The Story Maker Motivator is an inspiring resource for educators and anyone else aiming to help secondary school pupils write and think creatively. Based on tried and tested activities and approaches first presented in the authors' award-winning book for primary schools, this is a unique collection of classroom materials. "If I was Head of English I would definitely use it. It is packed with ideas, there are so many lessons a teacher could get out of it. It is different from anything I have seen." Roger Mason retired Head Teacher of Backwell Secondary School, Bristol. Topics covered include narrative planning, beginnings, cliffhangers, suspense hooks, endings, objects, characters, feelings, settings, speech and sound, descriptive story elements and thesauruses. Other key features include: - a mixture of photos, illustrations, and scenarios to inspire creativity; - sample plans to help you devise stimulating lessons; - downloadable resources containing printable versions of activities and lesson plans. Suitable for English teachers, student teachers, EFL teachers, special needs teachers, learning support teachers and parents working at home with their children, this wide-ranging resource provides a unique approach to broadening writing and thinking skills. You may also be interested in the award-winning book for primary schools by the same author: The Story Maker.

Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It comprises classroom resources to support the SSP programme and a range of phonic readers that together provide a consistent and highly effective approach to teaching phonics. In September 1666 a fire broke out at a Baker's in London, and by the time the fire had been put out had destroyed a large portion of the city. Join the ordinary people who were affected by the fire in this fast-paced non-fiction recount of the world-famous event. Pages 22 and 23 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Reading notes within the book provide practical support for reading with children, including a list of all the sounds and words that the book will cover.

Collins Primary Focus: Comprehension Pupil Book 4 is aimed at ages 10+. Using a variety of well-known authors, the book is designed to encourage children to read and understand every essential fiction and non-fiction text type. Follow-up activities progress from literal questions to higher order thinking skills. Features significant authors from a range of eras including contemporary household names that children love to read Includes every genre required by current literacy frameworks Supports all ability levels with a progression through literal, deductive, evaluative and inferential questions Engages all children with an updated design and new artwork to complement different texts

Spectrum(R) Writing for grade 4 guides students through each step of the writing process as they write paragraphs, personal narratives, fiction stories, how-to instructions, descriptive comparisons, research reports, persuasive letters, and more. Spectrum(R) Writing workbooks guide students as they write for a variety of purposes, including writing to tell a story, writing to provide information, and writing to state an opinion. Lessons support current state standards. Step-by-step instructions help with planning, drafting, revising, proofreading, and sharing writing. A Writer's Handbook reinforces grammar and language skills, and a complete Answer Key is included. Engaging, open-ended writing projects combined with standards-based learning make these workbooks an essential resource for school success. Spectrum, the best-selling workbook series, is proud to provide quality educational materials that support your students' learning achievement and success.

Big Cat Phonics for Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised has been developed in collaboration with Wandle Learning Trust and Little Sutton Primary School. It comprises classroom resources to support the SSP programme and a range of phonic readers that together provide a consistent and highly effective approach to teaching phonics. Sea Otter has a stone that he keeps in the little pocket under his arm. It is the best stone in the world, but today it is missing! Will he ever find it again? Pages 22 and 23 allow children to re-visit the content of the book, supporting comprehension skills, vocabulary development and recall. Reading notes within the book provide practical support for reading with children, including a list of all the sounds and words that the book will cover.

Four practice exam papers to test pupils ahead of the GL 11+ English test, including the bespoke tests created by GL for individual schools. They cover comprehension, spelling, punctuation and grammar, as well as writing. The papers are designed to: - Develop and perfect exam technique for GL English 11+ exams - Give practice in answering comprehension, spelling, grammar and writing questions - Identify weaker areas and improve results by studying the answers, which contain references to Galore Park's revision materials for guidance and useful tips - The resource also contains links to downloadable answer sheets so that the tests can be re-sat. These practice papers are part of Galore Park's 11+ revision series, which provides a three-step learning journey that teaches children the skills needed to pass rigorous school entrance exams.

Practice reading comprehension with this activity sticker book, perfect for learning at home! Let's Do Comprehension 5-6 supports the National Curriculum for Key Stage 1 and is ideal for boosting English literacy skills at home. The workbook contains a variety of stimulating fiction and non-fiction texts, accompanied by comprehension questions of varying difficulty and over 100 colourful stickers to encourage and reward children. This comprehension practice book includes: - Tips and clues from Alice the Alligator to support children - Extra challenges in Brodie's Brain Boosters to stretch and challenge - Answers at the back of the book - Exciting, colourful illustrations and stickers For more in the popular Let's Do series by Andrew Brodie, see: Let's Do Handwriting, Let's Do Spelling, Let's Do Punctuation, Let's Do Grammar, Let's Do Times Tables, Let's Do Mental Maths, Let's Do Addition and Subtraction and Let's Do Arithmetic

