Creating a Reading for Pleasure Culture in School

“We know that teachers are under immense pressure to deliver results, and can find it challenging to make time within the curriculum for fostering reading for pleasure. But the social, emotional and cognitive benefits of reading for pleasure are unquestionable …” Teresa Cremin Professor of Education (Literacy), Open University These were Professor Teresa Cremin’s words when she expressed her worry…

What is the Word Gap?

Hart and Risley’s landmark study found that each year, early years providers work with 3 year old children who may have heard 30 million fewer words spoken to them than their most word-rich peers. The children with this vocabulary advantage will be better prepared to access those words when they start school and ultimately they are able to pick up…

Why Reading Matters

The transformational impact that reading has on a child’s life is well documented. Recent research suggests that learning to read and reading for pleasure can influence a child’s academic success, vocabulary development, mental health, ability to empathise, accept other cultures and even life expectancy. However the data is interpreted, this makes the Department for Education’s report that 25% of children…

Prosody: How to help children read with fluency and expression

Reading aloud with fluency and expression, or prosody, is not a new concept in Primary education. But a closer examination of the reasons why we teach it, its features and relationship to other reading skills is needed to make sure we’re teaching prosody effectively. Fluency, prosody and comprehension Fluent and expressive reading (prosody!) is inextricably linked to comprehension. Why? Because…

Bring Back Story Time – Every Day!

People have been telling stories since the beginning of time. They challenge us, connect us, help us make sense of the world, and activate both our imagination and creativity. As a species, story may very well be our greatest invention. This is what makes story time so important to a child’s development. Reading stories aloud helps children fall in love…