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Farshore's (previously Egmont) latest report on reading for pleasure.

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Farshore's (previously Egmont) latest report on reading for pleasure.

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Headline findings:
New research suggests that fewer than a quarter of 5-10 year olds will read regularly by 2025
·       Children’s reading for pleasure declined further during the lockdown year. 32% of 5-10-year-olds read for pleasure daily/nearly every day in 2020 (41% in 2019 and 55% in 2012)[i]

·       If reading continues to decline at the same rate, by 2025 just 23% of 5-10s will read for pleasure daily

·       Research shows being read to every day is the single most effective way to encourage and inspire children to read for pleasure.

·       64% of parents wish their child would spend more time reading books, but they are not widely aware that reading to their child is the solution. [ii]

·       Reading to under eights is in steep decline. 43% were read to daily or nearly every day in 2020 (60% in 2012) [iii]

·       New Farshore research highlights the impact of reading to children on their own reading ability, schoolwork and wellbeing.

[i] Nielsen Book - Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer 2020
[ii] Nielsen Book - Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer 2020
[iii] Nielsen Book - Understanding the Children’s Book Consumer 2020

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One year on from HarperCollins UK's acquisition of Egmont Books (formerly Egmont UK Ltd) from the Danish media group, Egmont, we are delighted to announce our new identity: Farshore.

Historically known as Egmont Insight, our consumer research includes a number of reports on our case studies and insights. We've gathered all of this historic research in one place, with our most recent studies listed first. Each has a full report available for you to read as well as an overview of some key insights.

Our new research, in collaboration with Mumsnet, explores the impact of really focusing on reading for 6 weeks during lockdown. We were interested to find out how children's motivation and enthusiasm to read independently, their attainment and their well-being would be affected by the experience.

Watch the Lockdown Reading Club videos with Parent Testimonials

Why does reading for pleasure matter?
Children's reading for pleasure matters commercially and it matters socially. For the publishing industry it is business-critical (without a desire to read there is no sustainable driver for consumers to buy books and magazines). Beyond the commercial imperative there is something far more significant: reading is important to children's life chances, as well as their well-being, happiness and much more.

Reading for pleasure is not properly understood and is often confused or conflated with literacy. Reading for pleasure is reading for enjoyment, done of free choice, whereas literacy is the ability to read and write. Reading for pleasure feeds literacy because it is challenging to learn something if you don't enjoy it!

Stories and Choices explores the impact of prioritising storytime in school on a child's overall love of reading for pleasure and their progress in reading comprehension. We worked with 7-11 year olds and their teachers from September to December 2018 at St Joseph's Catholic Academy in Stoke on Trent, an area of deprivation and a National Literacy Trust Hub to research exactly this. We returned to the school in the summer of 2019 to assess longer term impact of the project.

Reading to children is a powerful way to encourage them to read for pleasure. Children who are read to daily by their parents are much more likely to be independent readers themselves.

Yet reading to children is decline.

Many parents cease to read to their child once their child has mastered the skills to read independently, believing can read means will choose to read for pleasure. So, what happens if the school steps in to ensure children are read to? This is the simple idea behind our Stories and Choices study. What happens if teachers in Key Stage 2 (7-11 year olds) read aloud to their class daily, with no formal teaching agenda, no testing of comprehension, no cross-curricular projects, no measuring of impact? Simply have storytime for pleasure and nothing more? And, because we know choice is really important to encourage children to read, what happens if we supply a lot of books and magazines?

We decided to see what happened when a school prioritised sharing the pleasure. We worked with 7-11 year olds and their teachers from September to December 2018 at St Joseph's Catholic Academy in Stoke on Trent, an area of deprivation and a National Literacy Trust Hub.

27% of the children are from disadvantaged backgrounds. This is higher than the national average.

8% are from an ethnic minority

13% are from Traveller families

Some of the parents can't read. A sizeable number of children have no or very few books of their own, and most are not read to at home. The school has not had new books for some time; what they do have is not as varied as they'd like; and they only have magazines when teachers buy them.

Print Matters More explores whether it is possible to turn reluctant child readers into passionate readers. Building on insights from Print Matters, the study set out to explore whether the deep emotional connection that reading with a child inspires can influence behaviour change and encourage more reading and more book buying.
Print Matters More Project Extension
Our extension to the Print Matters More research further explores the impact of free choice on a child's interest in, and enthusiasm for, reading for pleasure. It also identifies three roles that parents should take to encourage their child to read for pleasure.

'Print Matters More is such a vitally important initiative' - Michael Morpurgo

A research study commissioned in collaboration with Foyles Bookshops and Family, Kids & Youth Print Matters More builds on the findings from our 2015 study, Print Matters.

The aim of Print Matters was to understand why families prefer to read children's books in print and why children's eBook sales are so low when children are passionate about digital pastimes. The research revealed some very emotional reactions to printed books. Children love being read to. It makes them feel secure and happy. For parents, the shared reading experience prompted feelings of nostalgia and of being a good and loving parent. Print books were often treasured objects, very precious parts of family life, and imbued with significance and emotions.

Our extension to the Print Matters More research further explores the impact of free choice on a child's interest in, and enthusiasm for, reading for pleasure.

It also identifies three roles that parents should take to encourage their child to read for pleasure.

Our annual review of the children's market in 2016 explores consumer trends and the barriers and opportunities for reading and buying, for both books and magazines.

The Reading Magic Project explores why reading to 3-4 year olds is in decline and what can be done to encourage more reading and more book buying in families with children of this age.

The study investigates the impact of giving parents plenty of very specific advice and help and the effect of a stimulating retail environment on reading and book buying.

Our annual review of the children's market in 2017 explores trends in reading and in the book and magazine markets.

Print Matters explores parents' and children's responses to reading children's books, including print books, eBooks, apps and magazines.

The research is made up of two studies conducted with Family Kids and Youth and with The University of Sussex's Children and Technology Lab, part of the School of Psychology. The findings of the two investigations are brought together to form a view of the conscious, unconscious and physical responses to reading.

Reading Street is a study following the changing nature of children's reading. The study includes a number of different aspects, including reading and home life, reading at school, the effect of digital on reading and Christmas traditions.

Click on each chapter below to find out more and download the PDF files to read.

Explore the evolving and moving style of parenting and attitudes to childhood.

Continue the journey through our families' reading lives, and look more closely at what happens when children start school.

Discover the changes in family life that have led to the prevalence of screen time.

Find out how fostering a child's love of reading is important to parents and how this is magnified at Christmas time.