The Level 1+ Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories, written by Roderick Hunt and illustrated by Alex Brychta, provide a rich story context to help develop language comprehension and decoding skills. First Sentences and More First Sentences A, B and C introduce children to stories told through complete sentences to provide practice of high frequency vocabulary to build confidence and fluency. Patterned Stories and More Patterned Stories A practise vocabulary in the context of a repeated sentence structure to help develop confidence and fluency. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

Treasure House Comprehension Pupil Books are aimed at ages 5-11. They cover all the text types specified in the 2014 National Curriculum, with follow-up activities that build the skills necessary to develop critical thinking. This Treasure House pupil book: * covers a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction genres * builds enjoyment of comprehension skills on a range of top-quality texts * contains carefully tailored questions that cover all the statutory requirements of the 2014 National Curriculum * lays the foundations for pupils to become accomplished critical thinkers. This pupil book can be used with Treasure House Teacher's Guide 2, Anthology 2 and activities on Collins Connect for an integrated approach to teaching English.

Developing children's writing abilities boosts their confidence, creates enjoyment and relevance in the task and cultivates a range of decision-making and problem-solving skills that can then be applied across the curriculum. The Countdown series provides all the support you need in helping children to improve their prose, poetry and non-fiction writing. Countdown to Creative Writing is a comprehensive and flexible resource that you can use in different ways: 60 stand-alone modules that cover all the essential aspects of writing a story countdown flowchart providing an overview showing how modules are linked and how teachers can progress through them with the children photocopiable activity sheets for each module that show how to make the decisions and solve the problems that all writers face along the road from first idea to finished piece of work teachers' notes for each module with tips and guidance including how modules could be used as stand-alone units, but also with suggestions for useful links between modules, and curriculum links a self-study component so that children can make their own progress through the materials, giving young writers a sense of independence in thinking about their work 'headers' for each module showing where along the 'countdown path' you are at that point. In short Countdown to Creative Writing saves valuable planning time and gives you all the flexibility you need - teachers might want to utilise either the self-study or 'countdown' aspects of the book, or simply dip into it for individual lesson activities to fit in with their own programmes of work.

Solid and rigorous practice material in reading and comprehension for children to work on throughout the year, and in preparation for pre-tests and 11 Plus Common Entrance exams. Give pupils the best chance of success in Pre-Tests and 11 plus exams with varied and thorough reading and comprehension exercises. This write-in workbook for pupils aged 9-11 provides 25 different passages with questions, tips and advice, plus pull-out answers. - Appreciate how writers use language to create effects - Learn the meaning of unfamiliar words in context and grow vocabulary - Write accurate and detailed responses to questions about reading Also covers: reading for meaning, close reading, deduction, understanding implication and nuance. Also available from Galore Park: - Writing Workbook Age 9-11 - Spelling & Vocabulary Workbook Age 9-11 - Grammar & Punctuation Workbook Age 9-11

Fifty award-winning literacy educators contribute more than thirty-five "engagements"-student-focused, classroom-tested instructional and assessment actions-to strengthen the reader in every child, while reinforcing one essential fact: reading involves constructing meaning. The book is organized in a four-part framework: Knowing Reading, Knowing Readers, Engaging Readers, and Knowing the Language to Use. This is a reading handbook of great import. Divided into four sections: Knowing Reading; Knowing Readers; Engaging Readers; and Knowing the Language to Use, this book has everything a practitioner needs to become an expert reading teacher. Rachel Clarke, Independent Reading Consultant

Brilliant Activities for Creative Writing Year 1 provides a flexible, but structured resource for developing writing skills, which both you and your pupils will enjoy. The activities address the Year 1 Programmes of Study for writing composition in the 2014 national curriculum for England. Different genres of writing, from narrative and poetry to recounts and persuasive writing are covered. The sheets are self-explanatory and ready to use; the only additional resources needed are a pen or pencil and, sometimes, extra paper. Word processing on a computer would be a bonus. The teacher tip boxes provide useful hints and suggestions for making the most of the activities.

