
Used with Y8 (%) 50
Did not use (%) 27 ShortStories (n=97) 0 20 40 60 80 100
*Please note, some schools used the resources with both Year 7 and 8s, therefore the percentages add up to more than 100.
3.2.4 Use over lessons/term Figure 4 shows that the Bookbuzz programme was used most extensively, with 18% using it for single lessons, 36% for 2-4 lessons, 4% for 5-8 lessons, 21% throughout half a term and 7% throughout the whole term. Introducing Graphic Novels was also used fairly frequently, with 61% using this for 2-4 lessons, 5-8 lessons or throughout half a term. Most of the other resources were used in a similar way, with around a third using them over 2-4 lessons; about 1 in 6 using them for one lesson and slightly fewer using them over half a term. 5% used Short Stories throughout a whole term. Given that most respondents were librarians, it is not 25
surprising to note that around a third did not know about the use of classroom resources by other members of staff.
Figure 4: Use over lessons / term (%)
Intended for Y7:
Bookbuzz programme (%) 7 21 4 36 18 14 (n=95) Throughout a Beyond Play Scripts (%) 12 5 33 18 32 whole term % (n=73) Throughout Introducing Graphic Novels half a term % 1 15 4 42 17 21 (%) (n=95) 5-8 lessons %
Intended for Y8: 2-4 lessons %
Exploring Stories (%) (n=69) 1 14 3 32 14 36 1 lesson %
Introducing Performance Don't know % 14 5 31 16 34 Poetry (%) (n=64)
Short Stories (%) (n=81) 5 14 4 37 14 26
0 20 40 60 80 100
Further analysis of use of resources over lessons by role shows that librarians were more likely to answer 'Don't know' than other staff groups (see Appendix 6, Figure A).
3.2.5 Use of Beyond Booked Up alongside English/literacy provision Bookbuzz resources were most often used in library sessions (in 56% of surveyed schools), followed by English lessons (46%), form time (21%) and small groups (21%) - and to a lesser extent for homework/extension activities (9%) and for cover lessons (6%) - see Figure 5.
The pattern was different for the other resources, where the majority (61-77%) of schools used them in English lessons. However, Short Stories, Exploring Stories and Introducing Graphic Novels were also used as part of library sessions in around a quarter to a third of the schools. Beyond Play Scripts and Introducing Graphic Novels were most likely to be used with small groups (in 24% and 22% of schools respectively). Again, respondents reported that the resources were used to a lesser extent for homework/extension activities and cover lessons in around 10% of schools.
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Figure 5: Use of Beyond Booked Up resources alongside English provision (%)
46 56 Bookbuzz programme (%) (n=89) 21 21 9 6
65 19 Beyond Play Scripts (%) (n=62) 8 24 11 11 Used in English lessons % 61 24 Used in library lessons/sessions % Introducing Graphic Novels (%) 10 (n=83) 22 13 10 Used in form time %
69 Used with small groups % 24 Exploring Stories (%) (n=62) 7 13 8 As homework / extension activities 10 % Used for cover lessons % 77 12 Introducing Performance Poetry 6 (%) (n=51) 12 10 8
66 29 Short Stories (%) (n=70) 9 17 9 10
0 20 40 60 80 100
30 respondents gave comments about how the resources were used alongside other English provision (e.g. form time, extension activities, library lessons etc.). These comments suggest that most respondents saw the resources as additional and complementary to the schools' existing library stock and library session resources (again this might reflect that most respondents were librarians rather than class teachers). Bookbuzz books were used to encourage wider choices in book selection, to support reading recovery work, for extracurricular reading clubs, for independent and small group reading, and as books for borrowing and reading at home. One respondent commented that the resources lent themselves to being extended across a wider range of years, depending on ability:
'Currently the resources are used within the library sessions when we are focussing in on reading for meaning with the Year 7 and 8 students. I feel that some of the Year 8 material provides extension for our more able Year 7 pupils. However, I would like the resources to also become a part of the reading programme run in Years 9 and 10 during their form time. I feel there is enough scope with the resources to engage even our older students.' 27
A smaller number of comments related to using the resources in English lessons to complement existing schemes of work and stimulate writing.
3.2.6 Statements / views on resources As seen in Figure 6, respondents felt most strongly that 'each teacher had free choice about which resources they used/adapted', with 85% agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement. 64% also agreed that 'the Beyond Booked Up resources were easily adapted to fit with existing plans and resources.' 61% felt that 'the resources were used in the ways suggested by Booktrust, following the guidance provided.' Just less than half (49%) agreed that 'Beyond Booked Up resources fitted easily into our pre-existing schemes of work'. A minority (16%) either agreed or strongly agreed that 'we changed existing plans/schemes of work to incorporate the Beyond Booked Up resources.'
The overall pattern of responses suggested that staff valued the freedom to use and adapt the resources in the ways that best suited their and their students' needs, but found the guidance helpful.
Figure 6: Views on Beyond Booked Up resources
Each teacher had free choice about which 32 53 12 31 resources they used/adapted (%) (n=101)
The BBU resources were easily adapted to fit with existing plans and resources (%) 4 60 27 8 1 (n=100)
The resources were used in the ways suggested by Booktrust, following the 6 55 26 10 3 guidance provided (%) (n=98) Strongly agree % The BBU resources fitted easily into our 5 44 35 12 5 pre-existing schemes of work (%) (n=101) Agree %
Neither agree nor All/most BBU resources were used term- disagree % by-term at the time suggested by Boo 2 27 25 40 6 ktrust (%) (n=100) Disagree %
The department had a unified approach Strongly disagree to the use of the BBU resources across 2 21 38 30 9 % whole year groups (%) (n=94)
We changed existing plans/schemes of work to incorporate the BBU resources 2 14 35 43 6 (%) (n=98)
0 20 40 60 80 100
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3.2.7 Staff involved in delivering Beyond Booked Up Figure 7 indicates that the librarian is most commonly the main contact for Booktrust or the Beyond Booked Up programme (in 69% of schools). In 37% of survey schools, they also lead the planning and implementation of the Beyond Booked Up resources, ahead of the Literacy co-ordinator (in 31% of schools) and the Head of English (30%). In a third of cases, the librarian is also involved in lesson delivery, although in over half (55%) of schools other English teachers delivered the resources. Indeed, the figure shows that a wide range of staff were involved in the delivery, including all English teachers and Literacy co-ordinators (in 33% and 25% of survey schools respectively).
Figure 7: Staff involvement
37 30 Leads the planning and implementation of 31 BBU resources (%) (n=74) 12 22 1 Librarian % 33 24 Head of English % Are involved in the lesson delivery of BBU 25 Literacy co-ordinator % resources (%) (n=89) 33 55 All English teachers % 6 Some English teachers %
69 Head/deputy head % 11 Is the main contact for Booktrust for the 17 BBU programme (%) (n=83) 1 4
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
3.2.8 Views on the pedagogical value and operation of Beyond Booked Up Respondents were asked about how far they felt Beyond Booked Up resources had impacted on students' progress in specific aspects of literacy. Table 1 shows their mean ratings out of 5 (where 1=not at all and 5 = to a large extent). This suggests that Bookbuzz was perceived as having the largest impact (a mean of 4.3) on students' reading, with the other resources still scoring highly, at between 3.4 and 3.8 on reading. Exploring Stories scored highest in terms of impact on writing (3.4), whilst the other resources were rated between 3 and 3.3. Introducing Performance Poetry and Beyond Play Scripts received the highest scores for impact on spoken language (3.7 and 3.6 respectively).
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Table 1: Impacts of resources on reading, writing and spoken language Spoken Overall Language average Reading Writing N Range (mean) (mean) (mean) Bookbuzz programme 4.3 2.9 2.9 3.5 65-77 Beyond Play Scripts 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.5 40-44 Introducing Graphic 3.3 52-62 3.7 3.0 3.1 Novels Exploring Stories 3.8 3.4 3.1 3.4 38-40 Introducing 3.5 36-39 3.4 3.2 3.7 Performance Poetry Short Stories 3.8 3.2 3.0 3.3 47-54
3.2.9 Views / statements on resources Respondents were asked to consider the Beyond Booked Up resources as a whole and indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the set of statements in Figure 8. The responses were in general very positive, as can be seen in the table below. The highest consensus (94%) was that the resources encouraged students to make their own reading choices; 90% felt they inspired a love of reading; and 84% felt they developed students' understanding of different genres, styles and forms of texts.
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Figure 8: Views on resources
Encourage students to make their 42 52 7 own reading choices (%)
Inspire a love of reading (%) 37 53 11
Develop students’ understanding of different genres, styles and forms of 26 58 16 texts (%)
Provide the right level of challenge Strongly agree % 21 62 15 2 for students (%) Agree % Help reluctant readers gain Neither agree nor disagree % confidence to read different types of 24 58 15 3 Disagree % texts (%) Strongly disagree % Help students to develop critical response, e.g. through discussion or 13 64 23 writing (%) Encourage creativity e.g. through performance or producing new texts 11 62 25 (%) Help students to develop confidence in communication, e.g expressing 13 58 26 2 opinions or performance (%)
0 20 40 60 80 100 n range = 91 to 93
3.2.10 Overall effectiveness The survey asked respondents to rate the overall effectiveness of the different resources. As shown in Figure 9 below, Bookbuzz is rated highest at 94% (sum of % very effective, effective and somewhat effective); followed by Beyond Booked Up as a whole (87%); Introducing Graphic Novels (83%); and Short Stories (73%). Introducing Performance Poetry was rated lowest at 52%. However, it is important to point out the high percentage of respondents who didn't know about the effectiveness of most of the resources other than Bookbuzz and Introducing Graphic Novels (between 28-43%). This perhaps reflects that the majority of respondents were librarians, and had possibly had most involvement with Bookbuzz as part of a library or class-based session. Least was known about the effectiveness of Introducing Performance Poetry resources, which may reflect low use.
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Figure 9: Perceptions of overall effectiveness
Bookbuzz programme (%) (n=94) 54 29 11 6 The BBU programme as a whole (%) 28 45 14 12 (n=86) Very effective % Introducing Graphic Novels (%) (n=89) 21 42 20 3 14 Effective %
Short Stories (%) (n=87) 17 35 21 0 28 Somewhat effective % Not very effective % Exploring Stories (%) (n=80) 13 39 16 3 30 Not at all effective % Beyond Play Scripts (%) (n=82) 11 31 26 1 32 Don't know/NA % Introducing Performance Poetry (%) 7 31 14 43 (n=81) 0 20 40 60 80 100
3.2.11 Communication Figure 10 shows that the majority of respondents (86%) found communication with Booktrust to be either very effective or effective. For communications within schools however, this dropped to 42% with the largest proportion (44%) stating that in-school communication was only somewhat effective.
Figure 10: Communication with Booktrust and within the school
Very effective % Within your school (%) (n=97) 11 31 44 10 21 Effective % Somewhat effective % Not very effective % With Booktrust (%) (n=97) 45 41 11 20 Not at all effective % Don't know/NA % 0 20 40 60 80 100
3.2.12 Timing of the delivery of Beyond Booked Up resources Table 2 indicates that although 85% of respondents felt that the current termly delivery timing worked well for them; 60% would prefer delivery in one go, and 28% preferred a different method.
Table 2: Timing of Beyond Booked Up delivery* Yes % No % Yes the current termly 85 15 deliveries work best for us We would prefer to receive 60 40 everything in one go We would prefer another 28 72 method
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*This was intended as a single choice question; however respondents answered more than one option.
These findings appear contradictory, but the 15 open comments suggested that although termly delivery was suitable for some, they wanted resources a few weeks earlier to allow time to review and incorporate them into the following term. Others, however, suggested that if they received them all in September they might have more chance to forward plan for the whole year ahead. Another theme was the amount of copies sent. Around five of the open comments commented that the quantity sent out may be excessive. This teacher summed up the concern about this:
'There are too many copies of everything and I fear they just sit in cupboards. If we could have just one copy of everything, plus a teacher’s resource and making them available to download online would be better for us'.
A small number of the open comments suggested that respondents would prefer to review and select the resources all together on the website or for them to be sent electronically to download and print only those they intended to use.
3.2.13 Use of the website Over half (58%) stated that they used the Beyond Booked Up website. The remaining 42% did not. Of those that had accessed the site: 23% indicated that they found it very useful; 22% answered useful; and 12% thought it was somewhat useful. In contrast to the open comments above, Table 3 suggests that 79% felt that the balance between online and printed resources was about right, 14% would prefer the resources online, while 7% said they would rather there were more printed resources. However, it should be noted that relatively low numbers answered this question, suggesting again that respondents (most often librarians) could not answer on behalf of their colleagues.
Table 3: Balance of online and printed resources % The current balance of online and 79 printed resources is about right We would prefer it if more of the 14 resources were online We would prefer it if more of the 7 resources were printed Total (n) 58
3.2.14 Views and statements about Beyond Booked Up programme as a whole Figure 11 highlights that overall, 96% agreed that the Beyond Booked Up resources were of high quality; 93% agreed that it was a good service for schools; and 69% knew more about new books and authors as a result of Beyond Booked Up. 61% agreed that there had been a resultant increase in the breadth of texts used in classes.
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Figure 11: Views on Beyond Booked Up programme as a whole
The Beyond Booked Up programme is a 66 27 7 good service for schools (%)
The Beyond Booked Up resources are 61 35 4 of a high quality (%) Strongly agree % Agree % Neither agree nor disagree % I know more about new books and Disagree % authors as a result of Beyond Booked 31 38 24 6 Up (%) Strongly disagree %
There has been an increase in the breadth of texts (poems, graphic novels, play scripts, etc.) used in 27 34 35 class(es) as a result of Beyond Booked Up (%) 0 20 40 60 80 100
n range = 96 to 98
3.2.15Best practice and creative/innovative use of resources There were 23 comments in relation to examples of good practice usage of the resources. These comments indicate that the resources are being used creatively in a number of ways. Resources were sometimes used at particular times of the week, month or year to fit in with certain events that happened nationally or within the school, as well as in competitions in the schools. Comments also suggested that the students enjoyed using the resources this way:
'The materials formed part of our 'Literacy Monday' programme encouraging students to read a wider range of texts. They were used to bolster the core theme of the half term. We are now looking at reusing the materials from previous years to support homework.'
'Poetry used for national poetry day in conjunction with our annual visiting poet.'
'We have a Bookbuzz party which is built up within form time to get the girls excited. Pupils read sections from the books and also take part in performing poetry with the pupils. The Performance Poetry resource was excellent in helping the girls think about how they were going to perform in pairs, individually and in groups, culminating in a poetry performing competition where they got to perform their poems in front of peer and teachers.'
The resources have also been used to improve students' reading and heighten their enjoyment of reading through reading challenges, clubs and interventions with particular groups of students. For example a 'hooked on books' scheme and 'get caught reading' programme were mentioned.