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One year on from HarperCollins UK's acquisition of Egmont Books (formerly Egmont UK Ltd) from the Danish media group, Egmont, we are delighted to announce our new identity: Farshore. Historically known as Egmont Insight, our consumer research includes a number of reports on our case studies and insights.

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The value of creativity, and creativity in the classroom.

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This link takes you to a summary of findings as well as the full reports.

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Reflecting Realities is the first UK study looking at diversity in children's literature. Funded by the Arts Council, our aim is to quantify and evaluate the extent and quality of ethnic representation and diversity in children's publishing in the UK.

7% of the children's books published in the UK over the last 3 years (2017, 2018, 2019) feature characters from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background.

We have produced and published three reports, the three years of data shows a positive trend and reflects work that has been done but we do not yet have an output that reflects the population of our readers. We welcome a year on year rise in representation in children's literature. We do not however think that the work has finished. In 2019 33.5% of the school population were of minority ethnic origins, in stark contrast only 5% of children's books had an ethnic minority main character.

From the survey of ethnic representation in UK children's literature published in 2019:

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Presence in UK Children's Literature in the last 3 Years:

Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Makeup of Main Characters in UK Children's Literature in 2019:

Alongside the publication of the third CLPE Reflecting Realities Report, Children's Reading Charity
BookTrust have also published their BookTrust's Represents Interim Research. Both research reports show some positive progress over the past three years (2017-2019), but there remains a long way to go before representation in children's books and publishing to mirror UK society.

Discover all of our Reflecting Realities Reports and more research...

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Reflecting Realities is the first UK study looking at diversity in children's literature. Funded by the Arts Council, our aim is to quantify and evaluate the extent and quality of ethnic representation and diversity in children's publishing in the UK.

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What is the definition of a challenging novel?

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What is the definition of a challenging novel?

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Although this blog from EMC is focused on KS3, the ideas here link closely to recent discussions in both KS2 and KS3 RTRP groups about whether a novel needs to have 'difficult' vocabulary and syntax in order to represent a challenge, or a 'good' writing model to young readers.

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We want to challenge pupils when providing them with reading material in the classroom. But what exactly constitutes 'challenge'? And how is it different from 'difficulty'? Here EMC's director argues that challenge in novels lies as much in what they enable young people to do as in any underlying complexity.

Two years ago EMC hosted Julia Sutherland from Sussex University at one of our free twilight sessions. She presented research she'd carried out with colleagues, provisionally titled 'A Faster Immersive Read'. The research looked at what happened when classes read two novels back-to-back at a relatively quick pace. This was in contrast to the more conventional approach to teaching a novel in class, in which pupils spend a relatively long time on one book, with lots of stopping and starting along the way.

The results from the research were encouraging. While small in scale, and so by no means conclusive, pupils in the classes taking part showed above average improvements in reading age; this was slightly more pronounced for pupils operating at relatively low levels of attainment.

Several teachers left the twilight fired up and decided to replicate the approach in their own schools. We've been drawing attention to it on courses ever since. The feedback in just about all cases has been positive. Even where improvements in reading age are difficult to judge absolutely, the approach still seems to increase engagement, motivation and enthusiasm - in pupils and teachers alike. Pupils enjoy the experience of reading for sustained periods of time, and they value the opportunity to read two books, so providing them with concrete points of comparison, allowing connections and differences to be discussed and developed.

An article based on the research appeared in the UKLA Literacy journal in May under the title 'Just reading': the impact of a faster pace of reading narratives on the comprehension of poorer adolescent readers in English classrooms. [It was freely available but is now behind a paywall.] Subsequently it was widely circulated via social media, with English teachers almost universally warming to the idea that they can streamline their practice and get on with the business of 'just reading' good books with their classes.

The research is terrific and, at EMC, we agree with the headline sentiment that pupils will benefit from getting through novels at a relatively quick pace. We'd urge teachers to try and get access to the published article and read it in full to get a sense of what exactly the project involved and how it was interpreted in different schools, though. Many online comments seem to slightly misread the research, or not to have actually read it in full.

This blog isn't intended as a summary or defence of the article. Instead, it intends to explore two points that discussions on social media have focused on heavily: first, the idea that all you need to do to teach a novel is read it; second, the notion of challenge in a novel (the article's abstract refers to pupils involved reading "challenging, complex novels"). Here, I want to question whether teaching a novel really is about 'just reading'; and I also want to interrogate exactly what 'challenge' in a KS3 novel looks like.

Why do we teach novels and is it ever about 'just reading'?

The term 'just reading' in the research article's title is very firmly placed in inverted commas. None of the participant classes 'just' read, or just had a book read to them. Pupils all had access to the text themselves, with teachers pausing at apposite moments to reinforce meaning and to focus especially on inference. Where teachers worked through the books particularly efficiently, they had time afterwards to engage in a series of reflective activities around them. This, it seems to me, is crucial. The research measured improvements in reading levels. But we need to recognise that teaching novels is about much more than simple comprehension. Comprehension is just the start. The study of a novel offers an induction for KS3 pupils into both the joys of reading and into serious literary study. We don't teach novels to improve levels of vocabulary or to develop understanding of different sentence structures (useful side benefits though these may be). We teach them to show young people what reading and studying novels is all about. Thus, they need time to explore their own personal responses, and to see how these compare with other responses; they need opportunities to discuss the major ideas and themes in novels, and how these fit in with what they have read or watched before; they need to interrogate how novels are put together, investigating important aspects of narrative, structure, form, characterisation, and so on. It's complicated stuff: a step beyond comprehension, in many ways more difficult and certainly harder to measure, but also potentially much more energising and purposeful.

So does the concept of 'just reading' miss the point and oversimplify what needs to go on in English classrooms? Absolutely not. It is the part of the teaching process that lays the ground work for serious literary study. If it happens relatively quickly, it leaves time for serious exploration. And if it results in better comprehension than a more fragmented approach to reading, then it can only result in more fruitful subsequent literary study.

The enthusiasm for the 'just reading' approach, along with its promising results, highlights the fact that reading is an experiential, unfolding process. Meaning reveals itself gradually over an extended period of time, requiring readers to constantly think back, puzzle, make predictions, make connections, ask questions, and even change their minds. It makes sense that when this is done relatively quickly in the first instance, so that pupils can keep the whole text in mind, then overall understanding improves. Halting the reading experience too much, so that it bears little resemblance to the reading process that most of us engage in when reading a novel for pleasure, leads to the disruption of understanding itself. Such disruptions we would argue at EMC include too much time using novels to teach tangential aspects of the subject, such as vocabulary, too much detailed focus on word and sentence level analysis at an early stage, or too much attention given to social and historical context (both before and during reading). Let the novel be read as a novel, with pupils filling in gaps for themselves as the reading evolves, and assistance only being offered where it is absolutely necessary to ensure understanding. Let the pauses in the reading be about the students' immediate responses, thoughts and ideas, allowing them to share their insights and observations, as well as their pleasure in the text. Let them focus on the important aspects of literary study, and on interrogating meaning.

