How to Use Relatable Fiction As a Children Need to Know Their Story Springboard for Teaching

FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF The written life AXEL SCHEFFLER EMILY GRAVETT JONNY DUDDLE DAN FREEDMAN

BRILLIANT IDEAS FOR LITERACY ACROSS THE CURRICULUM FLUENT, FOCUSED, FUN What great reading lessons look like

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inspired topic!

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The spelling gaps you might HowFIX THE 7 WORSTto WRITING GLITCHES have missed... Cover illustration © Nick Butterworth 1989-2019 BUILD A BROADER CURRICULUM | PIE CORBETT ON GREATER DEPTH TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 2 Welcome… “The written life” … once again to another issue of Teach Reading EMILY GRAVETT & Writing; a magazine that’s wholly dedicated to “I didn’t do exploring and celebrating the rich landscape of literacy everything learning, with all its thrills and challenges. Whether you are I was told” p6 new to the chalkface or a seasoned veteran, we hope there’ll be plenty of discoveries for you within these pages – AXEL SCHEFFLER and perhaps some surprises, too... “Different You may think, for example, that you’ve got the art of ‘teaching children to read’ pretty much wrapped up by now. Up until illustrations can relatively recently, Christopher Such certainly thought he had – but absolutely result in a new understanding of cognitive science has led him to rethink his different stories” p30 practice, taking into account how the process really works, and you can find out more about the changes he’s made on pages 19-20. Meanwhile, JONNY DUDDLE Ruth Baker-Leask considers how we approach curriculum design for “I ended up with English – pointing out that even though it takes up the most timetable a mountain of space, we still struggle to cover everything our pupils need to know in rejection slips” p62 the time we have with them. Her solution is to “untether” the subject and let it “roam around the school, occupying all of those places and DAN FREEDMAN spaces where creative language skills are needed” – if that sounds like “It was all something you think you could be doing, turn to pages 24-25 to see about football what it might look like in action. for me” p74 Fantastic books are, of course, at the heart of every literacy journey, and as usual, we’ve fitted as many of them as possible into this issue. From Carey Fluker-Hunt’s suggestions for activities linked to stories about growing up (pages 8-13), to our Great lessons, made easy! round up of the very best Find hundreds of brilliant, non-fiction titles for teacher-designed literacy resources at plazoom.com sparking pupils’ curiosity (pages 67-69), there’s no shortage of ideas for ways to take words and pictures from the page and use them as catalysts to inspire youngsters’ own creativity.

Have fun! Joe Carter & Helen Mulley (associate editors) © R.W. Alley, 2007

www.teachwire.net | 3 64 WORDS TO LIVE BY Christabel Shepherd explains how Contents a focus on vocabulary has allowed her pupils to soar. 8 10 BOOKS TO TEACH ON 38 FOR THE LOVE OF IT GROWING UP Why forcing children to finish 67 13 FACT-PACKED TITLES TO Each of these stories exploring books that don’t interest them POWER UP LEARNING the complex sorrows and joys of won’t make them better readers Kick-start children’s curiosity and getting older can spark a creative inspire classroom activities. topic in your classroom. 41 5 BOOKS TO SUPPORT LGBT+ DIVERSITY 70 HUMAN SENTENCES 15 LET’S TALK ABOUT ORACY Because reading material should Sharpen pupils’ minds with this A primary curriculum that reflect everyone’s reality. low-stakes grammar game. neglects spoken language risks leaving children without a voice. 42 FILL IN THE GAPS 72 A VERY GOOD BOOK We can’t assume prior spelling What role could the Bible play in 17 IT’S HEALTHY TO CRY AT teaching has been retained, says literacy teaching? STORIES Michelle Nicholson. The best literature enables us to walk in shoes we’ll hopefully never 82 “LITERATURE SHOULD HELP 45 UNSTOPPABLE PROGRESS have to own, says AF Harrold. US FIND OUR VOICE” How to use relatable fiction as a Children need to know their story springboard for teaching. is worth telling, says Vick Hope. 19 WHY I CHANGED MY READING LESSONS 48 RELIGHT THEIR FIRES Practice and research have helped Christophe Such develop a Great writing stimuli will get your ASSOCIATE EDITORS pupils’ creative juices flowing. Joe Carter, [email protected] far better approach. Helen Mulley, [email protected] 01206 505925 GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER: 22 THE LOST ART OF LETTERS 53 BOOK TOPIC: A RIVER Richard Stebbing, [email protected], A beautiful new Paddington Bear Activities linked to Marc Martin’s 01206 505957 inspirational picture book. ADVERTISING MANAGER: book will help children discover Hayley Rackham, [email protected], the singular joy of writing and 01206 505988 receiving messages in the post. ART EDITOR: 56 SWEET NATURED Richard Allen Let Percy the Park Keeper help PHOTOGRAPHY: 24 UNLEASHING ENGLISH children discover the joyful CliQQ Photography, cliqq.co.uk Make language a key player in all contrasts of the seasons. ACCOUNTS: 01206 505995 DESIGN & REPROGRAPHICS: aspects of school life, encourages Ace Pre-Press 01206 508608 Ruth Baker-Leask. 59 WE NEED TO CHANGE THE CUSTOMER SERVICES: NARRATIVE [email protected] 0800 904 7000 PUBLISHER: 26 HOW TO LIFT POEMS OFF Children are surrounded by Helen Tudor THE PAGE stories of heroes, says Vita Ideas for celebrating poetry in Murrow – but what are they really Published by: Maze Media (2000) Ltd, learning from them? 25 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Rd, every classroom. Colchester, Essex, CO2 8JY. Tel: 01206 505900

32 CORAL OCEAN 60 THE 7 DEADLY WRITING SINS The views in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure the veracity and integrity of the companies, Help your class to write at greater Tim Roach explains how to persons, products and services mentioned in this publication, and the depth with Pie Corbett’s touching prevent bad grammar habits from details given are believed to be accurate at the time of going to press. taking hold, and how to fix them However, no responsibility or liability whatsoever can be accepted for any tale of two girls flung into consequence or repercussion of responding to information or advice given unfamiliar surroundings. later down the line. or inferred. Copyright Maze Media (2000) Ltd.

4 | www.teachwire.net 64 WORDS TO LIVE BY Christabel Shepherd explains how Contents a focus on vocabulary has allowed her pupils to soar. 8 10 BOOKS TO TEACH ON 38 FOR THE LOVE OF IT GROWING UP Why forcing children to finish 67 13 FACT-PACKED TITLES TO Each of these stories exploring books that don’t interest them POWER UP LEARNING the complex sorrows and joys of won’t make them better readers Kick-start children’s curiosity and getting older can spark a creative inspire classroom activities. topic in your classroom. 41 5 BOOKS TO SUPPORT LGBT+ DIVERSITY 70 HUMAN SENTENCES 15 LET’S TALK ABOUT ORACY Because reading material should Sharpen pupils’ minds with this A primary curriculum that reflect everyone’s reality. low-stakes grammar game. neglects spoken language risks leaving children without a voice. 42 FILL IN THE GAPS 72 A VERY GOOD BOOK We can’t assume prior spelling What role could the Bible play in 17 IT’S HEALTHY TO CRY AT teaching has been retained, says literacy teaching? STORIES Michelle Nicholson. The best literature enables us to walk in shoes we’ll hopefully never 82 “LITERATURE SHOULD HELP 45 UNSTOPPABLE PROGRESS have to own, says AF Harrold. US FIND OUR VOICE” How to use relatable fiction as a Children need to know their story springboard for teaching. is worth telling, says Vick Hope. 19 WHY I CHANGED MY READING LESSONS 48 RELIGHT THEIR FIRES Practice and research have helped Christophe Such develop a Great writing stimuli will get your ASSOCIATE EDITORS pupils’ creative juices flowing. Joe Carter, [email protected] far better approach. Helen Mulley, [email protected] 01206 505925 GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER: 22 THE LOST ART OF LETTERS 53 BOOK TOPIC: A RIVER Richard Stebbing, [email protected], A beautiful new Paddington Bear Activities linked to Marc Martin’s 01206 505957 inspirational picture book. ADVERTISING MANAGER: book will help children discover Hayley Rackham, [email protected], the singular joy of writing and 01206 505988 receiving messages in the post. ART EDITOR: 56 SWEET NATURED Richard Allen Let Percy the Park Keeper help PHOTOGRAPHY: 24 UNLEASHING ENGLISH children discover the joyful CliQQ Photography, cliqq.co.uk Make language a key player in all contrasts of the seasons. ACCOUNTS: 01206 505995 DESIGN & REPROGRAPHICS: aspects of school life, encourages Ace Pre-Press 01206 508608 Ruth Baker-Leask. 59 WE NEED TO CHANGE THE CUSTOMER SERVICES: NARRATIVE [email protected] 0800 904 7000 PUBLISHER: 26 HOW TO LIFT POEMS OFF Children are surrounded by Helen Tudor THE PAGE stories of heroes, says Vita Ideas for celebrating poetry in Murrow – but what are they really Published by: Maze Media (2000) Ltd, learning from them? 25 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Rd, every classroom. Colchester, Essex, CO2 8JY. Tel: 01206 505900

4 | www.teachwire.net TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 5 “I didn’t think I was Try it in your creating a book” classroom Giving children the freedom to write and draw without judgement can unlock incredible creativity, says Emily Gravett...

think I remember the moment so I always felt a little ‘behind’ – although to go travelling. I met my partner not long that ‘reading’ started to make I don’t think I was, actually. I can’t afterwards, and as we made a life together, sense for me. When I was small, remember the process of teaching I thought I was done with education. my mum and dad – who both reading in the classroom, but I definitely Things changed when I had my really valued books – stuck a recall the books they used, which were daughter, at the age of 24, and started Iselection of flashcards showing different those ones featuring all the different reading picture books with her. Suddenly, words around my bed, and I’d look at coloured hats. They weren’t especially I realised that this was an art form that I them as I drifted off to sleep. My thrilling stories, but I enjoyed the way favourite, for some reason, was ‘danger’; you had to progress through the levels, and I have a vivid memory of the eventually getting up to the dizzy heights Three Emily excitement I felt when I spotted it in a of silver and gold. Competitive? Me? Barbapapa album one morning, and Well, maybe just a bit… Gravett treats for made that connection. younger pupils I didn’t read properly until after I’d Escape routes Meerkat Christmas started school, though. My older sister There were always books about at Like its predecessor, had picked it up more quickly than I did, home, including lots with beautiful Meerkat Mail, this gorgeous illustrations. One of my favourites was festive package is full of The Giant Jam Sandwich – my dad was a flaps to lift, as Sunny the meerkat print technician at Brighton Art School, travels the world in search of the where John Vernon Lord taught, and so perfect Christmas. It’s a witty and that was the first time I started to get an heartwarming celebration of fun and idea about what it meant to be an author, family love that shows the season can and an illustrator. Raymond Briggs be whatever you want it to be. also taught there, and Fungus the Bogeyman was another popular Tidy reading choice in our house. Pete the badger likes When I was older, I got into everything to be neat the Swallows and Amazons and tidy at all times, books; I’m not entirely but what starts as the collecting of sure why – they don’t do one fallen leaf escalates – ending a thing for me as an with the complete destruction of adult – but teenage the forest. This is a cautionary tale, me was a big fan. I’d which delivers its message of read anything, environmental preservation with though, pretty subtlety and humour. much. In part, I Again! suppose books gave It’s nearly Cedric the me a way to escape the dragon’s bedtime – and so rough, rather intimidating his mum reads him his secondary school I went to after favourite book. But then he wants it leaving primary. I had some great again, and again, and again; until she’s teachers there, but I hated the whole had enough, and he gets so cross he experience, which I found intimidating ends up burning a hole right through and impersonal. I got four GCSEs – three the pages! Funny and clever, this is Cs, and an A in art – and made it through definitely worth reading, um, again... five months of sixth form before leaving (all books published by Two Hoots) 6 | www.teachwire.net THE WRITTEN LIFE

could understand, and connect with. As well as reading, I’d never stopped drawing – and looking back at the pictures I produced as a child, right through my teens and into my early Try it in your 20s, they always had a narrative aspect to them. Something clicked, and I classroom thought, ‘I could do this!’ I badgered my way into Brighton University, despite having no A levels – a foundation course I’d taken in Wales, plus bloody-minded persistence got me a place, and whilst I found the first year and a half quite grim, once I realised that I didn’t have to take everything I was told as gospel, and that it was ok for me to pursue the kind of illustrating that I wanted to do, I got on much better. Free and easy Wolves was a project in my final year. I didn’t think at that time I was ‘creating a book’; in my head I was putting together a portfolio which I could use to pick up illustrating work after leaving university. But it won the Macmillan Prize for Children’s Illustration, and got published, and I do think it’s important to let own devices. Giving young people that everything else sort of followed on children discover for themselves the freedom to create for sheer pleasure, from that. Despite my original kinds of writing and drawing they and without judgement, is really intentions, I resisted offers to create prefer. In my final year at primary important – and I hope that today’s images for other people’s text for quite school, we were all given a blank teachers are able to find space in their a while; it turned out that I really journal, and told that we would be timetables to do just that. relish working with words as well as writing a book. Once a week, for an pictures, using both together to tell a hour or so, we’d work on our stories story, and I didn’t want to get my and illustrations; the teacher name too ‘attached’ to someone else’s would look at what we’d writing early on. However, I’ve since done, and make a few illustrated for both Julia Donaldson corrections, but other and A.F. Harold, and I’ve enjoyed that than that, we were process, too. more or less left to our

“I really relish working with words as well as pictures” All illustrations: Emily Gravett Emily All illustrations:

www.teachwire.net | 7 10 BOOKS TO TEACH ON growing up Each of these stories exploring the complex sorrows and joys of getting older can spark a creative topic in your classroom

How does he overcome it? see in outer space. FOUNDATION STAGE How could you help someone What happens when who was frightened? you get to the Moon? Tell your story. The Darkest Dark n What kind of person BY CHRIS HADFIELD AND Try this… would you like to be n Make a Chris-style rocket when you grow up? KATE FILLION (MACMILLAN from cardboard boxes and CHILDREN’S BOOKS) What would you like imagine you’re flying to to do? How could you the Moon. make those dreams n Move like weightless come true? astronauts to starry music 1 and draw what you can What’s the story? “Nothing had changed. But Chris had changed…” Chris is scared of the dark and still sleeps with his parents. But it’s 1969 and a rocket is landing on the moon. Can Chris find the courage to stay in his own bed? Cheerfully and imaginatively illustrated, this autobiographical story shows astronaut Chris Hadfield conquering his fear and dreaming of his next big step. Thinking and talking How do we know that Chris loves space? Spot the

Illustrations: The Fan Brothers The Fan Illustrations: clues! What scares Chris?

8 | www.teachwire.net BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS

What’s Thinking and FOUNDATION STAGE the story? talking Ticky and Tacky and Jackie What games do you play? the Backie and Jim with two What would have happened noses and Jo with the bow to the dolls if the boy hadn’t are all paper dolls. They’re cut them up? What has loved and played with until changed in your life? a boy comes along and cuts them up. “You’re gone,” he says, but they’re not. Try this… n Cut out paper dolls They’ve flown into the girl’s and name them. Tell memory where they find and write stories about a forever home alongside their adventures. white mice, a butterfly n What is tucked away in hairslide and fireworks. your memory? Working This powerful story uses together, make a list - then rich, rhythmic language to read it aloud. Can you add explore ideas around loss, to your list-poem, change the passage of time and the words or rearrange it growth in an imaginative so that it sounds better? and enjoyable way. There’s n Invite visitors to share The Paper Dolls an intergenerational childhood memories of 2BY JULIA DONALDSON AND REBECCA COBB (MACMILLAN CHILDREN’S BOOKS) message about creating games and activities.

memories together, too. Have a go at them! Cobb Rebecca Illustrations:

FOUNDATION “Nothing had STAGE changed. But I Am Too Absolutely Small for School Chris had BY LAUREN CHILD (ORCHARD BOOKS) changed…” 3 Child Lauren Illustrations: What’s the Try this… story? n Use collage and Charlie’s sister Lola drawing to create would rather stay home Charlie-and-Lola-style portraits of everyone with her invisible friend in class. Help children Soren Lorenson than make thought bubbles start school, and counters recording a memory Charlie’s arguments with of starting school, and carefully considered display. objections. But Charlie n Which bedtime story is several (inventive and would you read to the entertaining) steps ahead ogre, and why? Record and knows just how to an audio file of yourself persuade Lola that school reading to the ogre and is worth attending. add it to your reading corner. n Practise counting Thinking with lots of different and talking biscuits. Sort them How can you tell that into groups to help Lola’s worried? What you. Can you count in do you remember 2s and 10s? about starting nursery n Prepare Lola-style or school? Is there lunchboxes, then dress up and go on a Charlie anything you’re worried and Lola story-picnic. about now? What would Charlie say about it?

www.teachwire.net | 9 KEY STAGE 1

forbidden to go to school. Malala spoke out and Julian is a was attacked, but she could Illustrations: Kerascoet Illustrations: Mermaid not be silenced. BY JESSICA LOVE

Malala tells her story (WALKER BOOKS) Love Jessica Illustrations: in an age-appropriate way, Malala’s giving younger readers Magic4 Pencil an insight into adversity, BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI resilience and change, and 5 (PUFFIN) inviting them to think about the differences they might make as they grow up.

KEY STAGE 1 Thinking and talking How did Malala feel at different points in this book? What did she do because of those emotions? What would you draw with a magic pencil? What would you like to change? Try this… n Explore the idea of magic pencils through roleplay, movement and drawing, What’s the story? then write stories inspired Because she didn’t have a magic by your experiences. pencil like the TV boy, Malala n Create a classroom couldn’t erase the poverty in display about Pakistan. her Pakistani village, so she n How could you make decided to get an education a difference in your and use this to change the neighbourhood? Choose a world instead. Then girls were project and make it happen.

10 | www.teachwire.net BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS

What’s the story? to mention all the mess? but does so with insight and the same way? How many Julian is entranced by three Luckily Nana is wise and restraint. Jessica Love’s different interpretations can mermaids he spots on the New loving enough to understand. stage-set spreads are home to you suggest? a cast of carefully-observed York subway and imagines Giving Julian some beads to characters and her minimalistic swimming underwater like a complete his outfit, she takes Try this… text acts as a prompt to the fish with his hair swirling out him to the Mermaid Parade and n Explore moving like a fish, visual and imaginative dramas behind him. As soon as he gets gently encourages him to join in. then find (or make!) some that play out across every page. back to his Nana’s house, he This book explores some watery music and give a fishy performance. dresses up. But what will Nana big ideas around diversity, n Choose an incidental think of Julian’s new look – not belonging and self-esteem Thinking character and invent a and talking back-story for them. Who are Have you dressed up for a they and how did they come performance or special event? to be in this picture? Tell the What did you wear and how did story of what happens next… you feel? or act it out! Look at the picture that n Assemble a dressing-up says “Oh!” What could Julian box full of fabulous colours be thinking? How about Nana? and textures. Invite children And what about you? Did to create outfits, then hold everyone read this picture a parade.

KEY STAGE 1 Try this… n Examine the way the The Bandit bandits are depicted. In a large, clear space, copy Queen their gestures, postures BY NATALIE AND LAUREN and facial expressions. O’HARA (PUFFIN) How would they move? Join your performances Illustrations: Lauren O’Hara Lauren Illustrations: to create a bandit parade. Can you compose a bandit is right” and give up their song? Add costumes to hedonistic lifestyles. It feels 6 your performance. scary to grow, but grow she n Choose one of their must - and her bandits must escapades and imagine What’s the story? change with her. you’re stepping into the Told in verse with A rumbustious bunch of bandits picture to join the retro-style illustrations, this bandits. What can you steal a baby from an orphanage riotous story takes a fresh see, hear, smell and and subject her to a life of joyful and entertaining look at the taste? If you could interview anarchy. At first the Bandit the characters, what would responsibilities of growing up. What would you do if you Queen enjoys the mischief - but they say? Pretend you’re were a bandit king or queen, a reporter and write about as time passes, she realises that Thinking and nobody could stop you? it might be better to work for what happened. Then and talking How might your actions affect write about the escapade what you want. Heading back How do the bandits amuse their other people? from the point of view to school, she tells her men to queen? How do their antics Why does the Queen decide of one of the people or “struggle and fight to do what affect other people? to go back to school? animals involved.

www.teachwire.net | 11 KEY STAGE 2 KEY STAGE 2 Clare and her Captain BY MICHAEL Tom’s MORPURGO Illustrations: Susan Einzig Susan Illustrations: (BARRINGTON STOKE) Midnight Catherine Rayner Illustrations: Garden BY PHILIPPA PEARCE (OUP) 8 why does it change? Should What’s Clare have obeyed her father? the story? Why / why not? 7 What part do dreams play Clare’s parents are always What’s the story? arguing and she’s dreading When his brother has measles, a in this story? How is Tom changed by his experiences another summer at Aunty Try this… cross and resentful Tom is sent n Using a natural history in the garden? Dora’s in the country. Then to live with his relations who handbook, identify the wildlife she meets a lonely and isolated reside in a flat in an old house. Do you think this is a in the illustrations. Go for a old man, Thatcher Jones, and One night, the grandfather book about growing up? walk to sketch plants, birds his horse, Captain, and an clock strikes thirteen and Tom Why / why not? and other creatures from important friendship begins. opens the hall door to find that observation. Experiment with As a result of loss and change, everything has changed. Instead Try this… watercolours, inks, coloured Clare is able to stand up to her pencils and pastels to create of a back yard, he steps out into n Hatty’s hiding place bullying father and assert her your own wildlife pictures a garden where he meets Hatty, becomes a time capsule own quiet independence. inspired by Catherine Rayner. a lonely orphan. Together they when Tom discovers her skates. What would you Beautifully illustrated n There’s a truth at the heart explore a timeslip world that put in a sealed box to be in colour throughout and of this story, but Michael changes every night. By the end opened in a year’s time? published in an accessible Morpurgo has added his own of the summer, when old Mrs events and characters. Think Five years? A hundred? format, this short novel Bartholomew’s true identity is of a real event that happened Debate, then write about was inspired by true events revealed, Tom is beginning to your choices. Assemble a to you, then add to it to and creates an atmosphere see his own experiences as part time capsule to be opened create your own and insights that stay with of a wider picture of connection, just before your children Morpurgo-style audiences long after reading. insight and responsibility. move to secondary school. tale. First published in 1958, this n Both Hatty and Tom are is a classic story of time and now part of history. What Thinking and change and growing up. does this book tell us about talking life in Victorian times? Talk about your pets and how What do we learn about you look after them. Is Thatcher Thinking Tom’s world of the 1950s? Talk about the similarities Jones pleased to see the donkey? and talking What changes for Clare How does Tom know that and differences and during this book, and how and he’s travelled back in time? create timelines.

