Literacy: What Works? by Sue Palmer and Pie Corbett

Guided reading

See also resources for school libraries and general children's literature resources.

Badger Comprehension. Course of ready-to-use reading comprehension activities for key stage 1 and 2 (Years 1 to 6). Comprises six pupil books (£3.99 each for single copies) and three accompanying teacher guides (£12.50).
Contact: Badger Publishing, 15 Wedgwood Gate, Pin Green Industrial Estate, Stevenage SG1 4SU. Tel: 01438 356907. Website: www.badger-publishing.co.uk.

Badger Key Stage 2 Guided Reading, by Sarah St John. £14. Isbn 1844244040/4059/4067/4075. Guided Reading guidance on 24 popular reading books and novels - 6 for each year, Years 3-6. Each book is covered by a synopsis, Text Level Reading Objectives, and 2 Guided Reading sessions. The KS2 guided reading pack includes one copy of each of the 24 reading books, and costs£118.76. For more information visit www.badger-publishing.co.uk or call 01438 356907.

Beginning to Read: thinking and learning about print, by Marilyn Jager Adams. A review of research into the teaching of reading, commissioned by the United States Government, that has influenced the English National Literacy Strategy. John Stannard, NLS director, incorporated the book's conclusions into his own 'searchlight' model of reading, which is based on the reader's orchestrated attention to word, sentence and text level. Published 1994, MIT Press, distributed by John Wiley. ISBN 0262510766, cost £18.95. A summary is also available, published by Heinemann. ISBN 0435110039, cost £14.99.

Book Bands for Guided Reading: A handbook to Support Foundation and Key Stage 1 teachers. Handbook, updated and expanded for 2007, to help foundation stage and KS1 teachers to choose appropriate reading material for pupils. It evaluates over 3,500 suitable texts, using unique colour-banded listings originally developed by Reading Recovery teachers. It includes new sections that evaluate the main series of books designed for use in Guided Reading, discuss non-fiction, and explain the text features that make particular books worth a lesson. Cost: £25.00
Order from Hammicks Education Bookshop. Tel: 020 7612 6050. Email: orders@hammicks.co.uk.

Bridging Bands for Guided Reading: Resourcing for diversity into Key Stage 2, A. Hobsbaum, S. Bickler & S. Baker, Institute of Education. ISBN 0854736905, cost £22.50. To order please contact the Bookshop at the Institute of Education, 020 7612 6050 or visit www.ioe.ac.uk/publications

Choosing Texts for the National Literacy Strategy. Comprehensive booklist produced by the Centre for Language in Primary Education. The list is organised into individual year groups and differentiated using the stages of reading development in Reading Scales 1 (for years 1-3) and 2 (years 3-6). Titles are also broken down by genre. ISBN 1872267246, cost £18.50.
Contact: CLPE, Webber Street, London SE1 8QW. Tel: 020 7401 3382/3. Website: www.clpe.co.uk.

The Core Book, published by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, shows how a 'core' collection of books can be a key resource in the teaching of reading. It is accompanied by The Core Booklist, which aims to help teachers develop their own collection of 'core' books by listing a wide selection of texts that have been shown to be effective in helping children learn to read and develop a love of books. £11 and £14.50 respectively.
Contact: CLPE, Webber Street, London SE1 8QW. Tel: 020 7401 3382/3. Website: www.clpe.co.uk.

Drama play: bring books to life through drama for 4-7 year olds, Kay Hiatt, £15. This book shows how to take well-known children's books and develop drama activities for them. Visit www.fultonpublishers.co.uk or call 020 8996 3610 to order.

Expert at English Years 3-4, isbn 1844244024; Years 5-6 isbn 1844244032. Both priced £19.50. Language skills and activities to follow up whole-class literacy work. Copymasters for independent learning and/or homework. All activities directly related to NLS objectives. For more information visit www.badger-publishing.co.uk or call 01438 356907.