What does a challenging novel look like at KS3?

Lots of comments about the 'just reading' research expressed general support for the idea, but felt compelled to qualify this by insisting on the importance of 'challenging' texts. The research itself stressed the importance of complex, challenging texts. But I wonder if the researchers and commentators share the same concept of what a challenging novel at KS3 looks like.

Recently there has been trend at KS3 to teach novels identified by teachers as 'difficult'. Often this involves teaching a Victorian novel. Alongside this has developed a sense among some commentators that children's and YA fiction has no place in the classroom - that it is not challenging enough.

All of the texts mentioned in the research are written specifically for young people though. They include novels often rubbished by those shouting loudest for increased challenge, such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. So are the researchers overstating the merits of the novels used in the research (schools were free to select the two novels themselves, and often did so based on what was available), or do some commentators need to think a little more carefully about what challenge in reading involves?

It seems to me that we need to differentiate between challenge and difficulty when thinking about how best to teach young readers, and that the two have recently become conflated. The national curriculum makes plenty of room for teaching 'difficult' texts at KS3. And so it should. Such texts are part of our shared cultural heritage, and pupils can gain a real sense of achievement in getting to grips with them. Shakespeare is a perfect example of such desirable difficulty. Teachers have become adept at bringing his plays to life with this age group for several decades now - and pupils have responded with enthusiasm. There is even room for dipping a toe into the rich waters of the Victorian novel. But too many 'difficult' texts like these and the approach advocated by 'just reading' becomes impossible. The reason is simple: the texts are linguistically too far removed from what young readers can reasonably manage without considerable teacher intervention. This disrupts the flow of reading, turning the experience of the text into something other than reading. It is perfectly possible to teach such texts, but for most children at KS3 they resist a fluent, fast-paced, unfolding read; in other words, they can actively work against developing the cognitive recursive skills required to be a strong reader - the thinking back, puzzling, making predictions, making connections, asking questions, changing minds, and so on. Consequently, they limit opportunities not only to develop comprehension, but also serious textual engagement.

So how might we reasonably think of challenge at KS3? I would argue that primarily it involves introducing pupils to novels that show them new possibilities for what literature can do. Forget vocabulary and syntax for a moment, and think about bigger things: narrative structure, use of voice, reader engagement and manipulation, experimentation with form, ambiguity, plot resolution, and so on. And now let's think again about vocabulary and syntax. Let's be bold, and say that sometimes texts can be challenging when these are relatively straightforward (Cormac McCarthy's The Road, anyone?).

There are many excellent examples of novels that are challenging for KS3 pupils, without being too difficult. One is In the Sea there are Crocodiles, by Fabio Geda, as used by Year 9 pupils in EMC's 'It's Good to Talk' project. The novel's language and syntax isn't particularly difficult, but conceptually it's challenging, particularly in its use of a split narrative, and the fictionalisation of a real-life story. This combination of accessibility and challenge meant that the approach used in this school with a single novel was very similar to that used with two for 'Just Read'. Pupils could get through the novel relatively quickly, developing their own ideas and conceptual understanding along the way, and embarking on some substantial work at the end. Teachers looking at this work have often commented on the high quality of the work that emerged.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is another good example of a novel that combines accessibility and challenge. Its language is relatively straightforward, in large part a narrative necessity, given that it presents the third person limited point of view of a nine-year-old boy. But this leaves readers free to engage with the other multiple challenges that the novel throws up: working out exactly what is going on; engaging with the third person limited point of view; questioning why Bruno is so ignorant; asking whether Bruno's ignorance is representative of a bigger kind of ignorance; piecing together a narrative that moves backwards and forwards in time; making connections between different characters; linking different narrative threads to real historical events; reflecting on whether or not a novel should be able to play with appalling historical events in this way; thinking about why author John Boyne called it 'a fable'; questioning the representations of Bruno and Shmuel; reflecting on the emotional impact of the novel; wondering why the novel has been so successful; considering the authenticity of the narrative voice; exploring the experience of reading a children's novel with such a terrible ending, and so on.

There are lots of valid reasons as to why teachers might not want to teach The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. I would argue, though, that lack of challenge should not be one of them - certainly not if it is limited to a Year 7 audience, and if it is in the context of a broader curriculum that contains other challenges that might more closely be aligned to 'difficulty'. It seems to me to be perfectly pitched to allow pupils to 'just read' in a way that allows them to develop their comprehension and simultaneously to build their understanding of exactly how literature works. All the better if it is then paired with another text that might well offer different forms of challenge, as well as opportunities for comparison.

Westbrook, J., Sutherland, J., Oakhill, J. and Sullivan, S., 2019. 'Just reading': the impact of a faster pace of reading narratives on the comprehension of poorer adolescent readers in English classrooms. Literacy, 53(2), pp.60-68.

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We want to challenge pupils when providing them with reading material in the classroom. But what exactly constitutes 'challenge'? And how is it different from 'difficulty'? Here EMC's director argues that challenge in novels lies as much in what they enable young people to do as in any underlying complexity.

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Michael Rosen explains why it's essential in supporting literacy

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was very lucky to have been brought up in a household where my older brother and my father read out loud to me as a teenager. It was a form of conversation or entertainment. They were "hey-listen-to-this" moments, taking in Dickens, Hardy, Catch-22, Catcher in the Rye, the Molesworth books, newspapers, magazines, Konrad Lorenz's science books, Alan Moorehead's accounts of exploration and any random passage from their studies. Come to think of it, my father didn't stop! In his 70s, when I was in my 40s, my father still read me the stories he wrote about his childhood. His intonation, his pronunciation of Yiddish, our cackling at his jokes live on.

This week, it was suggested that in order to foster a love of reading, parents and teachers should continue reading aloud to children well into their teen years. To get a handle on why doing so is important, we have to take a step back and look at something that is right in front of our noses but not always obvious.