12 | www.teachwire.net BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS

KEY STAGE 2

The Boy accessible and enjoyable tale. read this book? What have Alexa narrates her own story, you learned? If you wanted at the but in line with the book’s to change something, what Back of messages around diversity could you do? the Class and inclusion, her name and BY ONJALI Q. RAUF gender aren’t revealed until Try this… (ORION CHILDREN’S much later in the action. n How many languages BOOKS) By helping Ahmet, Alexa are spoken in your school? learns much about herself Learn some words from and others - and readers, too, each, then write or tell a 9 will have their assumptions story using them. n What’s the story? challenged and be invited to Alexa and friends don’t Nine-year-old Alexa’s class set out to start a campaign consider new perspectives. welcomes a new arrival. – they just want people Ahmet is a Syrian refugee to help Ahmet find his who’s lost his family as well Thinking family. Research an issue as his home. Alexa and her and talking you would like to support. How could you persuade friends decide to find them What do you recognize about others to help you? Write and a daring plan to enlist the Alexa’s experience of school? about how you collected Queen’s help evolves. In what ways does her school your ingredients and what Current events, ideas and differ from yours? happened when you cast attitudes are explored in a What did you know about your spell. direct and timely way in this child refugees before you Illustrations: Pippa Curnick Pippa Illustrations:

Carey How does she deal with the Fluker-Hunt KEY STAGE 2 changes in her life? is a freelance Do you know someone writer, creative who likes gardening? Have learning you grown plants? Share your consultant and knowledge and stories. founder of Cast of Thousands How could you help Lob (castofthousands.co.uk). care for the natural world? Try this… n Using paint, found objects and other media, create a Lob Green Man collage. What’s 10BY LINDA NEWBERY his name and where (DAVID FICKLING BOOKS) does he live? Write his story. n Search for signs of Lob’s and she realizes that change green magic What’s the story? outdoors. can bring good things, too. Every year Lucy stays with Make notes, her grandparents at Clunny Embellished throughout by collect Cottage where she works Pam Smy’s observational line words to beside Grandpa in the garden drawings, this engaging and describe your and listens to his stories about affecting story about family experiences Lob, who helps the plants grow. relationships and the power and use these to help you One summer she finally spots of nature moves at a gentle pace, with narrative chapters write reports and Lob hiding in the bushes… poems. Examine but then something terrible interspersed by short lyrical passages describing Lob’s the illustrations for happens and everything different kinds of lines and journey from Clunny Cottage changes. On top of all the loss marks. How does Pam Smy and misery, Lucy worries to the city. capture light and shade? Take sketchbooks about Lob. If he can’t find her Smy Pam Illustrations: at Clunny Cottage, where will Thinking to a garden, they meet? At last, a chance and talking allotment encounter at a city allotment What does Lucy lose in this or park and draw from brings Lob back into Lucy’s life book and what does she gain? observation.

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body language, listening intently, taking turns and agreeing and disagreeing politely. Talk is now scaffolded in a similar way to writing, with sentence stems and word banks to support less confident speakers. Each classroom has an oracy display and we have termly school-wide oracy events such as persuasive speech competitions and poetry slams. We have also replaced traditional assemblies (which seem not to have changed much since the Victorian times), with dialogic assemblies, carried out in circles. These are opportunities for children to consider philosophical ideas, debate topical issues or have discussions relating to a range of stimuli. Teachers and additional adults act as facilitators to the discussion and all children are expected to talk, in pairs, trios and to the whole group. We knew that if we wanted oracy to be successfully embedded within our curriculum, we would need a whole-school approach. We ran two full-staff inset days, and have had numerous staff meetings exploring approaches to teaching oracy. WE NEED These included support staff and midday meals supervisors, who had additional training on the language of conflict TO TALK resolution. A collective consciousness about the importance of talk was ABOUT ORACY beginning to grow. Spreading the word Silence isn’t always golden, says Nicky Pear – Oracy now sits alongside literacy and and a curriculum that neglects spoken language numeracy as an equal partner in our curriculum. The impact of this change risks leaving children voiceless, permanently has been dramatic. Pupil voice surveys point to an increase in confidence over the past year, with a significant jump in our children are very of research at the University of Cambridge the percentage of children who identify well behaved, but revealing a direct link between oracy skills as ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ confident in getting them to talk is and academic outcomes. Add to this that speaking to partners, in front of the class like getting blood from employers now rate communication skills and in assemblies. This mirrors our own a stone’. This was the as the top attribute that they look for in observations and those of external visitors, “Ystark feedback from a peer review process candidates, and the case for oracy education including Ofsted, who have commented with leaders from local schools eighteen becomes hard to ignore. We came to the on the confidence and impressive spoken months ago. Our children were passive; there conclusion that spoken communication language skills of our children. Quite a simply wasn’t enough meaningful talk in our skills were the missing link in our curriculum contrast from the passivity observed classrooms. This conclusion, which seems so and decided to promote oracy to have equal a year before. obvious to us now, set in motion a process of standing alongside maths and literacy. In Word has spread of our success, and change, the impact of which has taken us the middle of the ‘Ofsted window’, this was this month we have launched an Oracy by surprise. certainly a risk, but given that we felt it was Hub in Tower Hamlets. Over twenty Many schools in Tower Hamlets work what our pupils needed, one that we were primary schools have signed up for a year with a large proportion of children from more than willing to take. of training, sharing practice and raising backgrounds without a high-quality model of the profile of oracy education across the spoken English at home. Unfortunately, with A comprehensive approach borough. Watch this space… or should so much to cram into the curriculum and the We first developed a comprehensive approach I say listen? twin demands of improving results and being to teaching oracy. We decided that oracy ‘Ofsted-ready’, there has been little room skills should be taught in stand-alone lessons Nicky Pear is an assistant headteacher for robust teaching of spoken language and as well as being woven throughout the and oracy lead at Cubitt Town Junior communication skills, known increasingly curriculum. Every class created discussion School in Tower Hamlet, who also as ‘oracy’. guidelines to hang on the wall to model the recently helped to set up the Tower This seems perverse, however, in light expectations of talk, including using positive Hamlets Oracy Hub. @nickypair

www.teachwire.net | 15 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 16 THINKING LITERACY

to me: “Tommy, your mum’s died. Here’s a book about a dead mum.” The rest of “IT’S HEALTHY us are the ones for whom art is perhaps most important. To be upset by a book is good. To TO CRY AT cry at a book is good. To feel empty and broken at the end of a book is good. This is what the best art does. It beats us STORIES ” about the emotions — emotions that we borrow for the length of time we share The best literature enables us to walk in the story: whether they’re Conor and his dying mother’s in A Monster Calls, shoes we’ll hopefully never have to own, or those of Michael and his sickly baby says A.F. Harrold sister in Skellig, or of Jesse and Leslie in Bridge to Terabithia. We get to walk in shoes we hopefully will never own for a an books help children The latter is spoken by the living, who long time, but which will allow us to hold faced with loss or the sees something wonderful and turns to a hand out to those around us who are sudden awareness of share it with his daughter, and only hurting; to say, “I get a bit of what you’re mortality? A number of in that moment remembers she is going through.” This is, of course, simply my novels take this fact- dead and berates himself for ever empathy, a thing the world can always do of-death-as-a-fact-of-life as a central having forgotten that fact. This is with more of. C Some poems, however, are distilled premise, including my latest, The what grief is, what living after death Afterwards, which involves a girl’s is: remembering and forgetting. nuggets of time, feeling or emotion, literal journey into the afterworld to But I don’t write books about that. designed to be carryable in the pocket of bring back a dead best friend, in the The novels aren’t handbooks to help the the mind. Look, for instance, at a poem course of which she confronts her reader learn about mortality and how from my collection Things You Find in long-dead mother. to cope with it. They are simply stories a Poet’s Beard called ‘A Poem for My I am, however, in no way qualified about characters interacting in the Mum’. It’s a list made up of simple similes to answer that question. I’m neither a world they live in, and what children (‘I miss you like the puddle misses the psychologist or counsellor, teacher or will take away first and foremost (and snowman it was’), but I’ve been told it parent. This sort of talk is best left to most importantly), is that they’re strikes a chord with people. It, or a poem the experts, because, despite Mr Gove’s exciting adventures. like it, may be a way to see the feelings the feelings, that’s what we have experts for. The kid who is struck by reader is unable to quite put into words I write these books with loss at their bereavement — which takes many him or herself. heart (The Imaginary; The Song From forms, not just the death of a loved one, If you read that poem, or maybe Somewhere Else) simply because those but also loss of a country, a pet, a toy the Rossetti one mentioned earlier are the books I write. As an artist you (Dogger is an unparalleled (which I read at my dad’s funeral and find yourself exploring the same book) — is probably not put in the booklet for my mum’s), it psychic landscape time and again, the one who needs my might be a comfort in time, or a way to because that landscape is the one books. In fact, it seems reconnect with the feelings as they fade, in which we live. wantonly cruel or simply a pebble to stroke when the Two poems constantly clouds are closing in. circle in my head. One My inexpert gut feeling suggests that is Christina Rossetti’s (in the broadest of broad generalisations) ‘Remember’ and novels are good for the general bolstering the other is William of empathy, while poems (which do that Wordsworth’s too, of course) can be talismen that speak ‘Surprised By to our specific ills. It is poems we return Joy’. The former to. Poems we memorise. Poems that we is spoken by the share. There is a good reason, it seems dead love. It says, to me, we usually read poems at funerals ‘Remember me and not excerpts from novels. when I’m gone, but if you forget for A.F. Harrold’s new book, The a bit, that’s fine.’ Afterwards, is published by Bloomsbury. Illustration: Emily Gravett Emily Illustration: www.teachwire.net | 17 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 18 THINKING LITERACY WHY I CHANGED MY READING LESSONS Christopher Such hasn’t always taught reading well, but practice, and a good deal of research, have helped him develop a far better approach

partner will keep track of where their reading partner is up to using a ruler and will be trained to offer support in decoding unfamiliar words. Where neither partner can decode a word, they will be expected to write it down for discussion later in the session. All children will gain from explicitly developing their fluency in this way, but the dysfluent will gain the most. The final 10 minutes of these half-hour sessions will be spent sharing the knowledge and vocabulary underpinning the text and discussing questions relating to comprehension, inference and authorial intent. If, however, more than 80 per cent of the children are fluent, I will undertake daily fluency practice in a guided group with the remaining 20 per cent. At the same time, the rest of the class will read longer texts - sometimes in silence, sometimes aloud with a partner - but without the need for repeated reading, as this is most useful for developing fluency. As before, the final third of the session will be spent discussing unfamiliar vocabulary and the knowledge ’m pretty confident that for most of my Focus on fluency underpinning the text. teaching career I taught reading badly. I will begin the year by hearing each If all children reach fluency, we will read My initial teacher training left me with 1 child read and assessing their fluency. a variety of texts together, sometimes in scant knowledge of the science of how (As a rule of thumb, I count children’s silence and sometimes aloud. At this stage, Ichildren actually learn to read. Although in reading as fluent when they can read aloud my key considerations will be mileage (the hindsight such ignorance feels borderline at more than 120 words per minute with amount of reading my class is undertaking unforgivable, I think this experience is all good prosody from an age-appropriate too common – something that explains the each day) and content (the knowledge of text and then answer a basic comprehension many similarly uncertain approaches I have the language and of the world needed to question.) Where phonics is an issue, observed over the years. comprehend the text). In the main, I have seen generic systematic interventions will be put reading skills like comprehension and into place. Why focus on fluency? inference prioritised while reading fluency, If fewer than 80 per cent of the children Reading fluency is an important – and, in background knowledge and vocabulary are fluent, I will undertake daily fluency my experience, under taught – step between have been undervalued. Such teaching practice in mixed-ability dyadic pairs. This phonics and reading comprehension. simply doesn’t bear much resemblance to entails children reading to one another It needs to be explicitly and regularly the recommendations made by cognitive from the same text – which is pitched at addressed. Reading fluency can be scientists based on decades of studying how the best readers in the class – for 20 thought of as consisting of three elements: people learn to read. minutes in short, alternating periods. automaticity, accuracy and prosody (i.e. It is the responsibility of every teacher Sometimes the text will be read aloud to fluent readers read quickly, easily and with to align their practice with the best available the children beforehand; other times they the patterns and rhythm of spoken language) research in a manner that fits their unique will dive in without this assistance. and research suggests that it is best achieved classroom circumstances. What follows is an The children will read designated through repeated oral reading in the manner outline of my attempt to do this, written in passages repeatedly – up to three or four described, using texts that are a little beyond the hope that it might assist yours. times – aiming for fluency. The listening the grasp of the children.

www.teachwire.net | 19 Focus on a variety of 2 non-fiction Through the school year, children will read various texts on subjects from across the curriculum and beyond. Texts might discuss marsupials, hurricanes, Gilgamesh, the history of flight or Mozart. Fiction will be included in reading sessions too – short stories mainly, but non-fiction will be prioritised.

Why focus on a variety of non-fiction? Beyond the development of fluency, when children are reading, what is being learned is entirely contained within the vocabulary and knowledge inherent to the text itself. If the text is about volcanoes, then that day’s lesson is about learning the background knowledge and vocabulary related to volcanoes (along with whatever syntactical structures are contained within the text). When a child asks where volcanoes are found and the teacher shows on the interactive whiteboard a map of the globe with the tectonic plate margins delineated, that is teaching reading as much as discussing why the author chose a specific simile. Teaching knowledge is teaching reading.

Teach spelling 3 regularly Spelling will be explicitly taught with a focus on morphology. The teaching of children about the similar patterns in other For children who are not fluent, I will use morphology will use words with which words, and in this way a little morphology parents’ evening to discuss how children’s the class are already familiar to develop teaching goes a long way. reading can be supported at home, familiarity with the patterns of suffixes including the basics of fluency practice and prefixes they encounter frequently and how to segment and blend words. while reading. Word matrices will be used Read fiction aloud to show the common ways in which words 4 every day Why encourage reading at home? I will spend at least 20 minutes each day are adapted in the English language for There simply isn’t enough time in the different meanings. reading a story to my class. Sometimes I will pause to discuss the book’s language school day for children to build up the and the background knowledge required bank of orthographic knowledge that is ful ness a requisite of mature reading. Once for understanding, but more often than children are fluent, independent not the focus will be on the right pace to ed reading is essential. un help ing encourage enjoyment. s The way I teach reading will likely evolve through the academic year, but I Why read fiction every day? er s am confident that interpreting the best Nothing inculcates a love of reading better available research to fit my context will than setting aside a period every day to A word matrix showing morphology lead to better outcomes than I would share brilliant books with a class, and if have otherwise achieved. along the way they happen to learn some Why teach morphology? Research suggests that the teaching of vocabulary and develop a collection of story structures and fictional worlds to morphology assists the learning of reading, Christopher Such especially for weaker readers of all ages. We advance their own reading and writing, then that’s a pleasant bonus. is a key stage one are, to borrow cognitive neuroscientist primary teacher and Mark Seidenberg’s phrase, ‘statistical curriculum leader from learners’, unconsciously finding patterns Encourage reading Peterborough. He has in the vast amount of word and sentence 5 at home worked in education data that we read. For children who are already fluent, I for thirteen years, Showing the bound morphemes that can will encourage independent reading including spells in every key stage from be added to a root morpheme (e.g. ‘ing’ added at home by recommending books and foundation stage to A-Level, teaching mostly to ‘help’ in the word matrix above) teaches keeping track of the reading being done. in upper key stage 2.

20 | www.teachwire.net TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 21/10/2019 10:35 Page 21 The LOST ART of LETTERS A beautiful new Paddington Bear book will help children discover the singular joy of writing and receiving messages in the post

ow do you feel when a letter area. As is often the case in my teacher drops though the letterbox life, I’d need to draw on my friends, onto your hall floor? Clearly, family and colleagues to supply me with I don’t mean a bill or bills and official looking letters: letters Hpayment reminder (they make your from friends and family, junk mail, fliers, stomach lurch!) but rather a letter invitations, greeting cards and postcards from a friend or relative, a postcard etc. I’d also begin a collection of from an exotic location or an stationery (that’s not too hard, of invitation to a special event. course, because owning an I’m guessing you rather enjoy it; inordinate amount maybe you even feel excited. of stationery is The art of letter writing may Teacher Rule be in decline, but this is all the more #103). This would reason to explore the activity with include paper children, so they don’t miss out on and envelopes the thrill we’ve all experienced each of varying sizes - time an envelope or package has suitable for letters come through the door. from giants and Paddington’s Post is a invitations to fairies. delightful new publication I’d also ensure that aimed at children in surprise letters arrive in the post Early Years and KS1 office from time to time, say from which celebrates the story book characters or from the joy of sending and headteacher. Doing this is certain receiving letters. The to encourage children to write book, which is based on replies that they can post in the the original stories by classroom postbox and even deliver Michael Bond with new to each other from the battered old illustrations by R.W. satchel currently hanging in my Alley, includes envelopes cupboard under the stairs. of correspondence for children to open and © R.W. Alley, 2007 read. Some of these envelopes contain letters, others greeting cards and maps. All are beautifully illustrated and are certain to be enjoyed by young readers. FREE RESOURCE PACK! Inspired by the collection, I’ve Download all the resources mentioned in this article been thinking of ways to ignite a love for free from teachwire.net/paddingtonletters of letter writing with children in Reception and KS1. To accompany this, we’ve created a Paddington-themed resource pack for you to download, completely free, which is full of templates for classroom activities. Prepare your post office To get my letter writing project off to a good start, the first thing I’d do is set up a classroom post office and letter writing

22 | www.teachwire.net Wish you were here (including Paddington Bear) which you Look after this bear In Paddington’s Post, Paddington both may wish to explore with children, and Depending on the children’s knowledge of sends and receives postcards. Ensuring of course, you’ll want to draw children’s the Paddington Bear stories, they may or the classroom post office and writing area attention to the stamps in Paddington’s may not know that when the Browns contains plenty of postcards is a great way Post, which depict a Peruvian Llama, the found him, Paddington was wearing a to inspire young writers. Queen, and a jar of marmalade. parcel label written by his Aunt Lucy that As we all know, Paddington lives with After looking at different stamps, read: PLEASE LOOK AFTER THIS BEAR. the Brown family at 32 Windsor Gardens, encourage children to design their own, Thank you. In response to this, I’d ensure London. And London is a place with lots which you can then scan and print onto my letter writing area included plenty of of well-known sights suitable for writing sticky labels for use in the classroom parcel labels so that children could write about on a postcard. Why not consider postage system. You could even sell these their own messages asking people to take asking Paddington to send a postcard stamps to teachers and parents for use in care of different toys in the classroom. (penned by you) to your class about one of the school Christmas postbox with the the famous London landmarks he’s visited funds raised going to charity or the school. In the pack: (I hear he’s willing to do this for the small A parcel label fee of a marmalade sandwich)? Your In the pack: template that children could then reply by sending him Illustrations of children can write on postcards about the places of interest in the stamps in and tie to their toys. your locality - again, you can ‘dispatch’ Paddington’s Post, the postcards on the children’s behalf. and templates to help children come up with their own designs. He’s in safe hands It could be the beginning of an ongoing As an extension to the parcel label activity, correspondence between your class and I’d encourage my class to consider how the the small bear with a blue duffle coat. Message in a bottle Brown family cared for Paddington, e.g. Paddington travelled from Peru to Great taking him home, providing him with a bed, In the pack: Britain as a stowaway on a ship. Whilst he feeding him, introducing him to friends Postcard templates was hiding, he wouldn’t have been able to and neighbours etc. and then I’d introduce for children’s send letters to Aunt Lucy, but he might have my class to their very own Paddington Bear writing, and been able to send her a message in a bottle. (I’ve checked and they’re fairly inexpensive templates you To spark some excitement about writing when purchased online). can use to create messages, collect empty water bottles and We’d then think of how we could look messages from remove the labels (be sure to arrange for the after Paddington at school, such as keeping Paddington. bottles to be recycled and to discuss this him fit by taking him to PE lessons, making with the class). Write messages in the sure he eats healthy lunches in the school bottles in role as Paddington and hide them dining room and showing him where Put your stamp on it around the teaching environment. When important places (such as Great Britain If you want your classroom post office to children find the bottles, they should read and Peru) are on the world map. I’d have an authentic feel, children will need to the messages and reply. We’ve provided a photograph these activities as reminders affix stamps to their letters before posting lovely scroll resource for you and the for the children and then model how to them in the classroom letterbox. Collecting children to write your messages on. write a letter to Aunt Lucy explaining how stamps with children can be a fun way to we’d looked after Paddington. find out about life in other countries as the In the pack: artwork often depicts people, animals and An authentic scroll In the pack: landmarks that represent the stamp’s place template for your A letter writing of origin (collections of used stamps can be maritime messages. template ideal for purchased from eBay for just a few pounds). young children so they Royal Mail also regularly produces can write about how stamp collections to commemorate they’ve taken care events, people and literary characters of Paddington.

