a whole new reading experience – at the right level · curriculum for excellence into practice...

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A whole new reading experience – At the right level

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Literacy

01865 888000 [email protected]@ www.heinemann.co.uk01865 314091

Curriculum for Excellence

Supporting you through

implementing the

Curriculum for Excellence

www.heinemann.co.uk/primary/scotland

Literacy Resources

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A Virtual reading experience for every

Go to page X on order form or download from www.heinemann.co.uk

Rapid is the only special needs reading programme for struggling readers

which features the amazing speech recognition software.

Rapid Reading Assistant SoftwareTM:• learns each pupil’s voice in minutes and listens to them read aloud, • Corrects them when they struggle and helps them when they are stuck, • Is specifi cally tuned into children’s voices - with the UK’s largest available

database of children’s voices (over 240hrs) collected from schools nationwide,

• Provides interactive quizzes to check comprehension and “Power Point” rewards to motivate every small step forward.

• Monitors every child’s reading performance for you to record and review.

ContentsIntroductionWelcome to your Curriculum for Excellence support pack .............................................1

Literacy and the Four Capacities ................................ 2

The principles behind the Curriculum for Excellence .... 3

First stageStoryworlds .................................................................4

The Rigby Star family: ................................................6• Star Phonics, including Fast Phonics First and Star decodable readers ...................7• Star Guided ................................................................................................................. 9• Star Shared ................................................................................................................. 11• Star Independent .......................................................................................................13

Second stageLiteracy World ............................................................14

Rapid ...........................................................................16

Key Language: ............................................................18• Key Comprehension• Key Grammar• Key Spelling

Rigby Navigator ........................................................20

Pocket Reads .............................................................. 22

Star Reader and Star Writer ......................................24

At-a-glance guide ...................................................... 26

Contents

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Intro

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ction

01865 888020 [email protected]@ www.heinemann.co.uk01865 314091F

Welcome to your Curriculum for Excellence support packAs you are aware, the Curriculum for Excellence draft outcomes and

experiences for literacy have now arrived in schools. 2008 is a year

of engagement, with 2009 seeing the fi rst implementation of the new

curriculum. Many schools are beginning to put the ideas behind the Curriculum for Excellence into practice now, and it is no coincidence

that our resources fi t brilliantly with these ideas and principles.

The principles on which the Curriculum for Excellence has been designed are as follows:• Challenge and enjoyment• Breadth• Progression• Depth• Personalisation and choice• Coherence• Relevance(See page 3 for more detail on these.)

These principles are supported in our current literacy resources – from our

guided, shared and independent reading resources through to our innovative

software, language and phonics programmes. Through commissioning

literacy experts and experienced teachers to develop and write our

programmes, our resources already refl ect the pedagogy underpinning the

Curriculum for Excellence.

Supporting youWe are aware that many of our loyal customers will be spending valuable

time in matching their existing resources to the Curriculum for Excellence.

This Customer Support Pack, which covers all of our major literacy

programmes, aims to help do just that – freeing up more of your time for

teaching. The support pack includes general guidance on the Curriculum for Excellence and individual support for our major literacy programmes.

In addition to this pack, we have created a section on our website

www.heinemann.co.uk/primary/Scotland dedicated to supporting you

with the implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence.

We hope you are enjoying using our resources and seeing the benefi ts

they bring to you and your pupils. If you do have any further questions,

please don’t hesitate to contact your local literacy specialists or visit our

website www.heinemann.co.uk/primary/Scotland for further information.

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Literacy and the four capacitiesLiteracy, and the learning of the English language, are key parts of the Curriculum for Excellence. There are many opportunities within the learning of literacy to develop in the four capacities:• successful learners• confi dent individuals• responsible citizens• effective contributors

All of our resources support the aim of developing learners not just by equipping them with

language skills, but helping develop an ability to communicate with others and an awareness

of the importance of literacy in a wider context. Some examples of this are as follows:

Developing successful learnersIn developing their language and literacy skills, children gain access to all areas of learning.