The way we speak is very different from the way we write - especially from the way we write continuous prose. When we speak, we hesitate, we contract phrases (as with "wouldn't've"), we repeat ourselves, we often leave gaps for others to fill in. Or we might just tail off. We use intonation and gesture to indicate or colour meaning. We use more pronouns than we do when we write, because we can specify who we are referring to with gesture and tone. We use a lot of ums and errs and "you knows" to give ourselves time to think or to hold a listener's attention. And we avoid front-loading sentences with phrases and clauses that delay getting to the main point.

Continuous prose flows without hesitation. Sentences close. We can front-load, refer backwards and forwards, organise "points" in an argument. We can avoid repetition, and use syntax and vocabulary for emphasis colour. "Who", "which", "that" and "where" clauses get more use in writing than in speech.

I read continuous prose every day but tell me I've got to read 10 pages of something: can I put it off till tomorrow?

What follows from this is that in order to understand and be able to write continuous prose, we need to spend a good deal of time immersed in it. One way to do this is to hear it read out loud. This gets round that moment of resistance when we see a slab of writing on the page. I read continuous prose every single day of my life but if you tell me that I've got to read 10 pages of something, study it closely in order to extract some information (a common task in schools), I have at the very least the feeling: can I put it off till tomorrow? I've seen my own children thinking up every possible ruse to avoid it, too.

Some books are better (and more fun) for reading out loud than others. One of the reasons we invented continuous prose was to lay out an argument, piling points on top of each other, weighing one view against another, even to invite the reader to look back at something earlier or later in a book. It can be tough going listening to this kind of writing if you don't have the book in front of you. Ideal for reading out loud are things such as short stories, poems, plays, modern novels, journalism, texts of speeches, biography, and narratives connected with scientific discovery, history, geography and the arts.

Ideally, any teenager being read to would have the text in front of them, so that we can stop and talk about things as we go along, referring back to what's just been read. This means we make bridges, from the written to the oral and back again.

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Why reading aloud is a vital bridge to literacy

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was very lucky to have been brought up in a household where my older brother and my father read out loud to me as a teenager. It was a form of conversation or entertainment.

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another article on why it's important - USA focused, but still relevant to us.

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Reading aloud in class is normally associated with younger students in elementary or primary school.

But research is showing that students in middle and secondary school, and even university, can also benefit from being read to aloud.

According to , the benefits of hearing books read aloud include improved comprehension, reduced stress and greater exposure to different types of materials.

In a time where literacy rates are dropping, teachers should leave no stones unturned when it comes to effective ways to encourage reading.

Here are a few ways that reading aloud benefits older students, both in their academics and on a personal level.
Encourages diversity and inclusivity

We celebrated World Read Aloud Day by reading Rainbow Fish. We spoke about diversity and friendship. Touched on rich vocabulary too! Happy World Read Aloud Day! #WorldReadAloudDay#UniversalLiteracyNYCDOE pic.twitter.com/rzXhFlUC4S

- ConnieCajoux (@CCajoux) February 2, 2019

When a teacher reads a particular text out loud, students from all different backgrounds find certain themes in books relatable, and because it's happening to characters and not themselves, they feel more comfortable talking about the issues.

This means reading aloud can serve as an important tool to promote diversity and inclusivity, as books can be a great opportunity to get students to explore these themes.

Teacher Kasey Short wrote on Edutopia, "Blended, by Sharon Draper, provides an opportunity to discuss code-switching, divorce, racism, police prejudice, and the biracial experience. Wishtree, by Katherine Applegate, tells a beautiful story through the eyes of a tree and provides an opportunity to discuss religious tolerance, Islamophobia, and friendship."

As students are listening to the books being read aloud as a whole rather than individually, they are sharing a communcal experience.
Improves vocabulary and comprehension

Did you know that reading aloud still has benefits for older children? Vocabulary, pronunciation, inflection, and empathy are all skills that grow from hearing others read aloud, especially from voices we love! https://t.co/k6ZQwgT61q

- Bennett Day School (@BennettDay) June 3, 2019

Have you ever mispronounced a word because you've never actually heard it, only read it? Reading aloud to students is a good way to teach proper intonation and pronounciation.

According to Center for Teaching, "Reading aloud gives students an opportunity to hear the instructor model fluency and expression in reading technical or literary language."

It also improves their vocabulary as when a teacher reads aloud, students can pick up new words and learn the meaning through context, which is more effective than simply memorising words.
Promotes a love for reading

I can't stress this enough. Keep. Reading. Aloud. To. Your. Students. When I have a bunch of 8th grade boys scream "No!" as I close our read aloud book, you know you're doing something right! Share your favorite picture book with your classes. 📚 https://t.co/2gK0iyHzgf

- Melissa Rogers (@MRogersCeVMS) May 15, 2019

Students with low literacy skills often find reading and writing difficult, which can often be demotivating and stop them continuing tasks.

Listening to a story can help students engage without the added pressure of comprehending difficult words.

As an article by Arkansas State University explains, "The independent reading level of many students may lag significantly behind their comprehension of advanced vocabulary and concepts. They may not be able to recognize words and read them on their own, but they have no problem understanding what the text says.

"By hearing more advanced texts read aloud, students gain access to information that interests them but may be beyond their reading level."
Reduces stress levels

I often read aloud and love how engaged students are when being read to. Many say that they find audiobooks more comforting and interesting 🤔 #reading #edchat #TheGuardian #audiobooks #Audible https://t.co/EnkdIIJiA3

- LearnerLys (@LearnerLys) March 9, 2019

When students are asked to listen to a story being read out loud, research shows that they settle down quickly and can find it soothing.

According to, "When reading, we challenge our imaginations to create the events described on the page. This engagement drags our attention away from real-world stressors and focuses the mind in a way other forms of relaxation simply cannot. Reading out loud to kids distracts them from their own concerns and anxieties just as effectively. "
Teaches valuable life lessons

@ShelfieTalk I Love reading aloud to students because it's such an easy and safe way to build community and talk about important issues with students.

- Amy Durant (@AmyDurant2) November 15, 2018

Talking to older students and teenagers about issues such as teen pregnancy, drugs and addiction can be difficult.

Books can bring up these issues in a way that makes students more comfortable as they aren't directly involved.

As stated by , "Reading a story together about a pregnant teen, such as Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones, or a teen who struggles with addiction, such as Go Ask Alice, can be a poignant but safe way to learn about life without lectures. Use read aloud sessions to generate discussion and explore feelings, ideas and social issues."

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The benefits of boosting your reading habits at university Can Battle of the Books instil a love of reading among K12 students?