Rachel Clarke is director of Primary English. © R.W. Alley, 2019 www.teachwire.net | 23 Unleashing ENGLISH Make language a key player in all aspects of school life, encourages Ruth Baker-Leask

nglish takes up more timetable performances, both of which are games the children want to play or the space than any of the other statutory requirements in the spoken colour of the new school badge than primary subjects, yet we still word section of the curriculum. It’s also talking about real issues that affect their struggle to teach it all. This being pretty good for increasing children’s children’s lives. In this age of renewed Ethe case, why are so many children still self-esteem, especially when they hear youth activism, I would love to see school struggling to read, write and talk at a level the applause of an appreciative audience. councils that represent the authentic that is expected for their age? Here’s some ideas to try: voices of their pupils and aim to make To answer this question I would like meaningful changes to the school, to start by highlighting one of the key n Start a drama club. These are ideal for community and wider world. A good aims of our current English curriculum. It those children who have a natural aptitude place to look for ideas is esu.org states in the opening paragraphs that ‘the for acting but who may never get the overarching aim for English in the national opportunity to discover their talent. A place for poetry curriculum is to promote high standards of n Put on a show. Does your school There are only a handful of language and literacy by equipping pupils have an end-of-year production? Do requirements for children to with a strong command of the spoken and you stage a nativity play or celebrate learn about poetry in the national written word.’ other cultural or religious events with curriculum, and it’s only a statutory Bearing this in mind, I think that in an a performance? Time-consuming requirement that children write effort to ‘cram it all in’ there is little time though they are, the benefits are poems in Y2. I often advise teachers given to help children embed the language many, including supporting children’s to weave poetry into their English skills we are teaching so that they may use understanding of narrative or important teaching whenever possible as it’s the them independently, effectively and with events by experiencing them first-hand. perfect vehicle to encourage children’s confidence. I would also suggest that in n Make class assemblies a learning love of language and appreciation of an effort to record what the children have experience. Many schools have ditched well-crafted writing. For students who learnt, we spend more time on the written class assemblies due to the time have caught the poetry bug and who word than the spoken, when we know constraints of the curriculum. However, might enjoy writing their own verses, children will struggle to write something with some careful planning, the English organise a poetry club at lunchtime or that they can’t say. curriculum can be taught in the context after school that gives children time to So how can we change this situation of a class assembly. Activities such as apply their language skills to expressing when we are all suffering from scripting or directing performances their inner thoughts and feelings. overcrowded timetables and regular will support children in widening work scrutiny and when English is their vocabulary, strengthening their Sniff out stories predominantly taught in hour-long composition skills and understanding We regularly ask children to write blocks and is then tucked away again until the impact language and gesture have newspaper-style reports in English next time? Well, I suggest that English on an audience. lessons, often unsuccessfully. This should be untethered and encouraged to may be because many children don’t roam around the school, occupying all of Healthy debate read newspapers and are unsure of those places and spaces where creative Debating is a great way of developing their style and purpose. If pupils had language skills are needed. The following children’s language skills. Teaching the the opportunity to read and take suggestions are not new ideas, but, in language of discussion and argument is part in writing a school newspaper, I many settings, they have been overlooked difficult unless we give children authentic think this could help. This was once a due to the busy nature of school life or opportunities to talk about, debate and standard part of school life but seems are considered a luxury when there are persuade people about the issues that to have dwindled. This is such a shame, so many other things to think about. matter to them. A debating society, especially when you consider how children’s parliament or school council can much more simple it is to publish In the spotlight all provide pupils with this opportunity. children’s writing in this age of Drama supports children in speaking Too often school council meetings are electronic media. audibly and fluently as well as providing rushed or over-managed by adults who Could your school start an opportunities for participating in are more interested in what playground e-newsletter devised, written and

24 | www.teachwire.net TEACHING TECHNIQUES published by your pupils? Are there Ruth Baker-Leask children in your school who would jump is a consultant, at the chance of becoming newshounds, speaker, teacher and editors or agony aunts? chair of the National To spread the workload, could each Association of class take it in turns to write the school’s Advisers in English. newsletter periodically? Love your library So many libraries go unused during most of the school day, despite a further aim of the national curriculum being to develop our children’s ‘love of literature through widespread reading for enjoyment.’ One of my fondest memories of primary school was when I was chosen to be a school librarian. I would spend most lunch hours avoiding the chaos of a busy playground by stamping, tidying, sorting and reading books. Not everyone’s idea of fun, you may be thinking, but I am sure there are many children out there who would relish such an opportunity, so find them! These are your reading ambassadors: the children who can keep your library tidy and well used; who will run book groups for others by reading stories and recommending books; who will be your greatest allies in the endeavour to get all children reading widely and often. Admin apprentices It always raises a smile when I hear a school’s phone message has been recorded by one of the kids, or I am given a tour of a school by an articulate pupil who is relishing the opportunity to skip a lesson to show off the finer features of their school. So many simple day-to-day tasks are undertaken by adults that are perfect opportunities for children to practise their language and literacy skills. Pupil-led activities could include writing labels for displays, or even writing letters to parents about class trips. This gives children’s writing a real purpose and audience, as well as saving valuable admin time for teachers “English should and office staff. be untethered Making it purposeful Many of the experiences suggested above are the ones I recall from my own and encouraged education. I don’t remember much of the content of my primary lessons, but I do to roam around remember the play I wrote as part of my leavers’ assembly or the book review that the school” was published in the school newsletter. By providing wider opportunities for children to apply their language skills in purposeful and inviting ways, schools will be in a better position to equip pupils with a strong command of the spoken and written word.

www.teachwire.net | 25 How to lift poems OFF THE PAGE Poetry should be celebrated in every classroom, says Charlotte Hacking - so here are some ideas to help you get started...

expecting a response, but allow children to talk about what they like and dislike and how it makes them feel if they want to share this. It is important to introduce them to a wide range and breadth of poetry so that that they can be introduced to new poets, voices and styles they may not meet through their own reading; try not to be judgemental about what you think they will like or dislike, or might find too difficult. Give time Children need time to read, re-read and respond to poetry. However, we must make sure that we don’t jump into trying to dissect the poem before giving the children the opportunity to internalise and respond to it at a personal level. A technique like ‘poetry papering’ works really well. Select a number of different poems, illustrating different poets, styles and forms, photocopy them, and pin them up around the classroom for pupils to find and explore at their leisure. They can oetry is one of the most means there is little exposure to poets read, pass over, move on and then select important branches of literature, and their work for many of our children, one they’d like to talk about with someone providing the gateway for so particularly in KS2. Whilst our youngest else. This encourages the children to many young readers and writers children in the Early Years are exposed Pin their journey towards becoming literate. to nursery rhymes and opportunities to We are introduced to language and reading memorise and recite them frequently, as through the rhymes we hear and join in they get older, they meet such opportunities “Let them look for with as children - how well we travel along far less often.” the road can be influenced by how exposed The wonderful thing about poetry connections, ask we are as we go to the joys and potential is that it can be taught anywhere, at any poetry offers to us as readers and writers. time. Alongside planned units around questions, explore” There have, however, been tensions a particular collection or anthology, and issues around poetry’s place in the regular opportunities for a range of enjoy the experience of simply reading curriculum. Ofsted’s commentary on essential experiences to develop children’s a poem, to relish the uncertainties its Phase 1 curriculum review in 2018 knowledge of, engagement with and of meanings and the nature of the mentions the narrowing of the primary perceptions of poetry can be built in knowledge and emotional responses that English curriculum and suggests that throughout the curriculum and school poems invoke in them as readers. Let this is leading to less poetry being taught, day, all year round. them look for connections, ask questions, especially at KS2. CLPE’s Power of Poetry explore what they like about poems and research project in 2017-18 found evidence Read aloud the use of language. to support this. As one teacher noted: The wonderful thing about poetry is that “Unfortunately, our most recent it can be dropped into any part of the Encourage performance curriculum does not promote poetry and school day. Read a poem to start the day, Children need to feel the joy in reading this, coupled with most primary teachers before break, while lining up for lunch or poetry aloud, joining in, dramatising and feeling less confident about teaching poetry, at home time. Let it sit in the air without performing poems themselves. If poetry

26 | www.teachwire.net CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

is not given a voice, if it just stays on the page as a printed object, then it is not 5 brilliant going to come alive for most children. Find opportunities for children to collections of perform poetry themselves, to shadow an poetry to have in award, like the CLiPPA, enter recitation competitions or simply perform poems your classroom they love in school. A GREAT BIG CUDDLE Make curriculum links BY MICHAEL ROSEN, Word play is one of the most basic ILLUSTRATED BY CHRIS pleasures of poetry, giving the RIDDELL (WALKER) opportunity for playing games with A rich mix of poems that play with words language so that the shapes, sounds, and and sounds, engage young readers with rhythms of words are enjoyed as well as rhythms and rhymes and show that poetry Embrace opportunities can tell a story or share our feelings. Poems their meaning. Alliteration, assonance Poetry gives you a voice to express what and nonsense words allow children to that children will want to join in with, move you want, in your own way. Children need to and talk about. develop their knowledge of how letters the permission and opportunities to share and sounds are linked and explore and write about themselves, their feelings spelling patterns on the page. Poems that THE DRAGON WITH and important events. Through writing A BIG NOSE BY link to specific aspects of the curriculum poetry, children are encouraged to reflect can be a wonderful way into asking KATHY HENDERSON on their experience, to recreate it, shape (FRANCES LINCOLN) questions or sharing prior knowledge it, and make sense of it, giving it form This collection explores a range and breadth of a theme or topic and they can also be and significance and communicating this of forms and styles, taking them from the used at the end of a unit of study as a way to the reader or to the listener. Poetry is familiar comfort of rhythm and rhymes to of summarising learning. For example, powerful. Use it all year round. Rachel Rooney’s poem Six Facts About the introduction of more sophisticated poetic Light, could be used as a stimulus to devices such as assonance, imagery and write ‘Six Facts’ about a topic that has Access CLPE’s Poetryline metaphor. It’s out of print, so you’ll need to been covered. website, which provides a wealth track down a preloved copy! of opportunities for exploring poetry in schools, including videos of poets THINGS YOU FIND Watch professionals performing, free teaching plans for It’s so important for children to hear IN A POET’S BEARD using high quality poetry collections from, work with and watch professional BY A.F. HARROLD, and further ideas for embedding poets – seeing a poet bring their own ILLUSTRATED poetry into the curriculum at: work to life and beginning to understand BY CHRIS RIDDELL clpe.org.uk/poetryline what that means in terms of the creation (BURNING EYE BOOKS) of poetry helps children to see themselves A perfect KS2 collection with a mix of as writers. CLPE’s free Poetryline website themes and poetic forms. The poems use provides a range of poet performances Charlotte Hacking is the clever humour and wordplay as well as and interviews for teachers to use in the Learning Programmes evocative imagery, which enables children classroom. A visit from a poet brings this Leader at the Centre to visualise and feel like they are in the experience directly to the children and for Literacy in Primary moments being described. can be hugely enriching and inspiring. Education (CLPE). RHYTHM AND POETRY BY KARL NOVA (CABOODLE) Hip hop artist Karl’s poems are infused with the lyrical rhythms of his music, which makes them irresistible for children to want to perform, but this is also a book that could inspire many to take up writing themselves.

THE RAINMAKER DANCED BY JOHN AGARD These rich and lyrical poems, set against striking illustrations by Satoshi Kitamura, invite us to consider our own impact on each other and the environment and to question, challenge and reflect. In the current climate of fake news, poetry such as this is essential in every classroom.

www.teachwire.net | 27 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 21/10/2019 12:00 Page 28

Terms & Conditions This offer is only available to educational establishments within the UK and is not valid in conjunction with any other offer. To claim your free copy of The Week Junior please place your order with us before 31st December 2019. There is no cash alternative. Please quote code P19WJSTF for the offer to be applied. PARTNER CONTENT

Bringing books to life Improve literacy in the classroom through outdoor learning

As well as taking part in a range of spy-themed activities, schools that book one of the Alex Rider packages are also gifted copies of the first book in the series, Stormbreaker. A winning partnership The Alex Rider series, which was first published in 2000, redefined the spy genre and is widely regarded as pivotal in getting a generation of young people, particularly boys, reading for pleasure. The partnership between Walker Books and YHA aims to get even more young people turning pages and enjoying literature. YHA’s Alex Rider packages are themed around the award-winning series, were originally launched in 2015, and feature activities ranging from high- energy outdoor sports to gadget bseiling down a viaduct. Honing design and code breaking. archery skills to scare off the “All the activities YHA has more than 80 LOtC enemy. Building a raft to escape accredited sites, the greatest number from a clever trap. Alex Rider, linked to the spy theme accredited by the Council for Learning theA star of Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling Outside the Classroom (CLOtC) of series of spy novels aimed at young people, and gave the trip a any organisation nationwide. LOtC can do it all. But now, so can your class. YHA new element” accreditation helps schools to identify has teamed up with Walker Books to develop good quality and safe providers, as well two residential packages which bring the “The last day’s activity, which led to the as reducing the red tape faced by schools thrilling books to life, immersing children in discovery of the Alex Rider books hidden when planning educational visits. the adrenaline filled and secretive spy world. in a room, was brilliant! It meant we had These packages are more than just fun 30 copies of the book (a rare thing indeed) To find out more about YHA’s and energetic breaks from the classroom and we started reading as a class as soon cost-effective residentials, though. Outdoor movement and play as we got back. We are currently three please visit https://groups. are powerful learning tools for children, chapters from the end and the children are yha.org.uk/school-trips inspiring and motivating creative thinking, as hooked now as they were at the start.” embedding learning from the classroom in real life environments, and developing bonds between their peers which can help increase resilience and engagement back at school. Instantly hooked The outdoor learning residential experiences which YHA offers are anchored in promoting reading through spy-themed activities and have been credited by teachers with getting their pupils reading. Andrea Fisher, Y5 class teacher at Stonelow Primary School, commented: “From the moment we arrived, the special agent mission and new agent names got the group instantly hooked. All the activities linked to the spy

www.teachwire.net | 29 Words and pictures

Could the art of illustration help your pupils with character development in their writing? TR&W spoke to Axel Scheffler, in search of the inside story...

TR&W How early in the story Tucker, work out how the text should be suggested that I should probably tone development do you get involved, as divided up into separate pages, and they him down a bit, which is why he ended the illustrator? give me some suggestions on the page up being a rather more lovable monster AS Not until it’s absolutely finished. For design to get me started. Then I begin than the one I first imagined. The old example, when I’m working with Julia developing the characters. I start lady in A Squash and a Squeeze went [Donaldson], she sends the text to the sketching first, then there are through some alterations, too. I started publisher to be edited. Then the editor, conversations with Alison and Zoë about out by making her very elderly indeed, Alison Green, sends me the final text, which way it might eventually go. and quite spiky, with a pointed nose and plus some notes. And then it’s over to me. so on. After some nudges by the editor I don’t have any say in the plot – quite So, does the final appearance of a she became rounder, kinder and less rightly so! It’s always been that way, and character often differ greatly from wrinkly. So there are compromises; but it works very well. Sometimes there your original version? publishers do tend to know what they are might be little notes from Julia, saying Yes, sometimes! With the Gruffalo, I talking about (most of the time, at least), what she imagines, but that’s very rare, started sketching without thinking very and I tend to listen to what they say. I actually. Alison and her art director, Zoë much (as usual!), and I still draw what’s in my mind, but I know made him really quite there are some broad rules you need to scary, with tiny eyes follow, and a few taboos to avoid. and huge claws and fangs. Alison Over the years you’ve been asked to develop characters who are human beings, farm and wild animals and sea creatures… not to mention giants, witches and other fantastical beings. Do you find it easier to start with someone or something that already exists in the world, or from scratch? I suppose it’s more fun to create a character from scratch – but of course, even when you are coming up with images of fantastic beasts and magical figures, there is often a whole range of culturally transmitted images that you need to take into consideration. For example, British readers would expect a witch to wear a pointy hat, but in Germany, she would more likely be in a headscarf.

In your latest collaboration with Julia Donaldson, The Smeds and the Smoos, there are very few textual clues as to the characters’ appearances – so how did that process work? That’s right, there were only a couple of attributes in the text for each type of

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Try it in your classroom Four Axel-inspired ideas to help children make links between illustration and writing 1) Read out a very short description of a character to your class, then ask them to draw the person or creature you have been describing. Collect in all the pictures, then hand them back out again, randomly. What differences do the children notice between their own work, and the illustration they are now looking at? Has everyone been true to the original description? What additional information has been added, and how?

2) As Axel points out, there are certain culturally transmitted expectations around the appearance of many legendary, fantastical and historical figures. Give each pupil, or group of pupils, an example (e.g. dragon, giant, troll, princess) and ask them to come up with a list of visual clues they think should definitely feature alien: wild hair and sleeping in beds for What advice do you have for in its illustration. If they swap lists the Smeds; wearing shoes and jumping primary school teachers who with another pupil or group of like kangaroos for the Smoos. So I had a would like to make more use of pupils, can everyone work out the few constraints – I would normally draw drawing in their literacy teaching? aliens with eyes on stalks, which didn’t Just as reading lots of books can help character from the clues? work when they needed to have hair – but with writing, being exposed to all 3) Show pupils Axel’s original other than that I had free rein. I did lots of kinds of different illustrations can Gruffalo sketches (you can sketches before deciding on a direction, inspire children to draw – and give find them on his website at and it was nice to have such freedom. them an understanding of drawing. axelscheffler.com/books-with- It’s a good idea to get children to look julia-donaldson/the-gruffalo). How Do you think, if you’d chosen at work by different illustrators and differently do they think the book different sketches to take forwards, it talk about what they do. You could might have turned out if he hadn’t would have changed the story, even if discuss the various techniques and made the changes he did? Do they the words stayed media they use – think the editor was right to advise the same? collage, watercolours, those changes? Different illustrations pencils – and can absolutely result in “Every time I’m encourage children 4) Display a famous painting that different stories. Every to try them for includes a human figure or figures time I’m approaching a approaching a themselves. It’s (e.g. Renoir’s Luncheon Of The new concept, I can see important to think Boating Party, or Girl with a Pearl endless possibilities. new concept, I about how the Earring, by Vermeer) on your When I do talks at illustrations work whiteboard, and tell pupils that it schools I always show can see endless with the story – is, in fact, an illustration for a story my original Gruffalo what are the overlaps that they are going to write. What sketches, and talk about possibilities... ” between the text clues can they take about the how I have to make and the pictures? character/s from the picture, decisions as an Is there anything and how can they use the artwork illustrator. From a very brief description, that’s in one and not in the other, or to make their writing more vivid you can come up with a whole range of vice versa? And don’t forget to and powerful? appearances for a character, and each one introduce them to fine art – because might highlight different qualities. really, that’s illustration, too!

www.teachwire.net | 31 CORAL OCEAN Help your class to write at greater depth with Pie Corbett’s touching tale of two girls flung into unfamiliar surroundings

mira’s tongue seemed to Ten minutes to go. He could see the new be stuck in her mouth. children, both uncertain how to break the They had practised saying ice. The Syrian girl, Amira, seemed ‘good morning’ in English transfixed. The girl from Cornwall had so many times but now also not settled in and just looked angry. thatA she needed to speak the words, they She had already been with them for a wouldn’t come out. She looked down at week and had yet to settle. He sipped his her scuffed shoes and said nothing. coffee and sighed. It was going to be a Nothing seemed easier. The teacher tough day. towered above her. He was taller than her Coral Ocean stood on the edge of the one from home; home seemed like a playground and waited. No one came lifetime ago. near. All the other kids seemed to be round a girl she had not noticed before. The teacher walked her outside into the absorbed in their own games. She gazed One of them had grabbed the girl’s playground to be with the other children. out through the railings and pretended school bag. Now, they were throwing it A sharp wind blew across the tarmac and to stare at something in the distance. round the group. The girl had no chance Amira shivered. She missed the warm Blinking back tears, she roughly of getting it back. They were laughing scent of orange blossom; this new school rubbed her eyes and hoped that no one and shouting but the girl stood in the just smelt of the city streets. She ached would notice. middle, her eyes full of tears. Coral when she thought of her old friends; here, “What’s up?” A tall boy had come dashed forwards, her fists clenched as she knew no one. across and stood bouncing a tennis ball. she yelled, “Leave her be!” The group Not quite knowing what to do, Amira “Clear off!” snapped Coral, scuffing turned to stare. wandered between the groups of children, her shoe against the railings. A sharp whistle froze everyone in the dragging the school bag that she had “Please yourself,” muttered the boy. playground to a juddering halt. Mr been given. She could just see her little He spun round and raced back across Walker stood with hands on his hips and brother, Amir, in the other playground, the playground, bouncing his ball as he waited. Some of the children hung their surrounded by all the younger children. went. Coral could see him chatting to heads. “Line up,” he snapped, “Now.” He stood still with his thumb stuck in his some other children and pointing at her. Back in the class, Mr Walker mouth, looking lost; everyone else Everything seemed wrong. introduced the class to the newcomer. seemed to be moving round him, weaving How she longed for her old school! She was called Amira and had travelled in and out as they played. She longed to Coral missed the sunlit playground in all the way from Syria. The new girl go to him; she knew Mama would have. sight of the sea; her new school stood in stood at the front of the class, finding it For a moment, the memory of her mother the cold shadows of a tower block. She hard to look at anyone, scrunching the held her fixed, paralysed. Once again, she missed the thrill of playtime games; here, hem of an ill-fitting dress. “Coral, I think relived the moment when they had no one knew her. She missed the walk you had better look after Amira,” said been running… home along the cliff tops with Amy; here, Mr Walker, steering her towards where Mr Walker looked out across the she had to catch the bus, alone. Coral sat. Shuffling her books to one playground. Shrugging his shoulders At that moment, there was a shout side, Coral made a space. She glanced against the bitter wind, he hugged his that brought Coral back to the present. sideways at the new girl. Amira gave her mug of coffee and glanced at his watch. Some of the children were standing a shy smile; Coral grinned back.