Guided Reading: a handbook for teaching guided reading at key stage 2, N. Gamble, A. Hobsbawn & D. Ready, Institute of Education. ISBN 0854736476, cost £20.00.
Contact the Bookshop at the Institute of Education on 020 7612 6050 or visit www.ioe.ac.uk/publications

Guided Reading with Roy the Zebra is a nine-part online story with accompanying worksheets that follow the National Literacy Strategy. It aims to help developing reading and ICT skills, using a PC or interactive whiteboard with access to the internet. Stories and worksheets are available direct from www.roythezebra.com.

Individualised Reading. Publication to support primary teachers as they choose books for their pupils. It helps them to choose appropriate books for shared reading by providing lists of resources several stages ahead of current reading fluency; to group children and select books appropriately for guided reading; and to continue to match books to children for independent reading. ISBN 0704914549, cost £7.50.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 378 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk. 

Key Stage 2: Helping with reading difficulties, Jane Calver, Sandy Ranson & Dorothy Smith. Publication focusing on the teaching of reading to the weak or reluctant reader at key stage 2. It looks at the processes of reading, investigates identification and assessment strategies, and explores visual, auditory, language and motivational strategies that can be used in the teaching of reading. Issues related to the National Literacy Strategy, organisation, working with parents and resources are also covered. Cost £8.50.
Contact: NASEN, 4/5 Amber Business Village, Amber Close, Amington, Tamworth B77 4RP. Fax: 01827 313005 or visit www.nasen.org.uk

'Literacy through history' series, Ian Roberts and Brian Moses. This series has produced books on the Victorians and the Second World War, complete with authentic historical documents. Fun activities for literacy drama cover fascinating periods in history. The books cost £15 each. Visit www.fultonpublishers.co.uk or call 020 8996 3610 to order.

Longman Digitexts is a series of multimedia texts that are non-linear and multi-layered, and can be read through a variety of routes with the reader determing which one they take. They combine print with sound and moving and still images, and are available in both fiction and non-fiction titles. They aim to develop higher-order reading skills in analysis, evaluation and synthesis. For more information or a demo disk call Longman Customer Services on 0800 579579 or visit www.longman.co.uk/Digitexts or www.uk.knowledgebox.com.

Making Reading Easier. Basic Skills Agency leaflet on how texts should be written and laid out in order to make reading easier for children. It covers both design elements - such as use of white space, line spacing (leading), type choice and size, use of upper and lower case, illustrations and overprinting, page layout and page breaks - and readability elements - such as sentence length, choice of words and readability level. (A version for post-16 readers is also available.)
Contact the Basic Skills Agency publications line on 0870 600 2400.

Mark-My-Time digital bookmark. A means of keeping track of the time a child reads in one of two ways either by setting a countdown for the desired reading time and an alarm on completion, or by using the cumulative timer to track multiple sessions throughout the day and logging the total reading time when the day is done. The digital bookmark comes in 3 colours and has a replaceable battery. Visit www.mark-my-time.com for further information.

Meet the Authors. Series of 15-minute programmes from Schools Radio to support English for 7 to 11-year-olds. It features eight of Britain's most popular children's authors being interviewed about their life and work. Children do not need to be familiar with the author's work in advance, and may be encouraged to broaden their reading choices by listening. The programmes include Anne Fine, Eva Ibbotson, Michael Morpurgo, Philip Ridley, Jeremy Strong, Jacqueline Wilson, Valerie Bloom, Brian Patten and can be ordered from www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio.

More than Words: Multimodal texts in the classroom: QCA and UKLA. The booklet contains ideas and information about how children develop an understanding of the links between words and images, and how they can convey meaning using pictures, diagrams and sketches. Visit www.qca.org.uk for more information.

National Centre for Language and Literacy provides advice and support to teachers, both member and non-members, offering access to a permanent exhibition of many thousands of books on reading, and places on in-service training courses. However, members have access to additional services such as regular free books written by experts connected to the centre (between 6 and 8 per year), discounts on other publications, and an online service exclusive to members that enables you to search the catalogue of 15,000 learning resources and take part in discussions. Cost £40 per year.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 378 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk. 