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Why teachers should read aloud to older students - Study International

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Reading aloud in class is normally associated with younger students in elementary or primary school. But research is showing that students in middle and secondary school, and even university, can also benefit from being read to aloud. According to , the benefits of hearing books read aloud include improved comprehension, reduced stress and greater exposure to different types of materials.

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31 great books that could help get your child reading

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31 great books that could help get your child reading

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#HookedOnBooks: 31 great books that could help get your child reading

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Find out why SF Said believes that every child can be a reader - if only they find the right book for them - and enjoy his list of brilliant books that could be the breakthrough for a child who doesn't think they enjoy reading.

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Each time we open a book with children it is an opportunity to walk into a new world together, to explore the inner workings of great literary minds and, as their guide, to point out to the children the sights and sounds that could so easily be missed by the untrained eye. These reading journeys are by far the most enjoyable aspect of my day as a primary teacher.

Like many of you, I have made the decision to move away from carousel guided reading in favour of more whole-class reading sessions.

This is firstly because it seemed so wrong to be going on one of these reading journeys and to only invite a fifth of the class.

Carousel reading also made no sense in terms of my time management. Organising the teaching of reading in carousel guided reading terms usually means that each child receives about 45 minutes of reading instruction per week. If one makes each of these sessions a whole-class reading session then each child receives about three hours 45 minutes.

Whole-class reading sessions also mean that children of all attainment bands are immersed in the same high-quality literature and the discussions that these texts promote.

But what are the essential elements of whole-class reading? Just doing it is not a guarantee of success. Here are seven points I believe are crucial:

1. All children should be in mixed-attainment pairs, so as to allow for frequent, paired discussion

It is essential that less confident readers are exposed to the high-quality reasoning of more confident readers and become part of these discussions.

2. The text chosen should provide a clear challenge for all members of the class

A good rule of thumb is that the text chosen should be between 12 and 18 months beyond the reach of your higher attaining readers; that is to say, beyond the reach of their independent reading of it and comprehending of it.

3. When reading, the teacher should model good use of intonation, movement, volume and expression

Children will pick up good reading styles from teachers' performances. Eventually, they will start to emulate you in their own performances.

4. Teachers should be actively monitoring pace, so as to ensure high levels of engagement throughout the lesson

Reading and listening to reading for long periods of time can be mentally taxing for some children. Interspersing longer stints of reading with paired discussions/independent follow-up tasks can help with this.

5. Teachers should use targeted and open-ended questioning

Targeted questioning is not only good for AsessmentforLearning but also a good way to ensure all children engage with the lesson - if they don't know who will be asked to provide a response then they are more likely to consider your question and make good use of their talking partner.

6. When discussing literature, the teacher should model, and expect from children, high-quality responses with evidence and explanations provided to support

Children need to be able to say a response before they can write one; developing this skill at primary is vital for success at secondary. Teachers should model and encourage children to make good use of sentence stems (eg," The author has used the word ___________ to suggest ____________ , as the word ________ has connotations of __________" )

7. All follow-up tasks should be carefully thought out so as to provide challenge for all children and support for those who need it

A follow-up task is a good way for children to reflect on what they have read and an opportunity for the teacher to observe/assess the individual understanding of a piece. Differentiating these tasks should not be onerous; simple tweaks are often enough.
DM Crosby is Year 3 class teacher and English coordinator at Middleton Primary and Nursery School in Nottingham. He is on twitter @DM_Crosby Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook

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'Why whole-class reading beats a carousel - and seven ways to ensure it is successful'

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Each time we open a book with children it is an opportunity to walk into a new world together, to explore the inner workings of great literary minds and, as their guide, to point out to the children the sights and sounds that could so easily be missed by the untrained eye.

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Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell on why we need libraries and reading for pleasure

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Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell on why we need libraries and reading for pleasure

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Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell on why we need libraries - an essay in pictures

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Two great champions of reading for pleasure return to remind us that it really is an important thing to do - and that libraries create literate citizens

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DEMOS report 'A Society of Readers' by Sacha Hilhorst, Alan Lockey and Tom Speight

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DEMOS report 'A Society of Readers' by Sacha Hilhorst, Alan Lockey and Tom Speight

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Some interesting and powerful findings here. Use the link to read the report or go to demos.co.uk for more information.
'Reading for pleasure is one of the most important predictors of test scores at age 16, regardless of background. In fact, children from disadvantaged backgrounds who read often tend to score better than more privileged pupils who do not read at all.

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The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf

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https://www.theguardian.com/books/gallery/2016/aug/11/abidjan-to-gare-du-nord-alpha-an-immigration-graphic-novel-in-pictures?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

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If books can cure loneliness why are we closing libraries? | Arifa Akbar

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A new study calls for a £200m government scheme to promote reading. That sounds like a fairytale idea to me, says journalist and critic Arifa Akbar

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I know the title of this blog is a little provocative, deliberately so. One of the questions my colleagues and I are frequently asked about Just Imagine's resource for teaching reading at KS1 and KS2, Take One Book, is whether it is intended for the whole class or groups. As we outlined in our recent webinar Small Group Work the question about whether we teach reading to the whole class or groups isn't a helpful one. Take One Book is primarily written with a class in mind, but it advocates group work (independent and with the teacher) as well as whole class teaching. They are both essential if we are to develop the full repertoire that is needed for children's learning in the 21st century. Learning is the paramount consideration and teachers have the option to use whole class and small group organisation to optimise the experience. To frame the question as a choice between one or the other is a false opposition. Most teachers make judgements about which methods support their purposes. Sometimes the decision is planned and sometimes it can be made 'in the moment'. Expertise means exercising judgements that are rooted in experience, pedagogic and subject knowledge.

It may be that the question that is actually being posed is, 'Is this book suitable for the whole class or should I be using it with a group?'. That's a pertinent question and requires a fully fleshed answer, which I will return to in a forthcoming blog and I will also address the other thorny issue which crops us frequently, 'Should I use whole texts or extracts?'

Why small groups are essential for reading

The focus for this blog is on small groups for teaching reading and why they are an essential part of reading pedagogy. There are many reasons that small groups could be the most effective choice. For example, in a forthcoming podcast #InTheReadingCorner Penny Slater, Herts for Learning's Education Development Manager explains why a small group intervention to target reading fluency at the Upper end of KS2 is best undertaken in a small group run by a class teacher. And there will be times that guided groups might be most effective for teaching skills and strategies to identified groups of children. On the other hand, in defence of whole-class teaching, there is no point in wasting time with unnecessary organisation by repeating an identical lesson with six groups if the same learning can be covered effectively and efficiently by teaching once.

