Teaching reading
Ideas and suggestions on how you can help pupils improve their reading skills in English, across the curriculum and in real-life contexts.
Teaching reading topics
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How to teach reading
You can use these Improving reading materials to address specific areas and aspects of reading that your analysis of reading attainment has identified for development. Each provides a clear process for reflecting on the key issues around the topic and addressing particular challenges. This supports pupils throughout Key Stages 3 and 4 of secondary English.
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Teaching the class novel
These suggested approaches will help you to plan your teaching of novels and address potential teaching challenges. Also find out how reading novels can benefit pupils' development. This is part of a set of materials to support secondary English teachers working on improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4.
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Promoting enthusiasm for reading
See how a positive reading culture can support pupils' development. Also see what challenges you may face, along with some ideas on how to overcome these. This is part of a set of materials to support secondary English teachers working on improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4.
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Reading at GCSE
See how GCSE English, English language and English literature present opportunities for pupil development beyond reading. This is part of a set of materials to support secondary English teachers working on improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4.
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Reading for real, purposeful and relevant contexts
Find out about the benefits of reading for real contexts. This supports Teaching reading within the Framework for secondary English.
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Teaching able readers
See what defines an able reader, and find a short summary of their common classroom behaviours that will help you identify these pupils and their needs. This is part of a set of materials to support secondary English teachers working on improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4.
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Reading poetry
See how poetry can help you extend pupils' experiences beyond the National Curriculum and Framework for secondary English to develop their insight, understanding, analytical skills and creativity. This is part of a set of materials to support secondary English teachers working on improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4.
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Reading playscripts
How reading playscripts can help pupils to develop their skills and understanding within secondary English and beyond. This is part of a set of materials to support secondary English teachers working on improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4.
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Reading non-fiction
Find out how non-fiction texts can help pupils to develop valuable skills and engage with reading. This is part of a set of materials to support secondary English teachers working on improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4.
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Improving reading: A handbook for improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4
This handbook will help departments to evaluate and improve their teaching of reading and ensure pupils become skilled and independent readers. The Improving reading handbook explores some key challenges and concerns around reading, outlines a route to improvement and provides detailed advice and resources for each stage of the improvement process.
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Improving reading: A handbook for improving reading in Key Stages 3 and 4
This handbook will help departments to evaluate and improve their teaching of reading and ensure pupils become skilled and independent readers. The Improving reading handbook explores some key challenges and concerns around reading, outlines a route to improvement and provides detailed advice and resources for each stage of the improvement process.
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Teaching for progression: Reading
Teachers of secondary English can explore these approaches and ideas, which suggest how they can use the Framework for English reading strands and substrands to address issues related to the improvement of pupils’ reading.
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Substrand 5.1: Developing and adapting active reading skills and strategies
Find a range of practical advice and classroom activities to help build, develop and secure pupils' active reading skills and strategies. This focuses on the Framework for secondary English substrand 5.1: 'Developing and adapting active reading skills and strategies' and is part of 'Teaching for progression: Reading'.
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Substrand 5.2: Understanding and responding to ideas, viewpoints, themes and purposes in texts
Find a range of practical advice and classroom activities to help build, develop and secure pupils' skills in understanding and responding to ideas, viewpoints, themes and purposes in texts. This focuses on the Framework for secondary English substrand 5.2: 'Understanding and responding to ideas, viewpoints, themes and purposes in texts' and is part of 'Teaching for progression: Reading'.
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Substrand 5.3: Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts
Find a range of practical advice and classroom activities to help you build, develop and secure your pupils' skills in reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts. This focuses on the Framework for secondary English substrand 5.3: 'Reading and engaging with a wide and varied range of texts' and is part of 'Teaching for progression: Reading'.
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Substrand 6.1: Relating texts to the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were written
Find a range of practical advice and classroom activities to help you build, develop and secure your pupils' skills in relating texts to the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were written. This focuses on the Framework for secondary English substrand 6.1: 'Relating texts to the social, historical and cultural contexts in which they were written' and is part of 'Teaching for progression: Reading'.
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Substrand 6.2: Analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and literary features shapes and influences meaning
Find a range of practical advice and classroom activities to help you build, develop and secure your pupils' skills in analysing how writers’ use of linguistic and literary features shapes and influences meaning. This focuses on the Framework for secondary English substrand 6.2: 'Analysing how writers' use of linguistic and literary features shapes and influences meaning' and is part of 'Teaching for progression: Reading'.
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Substrand 6.3: Analysing writers’ use of organisation, structure, layout and presentation
Find a range of practical advice and classroom activities to help you build, develop and secure your pupils' skills in analysing writers’ use of organisation, structure, layout and presentation. This focuses on the Framework for secondary English substrand 6.3: 'Analysing writers’ use of organisation, structure, layout and presentation' and is part of 'Teaching for progression: Reading'.
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Literacy Progress Unit: Spelling – session plan (small group)
Session plans on 'Spelling' under Literacy Progress Units. Contains different sessions for improvement of spelling and avoiding errors such as plurals, sounding out phonemes, syllabification, doubling consonants, antonym prefixes, consonant suffixes, homophones and root words. Each session covers a particular topic and enhances the knowledge through setting objective, using some key terms, activity for pupils in a give time frame and concluding notes.
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Literacy Progress Unit: Spelling – session plan (small group)
Session plans on 'Spelling' under Literacy Progress Units. Contains different sessions for improvement of spelling and avoiding errors such as plurals, sounding out phonemes, syllabification, doubling consonants, antonym prefixes, consonant suffixes, homophones and root words. Each session covers a particular topic and enhances the knowledge through setting objective, using some key terms, activity for pupils in a give time frame and concluding notes.
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