Aesthetica
This magazine features writing, art, music and film. It reports on the arts and publishes features, interviews, news, articles and reviews. It is published bi-monthly and costs £4.50. Email: info@aestheticamagazine.com. Website: www.aestheticamagazine.com.

Animating Literacy
This book explores the impact of collaboration in arts partnerships in classrooms from Nursery to Year 6 on children's literacy learning, looking towards the development of a creative curriculum promoting literacy. It has case studies and focuses on the year-long action research project led by CLPE, where teachers and pupils worked in arts partnerships in seven London schools. ISBN: 1 872267 41 6. Contact: Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, Webber Street, London SE1 8QW; Tel: 02074013382/3; email: info@clpe.co.uk; website: www.clpe.co.uk.

Arts for all: encouraging learning through arts and culture. Report by NIACE and the DfES that celebrates the work taking place with young people, adults and communities in projects across the country, to encourage people into learning. It includes a section on the barriers that must be tackled in order to widen access and a checklist of good practice points. 
Contact: NIACE, 21 de Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GE. Tel: 0116 204 4200. 

Audit of Media in English, Jim Barratt. British Film Institute report that shows how schools are interpreting the National Curriculum requirements for teaching about media as part of English. Download the report at www.bfi.org.uk

Basic Skills and The Arts. Booklet produced by the Basic Skills Agency to provide examples to arts organisations (and basic skills providers looking for a more innovative approach) of ways in which the arts can utilised as a way into improving basic skills. 
Contact: The Basic Skills Agency, Commonwealth House, 1-19 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1NU. Tel: 0870 600 2400. 

Collins Plays Plus is a series of playscripts for key stage 3, based on adaptations of novels by contemporary authors. The plays, intended for both class reading and performance, have been selected to meet English Framework objectives, and each one includes resources materials and classroom activities. The latest titles include Double Act by Jacqueline Wilson, and Theatre of War by Simon Adorian. £7.25 each. Order online at www.harpercollins.co.uk.

Collins National Theatre Plays. Written by contemporary writers, this series includes The Exam by Andy Hamilton, The Willow Pattern by Jusith Johnson and Mugged by Andrew Payne. Each play is supported by staging suggestions and classroom activities to help teachers cover the KS3 drama requirements. For more information about the series contact Lorna Lyons 020 8307 4101 or email lorna.lyons@harpercollins.co.uk

Creativity and literacy: many routes to meaning The Centre for Literacy in Primary Education has studied teachers and children who have worked with creative arts partners and how this partnership impacted on children's language and literacy learning. This report analyses and compares processes, practices and roles across a range of projects based on the fieldnotes, interviews, texts and observations of all those involved. For more information visit www.clpe.co.uk, email info@clpe.co.uk or call 020 7928 4624

Drama and literacy: a survey of effective practice of key stage 3 and 4, Graham Frater and John Taylor, December 2003. The Basic Skills Agency surveyed the drama departments of 13 secondary schools in England and Wales, to provide evidence for what many teachers believe to be true: that high-quality drama teaching supports the development of pupils' literacy, particularly those who lack confidence or are underachieving, while working to deliver its own objectives. The report uses case studies and sample lessons to demonstrate how this happens. Cost £4.50.
Contact Basic Skills Agency Publications on 0870 600 2400 or visit www.basic-skills.co.uk

'Drama Techniques Exemplified'. Much of the DVD is ideal for teachers wishing to develop drama as a way of delivering speaking and listening skills. More information can be found at www.egproducts.co.uk.

Early Vision makes brief films from true-life footage, to provide children with everyday examples of the real world. These films show short excerpts from different areas of daily life which act as an aid to role-play and prompt discussion. Current themes are: pets, ourselves and the police. For more information visit www.earlyvision.co.uk or call 0845 3303186.

Film Education.The aim of Film Education is to encourage and promote the study of film and cinema within the UK National Curriculum. In supporting teachers, Film Education aims to give pupils the opportunity to analyse and evaluate a wide range of Media, including film. In addition to providing a range of free educational materials, Film Education organise training courses, workshops, seminars and events including National Schools Film Week. Study resources include film specific CD-ROMs and educational online resources, study guides, generic study guides and videos, plus new materials in digital video editing.
Contact: Film Education, 21-22 Poland Street, London, W1F 8QQ. Tel: 020 7851 9450. Fax: 020 7439 3218. Email: postbox@filmeducation.org Website: www.filmeducation.org

Film Street is a new interactive website for six to nine year olds, designed to develop children's literacy skills and encourage their expression through film-making . It aims to provide ways of introducing the concepts of moving image literacy and to help embed this within the school curriculum, especially in literacy. Website: www.filmstreet.co.uk

www.headlinehistory.co.uk. This educational website, commissioned by the DCMS, encourages children to write newspaper reports based on interviews with actors posing as historical characters.