On the Move. A project pack on integrated transport, produced by the Pedestratians Association, for use during the literacy hour. It is designed for year 5 pupils and provides a week's worth of teaching material, offering an opportunity for children to consider transport in a wide context and encourages them to suggest and investigate possible solutions to some current problems. Cost £10.00.
Contact: Living Streets, 31-33 Bondway, London SW8 1SJ. Tel: 020 7820 1010 or visit www.livingstreets.org.uk

Poetry in the literacy hour. Detailed, practical suggestions for working with poetry including activities for reception to year 6, suggestions for using poetry across the curriculum, and a list of poetry resources. ISBN 0704913410, cost £3.95.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 378 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk. 

Practical Ways to Organise Reading, George Hunt, Angela Redfern, Chris Routh and Anne Rowe. Book offering support for teachers at both key stages 1 and 2 in achieving the requirements of the national curriculum for teaching reading. It focuses on a number of issues including organising the classroom, daily routines, weekly routines, classroom support, group reading, reading for information, assessment recording and reporting, and resources. Cost £4.50.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 378 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk. 

Practical Ways to Teach Reading for Information, David Wray and Maureen Lewis. Book describing a range of practical strategies for helping children to read information texts including defining the task, using grids, using non-fiction big books, text marking and restructuring, genre exchange, and critical reading. Cost £4.50.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 378 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk. 

The Rainbow Readers Interactive Pack is a set of 26 books with accompanying software, which teaches children to read by using each letter of the alphabet as a basis for a story. Starting with A and moving through to Z, each book introduces words defined in the National Literacy Strategy to develop children's vocabulary and reading ability. The Rainbow Readers Interactive Books complement the books with "talking books" and activities to support learning. The activities are also suitable for Key Stage 2 SEN pupils. The pack includes a Teacher's Book. Contact Ransom Publishing, 51 Southgate Street, Winchester SO23 9EH, UK, tel +44 (0)962 862 307, email jenny@ransom.co.uk, www.ransom.co.uk.

Read On with BP Resource Pack. A pack for teachers, supported by BP Grangemouth in Scotland, on how to set up a paired reading scheme. The pack contains detailed practical guidance and reproducible materials that will assist in the planning, starting up, operating, monitoring and evaluating of such a project. This includes a project coordinators handbook, video, newsletters, sample supplementary materials for children and parents, and promotional materials such as leaflets, bookmarks, stickers and posters. Cost £28.
Contact: BPES, PO Box 635, Harrow HA1 2GU. Tel: 01324 476959. Website: www.bpes.com.

Reading Aloud to Children. P. Godwin & A. Redfern. This booklet is a resource for those involved in reading aloud with primary-aged children. It provides many practical ideas for use during teaching sessions on specific texts, as well as discussion of the rationale of reading aloud, ideas for choosing resources, organisations to contact, and practical considerations for reading aloud such as when, what, and how. Cost £4.50.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 378 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk.

Reading comprehension - books 1 to 4, by Jo Browning Wroe and David Lambert. Available for each of the years of key stage 2, this series of books provides a collection of photocopiable activities covering a variety of subjects and text types. Cost £14.99 each.
Contact: LDA, Abbeygate House, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1DB. Tel: 01223 357788. Website: www.ldalearning.com.

Reading Differences. Materials produced by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in 2006 suggest ways of introducing children to a broader range of literature from around the world; reading different books and reading them differently. Downloadable materials include: an introductory leaflet for teachers of Years 3 to 4; a further leaflet for teachers of Years 5 to 6; eight teaching sequences or book studies for use in the classroom; an annotated booklist, containing recommended novels, poems, traditional tales, and picture books; and a discussion paper explaining the background to their development. Download copies from http://www.qca.org.uk/. The QCA's English team has a limited stock of the leaflets available on request: englishteam@qca.org.uk.

Reading for Transition. Supporting both becoming an independent reader at around 7 years old and moving on to secondary education at 11 years, this booklist helps children's reading development by trying new authors, exploring new titles from old favourites and attempting new genres. £5.50. Contact NCLL, University of Reading, Bulmershe Court, Reading RG6 1HY, fax 0118 378 6801

Readers who don't ... and how to persuade them otherwise, Chris Powling. Booklet that explores ways of awakening children to the pleasures of reading as a way of making the world meaningful. Cost £3.95.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 931 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk. 