DOWNLOAD PIE’S STORY FOR FREE AT www.teachwire.net/coralocean

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commitment to increasing both the amount children read and introducing them to a range of high-quality literature and authors. They have a curriculum map that identifies which texts will be used, ensuring a balance of poetry, story and non-fiction. Many have half class sets of the core books so that children can read along, but also so these texts can be used for comprehension work, drama, and writing-in-role – as well as providing a model for writing. “For a moment, Models for writing Many schools teach writing through the memory carefully selected and well-crafted models. These need to be short, worth reading and have a clear, transferable of her mother pattern for the children’s own writing. To some degree, the quality of the held her fixed, model determines the quality of the children’s responses. paralysed” Over time, children build up a range of story types such as ‘warning stories’ and use these as a basis for their independent writing. They can be taught to identify how a writer creates effects such as making a character sound real, or techniques for building tension. With practice and reading texts as a writer, these writing tools gradually become internalised. Caysie Freeman, a Year 5 teacher at Watermoor Primary School, Take reading into writing has folders on the wall that contain When you look at genuine greater snippets from quality books that the depth writing, it soon becomes children refer to when writing. These obvious that these are children who contain extracts for characterisation, read an enormous amount of quality dialogue, action, suspense, settings literature. Constant reading builds their for atmosphere, exciting openings and imaginative world so that they have satisfying endings. Her reading lessons more possibilities to draw upon when also act as a strong bridge between writing. It also strengthens vocabulary. studying quality literature and writing. The more children read, the more they internalise accurate use of punctuation, Innovating on a model spelling patterns and flow of narrative; In KS2, children should only ‘hug indeed, you can tell what a child reads closely’ to the original model if they as it will be echoed in their writing. are new to the English language or have particular needs. In that way everyone succeeds. More confident The Reading Spine writers use the underlying plot pattern If reading is one key factor in determining (e.g. warning story) and writing tools, writing, we need to ensure that we are increasingly leaving the model behind. working from high-quality books. The They may embellish, alter what school’s Reading Spine should identify happens, change viewpoints, re-write the backbone of must-have read aloud in the style of their favourite author, texts that every child will experience. reset the story within the The choice should be clear – do we read world of the class novel or Captain Underpants or Tom’s Midnight begin to use flashbacks Garden to the class? and time slips to alter Schools with high attainment - despite the narrative pattern. In serving challenging areas - have a strong this way, the model is not a

www.teachwire.net | 33 constraint. Greater depth writers also wordless picture book The Arrival. Careful draw on their own reading, as well as what reading of the images and rich book the imagination offers. talk develop a sense of how, when we become torn away from the familiar, the Shared writing world looks different, perhaps more The shared writing that the teacher threatening. In Jamie Thomas’s class, leads, where the class co-construct Max in Year 6 wrote this response to an innovation, has to be pitched at the early pictures. greater depth. In this way the teacher is constantly engaging the class cognitively Life drains away, plunging the and linguistically in thinking and writing world into solitude. at that level. The teacher uses the The colour that once flowed, underlying pattern and writing techniques now gone, from the model, showing how to create an Receding into the distance like imaginative and powerful text. The shared a fragment of memory. writing draws on the class’s Reading Hands that were once tightly Spine in order to make the link between clasped, ache in defeat. reading and writing obvious. It is essential to cultivate a love of The line ‘hands that were once words in the classroom. If children do not clasped, ache in defeat’, picks up enjoy words then they will never become on a detail from early in the book great readers, let alone be great writers. where the mother places her hand Word choice often ruins what might have on top of her husband’s, on top of been a great piece of work where children his suitcase. The greater depth have been lead to believe that good writer has a big vocabulary and writing consists of lots of ‘big’ words; a the temptation is to write in form of showing off with language. This abstractions, but it is the leads to over-written, fanciful writing concrete image that is seen that detracts from the impact on the and experienced by the reader. Odd word choices stall the flow reader’s imagination. of the imagination as it responds to the Learning to suggest writing. Each word has to earn its place atmosphere, emotions and be carefully selected. Sometimes the and ideas through simplest words create the right effect. In concrete description the same way, when children are asked can have a powerful to insert semicolons or examples of the impact on the passive this too can make composition quality of writing. Use harder and reduce the quality. The answer short-burst writing is to practise using semicolons until it to train the children becomes second nature. Working with Coral Ocean I wrote this story after visiting a local school and meeting some children who had come from Syria. The line, ‘she relived the moment when they had been running…’ is based on the story that a reception child told her teacher. This made me think about the challenge that new children have to fit into a new home, a new country and to make new friends. In terms of literacy, the story hinges around two key ideas. It is a ‘wishing story’ where the main characters really want something. It is also a character change story where the main character starts in a negative position but ends in a more positive situation. Tune the children into the theme of the story by using Shaun Tann’s wonderful

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contrasts that suggest how “Word choice often ruins the character feels. Ask the children what books they might think about or draw upon as they write. Let them what might have been a talk ideas through in twos and threes great piece of work” before they start. Planning Greater depth writers often do not need how to describe characters, objects, much in the way of planning as they settings, events, or increase tension have internalised a strong sense of so that they become adept at writing structure through constant reading. accurate paragraphs that build pictures They know that a narrative needs and ideas in the reader’s mind. It is to introduce a problem and drive worth remembering that greater depth towards a conclusion. Over-planning writers are very accurate at spelling often means that the writing and punctuation so that they are able becomes stilted as if the children to concentrate fully on the flow of are writing-by-numbers. Stronger composition and crafting the writing. writers usually are happier diving straight in so that their imagination The lesson takes over and the story emerges as The challenge with Coral Ocean they write. Having said that, the great is to write a short story or an children’s novelist Joan Aiken once opening chapter from a novel in told me that she thought that it was which there are two contrasting always a good idea to write the characters that have both been last line first as that might stop flung together in a totally new rambling and provide a direction setting. There needs to be a pivotal for composition. Greater depth reason or event that brings them writers may need more time for together. Furthermore, there has to drafting as well as revisiting their be a shift in viewpoint between the writing, editing and developing main characters. through rewriting sections that Read carefully with the class seem weaker. to consider the way in which the story is structured so that the second character does not appear until the second half of the story. Look at the sentences using semicolons and practise PIE CORBETT writing sentences that show is an author, poet and former headteacher.

www.teachwire.net | 35 Fresh inspiration Eight ideas for even better literacy teaching and learning, in every classroom...

Connecting 1 2 news and learning Get the power More than 9,000 schools The Centre for Literacy in Primary use First News Education to Education (CLPE) is an independent advance their pupils’ core UK charity dedicated to raising the reading, writing and oracy literacy achievement of children by skills through a foundation of putting quality literature at the heart weekly news. The First News of all learning. It is a charity with a newspaper gives children an national and international reputation accessible and engaging way for providing excellent literacy to grow their knowledge of the world, understand news literacy and build confidence in training and resources for primary discussing news. Alongside the newspaper, Activity Sheets and the online iHub deliver schools, based on extensive weekly reading activities based on exploring the latest news stories, provided in three research and best practice. levels to support teachers in developing pupils’ global understanding and essential skills CLPE provides a wide range of to drive their success. Free tasters are available at schools.firstnews.co.uk/explore professional literacy training at an affordable cost. This includes their flagship Power of Reading programme and whole school membership, giving access to Strong support over 200 detailed teaching plans Juniper Education was formerly the EES and resources to build their for Schools division of Essex County 3 English curriculum. Council, and provides software, support Try out the CLPE’s FREE services and professional services to over teaching resources, produced by 4,300 primary and secondary schools. Its its expert teaching team! Visit: software products include Target Tracker, clpe.org.uk/free-resources the market-leading pupil assessment and progress tracking tool (currently used in over 1 in 4 English primary schools), and SE+, a school self-evaluation tool. Its support services include HR, finance, clerking and governance, school library service, educational visits and professional development services including staff and teacher training. Junipereducation.org, 0345 200 8600

Phonics progress 4 What’s the simplest way to assess and diagnose phonic weakness? The Letters and Sounds Learning Record has the answer: • It lifts phonic assessment off teachers’ shoulders as it can be administered by any classroom adult. • It motivates pupils (and their parents) by showing them what they’ve learnt and what they still need to secure. • The letters and sounds skills booklet Available from just £1.99 + VAT per is portable, so can progress through Record – plus save 10% when you use foundation into KS1 with the child. code PCTRT9 at www.superstickers. • There’s not a computer in sight! com until 31.05.20

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Literary riches The use of high quality literature is important in schools; it expands readers’ 6 horizons, opening minds to concepts and themes such as love, war and justice, as well as providing vital insights into historical settings with geographical and scientific knowledge woven within as part of the narrative. Developed by The Literacy Tree, a group who have all been school leaders, teachers and moderators, the Literary Curriculum immerses children in a world to provide a meaningful context for rich reading and writing. Children develop an authorial style by engaging with significant authors and this has been developed into a cohesive and coherent whole-school approach, where themes and books have been mapped throughout the school. literarycurriculum.co.uk

5 7 8 The write stuff Looking to improve writing outcomes in your classroom? The Write Stuff by Jane Considine reveals a step by step framework for strengthening the teaching of writing. Sharply focused on showing children how to successfully craft a piece of text, The Write Stuff will help your pupils to understand the rules to win as a writer. This book provides teachers with a clear way forward, explaining Jane’s fundamental The literacy principles for teaching writing company and how to use these to underpin The Literacy Company aims to a successful teaching sequence. inspire and support teachers in The Write Stuff…clarity on a tricky order for students to gain access subject that will convert struggling What time is it? towards the career of their writers into successful writers! Learning to tell the time for most choice. Its mission is to create www.thetrainingspace.co.uk/ children is a challenge, and teaching strong programmes of support product/write-stuff time can be frustrating, but it for teachers and students to doesn’t need to be complicated. develop the learning of English in EasyRead Time Teacher has the primary and secondary schools, perfect solution in its practical and nationally and internationally. cleverly designed range of time It aims to bridge the gap teaching products. The Classroom between primary and secondary Set includes a classroom wall clock, education. The training courses a teacher demonstration clock and support teachers to engage with student practice clocks, which clearly their students. A range of useful present all the information children resources and an up-to-date need to master telling the time. In brochure can be found on the just three simple steps and with a company website. little practice, classes will be telling Visit www.theliteracy the time ‘in no time at all.’ company.co.uk or email www.easyreadtimeteacher.com, admin@theliteracy sales@easyreadtimeteacher. company.co.uk. com, 01684 566832

www.teachwire.net | 37 For the LOVE OF IT Forcing children to finish books that don’t interest them won’t make them better readers, warns Hayley Scott – and it could hinder the rest of their learning, too…

et children read what they want!’ makes the difference, not what the children we all need to remember that. Because, ‘Let them read for pleasure!’ read (bit.ly/trwlittrust). Reading for surely, how you feel about books, life, Writers say this all the time, and I pleasure is what creates curious, engaged, yourself, shouldn’t come down to luck. agree with them. There’s nothing happy, confident learners. And, on a basic, Self-esteem is affected by so many ‘Lquite like reading what you enjoy. It opens less poetic level, reading for reading’s sake, different things. If we can use the things you up. It takes you places. It introduces without enjoyment, simply doesn’t ‘get children love already to bring a love of you to people you’d never meet otherwise, the results’. books and narrative and creating worlds of ways of thinking you’d never find by In the daily life of a school, it’s so easy their own, why wouldn’t we? If my mum yourself, and fills you up with beautiful to forget that some children dread reading, hadn’t read to me every night, and taught images, making you excited, hopeful, less will do anything to get out of it, will me to read before I started school, my lonely and at its best, full of wonder. Who pretend to read just to keep the adults from feelings about myself, and school, and wouldn’t want that for every child? their back. There are many reasons why, what words and stories could do for me As a teacher and writer, I can see the and it’s not our jobs as teachers, or writers, would have been so different. She gave me disconnect between what we all think to judge them or their families, or their a magic gift; one that every child should be children should be having access to teachers, even. But to expect a child who’s given, regardless of background. And it all bookwise, and what is possible in the never really read books at all, to come to begins with a book; so here are some current education climate, budgetwise. school and make their way through the things you could try in your school: Most teachers, given the choice, would banded reading scheme just because it is have classrooms bulging with books, new ‘good’ for them, seems utterly ‘Peer readers’ – some schools and old, ready to be pulled from the shelves counterproductive. 1 encouraged paired reading, where a and delved into by enthusiastic pupils… but What if, as we all know when we think child who works beyond expected at as we know, for lots of schools the money about our own lives, what children should reading reads to a child who is below. just isn’t there, even when SLT really want be reading is a simple as what they are This doesn’t have to be a formal thing, it to be. And while plenty of us dip into our passionate about, what makes them laugh, done at a set time. own money to buy books for our what makes them feel hopeful or excited. classrooms that might suit individual What if they should be reading books that, Quiz children on what they love, and pupils – those who don’t have access to when they talk to you about them, make 2 try and find books to match. There books at home, or those who just can’t get their eyes light up the way they do when isn’t time in a school into the books in the school library or on they talk about Pokemon cards, or day to do that, the reading schemes – it’s expensive and YouTubers, or LOL Surprise Dolls? often – but greater isn’t always possible. Many would argue it links with local shouldn’t be necessary, of course. But we Things they love libraries could be a have to work with what we’ve got. Nearly every teacher I’ve met in the way forward. Is it thirteen years since I first stepped into a possible for you to Good choices classroom as an adult cares deeply about the do regular trips What do you read? What don’t you read? As success and wellbeing of every child in their with your class? an adult. As a teacher. Do you read current class. If you were a bookworm yourself, and With your children’s fiction, not just the bestsellers so many teachers were, books were comfort, school? they sell in the local supermarket? What solace, excitement, adventure, friends even. did you love to read as a child? Did you ever But imagine something you hate doing now, hear adults around you suggest some books something you struggle with – bills, are ‘better’ than others? Do you still have a paperwork, laundry… and then think about voice in your head that tells you some how it would feel if every day of your life, reading choices are more valuable than your success as a person were judged by others? Because the research says not. The how well and how often you did that thing. research says that reading for pleasure Reading is like this for many children, and

38 | www.teachwire.net THINKING LITERACY

Have you got magazines, comics, graphic 3 novels in your classroom? Can you get children who are into these things to talk to the class or groups about why they love Reading for them? Can you get books linked to the TV pleasure – they watch, or the movies they love? Instead of thinking, ‘Oh no not another Avengers what works? costume’ on World Book Day, can you According to the Centre for Literacy engage with children’s enthusiasms in in Primary Education (CLPE), the ways that give opportunities for following strategies are proven to further reading? have a positive impact on children’s attitudes to reading:

1 Developing an ethos and an environment that excites, enthuses, inspires

2 High quality texts with depth and interest in story, character, illustration, vocabulary, structure and subject matter

3 A read aloud programme

4 Teachers who are knowledgeable about children’s literature

5 Creating a community of readers with opportunities to share responses and opinions

6 Planning for talking about books and stories, providing structures within which to do this

7 Understanding the importance of illustration in reading both in terms of creating a text and responding to a text

8 Using drama and role play to help children to understand and access texts

9 Working with authors and author/ illustrators to understand the process of creating books

10 Using literature beyond the literacy lesson – cross-curricular planning with quality literature as the starting point.

clpe.org.uk

Hayley Scott is a primary school “How you feel about books, teacher and writer. Her Teacup House life, yourself, shouldn’t come series for emerging readers is available down to luck” from Usborne. One Christmas Night, a novel for adults written as Hayley Webster, is out November 14th with Trapeze books.

www.teachwire.net | 39 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 40 BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS Five books to support LGBTQ+ DIVERSITY Reading material in your school library should reflect everyone’s reality. Here are some suggestions to rejoice in love in all its forms

IAN EAGLETON

s a young gay man, I struggled to Heather Has find books that I could truly indentify with. I wanted to read Two Mummies by Lesléa Newman and Laura something that highlighted my Cornell (Walker Books) experiencesA and made me feel less alone. This Heather Has Two Mummies was first published has made me aware of how important it is to in 1989 and while Lesléa Newman has talked have books in school that mirror everyone’s about how lesbian mums were thrilled to see realities. None of the books chosen here aims themselves in a children’s book, there were a to indoctrinate children into the LGBTQ+ number of people who were disgusted by the community; they all simply rejoice in love in all inclusion of a different family unit. The book is a its different forms by recognising, normalising colourful, gentle exploration of what it means to and honouring every relationship. It is of be a family. Heather and her two mums picnic, course vital you read these books before play and bake together. When Ms Molly asks sharing them with your class and ensure they the class to paint a picture of their families, we are appropriate and suitable for your pupils. see, through beautiful, child-like watercolour But if teachers can sensitively direct children’s illustrations, how different every family is – a reading then they will have the compassion message that still needs to be acknowledged. and understanding they need to challenge inequality and replace the ‘what is’ with ‘what ifs’ and ‘what could be’. Jerome by Heart by Thomas Scotto and Oliver Emmett and Caleb Tallec, translated by Claudia Zoe Bedrick and Karin by Karen Hottois Snelson (Enchanted Lion Books) and Delphine Renon, reaction. Many children will recognise the This vivid picture book shows us the beauty translated by Sarah notions of rejection and invisibility, but Nana of true friendship and the feeling of safety it Ardizzone (Book Island) gifts Julian a pearl necklace to complete his engenders. Told simply in the first person, Emmett and Caleb explores the relationship glamorous outfit. They join a procession young Raphael shares with us his feelings of between the two main characters as they of mermaids “like you, honey” and a riot of tender affection for his best friend, Jerome. journey through birthdays, hard times and colour reflects Julian’s feelings of joy as he With echoes of Walt Whitman’s We Two Boys the beauty of the changing seasons. The two finds his true place in the world. Together Clinging and Josh Gilgun’s The Way friends share precious moments together, They Are, the book sensitively considers how such as watching a stunning sunset or waving Red: A the day-to-day rhythm of life can be enriched by goodbye to summer as autumnal leaves fall. love. Despite his parents’ disapproval, the story Their relationship is never defined, leaving it Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall ends on a life-affirming note – Raphael’s spirit open to interpretation, but it’s lovely to share (HarperCollins) cannot be vanquished and the boys’ love remains in their quiet, tender friendship. I look forward Red crayon is not very good “strong as a fortress”. to Le Grand Voyage, their next adventure. at being red. Every time he tries to draw strawberries, hearts and cherries, everything Julian is a turns out blue! His teacher thinks he needs Mermaid more practice, his parents feel he needs to Ian Eagleton is a by Jessica Love mix with other colours and many berate him teacher and English (Walker Books) for his lack of effort – after all, his label says consultant, and creator Julian’s life is changed when he sees three ‘red’ and that’s the way he came from the of The Reading Realm enthralling women dressed as mermaids. factory! Eventually, a new friend offers iPad app, an educational Swishes of coral blue and intricately illustrated Red the chance to be himself and Red resource to promote underwater scenes depict Julian’s daydream discovers that he is, of course, Blue! A reading for pleasure. of becoming a mermaid. When Nana sees colourful, charming, witty picture book Julian proudly transformed into his version of about the damage of forcing labels onto a mermaid, the empty space surrounding him others and the freedom and delight that @reading_realm and Nana’s furious face suggest a devastating being yourself brings. thereadingrealm.co.uk

www.teachwire.net | 41 FILL IN THE GAPS We can’t assume prior spelling teaching has been retained — we must look back to move forward, says Michelle Nicholson

espite a greater is found at the end of syllables internalised spelling schema? such as ‘happy’ or ‘le’ such as focus on spelling, such as ‘boy’ but that the same Let’s take the first word on the ‘middle’, to adding suffixes for some children are phoneme is spelt ‘oi’ when in the list: ‘accommodation’. If you words such as ‘dropped’ or still struggling to middle of a syllable like ‘coin’, give children this word to learn, ‘swimming’, all the way through Ddemonstrate that they are they can also spell ‘destroy’ as they may well remember it for to multi-syllabic words such as writing at the expected standard well as ‘embroiled’. If a child can a test on Friday. Teach pupils ‘disappeared’. When questioned, for their age because of gaps articulate this knowledge, there a mnemonic such as ‘there is many children are unable to in their spelling knowledge. It is a good chance that she or he room for two c’s and two m’s in articulate the ‘rule’ of doubling seems there are pupils who are can apply it to unfamiliar words. accommodation’ then they may and yet this is something that is unable to retain and apply what It is feasible that children well be able to recall the correct taught in Reception, Y1 and then has been taught, especially when who are confident spellers spelling when they need it. But, again in Y2. It stands to reason it comes to the content of the are creating a schema in how often will they need it? that regular revisiting of this Y5/6 spelling expectations. their minds: new learning is Will the mnemonic be forgotten convention would give children I would argue that these assimilated and stored within by the time the word is next a much firmer foundation on children do not have the firm the appropriate section. employed? You could, however, which to add the Y5/6 statutory foundations of the previous If a child is supported to teach children that a single words that follow. year groups’ spelling content remember the pattern or consonant is generally doubled Clearly, to know whether to on which to build. They do convention pertaining to a if it appears immediately after a double a consonant or not is an not seem to see any analogies section, they have fewer facts short vowel sound. Then a pupil essential piece of knowledge and between words, or patterns that to remember than if they are will not only know how to spell that is why these conventions appear across words. Instead, trying to remember each word this word, but over 20 more that are introduced in KS1. Many of they view each word as a new individually. However, frequent use this convention in the Y5/6 the early spelling statements are and unique entity. recall of that pattern is essential list alone, as well as hundreds introduced in KS1 because they Conversely, we can all think to build this into the long- of others. occur so frequently. However, of children who just know term memory. many spelling schemes seem how to spell a word after first Connection building Regular revisiting to ignore (or at best give scant exposure to it — they even shouldn’t stop with KS1 phonics. The ‘doubling after a short notice to) the very first statement seem able to spell words they At a glance, the Y5/6 spelling list vowel’ convention is a handy in each national curriculum have never met before. One seems to be a random collection trick to have up your sleeve. spelling appendix, which clearly might question whether these of unconnected words, but can The words that apply this states that children should revise children are visual learners they be linked to prior learning principle range from two work done in previous years. with a phenomenal memory for in order to add to a child’s syllable words ending in ‘y’ individual words or whether they have actually got a very efficient scheme for sorting, WHAT TO RECAP ‘hummed’, ‘sunny’ or ‘funny’. Next, revisit grouping and storing words in the short vowel pronounced ‘uh’ spelt ‘o’ their long-term memory. With Y2 About to teach the sound spelt ‘ar’ after before ‘th’: ‘other’, ‘another’, ‘mother’, thousands of words to assimilate ‘w’ in words such as ‘war’ or ‘swarm’? Track ‘brother’, ‘nothing’ and before ‘ve’ and ‘me’: and remember, perhaps all back to prior teaching surrounding this ‘love’, ‘above’, ‘oven’, ‘come’, ‘some’. children need to be taught the sound, such as the graphemes or/ore/aw/au Practise the commonly used words most efficient way to organise (for/more/saw/haunt). ‘Monday’ and ‘son’. their spelling knowledge, ready for access ‘on demand’. Y3/4 Not many words use the grapheme Y5/6 Words ending in ‘cial’ and ‘tial’ link ‘ou’ making the sound ‘uh’ (‘touch’, ‘young’, beautifully to the prior teaching in Y2 Gentle reminder- ‘double’, ‘trouble’, ‘country’). Before tackling surrounding adjectives ending in ‘al’, such Connections to existing this objective, start with a revision of this as ‘magical’ or ‘comical’. Before looking at knowledge should be supported short vowel sound spelt ‘u’ in words such words ending ‘cially’ and ‘tially’, track back to by reminding children of what as ‘hunter’, ‘thunder’, ‘tumbler’, ‘jumper’, the Y3/4 teaching of adding ‘ly’ to words such they already know. For example, ‘Sunday’ and words where the consonant is as ‘sad’ and ‘secret’. Explore what happens to if pupils are secure with the Y1 doubled after a short vowel, such as ‘buzzer’, words like ‘magic’ and ‘comic’ that end in ‘ic’. knowledge that the digraph ‘oy’

