We are often asked how to support children to be independent writers, especially as moderation and end-of-year assessments loom. The concept of supporting children towards independence could sound like a contradiction-in-terms, but it is a concept that underpins all our…
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6 Tips for Teaching EAL Children After completing my NQT year, my first teaching position was in a vibrant school in North London where thirty-nine languages were spoken. It was a hugely rewarding experience to teach multilingual children from all around…
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The passing of time, looking to the past for lessons and answers and projecting into the future are often the most engaging themes in literature. For some, being transported into a world that once existed is powerful in terms of…
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When doing our monthly webinar we get asked a real range of questions from Headteachers and Literacy leads about the Literary Curriculum and how it has been put together. Recently the most common question has been how we choose the…
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As the seasons change and winter thaws to spring, we have in mind Carly Simon’s Academy Award-winning song, Let the River Run which signifies hope for the future, ambition and following one’s dreams: it’s asking for the taking… Let the…
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We love graphic novels here at the Literacy Tree. They are a superb way to encourage children to devour complex stories and to get children hooked on a series of books with exciting characters and expansive worlds. It is important…
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As we approach the 25th anniversary of World Book Day, we think that this year’s chosen theme – You are a Reader – encompasses what the charity set out to achieve by bringing books into the home, particularly for children…
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Every resource we write, that forms part of the Literary Curriculum, uses the book as the main driver for any writing that takes place within the sequence. Each sequence journeys through the text and we ensure the writing outcomes match…
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Ubuntu! A pleasing sounding word and in just three small syllables, this ancient South African word, steeped in history, expresses so much: Ubuntu is togetherness; connectedness – in that all of our actions have an impact on others (positive and…
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When planning our sequences we try really hard to not 'bounce around the book'. For us, the journey through the book is integral to children (and teachers!) being able to fully immerse themselves into the text. This means that we…
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January can often be a bit of a difficult time: if you are a celebrator of Christmas then you may feel a sense of anti- climax; the days can feel impossibly long and are often dull and grey (perhaps not…
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Every year, we ask our team to pick their favourite books and to talk about who they will be gifting them to, as part of our Christmas Bibliotherapy. This year's offerings showcase the quality of books we have had available…
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There are many parallels between Christmas and a planning sequence: there’s a theme; there’s an engaging starting point just as there might be with the arrival of an elf or the appearance of the family box of Christmas decorations and…
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At the Literacy Tree, we are always on a quest to find new books – either modern or classics - which will make great teaching texts. The Literary Curriculum, our overview of books from reception to year 6, certainly has…
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If walls could talk, what a tale they might have to tell! Buildings, places… they can soak up history, joy, sadness and become living monuments –of sorts– of times from the past: good and bad. But sometimes, history is hidden;…
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It’s that time of the year when the nights are drawing in slowly and summer is on the retreat. We love autumn here at the Literacy Tree and, as Halloween creeps up on us, it might be time to break…
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This month, with the nights drawing in, the falling of the leaves and a distinct drop in temperature, change is afoot. And it brings with it the familiar: cosy evenings, hunkering down for the autumn with some good books and…
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The new academic year has begun and one of our most important priorities as educators is to hear each child in our class read. We need to quickly get a sense of how fluently a child can decode a text…
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