Here, I am specifically addressing the role of small group work for developing response and making meaning, and I am principally concerned with talk and its impact on reading. Most importantly I am making a distinction between performing surface 'learning' and the deep learning that will have long-lasting and transformational benefits for the learner.

What I have to say isn't new or revolutionary, it draws on an extensive and compelling body of theory and research which underpins Just Imagine's ethos and the design of our teaching sequences. I will reflect briefly on what we have learned from the past 50 years of research into the role of talk in learning, drawing out main themes and ideas from key researchers in order to look at how we have arrived at our framework for teaching reading. I'll pick up a few salient points and hope that readers will be enthused to revisit these writers, or perhaps discover them for the first time.

Constructivism

In the 1960s Vygotsky and Bruner's theories of constructivism were instrumental in challenging behaviourism as a model of learning. Bruner argued that learning is an active process in which the learner draws on their previous experience and knowledge when encountering new ideas and through this exchange, new learning takes place. For Bruner, language was centrally important. Young learners need time, space and opportunity not only to build conceptual understanding but also to develop language. More recently research into reading comprehension has shown how activating prior knowledge helps children to draw on the cultural and linguistic resources that enable them to make sense of what they read at all levels (literal, inferential and critical). The implication for practice is that the provision of purposeful opportunities to talk about reading is essential.

Talk is the foundation for literacy

Exploratory Talk

I don't want to extol the virtues of small group organisation without acknowledging some of the pitfalls. Good group work needs careful planning and consideration needs to be given to how the group work feeds into the class discussion and dialogue so that learning does move forward. Group work that is left to run for too long can become circular and participants will be bored and perhaps unruly. Challenge is important too. Where tasks are routine and too simple they are likely to fail. Feedback that takes the form of 'show and tell' at its worst can lack purpose, eat valuable time and lead to restlessness. Barnes recognised the potential problems, ' Group discussion should also never be seen as a laissez-faire option. Successful group work requires preparation, guidance and supervision and needs to be embedded in an extended sequence of work that includes other patterns of communication.' (in Mercer and Hodgkinson 2008 p7) In 2010 Barnes wrote, 'Problem-solving in small groups has the virtue of involving all the pupils in discussion, and encourages the kind of exploratory talk that some pupils are hesitant to embark on when all their peers are listening. Nevertheless, it is only likely to be effective when the pupils' interest has already been engaged in the subject matter, so it is not always appropriate. ' (p9) Robin Alexander has also criticised group work where teachers try to manage too many groups at the same time or have too many activities on the go. (1992 p29)

The National Oracy Project

At this point, I want to acknowledge the energising work undertaken by the National Oracy Project between 1987 and 1993. When the project started, I was a young teacher and a follower of the project's progress mainly through conference participation. Towards the end of the project, I took up my first lecturing post at a university and became involved in one of the LEA hubs, providing a link for student teachers to find out about work being carried out in schools. The National Oracy Project was a model of collegiate working and the grassroots action research created a buzz with teachers reflecting on their practice and building pedagogic knowledge. It took the baton from The Bullock Report (1975) in its orientation to the teacher's role as one of planned intervention. Many of the projects focussed on group work and a range of strategies were developed and promoted through its useful updates and publications. While much of the excellent work wasn't given the time to take root (these were the years of the introduction of a centralised National Curriculum) many of the strategies for organising group talk are still used in classrooms: jigsaw groups, twos to fours, diamond nine discussions. We continue to use them in our teaching sequences too.

Interthinking

Teaching through dialogue

' no single pattern of classroom interaction can meet the needs of a modern curriculum. Rather, teachers' instructional repertoire needs to be extended to encompass other kinds of talk; and pupils' talk repertoire needs to be extended beyond recall or 'guess what the teacher is thinking' answers. Pupils need, both for learning and life, not only to be able to provide relevant and focused answers but also to learn how to pose their own questions and how to use talk to narrate, explain, speculate, imagine, hypothesise, explore, evaluate, discuss, argue, reason and justify.' (2010 p4)

Theory and practice

If the discussion sounds theoretical, the application is very practical. The ideas have shaped the structuring of our school-based projects. For example, at the outset of the 4XR project, we conducted a series of lesson observations and interviews with teachers. This group of schools had recently looked at the principles of dialogic teaching which was evident in teaching styles and the organisation of the classroom to facilitate dialogue (children were seated so that they could see and speak to each other directly as well as the teachers). The pattern observed in classrooms was fast-paced, interactive teaching and teachers were using techniques for developing argumentation. However, one of the conclusions drawn from the initial observations was that the children had little opportunity for exploratory talk. In consequence, it seemed that the pitch of the lessons sometimes underestimated what children might already understand or be able to do. As Alexander points out, 'beyond summative tests, talk is a powerful tool for formative assessment because of the way talk is embedded in teaching rather than separate from it. But it has to be the right kind of talk.'

One of the first suggestions we made was for teachers to build in more opportunity for thoughtfully structured exploratory talk and to use this as an opportunity to assess children's existing levels of understanding, to encourage children to raise questions and to use teacher time to observe rather than intervene without a clear purpose. Intervention at the wrong time can lead children away from learning, whereas skilled observation is an opportunity to identify how to move thinking forward.

The project had many components, so isolating the success to one feature is difficult, as we acknowledged in the formal evaluation. However, the perception work carried out with teachers at the end of the project overwhelmingly pointed to exploratory talk as being one of the most significant contributors in their view. Typical comments ranged from 'I didn't know that they knew that.', 'I now use questions that arise from the exploratory work to structure the taught element of my lessons' to 'I am able to take the children much further forward in their learning because I start teaching at a higher level, rather than covering what the children can do by themselves.'

Take One Book

Take One Book, has developed from refinements to the 4XR model (excite, explore, expose, expand, review). We devised a framework in which high quality, cognitively challenging talk is central to the teaching of reading. And yes, it occurs in whole-class teaching and in groups too. It's a flexible framework intended to avoid ritualised teaching while offering some support in terms of identifying stages (loose) that deepen understanding. What has become increasingly important to us are the transitions or connecting elements. For example, summarising exploratory talk in a way that makes thinking visible so that it leads to dialogue, or the excitement of a hook and clarity of exposition to set up vigorous and purposeful exploration.

So returning to last week's webinar, we shared three approaches to exemplify some of these ideas. Working remotely with an audience of 500 online didn't allow us to replicate the level of participation we would have if we were working with a class, but it gave a flavour of how this can be achieved.