42 | www.teachwire.net TEACHING TECHNIQUES

Knowledge gaps “If children have gaps in spelling In general, most schemes focus on age-related expectations, knowledge pertaining to the Y2 assuming prior teaching has been retained for good. However, if programme of study, then even you have a child in Y6 who is still spelling ‘hopeful’ with a double tracking back to Y3/4 may ‘l’, then the chances are that he not be enough” or she has forgotten all about the Y2 programme of study. mark scheme refers to the Y3/4 Indeed, for some children, the Y2 suffix knowledge ‘ous’ for the word programme of study may have ‘generous’ but children will also eluded them altogether. Many need to know about the soft ‘g’ of the suffixes such as ‘ment’, (/d3/) from Y2. As the Y2 spelling ‘less’ or ‘ness’ are requirements programme of study seems to for children working at greater form the bedrock of spelling in depth, so there is a good chance KS2, it is wise to allow time to that some pupils may have revisit it as much as possible. never really been taught It seems to stand to reason these conventions. that a systematic shoring up The 2019 GPS of the foundations of spelling paper once again had knowledge, aided by strategies a heavy focus on to secure retention, will help words from the Y3/4 children with gaps in their programme of study, spelling. Once these thus reinforcing the gaps are identified idea that prior learning and closed, swift and needs to be revisited. confident progress However, if children have should follow. gaps in spelling knowledge pertaining to the Y2 programme of study, then even tracking back to Y3/4 may not be enough. There are few words that rely solely on one KS2 spelling pattern. For example, although the word ‘thoughtful’ was included with reference to the Y5/6 spelling words containing the letter string ‘ough’, children will also need to know the Y2 teaching of adding the suffix ‘ful’. Similarly, the

Michelle Nicholson is a primary English adviser for Herts for Learning Ltd, supporting schools around the county. Visit hertsforlearning.co.uk for ‘Steps to Spelling’ resources.

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44 | www.teachwire.net THINKING LITERACY

UNSTOPPABLE PROGRESS Using relatable fiction as a springboard for PSHE teaching can lead to children understanding both themselves and literature more deeply, says Jen Crofts

lackpool FC help myself,” was the response other, it was still clear they they had nothing in common Community Trust he gave when questioned about loved each other. We also with each other - yet that didn’t has long enjoyed a his removal. Kyle also struggled discussed the need to celebrate mean that they weren’t still a working relationship academically and very rarely our differences, as well as family. Kyle realised he needed Bwith Dan Freedman. So, when recorded his ideas through our similarities. to take more of an interest into he announced the release of his written work. The children were then his sister’s life. latest book, Unstoppable, we From my very first asked to produce a collage were very keen to work closely encounter with Kyle, I was of their own families. In the Positive attention with him to produce a new able to form a bond of mutual beginning, Kyle was reluctant As the weeks progressed, Kyle PSHE scheme of work for local respect and understanding. – he has many siblings and became more confident and Blackpool primary schools. As He had previously struggled was convinced they didn’t very insightful, answering one of the physical education to explain his feelings and give have anything in common. questions in a way neither officers for the Community his opinion. When questioned However, after some discussion his teacher nor I had thought Trust, I was given the task of later as to why he enjoyed the he realised that they enjoyed of. His classmates noticed a writing and delivering this. PSHE lessons so much, he watching the football together The Year 6 class chosen as the replied, “I’m allowed to give and going to the cinema to first to participate in the new my opinion, and nobody can see a film. He recognised Unstoppable PSHE programme say I’m wrong because that’s that these events didn’t at Westminster Academy in my opinion.” This is something happen too often, but Blackpool was made up of that I reiterated throughout the when they did, they a varied demographic, and lessons – there were no right or were special. He the school itself is in one of wrong answers. We were always could relate to Kaine the most deprived areas of respectful of others’ ideas Campbell’s dislike Blackpool. These reasons and thoughts. of his sister, and contributed to the class being how he thought chosen for the trial. And it was Family dynamics at Westminster Academy The first lesson looked at where I met Kyle. family dynamics, a topic which some of the children A matter found extremely hard. of opinion Many of them had Kyle is an 11-year-old boy, a experienced separation, with dominant member of the class, a parent described by his teacher Miss or siblings Moore as a ‘typical class clown.’ living in Kyle would frequently play up different in order to get a laugh out of houses. the class, which in turn led to We used his removal. He would then Unstoppable be sent to the Focus Room, to look at the where students have a time-out relationships session with members of senior between the management. Kyle was the first Campbells (the to admit that he was spending main family in far too much time in there but the book) in the first couldn’t explain the reasons instance. We talked he kept getting removed from about how, although at class. “I just get bored and can’t times they didn’t like each

www.teachwire.net | 45 difference in Kyle also, with one of them making a fleeting FREE RESOURCES! comment: “Kyle is always To coincide with the publication of the paperback of answering in these lessons, Unstoppable by Dan Freedman in Spring 2020 (David he’s normally been sent out Fickling Books, £7.99) Brenda Heathcote has created a by now.” For once, Kyle was set of teacher resources. These can be used across the getting attention for the curriculum, and the aim is to encourage young people right reasons, and the change to think and talk about the issues raised, to react to in him was amazing; his the characters, to enjoy and reflect upon the story. behaviour was exemplary and To request a copy of the resources in advance of publication and be in his contribution to the class with a chance to win one of 5 signed copies of the hardback edition was more than he’d made all of Unstoppable contact: [email protected] year. In one instance, when a (All emails will be entered into a draw to receive a signed copy of Unstoppable; fellow student was for full terms and conditions, including David Fickling Books’ privacy policy, starting to distract see thephoenixcomic.co.uk/terms-and-conditions) him, he stood up and moved himself away in order to continue his work. Throughout the scheme of work, there were several tough subjects and issues tackled: appropriate adult relationships, a five-step behaviour model, a three-step process to tackle difficult situations, good and bad secrets, fair and unfair behaviour and family dynamics. For each lesson, the structure was very similar; we would first discuss the topic using the characters and situations from the book seen when we used the before moving on to consider five-step model to recognise the issues raised in the context thoughts, feelings, behaviours of the children’s real-life and physical responses to a setting. This made the learners situation. The students were feel safe and comfortable, given different scenarios from as they were almost ‘hiding the book, for example, Kaine behind’ the characters at dealing with the death of his first, before having to talk grandmother, and were asked about themselves. The end to fill in the five-step template part of a session would look provided. We discussed the at signposting ways of dealing different scenarios as a class with any issues that came up. so that the children felt the rest of the class – he was For example, what to do and comfortable with the model. insightful on how he might whom to talk to if you felt you feel, and how he planned on were getting involved in an coping with the huge change inappropriate relationship “He’s normally in his life. With him sharing children are able to relate with an adult. been sent out of his thoughts it encouraged to the characters on a others to contribute to the deeper level and it aids the Deeper insight the class by now” discussion. This was often discussion of tough issues. As Miss Moore, Kyle’s class the case in the sessions. Once teacher, said, “The issues in We then asked the children one of the students, (typically the book are very current to choose a situation from Kyle) started to open up about and relevant. The sessions their own lives and again, to fill real-life personal issues, the have worked really well, and in the template. I always made rest of the class would follow. the children are all excited it clear that nobody would be The children have as it covers age appropriate made to share anything they benefited greatly from the issues. Being able to discuss weren’t comfortable with. sessions, with some even those issues in a non-pressure Kyle shared with the class being signposted for further Jen Crofts is a physical situation has made them feel his thoughts and feelings on support. Using a book like education officer for Blackpool really comfortable.” moving up into high school, a Unstoppable has been a great FC Community Trust, with 13 An example of this was topic that was very relevant to tool for the sessions, as the years’ teaching experience.

46 | www.teachwire.net TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 15:07 Page 47

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hink back to your school days printed out a picture or found a video clip for a moment. Make a note of to support one child’s story, while another three writing opportunities pupil nipped to the library to do research you remember fondly. What for the fact file on dinosaurs they are Tmade them memorable? It probably creating? It would allow children time to wasn’t the ambitious success criteria practise skills taught and it would give us or the time spent editing (although, no further insight into what they can really doubt, these things made you a more achieve if they are engaged. All the research proficient writer). I would guess that indicates that reading for pleasure makes they were memorable because of one better readers; surely the same is true of or more of the following: writing too? I often hear teachers say there isn’t n You enjoyed them time for such niceties, but I would argue n You took ownership over them and that there needs to be. The first aim of were proud of the outcome the national curriculum is to engender n The writing had a real purpose an appreciation of human creativity n You were inspired or engaged by and achievement. What better way to the stimulus appreciate human creativity than to be part of it? In order to engage all children in the writing process, we have to create writing Ownership and pride opportunities which allow children to Even within structured English sessions, feel one or more of the above. there is still room for choice. If a child selects their own character, setting or Writing for enjoyment animal to create a fact file about, they are If you spend the week in an excellent more likely to take ownership over that early years setting, you will see all writing, because the content is theirs. children mark-making for pleasure. The choice may come in how the writing They want to write, not because that is is presented or who the audience will be. the lesson objective, but because they The structure of the writing may still be have something they want to say, record the same for all, allowing the teacher to or share. Often that writing is inspired scaffold and teach the skills so everybody by the continuous provision they are can achieve, but by providing choice, immersed in. They want to write a the children gain ownership. And with recipe, create a treasure map, invite ownership and capability comes pride. Goldilocks for dinner or make a parking ticket for an illegally parked scooter. As we journey up through the primary years, we often remove that “A rich starting level of choice. Children are regularly writing in the same genre, using the point nearly same stimulus or addressing the same audience. What would happen if we always leads to introduced writing for pleasure? What if children had a folder or a book where they could just create? What if we amazing writing”

48 | www.teachwire.net TEACHING TECHNIQUES

Our education system is filled with external motivation, but to find ways in FIVE WAYS TO which children are internally motivated INSPIRE THEM THEIR FIRES is a real reward. Take part in Collins’ Big Cat Writing Competition Real purposes 1 (collins.co.uk). This year’s theme is ‘Our World, Our Think about the writing you have done Home: Be a Big Cat Eco-warrior’ and the closing date is over the last 24 hours. Lists, letters, notes, Friday 20th December. instructions and maybe a card or two. I would expect that most of your writing was Write to somebody who inspires you. It is amazing how for a real audience. We write because we 2 many people and companies write back (and you might want to communicate. The best writing I receive some great freebies too!). have seen from children always happens when there is a real purpose or audience. Find a school to twin with and become penpals. In A second-class stamp costs 58p. Sending 3 doing so, you can cover much more than the English a letter that a child has taken thought curriculum alone (art and geography, for example). and time over is priceless. There are 2.2 Have a look at Connecting Classrooms, run by the British billion children in the world, all having Council, to find out more (https://connecting-classrooms. experiences that are sometimes similar britishcouncil.org). and sometimes wildly different. Do your class have penpals to share and compare Set aside half an hour every fortnight to allow the class these with? 4 to write what they want. Let them bring in things from Children are impassioned beings. home and decorate their writing folders. Set ground rules They are the first to complain if they and join in! are unhappy about something. Utilise this. Get them to argue, debate and Use a book that inspires you (even though it doesn’t write. Persuasion is so much easier 5 link to your curriculum). My current favourites are when we genuinely want the person to Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone, Leon and the Place Between be persuaded. Use national days, local by Angela Mcallister, Once by Morris Gleitzman, The events and school activities to make Elsewhere Emporium by Ross MacKenzie and Margaret writing purposeful and fun. and the Moon by Dean Robbins. Teachers are natural planners. We want to know in September what will be happening in December. But with for it; utilise freebies such as the Into the removal of the Primary Framework Film Festival (intofilm.org). and the introduction of the 2014 It’s hard to write about something curriculum, there is more freedom in you have not experienced. If you don’t English lessons than before. Plan the believe me, have a go at writing a diary skills you want to teach, but utilise real entry imagining you are a Chinese purposes. There is nowhere that states ambassador. Our stimuli must provide Y2 must spend six weeks looking at children with enough experience that poetry and Y5 must spend three weeks they can write. Vary it by trying books, writing a balanced argument. These are experiences, art and film clips. The best all pressures we put on ourselves. writing diet is a varied one. Amazing stimuli Finding quality stimuli for writing is one of the biggest challenges for teachers. We’ve all been guilty of choosing a book Laura Dobson worked as a teaching and because it matches the topic, even though learning consultant for a large local it’s as dull as dishwater. A rich starting authority before setting up Inspire Primary point nearly always leads to amazing English earlier this year. She runs an OU/ writing. Set up a crime scene and write UKLA Teacher Reading group, is an active witness reports; invite in a parent with an governor and still teaches. Find out more at unusual job then write a job description inspireprimaryenglish.co.uk @inspireprieng

www.teachwire.net | 49 www.teachwire.net | 49 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 15:40 Page 50 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 15:40 Page 51 GIVEAWAY

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52 | www.teachwire.net Book BOOKtopic TOPIC CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES KS1/2

Published by Templar, 2016

Explore the landscapesA in MarcRiver Martin’s inspirational picture book for observation, questioning, reflection and visualisation

CAREY FLUKER HUNT

rom her bedroom high above city flyovers and smoke-filled factories appealing picture book offers gloriously the city, a girl sits looking at a to patchwork fields and waterfalls. immersive, densely coloured artwork river. It stretches away in both Information mixes with dreamscape with a sophisticated edge. Martin’s directions and she imagines as the river takes her through jungles, pared-back text leads us through Fherself swept along it “in a silver boat past mangroves and out into the open sea. each landscape, framing the reader’s towards the horizon”. Subsequent spreads Part exploration of the power observations but leaving plenty show her boat following the river through of imagination and part introduction of room for thinking, questioning different locations, from car-jammed to habitats and the water cycle, this and responding.

www.teachwire.net | 53 Book topic

Sharing the book and talking about it Before reading, ask your children what they know about rivers and what experiences they can share. Is there a river near your school? Where does it come from and where does it go? How do you cross a river or travel along it? Look at the front cover. What kind of place is this, do you think? Does it look like anywhere you recognise? Who could be in the boat and where could they be going? What other questions does this cover raise? Share the story, making sure everyone can see the pictures – you may need to use Building on your bodies, explore these movements, discuss a visualiser or have extra copies available. book experience and try again. Read the whole book for enjoyment, How would a whole class of water questioning and reflecting on individual Where will your boat droplets spout and gush and flood? Set illustrations but keeping the momentum take you? your movements to music and give your going, then revisit each spread to look more Find pictures showing the girl’s boat and best performance. How does it feel to closely and interrogate the images. talk about what she can see, hear, smell act together as one big wave? Write How is the river in this book similar to and taste. How do you think she’s feeling? descriptively about water on the move the one(s) you talked about earlier? How is List words to describe her emotions. If you (and your part in it). it different? had your own silver boat, what would it be What happens to a single water Where can you see the sky in this book? like? Describe your imaginary boats, then droplet when it’s alone? Observe one Why do you think Martin didn’t show imagine you’re building them. What will through a magnifier and talk about it. Try more sky? you do, and what tools will you use? tipping the droplet to see what happens, In this book, do you think Martin Mime actions like sawing planks and then leave it alone. How long does it take wanted to teach you facts, tell you a story or planing them; lifting them and to disappear? Where has it gone? do something else? hammering nails; dropping a heavy How long does it take a water droplet If you had a little silver boat, where mast into place and tying a sail to it... to evaporate from your school yard or would you sail? When your boat’s ready, prepare to sail classroom floor? Set up an investigation to down river. Where are you heading and time droplets in different locations. what happens along the way? Mime your Find out about the water cycle. actions and show your reactions to events As water droplets, can you act it out? as they unfold. Use your experiences to fuel Once you can remember everything that creative writing – from descriptions of the happens, draw diagrams showing the boats to stories about your adventures. water cycle and present what you’ve learned to another class. A class-full of water droplets Car jam If you were a water droplet, how would you Look at the traffic-jam cityscape – too drip and splash and flow? Observe water many cars can certainly cause trouble! on the move (spouting from a tap, gushing Draw toy cars from life, then choose along a stream, swirling down a plughole) your favourite and turn it into a colourful and collect words to describe it. Using your Martin-style illustration. Cut out and

the box upside down across the gap Take it further between two desks (so it can be safely accessed from beneath). Supervise SENSORY JUNGLE children as they use torches to Look closely at the night-time jungle overwhelm coloured pigments so add explore the scene within, then use as illustration. How many eyes can black pigment sparingly!) a stimulus for writing a report about you count? Can you identify the Open a large cardboard box so what you’ve done, instructions on how creatures? Find out about nocturnal it lies flat, then paint night-time jungle to make a similar box, a description jungle animals. scenes over the inside surface, of the artwork you’ve created, The colours in this spread are looking at the book for inspiration and a poem about the animals. dense and dark. Investigate shades and using darker paint shades by adding small amounts of black you’ve mixed yourselves. FACTORY SMOKE pigment to coloured pigments. Record Draw or paint animal silhouettes Look at the factory cityscape and talk the increasingly dark colours you and collage onto your scene. Add eyes about it. Why is there so much smoke? produce by painting sample squares using luminous paint, then reassemble Is there any smoke in your town or city? along a strip of white card. (It’s easy to your box so the artwork is inside. Place Where does it come from?

54 | www.teachwire.net CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Have a go at dripping and dropping watery paint or ink onto paper and letting Loved this? Try these... the droplets run, like the rain on your v Once Upon a Raindrop by James Carter and window. Add to your word-collection Nomoco, Caterpillar Books 2018 and use to help you write descriptively or v The Rhythm of the Rain by Grahame Baker poetically about your rainy day. Smith, Templar 2018

v Rain by Sam Usher, Templar 2016 Mindful fish v Float by Daniel Miyares, Simon and Look at the picture showing the boat Schuster 2016 on the calm sea, then turn the page to look at the fish. Talk about both illustrations – what details do you notice? What colours giant frieze for a corridor or shared space: have been used? How do these pictures • layering watercolour washes onto paper, assemble as a collage frieze showing a make you feel? and then cutting shapes to create boulders, spaghetti junction of traffic jams. Ask children to lie comfortably with patchwork fields or rolling hills; How many cars pass your school? their eyes closed and pretend they’re in a • adding patterns with darker paint (or Do the numbers differ according to the silver boat that’s floating on a calm blue printing them); time of day? Find out about air quality and sea. Describe the gentle breeze • creating an impression of watery depths design posters encouraging people and the warmth of the sun, then ask them by allowing paint puddles to dry; to leave their cars at home. to imagine looking over the side of the • adding brushstrokes of white paint to boat and seeing lots of fish. What do the create spray and clouds. fish look like and how are they moving? Group children and allocate one of the Topsy-turvy What colours, shapes and patterns do landscapes or settings to each group. Paint Look at the spread after the storm – what children notice? your own papers, then cut and collage to can you identify in the swirling darkness? Allow time for relaxing and visualising, create a river running across every section How do these things relate to the rest of then hand out paper and drawing of the frieze, together with hills, rocks, the book? materials, and ask children to sit up and patchwork fields, sky and clouds where Talk about dreams and the kind of draw the fish they’ve been imagining. needed. Add collaged trees and landscape things that happen in them. Is this book How did it feel to be bobbing in an features, plus free-painted vegetation about a dream? Why/why not? Write a imaginary boat, surrounded by fish? and other details. story about a dream, including the phrase Could you keep an imaginary boat in Find out more about the landscapes “and as the clouds clear, I’m sitting in my your mind and go there when you and geographical features depicted in your room again…” need some peace and quiet? frieze, then write about them and display alongside your finished artwork. Writing for a rainy day Compare the first cityscape with the second. Paper wish boats How are they similar and how do they differ? Use watercolours to decorate paper Carey Fluker Hunt In the second, it’s raining – you can see with washes and patterns. When they’re is a freelance writer, the drops running down the glass. dry, write your hopes and wishes for the creative learning Look out of your window at the rain. future on them. Fold your papers into consultant and founder Talk about what you notice (use all your origami boats and set them sailing of Cast of Thousands senses!) and collect words, phrases and on a mirrored base. (castofthousands. images to describe it. co.uk), a teachers’ Listen to the rain and try to capture River frieze resource featuring a selection of the its rhythms using percussion instruments Examine Martin’s artwork and discuss best children’s books and related and/or found objects. techniques to help you create a River-style cross-curricular activities.