Hip-Hop and Literacy Workshops/ Seminars. Nugent-Education, a north-west based contemporary arts education workshop company deliver workshops to children and young people (5 to 18+ years old) with wide-ranging abilities. The workshops use hip-hop/urban art forms, including dance, drama, graffiti, singing and music production, to subtly embody literacy skills initiatives, as well as being fun. The workshops also aim to help with team-building and raising self-esteem. For more information visit: www.nugenteducation.co.uk or call 0151 426 6699

Learning in museums guide. This guide, produced by Museums Southeast is aimed at addressing some of the barriers facing schools using museums, which were identified in research carried out in 2004 for the Education Programme Delivery Plan (EPDP). It focuses on resources for school age children (aged 5 - 16) but also highlights work with pre-school children, out of school activities and family learning. To access the guides go to www.museumse.org.uk/ABC_working_with_schools/

London Libraries Recommend... Black Poets Ink. Features a selection of verse from a range of poets, from the world-famous Maya Angelou and Linton Kwesi Johnson to newer faces of Phenzwaan and Zena Edwards... www.londonlibraries.org/servlets/llr/bpi

Literacy and popular culture, by Jackie Marsh and Elaine Millard. Booklet outlining the rationale for using popular culture such as toys, computer games and comics to teach literacy in the primary classroom. It explores some of the difficult issues teachers might face, for example, images of commercialism, sexism, racism and violence, as well as benefits to pupils including motivation, inclusion and bridging home and school.
Contact the National Centre for Language and Literacy on 0118 378 8820 or visit www.ncll.org.uk.

Literacy in the gallery, a handbook for gallery educators and teachers, was produced as a result of Tate's Visual Paths to Literacy project. It uses examples of work from the project to demonstrate how museums and galleries can contribute to literacy learning in primary schools.
Contact Tate Education on 020 7887 8000.

Literature and creative writing: short courses and summer schools in Britain. Guide produced annually in spring by the British Council. Information is available in a printed guide and an online searchable database. See www.britishcouncil.org/arts-literature.htm

literaturetraining.com
The brainchild of literaturetraining, a group of leading literature organisations, this site provides writers and those involved in production and support of literature with a central source of information on literature training and professional development opportunities in the UK. It includes events, creative writing courses, organisations, links to other websites and online writing communities, articles and books, funding sources and training providers. There is a free email update service for subscribers. www.literaturetraining.com

Look Again! A free teaching guide to using film and television with three to eleven-year-olds. Download from www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/lookagain/ or order a printed copy from the British Film Institute.
Contact: bfi, 21 Stephen Street, London W1T ILN. Tel: 020 7957 4787. Email: education@bfi.org.uk.

Magic Wanda sells books, DVDs and activities to encourage creativity in children aged three to six. Resources are available for parents, playgroups and nurseries, and primary schools. Visit www.magicwandamedia.com.

Make-a-play Day. Splats Entertainment has been running Make-a-play Day for three years, based on The Wind in the Willows show, which ran in the West End. It works to bring books to life and can involve up to 140 pupils performing the show to staff, parents and fellow pupils. Make-a-play Day is most successful with primary-aged pupils and costs £260 (plus VAT) for the day. For more information visit www.splatsentertainment.co.uk

The Manga Shakespeare Collection

Media awareness for families. Pack produced by the Mothers' Union, discussing the role and impact of the media on family life, and encouraging children to be discerning consumers of the media; aimed towards families but adaptable for use in schools. Cost £5.
Contact: MU Enterprises Ltd, 24 Tufton Street, London SW1P 3RB. Email: enterprises@themothersunion.org. Website: www.themothersunion.org.

Moving Images in the Classroom. Guide for teachers, produced by the British Film Institute in partnership with Film Education and the English and Media Centre, that provides strategies for using film and television in nine subject areas of the National Curriculum. These include English, in which pupils' moving image-based knowledge of genres, narrative structures and character function can contribute to their self-confidence as readers and writers.  The guide can be downloaded in pdf format from www.bfi.org.uk/education/teaching/miic/

Our thoughts are bees: writers working with schools, by Mandy Coe and Jean Sprackland - ISBN 0954963407. Price £10. Offering advice on organising exciting projects in schools, ranging from the author's visit to the long-term residency, Our Thoughts are Bees examines the potential impact on young people's lives, and sets out a vision for the future of writing in education. www.wordplaypress.com

Pathways to Publication. Guide produced by author.co.uk, which covers ideas for starting to write and as well as practical information on finding a literary agent, submitting to publishers, copyright, using the Internet, Ebook publishing, printing on demand, and selling books. Cost £10 (including p&p). 
Contact: author.co.uk, 61 Gainsborough Road, Felixstowe, Suffolk IP11 7HS. Website: www.author.co.uk. 

Plain Speaking: A Guide to Clear Communications offers clear advice on how to improve spoken and written communications with colleagues, clients or customers. This book is written based on research, by a non-profit adult literacy group, on how to reach people who struggle to read challenging texts, contracts, instructions or even advertising. Contact Literacy North Halton, P.O. Box 218, Georgetown, ON, Canada, L7G 4Y5. Orders or queries may also be directed to literacy@bellnet.ca or by phoning 905-873-2200.

www.poetsgraves.co.uk. Website detailing poets' graves around the UK and beyond. Includes a useful glossary of poetic terms.