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3.2.16 Comments on developing new resources / general feedback Finally, respondents were asked what they would like from any new resources developed; there were 38 comments on this. The types of resource most mentioned here were ones that would be considered most closely aligned to the curriculum:
'Something linked to exam board criteria which can be put to immediate use.'
A number of comments asked for more resources based on the work of Shakespeare; a key part of the literacy curriculum, for example:
'Greater focus toward the work of William Shakespeare is a key development area, as it features across all key stages of English study.'
Other resources asked for included one to help analyse presentational features in non-fiction texts in preparation for Key Stage 4, and a resource that helps explain how authors use sentence construction and language choice for effect. One comment directly referred to a GCSE language paper as a directive for this resource:
'An exciting unit on sentence construction/effects of language choice and how authors use it for effect? A unit on and comparing presentational devices (Think current GCSE AQA language paper). These are things that pupils really struggle with, and the more practice the better!'
Some comments asked for the texts to be suitable for students with differing needs:
'Perhaps some larger print books for students with poor eye sight.2
'More texts for dyslexic students.'
Some respondents wanted more physical resources; such as extra copies of books, worksheets etc. A number of people requested extra copies of fiction books to read as a group in classrooms. A couple of comments suggested worksheets or booklets to use alongside the existing resources:
'Multiple copies (say 15-20) of selected books to read together as a class.'
'It would be good to receive a writing booklet with the Beyond Booked Up, colourful cover that the pupils can use to write in. We have really appreciated having access to these wonderful resources and hope you will continue them in the future.'
A small number of respondents however requested electronic resources:
'It would need to be electronic and interactive. Perhaps an app that could be used on an iPad?'
'E-reading. Possibly an introduction to Short Stories and post evaluation of the stories with a blog?'
2 Most of the Bookbuzz titles are available to order in giant print (and Braille)
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'I use an interactive whiteboard a lot and it would be good to see the resources available in this format as I currently have to create interactive whiteboard lessons and additional resources to coincide with Beyond Booked Up.'
3.2.17 Summary The resources were used by most schools in the survey, however schools were much more likely to be utilising some of the resources rather than all of them.
After Bookbuzz (which was the most popular and well used resource) the Introducing Graphic Novels resources was used the most, followed closely by Short Stories, then Beyond Play Scripts and Exploring Stories and lastly the Performance Poetry resource. When examining the time period that the resources were used, around a third of the respondents did not know how often the resources had been used. However in general Beyond Booked Up resources appear to be used between 2-4 lessons in most schools, perhaps suggesting that they are mostly used as an introduction or part of a scheme of work. Open comments about how the resources were used also suggested that resources were seen as complementary to existing curriculum-based activities. Resources were used predominantly within English lessons with the exception of Bookbuzz which was used slightly more often in library lessons.
Respondents to the survey felt that the resources could be adapted to fit into the school’s current plans and resources, and that teachers had free choice about which resources they used and how they adapted them. However respondents were less likely to agree that resources fitted easily into pre-existing schemes of work or that they would change their schemes of work to fit with the resources.
There seems to be some difference in opinions concerning the best time for schools to receive the resources and this could be something that Booktrust may want to look into further in consultation with teachers.
Overall respondents felt that the Beyond Booked Up programme as a whole was a good service for schools and that the resources provided were of a high quality. However it should be noted that the large majority of respondents were librarians rather than classroom based staff and therefore were less likely to be aware of how, and how often resources were being used as well as their impact and effectiveness. The high numbers of missing data and 'don’t know' responses could reflect this.
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4. Beyond Booked Up: Best Practice Case Studies
4.1 Methodology
In order to address research question four, regarding the characteristics of effective practice in using Beyond Booked Up, case study visits were undertaken with four secondary schools. Within these schools interviews or focus groups were carried out with staff members involved in Beyond Booked Up, including library staff, English teachers, literacy leads etc, and students from Years 8- 9. In order to supplement the information two telephone interviews were also conducted with the Beyond Booked Up coordinator at two further schools.
Case studies were planned to happen between November and December 2013. However due to some difficulties with recruitment (described below) the fieldwork period was extended to February 2014.
4.1.1 Sampling As case studies were intended as evidence of best practice for the Beyond Booked Up programme, the schools required were those where there was considered to be good practice and/or an innovative and imaginative use of resources.
Case study schools were identified from a list of those who had participated in Beyond Booked Up for at least a year. An initial email was sent out by Booktrust to all schools on the list informing them of the research and asking if they would be willing to facilitate a case study visit focussed on best practice of the Beyond Booked Up resources. The email outlined what the visit would involve and Booktrust offered an incentive for participation of 10 books for the school's library. Five schools responded to this email. However after contact was made with these schools only two were able to participate. This was sometimes due to the relatively short timescale of the project or sometimes that the school felt they had not utilised the resources to a large enough extent to be considered best practice. A further two schools were therefore recruited through making contact with the Beyond Booked Up schools who had previously taken part in a telephone interview study with the Institute of Education on behalf of Booktrust.
Researchers spoke to the key contact within the schools and outlined what the case study visit would entail including which members of staff and which students should be present. A convenient date and time for the visit was then arranged. Opt out parental consent forms were sent to the schools to distribute to the parents of the students who would be participating in an interview or focus group.
Schools were requested to include in the staff focus group any members of staff who had a role related to Beyond Booked Up, for example library staff, English teachers, literacy coordinators, the head of English and any members of SLT. Schools were also asked to select 4 pupils from Years 7, 8 or Year 9 (i.e. pupils who were currently, or had previously utilised the resources in Years 7 and 8) for individual interviews or a student focus group.
4.1.2 The research tools and case study visits The fieldwork case study visits and two telephone interviews were carried out between November 2013 and February 2014. Each case study involved a half day visit to the school and either interviews or focus groups with members of staff involved in Beyond Booked Up. This ranged from 2-4 members of staff across the schools. Individual interviews or focus groups were also carried out with pupils in Years 7 to 9. This ranged from 4-6 students 37
across the schools. Telephone interviews were conducted with the key Beyond Booked Up contact at the school. In both cases this was the lead librarian (or learning resource centre manager).
For the case study visits the interviews/focus groups with both staff and students followed a semi-structured interview guide (see Appendices 4 and 5).The focus of these was to discuss the schools' use of Beyond Booked Up since the beginning of their involvement with the programme (this could have been up to 3 years). Staff interviews covered areas such as the involvement of the school in Beyond Booked Up, the integration of the programme within the school, the resources utilised (including Bookbuzz) the engagement of staff and students with the programme and the impact of these resources on both staff and students. Interviews/focus groups with staff members lasted around an hour. Telephone interviews lasted approximately half an hour. Student individual interviews lasted up to 15 minutes and focus groups up to 40 minutes. Students were firstly asked some generic warm up questions about how they felt about reading and different activities. Students were then asked about what they did in the lessons where Beyond Booked Up resources were utilised, whether or not they enjoyed these lessons and why, and if they felt there had been any impacts on them. Students were also sometimes asked to rank their enjoyment of these lessons on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being not enjoyable and 5 being very enjoyable.
4.1.3 Interview analysis The interviews with students and staff were recorded and then partially transcribed as soon after the fieldwork as possible. The notes were then used to construct standalone case study reports for each participating school. The telephone interviews were also transcribed and a thematic analysis carried out.
It was agreed with the case study schools at the outset that their schools would be named in the report. One school involved in a telephone interview also agreed to be named. As the research was funded to explore best practice it was felt that naming the schools would have a positive effect on participating schools rather than a negative one.
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4.2 Case Study 1: Cockburn School
School context
Cockburn is a larger than average secondary school located in the North of England and serving an inner city area. It is a specialist school for performing arts. There are few students from minority ethnic backgrounds and the number of students with English as an additional language is in line with the national average. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is more than twice the national average. The proportion of students with special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
The school takes part in 'Readathon' which is a charity fundraising event where students can collect sponsorship to read a certain number of books throughout a week. This is run through English lessons but the whole school are aware and students are encouraged to read for five to ten minutes at the beginning of other lessons.
For Years 7 to 9, English is now taught thematically, so for each term the English department focuses on one particular theme. Within the theme each teacher is able to teach in a different way.
Staff focus group Present at the focus group were: The Assistant Subject Leader in English (previously Year 7 coordinator) The Lead Literacy Teacher Staff involvement and communication
Staff involvement in Beyond Booked Up is across the English department and the library. Key contacts include the Assistant Subject Leader in English, the Lead Literacy teacher and the librarian/LRC coordinator as well as another member of staff who runs the Bookbuzz programme. Within the English department each of the 13 teachers receives a set of resources for their class. There is communication across the department in relation to the Beyond Booked Up resources in terms of team lesson planning. For example 4-5 teachers worked together to produce lesson plans based on the Performance Poetry resource:
'We collaborated a lot on that… then people went off in their own direction depending on their group so it was quite diverse in terms of the outcome.'
The main contact for Beyond Booked Up (who is an English teacher) describes communication with Booktrust as 'very good' as she receives an email to let her know when the resources are in the post. Booktrust was also able to assist with access to specific resources that were not yet available on the website on request:
'I had contact with them when we started to do the graphic novel. A student teacher was working with my class. On the website the resources are only open at a certain time so we couldn't access them; they were really helpful and sent them to us by email.'
Use of resources
Rationale for engagement The resources are felt to be straightforward and easy to use:
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'The beauty of them is that you can see clearly what it is and what it's for and you can decide if it will fit in, which as busy teachers we need… and your lesson is there for you.'
The diversity of the resources is also seen as positive as teachers appreciated having a selection. The resources were seen as a good 'starting point' for going more into depth on a particular area.
Resources used The main resources utilised at this school were Bookbuzz, Graphic Novels and Performance Poetry, with Short Stories used to a lesser degree. The Graphic Novels were used most recently; the assistant subject leader in English appreciated being given a set, including a booklet for each student to use in class:
'I thought it was really nice to have a selection, because graphic novels are really expensive to buy so you wouldn’t get a set for a whole class.'
The Short Stories were used more to 'dip in and out of' as there were a variety of stories so a new one could be chosen to look at each time. The Performance Poetry resources were used in the previous year with a Year 9 group.
Lesson structure Depending on what teachers were planning they had used the resources in a variety of ways ranging from a one-off lesson to use over 2-3 weeks. For example sometimes resources might be used to start off a particular topic or theme 'as a springboard'. The Performance Poetry resource was described as 'great to get them started.' For the Graphic Novel resources, one teacher had spent two weeks with a class working on the booklet. The lessons revolved around text analysis, looking at key terminology used. Because in Year 8 students need to learn to write analytically, the graphic novels were useful as a text for students to analyse, writing for example about the significance of the colours used, the use of captions, and frames etc. Students were able to discuss their own personal experience of the graphic novels and were then asked to create their own graphic novel and produce a page from it:
'I think they really enjoyed it. They loved the story telling of it. Some students love drawing and so they went all out.'
Because of their theme-led curriculum, the school found the Short Stories resource useful as it offered a series of short texts which could be chosen to fit with the theme being studied:
'You can read this in a lesson and build a lesson around it and it's dead easy because we have themed terms you can flick through and find a relevant one. It’s a really nice, easy resource.'
This was said to be helpful as one teacher pointed out that it can be very difficult to find short stories to use with a class. The short stories were also used with older students as good examples of first and third person narratives.
The teacher guidance was not always followed. Instead teachers utilised the resources in their own ways:
'For newly qualified teachers it would be really useful to use the guidance. If you have been teaching for a while then you might do something a bit different with it.'
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Staff were also asked about whether resources were used with different ability classes. Teachers had felt the resources were suitable to use with different classes as they found them to be 'accessible', however they were able to use differentiation between classes to tailor the activities to different ability levels:
'I wouldn’t do analysis with an intermediate (set) for example; you might do more about creating your own character.'
'You might use the same thing with all different sets but in a different way. So your advanced kids might get something different out of it.'
Creative or innovative use As the school has specialist performing arts status, teachers were able to use techniques from drama to create engaging activities, for example using the Performance Poetry resources, the students were able to create poems and perform these whilst being filmed. There was also a competition within classes for the best performers.
'We are a performing arts school so they engaged with it really well.'
Integration and engagement
Student engagement The teachers felt that students enjoyed the resources; there was particular reference to the Performance Poetry resource in terms of engaging students in an area which can sometimes potentially be seen by young people to be boring or old fashioned:
'Poetry can be difficult to engage the kids. They see it as something they can't understand, so presenting it in that way gives them an 'in'. They can see it as stuffy so they were surprised. You can bring in some of the terminology that they need to know for their GCSEs, alliteration, metaphors etc. but they didn’t see it as dry, it was fun.'
Teacher engagement Teachers were also able to engage with resources, feeling that they 'allow a lot more creativity in the department'. It was felt that they were particularly well timed for the school’s move towards a more creative curriculum:
'It has really added to that and made it a lot easier rather than starting from scratch you can use that. We have ended up with some really nice units.'
Integration across Year 7 and 8 The resources are given out across the English department and teachers decided when they wanted to use them and with which year groups:
'We have just decided to use them wherever we want to - we are all experienced teachers so we have a fairly strong approach in terms of progression and levels in Y7, 8 and 9. We allow teachers to make the judgement. We used Performance Poetry with Year 9 last year'.
Integration across curriculum Although not implemented yet, the focus group explored ideas about the use of the resources across different subject areas such as art, and ICT:
'It's something we would look at. We are at the early stages of integrating it.'
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This was already the case for Bookbuzz through which English teachers linked with the ICT department. After students had read their Bookbuzz book they wrote a review online:
'ICT were doing a literacy thing so they wanted to write the review in ICT. They liked it.'
Bookbuzz
Book choices This school has a lesson devoted to making a Bookbuzz book choice called 'Judge a book by its cover.' Using the sample set of books, students are put into groups with a book and asked to analyse the features of it to think about making an informed choice. For example students would look at the cover and predict the genre, considering whether or not it is engaging, mysterious, etc. They are then more able to choose which book may be the best for them. Other methods are also used to help with making a selection:
'We used the authors who talk about the book and then there are reviews from kids who have read them. We have the sample set that we bring to classrooms, we show the kids, they can look and read the blurbs.'
'They usually don't need a lot of help, they get quite excited.'
Teachers are available to make sure choices reflect different ability levels.
Engagement Bookbuzz is run in conjunction with Readathon (mentioned above). The Bookbuzz books are therefore saved until Readathon happens (usually in March). This is said to further build the excitement for reading the book when they get it:
'There is a buzz around school that week, they are so excited to get the book and they say "can we read? Can we read?"… They are always really surprised that they can keep the books, they are not used to that. Some will bring more books in from home or check them out of the library and they will read quite a few that week'
Impacts
When discussing impacts of the programme as a whole, the focus was mainly on the Graphic Novels resource. Using this resource seemed to help to engage students with reading as it was a different way to access a story; this was particularly thought to be the case for male students:
'The boys were saying it’s a lot nicer and easier to read something with pictures as well, so you are not dumbing it down, because the language and the storyline is quite complicated but it makes it more engaging for boys... A lot of them said it would make them go and get one from the library.'