Mix a variety of grey shades of picture and what do you think of the paint and ink, and provide other black, end result? Write about what you did white and grey media (charcoal, and display alongside your artwork graphite, chalk, pastels, wax crayons). and photos. Use Martin’s cityscape to help you paint montages of factory buildings DESIGN AND BUILD A and chimneys. Photograph your MODEL BOAT artwork, then obscure part or all Using found materials together with of your picture with grey washes, card, glue and sellotape, can you splodges and lines representing design and build a boat that will float? smoke and pollution. Take photos Construct your boats, then test using to show your picture becoming a water-filled paddling pool. How long more obscured. does it take children to blow their Examine the “before, during and boats across the pool? Write about after” photos of your artwork and what you’ve done and illustrate discuss. How did it feel to create your with labelled diagrams.

www.teachwire.net | 55 Swee t NATURED 30 years on, Percy the Park Keeper continues to be a breath of fresh air for children discovering the joyful contrasts of the seasons

ick Butterworth’s Percy l In what kind of homes the Park Keeper books are do these creatures normally live? celebrating 30 years in print l What food do they eat? this year, with One Snowy Night l Do they live in the same place all Nfirst published in 1989. Having long been year round? a favourite with primary teachers, this l What effect does the weather have beloved series offers the perfect starting on wildlife? Think about the seasons – point for learning about wildlife and the what does wildlife do in spring, summer, seasons, which is why we’ve put together a autumn and winter? selection of beautiful wall display resources l What happens to animals when it gets with accompanying activities to help really cold? What problems might they launch a Percy inspired topic. have, especially if it snows?

One Snowy Night Now look at the cover of the book. What It’s winter in Nick Butterworth’s first book do the children think the story is about, Exploring the seasons Talk with the children about the seasons. of the series, but Percy the Park Keeper and how can they tell? What information What do they know about that is special to doesn’t mind because he has a warm coat, does the title give them? Read the each one? What makes winter different to scarf and woolly socks. book and then use these questions as a other seasons? Think about: One evening it starts to snow heavily, guide for discussion: so Percy gets ready for a warm night in l The weather we get in the winter months bed. There’s a knock at the door and Percy l How does Percy keep himself warm in l The effect of the cold on people opens it to find a freezing squirrel, which the winter? and wildlife can’t sleep, because it’s so cold - so he lets it l How do the animals know where l The methods people use to cope with cold inside to share his bed. Percy’s hut is? l What happens to plants and flowers Other animals later arrive, until Percy’s l What kind of person do you think Percy in winter bed is so full that everyone falls out! Then is? How do you know? l The difference between evergreen / they hear a scary sound from under the l Why does the mole appear from under deciduous trees floor – a mole has arrived to shelter from the floor? Where do moles normally live? l The festivals that take place in winter the cold too. Luckily, the other animals l How many of the animals in the book have found safe places to sleep, and the have you seen? mole snuggles up with Percy in his bed, l How many animals can you spot with plenty of room to spare. in the picture of Percy’s hut at the end of the book? Introducing the book Before reading the story, ask the children to think about wildlife, habitats and the seasons. Use these questions to guide you:

l How many creatures can the children name that live in parks and gardens?

materials where insects can overwinter. As well as providing a safe place for bugs, FREE WALL DISPLAY RESOURCES! the hotel gives you opportunities to spot Don’t forget to download your free pack of Percy the mini beasts. To build a bug hotel: Park Keeper wall display resources, featuring iconic illustrations from Nick Butterworth. They make for l Gather a range of materials – pallets, an inspirational centrepiece on the seasons, and your bricks, canes, sticks, twigs, hollow stems, children can add their own artwork to create a beautiful roof tiles, etc. class showcase. Visit teachwire.net/percydisplay l Choose a flat space to build where the NATURED structure will not be disturbed Your Percy Percy the “Help! the Park Keeper I’m stuck!” l display pack Duck Pile up the pallets and fill the gaps with - The Mallard has a green head and a Grey Squirrel The rabbit is stuck down the well. white neckband The Storm Nick Butterworth’s Percy the Park Keeper books are celebrating 30 years in print this - Silvery grey fur How would you get her out? year, with One Snowy Night first published in 1989. Having long been a favourite with - Lives on water - Lives in trees Autumn Make a plan and write some primary teachers, this beloved series offers the perfect starting point for learning about - Migrates to Britain - Buries food for winter instructions to help Percy. wildlife and the seasons, which is why we’ve put together a selection of beautiful wall - Eats seeds, acorns, berries, plants, - Eats berries, seeds, nuts and bark display resources with accompanying activities to help launch a Percy-inspired topic. insects and shellfish Percy the Duck the materials you have to hand - The Mallard has a green head and a white neckband Grey Squirrel - Lives on water - Silvery grey fur In your pack: - Migrates to Britain - Lives in trees - Eats seeds, acorns, berries, plants, - Buries food for winter insects and shellfish - Eats berries, seeds, nuts and bark

How many of these animals Robin have you seen in the park? -Red breast and face Lift-the-flap seasons poster (print at A3) Hedgehog - Lives in trees How many of these animals - Brown with spines and a pointed nose Which is your favourite one? - Builds a nest in March - Lives in hedges in parks and gardens - Eats worms, beetles, seeds and fruit - Hibernates over Winter Robin - Eats slugs, fruit, frogs and birds’ eggs

Cut out the illustrations of the animals and glue House Mouse - Brown grey coat, pointed nose, long have you seen in the park? Fox tail Hedgehog - Red brown fur, bushy tail, pointed nose - Lives in houses, gardens and hedges - Lives in dens in countryside / cities - Keeps warm over Winter inside -Red breast and face - Grows a winter coat - Eats almost anything! these down where indicated over the text that - Eats rabbits, mice, birds, frogs, worms Badger - Brown with spines and a pointed nose - Black and white fur with a striped face Mole - Lives in large underground burrows - Black velvety fur, powerful front legs (setts) - Lives in trees describes each one. Put the poster on the classroom - Lives in burrows underground - Active at night - Active day and night all year round - Eats worms, birds’ eggs, mice, rats, Which is your favourite one? rabbits, hedgehogs, nuts, fruits and seeds - Eats worms - Lives in hedges in parks and gardens wall so that children can lift the flaps and learn facts - Builds a nest in March - Hibernates over Winter about British wildlife. - Eats worms, beetles, seeds and fruit - Eats slugs, fruit, frogs and birds’ eggs Seasons display Work with the children to create your own seasons wall display. The pack includes a title banner (set across two sheets) to head up your display, House Mouse How does Percy feel about the storm? Fox Draw yourself looking out at the storm - how do you feel? and beautiful illustrations from Nick Butterwork - Brown grey coat, pointed nose, long How can you tell? You can make small bug hotels by depicting spring, summer, autumn and winter to - Red brown fur, bushy tail, pointed nose tail inspire children’s own artwork. There is a sheet too - Lives in dens in countryside / cities - Lives in houses, gardens and hedges where children can draw their own pictures to add - Grows a winter coat - Keeps warm over Winter inside to the display. - Eats rabbits, mice, birds, frogs, worms - Eats almost anything! Activity sheets The pack includes four activity sheets to explore the stacking bricks and filling the gaps. world of Percy the Park Keeper. There’s a seasons Badger matching resource, two writing exercises (creating Mole instructions to save a rabbit down a well, and - Black and white fur with a striped face - Black velvety fur, powerful front legs imagining what it’s like to be stuck inside during a - Lives in large underground burrows - Lives in burrows underground storm), and a challenge to design a boat for Percy (setts) and the animals. - Active day and night all year round - Active at night - Eats worms - Eats worms, birds’ eggs, mice, rats, rabbits, hedgehogs, nuts, fruits and seeds Winter art Use the story to inspire winter art around the theme of animals and the winter: Prepositions of place dormice; reptiles (grass snakes, adders, Use the image on page 22 to practise slow worms). l Create ‘snowflakes’ using the popular forming sentences using different fold and cut technique prepositions and prepositional phrases Helping wildlife l Make hedgehogs using pine cones of place. For instance: Talk with your children about the different l Collect twigs and leaves and create a ways they might help wildlife to survive the ‘Park in Winter’ collage l “The badger is under a blanket.” winter. For example: l Make transient art in a garden or l “The fox is on top of the cupboard.” wooded area, for instance animals from l “The duck is inside the hat.” l Put food out for birds leaves and twigs l Make sure there is access to water when l Use crayons to do rubbings of natural Keeping out the cold it is freezing, perhaps by putting out fresh materials such as bark and leaves Wildlife has adapted in various ways water or making a hole in pond ice l Get your children to make patterns in to survive the winter. Explore these l Build wildlife habitats, such as ponds, the snow using their bodies adaptations with your children. where creatures can hibernate l Be careful around places where creatures Sue Cowley is an author and teacher educator. l Changes to fur / feathers - for instance hibernate (check bonfires for hedgehogs) l She has helped to run her a ‘winter coat’ Make winter homes for animals – create local early years setting l Changes to animal colours log piles, leave foliage on plants over winter for the last ten years. for camouflage and build bug hotels. l Storing food for the winter months l Finding a safe place to shelter (often Inviting insects underwater or underground) A lovely idea for an outdoor project l Hibernation is to build a bug hotel. This l Migration is a structure made of recycled / natural Passing the winter Introduce the concept of hibernation to your children (the word comes from the Latin “hibernare” meaning ‘to winter / pass the winter’), the main purpose of which is to get through a period of food scarcity. Ask the class which foods would be scarce during the winter months and why? When animals hibernate, their heart rate falls and they can go without eating and drinking for long periods. Some bears that hibernate go without food or water for up to eight months! Only one of the animals in this story hibernates – do the children know which one it is (the hedgehog)? How many British animals do the children know that hibernate? Hibernating wildlife includes: amphibians (frogs, toads and newts); bats; hedgehogs; bumblebees; ladybirds;

www.teachwire.net | 57 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 58 THINKING LITERACY It’s time to change THE NARRATIVE Children are surrounded by stories of heroes, says Vita Murrow – but what are they really learning from them?

eroes permeate our culture, Sometimes being a child can feel small, King Arthur or Robin Hood or Prince throughout entertainment, and childhood full of limits – a constant Charming (from any number of stories). media, and in the stories we stream of ‘can’t, ‘mustn’t’ and ‘when you’re Then I ask the students; “are you satisfied retell. We cross paths with their older’. I want to be sure that literature with your regular size bubble, or do you Hnarrative every day in cinema and literature, represents a place where readers challenge think you can make it bigger?” I typically get fashion and costume, hair styles, slogans and these sentiments. Where kids may feel encouraging nods. They want to go bigger. hashtags. Heroes are emblematic of the aligned with great leaders, with seats of “So,” I ask, “if the bubble were bigger fortitude, risk taking and boundary breaking power, authority, wisdom and prominence. what could you fit inside? What traits, what that is key to our survival and evolution. The And that these are shown to be accessible characteristics, how might the idea of a arc of these stories shows the hero having to anyone regardless of where they come hero be stretched?” That’s when I hear impact, receiving recognition and fulfilling from, what they look like, or what their from students that a hero character may be their potential. origins may foretell. complex, lonely, maybe doesn’t marry a As educators, we follow and help develop princess. I learn from young voices that a the arc of the stories of the young people A bigger bubble hero can fail, can apologise, can rise up with whom we work. We scaffold them so One of my favorite parts of unpacking this sooner, can fight smarter rather than they may recognise and meet their potential. theme as a writer has been working directly dirtier, can even ask for help. In this role, it’s important to look at the hero with students and educators on author I hope as you read this you too are stories that surround us, and ask how they visits. It’s in these moments that I’m able to thinking of ways to expand seemingly might influence a reader’s sense of self. see what my writing sparks in readers. I cemented tropes and to be more inclusive learn from their appraisals and reflections. of the broad human experience lived by Beyond limits With students I often discuss the concept of your students. Maybe you know a kid like The elevated status of heroes is seeded ‘hero’ as akin to blowing a bubble with Pinocchio in your class, figuring out their in their origin stories. Origin stories tell us bubble gum. I ask students to imagine identity. Perhaps you have a King Midas in where we have come from and show blowing a simple bubble as their starting the playground, who is learning that all that where we may be going. Hero stories pave point, to represent an average hero story: glitters is not gold. I urge you to put to your this journey with the idea that we all have students the question “What more can a unique hidden powers waiting to be hero be?” and join me in reimagining these discovered. For children, discovering epic characters in ways that honour these stories can be tremendously who young readers are as powerful. Yet the representation and scholars, citizens, and friends. breadth of characters can also limit the range of who readers perceive can become heroes. One of the limits that is most restrictive is the notion that hero status is reserved for one person, or one kind of person, and that this is written in one’s destiny. I reject this perception, and in my work as a writer I’ve endeavoured to challenge it. I strive to put forth new and varied versions of Vita Murrow is an artist, educator heroes from fairy tales and lore, and CILIP Carnegie and Kate so that young readers can see Greenaway nominated themselves represented children’s author. Her in these characters. latest book, High-Five to They can then make the Hero (Frances Lincoln connections and analogies Children’s Books) is a between the esteem of collection of 15 classic tales the characters and their retold with added own self-worth. boy power.

www.teachwire.net | 59 The 7 deadly WRITING SINS Tim Roach explains how to prevent bad grammar habits from taking hold, and how to fix them later down the line

expectations, it shouldn’t Non-capitalised be the case that pupils can 4 proper nouns add to their writing repertoire The fix: Proper nouns, be they throughout KS2 and clearly s a Y6 names, days, months, place make progress, yet fail to teacher names, famous events or titles, apply these most basic of for many have that stand-out quality that principles. Here’s my list years, I almost demands recognition of seven deadly writing constantlyA found myself — there’s something special grumbling about mistakes sins and what we can do about them. The problem is in pupils’ writing. Children about them. exacerbated by the fact that in the latter stages of KS2 many signs displayed around might have been able to drop Misspelled high school (and in society in in the odd subjunctive, but 1 frequency words general) tend to be capitalised their work was often riddled The fix: Test and re-test. This like proper nouns, even if with other inaccuracies. can be done systematically, they just say ‘Glue sticks’ or Moving to a younger age by including these words in similar. Capitalisation is also group, I reflected on the regular spelling tests, or it can often a default setting on word most common mistakes be simple and ad hoc, on a mini processing apps, especially that have plagued my whiteboard or verbally while when writing tables or lists marking for years, you’re standing in the corridor. of individual nouns. Don’t thinking that if I Highlight misspellings in leave these unremarked upon could catch them pupils’ writing and insist upon when marking — I put a big earlier, I might them being corrected. circle around missing or be able to free incorrect capitals. up more time Unconnected for pupils 2 fragments Missing full stops to focus on The fix: Deal with phrases and 5The fix: Missing full stops the rest of clauses that are not coherently cause sentence splices (one the grammar connected to main clauses sentence or clause abruptly they need with a quick mini whiteboard continuing into another) or to learn before writing activity that involves run-ons (the repeated use of secondary school. putting a fragment into a conjunctions to lead from one Often, the mistakes sentence. Alternatively, try clause to another). Sentence detailed below become a more intense task based splices need to be addressed habit in KS1. If pupils on spotting and correcting and vanquished without mercy. are still making these fragments within a section of Train children to spot them basic errors after nearly real pupils’ writing. in writing displayed on the four years of KS2, then visualiser. Shout out “Splice!” it’s clear that something Missing capitals as you read through them. isn’t working as it 3 The fix: Reading work Encourage children to learn should. While there aloud is the key to helping and recite the three simplest will always be pupils spot where their ways to fix them (full stop and children who haven’t sentences begin and end, and capital letter; conjunction; grasped some of the thus spotting where capital semicolon). Pupils love playing earlier age-related letters are required. the role of teacher and marking

60 | www.teachwire.net TEACHING TECHNIQUES

someone else’s work, so plural nouns ending in ‘s’ photocopy a piece with a load (the troops’ formation) of splices and let them loose. n omitting or misplacing Alternatively, type one up so the apostrophe for omission that they don’t try to play a in contractions (don’t, game of ‘Whose writing is it?’. should’ve, I‘d) n the misunderstanding Misuse of commas between ‘its’ (determiner 6The fix: Comma splices for possession, confusingly) (the demarcation of main and it’s (it is) clauses with commas rather than conjunctions, or commas This sin is so endemic, so and conjunctions) are the multi-faceted, so confusing, worst, and notoriously difficult that eradicating it seems to eradicate. Children think practically hopeless. The they’re doing the right thing by problem with apostrophes popping in some punctuation. is that many pupils have not The problem, as always, is time. With a grammar curriculum groaning under “Sentence splices need to be the weight of technical jargon, it becomes an onerous task to addressed and vanquished teach your year group’s age expectations, stretch into without mercy” ‘greater depth’ and practise the year-upon-year backlog of previous years’ content. We need to stop telling embedded the concept of We must also be children to punctuate where omission in contractions. mindful of not turning they take a breath. There Therefore, they tend to the study of English into are good reasons for using put apostrophes in the mere ‘feature-spotting’. the breathing analogy when wrong places or miss them Children get turned off out completely. And as for reading aloud with prosody, by this pretty quickly. and for spotting places where possession, some words have The answer is to embed complex sentences should be an ‘s’ at the end for other grammar, punctuation demarcated. However, children reasons: verbs (the inflected and spelling — as well as seem to reduce this to, “When third person singular present vocabulary, etymology, I breathe, put a comma”. tense form, such as ‘he runs’) form, audience, effect It might solve run-ons and nouns (the regular plural and everything else in the short term, but it form of ‘books’ or ‘dogs’) have — into the fabric of compounds misunderstanding the same additional letter for every reading and with yet another error. A two different things. As for writing lesson. more dedicated focus on ‘its’, well, it’s no wonder it Don’t do it just the sentence as the main confuses children. I’ve lost because of component of writing is the count of the number of times the test at way forward. I’ve written ‘‘it’s’ = ‘it is’’ the end of on the whiteboard. Repeated Y6; do it Apostrophe rehearsal is our only because 7confusion weapon in the fight to it will The fix: This particular plague defend the honour of the free all takes many forms, including: maligned apostrophe. pupils to express themselves with clarity. n placing incorrect Fitting it in apostrophes before the ‘s’ in Of course, this list is entirely plural nouns (cats) or present subjective, and for the sake tense verbs (she gets) of brevity I’ve also omitted n omitting the apostrophe anything to do with dialogue before the ‘s’ to show – there are simply too many possession (people’s) ways in which children can n omitting or misplacing the make mistakes when writing apostrophe for possession in speech. However, like any nouns or proper nouns ending concept, deliberate practice in ‘s’ (dress’s, Chris’s) and continual review are n omitting or misplacing the vital for children to hone Tim Roach is a Y3 apostrophe for possession in their skills. teacher based in Oldham.

www.teachwire.net | 61 “I was scared of getting it wrong” Jonny Duddle always knew he wanted to write children’s books – but getting published meant learning a thing or two about resilience...

y early memories are all he enjoyed drawing too, and would spend computer and a copy of the Writers’ and quite vague; my dad time making pictures with me – but at no Artists’ Yearbook, and sent off about 50 worked for a brewery, point did he see it as anything that could letters and printed packs to publishers, so we moved around lead to a viable career option. agents, greeting cards companies and so on. quite a lot, which might I ended up with a mountain of rejection Mbe part of the reason why I don’t actually Growing obsession slips – and my confidence shot to pieces. remember the process of learning to During my A levels, I was obsessed with read. I do remember the first book I drawing. I had a friend whose uncle kept A rambling journey properly loved, though – and I still love his static caravan outside his parents’ I wanted a change, so a friend suggested I it: Where the Wild Things Are, by house in the hills for the winter, and he apply to his a computer games company, Maurice Sendak. I can and I would stay there for days, creating which was where I stayed for the next ten recall it being read to me as a comics and inventing worlds. I was years. I was still drawing and writing in my very young child, and later, studying art at school, of course, plus own time, but it wasn’t until my first reading it for myself. The story geography, which I also loved because of daughter was born in 2005, and I realised and the illustrations drew me in my passion for maps. I wanted to take how little I was seeing of her, that I went irresistibly, and it’s still an English as my third option, but dad made freelance, and started trying with the book inspiration for me today. me do maths instead, for when the ‘art stuff again. This time, it happened almost I’ve always enjoyed drawing, but thing’ didn’t work out. I’d been pretty ridiculously quickly. I got myself an agent, words are important to me, too, and I good at maths up to then, but after being and within weeks I had my first contract, knew even when I was in primary accepted at the local art school before with Templar, for The Pirate Cruncher. school that I wanted to write children’s myexams, I had little motivation to revise I don’t often do illustrations for other books one day. The trouble was, and I ended up with an ‘N’ at A-level. authors these days – producing one of my growing up in the North of England, I graduated in ‘93, but the trouble was own books takes about a year, and I always and in Wales, writing wasn’t really seen I had no idea how to turn my degree into seem to have ideas for about 20 that I want as a ‘proper’ job, and nor was a job in ‘books’, so I moved back to Wales to write in my head at a time – but the Harry illustrating. My dad was very and tried to sell prints of dragons and Potter gig wasn’t one to be turned down. encouraging of my art generally – goblins (it’s a Welsh thing – you can’t help but expect to find fairies and elves behind a tree at any moment). After a while, thinking there might be more “Growing up in the opportunities in a big city, I moved to Bristol, where I somehow ended up North of England, working on a square rigged pirate ship, sailing around Britain, dressing up and and in Wales, writing showing parties of schoolchildren around the vessel. I loved working wasn’t seen as a with the kids so much that I eventually applied for teacher ‘proper’ job, and nor training (after brief stints as a children’s entertainer, teaching was illustrating...” art in Botswana and working in a gallery), and while I was in my first classroom job I bought a

