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Back to basics

Reading is one of life’s greatest pleasures, yet many children find it a chore. These resources show how to demystify reading, expand horizons and get students expressing opinions about books

18th April 2014, 1:00am

Tes Editorial

1. Close encounter

What is it? A selection of resources for practising close reading

What users say “This is fab. I teach a functional skills English class and am not a subject specialist. This is incredibly helpful and also very creative.”

2. Turn after reading

What is it? A work pack to help develop a love of literature in students

What users say “This is a fantastic resource, with a lovely sense of humour and some very interesting tasks.”

3. Lord of the rungs

What is it? An easy-to-follow reading skills ladder

What users say “Great stuff - a few simple steps to mastering reading, and it’s all on one page.”

4. Description medicine

What is it? An activity to explore visualisations of descriptive passages, using extracts from novels

What users say “Fantastic worksheet. Interesting to see the students’ drawings, and it helped me to understand the way different students interpret things.”

5. State of independence

What is it? A list of activities for students to complete when reading independently

What users say “I have been trying to think of my own ideas for this kind of activity - what a time-saver. And some ideas I would never have thought of. Thank you.”

6. Reader response

What is it? An alternative to book reviews, this note sheet helps students to break down their responses into smaller chunks

What users say “A different format and looks easy for students to complete.”

7. Auden, even

What is it? A booklet containing various reading and writing tasks, covering WH Auden, travel writing, anti-smoking adverts and more. Designed for a six-week intervention course

What users say “Really helpful for my year group. Thank you.”

8. Skim deep

What is it? A resource to help students absorb information by skim reading

What users say “My pupils loved the unusual content of the text.”

9. Animal writes

What is it? A short scheme of work that covers core reading skills for secondary students, based on the theme of animal rights

What users say “An excellent resource.”

10. Read more widely

What is it? A booklet that encourages students to read by introducing a competitive element and recommending authors such as Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Michael Morpurgo and Ian McEwan

What users say “This has given me some great ideas for my secondary school. It’s a really good, competitive way to get kids engaged with reading.”

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