'It’s a trouble to get boys to read. It's not seen as cool.'
The Performance Poetry resource was said to be useful in helping to improve spoken language. One teacher provided an example of a very shy and quiet student who managed to get involved and was recorded speaking which was a big step forward for this particular student. Different ability students enjoyed being able to join in with this type of activity:
'My class are intermediate 2 and they loved it.'
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Overall, Bookbuzz was seen to be a very positive activity within the school:
'We love it; it’s been really successful every year we have done it… It's been our mission as a school to raise literacy levels over the past 6 years, when we first did Bookbuzz and Readathon and it was a whole school project. It has been a part of our journey in improving literacy and every year group looks forward to it. You get Y7s saying, “my brother says you get a free book”. As a transition from Y6 to Y7 it’s a really nice way to say we still place a high value on wider reading.’
Best practice tips Their advice for other schools wishing to utilise the resources was to devote some time to discussing them within the department. Time for each member of the department to look through the resources and consider how they might fit with their term plans and then to meet up to discuss this was advised:
'I think every school should be able to use them.'
'It's finding ways to incorporate them into what you are already doing. They are generic; so we have all got to do poetry for example. We have to look at narratives; we have to look at play scripts.'
Student perspectives
Student interviews: A focus group was conducted with four students in Year 8.
Activities in lessons Students were asked to articulate what was involved in the lessons where they had used the Beyond Booked Up resources. The main focus of this conversation was the Graphic Novels as these were the lessons that students were able to recall most easily. (These had been utilised most recently.) One student described the analysis work they had done using the graphic novels which relates to one of the teacher’s descriptions above:
'We focused on just one and looked at how the colour of them affects the emotion, so instead of writing them they [the author] expressed the feeling through the colours.'
Other students added to this:
'We noticed as well that it gets darker towards the end of it.'
'The story is getting more in depth and a little bit darker and scarier.'
Students mentioned examining the layout of the novels, the differences between them, and the effects created for the reader, such as how easy it was to read:
'There is one - Super Animal Pet Squad, and it's easier to read because it's all in boxes but it gets really confusing because you don't know which direction it's going in, it's like up and across… most of it you can read long ways but when you get to these bits, it's like giving you two things at the same time so it gets confusing…'
Students then spoke animatedly of how they had been asked to create their own storyline for a graphic novel and the stories they had devised:
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'It was about a superhero who was a journalist and she had to stop New York City being attacked by dinosaur drones.'
'I had this man and his hobby was running and this other guy was a total opposite, he was older and one was skinny and one was fat, one liked running and the other hated all running. They had a big argument.'
Enjoyment Students liked the continuous action in the graphic novels which is depicted through both the text and the images:
'They always have something happening in them, you can have boring bits in a book but for these there is always something happening because picture wise there has to be something happening in the pictures.'
One student mentioned that he had previously liked to read graphic novels when he was younger and so enjoyed being able to read them again. Similarly another student said it was more interesting because: 'I like graphic novels myself, I read them a lot.' Students liked that they were able to learn about stories through a different medium to those they were perhaps used to:
'You learn about another type of story, instead of just reading a regular book, it's unexpected to learn about this kind of stuff, it was really exciting.'
One student said that lessons where they were working on their own graphic novels were ‘more interesting’ as they were able to get creative and produce something themselves meaning they could: 'let your imagination run.'
When asked to choose words to describe how they felt during a lesson using the Beyond Booked Up resources students said; 'Creative' 'Interesting' and:
'Challenging, some of the lessons were quite easy but in other lessons we were focusing on what certain colours mean, and if it's exciting or if it's going to be dangerous in the story line.'
One student read out some reflective writing he had done in relation to his work on graphic novels. This described how he had enjoyed using the resources as it was a 'fun and interesting way of learning' and that he had liked having had the opportunity to create his own graphic novel as this had given him an idea of all the features needed. Lastly he felt that the quality of the graphic novels in the booklet were 'very good as they are easy to read' and that this would encourage him to want to read further:
'I wish I could read them all because all of them connect to me straight away and I feel I connect to the characters. Of course I would recommend this topic as it is a fun way of learning. I love this topic; I would now go to the shop and buy a graphic novel.'
When asked about ways to improve the lessons where the resources had been used there were few comments. One student mentioned that is would have been better to have had more guidance to support them in writing their version:
'I think they should have included more information on writing your own graphic novel, but overall I really enjoyed learning about it.'
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Bookbuzz Students discussed the books that they had chosen such as '12 Minutes to Midnight' and 'The World of Norm', and explained that they had chosen books as they seemed to fit into genres that they already enjoyed i.e. horror and comedy. They also explained briefly how they made their choices, for example:
'We passed them round and read the backs of them'
There was some difference between students as to the level of enjoyment of the books they had chosen, for example 'It was like a creepy story', and 'I finished mine', or ‘I couldn't get into it at all.'
Impacts Students unanimously said ‘yes’ when asked if they felt that the lessons using the Graphic Novels resource had had an impact on their reading, writing, speaking or listening skills. One student described how working on the graphic novels had impacted upon each of these:
'When we did the graphic novels we explained them and answered a question verbally and then we had to write it in our books and then we read through the comic and the bits before where it tells you about it, you read it and find out more about the graphic novels which helped us.'
One student said that they felt differently about texts after their lessons on graphic novels:
'I would never really read books anyway but if there were books to choose from like a thick one and a graphic novel I would choose the graphic novel ones'.
Students mentioned how they felt Bookbuzz had impacted on their engagement with books and reading.
There was some agreement that being given a book to read could encourage further reading:
'If you like a book then you feel like reading another book.'
'Let's say someone never read a book but then you do Bookbuzz and you actually read it then they might like it and then get more encouraged to read more books.'
In relation to reading and writing, one student said it had helped them because they did not normally read but:
'When we had that week of reading I learnt new words and now my mates who are in lower sets will ask me what some words mean and I can answer them.'
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4.3 Case Study 2: Turves Green Girls' School and Technology College.
School context
This is a smaller than average secondary school for girls with specialist Technology status. It is located in an urban area of the Midlands. The intake of the school is primarily White British and there is a below average proportion of students who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of students with special educational needs or a disability is in line with the national average.
The school has a scheme called 'Drop Everything and Read' which involves students reading for 20 minutes every day. The school also runs the Accelerated Reader programme. Some students in Year 7 receive catch-up support for literacy.
Staff focus group The members of staff involved with Beyond Booked Up, and present at the focus group were: the schools Learning Resource Centre (LRC) manager, the family learning coordinator (FLC) (also senior learning mentor), the acting second head of English, and an English teacher.
Staff involvement and communication
The LRC manager managed the library and the resources for the school and the staff. She took on the role of coordinator for the Beyond Booked Up resources as she felt she would be 'a good point of contact for the school from the library point of view' and also felt that she had good links with teachers across the English department. The FLC was able to utilise some of the pupil premium fund and one of the targets assigned to her was to try to raise literacy levels across the board, but particularly at Key Stage 3. The two English teachers used the resources within their lessons.
Staff felt that communication with Booktrust was effective. The LRC manager had attended a Booktrust conference during which she explained that the school would prefer resources to arrive before the Summer holidays, so that teachers could incorporate them within their schemes of work. This was accommodated by Booktrust:
'This year they have taken that on board and we actually did get them earlier.'
In previous years the resources may have been used on a slightly more ad hoc basis. This year however, they have been planned into schemes of work:
'That way we know the resources are being used and they can be used next year as well.'
The head of English was given the resources and these were then distributed to all English teachers at the school. There are English Department meetings, which the LRC manager attends, during which Beyond Booked Up and Accelerated Reader are discussed. This enables the team to keep up to date with what is happening with the resources.
Use of resources
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Rationale for engagement The resources impressed the LRC manager who was sent them:
'They are really good resources… when I opened them I thought they are really interesting and colourful and the teachers could use these, they won't need to do lesson plans, they could use these as lesson plans.'
One of the teachers who was in his first year of teaching, engaged with the Beyond Booked Up resources due to a lack of availability of other resources related to performance poetry which he was teaching at the time:
'I saw it on the curriculum and thought I know nothing about this, where will I find the resources? I looked online and didn’t find anything 'kid friendly' and then she [LRC manager] gave me these and I thought I would have a go.'
The same teacher was also teaching Shakespeare and found the example of Romeo and Juliet in the Graphic Novels resource. He was able to use this with his class to give an example of a new way of presenting stories from Shakespeare:
'We could see the emotions from these illustrations which led me to buy Much Ado About Nothing and launching into reading it through manga - that was useful, I kind of stumbled across it really, she [LRC manager] said it was really good and told me to try them.'
Resources used At the time this case study was conducted the school was currently using the Performance Poetry and Graphic Novels resources, as well as Bookbuzz. The school held a performance poetry competition, using the resources to stimulate students to create their own piece of performance poetry and perform it. This was judged by the head of English and created a buzz of excitement: 'it was a good event to be building to'.
The short stories (from the 2012/13 resources) were also discussed; these were used differently by the FLC in the Summer term as part of family literacy. Parents came into school and some of the extracts were used with Year 7 students from lower ability classes as examples of descriptive writing. One teacher had thought the short stories would be useful for narrative writing but was not able to use them due to timing as the resource arrived after the unit of work had been completed for that year:
'That would have been perfect, especially for lower ability who can't manage a full novel.'
Lastly the play scripts were used in the drama department:
'The drama teacher used the play scripts and made a lot of use of them, they were used well'.
Quality of resources The resources were praised by teachers particularly for their ease of use and clarity:
'I find the resources very clear; they are simple, straightforward, and easy. And easy on the eye'.
'The resources are fabulous'.
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Lesson structure The Performance Poetry resource was used quite extensively by the two teachers participating in the focus group. This was the main point of discussion as this was the resource used most widely in class by the teachers. One teacher used this resource over the course of 9 lessons but in different ways, splitting it between a set of 6 lessons over the first two weeks and then later in the unit for students to write their own poems. Another teacher was able to base a whole poetry unit on the resource:
'I actually shaped the way I taught the Performance Poetry unit around that booklet and then when it was used I extended it myself, so it was a really good thing to use'.
This teacher used the resource as a starting point for students for 'a week and a half solidly' but also kept it on hand as a prompt for students to 'dip in and out of as and when they needed inspiration.'
This resource was used to introduce students to new poetry including different writers but also:
'I use them for punctuation to show how punctuation can create effect, one of them has a lot in…line by line the punctuation isn't at the end of the line so they could identify how the meaning of sentences changes based upon the punctuation and it was very good for that, so I used it for grammar and for new poems.'
Accessibility
Teachers felt that the resources were suitable and accessible not only across Years 7 - 8 but across different ability groups within years and classes:
'I used the manga stuff and the Graphic Novels with my Year 8 class when we were doing Shakespeare, they are accessible across the years.'
One teacher said it was easy to use the resources with a whole class as the students all found them 'accessible and easy to use.' Another similarly said that she used them with her two Year 7 groups, both for the higher and lower ability levels:
'It worked absolutely fine, it worked really well with the lower level pupils because they could get out of their seats and perform, so not as much the academic element but the practical level worked really well.'
Flexibility At this school there was a clear emphasis on tailoring the resources to fit personal teaching styles and lesson plans, and therefore the teacher guidance was not relied upon in great depth:
'I don’t think I ever saw the teacher guidance to be honest, I made them my own'
'I am very creative, I saw the ideas for lessons I took it out of the standard format and turned it into practical lessons and used it from one form to another form. The girls loved it and it was something they had not used before, I got them out of their seats and out of the classroom, they had to go out and then come back in to act.'
Integration and engagement
Student engagement
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The Performance Poetry resources were used by one teacher with the purpose of enthusing the students and to introduce them to new poets, e.g. one teacher focused particularly on Benjamin Zephaniah. There were tangible results on student engagement recorded by this teacher who explained that they had given out a questionnaire to evaluate how the students in the class felt about poetry before the unit on poetry started. The results suggested that approximately 50% liked and 50 % disliked poetry. By the end of this teaching unit around 95% of students said they enjoyed the poetry unit:
'I think starting them with the Beyond Booked Up poetry really enthused them and switched them on.'
This teacher also felt that the resources helped the students engage due to the possibilities for practical work she had used the poems to introduce some drama and students were asked to perform the rap poem from the booklet:
'They would not normally have stood up and got involved like that.'
'They really enjoyed the poetry slam that we did.'
Bookbuzz
Promotion and engagement At this school Bookbuzz was promoted heavily across the school and given a high profile due to its emphasis on sparking students' interest in reading:
'It's something to celebrate and it's raising the profile of reading throughout the school'.
Staff embraced Bookbuzz, and a key factor is that they felt students very much appreciated and valued being given the books for free:
'The books are expensive and someone is donating them.'
'Not all the kids have books at home and the fact that it belongs to them, it's their book.'
'It's really nice that they get a brand new book, it's really lovely.'
The FLC and colleagues ran a launch party for the Bookbuzz books which the students enjoyed:
'We have a Bookbuzz party once a year to launch the books when they arrive, and everyone gets so excited. They love it'
A small number of students were asked to read extracts from the book they had read in front of their peers, which helped to stimulate interest in the different books:
'This year we had two girls read from 'Butterfly Summer' which was not the most popular book, but after that we had girls coming up and asking for a copy in the library.'
On the last two launch parties, members of staff also performed poems:
'The kids absolutely love it.'
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As well as a number of displays around the school, posters were put up in each form classroom. The books' front covers were photocopied and displayed and samples of the books were given out for students to look at. Book covers seemed to be highly significant in guiding book choice. Once book selections had been made, students were given the opportunity to read their chosen books through both the Accelerated Reader programme and the Drop Everything and Read scheme:
'It plays quite a large role in getting the girls excited about it and then we can launch into lots of other things connected to reading.'
'I do think that Bookbuzz is very good at making them pick up that book and read it, once they have started it they want to finish it and swap books as well'.
It was said that the profile of reading had increased over the last three years that the school had been receiving Beyond Booked Up:
'It really has made a difference.'
'Girls are reading books that they would not have picked up themselves on the shelves.'
Impacts
Wider impacts There appeared to be an increase in reading for pleasure. The LRC manager spoke of students who may have been disruptive in the past, stopping her in the corridor and asking when it was their turn to come to the library and read. She said that this was a result of having Beyond Booked Up at the school. Other students were eager to read more as a result of borrowing books from the school library:
'You have girls coming to the library desk wanting to take books out and you can talk to them about the books, we have moved forward leaps and bounds really.'