Reading Matters is a practical 2-hour course to help parents maximise the quality of reading time they spend with their child through a fun and non-pressurised approach. It includes advice on sharing books, practical games and activities, understanding how children learn to read, tips on and recommended booklists. It was written and is delivered by a primary school teacher with many years of experience The course can be delivered both privately for small groups in individual homes and in companies. www.reading-matters.com

Reluctant to Read, Prue Goodwin. Discussion on reluctant readers, starting from children's own perceptions of learning to read. Based on research in primary and secondary schools that was funded by the Cadmean Trust. ISBN 0704902834, cost £2.95.
Contact: National Centre for Language and Literacy, University of Reading,  Bulmershe Court, Earley, Reading RG6 1HY. Tel: 0118 378 8820. Website: www.ncll.org.uk. 

Riverdeep Interactive Learning - developers and publishers of a comprehensive range of ICT-based literacy content and activities, suitable from the early years emergent readers to the end of primary education, both in school and home, includes Destination Literacy and Bailey's Book House. The portfolio is supported by cross curricular titles including SpongeBob SquarePants Typing and Kid Pix 4.
Visit the Riverdeep website for more information: www.riverdeep-learning.co.uk

Shared Reading. A series of booklets published by NATE to provide a wealth of stimulating visual and written resources and well thought out learning activities for the 'shared reading' of children's literature at key stage 2. Each of the booklets comes with support materials for use before, during and after reading of the text. Cost £18.50 per title for a pack of 6 copies (£16.50 to NATE members).
Contact: NATE Publications, 50 Broadfield Road, Sheffield S8 0XJ. Tel: 0114 255 5419. Email: natehq@bt.connect.com or visit www.nate.org.uk

Starting Stories is a video or DVD compilation and teaching guide. The pack uses short animations to support the development of children's literacy. The teaching guide includes information about the films, as well as guidelines for using them in the classroom and lesson ideas. Video cat number BR034, price £27.99, DVD cat number BR034D, price £31.99. To order call 0870 241 3764

Stride Ahead, Keda Cowling. Reading comprehension resource to assist those that have reached a 'reading plateau'. It aims to develop pupils' familiarity with phonemes through three or four twenty-minute sessions per week, in order to accelerate reading processing speed. The programme is only intended for use with those with a reading age of 8.5 or above. Cost £15 (plus £2 p&p).
Contact: Keda Publications, 8 Green Road, Baildon, Shipley, West Yorkshire BD17 5HL. Tel: 01274 598807. Fax: 01274 598807 or email info@strideahead.co.uk

Theatre Games: Introducing Emotional Literacy is a resource on film to help teachers set up and run their own drama workshops. These workshops are designed to enhance literacy, communication skills, imagination, concentration, collaborative skills, and emotional literacy. The film has over 25 games with text based explanation and instruction.
Contact: tel:0870 7706240, visit www.act-ed.co.uk or email enquiries@act-ed.co.uk.

Toxic magazine, aimed at boys aged seven to 12, includes jokes, games reviews and game cheats. Available from newsagents. For more information call 0800 6343525.

Fridge Magic - literacy fridge magnets on sale in support of the NLT. A series of chunky magnets containing the words which every child is encouraged to learn during their Reception Year, Year 1 and Year 2. More information