62 | www.teachwire.net THE WRITTEN LIFE

When my agent was asked if I’d be interested, I confessed that I hadn’t even seen the films, THREE GREAT JONNY DUDDLE let alone read the books. I did read the whole TITLES TO SHARE WITH PUPILS... “I was scared of series once I was offered the contract, and Stephen Fry’s audio versions were extremely The Pirates of Scurvy Sands helpful while I was working up my cover When Matilda goes on holiday with her friends, the ideas. When children come to book signings Jolley-Rogers, to the island of Scurvy Sands, the getting it wrong” now, they’ll often bring Harry Potter as well swashbuckling residents are not too impressed; she’s definitely as books I’ve written, and it feels good to no pirate. But then Matilda discovers the secret of the legendary think that my contribution to the series has treasure, and their opinions change... been meaningful for them. The King of Space It’s been quite a rambling journey, then, Rex looks like an average 6-year-old, living on his despite knowing where I wanted to be from parents’ moog farm and going to mini galactic citizen the start. And even now, as a published school; but he’s going to be King of Space one day – author, I worry all the time about how good as long as his mum helps out... or bad my work is; that was why it took me so long to try again after that first round of Gigantosaurus rejections, and also the reason my agent and Young Bonehead is the original boy-dinosaur who publisher tend to get fairly stressed when I’m cried wolf, or in this case, GIGANTOSAURUS! Finally, due to send something in, as I always run it all Bonehead’s friends refuse to believe his warnings and the way to the line trying to get everything the Gigantosaurus really turns up... perfect. I used to be so scared of getting it wrong – I had to learn to keep ploughing on, (All books published by Templar) and redoing the words and images, trusting that they’ll go right in the end. I think that’s an important lesson for all of us, really; and it’s definitely one that children can start learning at school. All illustrations: Jonny Duddle Jonny All illustrations:

www.teachwire.net | 63 WORDS TO LIVE BY An unwavering focus on vocabulary has allowed our pupils to soar, says Christabel Shepherd

hey just haven’t got the words!” teach this in a very direct and focused way for a few minutes makes my day. Take a This is something I have heard a through a rich curriculum where key words look at the Copthorne Pupil Parliament number of times in my teaching and their meaning are explored and used on YouTube (it’s just four minutes). Most “ career. As all teachers know, the in context. of the children you’ll see arrived at the Tconsequence of children ‘not having the Tier 2 vocabulary can be more school with no English and are now able words’ means that they are unlikely to be difficult for children to grasp. It often to think and speak fluently in at least two able to express themselves clearly. They expresses ‘shades of meaning’ which can be languages. Here’s how we do it… may not be able to get the most from the extremely subtle, and much of it relies on experiences we offer. They are often judged an experience and understanding of root Five minute stories by individuals beyond the school as lacking words, prefixes and suffixes. As teachers, Present children with three or four ability. They may display frustration and we are so used to experiencing these age/stage appropriate Tier 2 words. a lack of self-belief which, in turn, can words or skilled at working out what they 1The words must be those they have met lead to low levels of resilience and, in the mean that we may assume they and their before or have roots, prefixes or suffixes case of many of the children I’ve taught, a meaning are familiar to children too. which they have experience of. Give them tendency to be passive learners. It is vital, therefore, if we want our five minutes to write an engaging short Above all, the vocabulary gap story which must include the given words. exacerbates social disadvantage. We This gives children the opportunity to have all seen the effects that result when use these words in their correct context children don’t have the words they need “We must applying their developing knowledge of to truly express themselves, and to paint the shades of meaning, whilst developing a true and vivid picture in the mind of a directly teach long-term memory of the vocabulary. We reader or listener. We also know that a adapted this idea from Chris Quigley who focus on oracy and ‘closing the vocabulary suggests using this strategy with words gap’ opens the doors of opportunity for and promote the from year group ‘spelling lists’. Similarly, children and allows them to soar. Tier 3 vocabulary can be developed by understanding asking children to use a given selection of Challenge for all words in a summary about their learning At both the schools I lead, ‘challenge for and use of in a particular subject. all’ is a non-negotiable and at the heart of our ethos and vision. Both schools are Tier 2 and Silent discussions members of NACE (National Association Get learners to discuss a topic for Able Children in Education), and we 3 vocabulary” through written communication believe that providing challenge for all our 2only, using given Tier 2 or 3 vocabulary. learners develops ability, raises aspirations, engenders resilience and is a key feature of Model the language a high-quality education. children to engage effectively with When modelling writing, act Central to providing ‘challenge for the whole curriculum, articulate their out how to ‘think like a writer’, all’ is a focus on high-quality language thoughts, learning and aspirations, 3justifying and explaining your word choice, acquisition and use by pupils. How can we and access real challenge, that we have especially around synonyms from Tier 2. challenge learners effectively if there is a a whole school focus on closing the notable vocabulary gap, especially in terms vocabulary gap. We must directly teach Talking school of pupils’ knowledge, understanding and and promote the understanding and use Provide opportunities and use of Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary? How can of Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary. groupings for talk in every subject we embed higher order questioning and If you visit Copthorne Primary, where 4to ensure it absolutely pervades the higher order thinking skills if the children this approach is fully embedded, you whole curriculum. For example, try talk can’t access the language? will find wonderfully articulate young partners, debating, school council, drama people. Our children are confident, active or film-making. Use the ‘Big Questions’ Shades of meaning learners who relish a challenge and are resources at oxplore.org to promote I think most of us feel comfortable not afraid to question adults, direct their debate and encourage the use of high-level teaching Tier 3 vocabulary. It’s usually own learning and express their views and vocabulary in context. technical, often subject specific, and we opinions. Just being in their company

64 | www.teachwire.net TEACHING TECHNIQUES

Language-rich Tier 3 vocabulary in context. Use guided and give pupils two to four weeks reading as an opportunity to really explore of independent reading time. Then environment and pull apart those ‘shades of meaning’ for meet together to share afternoon tea, On every display, pose key Tier 2 words in a range of text types. This discuss the book and explore new 5questions using the appropriate technical Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary. Encourage vocabulary. This includes a ‘challenge’ allows for those rich conversations about the children to use the new words in question using Tier 2 vocabulary. Expect specific word choice, meaning and effect. their writing and talk activities. a response to the questions from the children. Display an appropriately Reciprocal reading aspirational (Tier 2) ‘word of the week’ in Introduce pupils to a whole class Year group each classroom. After they’ve worked out text in small, manageable chunks. writing events its meaning, encourage the children to 8At the same time, thoroughly explore all Stage events such as use it in their talk and writing and find its new Tier 2 vocabulary. Encourage the 10an alien landing to stimulate pupils’ synonyms and antonyms. children to use the words’ roots, context imagination and provide a specific and any relevant existing knowledge to context for the use of given Tier 2 Weekly vocabulary clarify meaning. Taking the time to explore and 3 words. lessons misconceptions in reading and vocabulary Take an object or theme and, use is a key feature of reciprocal reading Christabel 6using pictures, sound and film, support and stops children from ‘glossing over’ Shepherd is children in developing their high-quality words they don’t recognise. Executive descriptions using Tier 2 and 3 vocabulary, Headteacher as well as more metaphorical language. Headteacher’s of Bradford’s book club Copthorne and Reading across Introduce extended guided Holybrook Primary the curriculum 9reading groups for more able readers Schools. Copthorne is lead school for Maximise every opportunity in all in Y5 and 6. Issue a challenging text the Exceed SCITT. It gained NACE 7subjects to teach reading skills and explore to learners, along with an initial focus, Challenge Award accreditation in 2016.

www.teachwire.net | 65 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 66

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SPECIAL OFFER - Book an author visit by 30th November 2019 quoting code TPAAUK to be entered into a draw to win a second visit for free. Contact: [email protected] BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS

FACT- PACK ED TITLES to power up learning November is national non-fiction month – so we’ve picked out some of our favourite books to kick-start children’s curiosity and inspire activities for every classroom... Reception

Colours: Early Today I Feel… Learning at Abrams & Chronicle, the Museum hardback, £8.99) (Nosy Crow, board book, £6.99) This is an ABC book with a Rainforest Produced in collaboration with difference, in that instead of (Child’s Play, paperback, £6.99) the British Museum and based animals or vehicles, it takes A great picture book doesn’t necessarily have to tell a story, and on its fabulous collections, readers through a whole range of Rainforest, written and illustrated by Julia Groves, is a case in Colours opens with a red, emotions, from ‘adored’ to, well, point. Readers are taken on a tour of the Amazon that introduces fluffy-toed Albanian shoe ‘zzzz’. The beautiful illustrations just a tiny number of its myriad inhabitants, including some before serving up, amongst are a great starting point for familiar faces as well as those you might struggle to put a name to other things, a purple hairpin, gentle conversations about all (helpfully, there’s a detailed cast list at the back containing a wealth ancient gold headgear and a the different feelings that are of information about the animals and their home). The stars of the pink pottery cat – a handy index listed – including challenging show here are the colourful illustrations – simple, strong silhouettes, details the provenance of every ones, such as ‘grumpy’, and created using a printmaking technique, atop bold backgrounds that piece, and a QR code takes ‘nervous’, alongside more never fail to grab the attention. Each is complemented by a single you to more information. It’s positive, but complex, examples, line of text that, rather than naming the subject of the picture, a great way of communicating like ‘victorious’ and ‘patient’. The describes their movement, appearance or activity. It captures the key learning concepts whilst last page asks readers how they atmosphere of the forest wonderfully well – and as inspiration for sharing some of the diversity of are feeling today; an interesting some experiments with printmaking, it’s hard to beat, too. the world’s cultures. prompt for art or writing?

Q: “Do you think the images are realistic? Does it matter?” Q “Why visit a museum?” Q: “How are you feeling?”

www.teachwire.net | 67 Key Stage 1

Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species (£12.99, Puffin) In 2016, trained biologist and artist Sabina Radeva launched a Kickstarter campaign to enable her to transform The Usborne Book of Planet Earth Darwin’s On the Origin of (£14.99, Usborne Children’s Books) Species into an accessible and This book takes children on a tour of some of the most engaging picture book format spectacular places on our planet, with a plethora of facts and for younger readers, with the stunning illustrations. Take in some European culture by aim of remaining faithful to enjoying a ride in a gondola along the canals of Venice. Or how Darwin’s original work but about witnessing a stampede of wildebeest in the Serengeti? updating the science where You can also take a dive into the deepest, darkest parts of the necessary. The result is a ocean or climb soaring mountain peaks with yak herders in perfectly pitched introduction We Travel So Far (£12.99, Words & Pictures) the Himalayas. Science is covered along with geography, as to evolution for children aged Every double-page spread in children can learn about Icelandic volcanos and the secrets of six and up, with the theory this beautiful book features what happens deep underground. An excellent accompaniment clearly explained via stylish information about the to this book is Usborne’s 100 Things to Know About Planet illustrations and simple, extraordinary journeys that Earth (£9.99), in which valuable information is presented in an easy-to-understand text. different animals make during engaging way, with the help of fun characters and illustrations. Q: “Can you explain evolution?” their lifetime, from familiar Q: “Where would you like to visit on Planet Earth?” favourites such as whales and elephants, to fruit bats, desert locusts and Galapagos land iguanas. The language is poetic – “We are the humpback whales, the long-way swimmers, the ocean rovers”, but also contains important facts about miles swum and hours flown. Madden’s river crossing, under the vivid illustrations bring each watchful gaze of hungry creature and their habitat predators, or trace the tracks to life, providing the perfect of the solitary amur leopard as starting point for thinking it silently stalks its prey Little People, about migration and what through the icy forests of the Big Dreams: animals need to survive. Siberian wilderness. The Through the Stephen Hawking Q: “What’s ‘migration’?” Animal Kingdom structure of each habitat is (£9.99, Frances Lincoln (£9.99, DK) meticulously planned out, Children’s Books) The animal world holds a allowing young readers to The Little People, Big Dreams fascination for pretty much navigate the pages in a way series originally told tales of led to him making one of the every child, and this book is an that resembles a journey, inspiring female figures such as biggest scientific discoveries invaluable companion for stopping off for information. Frida Kahlo, Maya Angelou of the 20th century. Sharing learning about all kinds of Combining high-quality and Rosa Parks. The publishers this book’s emotive message wildlife. Animal Kingdom takes photography and rich are now introducing positive and compelling illustrations the reader on a journey of 13 illustrations, this is a truly male role models to the list, with your class is an excellent diverse habitats to discover the inspirational book for children beginning with physicist way of demonstrating what can secrets of the animals that live aged five and upwards. Stephen Hawking. Although happen if you work hard and there. Follow migrating he was never top of the class, dream big. wildebeests across the Serengeti Q: “What would be your Hawking’s curiosity took him as they attempt a dangerous ideal habitat?” to the best universities and Q: “Do you have a big dream?”

68 | www.teachwire.net BOOKS FOR SCHOOLS Key Stage 2

Space Kids (£19.95, Little Gestalten) This special book is written from Anthology of Strange but True: the point of view of the Amazing Women 100 of the World’s firmament itself: “I am Space. (£12.99, Bonnier Publishing) Greatest Mysteries I am everything, everywhere”, This beautifully illustrated Explained and kicks off with a gorgeous 50 Ways to collection begins with a great (£14.99, Frances Lincoln double-page illustration of a Feel Happy quote from author Sandra Children’s Books) child lying on the grass and (£9.99, QED Publishing) Lawrence about the fact that From tales of UFO abductions looking up in wonder to the This feel-good book by throughout history, women to zombies in Haiti, to the night sky. It’s not all poetic prose psychologist Vanessa King have achieved extraordinary disappearance of the plane and dreamy visuals though: the is packed with activities feats “while dressed in long MH 370, some of the most book also packs a punch in terms that children can try out by skirts, corsets and high heels.” perplexing tales that have of delivering facts. Illustrations themselves or in class. Each The book is split into eight left people wondering and are labelled with easy-to-absorb task is linked to one of the sections: art and design; questioning for decades are information covering types of charity Action for Happiness’ history; politics; science; sports; explored here. Author Kathryn stars, the anatomy of our sun, ten evidence-based ways music, film and TV; literature Hulick uses expert testimony, the workings of rockets and to increase psychological and business – meaning there’s scientific knowledge and whether extraterrestrial life wellbeing. These include an extraordinary woman for historical fact to posit theories exists. The final spread invites doing things for others, living your students to look up to, about what really happened, young explorers to continue mindfully, finding ways to no matter their interests. inviting readers to question their learning journeys – an bounce back after setbacks Some are names they will have the evidence and discern from irresistible call-to-arms for and learning new things – heard of – Beyonce, Malala the available information. your most curious pupils. all themes that should tie Yousafzai, Anne Frank, JK in nicely with your school Rowling – while others, such as Q: “What can we really believe?” Q: “Is there life in space?” values. Visit the charity’s journalist Dorothy Lawrence website for information and cosmonaut Valentina about its Happier Living Tereshkova, will likely be – the first black circus owner Toolkit for KS2 which has new discoveries. Each of the in Victorian Britain, Pablo been awarded a PSHE 50 profiles is accompanied Fanque. This is a fine addition Association Quality Mark and by a hand-drawn portrait to the series and, like its was put together by clinical by Welsh illustrator Nathan predecessors, it brings real psychologist Peter Harper Collins, while the biographies history to life in a personal, and consultant and teacher themselves are factual, witty relatable and exciting way. Val Payne. and warm.

Q: “Could you live in a circus?” Q: “What is ‘mindfulness’?” Q: “Can girls be heroes?”

Son of the Circus – DEEP UNDERSTANDING RECOMMENDED A Victorian Story Fact Sheet The Abominable The Himalayas Location RESOURCES Help your class develop their Snowman 326 B.C. First Known (£6.99, Scholastic) Mention:

comprehension skills with these “Stories of other mythical, human-like Non-fiction is given a creatures such as Fact Sheet Yeti are founded on grains of truth.” brand-new fact sheet packs from Plazoom. - Henry Gee, editor of Nature magazine narrative twist in Scholastic’s Greta Thunberg The Abominable Snowmen, or Yeti, are mysterious ape-like creatures of legend, said to dwell in the Himalayas. Whilst dozens of expeditions into the mountains of Asia have yet to prove if Beautifully written and illustrated these animals exist, their legend has endured for hundreds of “I thought I couldn’t Questions years. Real or not, the tale of the Yeti brings a moral to all who make a difference hear it: stay away from wild and dangerous animals. Voices series, which covers because I was so small.” The Abominable Snowman Date: texts explore engaging topics such as Name: Feedback 1) Which leader demanded that a Yeti was brought to him? Date of birth: authentic, unsung stories of 3rd January 2003 Nationality: Reading Comprehension Swedish copyright 2019 Known for: space travel and climate activism, and Climate activism The Himalayan mountains Greta Thunberg was a school child in Sweden who looked out The Abominable Snowman | Page 1 the past. In this title, readers 2) Who gave the Yeti the name, ‘The Abominable Snowman’? at the world and saw things that she knew needed to change. Lunar Landings Worried by changes to the world’s climate, Greta at first believed that she was too young to do anything. However, she could not stand by and do nothing. Less than a year after her supporting worksheets enable first protest, Greta had become one of the most famous climate

activists in the world, speaking to world leaders and helping to convince them that laws needed to change. meet a young mixed-race 3) Where did N.A. Tombazi see an unknown creature? children to practise Childhood Greta was born on January 3rd, 2003, in Sweden. Her mother was Malena Ernman, one of Sweden’s most celebrated opera singers. boy, Ted, living in Victorian Her father was Svante Thunberg, an actor and author. 4) Who saw strange footprints in the snow when they

climbed Mount Everest? On July 20th 1969, Neil Armstrong became the information retrieval, first of twelve astronauts to walk on the Moon. There Greta Thunberg | Page 1 have been six further manned missions to the Moon, one of which - Apollo 13 - did not end up landing due to The man on the Moon Yorkshire. When a stranger copyright 2019 technical difficulties. After the planetary

5) Where were hairs believed to come from the Yeti kept? The last astronauts to visit the Moon scientist Eugene left its surface on the December 14th Shoemaker died, prediction, inference 1972. Since then, there have been many his ashes were discussions about returning astronauts sent to the Moon. appears in the kitchen, Ted to our closest world but none of these Arriving there on copyright 2019 missions have happened. Who knows July 31st 1999, he The Abominable Snowman | Page 1 when the footprint of a new astronaut is to date the only person to call the is hit with the shocking and more. Plazoom.com might appear on the Moon? Moon his final resting place.

www.teachwire.net | 69 Human SENTENCES This low-stakes analogue grammar game sharpens pupils’ minds and leads to greater engagement

hilip Pullman once very literal sense is the ‘human with their suggestions promptly; subordinating conjunctions like wrote of an “attitude sentence’: a strip of paper onto they need to write clearly on ‘because’, ‘when’, and ‘although’: … towards language” which a main clause has been mini whiteboards (until they can, where would each of these work engendered when written, held at the front of the you’ll have to do this – see ‘tips for best for the meaning we’re trying Padults give time to sharing picture class by children, to which further success). And we find that these to achieve? books with children, whereby “you words, phrases and clauses sessions run best when the class is Similarly, the arrangement of trust it and find it exciting and full may be added (plus appropriate clustered on the carpet, as it takes adverbials around a main clause of possibilities and fun, something punctuation, of course). This less time to swap and add children may be examined for emphasis to play with and speculate with practice was commonplace to the sentence at the front. and even ambiguity: and take risks with and delight in.” around 15 years ago, but when we We wholeheartedly agree with model it now, colleagues tend to Meaning shifts the wolf huffed and puffed Mr Pullman’s views on taking have never seen the strategy, or The crucial thing is that (main clause) time over delicious picture books they remark, “Don’t know why we you take the time to explore in front of the door and want this feeling for language stopped doing that!” the shifts in meaning that (adverbial for where) for all children; it inspires much And we really shouldn’t have. additions and swaps create. of our work with schools. One In our experience, the physical For example, imagine two while the piggies cowered way of enhancing this attitude – manipulation of sentences in this sentence strips displaying a (adverbial for when) particularly but not exclusively for way leads to greater engagement, main clause each: the growing number of children and better application in writing, From this, we can arrange: who don’t have adult support than digital alternatives. Even the Billy Goat tiptoed like this at home – is through when children come to the While the piggies cowered, the word games: low-stakes ways of front to move parts of sentences the Troll heard him wolf huffed and puffed in front trying out new vocabulary and on an interactive board, it just of the door. grammatical structures, testing doesn’t seem to have the same Note that there is no sentence them for impact on meaning and impact. And compared to written demarcation as this fixes the And: delighting in outcomes. grammatical exercises? Well, sentence. The children must now there is no comparison. try out different coordinating While the piggies cowered in Physical The strategy takes a bit conjunctions (‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’) front of the door, the manipulation of in-class training, naturally. to join the two clauses, and you wolf huffed and puffed. A form of grammar and Children need to hold the paper can lead the discussion on the vocabulary play that encourages strips fairly steadily, and they need impact of each. You might then Now explore the impact of a language manipulation in a to be ready to join the sentence extend this by looking at the use of comma after ‘cowered’ in that