Teachers also observed that there was a clear boost in confidence for some for the students; students who were described as typically being shy were able to perform their poetry (as described above):
'Girls who are really very shy, we have got them prepared to perform in front of a lot of people.'
One teacher described students as 'blossoming and taking pride in it.' There was an apparent shift in attitudes towards reading and performing which the staff felt was related to use of Bookbuzz and the poetry resources.
Best practice tips for other schools This school had been involved in Beyond Booked Up for three years. The staff felt that embedding resources across the curriculum was the key to using them effectively:
'The best thing we did this year was when we put them into the timetable.'
The team discussed the resources during an English department meeting and decided how they were going to embed them into schemes of work. They were then timetabled to use the resources during the next two terms:
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'That ensures that they are disseminated down and will be used properly, otherwise there is a danger that they could be left, you have lots of information coming round and you have to decide what to use.'
The team also suggested that it would be helpful to devote time to discussing different ways that resources could be used. This would be useful for newly qualified teachers and for busy teachers who do not always have time to create new lesson plans around the resources. They also suggested it would be useful for different schools to share approaches to using the resources.
Student perspective
Student interviews Individual interviews were conducted with four students; two were from Year 8 and two from Year 9.
Lessons Students talked about the work they did, linked to the Performance Poetry resource. This included working in pairs to create their own pieces of performance poetry before performing them in front of others if they wished. Students were able to read example poems from the resource and then created their own:
'Some of them I think were a bit…unique, and that kind of inspired you when you were making your own. I think it was Cycling Down Edgware Road that I liked the best, I just found it interesting.'
'We had to understand the punctuation in them and write stanzas and a poem based on a poem in the resources …It was quite hard to find words that rhymed with like the endings and stuff… We could read them out if we wanted to.'
This work was done over the course of several lessons and students were also able to finish or develop their poetry at home:
'Our homework used to always be to finish off our poems and try to think of other poems to write. You would write it within the hour so planning for a half an hour and do the poem in the other half an hour and people who were slow at writing could take theirs home to finish it'.
'They were fun to read the poetry and then write our own - it was quite a few lessons on it, a couple of weeks.'
One student talked about the energy that went into the performances of her classmates but had not felt confident to perform her own poetry.
Enjoyment of lessons Students were asked to say how they felt when they were in lessons where the Beyond Booked Up resources were being used, and to compare these lessons to an average English lesson. Students described these lessons as being 'fun', 'enjoyable' 'interesting' and 'successful':
'It was funny when we did the performances because we were watching the other class'
'It was different we got to do what we wanted and did different things.'
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'We were happy in the lessons and nobody looked bored in them'.
Compared to an average English lesson one student said they thought lessons were more interesting because everyone 'got into it.' Another student said they would give the Beyond Booked Up lessons a score of 4 out of 5 whereas other English lessons would be more likely to score 2 out of 5.
'You got to do something for yourself rather than just write something down... I think that was a good lesson, I found it quite fun.'
Students' enjoyment came from the practical and performance aspects and working in groups. Students also enjoyed getting to know the poetry:
'Angel of the labyrinth was the best, I like the metaphors in it and the way it was written as well, like “I am still lost in the labyrinth”, it's like how you read it, if you read it one way it means something different than if you read it another way'.
In order to improve the lessons students said they would enjoy more group work, more opportunity to be creative with drawing and drama and two students suggested that the resources could be extended:
'Maybe making the graphic novels a bit longer.'
'There could be more poems from each poet.'
Bookbuzz The Bookbuzz books were chosen on the basis of what looked interesting from examining the covers. One student said her book was 'fun to read' and was about someone going on an adventure. Students read their books both in school and at home:
'It was 12 minutes to midnight, it looked interesting and the blurb on the back looked good as well. I read it at home.'
Impact In terms of the impact of the resources, one student felt the work had helped with her writing. Another student said they had helped to a large extent with her reading as well as expanding her knowledge of poetry:
'I am a higher reading level now after we have done all the poetry and I prefer to get up and do things in front of the class now as well…I like poetry more than I did before, I didn’t know about some of the poetry before but I know about it now.'
Other students talked about wider impacts related to confidence:
'It's definitely made me more confident with poetry because before I didn’t read it that much, I like reading anything out loud that I have written.'
'It gives more confidence and something that the whole class can get into.'
Students felt that the Bookbuzz programme helped them to engage with reading more and to read more varied texts and could also help other students:
'I think they will help encourage a lot of reading…. I didn’t always read when I was in Year 7 so it might have encouraged me a bit'.
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'Encouraged to read more because I don’t usually read any other books than Jaqueline Wilson books, because that is what I stick to, but because I read that book it gave me a wider range of opportunities to read other ones.'
'I already had a lot of books at home but I did start reading more after that'.
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4.4 Case Study 3: Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Engineering College
School context
This smaller than average secondary school has a specialist status in Engineering and is located in the North West of the country. There is a higher than average proportion of students eligible for free school meals. The proportion of students from minority-ethnic backgrounds is slightly lower than average.
Last year as part of a drive to improve literacy levels throughout the school and to get students reading more, the head of literacy introduced literacy lessons alongside general English lessons for all of Year 7 and for some Year 8 students. The school’s library has also been redesigned recently.
Staff focus group 2 teachers from the English department were present at the focus group. One had been the Head of Literacy in the previous year.
Staff involvement and communication
The key contact for Beyond Booked Up has changed over the 2 years the school has been involved, from the head of English to the librarian. The school was involved in Bookbuzz prior to signing up for Beyond Booked Up.
Use of resources
Rationale for engagement The school started using Beyond Booked Up having found the Bookbuzz programme to be valuable. The new programme was well-timed to fit with new developments in school, as one teacher explained:
'It was great because we were just introducing the literacy lessons, and we had received them and used them towards the end of Year 7 and 8 and we just thought they would be ideal to use in the literacy lessons.'
This teacher had wanted the literacy lessons to be different from the student's usual English lessons. As the Beyond Booked Up resources were new to the school, they seemed ideal for this purpose:
'We had never had anything like this in school before so it was nice to roll it out like that… I put them as part of the scheme of work so that each term they had a box of those resources so we used them in literacy lessons.'
Following this the resources were also used within English lessons:
'We thought they were quite good to use in English, so we doubled up.'
Resources used This school had used most of the resources but to differing extents. The Graphic Novels and the Play Scripts resources were used because the school thought they offered experiences that complemented other provision for English:
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'The graphic novels are something that we have never really done before so that’s really good.'
'The play scripts got them all involved. These were great for the lower ability as well because it's not too much for them to read it's just a line or two.'
The short stories were said to be 'great’ and would 'appeal' to students because whole books could be intimidating for some of the students. Students also had the chance to turn these into play scripts:
'So it was quite nice that they had already had the advantage of reading the Play Scripts [resource].'
The Performance Poetry resource was described as ‘good’ but teachers felt they needed to have the right type of classroom in the school in order to fully incorporate it into lessons, i.e. one with more space to move about in. However teachers found it to be 'a great way to get the children involved in poetry'. One teacher said that historically students often do not engage well with poetry, and that they had sometimes struggled to 'bridge the gap' between KS3 and KS4 poetry but said this resource was 'a great way to try to do that.'
Lesson structure The Graphic Novels had been used with a Year 8 class for a personal assignment. Students had been asked to create their own versions:
'My top set Year 8 produced graphic novels which were absolutely fantastic.'
Teachers also took the opportunity to use the Graphic Novels and the Play Scripts resources for some group and paired work, feeling that it can be difficult to create opportunities for group working in typical English lessons:
'For example with the Graphic Novels reading it between them and taking a character each and then deciding which ones they were going to create.'
Resources were sometimes used as a springboard to introduce a topic or unit of work. For example, the short stories were used as models for creating new stories and were sometimes acted out by students:
'The short stories and the play scripts I thought were particularly good, you can use them as starters.'
'We expect them to read a play like 'Our day out' and they haven't read a play for ages so this is a good introduction. After that we ordered 'War Horse' as well so that also affected the resources we had in school.'
Teachers used their judgment about how much students were enjoying using the resources to decide how far they would take them:
'It depends on your group if some groups are really enjoying it we might do something similar.'
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Flexibility For much of the time, lesson plans based on the resources were created by individual teachers to fit with what they were doing in relation to their particular scheme of works. The teacher guidance therefore was not followed closely but used more as a guide:
'There are pointers we can take but often you end up crafting it within your lesson.'
'It's the nature of the job. You look at a lesson plan and you adapt it to your own method of teaching, although they are good as guidance you won't necessarily follow that. There are some good ideas there but you might do it in a different way.'
Within the English department teachers have adapted the resources in different ways::
'We have an established department, we haven't got any NQTs so you give them something and they just fly with it.'
Integration and engagement
Student and teacher engagement The teachers said that the Graphic Novels resource seemed to work best with the Year 8 students and Short Stories and Play Scripts resources with Year 7. The short stories were particularly popular:
'They actually said ‘oh miss are we doing those short stories again?' So it was quite nice.'
The graphic novels were especially useful for engaging male students who the teachers described as typically less engaged in English work and so are seen as the 'target group'. The resources were useful to get these students interested due to the use of colour, their brevity and novelty value:
'They like this. Also they don’t get much of this at home, when we were growing up there was 'The Beano' but they do everything online, this was interesting for them because it's something they have not really come across before so that was particularly good for the boys, it’s the visual stimulus. If you put a page in front of a boy they will turn off, but if that page has characters jumping out and: pow, bang, boom, they love it.'
This was felt to be a step in the right direction towards getting students into the library and seeing 'the bigger picture' with regards to reading.
Teachers also enjoyed the resources:
'A teacher last year who didn't teach English but was teaching literacy, she absolutely loved these resources and we did. If we give them a book we are always saying keep that book clean etc., but these they could take ownership of it and they really liked it.'
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Bookbuzz
Book choices Students are taken to the art theatre where they are able to watch the clips of reviews of the different Bookbuzz books in order to help them decide which book would be the best for them:
'We loved the children reviewing the books that they have read. We use it because in English we do reviews on books and films so it was great to use as a prop for them to continue that work'
'We thought that was great… for speaking and listening as well.'
Book choices are then made back in the classroom.
Engagement Bookbuzz is 'advertised really highly' in the school:
'The children get really excited; they come every lesson asking if the books are here yet.'
One teacher makes sure that as soon as the students come in at the start of her lesson they can get out their book and read. Students really appreciated having their own copy of a book which they could keep:
'It's so good in this day and age that they get a hard copy of their own. They are starting to enjoy having copies of a book.'
'We have just had this library done so it was great that the learners could have a book and take ownership of it.'
The schools found that often students liked to read the same books, so the school provided a ‘book swap’ for them to exchange books and therefore access a greater range. Teachers felt that Bookbuzz was 'a great opportunity' to provide each Year 7 student with a book and to 'kick-start the literacy'.
Impacts
Students complete a reading and a spelling age test at the beginning of the year and are also assessed throughout the year. The school does have a number of interventions to try to improve achievement against these measures and it is therefore difficult to attribute improvements to one particular intervention. However one teacher said they felt that the use of the Beyond Booked Up resources had contributed to this increased reading attainment:
'I would say it has an impact in engaging them, especially the boys so I would say it would assist in raising their reading levels…The impact on their vocabulary as well.'
There were also comments that the paired and group working had impacted upon student confidence. For one particular student the Play Scripts activities unlocked a hidden talent in drama and performance:
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'I had never taught him before so when we were doing the scripts- as soon as he started to speak it was like wow! He really took it seriously and got involved with the character. He filled the shoes of that character. He was in Year 7 then and that was the first time I thought he has got real potential here, now he is in the school choir and singing and he is fantastic. I went to the drama teacher and said he was great and she has put him in school productions now. Things like this provide us with an opportunity to see their ability. '
Through Bookbuzz staff felt that students are able to explore new genres and decide which they like; one teacher commented that they became more inclined to use the library.
Students were able to develop their speaking and listening skills through reviewing the books that they had read. Seeing the reviews from other students was said to be helpful as it gave them confidence to do their own:
'They had to review their book in front of the others for speaking and listening so that was like a model before they actually did it.'
Staff felt that male students, especially those who were typically viewed as being mainly interested in sports, were impacted on positively by Bookbuzz:
'We have a group of Year 9 boys who are referred to as 'the football boys'. They are good readers and they now come and get books out from the library now so it's the ethos of reading in the school is changing over time. It's made a difference.'
Lastly, the teachers reported that there had been comments by parents at parents evening which could be attributed in part to Beyond Booked Up:
'Parents have commented on how our school pushes forward reading and how it is incorporated into personal studies so they are positive in that respect.'
Best practice tips The advice from this school is simply to give the resources a try:
'I would say even if you use them as starters for learners, get them out and see what the learner's responses are to them.'
Student perspectives
Student focus groups A focus group was conducted with four Year 8 students.
Lessons As part of their personal study, students were asked to create their own graphic novels. This was seen as an enjoyable challenge to some of the students, particularly in relation to creating the accompanying pictures:
'The writing bit was easy. It was the drawing.'
'It was hard but I did find it quite interesting.'
Having studied the graphic novels in the resource pack, students felt better equipped to craft their own versions: 58
'If you read a lot you have a bigger imagination so it will be easier, towards the end it started to get a bit hard.'
'You knew a bit more what to do because you had some help with the ones you had read.'
Studying the play scripts was said to give students 'more ideas':
'It helps us understand more.'
'You expand your writing because it puts you in their shoes.'
Engagement Students unanimously agreed that they had enjoyed the lessons where the Beyond Booked Up resources were used and all gave these lessons a score of 4 out of 5 for how much they enjoyed them. They also felt that these lessons were more enjoyable than an average English lesson:
'It's better because you can look at the pictures as well instead of just reading.'
One student said lessons could be even better if they were able to watch short film clips in these lessons.
Impacts Students felt they had seen an improvement in both their reading and writing skills:
'Yeah, I never used to include punctuation but I do now.'
Students said that they appreciated reading more and some commented that they used to think reading was 'boring' or something that 'old people do' and that their perspective had now changed somewhat:
'I enjoy reading more.'
'It helps us improve our English.'
'Yes it can improve their reading. It can expand their mind.'
Students discussed the books that they had chosen for Bookbuzz and said they had read the books both within school during library lessons and at home. Two students commented on the impact of this:
'My reading age and spelling age went up.'
'So did mine.'
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4.5 Case Study 4: Forest Academy
School Context
Forest Academy is a smaller than average sponsored academy that opened in January 2012. The school reflects its local community and has a diverse intake of students from ethnic minority backgrounds, many of whom speak English as an additional language. Although the proportion of students with special education needs and disabilities is below average, the numbers eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium are above the mean. The school was judged as 'good' in their Ofsted inspection in September 2013, and described as improving rapidly since its opening. Students join the school with below average skills in reading, writing and mathematics, but make good progress and achieve well overall.