Primary picturacy Film education. A collection of six DVD-ROMs created for use on interactive whiteboards. The series examines and illustrates six introductory themes explored by teachers using film in the primary classroom, such as myths, legends and fairy tales, book-to-film adaptations and film at keystage 1.
The price is £35 per resource pack.
To order visit www.filmeducation.org

Show us a story!, ed. Wendy Earle. Teaching guide produced by the British Film Institute to help primary school teachers to use film creatively in the classroom. Cost £14.99.
Contact: BFI Education Resources, PO Box 105, Rochester, Kent ME2 4BE. Tel: 0870 241 3764. Fax: 01634 290175.

Smart Pass audio guides combine theatre in education techniques with teaching practice to help bring the study of literature to life. Recordings combine dramatic readings of the text with debate, analysis and context for the action. Titles include The Mayor of Casterbridge, Great Expectations, Pride and Prejudice and Macbeth.
Contact Smart Pass: email info@smartpass..co.uk or visit www.smartpass.co.uk. 

Starting Stories. British Film Institute guide to support the use of film to develop early literacy skills, with children as young as three. Short films are used as texts to be 'read' and analysed. The pack comprises a video of five short films, accompanied by notes for teachers that support their use in the classroom. The resource is aimed at teachers of children from nursery to Year 2. (For key stage 2, see Story Shorts below.) Cost £27.99.
Contact: BFI Education Resources, PO Box 105, Rochester, Kent ME2 4BE. Tel: 0870 241 3764. Fax: 01634 290175.

Step Forward. Open University writing courses that cover report and essay writing as well as creative writing and poetry. For more information visit www.open.ac.uk/stepforward or www.open.ac.uk/start-writing.

Story Shorts: a resource for key stage 2 literacy. Guide produced by the British Film Institute to provide key stage 2 teachers with practical ideas for using short films as 'texts' to help develop literacy. (For children aged three to seven, see Starting Stories above.) It focuses on five short films with strong narratives and provides a range of practical classroom activities for each, including word, sentence and text level objectives. £24.99.
Contact: BFI Education Resources, PO Box 105, Rochester, Kent ME2 4BE. Tel: 0870 241 3764. Fax: 01634 290175.

Teaching Literacy Through Drama: Creative Approaches
This book by Patrice Baldwin and Kate Fleming isaimed at teachers of Key Stages 1 and 2, meeting the National Literacy Strategy requirements. It includes an exploration of the value of drama as a medium for learning, ten units of activities each based on a different story, play or poem, and photocopiable support sheets for teachers to use. Pb: 0-415-25578-3; £37.50; website: www.routledge.com/education.

Thinking it through: Linking language skills, thinking skills and drama, Gill Thompson and Huw Evans - This publication provides teachers with literacy and numeracy lesson plans that incorporate thinking skills and drama. For more information contact David Fulton Publishers 020 8996 3610 email mail@fultonpublishers.co.uk

Under the Skin Badger Plays - A teacher's resource for involving students in plays, all presented in a framework of progressive challenge and exciting subject matter. Plays are described as "street-wise, " and "thought-provoking," with short lines and a convenient number of roles, to encourage students in the areas of reading, acting, writing, and memorization. Orders@badger-publishing.co.uk

Using Drama to Support Literacy, by John Goodwin, is a book of ideas and activities for children aged 7-14, which have been tried and tested in the classroom. It also includes curriculum links and examples of children's work. Contact www.paulchapmanpublishing.co.uk, ISBN 1-4129-2051-5

White Heron Educational Resources. Small scale producer of drama resources to teach drama skills to students with a range of learning disabilities at key stages 2 and 3. The books of narrative verse drama with accompanying workshops also aim to introduce students to a range of literary genres and a range of classical texts.
Contact: White Heron Educational Productions, 112 Harrowdene Gardens, Sandy Lane, Teddington TW11 0DL. Website: www.bills-books.com/whiteheron_index.htm.

Word of mouth. Directory of UK literature development workers involved in the promotion of events. It was compiled by Tom and Rebecca Palmer on behalf of the National Association for Literature Development and with funding from Arts Council England. For a free copy call 01706 813641 or email tompalmer@whsmithnet.co.uk.

Writers' Nexus is a site designed to bring writers and publishers together. If you are a writer, you can upload a profile, an outline of your work, and anything from a sample chapter to a whole book. This costs £35. Publishers can then trawl these entries for free. The site is still worth a look even if you don't have a book to sell and are not willing to pay to join: it provides free access to an outstanding collection of links for writers plus a calendar of readings, workshops, festivals and other events in Europe and North America. http://writersnexus.com.

The Young Cultural Creators Handbook. Young Cultural Creators was a partnership project between Tate and London libraries which aimed to inspire young people's reading and creativity through artwork and artefacts. The handbook contains rationale, guidelines and practical ideas to help others establish this kind of partnership between libraries, museums and galleries.
To order phone 01736 332228.

See also the Drama & Literacy and Arts, media & literacy sections of the NLT bookshop.