Jumpstart your child's reading success with comics! Kids will love these hilarious 16-page stories with easy text in speech balloons. They'll also adore the zany cast of characters: purple cows, pigs, silly snowmen, talking gumballs, dragons, and more! This delightful set, correlated with guided reading levels E & F, is packed with 16 original titles plus a parent guide, mini-workbook, and motivating stickers. A giggle-fueled way to boost essential literacy! Includes - 16 full-color, 16-page books - Parent guide - Mini-workbook - Stickers - Sturdy storage box

Exam Board: ISEB Level: 13+ Subject: English First Teaching: September 2012 First Exam: Autumn 2013 Please note this workbook is also suitable for the new ISEB CE 13+ specification for first teaching from September 2021 and for first exams from November 2022. Ensure success in 13+ exams with this skills-based writing workbook. This write-in workbook covers the skills required to generate written pieces in the specified range of non-fiction text types, and provides the tools needed to make creative writing original and interesting. - Develops the writing skills needed to do well in ISEB Common Entrance, CASE and other 13+ exams - Enables students to use written language effectively, for creative expression and practical communication, through engaging activities - Breaks down content into digestible writing and planning tasks, and includes past paper questions grouped by task and by topic - Offers extension tasks that stretch students to practise higher-order writing and research skills - Provides opportunities for independent study and home-based revision and practice Also available from Galore Park: Vocabulary for Common Entrance 13+ Workbook (ISBN: 9781510429796).

This popular text, now in its Fourth Edition, introduces pre-service and in-service teachers to the most current theories and methods for teaching literacy to children in elementary schools. The methods presented are based on scientific findings that have been tested in many classrooms. A wealth of examples, hands-on activities, and classroom vignettes--including lesson plans, assessments, lists of children's literature books to fiction and nonfiction texts, and more--illustrate the methods and bring them to life.The text highlights the importance of teaching EVERY child to become competent in all of the nuances and complexities of reading, writing, and speaking. The value of reflection and peer discussion in learning to expand their students' literacies is emphasized. Readers are encouraged to reflect on their own experiences with reading and teaching throughout their lifetimes--experiences that will serve well in learning to teach reading. "Your Turn" boxes invite readers to think about their views of the material presented, and to talk with colleagues and teachers about their "best ways" of learning this new information. "Did You Notice?" boxes engage readers in observation and analysis of methods and classroom situations discussed in the text. Teachers' stories serve as models of successful teaching and to draw readers into professional dialogue about the ideas and questions raised. End-of-chapter questions and activities provide additional opportunities for reflection and discussion. All of these pedagogical features help readers expand and refine their knowledge in the most positive ways. Topics covered in Teaching Reading to Every Child, Fourth Edition: *Getting to Know Your Students as Literacy Learners; *Looking Inside Classrooms: Organizing Instruction; *Assessing Reading Achievement; *The Importance of Oral Language in Developing Literacy; *Word Identification Strategies: Pathways to Comprehension; *Vocabulary Development; *Comprehension Instruction: Strategies At Work; *Content Area Learning; *What the Teacher Needs to Know to Enable Students' Text Comprehension; *Writing: Teaching Students to Encode and Compose; *Discovering the World Through Literature; *Technology and Media in Reading; *Teaching Reading to Students Who Are Learning English; *All Students are Special: Some Need Supplemental Supports and Services to Be Successful; and *Historical Perspectives on Reading and Reading Instruction. New in the Fourth Edition: *A new chapter on technology with state-of-the-art applications; *A new chapter with the most up-to-date information on how vocabulary is learned and on how it is best taught, responding to the national renewed interest in vocabulary instruction; *A new section on Readers/Writer's workshop with a focus on supporting student inquiry and exploration of multiple genres; *A more comprehensive chapter on literature instruction and the role of literature in the reading program with examples that support students' multigenre responses; *A discussion of literary theories with examples for classroom implementation; *Broader coverage of the phases of reading development from the pre-alphabetic stage to the full alphabetic stage; *A more inclusive chapter on writing instruction; and *A thoroughly revised chapter on teaching reading to students who are learning English, including extensive information on assessment and evaluation.

Engaging decodable stories fully aligned to Letters and Sounds enable your pupils to practise their phonics skills with their favourite characters. Written by Roderick Hunt MBE and illustrated by Alex Brychta, award-winning creators of the Oxford Reading Tree. Six engaging stories at Level 5 provide focused practice of phonics at Letters and Sounds Phase 5. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk. There are 6 Floppy's Phonics Fiction titles available at Level 5: The Gale: There is a big gale. The family make their tent safe. Please Do Not Sneeze: Anneena tells a story about a princess with a loud, funny sneeze. The Missing Crystal: Biff dreams that she and Wilma are in Egypt. Who has taken the missing crystal? Rowing Boats: Chip, Wilf, Craig and Floppy go out in rowing boats. Will they get soaked? Mr Scroop's School: The children find out what life was really like in Victorian times. The Haunted House: There are funny sounds coming from the old house. Is it haunted?

The Spelling Made Easy series is a week-by-week manual for primary and special needs teachers of reading and spelling. Based on phonic word family lists these established best sellers cover Key Stages 1 and 2. This is the Level 1 textbook.