The school now teaches Drama and English together in the curriculum, therefore Drama is no longer taught as a standalone subject.
Staff interview and focus groups An individual interview was conducted with the Beyond Booked Up lead at the school who was also an English and Drama teacher. She was later joined by a newly qualified English teacher and the whole-school literacy coordinator to further discuss the resources as part of a focus group.
Staff involvement and communication
In this school, the staff using the materials (who were interviewed) included the English and Drama teacher, who was leading on the Beyond Booked Up resources and an NQT who had taken up her suggestion to incorporate the Graphic Novels resource into her lesson planning. The lead teacher had just taken on the Beyond Booked Up lead role a couple of months earlier, and therefore had only recently started trialling the resources as part of her teaching. At the time of the case study visit (towards the end of the Autumn term), the lead had made PowerPoint presentations for some standalone lesson plans using selected Beyond Booked Up resources. As well as using these with her Year 7 class, she had also shared them with her colleagues in the English department via email. The NQT in her department had responded to this and used the materials with her Year 7 group on the week of the visit, which also included part of a lesson led by a cover supervisor - both of which are described below.
The lead felt that the most effective way of communicating with colleagues was more informally by 'winning hearts and minds' during this trialling phase, as outlined in the following example:
'A senior member of the English department came into my classroom and initially thought that the pupils were being noisy, but then he remarked on how engaged they were with the Short Stories resources and said that he would look into using the Beyond Booked Up materials in his lessons.'
She believed the packs are valued when they are seen in action and shared informally via word of mouth. As this was an initial trial, the lead was confident that after other staff saw the value of the resources and that there was potential to incorporate the materials into schemes of work they would be used even more widely. She planned to review the use of the new resources and feed this into forthcoming curriculum development discussions with members of her department.
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Use of resources
It is important to note here that the resources that were being utilised at this school are resources that Booktrust no longer produce, as these resources have been updated since this time (Beyond Booked Up resources from 2011-12). However, this was considered to be a best practice case study as the school had used the resources extensively and creatively.
Both members of staff had used the Summer 2012 resources Short Stories and Graphic Novel resources with Year 7s in the preceding weeks. At this stage, the staff had not yet used the Beyond Booked Up website.
Short Stories lessons The lead had used the Short Stories resources over three lessons which were designed to deliver combined English and Drama. The first two lessons involved introducing the materials, then working in small groups, the students were encouraged to read and select a story for them to work on together. Students were encouraged to plan, reflect and share their ideas before developing the story into a performance piece which they showcased to the rest of the class in the third lesson.
She explained how the range of stories lent itself well to students differentiating for themselves, for example the group who chose 'Good Boy', selected extracts to narrate and mime (the dog character was the focus) and they extended the story themselves:
'They didn’t have time to learn lines so they used their own words, which they wrote and rehearsed for the performance. 'Chocolate' was chosen by one or two small groups who were lower ability. It was short and engaging which meant it was manageable for them.'
As a trained Drama teacher, the lead was confident incorporating performance into her lessons, however other English teachers were less so and therefore found the resources especially useful:
'For them, these resources are great, as they can build it in, which gives non-drama specialists confidence. They do not have to ‘deliver’ so much. The resources lend themselves well to adaptation.’
Because there were so many short stories they could all find something they liked to work on. The Drama lesson really engaged two students who were often quite disruptive:
'They sat down, completely on their own and read through a script – I couldn’t believe it because normally they’re very distracted.'
The third lesson was a Drama-focused lesson which enabled the students to stage the story they had chosen. Some chose excerpts from the Short Stories resource which were already set out as scripts. Others adapted stories with movement. The teacher left the format up to them and very much valued the cross-over into Drama which is her other subject.
Overall this teacher was positive about the Short Stories resources, in terms of their flexibility and appropriateness for student-led learning in Year 7:
'I found the resources really exciting, especially for younger kids, as they come with tangible things (workbooks) that you can be creative with. The Short Stories materials meant it could be a very ‘it’s over to you’ lesson, to get into pairs and discuss which one they liked.’
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Graphic Novels lessons The lead teacher made the aims / learning objectives for the (one) lesson deliberately loose (e.g. to explore graphic novels; create graphic novels). Beyond that, she did not want to over-specify the outcomes, so left the learning possibilities to the students:
'Some wanted to read lots, others wanted to draw, others discuss – all of which are valuable learning opportunities. They benefit, no matter what they do.'
Using the ‘how to create graphic novels’ sections of the pack, the teacher introduced the topic by first discussing what a graphic novel is, why people read them, what tools are needed, different ways of shading, using different colours, and the links with computers and graphic design. The teacher focused on 'The Ghost Box' in introducing the work. The students then worked in pairs or groups of 3-4 and each group chose the story they wanted to work on over the lesson.
The NQT thought that the Graphic Novel resources 'were perfect for my Year 7 group' because they were visual, colourful and engaging. She also used them to plan a cover lesson for a cover supervisor. Her plan (for her group and the cover session) was to ask student volunteers to dramatically read parts out loud. This led into a discussion about how and why the graphic representation can be effective, how it supported the story, and what made it engaging for the reader. Group work followed, in which the students created their own graphic novel. They were encouraged to read the design section, then in pairs read the 'Mortlock' story 'which they loved'.
The NQT felt that students had 'permission to explore and see how it is to do something different'. Although she thought that the pack focused more on art techniques and tips, she did not overemphasise this in the lessons, knowing some students had lower artistic abilities. However, she could see the cross-curricula links with art lessons, and the possibilities for engaging students who were keen drawers by following the steps suggested:
'Most pupils drew simple forms such as stick people if that was the level they felt most comfortable with in terms of their artistic ability, so art ability was not a barrier to their learning. Even if pupils focused on just one graphic novel for their work, they were encouraged to read them all, which most of them did.'
Integration and engagement
Student engagement The lead teacher noted that students particularly liked 'Artichoke Hearts' in the Graphic Novel resource. Initially she thought this storyline would appeal more to girls because of the female characters and the pink/purple colour tones of the illustrations, but the students challenged her gendered assumptions:
'But that was me, imposing or assuming gender preferences, as some of the more distracted and disruptive boys were really interested in Artichoke Hearts too. I assumed they would go for the ghost story'.
For her, this highlighted the importance of offering different options and allowing students to choose, rather than pre-identifying and imposing resources that she thought they would be most interested in.
It was felt that the packs lent themselves to allowing students to be innovative and creative:
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'The materials provided the fun, so I didn’t need to work hard to additionally jazz things up. Generally the kids seemed more empowered, so a lot can be made of it, because if they don’t like one thing, there are lots of other options for them to explore.'
For example, with the Graphic Novel resource, the lesson started with a discussion of what they already knew about graphic novels and then moved on to look at examples, so it opened up a discussion:
'I don’t feel I’m imposing any of my thoughts – it allows them to express theirs – another example of how it can be empowering and encourages student to express and develop their ideas.'
Students were allowed to look after the pack themselves so there was a sense of ownership. Some even wanted to finish their work at home and so were allowed to take their packs. The presentation of the pack also meant they looked after it very well and the pack was almost felt to be a gift:
'They do enjoy the dynamic, colourful, interactive sheets, much more than a page copied from a textbook or from teacher-made resources that cannot be produced to that standard. They seem more honoured… more images and scope for referencing words, colours, images – more dynamic.'
The short stories were seen to be particularly appealing:
'With the Short Stories, there was not a single child not engaged. There were so many different ways that they could all engage, whether reading out loud, silently, discussing, enacting. I felt I could step back and let the learning happen organically. I didn’t need to quieten them down or refocus them – they were all on-task in their own ways.'
The step by step layout and structure of the materials made it easier for the students to engage. The materials also lent themselves to independent learning:
'All the support is there, there is no real roof on it – no limit to how good the outcome can be'.
Teacher engagement The Graphic Novel resources were said to be colourful and self-contained and so did not need a lot of additional work to make them work for an enjoyable lesson. Instead, there was potential for students to be creative with the resources – e.g. using the suggestions to create their own graphic story. The students used it to continue and extend the stories that were already there in the booklet.
This ‘ready-to-go’ aspect of the resources appealed to both teachers, who found that the format meant the materials were particularly well-suited for the cover lesson, which the NQT described as “a chunk of fun” in that it was self-contained and easily used by a non-specialist teacher:
'I thought this was much livelier and higher quality than most cover lesson resources and plans. The cover supervisor was also happy because it was all laid out, she knew exactly what she was doing, it was quite self-explanatory.'
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Overall, this teacher felt that the packs offered more options and possibilities than a standard text book:
'I like giving them choice because I know they are all developmental, all interesting, sharable or can be done individually. The results could also lend themselves to display'.
Impact
Students were said to read more than they might otherwise do as a result of Beyond Booked Up. The variety of texts meant possibilities to match their interest:
'They don’t realise they’re picking up these other skills, it’s almost subliminal that they’re doing that work. I hate forcing kids to read books, if they don’t like it, they don’t like it, but here they can start and move on to another story.'
For the Graphic Novel resource, working in groups enabled each student to play to their strengths, whether that was around drawing/art or providing ideas and text to contribute to the work. They fostered their team working abilities through discussion which also developed their speaking and listening skills.
One teacher felt that the creative nature of the activities enabled some students to demonstrate their abilities, for example:
'One [English as an additional language] girl is targeted at 2.5 and is developing, but in this work I could see she was performing at 2.5 or 3. She’s not getting those in writing tasks, but when she can engage in these other learning activities, she’s more empowered and really creative in terms of coming up with ideas and stories. She finds that much easier and that increases her confidence.'
Best practice tips
Their key advice was to try to link the resources to the rest of the curriculum. This helped the teachers to link particular aspects of English lessons such as studying the language of different stories to those in resources. Another idea was adapting the elements of some resources (such as Graphic Novels or Performance Poetry) to other elements of the English curriculum, for example using graphic novels to explore aspects of Oliver Twist.
Student perspective
Student focus groups Two focus groups were conducted, the first with five Year 7 students and the second with two Year 7 students.
Lessons The first group of students had had a lesson using the Graphic Novels resource on the day of the focus group. One student said he had found the booklet to be 'inspiring' because it had 'captured me with the pictures.' Initially some of the graphic novels were said to be difficult to understand, for example which way to read them, however students wanted to persevere due to enjoyment of the story:
'The comics made me read them, I didn’t want to stop, I wanted to find out what happened'
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One girl chose 'Artichoke Hearts', because it had been her birthday a few days before (a birthday was central to the story). She liked the way the character expressed her feelings and enjoyed the mystery of the story. Students worked in groups and they enjoyed discussing it together.
Working with the Short Stories resource, students read and performed a story called ‘Something to tell you' which was described as 'fun'. Students appeared to enjoy talking about it:
'I liked the story, because it was short I could picture it in my head, and it was fun to express it like that (through acting/mime); I could picture the scene – what the girl looked like, because the descriptions in the story were good.'
Another group described their enjoyment of performing this:
'I liked the ending, and it was easy to divide up the play and decide on how to do it… the performance at the end was funny, because dogs can’t walk on two feet!'
The whole class discussed the performance and the story afterwards – the whole group seemed to be engaged in each other's stories and performances. They liked having English and Drama combined as it enabled them to explore different ways of working and expressing ideas.
Engagement and enjoyment Students enjoyed the presentation of the resources, feeling that they stood out and were 'much better' than their usual worksheets:
'It’s colourful and interesting with lots of stories built into one book.'
'The pictures [in Ghostbox] really pull you into the story, the colours grab you in. I just wanted to know what it was, what was happening.'
'They grab you in to read it, the orange and other bright colours grab you, looks interesting, like a CD or something.'
An important part of the enjoyment for some students was being able to incorporate drawing into their work:
'I like art – I can let my emotions out more than just writing.'
'I felt excited drawing because I like painting.'
Compared to their other English lessons, they described Beyond Booked Up (Short Stories and Graphic Novels resources) as being 'different and fun'. They particularly liked the choice and variety it offered confirming the points made by their teachers:
'You could do whatever story you wanted, whereas in English you normally have to do the one topic you’re on… it was more fun too because we could do the performances.'
Others agreed:
'It was different and a bit better, because you weren’t just writing it, you could talk about it and act it.'
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When asked what mark out of 5 students would give their Beyond Booked Up lessons, opinions differed. However most students said between 3 and 5. Reasons were related to either struggling with, or not enjoying drawing for the Graphic Novels lessons and the enjoyment of acting for the Short Stories lessons.
Impacts
There were a range of skills discussed by students as having been impacted by using the resources; mostly these were developed from working together which they all enjoyed. For example
'Listening and speaking to each other.'
'Helping us to express our feelings and ideas more.'
'It gave us more responsibilities as well because we have to make sure everyone takes part and stays on track with what they’re doing.'
Some students also felt that they had improved their observational skills from studying the graphic novels:
'We took notice of the way it was laid out – one story was in an ‘S’ shape. We looked at the facial expressions linked to what the writing said.'
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4.6 Telephone interview summary
A further two telephone interviews were conducted with the lead librarians from two additional schools. These interviews were thematically analysed and are discussed here in relation to a wider summary from the qualitative data collected.
One of the key qualities that appealed to both students and staff members appeared to be the high production value of the resources. The fact that the resources were 'glossy' on 'good quality paper' was said to make a difference to student's engagement. Having enough copies for each pupil meant that staff did not have to spend time and money photocopying worksheets. This also meant that each student had their own copy to work on and sometimes keep which created a sense of ownership. The fact that the resources were also in colour and were attractively designed meant that they immediately sparked students’ interest, being seen as different to the norm:
'They are such high quality in lovely colour, whereas resources here are usually black and white and ordinary paper, these look nice… The teacher who did Robin Hood was really blown away by the quality of the resources.' (Sewel Park)
'I think they are very well produced, very high standard. The quality of the paper is marvellous. I think they are great resources…They are in colour and not photocopied, they stand out to most of our students.' (School B)
The ease of use was another important factor discussed by a number of interviewees. Resources were described as 'very clear and simple to use.' The activities presented could either be followed which made for a simple lesson plan or very easily adapted to whatever teachers wanted to focus on. This also meant that activities could be differentiated to fit ability and needs of the students in class:
'I know with 'Robin Hood' I gave her the disc and the packs and she adapted them, she taught it as a half a term unit… You can make them higher or lower, extend them, differentiate them.' (Sewel Park)
'The students would have done one activity... Then brighter ones would have ploughed through it. It would be done over a week or two. The teacher focused on a particular aspect of it and for those students who finished quickly they could have the rest of the booklet.' (School B)
Overall, students' engagement was often attributed in some part to the element of choice and variety of activities. They were able to do something different to an average lesson such as more group work, being creative and performing different aspects. The resources facilitated an interest in reading which is really important to staff especially for pupils in Year 7 and 8 who staff sometimes feel can be reluctant readers:
'The Short Stories I am getting a lot of feedback about, saying that young people are sitting quietly reading them - they are engaging them. It makes a book a friend, not an enemy.' (Sewel Park)
Although not implemented yet, the case studies and telephone interviews opened up ideas about the use of the resources across different subject areas such as Art, Drama, Citizenship and ICT:
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'We have not done so yet. There is the potential - the Play Scripts actually I could ask the drama department, that is a really good point! I had not thought of that. Excellent' (Sewel Park)
'Now you have said that I might put some of these in learning support and citizenship as well. And drama, I will pass it through to them see what they think.' (School B)
The best practice tips across the case studies and interviews suggested that in order to utilise the resources in the best possible way, the key is to spend some time looking at the resources and talking to teaching staff members about how they can fit these into their schemes of work:
'I think you need to find out who your KS3 literacy coordinator is and sit them down and enthuse them about the resources yourself. I would advise any school librarian to look at how they can use them. Don't be put off if you can't use them this year, we are using last year's resources this year. If a teacher does show enthusiasm for example about Robin Hood, then get the school to buy the advised books so you can make a display to support the work. Also I will talk to our drama staff because some of those resources are not just English based'. (Sewel Park)
'You need to get to the department at a departmental level at a departmental meeting early in the year when they are all relatively keen. We use last year's resources.' (School B)
4.7 Case study and telephone interview conclusions
Schools that appear most satisfied with the programme seem to be those that are able to make time to discuss how the programme should be implemented and explore how the resources can be adapted to complement their existing provision. The resources were often seen as a starting point for introducing new topics and texts rather than a complete package to be used in isolation. Staff also felt that resources were easy to use on their own but also to adapt and build upon.