70 | www.teachwire.net TEACHING TECHNIQUES

second sentence. Note also that commercially-packageable GIVE IT A GO the teaching of punctuation grammar strategies here is integral to the teaching have had. Human RECOMMENDED of grammar and the teaching sentences, after all, require RESOURCES of meaning-making. Children only big bits of paper, Download this ready-made set of can be creative in their options pens, good classroom human sentence makers from Plazoom. within the focus grammatical management and sound The resource focuses on relative clauses area, but we’d recommend grammatical knowledge. with sentence fragments that can be sticking to that grammatical cut up for children to focus. The extent to which Tips for success reassemble - making this sharpens the mind and Select the grammar to be both simple and more develops creative thinking taught. Things that work well complex sentences. can take your breath away. with this technique include plazoom.com Once, when asked for an clause structure (and using adverbial to express ‘when’ conjunctions to join them); as part of a ghost story, a adding a relative clause; Always start a session with Mini whiteboards are child offered, “when they adding and trying phrases in a simple sentence. This perfect for adding words and were least expecting it”! different positions (particularly reinforces the all-important phrases. Model what you want how-when-where adverbials sense-of-a-sentence and so that children don’t write too Gimmick-free games and avoiding ambiguity); adding teaches children to start from small, don’t rewrite the whole Why does holding bits of paper, adjectives and/or changing a main clause and then make sentence and don’t capitalise moving positions, remembering modal verbs. Human sentences additions in their own writing. or use full stops to demarcate. to put punctuation marks in lend themselves less well to In classes where children and arguing about the merits changing tenses and exploring Never use a capital or full are not yet ready to use mini of a different word order seem the passive. stop on starting-point whiteboards themselves, take to work so well in terms of sentences. This fixes the oral suggestions and write them memory and application? Be clear about the sentence and means nothing can on boards yourself. It’s multi-sensory, of course, grammatical feature you’re be added at either end. Instead, but not in a gimmicky, teaching. And almost always have the children holding the Keep circulating the distracting way: everything is stick to it. Allow children to strips use a simple physical (and children. Many will enjoy purposeful, and every addition try different devices in the moveable) reminder, eg a fist for being at the front of the room, and change must be considered sentence only once they have stop; a hand-on-head (a “cap”) holding the strips and mini for impact on meaning and secured their understanding of for a capital (note that this will whiteboards, but when they are context. And it’s really, truly clause structure and your main require two children to hold there they don’t get to see the collaborative: lots of minds teaching point. even a short sentence). Other evolving sentence. focussed on the impact of a punctuation marks may be single sentence, irrespective Have strips of paper devised with appropriate If working with a small of individual ‘writing ability’. ever-ready. A pile of them hand positions! group, use smaller paper So why did so many of makes lesson prep quicker and strips. Move them around us stop using this strategy? easier – and they’ll be there if Planning to ‘drop in’ a word, on the table, devising other Observationally, it seemed you want to lead an impromptu phrase or clause? Pre-doctor moveable markers for to disappear when interactive session to explore a usage or the sentence strip so that it may punctuation. Children can still whiteboards reached ubiquity, address a misconception. One easily be split at the crucial part. contribute their own words around 2006. But we also sheet of flip-chart paper with Score it ready for tearing or cut and phrases. Use extra small wonder if it never received three vertical slices produces it and lightly affix the pieces with whiteboards or small blank the promotion that more four perfect sentence strips. small bits of tape. paper strips.

Christine Chen and Lindsay Pickton are primary education advisers (primaryeducation advisers.co.uk) supporting English development nationally.

www.teachwire.net | 71 A very GOOD BOOK The Bible can represent a valuable source of inspiration for literacy teaching, says Andrew Prichard – especially if we take time to consider the whole story

always think that if an – can relevantly inform how Pullman campaigns to retain Common language alien came down and we and children engage with the teaching of biblical stories Culture expects a level of you were the only person sources first-hand? It’s a book alongside popular folk-tales. Biblical literacy. We are “ they met, and they said, and worldview that has shaped There are treasures in the Bible expected to understand ‘David I‘What’s life about? What’s earth history, and the cross-curricular that can inform more than our and Goliath contests’, and about? Tell us everything,’ and links are obvious. Ofsted RE teaching references to tasks ‘as hard as you said, ‘Well, there’s a book recently expressed concern that alone, walking on water’ and floods here that purports to tell you RE is often isolated from the and the ‘of biblical proportions’. everything. Some people believe rest of the curriculum; using investment Advertisers often use allusions it to be true; some people [do] the Bible to teach literacy is worth it. to temptation that involve a not believe it [to be] true.’ ‘ could help to address this. woman and a snake in a Wow, what’s it like?’ and you The challenge for garden. The Bible is not go, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never teachers is not just to use the dead, and its rich use read it.’ It would be an odd Bible for literacy teaching; of literary devices thing wouldn’t it?” but to do it well. In our busy, and complex So said author-comedian Google-dependent and often storytelling Lee Mack (BBC’s Not Going divided society, makes it an Out), when interviewed for we need to excellent R4’s Desert Island Discs. And dig deep so teaching it’s a fair point. Why does the as not to resource. Consider Bible matter, and how can we ‘dumb it the reversal of fortunes all benefit from it – including down’. In found in the tale of Daniel when it comes to a survey, and the lions’ den. Or the supporting our 40% of people promise-fulfilment narratives, literacy teaching? (bit.ly/trwbible) like Abraham’s search for Well, surely the agreed that the a wife for his son. Or bestselling book of Bible is an influence passages dripping with all time – over 6 for good in society, and irony, like when the billion copies even the atheist writer Philip crowds call for

72 | www.teachwire.net CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

Jesus to save them by coming for teachers is to see and down from the cross. And it’s explain the storylines that TRY IT TODAY: important to use the original link this text that was written text or something close to over 1600 years ago – the Five ways to boost literacy with the Bible it – this is where the juice is ideas of living with God, God’s found. Great literature evokes promises, and God’s rescue. Tap into popular expressions great emotions, and the Bible, 1 Create a display of biblical expressions that we use describing itself as sweeter today – for example, ‘The writing’s on the wall’ (cf Daniel), or Follow the map ‘Oh ye of little faith!’ (cf Jesus) – and talk about the stories from than honey, is no different. But This is what led me to write which they come, and how the meaning has developed over time. here’s the nub: it’s not enough The Blockbuster Bible and The simply to teach the texts on Teacher’s Cut. It’s my ‘toe in their own. the water’ (cf Peter) to help Go visual It’s important to engage children and teachers see the 2 Pictures give great stimulus material. Start a lesson with the story behind the story behind the stories. In the by looking at an image of Eve in the Garden, and asking stories. CS Lewis based The end, however, teachers do need ‘Who, What, Why, Where, When’ questions, leading to a piece of Chronicles of Narnia on a to explore the original text (or writing that could later be compared with a Bible story. complete view of the Bible. something very close), and While characters like Aslan avoid passing on a second-hand Look at meta-narratives and Peter mirror Jesus knowledge of them. Not doing 3 What’s the big story behind any story? Can your pupils and, well, Peter, his created so is like reading about Dahl’s tell a tale in just ten words? Or seven? What if you give them world mirrors the biblical James and the Giant Peach a prompt (e.g. heroes, enemies, problems and solutions)? “Great literature evokes Build links across stories 4 The Bible is full of promises and fulfilments, flashbacks and flash-forwards. Talk about how God fulfils his promises great emotions” to Abraham, in preparation for the children writing stories that feature ideas or problems to be resolved later. meta-narrative. Teachers before teaching it, but not need to take Eve out of Eden reading the book itself. Which Get descriptive and consider the concept of is bananas (or peaches). A pacey plot is great, but it’s also good to slow down and sin across all Bible characters. Writing is so personal, so 5 pore over the details sometimes. I love how Genesis 24 (the They need to see Abraham creative. So enjoyable! And longest chapter in Genesis) ekes out the story of a servant’s not simply in Genesis, but using the Bible as a resource search for a wife for Abraham’s son Isaac. Share it with your every place where God fulfils offers teachers the chance to pupils, and copy at will! the Abrahamic Covenant. open children’s minds to a wide Often people call this biblical range of writing styles (e.g. theology: seeing the big story poetry, prose, reporting, and modern rap), Andrew through scripture. And journalistic that they can use as they Prichard is therefore the challenge engage with the content. a teacher, The original text is a map and author that enables us to explore of The millennia of history, and Blockbuster minds which shaped Bibleand companion book culture; let’s get The Blockbuster Bible: back to it. The Teacher’s Cut (Lion Children’s Books)

www.teachwire.net | 73 “It was all about football for me”

As a former ‘reluctant reader’ himself, Dan Freedman writes stories that captivate literary resisters and bookworms alike

hen I was really Winning words I soaked it up, the more eloquent young, it was just The thing is, though, I was reading; I became myself. I had an amazing me and mum in our just not what I thought my teachers vocabulary, too - because of the flat, and some of my and mum wanted me to. It was all sporting context, I knew what words earliest memories about football for me, and I couldn’t get like ‘apoplectic’ and ‘consolation’ areW of sitting with her, insisting that she enough of the narrative surrounding meant, and how to use them. So I read certain stories over and over again. it: commentaries, programmes, match was quietly developing a facility for I enjoyed The Very Hungry Caterpillar, reports and so on. There’s a real art language, and an enjoyment of it. but I think my favourite was The Tiger to that kind of writing, and the more I wanted to be a footballer myself, of Who Came to Tea - we must have shared course - but like 99.9% of kids with that that one hundreds of times. Mum was a ambition, I wasn’t nearly good enough. big reader; she still is, in fact. I know that One day, my mum suggested that I she would have been hoping for her might like to be a sports journalist son to grow up loving books instead - and once I realised that as much as she does… so it this would mean getting paid to must have been really hard watch football, and that being for her when, at the age good with words would help of five or six, I basically me get the job, that was it. refused to read any more. I say it to children in the It was a ‘phase’ that schools I visit all the time: lasted until I was 18. if you know what you I’m not really sure want to do, that’s a what was going on. huge head start. Partly, I suppose, it My first piece of happened because published writing was a I am an extremely letter in Shoot magazine, stubborn person. But with when I was 13. After that, I hindsight, I suspect it was also to went to every radio station, TV channel do with the fact that I wasn’t being and newspaper I could think of, asking offered the kinds of books that might for work experience. I worked for have hooked me into the idea of Arsenal, Radio 5, ITV - and my first reading ‘for pleasure’. I remember byline was for the Mail on Sunday. being given Goodnight Mister Tom at All I wanted was to get close to sport, school, for example, when I was ten; and so when I landed a job at the FA it was so depressing, and just too after university, I couldn’t have much for me. That said, I did enjoy been happier. I had some amazing Roald Dahl, and even picked up one experiences, but as the years went of his books at home once, although on I was getting more and more I hid it under the pillow when my ideas for stories of my own. When mum came into the room, as I Jamie Johnson was finally accepted clearly couldn’t be caught doing the for publication by Scholastic, after very thing I’d said I wouldn’t! Illustration © Jason Cox. three years of rejections (a painful,

Your class will almost certainly already be familiar with Dan but valuable learning experience - Freedman’s Jamie Johnson again, something I always try to get “It was all about series (scholastic) – and whilst his across to the kids I meet), I decided latest book is aimed at a young to focus full-time on writing books. football for me” adult audience, it’s definitely a story worth sharing with Y6 although I’d love Y6 children to learners. Whilst the prizes dangled in front of twin Good choices protagonists Roxy and Kaine (Wimbledon success, The popularity of Jamie Johnson has read it, too (which is why there’s and Premiership stardom respectively) would be been amazing. I can’t really explain no swearing in it). It deals with out of reach of most youngsters, the challenges it, but maybe the fact that I was a gang culture, and knife crime, and each must overcome in order to claim their reward reluctant reader myself helps me to these are conversations we need to are those that children will recognise from their write in a way that grabs kids who are have with kids before they get to own lives and the world around them. Bad choices like I was. I explore a lot of themes secondary school, because we want lead to serious consequences; but the redemption, that resonate from my own childhood, to inspire them to make good when it comes, is both credible and profoundly and I think children relate to those. choices. And yes, there’s sport in satisfying. And yes, the narrative contains And because of my experience, the there, too. I’m sure I could write about descriptions of criminality and violence, but, as footballing aspect of the books is as something else, and probably will the author is keen to point out, no swearing. authentic as it could be, which is really one day - but while it’s still inspiring important for fans, whatever their age. stories that children really want to To be published from February 2019, My most recent book, read, I’m in no hurry to find a David Fickling Books Unstoppable, is for older readers, different topic!

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*Direct Debit: pay £24.99 every 4 issues TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 78 REVIEWS

ENGLISH The English Skills Box An exciting range of graded texts to support, match and challenge pupil needs in comprehension and vocabulary skills, from Prim-Ed

AT A GLANCE

l 75 comprehension cards and 75 child-friendly answer cards l Rich test texts with SATs style focused questions l Teacher Guide with card-by-card notes and answers l Free downloadable progress tracking resources

REVIEWED BY: JOHN DABELL

Having everything in one place There are lots of ways to use the makes life easier. That’s why I love cards, too. They can be productively the new English Skills Boxes from employed across a whole class, Prim-Ed, because they are used for directed reading with small self-contained toolkits for the groups, or given for pupils to work teaching, learning and assessment on by themselves. When used for of comprehension, vocabulary, independent work, the boxes require spelling, grammar and punctuation. little teacher support, as children There are three boxes, with age can simply choose a card and mark appropriate and finely-tuned activities it when they have finished using the VERDICT covering Years 2-6 that aim to bolster answer cards provided, before 4 Highly creative texts with bags of reading for meaning and pleasure. moving on to the next. relevant and purposeful activities Each offers 75 graded texts and Each box comes with a 4 Brilliantly graded for solid activities in 15 colour sets aligned to comprehensive Teacher Guide, skills progression book bands that increase in which explains everything you need 4 Supports a consistent approach to sophistication, complexity and length. to know to make the most of what’s Within each colour set children on offer. Coverage maps make it the teaching of reading progress through five cards, which easy to see at a glance which 4 Extremely flexible, allowing teachers include a delightfully rich range of content domain for reading is plenty of scope to find the right fit illustrated fiction, non-fiction, assessed with which card. 4 Supports formative and summative rhyme and poetry texts. All the When children have completed assessment questions are multiple-choice and three card sets they take a progress 4 Develops thinking skills, test there are dedicated vocabulary and test, written in the style of SATs, to technique and confidence spelling sections too. The cards review their knowledge and within each colour set can be understanding. These are completed in any order, so there is downloadable, and tracking sheets plenty of flexibility, and each text for teachers and pupils are also UPGRADE IF... has a cross-curricular challenge available, along with pupil answer and bonus question at the end. recording sheets. Colours themselves can be used in These time-saving boxes are ready You are looking for self-contained sequence, or strategically selected to go and require very little setting toolkits that will help children to match identified needs. The up or planning. They are engaging, really read, focus on skills mastery follow-up activities on each card inspiring, consistent and connected and can produce substantial and have been diligently crafted so they resources for helping children enjoy sustained improvements in English develop specific skills. the reading process. comprehension and GaPS.

www.prim-ed.co.uk/the-english-skills-box

www.teachwire.net | 79 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 18/10/2019 09:41 Page 80 REVIEWS

READING & WRITING First News Education A quality KS2 news resource for helping develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of wider issues outside the classroom

AT A GLANCE

l The UK’s only weekly full colour newspaper for children aged 7-14 l Class-friendly news resources for advancing pupils’ core literacy levels l Award-winning online interactive learning platform l Activity Sheets filled with comprehensions, quizzes, puzzles and debates l A dynamic resource with its finger on the news pulse

REVIEWED BY: JOHN DABELL

Since its inception in 2006, First News interactive comprehension quizzes, has moved with the times, adding vocabulary puzzles, polls and debates layers of new and exciting features. based on First News stories. The This is a resource with special activities can be customised to attractions, one that can act as a individual readers according to their real driver for the critical reading of reading level, as assigned by the news stories. teacher. Activities can then be selected The First News printed newspaper by teachers or via an automated is packed with rich nuggets of news, option, whereby the iHub does the alongside a collection of fun and feisty choosing itself and will even do the VERDICT features that will slip effortlessly into marking of multiple choice questions 4 Fresh, relevant and beautifully written any reading and literacy programme. for you. 4 Helps children dive into the detail of From quick news, big news, home news The comprehension activities show news stories and become truly and world news, to special reports, the total words read, time taken and animal features, science bulletins, points earned. What I particularly love critical thinkers interviews, book reviews, puzzles, about the iHub is that its ‘news gallery’ 4 Flexible resources for fuelling an sport, entertainment, games, quirky feature enables children to craft and interest in current affairs news and more – First News buzzes create their own news feeds out of 4 A colourful and clever print/digital with life and packs a punch. There’s content that excites them and play at offering that’s smart and serious, while even a regularly-aired two-minute being editors. There’s some top notch also being fun and entertaining video news roundup, First News Today, weekly content too, which is available that’s professionally produced by Sky. as a series of printable PDF Activity First News doesn’t shirk the big Sheets and can similarly be tailored to UPGRADE IF... global issues. Instead, it tackles them suit different reading levels. head-on, giving short shrift to fake When it comes to the news, children You’re looking to help children news in the process, and providing need to be in the know, up to date and become news-savvy and media children with the means to become the in control. First News is engaging, smart, while developing their canny and critical news consumers empowering and inspiring, providing evaluation skills and enabling society needs. children with the tools and the them to grow into informed First News also has its very own confidence to go with it. It’s the Roger world citizens. digital offering – a personalised Federer of news resources – a real enrichment learning platform called class act, jam-packed with information, the iHub – that contains weekly insight and intrigue.

For a budget of £1,150 (excl. VAT) your school can opt for 12 copies of the First News newspaper and up to 140 iHub pupil logins; for a free 30-day trial, visit schools.firstnews.co.uk/explore

www.teachwire.net | 81 LAST WORDS “Literature should help us find our voice” If children don’t see themselves in the books they read, they may never realise their own story is worth telling, says Vick Hope...

himamanda Ngozi Adichie because the characters don’t speak to “The single story creates stereotypes, is my favourite author. She them, and in turn they feel disinclined to and the problem with stereotypes is not has helped me explore my become the authors of the future, when in that they are untrue, but that they are feminism, taught me about fact this is exactly the reason they should incomplete. They make one story become my Nigerian heritage and be telling their stories. Literature can – the only story.” Chistory, and her TED talk, The Danger should – help us find our voice, and find Of A Single Story catalysed my love of ourselves. When Malorie Blackman wrote I wanted to write a children’s book storytelling and inspired me to write a of forbidden interracial love and the futile which championed and celebrated children’s book. Here are some quotes prejudice which hinders it in Noughts & the multiplicity of kids’ voices, which that explain why... Crosses, I suddenly understood what my challenged stereotypes, and showed them parents suffered, having grown up in 90s to be the storytellers, uniting and working “Many stories matter. Stories have Newcastle never meeting another family as a team to piece together their disparate been used to dispossess and to malign. that looked like ours. When Chimamanda perspectives; painting a picture of the But stories can also be used to Ngozi Adichie filled in the gaps in my world in glorious technicolour. For Listen empower, and to humanise.” understanding of the Biafran War – the Up, Roman (Kemp, my friend, co-author war that ravaged my mum’s homeland and co-presenter on Capital Breakfast) On Sundays, I volunteer with the – and explored the Nigerian diasporic and I created a world I wish I’d seen as children’s group at a refugee project experience, I felt a consolidation of my a child. We wanted the children reading called Akwaaba near my flat in Hackney, own history, and a pride in the resilience to know that although the things that East London. We run a storytelling of my family and heritage. And I found make them different (their backgrounds, workshop, encouraging kids from hugely solace in the pages of Zadie Smith’s abilities, passions, interests or looks) diverse cultural backgrounds to express Swing Time simply by virtue of meeting a may make them insecure now – they can themselves and share their experiences. mixed race girl who was a little ashamed harness their unique stories. If they look Not only does this exercise help each of looking the way she did, who was at the world and don’t see themselves child order their memories and gain embarrassed to be smart and studious, represented, as I felt, I want to encourage confidence in representing themselves, who never felt like she belonged socially them to write themselves into it. But but in listening to one another they also or culturally and who loved to dance. It like our Sunday circle at Akwaaba, understand that their unique journeys was like Smith articulated things I had this is never a single story: the and backgrounds are all equally valid, felt but never said; as a young girl who’d conversation must be open, taking which is especially important when so pleaded to straighten my hair and begged on board the rich tapestry of experience. many have been made to feel invisible mum to ‘wash the brown off me’ in the We are not just telling our own stories, so far in their lives. This invisibility bath, she made me feel less alone and she but listening carefully to everyone shouldn’t be exacerbated by the literary made me feel whole. else’s; we must listen up! canon, but unfortunately it often is. I know too many kids who don’t see themselves in books and therefore don’t realise how special their place in the world is; too many kids who don’t know that their story is worth telling or that anyone would want to listen to it, so say nothing.

“Show a people as one thing, only Vick Hope is a one thing, over and over again, presenter on Capital and that is what they become.” Breakfast, and many other platforms. Her You can’t be what you can’t see. new book Listen Up, Absence from literature could become with Roman Kemp, is self-reinforcing if kids shun reading out now (Scholastic)

82 | www.teachwire.net TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 83 TEACH READING AND WRITING 10 2019_TRW 14/10/2019 14:58 Page 84