Yellow Workbook, along with the accompanying Key and the Core Instructor Text, make up a full year of Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind: a complete course that takes students from basic definitions ("A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea") through advanced sentence structure and analysis, all the grammar skills needed to write and speak with eloquence and confidence. This innovative program combines the three essential elements of language learning: understanding and memorizing rules (prescriptive teaching), repeated exposure to examples of how those rules are used (descriptive instruction), and practice using those rules in exercises and in writing (practical experience). Each year, parents and teachers go through the dialogue, rules, and examples in the Core Instructor Text; students follow along in the Workbook. This repetition solidifies the concepts, definitions, and examples in the student's mind. There are four Workbooks. Each Workbook contains the same rules and examples, but four completely different sets of exercises and assignments, allowing students to develop a wide-ranging knowledge of how the rules and examples are put to use in writing. The Workbook comes with its own Key, providing not only answers, but also explanations for the parent/instructor, and guidance as to when the answers might be ambiguous (as, in English, they often are). All of the rules covered, along with the repeated examples for each, are assembled for ongoing reference in The Grammar Guidebook. Every step of the sentence diagramming process is gathered for reference, along with illustrations, in The Diagramming Dictionary. These will become the student's indispensable guide to writing through high school, into college and beyond. Step-by-step instruction takes students from the most basic concepts through advanced grammatical concepts such as modal and hortative verbs and multiple functions of noun clauses. Extensive diagramming exercises reinforce the rules and help technical and visual learners to understand and use the English language effectively. Each step of the diagramming process is illustrated and thoroughly explained to the student. Text for examples and exercises are drawn from great works of literature, as well as from well-written nonfiction texts in science, mathematics, and the social sciences. *Regular review is built into each year of work. One of four non-sequential workbooks, each containing new exercises that allow students to practice and apply the grammar principles under study.

The Level 1+ Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories, written by Roderick Hunt and illustrated by Alex Brychta, provide a rich story context to help develop language comprehension and decoding skills. First Sentences and More First Sentences A, B and C introduce children to stories told through complete sentences to provide practice of high frequency vocabulary to build confidence and fluency. Patterned Stories and More Patterned Stories A practise vocabulary in the context of a repeated sentence structure to help develop confidence and fluency. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with childrens reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

"This product will save teachers hours of time planning and differentiating reading and comprehension activities." Primary teacher Help children master core English skills required for success at school and beyond. Matched to the curriculum, our acclaimed Scholastic English Skills series is full of easy ways to teach the essentials. An ideal English toolkit for the primary years Gets children speaking, reading and writing confidently Tackles common problems that hold back progress Saves time with inspiring ready-made lesson ideas, activities and posters Includes detailed background knowledge and teacher notes Key comprehension skills are covered chapter by chapter, including predicting, clarifying and questioning. Real non-fiction and fiction texts are used throughout and are leveled by reading ages for differentiation. >A review chapter offers children a chance to practice all their skills. The CD-ROM contains interactive activities for the whiteboard, perfect for starter or plenary activities Use this comprehension teacher's book, along with the linked pupil workbook, to help children understand what they read and hear. The content includes summarising texts, predicting, scanning for meaning, interpreting characters and much more. (Previously published under the Scholastic Literacy Skills series)

Level 1 Biff, Chip and Kipper Stories: Decode and Develop are six exciting new wordless stories in the Oxford Reading Tree series. They continue to provide storylines full of humour and drama, with familiar settings and characters. The wordless stories introduce the characters and children learn that the pictures tell a story, where a story begins and how to turn the pages. They will also begin to identify sounds for objects they see in the pictures. Books contain inside cover notes to support children in their reading. Help with children's reading development is also available at www.oxfordowl.co.uk.

Under No Child Left Behind, nearly every teacher faces a high-stakes balancing act; managing the often incompatible responsibilities of teaching students meaningfully or preparing them for standardized tests. Through their experiences teaching at a school that struggled to meet state test standards driven by NCLB, authors Amy Greene and Glennon Melton discovered a way to raise scores without compromising their strong beliefs about good teaching and learning. In "Test Talk," Amy and Glennon share their story and their proven approach.

This compelling book shows that teachers don't have to choose between best practice teaching and test preparation; effective test-taking strategies can be integrated into authentic reading instruction. The authors demonstrate how to improve performance on tests without resorting to "teaching to the test," mnemonic devices, or other gimmicks. Instead, they focus on encouraging student readers to explore tests as a specific genre containing unique language, format, and cues.

Concise and easy-to-use, "Test Talk" includes lesson plans and practice passages, as well as sample questions and suggested language to use during lessons. Throughout the book, classroom vignettes show how seamlessly one can weave the test genre into reading workshop and connect those specialized skills to more general reading strategies. It is an invaluable resource for any teacher who struggles with how to prepare kids for tests without sacrificing real teaching and learning.