For one illustrative example, we used a photograph, for immediate accessibility and therefore suited to the webinar format, but in the classroom, it could be a poem, a story, a picturebook or nonfiction. In this instance, the photograph was shown without explanation. Three questions were posed and participants were asked to write down their thoughts on sticky notes. One note for each new idea.

What do you notice?

What connections do you make? Does the photograph remind you of anything?

What questions do you have?

Creator: Jesco Denzel | Credit: Jesco Denzel
Copyright: Jesco Denzel

Initial responses to 'noticing' included "The white boat looks incongruous in the centre of the scene', 'I noticed the difference in clothing', 'It seems comic and tragic that both groups of people are looking at each other in astonishment and disbelief', 'It's a depiction of white otherness', 'I notice the colours and the grey areas'.

Connections made included 'It reminds me of travel in Venice', 'Looks like the floating villages in Vietnam.', 'Reminds me of going down the river in Thailand', 'Reminds me of the study of favelas in Brazil (without the water)', 'Makes me think about white people on safari'.

The image provoked the following questions: 'Where is this?', 'What are the children thinking?', 'What are the spectators thinking about the boat?', 'Why did the photographer feel the need to take and share this image?', 'What are the relationships between the two groups of people?', 'Are the people in the white boat supporting or exploiting this community?'.

From this small sample of responses, ideas begin to form that a teacher might return to in an initial discussion with the class. It's striking how many different international connections have been made and this could be an opportunity to share and broaden knowledge. Alternatively, some of the inferences might be unpacked, for instance, why do we think the people are astonished and disbelieving when we can't see their faces?

We then asked further questions and asked participants to jot down new thoughts on their sticky notes:

Who do you think might have taken this photograph?

What reasons might they have had for taking the photograph?

Where is the photographer standing?

How would the photograph have been different if the photographer was in the boat?

We shared a simple group talk organiser, which can be laminated for repeated use in the classroom. The idea is that each group member adds their sticky notes to one of the allocated piles. The nominated group leader for the lesson (or turn) chooses one of the sticky notes and puts it into the centre. The child who wrote the idea then introduces it and the group discuss it for as long as the point interests them before moving on to another point. This helps to keep the talk focussed, supports the children in practising protocols like turn-taking and respectful listening. The talk at this point is exploratory helping them make connections with prior knowledge and understanding. They begin to construct an understanding together.

At this point, we provided some additional information. This could be presented verbally or as a text for groups to read.
The photograph was taken by a photojournalist called Jesco Denzel. The photograph is called 'Lagos Waterfronts Under Threat'. The photograph was taken in 2017 and shows a boat with expats from Lagos Marina being steered through the canals of Makoko community - an ancient fishing village that has grown into an enormous informal settlement - on the shores of Lagos Lagoon, Lagos, Nigeria. Makoko has a population of around 150,000 people, many of whose families have been there for generations. But Lagos is growing rapidly, and ground to build on is in high demand. Prime real estate along the lagoon waterfront is scarce, and there are moves to demolish communities such as Makoko and build apartment blocks: accommodation for the wealthy. Because the government considers the communities to be informal settlements, people may be evicted without provision of more housing. Displacement from the waterfront also deprives them of their livelihoods. The government denies that the settlements have been inhabited for generations and has given various reasons for evictions, including saying that the communities are hideouts for criminals. Court rulings against the government in 2017 declared the evictions unconstitutional and that residents should be compensated and rehoused, but the issue remains unresolved. The photograph was submitted for the 2018 World Press Photography competition under the category of contemporary issues and was awarded the first prize.
Our next move was to ask participants to consider how this new information either changed or confirmed their thinking. And then as a group to think of a key question to put forward for class discussion.

A follow-on step would be the collection and compilation of a list of questions. The teacher would discuss with the children, and importantly guide them to consider which questions would generate the most fruitful enquiry, selecting one for discussion and dialogue. The teacher might want to select the question to support the learning intention and explain why that question was chosen. Potential questions could include:

Will tourism inevitably lead to the destruction of local communities and a weakening of culture? (text to world discussion)

Does the composition of the photograph give clues to the photographer's intention? (close reading/visual literacy)

Our experience of working in a similar way with children of all ages is that they frequently come up with the questions that we might have posed. It's infinitely more powerful when the questions arise from the children, and that they see you treat their ideas with the seriousness they deserve.

This is just one small example chosen to illustrate a move from small group exploratory talk to whole-class dialogue. The resources are a starting point, but ultimately it is the teacher who ensures the quality of the learning experience, by observing, listening, responding, challenging ideas, promoting reasoning, requiring evidence, asking follow-up questions and prompts to deepen the learning.

In the context of the Take One Book Framework, this is an example of a First Encounters lesson. More information about the Take One Book is available on the website takeonebook.org.

Alexander, R. (2008) Essays on pedagogy. London: Routledge.

Alexander, R, (2019) A Dialogic Teaching Companion London: Routledge

Barnes, D. et al. (1971) (rev. ed.) Language, the learner and the school : a research report. Harmondsworth: Penguin

Barnes, D. (2010) 'Why talk is important', in English Teaching. Hamilton: University of Waikato, Department of English, 9(2), p. 7.

Britton, J. (1972) Language and learning. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Bruner, J. (1960). The Process of Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Bruner, J. (1966). Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Bruner, J. (1986). Actual Minds, Possible Worlds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of Meaning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Edwards, D., & Mercer, N. (1987). Common Knowledge: The development of understanding in the classroom. Methuen.

Keene, E.K., & Zimmerman, S. (1997) Mosaic of Thought: Teaching comprehension in a reading workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Littleton and Mercer (2013) Interthinking: Putting Talk to Work. Routledge.

Martin, N, (1976) Understanding Children Talking Harmondsworth: Penguin

Mercer, N. and Littleton, K. (2007) Dialogue and the Development of Children's Thinking: a sociocultural approach. Routledge.

Mercer, N. and Hodgkinson, S. (2008) Exploring Talk in School. London: SAGE.

Norman, K. (1992) Thinking Voices London: Hodder

Nystrand, M. (1997) Opening dialogue : understanding the dynamics of language and learning in the English classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. and Cole, M. (1978) Mind in Society : the development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press.

Vygotsky, L. S. and Kozulin, A. (1986) Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA; London: MIT Press.