Bookbuzz was appreciated and celebrated across the schools, both for its ability to engage students in reading, and enabling each student to own a copy of a book, which many students had not previously had.
The Beyond Booked Up programme was seen to be particularly valuable in making available texts that may otherwise be difficult, expensive or time-consuming to source. Staff and students enjoyed the scope available in the resources for creating tasks that involved paired or group work, in order to facilitate discussions. Students particularly enjoyed being able to create their own stories, and having the opportunity to create meaning through illustration or performance. Students were often excited to work with new texts and genres some of which they may not have encountered before. They enjoyed opportunities to engage in activities that were outside the norm of an average English lesson.
Impacts seemed to relate mainly to reading, with both staff and students reporting that students were more engaged in reading and were reading both a wider range of genres/formats and new texts. Some students also stated that their reading had improved in a measureable way. Others felt that their confidence had improved through being involved in activities with a performance element. There were a small number of comments from staff and students about the impacts on students' speaking, listening and writing abilities.
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5. Conclusions and Recommendations
It is evident that Booktrust has given considerable thought to the balance of Beyond Booked Up to ensure that it provides diverse and stimulating starting points for reading, writing and spoken language. It also introduces participating students to a range of new authors and text-types. A large proportion of schools receiving Beyond Booked Up use the programme to some extent and find the resources attractive, accessible and easy to integrate into schemes of work. However at the same time, a minority of schools do not use the resources at all, whilst others use them in years other than those intended, or use them selectively.
Looking firstly at Research Question 1, relating to the alignment of the resources with existing policy and research, the panel's expert review suggests that Beyond Booked Up fits well with the new National Curriculum. The resources are well designed to inspire a love of reading and engage students with different types of texts and genres. Prior research highlights that the resources are aligned with many relevant principles of effective practice. The panel identified a number of areas which Booktrust may wish to consider for future development. These included providing additional suggestions for inspiring and creative activities to enthuse young readers and writers, and/or providing more detailed guidance for non-specialists. Comments on the range and diversity of texts endorsed the importance of ongoing review of the range of texts across the programme and within Bookbuzz.
In examining how Beyond Booked Up is implemented in schools (Research Question 2), we draw on findings from the survey and case studies. Results show that in most schools (up to 70%), some but not all of the resources are used. Where resources were being used, these tended to be over a period of 2-4 lessons and were used to complement existing schemes of work, rather than being used extensively across the curriculum. The open comments from the survey suggest that timing is key to the extent to which schools use the resources both in terms of when they are delivered and needed, and in terms of pressures in the timetable/curriculum. The difficulties in recruiting schools for the case studies for this research also highlight that there may be less usage of the resources than Booktrust would hope. Reasons given by schools for not taking part in the research were sometimes due to them not feeling able to facilitate a half day visit from a researcher, whilst others stated that they had not yet used the resources. The overall feedback from these schools suggested that the resources were viewed as being of high quality, but that time is not always available to devote to an additional programme. This may suggest that in some schools Beyond Booked Up is either not being implemented or only utilised to a limited extent although it is not possible to conclude from this research how far this is the case. It is also possible that resources are being used by schools but not in the ways intended by Booktrust.
This research also attempted to gain teachers’ views on the programmes' pedagogical value and operation (Research Question 3). However, in the majority of cases the main Beyond Booked Up contact at the school was a member of library staff, therefore teachers' views were not always collected directly. Bookbuzz appeared to be the most popular and well used resource, used by 92% of respondents with their Year 7s; this was also praised in the expert review and throughout the case studies. However as has been noted, the survey was completed predominantly by library staff, who were more likely to have used Bookbuzz than any other resource. Overall the biggest impact of the Beyond Booked Up resources appeared to be on students' engagement with reading through use of the Bookbuzz programme.
Survey results suggested that teachers felt the programme is well-designed to address key aspects of reading, writing and spoken language, although there appeared to be less consensus around how far the programme supports pupil progress in these areas. Whilst
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some schools had not used the programme fully, those who had used the resources were generally positive. For example 93% of respondents felt that Beyond Booked Up was a good service for schools and 96% agreed that the resources provided were of a high quality.
Lastly, research question 4 is related to characteristics of effective practice of the Beyond Booked Up programme and the case studies provide some insight into this. Effective practice in using the resources initially seems to start with time for staff members to explore the resources and meeting to discuss how they can be used. Having the resources added into schemes of work or specifically timetabled seemed to have a positive impact on the way, and extent to which, they were used and how teachers viewed them. Resources were said to work well as a starting point to introduce topics or areas of work and these were useful in enthusing students about a particular genre or text type. For teachers, effective practice seemed to come through being able to utilise and adapt the resources in their own ways. Although the teacher guidance was sometimes followed, it was often to a limited extent. Teachers were able to modify the activities depending on the needs of a particular class at a particular time. This also helped with differentiation and flexibility so that a whole class could be working on the same resource but potentially doing different tasks. One of the key methods of effective practice commented on by both staff and students was using the resources in creative ways, particularly through incorporating drama or art into activities. This helped to spark students' interest in the activity as well as helping them to access the texts at a deeper level through discussion and performance. Bookbuzz was particularly effective at engaging students in reading when it was promoted throughout the whole school and students were encouraged, and given time, to read both in class and at home. Resources linked to text formats that may normally be less used in schools - e.g. performance poetry and graphic novels - also received particularly positive comments.
There were some limitations to this research; firstly the survey was intended to gain teachers' views directly. However given the number of librarians who responded, it was not possible to gain sufficient insight into teachers' views on implementation, use and effectiveness in the classroom. Secondly both the survey and case studies did not ask for teachers' critical analysis of the resources, for example any limitations, or possible improvements. Previous research done by the Institute of Education (2013) on the Beyond Booked Up programme could offer additional insight into teachers' views.
The findings from the case studies and outcomes from the survey and expert review combine to generate a positive evaluation of Beyond Booked Up. The resources are well- received by schools, fit well with the requirements of the new National Curriculum, and most schools participating in this study feel they make a valuable contribution to the promotion of reading. These findings also suggest that the texts and activities are used selectively and the resources are often used as the springboard for further work rather than as a part of a complete programme. Given some of the areas for development identified by the expert review team, it may be that a revised programme would be used more extensively by schools. On the other hand, as many schools cited lack of time as the main reason for not using the resources, it may be that a comprehensive programme like Beyond Booked Up, however well-designed, is unlikely to be fully utilised by schools. If this is the case, it may be that a different kind of resource, perhaps designed as a bank of resources and more narrowly focused on a smaller number of aims, would be appropriate.
We recommend that Booktrust: 1. Continue to provide a scheme designed to promote enthusiasm for reading and meaningful engagement with complete, authentic texts. 2. In order to further canvas teachers' views, consider consulting with, or convening a panel of teaching staff (and potentially additional school staff and students) to 70
further discuss the usability and value of the resources. Appendix 1 could be adapted and used as part of this and to support an ongoing review of each resource and to identify areas that could be strengthened. 3. As schools appear to use the resources selectively, consider whether to address a narrower set of specific aims for Beyond Booked Up. 4. Continue to review the range and diversity of texts provided across the programme, including Bookbuzz, in terms of perspectives of authors, experiences and issues explored as well as interest level, genres, media, formats and degrees of challenge. 5. Provide more detailed guidance for non-specialist staff and further suggestions to support specialists in the creative use of Beyond Booked Up. 6. Develop stronger links between different parts of the programme and signal the array of resources that teachers may draw on in extending the work described here (from Booktrust and other sources). 7. Explore other ways in which web-based resources and activities might support the offer through providing extension activities, resources and opportunities to celebrate and share responses to, and outcomes from, Beyond Booked Up tasks. 8. Capitalise on links to Bookbuzz and review the use of extracts. 9. Review how resources are presented and organised on the website to ease navigation and location of resources from previous terms and years. 10. Provide best practice case studies for schools exemplifying how schools have organised, used and adapted Beyond Booked Up. 11. Consult with schools around the most appropriate timings for distribution of resources.
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6. References
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GILLBORN, D. & YOUDELL, D. (2000).Rationing Education: Policy, Practice, Reform and Equity. Buckingham: Open University Press.
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GUTHRIE, J. T., & WIGFIELD, A. (Eds.) (1997).Reading Engagement: Motivatingreaders through integrated instruction. Newark: DE: International ReadingAssociation.
HALL, C. & COLES, M. (1999).Children’s Reading Choices. London: Routledge
HEATH, S. B. (1983). Ways with Words. Cambridge: Cambridge University press.
HOPE-STONE ASSOCIATES (2008).Booked Up evaluation report.London: Booktrust.
HOROWITZ, A., JOHNSTON, A. & KANAKO, Y. (2006).Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel. London: Walker Books.
HULL, G. & SCHULTZ, K. (2001).Schools Out: Bridging Out of School Literacies with Classroom Practice. New York: Teachers College Press.
IVEY, G. & JOHNSTONE, P. (2013).Engagement with Young Adult Literature: Outcomes and Processes, Reading Research Quarterly, 48(3), pp. 255-275.
JANKS, H. (2009). Literacy and Power.New York: Routledge.
JENKINS, H. (2006). Fans, Bloggers and Gamers: exploring participatory culture. New York: New York University Press.
JONES, S.M. & MYHILL, D.A. (2012).Grammar for Writing?An investigation into the effect of Contextualised Grammar Teaching on Student Writing, Reading and Writing, 26 (8), pp. 1241 – 1263.
JONES, S.M., MYHILL, D.A., WATSON, A. & LINES, H.E. (2013).Playful Explicitness with Grammar: A Pedagogy for Writing. Literacy, 47 (2), 103-111. 73
LANKSHEAR, C. & KNOBEL, M. (2010).New Literacies: Everyday Practices and Social Learning, 3rd Edition, Maidenhead: Open University Press.
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LOVE, K. & HAMSTON, J. (2004). Committed and reluctant male teenage readers: beyond bedtime stories, Journal of Literacy Research, 36 (3), pp.335-400.
MACKEY, M. (2002). Literacies across Media: Playing the Text. London: Routledge.
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MERGA, M. (2014). Peer Group and Friend Influences on the Social Acceptability of Adolescent Book Reading, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 47 (6), pp.472-482.
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Appendix 1: Criteria for expert review of resources
RELEVANT CRITERION Examples of Supporting Sources AIMS (see Report p11) Texts 1, 2, 6, 10 Range Diversity of formats: Resources recognise and value a (Steinkuehler, 2007; diversity of texts, including paper-based and screen-based, Knobel&Lankshear, 2010; Clark stories told through different media ‘interactive’ texts &Poulton, 2011) 1, 2, 6 Variety of text-types: e.g. poetry and drama as well as National Curriculum (DFE, 2014), novels, introduce to new forms, e.g. fanfiction, Graphic (Jenkins, 2006; Ofsted 2012; Novels Pantaleo, 2011; Beavis, 2014;) 1, 2, 6 Origin: A range of perspectives are represented, including National Curriculum (DFE, 2014) world literature 1, 2, 7 Encourage students to make independent choices (Sanacore, 1999; Ofsted, 2011) 1, 2, 8 Texts as connected not isolated: Texts are not isolated (Mackey, 2002; Thompson, 2002; but presented within a constellation of texts Moje et al, 2008; Ofsted, 2009; Clark and Poulton, 2011) 1, 2 Content Diversity of interests: Texts reflect the varied interests (Hall and Coles, 1999; Ofsted, and passions of Year 7s and year 8s 2009; Merchant et al 2012a) 1, 2 Diversity of experience: Texts represent diversity of (Millard, 1997; Moje, 2008; (gender/(dis)ability/ethnicity/etc) Stevens, 2011) 1, 11 Quality Texts open-ended: Texts invite a response (Barrs& Cork, 2000; 2001;Cremin, 2009;) Activities 1, 2, 6, 7, 11 Promote interest in Promote links between home and school based (Marsh & Millard, 2000; Hull & reading reading, including links to popular culture, reading Schultz, 2002; Mackey, 2002; paratexts as part of computer gaming etc Steinkuehler, 2007; Moje et al, 77
2008; Apperley& Walsh, 2012;) 1, 2, 7, 8, 11 Open up avenues for reading, e.g. in terms of topics, (Merchant et al, 2012) authors, series, formats, etc 1, 2, 6, 7, 11 Promote intertextuality (Ivey &Johnstone, 2013) 1, 8, 11 Encouraging Open-ended to promote response (Cremin, 2009; Ofsted, 2012) response 4, 10, 11 Provide opportunities for textual transformation (Kress, 1997)
1, 7, 11 Activities recognise affective dimensions of reading (Cliff Hodges, 2010; Ivey and Johnstone, 2013) 11, 12, 13, 14 Activities encourage engagement with themes & (Ofsted, 2009; Stevens, 2010) experiences encountered through texts 4, 7, 11 Activities encourage creative responses to texts (Barrs& Cork, 2000; 2001; Ofsted, 2011) 1, 4, 7, 8, 11 Drama used to explore response to texts Link to National Curriculum (DFE, 2014) 1, 3, 7, 11, 14 Activities encourage students to consider how texts (Janks, 2009) position readers 8, 9 Activities provide support and/or challenge to suit the (Aspect highlighted through our needs of different students in responding to a variety of professional review; Ofsted, 2013) texts 7 Writing/production Promote role of talk in writing (Cremin and Myhill, 2012)
7 Promote enjoyment of writing (Graves, 1983; National Writing Project, 1991) 10 Develop understanding of the ‘craft’ of writing (e.g. (Graves, 1983; National Writing writers’ techniques, the writing process) Project, 1991; Jones and Myhill, 2012) 78
7 Promote production of a range of texts- digital and (Myhill, 2009; Knobel&Lankshear, multimodal 2010; Kress, 2010) 9 Activities provide support and/or challenge to suit the (Aspect highlighted through our needs of different students in producing a variety of texts professional review; Ofsted, 2013) 5 Promoting Talk Purposeful opportunities for talk: Resources support (Mercer and Littleton, 2007) teachers to facilitate/structure purposeful opportunities for talk 9 Activities provide support and/or challenge to suit the (Aspect highlighted through our needs of different students in participating in discussion professional review; Ofsted, 2013) 5, 9 Activities provide appropriate structure to support Aspect highlighted through our confidence in presentational dimensions of talk professional review 1, 2, 5, 7, 11 Pedagogical Activities encourage formation of reading (Daniels, 2004; Merga, 2004; Allan, approach communities, e.g. through literature circles, reading Ellis & Pearson, 2005; Cremin, groups, social networking, informal communities and affinity 2009; Ofsted, 2009; Medina, 2010) groups. 5, 6, 7 Activities encourage formation of communities of (Cremin and Myhill, 2012) writers 1, 2, 5, 11 Activities encourage dialogue and collaboration (Gamble, Moss, 2001; Ofsted 2011; Cliff Hodges, 2010; Ivey &Johnstone, 2013) 3, 10, 11 Activities include those that explore how texts are (Barrs& Cork, 2000; 2001; Myhill, crafted 2009) 5, 7 Promote relationships between reading, writing and (Dickinson & Westbrook, 2010) speaking and listening 3, 10 Appropriate use of meta-language related to a range of (Jones et al, 2013) texts and textual features to support authorship and readership of a diversity of texts 7, 12 Encourage reading/writing/talk across the curriculum Stevens (2011) 79
9 Differentiated activities that can be matched to commonly Aspect highlighted through our used assessment approaches professional review Resource Format 1, 11 Contents Whole texts used not extracts (Frater, 2000; Cremin et al, 2008a; Nightingale, 2010; Ofsted, 2012) 1, 2, 7, 11 Authentic texts (Ofsted, 2012) 1, 3 Authors’ perspectives provided (Barrs and Cork, 2000; 2001; Myhill, 2009) 15 Production Production Values, e.g. attractiveness, suitability in Aspects highlighted through our terms of intended audience professional review & by Booktrust 15 Durable 15 Usability Flexibility: Possible to use activities in integrated or isolated way 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, Shareable: Resources designed to be used by pairs or 15 groups of students (to promote dialogue and collaboration) 15 Accessible to adults: Materials are accessible to the range of adults who may be using them with students, i.e. libraries/teaching assistants/teachers?