They become able to engage in more complex thinking and learning processes, refl ecting

on their own thinking skills. An example of this can be found in Rigby Navigator guided reading,

where children are not only supported in developing a variety of reading strategies,

but are encouraged to actively refl ect on those strategies and evaluate their usefulness.

In being exposed to texts written from different viewpoints and for different audiences,

such as those within Literacy World, children are encouraged to develop openness to new

and alternative approaches and ideas.

Children also need the opportunity to express themselves with different media. In Literacy World,

for example, children have the opportunity to use a variety of tools from desktop publishing

programmes or other ICT packages to create and present different texts.

Developing confi dent individualsThrough literature, children can explore others’ experiences, emotions and relationships.

The fi ctional stories in programmes such as StoryWorlds and Rigby Star can provide a stimulus

for children to discuss their own thoughts and feelings, and to begin to express their preferences.

In shared and guided sessions, using books from Rigby Star or Navigator for example,

children learn the conventions of group interaction. They develop skills in listening and talking,

in adapting what they say to the needs of the audience and in taking on board others’ views.

Developing responsible citizensThrough developing their skills in communication and discussion, children learn to become

responsible citizens, interacting appropriately with those around them. Literacy work can help

develop these skills through a wide range of talking and listening techniques. For example,

many of the activities in Literacy World are designed to extend children’s perspectives on the world,

and to develop their own views; ‘Hot-seating’ a character, for example, uses role-play to help

children empathise with and respond to alternative points of view.

Many books in each of our programmes invite debate about current issues and encourage

children to discuss the world around them. Fact World, for example, introduces children to the

concept of thinking about the world around them from the earliest stages; Rigby Navigator

non-fi ction is full of articles that provoke questions about the environment, food production

and global warming, to name but a few.

Developing effective contributorsThroughout the teaching of literacy, emphasis is placed on children having an opportunity

to express themselves. In StoryWorlds Writing, for example, children are encouraged to write creatively

– this writing can contribute to the work of the class, perhaps in subject areas other than literacy.

‘Publication’ of children’s work not only gives a sense of purpose for writing, but can be used to

share experiences with the whole school or community. As children’s self-expression develops,

so do the challenges within our programmes: in Literacy World, for example, children develop

an awareness of audience and register, further refi ning their communication skills.

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The principles behind the Curriculum for ExcellenceThe following text is taken from the document Building the Curriculum for Excellence, 2004.

It is reproduced under the terms of the Click-Use licence.

Challenge and enjoymentChildren should fi nd their learning challenging, engaging and motivating. The curriculum

should encourage high aspirations and ambitions for all. At all stages, learners of all aptitudes

and abilities should experience an appropriate level of challenge, to enable each individual

to achieve his or her potential. They should be active in their learning and have opportunities

to develop and demonstrate their creativity. There should be support to enable children

to sustain their effort.

BreadthAll children should have opportunities for a broad, suitably weighted range of experiences.

The curriculum should be organised so that they will learn and develop through a variety

of contexts within both the classroom and other aspects of school life.

ProgressionChildren and young people should experience continuous progression in their learning

from 3 to 18 within a single curriculum framework. Each stage should build upon earlier

knowledge and achievements. Children should be able to progress at a rate which meets

their needs and aptitudes, and keep options open so that routes are not closed off too early.

DepthThere should be opportunities for children to develop their full capacity for different

types of thinking and learning. As they progress, they should develop and apply

increasing intellectual rigour, drawing different strands of learning together, and exploring

and achieving more advanced levels of understanding.

Personalisation and choiceThe curriculum should respond to individual needs and support particular aptitudes and talents.

It should give each child increasing opportunities for exercising responsible personal choice

as they move through their school career. Once they have achieved suitable levels of attainment

across a wide range of areas of learning the choice should become as open as possible.

There should be safeguards to ensure that choices are soundly based and lead to

successful outcomes.

CoherenceTaken as a whole, children’s learning activities should combine to form a coherent experience.

There should be clear links between the different aspects of children’s learning, including

opportunities for extended activities which draw different strands of learning together.

RelevanceChildren should understand the purposes of their activities. They should see the value

of what they are learning and its relevance to their lives, present and future.