Reading schemes Most of these reading schemes were recommended by Joanne Owen, children's book buyer at Borders UK, in a list published in The Bookseller on 6 September 2002. Pre-school Letterland publishes two well-established, character-driven schemes: Little Learners and Reading at Home Stages 1 and 2. Ladybird publishes A Story to Share, Phonics, Learn at Home, Topsy and Tim First Learning, all successful at developing initial reading skills Key stage 1 OUP publishes the most comprehensive reading scheme for KS1, the Oxford Reading Tree, used in over 75% of UK primary schools and made more popular by the television programmes based on its Magic Key titles. It has 16 stages and provides a complete framework for learning to read. Letterland publishes Reading at Home Stage 3. Ladybird publishes Read with Ladybird, Read It Yourself, Key Words to Reading Series A. Walker Books publishes Brand New Readers, which comprises four titles packages in a slipcase with support and advice notes for parents. Hodder publishes Superphonics, a complete and systematic graded programme of core books, activity books, story books and flash cards which use the successful phonic approach to reading. A & C Black publishes Rockets, a series of lively illustrated story books for five to seven-year-olds. Random House publishes Flying Foxes, 48-page, full-colour picture readers designed to increase reading confidence while introducing new concepts from key curriculum areas. Franklin Watts publishes Leapfrog, offering more than 20 first reading books. Collins publishes the Big Cat guided reading series, including 50 fiction and 50 non-fictions titles. Key stage 2 Ladybird publishes Key Words Reading Series B and C. Walker publishes Sprinters, a range of fiction titles featuring novels by authors such as Anne Fine, Gillian Cross and Dick King-Smith. A & C Black publishes Black Cats. Websites www.oup.com/orto/ www.ladybird.co.uk www.wattspub.co.uk www.lettsed.co.uk www.scholastic.co.uk www.cgpbooks.co.uk www.usborne-books.com www.kingfisherpub.com www.collinseducation.com www.collinsbigcat.com

Teaching practice

Beever Solutions (consultancy). A group of professionally trained and experienced librarians offering a service to primary schools that aims to address literacy issues by working closely with teaching staff to increase the breadth of reading and quality of information skills of children. Hourly rates vary according to the kind of service required.
For further information or to make an appointment call 020 8870 5834 or email suebeever@beeversolutions.co.uk.

Be A Better Literacy Coordinator. From Roger Hurns 'Be A Better' series published by Teach Books. The paperback is a guide on how to cope with the demands of being a literacy coordinator for key stages 1,2 and 3 in a time-efficient and effective way, priced at £9.99.
For more information email info@quaybooks.com or call 01722716998.

Guide to Literacy Resources
Published by the National Literacy Association this is a directory of resources including picture books, teacher resources, reading schemes and independent reading suggestions. These are organised by level: Foundation, KS1, 2 and 3 to make quick searching easier.
Contact the National Literacy Association, 1st Floor, Leonard House, 321 Bradford Street, Birmingham B5 6ET, Tel: 0121 622 5143 or Email: mail@nla.org.uk. Website: www.nla.org.uk

Language Knowledge for Primary Teachers by Angela Wilson. This book provides an explanation of the knowledge and understanding needed to implement the "text, sentence and word" objectives of the National Literacy Strategy. For more information contact David Fulton Publishers 020 8996 3610 email mail@fultonpublishers.co.uk.

Learning to Learn for Life: research and practical examples for the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, Rebecca Goodbourn, Steve Higgins, Susie Parsons, Kate Wall and Julia Wright. The first book in the Campaign for Learning's 'Learning to learn for life series' provides guidance on how to help younger pupils learn most effectively and achieve their full potential. ISBN 1-85539-178-3. Cost: £14.95.
Contact: Southgate Publishers Ltd, The Square, Sandford, Credition, Devon EX17 4LW. Tel: 01363 776 888. Website: www.southgatepublishers.co.uk

Literacy Moves on, ed. Janet Evans. Looks at the changing nature of literacy and some of the current influences on literacy, such as popular culture, multi-modal texts, email and text messaging.

Literacy, numeracy and the Building Bridges - Learning and Teaching Scotland's web support brings together new thinking and effective practice to support teachers, librarians and parents as they help learners develop word and number skills. Visit www.ltscotland.org.uk/buildingbridges

Teaching English, Language and Literacy
Russell Jones and Dominic Wyse provide an introduction to teaching English, language and literacy according to the National Literacy Strategy. It includes an overview with the latest theories on learning, advice on speaking lessons, working with multilingual pupils, and practical ideas. Pb: 0-415-20092-X; £16.99. Hb: 0-415-20091-1; £75; website: www.routledge.com/education.

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