Teach-Reading-and-Writing-Issue-22

Expertly teaching children to read remains a central focus of primary schools, and rightly so. What’s more, it has evolved into a precision mission designed to carry pupils from the enjoyment of simple picture books, through the acquisition of phonics skills, right up to the establishment of young people who are fluent, confident readers. Obviously, there are a fair few reading schemes to choose from. The question is, which one is most suitable for you? Which one best meets the needs of your school? This is where you would do well to look at Reading Planet, an online subscription service fromHachette Learning. As you would expect these days from a major publisher, Hachette has created a comprehensive reading scheme that offers smooth progression from pre-school through primary. The books are carefully levelled (based on the Lexile system, in case you’re interested) and include fiction, non-fiction and playscript titles. Although they are primarily presented online, they can also be ordered as printed versions. The books themselves have been nicely crafted by their team of authors and illustrators. You can also tell that they have a wealth of educational, diversity and inclusion expertise behind them as they cover a very broad range of cultural and demographic interests. Most importantly, though, they feel like books a child would want to read. For example, just from the Cosmos range (for pupils aged seven and above), I noticed a gentle narrative about friendship issues, which ample experience tells me is a perennial problem in schools. They have spooky stories, biographies, historical non-fictions and books that address neurodiversity – the list is almost endless. It’s probably more of a reflection of who I am and what I do but I found it very hard to put down Word Play – a lively journey through the development of language and writing. One of the biggest plus-points, though, must be the way these titles can be accessed as eBooks through Boost, their digital learning platform. Not only does it give pupils the chance to ‘take home’ these wonderful books to read with their families, but it also means these precious resources don’t get lost, damaged or eaten by the dog. Furthermore, there are plenty of nifty features like self-marking, end-of-book quizzes based on NC reading content domains which automatically report back to the teacher. There are also tools for highlighting, annotating and so on while sharing the book with the class via a smart board. Furthermore, teachers will, no doubt, be glad to discover a wealth of support materials such as lesson ideas and background notes. In fact, if I’m not careful, this whole thing could turn into a long list of features, but nobody wants to read that. Instead, why not investigate for yourself and see if this scheme ticks all your boxes. Far be it fromme to give away any spoilers but I think there’s a good chance you’ll discover a happy ending. Find out more at hachettelearning.com/trw-mag-reading-planet Attractively presented books Plenty of interest for everyone Impressively inclusive Clever use of technology Well-resourced for teachers …you want to equip your school with a comprehensive, extensively resourced reading scheme designed to foster a lifelong love of books. VERD I CT UPGRADE I F . . . A comprehensive, generously resourced, online, primary-level reading scheme AT A GLANCE ENGL I SH A broad-based fiction and non-fiction reading scheme with over 800 titles. Aimed at children of all reading abilities aged three to 11. Supported by a wealth of online materials, including eBooks. Created by a diverse range of authors and illustrators, guided by educational experts. REVIEWED BY: MIKE DAVIES Reading Planet Online “There are plenty of nifty features” www.teachwire.net | 45 RE V I EWS