Intro

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Storyworlds This fantastic range of fi ction and non-fi ction reading gives you books your

children will love to read over and over again. Carefully levelled texts and

controlled vocabulary underpin a structured progression that really works,

while captivating stories and non-fi ction topics inspire a love of reading.

Storyworlds is tried and trusted across Scotland – it’s used and loved by

a third of all Scottish schools.

Storyworlds meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• Children love the stories in Storyworlds: there’s a full range of fi ction genres,

stories by signifi cant authors, and captivating illustrations. • Controlled vocabulary ensures that children meet the right level

of challenge at the right moment.• ICT activities introduce another dimension of learning to read. Children

practise key literacy skills through a range of fun, child-friendly games.

Breadth• Stories from four different ‘Worlds’ provide a wide range of fi ction settings and

genres (Our World, Animal World, Once Upon a Time World and Fantasy World). • The new Fact World strand, a dedicated non-fi ction set of books, brings an

opportunity to extend reading skills into non-fi ction subjects. • With over 180 titles to choose from, Storyworlds provides a wealth

of reading opportunities.

Progression• Storyworlds’ strength is its excellent progression. The vocabulary in each

level is controlled, with new vocabulary introduced in small stages. • The ‘Seesaw’ model of Stage 1 Storyworlds books builds confi dence.

Here, the pages of the book are intended to be read by an adult and a child alternately. Like partners on a see-saw, the reading is shared between the adult and the child. In this way children are able to participate in a real book from the very start of their reading experience.

• Similarly, the ‘Springboard’ books of Storyworlds Stages 2 and 3 offer a unique springboard page at the start of each book. This is read by the adult and launches the child into reading the rest of the book themselves, building reading confi dence.

• Storyworlds Bridges provides an excellent transition for children aged 7+, supporting them with the same familiar methodology, great stories and beautiful illustrations as they encounter more challenging texts.

Depth• With a large range of books at each level, accompanied by Word Practice

books and Pupil Activity software, Storyworlds provides a rigorous reading experience. Children develop a sound grasp of reading strategies and acquire fl uency at each stage before moving on to more challenging books.

• Activity sheets for every book reinforce and embed children’s reading and comprehension skills.

• Talking and listening is emphasised throughout to ensure sound understanding. Talkabout questions in the back of every Fact World book provide adults with a guide to asking questions to ensure the child has read with understanding.

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Storyw

orld

sPersonalisation and choice• The careful levelling of the books in Storyworlds means that teachers can be

confi dent that children are using the right books at the right time.• Storyworlds Bridges are books tailored for more able children at Stages 10-12,

allowing greater challenge for children who are progressing well.• The Storyworlds software also has differentiated activities, so that children

can practise the skills they need to, at the right level. • The recordkeeping facility within the Storyworlds software allows you to monitor

the progress of every child.

Coherence• Storyworlds provides strong links across the three lines of development.

Talking and listening skills are fostered within the shared and guided reading sessions, while the Storyworlds Writing strand, based on the popular Storyworlds characters, provides a natural progression from reading to writing.

Relevance• Storyworlds fi ction gives children the opportunity to access stories in settings

with which children will be familiar; and to tap into the rich seam of fairy tale and fantasy that infl uences literature in many spheres and eras.

• The Fact World books provide a non-fi ction angle, providing an accessible stimulus for children to read about and discuss the world around them. The topics covered include Food, Health and the Environment.

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“As they progress in their learning, children

and young people will encounter texts of increasing complexityin terms of length, structure,

vocabulary, ideas and concepts.”

From Literacy and English Cover Paper, 2008

Rigby Star familyThe Rigby Star family is a complete programme for teaching language,

literacy and communication for the Early and First stages of primary school.

It includes the following resources:

• Star Phonics: an engaging, interactive synthetic phonics programme for discrete, daily phonic lessons, including Fast Phonics First software and decodable Phonics Readers.

• Star Guided: a guided reading series, including fi ction, non-fi ction and phonic readers, each with Teaching Versions which pull out the distinct teaching needed for both word recognition and language comprehension opportunities.