15 Accessible to range of students who will be using them 15 Useful: Materials offer support and/or inspiration to the range of adults who may be using them with students, i.e. libraries/teaching assistants/teachers 15 Different formats – available paper-based and digitally 1, 11 Activities encourage teacher creativity and innovation
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Appendix 2: Scores
1= no coverage; 2 = limited coverage; 3= significant coverage; 4 = complete coverage
ASPECT BookB3 Play Graphic Ex Poetry Flash F Progra Stories mme Texts 1 Range Diversity of formats: Resources recognise and value 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 a diversity of texts, including paper-based and screen- based, e.g. stories told through different media
‘interactive’ texts 2 Variety of text-types: e.g. poetry, non-fiction and 3 2 4 4 3 4 drama as well as novels, introduce to new forms, e.g. fanfiction, Graphic Novels 3 Origin: A range of authors’ perspectives are 2 2 3 3 2 3 represented, including world literature Open up avenues for reading, e.g. in terms of topics, 3 2 3 3 3 4 authors, series, formats, etc 4 Texts as connected not isolated: Texts are not 2 3 3 4 2 2 isolated but presented within a constellation of texts 5 Content Diversity of interests: Texts reflect the varied 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 interests and passions of Year 7s and year 8s 6 Diversity of experience: Texts represent diversity of 2 2 2 3 2 4 (gender/(dis)ability/ethnicity/etc)
3 NB The Resources rated for Bookbuzz include the Writing Guide as well as the Bookbuzz books and opportunity for independent choice. Resources available on the Beyond Booked Up website, e.g. lesson plans, were also considered as part of the review for each termly resource. N/A indicates a rating of ‘not applicable.’
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7 Quality Texts open-ended: Texts invite a response 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Activities 8 Promote Promote links between home and school based 3 1 3 2 2 2 3 interest in reading, including links to popular culture, reading reading paratexts as part of computer gaming etc 9 Explicitly promote reading for enjoyment 4 3 2 2 3 4
11 Encourage students to make independent choices 4 N/A 2 2 3 4 12 Promote intertextuality N/A 3 2 3 2 2 13 Encouragi Open-ended to promote response 4 2 2 2 2 2 2 ng 14 Provide opportunities for textual transformation 4 4 2 2 2 2 response
15 Activities recognise affective dimensions of 4 4 2 2 3 2 reading 16 Activities encourage engagement with themes & 4 4 1 2 3 2 experiences encountered through texts 17 Activities encourage creative responses to texts 4 4 2 2 3 2 18 Drama used to explore response to texts 4 3 1 1 1 1 19 Activities encourage students to consider how 3 1 1 2 1 2 texts position readers 20 Activities provide support and/or challenge to suit N/A 4 2 2 2 2 the needs of different students in responding to a variety of texts 21 Writing/pro Promote role of talk in writing 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 duction Promote enjoyment of writing 4 4 3 2 3 3
23 Develop understanding of the 'craft' of writing (e.g. 4 4 2 2 3 3 82
writers' techniques, the writing process 24 Promote production of a range of texts- digital and 2 2 2 2 2 2 multimodal 25 Activities provide support and/or challenge to suit N/A 3 2 2 2 2 the needs of different students in producing a variety of texts 26 Promoting Purposeful opportunities for talk: Resources 4 3 2 2 2 2 2 Talk support teachers to facilitate/structure purposeful opportunities for talk 27 Activities provide support and/or challenge to suit N/A 3 2 2 2 2 the needs of different students in participating in discussion 28 Activities provide appropriate structure to support N/A 2 2 1 3 2 confidence in presentational dimensions of talk, including as part of performance 29 Pedagogic Activities encourage formation of reading N/A 2 2 2 3 2 2 al communities, e.g. through literature circles, reading approach groups, social networking, informal communities and affinity groups. 30 Activities encourage formation of communities of 4 2 2 2 3 2 writers 31 Activities encourage dialogue and collaboration 4 2 2 2 2 2 32 Activities include those that explore how texts are 4 4 2 2 3 2 crafted 33 Promote relationships between reading, writing 3 3 2 2 4 2 and speaking and listening 34 Appropriate use of meta-language related to a N/A 4 2 2 2 2 range of texts and textual features to support
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authorship and readership of a diversity of texts 35 Encourage reading/writing/talk across the 4 1 2 2 1 1 curriculum 36 Inclusivity Differentiated activities that can be matched to N/A 1 2 2 2 2 commonly used assessment approaches Resource Format 37 Contents Whole texts used not extracts 4 1 1 2 4 4 3 38 Authentic texts 4 3 3 3 4 4 39 Authors’ perspectives provided 1 1 4 1 4 4 40 Production Production Values, e.g. attractiveness, suitability 4 3 3 3 4 3 4 in terms of intended audience 41 Durable 4 4 4 4 4 4 42 Usability Flexibility: Possible to use activities in integrated or 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 isolated way 43 Shareable: Resources designed to be used by pairs 4 4 4 4 4 4 or groups of students (to promote dialogue and collaboration) 44 Accessible to adults: Materials are accessible to the 3 4 4 4 4 4 range of adults who may be using them with students, i.e. libraries/teaching assistants/teachers? 45 Accessible to range of students who will be using 3 3 3 3 3 3 them 46 Useful: Materials offer support and/or inspiration to 4 3 3 2 2 2 the range of adults who may be using them with students, i.e. libraries/teaching assistants/teachers 47 Different formats – available paper-based and 4 4 4 4 4 4
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digitally 48 Activities encourage teacher creativity and 4 2 2 2 2 2 innovation
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Appendix 3: Collated scores
ASPECT Bookbuzz Play Scripts Graphic Exploring Performance Flash Fiction Overall Novels Stories Poetry TEXTS Range 14/20 11/20 16/20 17/20 13/20 16/20 87/120 Content 5/8 5/8 5/8 6/8 5/8 7/8 33/48 Quality 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 4/4 24/24 ACTIVITIES Promote interest 11/12 7/12 9/16 9/16 10/16 12/16 58/88 in reading Encouraging 27/28 26/32 13/32 15/32 17/32 15/32 113/188 response to texts Writing/production 13/16 16/20 11/20 10/20 12/20 12/20 74/116 Promoting talk 4/4 8/12 6/12 5/12 7/12 6/12 36/64 Pedagogic 19/20 19/32 16/32 16/32 20/32 15/32 105/180 approach RESOURCE FORMAT Contents 9/12 5/12 8/12 6/12 12/12 12/12 52/72 Production 8/8 7/8 7/8 7/8 8/8 7/8 44/48 Usability 26/28 24/28 24/28 23/28 23/28 23/28 143/168
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Appendix 4: Staff interview questions
Beyond Booked Up - Case Studies
STAFF INTERVIEWS/FOCUS GROUPS
School's BBU co-ordinator and strategic and operational staff
Introduction
Aims - The case studies are intended to highlight best practice; identify the characteristics of effective practice and provide examples of the impact for students. We would like you to reflect back on BBU as a whole since you took part i.e. last year and the year before if relevant.
This focus group will take around 45minutes to an hour
Explain voluntary participation, right to withdraw and confidentiality
Permission to tape record
Any questions?
Take consent - consent form
STAFF INVOLVEMENT AND COMMUNICATION
1. Who is involved and how?
- Who is the main school contact for BBU and their job role/title; what is their role in terms of BBU?
- Could you each outline your job roles and roles in relation to Beyond Booked Up?
- Anyone else involved who isn't here? What are their roles in relation to BBU?
- Any challenges in terms of involving relevant staff/ how were these overcome? Is there buy-in from a senior level?
2. How is communication managed between staff working with BBU within your school?
- What forms of communication have you found to be most effective - e.g. formal/informal meetings, email etc.
3. In terms of your communications with Booktrust, do you know when to expect the resources? do you feel you have enough notice about what they’re going to be? is it clear how to use them/who to use them with? If you use the website, do they find it useful/easy to access/share log-ins?
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USE OF RESOURCES
4. What did you personally think about the different resources?
-How did you find the teacher guidance?
- How did (the main BBU contact) go about deciding how the BBU resources would be used? - Prompt: in consultation with other staff; using the guidance information sent from Booktrust; using the information on the website?
- What were the main factors driving your plans for the use of BBU in your school? / Why did you decide on this particular way of using BBU? Prompt: pupil needs/interest; teachers' need for new materials
5. Which elements (see box) did you select to use and why?
Did you use the resources intended for each year group? (i.e. Y7 resources with Y7s?)If not why not? (e.g. didn’t know the intended age, age suitability, desire for materials for different age groups, constraints of the timetable)
How did you use these texts and activities? (I.e. did you vary at all from Booktrust suggestions? mixing different activities with texts) In what ways (if any) did you use the web based resources and CD Roms?
6. To what extent has the programme been integrated across Y7 to Y8 (i.e. have pupils progressed through the materials in each year)?
Y7 resources: INTERVIEWERS SHOULD HAVE COPIES WITH THEM!
- Bookbuzz (Autumn term) - (2013 Autumn term books include: Soldier Dog, Butterfly Summer, After Tomorrow, Dark Lord: The Teenage Years, My Best Friend and Other Enemies)
- Beyond Play Scripts (Spring term) (The booklet included scenes from: Shadow forest, The messenger bird, Lost riders, Lifters)
- Introducing Graphic Novels (Summer term) (resources included: Introducing Graphic Novels student booklet and lesson plans; featuring extracts from The Spider Moon; Excalibur; Storm breaker; Super Animal Adventure Squad, Mo-Bot High; Manga Shakespeare
Y8 resources -
2012 resources
-Exploring Stories in different media (resources include: Robin hood story; poem, Graphic Novel etc. on CD rom)
-Introducing Performance Poetry (resources include: Cycling down Edgware road and The maze, angel of labyrinth on CD rom)
-Booktrust anthology of Short Stories (stories included: Chocolate, Terror in the Sky, Something to Tell You, The Dragon
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2013- Autumn resources - King Arthur CD rom
7. Referring to Bookbuzz, how were students supported to make independent book choices? In the library/English lessons/form time? Did you make use of the extra sets of books/website/film?
-How were they encouraged to read the books? Did you use any of the suggested follow up ideas (online reviews, competitions, creative writing ideas etc)?
8. Can you describe (in detail) how lessons were structured to incorporate the BBU resources? (e.g. texts, activities, aims and objectives, progression over lessons) Were the online lesson plans used? Over how many weeks/lessons did you use the different resources? Did you use these on their own, or together with other resources to support lessons? (If yes - which other resources/programmes?
9. Were resources used with whole classes or specific groups? Which lessons where they used in? (or in form time/library lessons/for supply teacher cover?) Which groups were they used with?
10. To what extent were the suggested activities followed or adapted?
Did you adapt the resource to support pupils with different levels of engagement, confidence and ability in reading, writing, spoken language? Where the resources easily adapted? Do you feel they are age appropriate?
11. Did all teachers/staff use the same resources in the same way? If not, how did their use differ? Please give examples of these differences. What did you learn from the different approaches to the materials?
12. Were there any resources (texts/activities) that you feel you used in a creative or innovative way?
-Can you give details and examples of this?
INTEGRATION AND ENGAGEMENT
13. To what extent has the BBU programme been integrated with other curriculum activities?
- I.e. within the wider English/literacy provision in Y7 (what specific approaches/schemes are already used to 'ignite a love of reading'?), or cross-departmental collaboration e.g. in art or drama? Please give some examples of this and how / why it has worked well.
How has the programme engaged with students?
14. Were any of the resources particularly popular/useful? Which ones? why? Please give examples of how different students were engaged (in terms of reading, writing, speaking and listening). Why do you think they engaged in this way?
15. Are the resources different to the other books/resources students would normally encounter in Y7/Y8?In what ways? How do they compare to other books/resources normally used?
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16. Did different categories of reader respond differently to the resources? (e.g. ability levels, gender, learning style). Please give examples of what worked best for whom, and why.
