TR&W Issue 20

TAKE 10 BOOKS... on divorce, separation and blended families... p.12 Welcome… PIE CORBETT Entering a dragon’s lair is not without its risks… p.24 How many children in your class struggle with handwriting? It’s a problem that teachers have been mentioning to literacy advisors Christine Chen and Lindsay Pickton with worrying regularity. On page 9 you can find out more about the underlying issues behind this trend, and why we need to be rethinking how we teach letter formation – right from the beginning. On page 60 we share a charming conversation between Inkheart author Cornelia Funke and her publisher, Barry Cunningham. It’s a fascinating insight into the journey of a beloved story from an author’s mind to the bestsellers lists. If you struggle to know where to start when teaching new vocabulary, Christopher Youles offers some useful and practical advice on how to create bespoke word lists (page 56). He also discusses why ‘wow words’ can cause problems, and how to make conversations about word choices a regular part of your lessons. Knowing when to begin is one of the things Emma Spiers clarifies in her step-by-step guide to teaching Phase 5 phonics (page 35). She’s put together some handy worksheets to accompany the article as well, which you can download from teachwire.com – along with hundreds more invaluable literacy resources. Our regular ‘10 books...’ feature from Carey Fluker Hunt (page 39) brings together some super – and important – stories about divorce, separation and blended families. It’s reassuring to know that whatever children are going through, there’s a book that can help them. On page 7, author A M Dassu explains just how impactful representation is for children, particularly during periods when the media may seem set on portraying them in a poor light. Finally, we have words of wisdom – and detailed teaching notes – from classroom teachers, literacy experts and children’s authors, all aimed at helping you and your class get the most out of every book you share together. Happy reading – and writing! Lydia Grove (editor) CORNELIAFUNKE I hadn’t realised how much I missed them all… p.60 CHRISTOPHER YOULES ‘“I want to suck your blood!” postulated the vampire’ is poor writing... p.56 www.teachwire.net | 3 Practical teaching tips and expert advice from classroom teachers and literacy leaders Photo: ©Michael Orth