It looks like the education sector is in for a year of sweeping changes, brought in at a ferocious pace.
The long summer holiday should be an opportunity to relax and refresh, ahead of whatever challenges the next academic year brings. However, if you are looking to refresh your thinking on teaching primary literacy, ready for the promised curriculum changes, the renewed focus on early years and the next version of the writing framework, here are a selection of reads that I have found both enjoyable and thought-provoking.
Thinking about the act of teaching
Learning to Teach in the Primary School (fifth edition), edited by Teresa Cremin, Helen Hendry and Anna Harrison
If you are just starting your teaching career or will be supporting and mentoring teachers in training next year, this new edition will be very useful. Although it’s not principally about primary literacy, there is plenty for literacy fiends to delve into, and much more besides.
Two Heads: where two neuroscientists explore how our brains work with other brains by Uta Frith, Chris Frith and Alex Frith
I always feel it is better to read the original sources of ideas, written by those who have done the work.
This book, written in graphic form, is a wonderful way to explore how the brain works.
The authors, Uta and Chris Frith, with their son Alex, have been at the forefront of neuroscientific research for the past 50 years. Together, they share their incredible knowledge of what neuroscience tells us about how we learn, both alone and together.
Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press
The Very Short Introductions series is always interesting. The books are small enough to slip into a bag but packed with fascinating insights. They are excellent for getting a broad introduction to a subject. This year I have enjoyed the Very Short Introduction to Autism, as well as the editions on dyslexia, the English language, education and children’s literature.
Inspiring and Sustaining Reading for Pleasure in Children and Young People: a guide for teachers and school leaders by Sarah McGeown and Katherine Wilkinson
Another great series of short reads full of helpful advice is the “minibooks” produced by the UK Literacy Association (UKLA).
The recent Inspiring and Sustaining Reading for Pleasure in Children and Young People by Sarah McGeown and Katherine Wilkinson provides an insight into developing young readers who choose to read. If you are thinking about refreshing your reading for pleasure strategy, this is an excellent starting point.
Thinking about reading
The Science of Reading Progresses: communicating advances beyond the Simple View of Reading by Nell Duke and Kelly Cartwright (2021)
For a while, it has been recognised that the “” is probably too simple when it comes to understanding how to effectively teach children to read.
In this , researchers Nell Duke and Kelly Cartwright pull together recent studies to create a more comprehensive model of reading to base classroom teaching on.
Their paper is an accessible exploration of the most recent research literature and is a welcome complement to the by psychologists Anne Castles, Kathy Rastle and Kate Nation, Ending the Reading Wars: reading acquisition from novice to expert.
Understanding and Teaching Reading Comprehension: a handbook by Jane Oakhill, Kate Cain and Carsten Elbro
A confirmed the importance of explicitly teaching reading comprehension. If you are looking for something accessible yet thought-provoking on this subject, Oakhill, Cain and Elbro’s book is worth a try.
In it they unpick the complexity of reading comprehension and include a wealth of practical strategies that can be easily adopted in the classroom.
Guiding Readers - Layers of Meaning: a handbook for teaching reading comprehension to 7-11-year-olds, edited by Wayne Tennent, David Reedy, Angela Hobsbaum and Nikki Gamble
For further practical insight into how you can work with pupils in a dialogic way, helping them to develop the ability to make sense of any text, try this book, edited by Wayne Tennent and colleagues.
Thinking about writing
Teaching Elementary School Students to be Effective Writers
The Institute of Education Sciences in the United States has produced a series of “educator practice guides”, which give a practical overview of the evidence, with a strong research pedigree.
These guides are written by recognised expert panels (usually academic researchers) and draw upon the views of teachers and practitioners to ensure that they are accessible and feasible for use in busy classrooms. I find to be particularly helpful.
Self-Regulated Strategy Development teacher materials
Thinking about the Department for Education’s new writing framework, you might find it helpful to look at some of the work published by American researchers Karen Harris and Steve Graham.
Their model of teaching writing, Self-Regulated Strategy Development, is extensively referenced in the second section of the writing framework, which discusses the development of composition. A selection of accessible papers, extracts, sample materials and blogs about the strategy are available , for free.
On the Write Track: a practical guide to teaching writing in primary schools by James Clements
For something more UK-focused, try James Clements’ book On the Write Track. This is an excellent, clear overview of writing development, packed full of practical strategies.
Thinking about language
Oracy: the transformative power of finding your voice by Neil Mercer
Professor Neil Mercer’s most recent book is described as a “manifesto” calling for oracy to become a subject alongside literacy and numeracy. But it is also a very practical book, summarising some of the key strategies of how to use talk to teach and learn.
Bringing Words to Life: robust vocabulary instruction (second edition) by Isabel L Beck, Margaret G McKeown and Linda Kucan
If you are considering the acquisition of language and, in particular, vocabulary, delve into the work of Isabel Beck and colleagues. They have produced several readable texts about developing vocabulary (including the original work about tiers of vocabulary), such as their 2013 book Bringing Words to Life.
If you’d prefer something more recent, you could try Beck and colleagues’ Robust Comprehension Instruction with Questioning the Author: 15 years smarter from 2021.
Colossal Words for Kids by Colette Hiller
And finally, why not dip into poetry? Have a look at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Poetry Award-winning Colossal Words for Kids by Colette Hiller, or explore the wonderful resources available on the and learn a new poem, ready to amaze your pupils in September.
Megan Dixon is an associate lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University
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