How has the programme engaged with teachers?
17. What have been the factors influencing teachers' engagement? e.g. time, enthusiasm, skills, (dis)satisfaction with existing materials?
18. What have teachers learnt from using these materials? How might this inform / improve resources used and lesson planning in future?
IMPACT
This section looks at student progress in reading, writing, speaking and listening.
20. What do you think the impact of Bookbuzz has been?
21. What do you think the impact of these lessons/resources have been on students’ development of their reading, writing and spoken language? Which specific aspects within reading, writing, speaking and listening have been impacted? Please can you give specific examples of this (and any supportive evidence, where possible (e.g. improvements in students work, levels, progress etc).
22. Have there been any wider impacts on students? E.g. on their confidence, creativity, team working, behaviour, critical thinking etc.?Any wider impacts on teachers?
23. What are the key factors (individual, organisational, wider) that you think support effective practice in using Beyond Booked Up resources? What has been most successful in inspiring students?
24. Can you think of any students for whom the programme has made a particular impact? In what ways?
25. Have you had any comments from parents in relation to the Beyond Booked Up resources? What did they say?
Final thoughts
26. From your schools experience of using Beyond Booked Up resources, what best practice tips could you give to other schools to help them make the most of their involvement?
27. Any further observations or comments?
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Appendix 5: Student interview questions
Beyond Booked Up - Case Studies
STUDENT INTERVIEWS
With 4 or 5 Y8 students with different levels of motivation and attainment in literacy e.g.:
- confident reader / does read
- confident / doesn't read
- struggles / does read
- struggles / doesn't read
Explain aim: To hear what students think about some of their Y7 English/literacy lessons and the term one year 8 English/literacy lessons which used Beyond Booked Up materials, and if/how these lessons have helped your reading, writing and listening and speaking skills.
This interview will take around 30 minutes
Explain voluntary participation, right to withdraw and confidentiality
Permission to tape record
Any questions?
Take consent - consent form
Activity 1 - feelings
Using word cards: annoyed; bored; calm; challenged; excited; happy; interested; no feelings; normal/ok; sad; successful; tired; unsuccessful.
Pick the card(s) or say another word that best describes how:
- playing on the computer makes you feel.
- your favourite lesson makes you feel.
- reading books makes you feel.
- writing makes you feel
- English lessons in Y7 made you feel.
Why do you say this?
Activity 2 - Self assessment
On a scale of 1 – 5 (1 is lowest, 5 is highest), give yourself a score according to:
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How much do you like reading? (1 is don’t like it at all, 5 is like it very much)
How difficult do you think reading is (1 is very difficult, 5 is very easy)?
How good are you at reading? (1 is not got at all, 5 is very good)
Do you like reading when the words are on a screen (e.g. computer, gaming station, iPad etc.?) (1 is not at all, 5 is like it very much)
Would you say you enjoy reading? Do you read in your free time? How often?
Activity 3 - reading preferences
What sorts of things do you like reading the most and why? (Note to researcher: Use the following list as prompts although this is not exhaustive)
- Long books
- Short books
- Factual books
- Funny books
- Horror/scary
- Action/adventure
- Books with illustrations / pictures
- Screen or web-based texts - e.g. online / kindle / web-sites
- Comics, newspapers or magazines
Activity 4- BBU materials / lessons
(Note to researcher: ask for specific examples as far as possible in below questions)
Using examples/photos of the BBU resources used in Y7 (Graphic Novels and Play Scripts- & Y8- King Arthur - Exploring Stories in different media), ask:
- Starting with your most recent lessons (Autumn this term), can you remember lessons where you looked at: (Note to researcher: ask about each in turn, ask the below Qs for each of the following: )
Y8 Autumn term: King Arthur Exploring Stories?
Y7: Summer term: Graphic Novels
Y7 Spring term: Play Scripts
- What can you remember about that/those lesson(s)? Probe - the teacher, the texts, the classwork or homework
- What words would you use to describe the lessons? (Use cards or add own words/phrases) 92
- What about the work you did on this?
What did you think about that? (Using their descriptors) - was it more, less or just as interesting/enjoyable/boring etc. than the work you would usually do in an English lesson?
- On a scale of 1-5, what marks would you give that /those lesson(s). How does that compare to the mark you would give your average/usual English lesson? Why more/less/same?
- What would have made those lessons more interesting/challenging/better? Why?
Activity 5 - Bookbuzz (use the sheet with pictures and titles of books- (2012Autumn term books include: A Most Improper Magick, Journey to the Centre of my Brain, Lifters, Heroes, The Dragon Machine.)
Thinking back to Bookbuzz in Y7 - and the book you chose in the Autumn term:
-Can you remember which book you chose? Why did you chose that book?
-Did you read your chosen book? (Why?/why not?- when did you read it? i.e. in school or at home?) If so what did you think about it?
-Has the Bookbuzz book encouraged you to read other books? Which ones? Why?
-Overall did you like the Beyond Booked Up resources? Did you enjoy the lessons where you used them?
Activity 6 - Impact
(Note to researcher: ask for specific examples as far as possible in below questions)
- Do you think these BBU lessons helped your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills? If so, in what ways?
- Have the lessons using BBU resources (Graphic Novels /Play Scripts/King Arthur) encouraged you to read more of these types of texts or other / more books? Which ones? How many? Why?
- Have you borrowed, bought or looked online for other / different texts / books recently? What (other) things might have influenced this?
- Do you feel any differently about books / plays / Graphic Novels / reading/writing since doing BBU lessons? Why/ why not?
- Do you think BBU materials should be used again for other year 7 and 8 groups? If so, have you any suggestions for making it better - any changes that could be made to help more students like you with reading, writing and listening?
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Appendix 6 Additional Survey Analysis
Figure A Use over lessons / term (%) by role
Librarian (n=58) 3 22 3 35 17 19
(%)
Bookbuzz Classroom based (n=20) 10 10 10 45 20 5
programme programme
Librarian (n=43) 7 2 28 21 42
Classroom based (n=18) 22 11 28 17 22
Scripts (%) Scripts
Beyond PlayBeyond
Librarian (n=54) 2 11 43 15 30 Throughout a whole term % Throughout half a term %
Graphic Classroom based (n=24) 17 13 42 17 13 Novels (%) Novels
Introducing 5-8 lessons %
Librarian (n=41) 210 32 15 41 2-4 lessons % 1 lesson %
Exploring Classroom based (n=17) 18 12 29 18 24
Stories (%) Stories Don't know %
Librarian (n=40) 10 3 30 13 45
Classroom based (n=13) 23 15 31 15 16
Poetry (%) Poetry
Introducing Performance Performance
Librarian (n=46) 4 11 33 15 37
(%)
Classroom based (n=19) 11 16 42 11 21 ShortStories
0 20 40 60 80 100
The role of the respondent was split into 4 categories as follows:
Librarian (n=76) Classroom based (English teacher/KS3 co-ordinator) (n=29) Literacy co-ordinator (n=10) Senior (n=17)
Since the numbers of literacy co-ordinators were low, especially taking into account missing answers, Figure 5 below shows breakdowns for librarian and classroom based respondents only. As can be seen from Figure 5, librarians are more likely to state "don't know".
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Beyond Booked Up: Your views on the programme and resources Introduction
The Centre for Education and Inclusion Research at Sheffield Hallam University has been commissioned by Booktrust to undertake an evaluation of the Beyond Booked Up programme. This survey is part of the evaluation and will look at how Beyond Booked Up is currently implemented in schools and investigate the views of teachers on the programme's pedagogical value and operation.
This survey should be completed by the person(s) who co-ordinate the use of the Beyond Booked Up resources in your school. If this is more than one person please feel free to discuss the survey responses amongst your colleagues, please note that we only require one survey response per school however.
Please answer the questions in relation to your use of the Beyond Booked up resources for the previous academic year and this autumn term.
The questionnaire has been designed for ease of completion and should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. We would be grateful if you could complete the questionnaire and return it in the enclosed pre-paid envelope by Friday 7th February 2014.
Alternatively you may complete the survey online via the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/beyondbookedup
Your responses and feedback on the resources are of great value to us. You will be entered into a prize draw to win a selection of books for your school as a thank you for completing the survey.
In accordance with the Data Protection Act responses are COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIAL and any reporting will be anonymised so that no institution or individual will be identifiable.
Please contact Anna Stevens should you have any queries about this survey: Anna Stevens Tel: 0114 225 4656 Email: [email protected]
Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey, your responses are much appreciated. Page 1 of 9 The information you provide in this questionnaire is confidential to the research team and all analyses will be anonymised. We would be grateful if you could provide the name of your school, this will only be used to help the team track responses and to analyse information from the survey by variables that relate to types of school. Please enter the name and postcode of your school:
School name
Postcode
About you:
What is your role in the school? (please tick all that apply)
Librarian/LRC Manager
Head of English
Literacy co-ordinator
English teacher
Headteacher/Deputy headteacher
Head of Year
Other (please state below)
Q1a. Did/does your school make use of the Beyond Booked Up resources? Please refer to the seperate A4 sheet for images of these resources. In Autumn In 2012/13 2013/14
Yes we use/d all resources (please go to q2)
We use/d some of the resources (please go to q2) We did/do not use any of the resources (please go to q1b if you have not used any of the resources last year and this year)
Q1b. Please tell us why you have not made use of the Beyond Booked Up resources (last year or this year) then please go to Q18:
Page 2 of 9 Section 1: Implementation of Beyond Booked Up (BBU)
Q2. The following question lists the BBU resources and the year groups they are intended for. Please indicate which of these resources you make/made use of with which year groups:
Used with other groups/yr Used Used (please Did not with Y8 with Y7 specify) use Intended for Y7:
Bookbuzz programme
Beyond Play Scripts
Introducing Graphic Novels
Intended for Y8:
Exploring Stories
Introducing Performance Poetry
Short stories
Q3. Over how many lessons were each of these resources used?
2-4 5-8 Throughout Throughout a Don't 1 lesson lessons lessons half a term whole term know Intended for Y7 : Bookbuzz programme
Beyond Play Scripts
Introducing Graphic Novels
Intended for Y8:
Exploring Stories
Introducing Performance Poetry
Short stories
Page 3 of 9 Q4a. How are BBU resources used alongside other English/literacy provision? Please indicate below how your school makes use of the resources (tick all that apply): Used in Used in library As homework / Used for English lessons Used in Used with extension cover lessons /sessions form time small groups activities lessons Intended for Y7 : Bookbuzz programme
Beyond Play Scripts
Introducing Graphic Novels
Intended for Y8:
Exploring Stories Introducing Performance Poetry Short stories
Q4b. Please add any further comments about how the resources are used alongside other English/literacy provision below:
Q5. Considering the BBU resources as a whole, to what extent do you agree/disagree with the following statements: Neither Strongly agree nor Strongly agree Agree disagree Disagree disagree
All/most BBU resources were used term-by-term at the time suggested by Booktrust
The resources were used in the ways suggested by Booktrust, following the guidance provided
Each teacher had free choice about which resources they used/adapted
The department had a unified approach to the use of the BBU resources across whole year groups The BBU resources fitted easily into our pre-existing schemes of work
The BBU resources were easily adapted to fit with existing plans and resources
We changed existing plans/schemes of work to incorporate the BBU resources
Page 4 of 9 Q6. Please indicate which members of staff are involved in administering and/or delivering the BBU programme? Please tick all apply:
Leads the planning Involved in the lesson The main contact for and implementation of delivery of BBU resources Booktrust for the BBU BBU resources programme
Librarian(s)
Head of English
Literacy co-ordinator
All English teachers
Some English teachers
Head/deputy head
Other(s) (please specify)
Page 5 of 9 Section 2: Your views on the programme's pedagogical value and operation Q7. How far do you feel the BBU resources impact on students' progress in terms of the aspects of literacy specified in the table below? Please write in a number in the table below on a scale of 1 to 5 which equates to the below scale:
1= Not at all, 5= To a large extent
Spoken Not used this Reading Writing Language resource Example: resource x 5 3 2 Bookbuzz programme Beyond Play Scripts Introducing Graphic Novels Exploring Stories Introducing Performance Poetry Short Stories
Q8. Considering the BBU resources as a whole, to what extent do you agree that the resources: Neither Strongly agree nor Strongly agree Agree disagree Disagree disagree
Inspire a love of reading
Encourage students to make their own reading choices
Help students to develop critical response, e.g. through discussion or writing
Encourage creativity e.g. through performance or producing new texts Help students to develop confidence in communication, e.g expressing opinions or performance
Develop students' understanding of different genres, styles and forms of texts
Help reluctant readers gain confidence to read different types of texts
Provide the right level of challenge for students
Page 6 of 9 Section 3: Overall effectiveness
Q9a. Please rate each of the following BBU resources in terms of their effectiveness:
Very Somewhat Not very Don't Effective Not at all effective effective effective effective know/NA
Bookbuzz programme
Beyond Play Scripts
Introducing Graphic Novels
Exploring Stories
Introducing Performance Poetry
Short Stories
The BBU programme as a whole
Q9b. Please use the space below to add any further comments you may have on the effectiveness of the resources:
Q10. Please rate below how effective you feel communication about the BBU resources is:
Very Somewhat Not very Not at all Don't know effective Effective effective effective effective /NA
With Booktrust
Within your school
Page 7 of 9 Q11. Booktrust now deliver the BBU resources to schools at the end of the term before the resources are intended to be used. Do you feel that the timing of these deliveries is correct?
Yes No
Yes the current termly deliveries work best for us
We would prefer to receive everything in one go We would prefer another method (please specify below)
Online resources
Q12. Do you use the BBU website?
Yes
No (please go to Q15)
Q13. How useful do you find the website?
Somewhat Not very useful Very useful Useful useful Not at all useful
Q14. How do you feel about the current balance of online and printed resources?
The current balance of online and printed resources is about right
We would prefer it if more of the resources were online
We would prefer it if more of the resources were printed
Page 8 of 9 Q15. Thinking of the BBU programme as a whole (including Bookbuzz), please tell us how far you agree with the following statements: Neither Strongly agree nor Strongly agree Agree disagree Disagree disagree
The Beyond Booked Up resources are of a high quality
I know more about new books and authors as a result of Beyond Booked Up
The Beyond Booked Up programme is a good service for schools
There has been an increase in the breadth of texts (poems, graphic novels, play scripts, etc.) used in class(es) as a result of Beyond Booked Up
Q16. Please use the space below to provide any examples of good practice or creative/innovative uses of the BBU resources:
Q17. If Booktrust were to develop a new resource as part of the BBU programme, what would you like to see from this resource? Please use the space below to explain and add any comments about this:
Please add your contact details if you would be willing to take part in a follow-up telephone interview about your use of these resources:
Name
Telephone no.
Many thanks for your help with this study
Page 9 of 9