Wegerif, R. et al. (2004) 'Widening access to educational opportunities through teaching children how to reason together', Westminster Studies in Education, 27(2

This post was written by Nikki Gamble

Nikki Gamble
Director, Just Imagine
Formerly a teacher (secondary and primary) and university lecturer, with over 35 years' experience, Nikki is now the Director of Just Imagine, an organisation that seeks to promote reading, writing and oracy through high-quality literature. Nikki continues to work extensively in schools across the UK and internationally and particularly enjoys working in classrooms alongside teachers and children. She is the author of Exploring Children's Literature now in its fourth edition (Sage, 2019) Co-author of Guiding Readers, winner of the UKLA Academic Book award (UCL, 2016). Nikki is KS2 reading advisor and series consultant for Oxford University Press and content creator for the Oxford School Improvement and Oxford Owl websites and series editor for Treetops. Nikki is Associate Consultant at the University of London, Institute of Education and Honorary Fellow at the University of Winchester

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'Reading: whole class or small groups?': The problem with the question. - Exploring Childrens Literature

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I know the title of this blog is a little provocative, deliberately so. One of the questions my colleagues and I are frequently asked about Just Imagine's resource for teaching reading at KS1 and KS2, Take One Book, is whether it is intended for the whole class or groups.

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An article on the links between reading for pleasure and wellbeing

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Laura Venning, our Impact and Evaluation Research Manager, on why it's important to make reading an everyday part of our lives.
We often see stories in the press about declining reading frequency and concerns that parents are not reading to their children often enough. But why does it matter? At The Reading Agency we work to inspire more people to read more because we believe that everything changes when we read - but just what do we mean by this?

There is strong evidence linking reading for pleasure and educational outcomes. We know that academic attainment is of vital importance, but the benefits of reading for pleasure go beyond this and stretch throughout a person's life. Today we are publishing an independent literature review that highlights the wider outcomes of reading for pleasure and empowerment, conducted for us by BOP Consulting and generously funded by the Peter Sowerby Foundation.

Findings of the report

The research finds that reading for pleasure can result in increased empathy, improved relationships with others, reductions in the symptoms of depression and dementia, and improved wellbeing.

The relationship between reading for pleasure and wellbeing is particularly interesting, with evidence showing a correlation between reading for pleasure regularly and lower levels of stress and depression. Reading also seems to reduce the risk of dementia, with frequent readers having lower incidence of dementia in later life.

In addition to the health benefits, reading for pleasure has social benefits and can improve our sense of connectedness to the wider community. Reading increases our understanding of our own identity, improves empathy and gives us an insight into the world view of others.

Reading needs to be an everyday part of our lives

Our research report specifically shows that the benefits of reading are more likely to be felt when reading takes place through free choice. The outcomes of reading will occur more often and more strongly if reading is enjoyable in the first instance. This is why the 'for pleasure' element of reading for pleasure is so important.

Reading is not just something that children should do in school; it needs to be an everyday part of our lives, something we choose to do at all ages. This is why The Reading Agency runs programmes to encourage reading for all age groups; we are there for people throughout their reading journey.

How we'll use the report

The literature review about the outcomes of reading for pleasure and empowerment is the first stage in a project to develop an outcomes framework for the reading sector. The outcomes framework will map the wider outcomes of reading and provide a framework to help us measure the impact of the work that we and many other organisations do to encourage reading. The next step is to build on the fascinating results of this literature review with further consultation to build an outcomes framework for the reading sector as a whole.

This is a collaborative project funded by the Peter Sowerby Foundation and involving Arts Council England, Association of Senior Children's and Education Librarians, Book Trust, Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, Education Endowment Foundation, National Literacy Trust, Publishers Association, Scottish Library and Information Council, Society of Authors and the Society of Chief Librarians.

Get involved

Find out more about the literature review

Reading Well Books on Prescription provides helpful reading for people with common mental health conditions or dementia, or their carers, through public libraries. Find out more

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Laura Venning, our Impact and Evaluation Research Manager, on why it's important to make reading an everyday part of our lives. We often see stories in the press about declining reading frequency and concerns that parents are not reading to their children often enough. But why does it matter?

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Great website to help you get started with whole class reading.

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Last year, Year Four in my school moved to teaching reading in whole-class lessons rather than the traditional carousel of Guided Reading activities. We found it had a very positive impact on children's written responses to texts while being quicker and easier to plan and resource. You can read all about our move to whole-class reading here. Many people, after reading those posts and downloading the logos, inquired as to how the lessons worked so this should answer some questions and provide you with the plans and resources for an example lesson.

How does it work?

The simple answer is that it works the same as any other lesson; There is one learning objective for the whole class based around the same text. The activities are adapted for different abilities so that all children can access the learning objective and be challenged. Sometimes texts are part of a class book we're reading and other times they are a poem or non fiction article. Please find below an example lesson plan using Harry Potter's journey to Hogwarts in the first book to interpret changes in feelings. After the lesson plan, I have put some notes about certain sections of it to give more information.

Lesson Plan Notes
Top boxes - these are the overarching objectives which I've pulled from the new curriculum.

Read with RIC - the stimulus is always something different; it can be a song, poem, video, photo, advert. Sometimes they require children to read, sometimes they don't. They always contain a Retrieve, Interpret and (author/artist/director) Choice question. All children are to try the R and I questions, most try the C question too. We go through the answers to these and children steal other answers in gel pen to improve theirs. See more examples of our RIC starter activities here.

Challenge - This is where we put the options for children to show their learning against the objective. Generally children can choose which they complete out of Good/Amazing/Awesome. There is some specific support using extra information and the TA. The SEN activity allows children working significantly below the rest of the class to still access the objective at a level appropriate to them.

Having taught the lesson to my Year Four class, I would say it would be slightly more appropriate for Year Five.

Click to view and download more plans and resources (including SMART Notebook files) for:

Having piloted whole-class reading lessons in Year Four, our headteacher was keen to roll it out across the school. Currently, all of our Key Stage Two are now teaching reading like this with two or three lessons each week, each lasting an hour. Our other English skills are taught through Theme-based lessons, with 5-8 sessions in a week covering geography or history and English. Key Stage One are continuing their phonics teaching in groups while using a RIC starter daily with their whole class to practise those important reading comprehension skills.

I hope this can answer some questions about whole-class reading lessons. If you have further questions or comments, please feel free to put them in the comments below or on Twitter or check out the Whole-Class Reading FAQs.

To see all other blog posts about whole-class reading lessons, click here.

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Whole Class Guided Reading: How does it work?

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Last year, Year Four in my school moved to teaching reading in whole-class lessons rather than the traditional carousel of Guided Reading activities. We found it had a very positive impact on children's written responses to texts while being quicker and easier to plan and resource.