• Star Shared (formerly Rigby Red Giant): a shared reading series, including fi ction and non-fi ction Big Books, each with Teacher’s Guides which also help to teach both word recognition and language comprehension, as well as speaking and listening skills and writing.

• Star Independent (formerly Rigby Rocket): an independent reading series for meaningful practice of core skills.

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“Where children and young people enjoy reading

and expressing their ideas, their skills and their confi dence in applying their skills develop

more quickly.” From Literacy and English

Cover Paper, 2008

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Rig

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rRigby Star PhonicsRigby Star Phonics is a structured approach to the teaching of reading

and spelling using synthetic phonics. It can be delivered in 15–20 minute daily

sessions on a whole class or group basis; this fast-paced phonics programme

teaches children to blend and segment phonemes and graphemes.

Rigby Star Phonics supports the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• Rigby Star Phonics unites the proven pedagogy of seven years’ research in

Clackmannanshire with the most engaging and motivating delivery methods.• The brisk-paced teaching, backed up by daily revision of past teaching,

is the most effective and successful method of phonic training.• Active learning is at the heart of the programme, ensuring that children

fully participate and enjoy learning to read.

Breadth• Our high quality software and engaging pupil books allow children to experience

motivating resources through both ICT and print. • A wide selection of 41 books ensures children have access to a wealth of reading

material from the earliest stages.

Progression• Rigby Star Phonics is a carefully-structured programme, beginning with an interactive

daily lesson, followed by consolidation using the decodable Phonics Readers.• The order of grapheme introduction has been chosen to ensure that children are able

to start reading and spelling a wide range of words at the earliest possible stage.

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Blending and

segmenting

are taught as

a reversible

process

Character appears

on screen to

help guide your

children through

the activities

From Unit 3 phoneme session (Foundation)

Spelling sessions allow

children to interact with the

whiteboard, moving letters

around to form words on screen

Depth• Rigby Star Phonics is a rigorous programme, teaching all of the required reading

and spelling skills. The programme follows the recommended teaching sequence of Revisit and Review-Teach-Practise-Apply-Assess. So the coverage through the daily interactive session on the whiteboard and the decodable readers ensures children are applying their knowledge, achieving greater levels of understanding.

Personalisation and choice

• Rigby Star Phonics is a highly fl exible programme, allowing you to teach to the needs of your children. By following the principles of Assessment is for Learning, Rigby Star Phonics makes it easy to determine your children’s attainment, and to support their next steps. Formative assessment and summative assessment are embedded in the following ways:

• Formative assessment: Daily assessment occurs through the whole-class revision section of the phoneme sessions, where strengths and weaknesses can be identifi ed at an early stage.

• Summative assessment: The Teaching Guides include assessment activities and resource sheets which will inform any further teaching and/or consolidation necessary.

• Self-assessment is also encouraged. Children can also consider their own performance using different faces on the PCMs, which they tick in accordance with how confi dent they feel about the task.

Coherence• The blending of software and books means that children’s learning activities

combine to form a coherent experience. Used together, the programme provides a complete means of teaching phonics for the Early and First stages of literacy.

Relevance• Children are able to start reading real stories after just eight phonemes have

been taught, meaning that they can apply their phonics knowledge in a real-life context as early as possible.

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Selection of summative assessment within Fast Phonics FirstChild self-assessment within Fast Phonics First

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rRigby Star GuidedRigby Star is the best selling guided reading series, tried and tested in the

classroom. The series includes the following strands to ensure that there

is always an appropriate guided reading book to choose from:

• Fiction: real stories with satisfying endings and colourful illustrations, which cover a wide range of genres, including plays, traditional tales and fantasy stories.

• Non-fi ction: designed to develop children’s non-fi ction reading skills, through the inclusion of content pages, indexes, captions, diagrams etc, as well as exposure to a range of non-fi ction text types.

• Phonics: real stories, this time with more phonic teaching opportunities, enabling children to build and consolidate their early word recognition skills.

Rigby Star meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• The Rigby Star books provide rich, multi-layered stories and texts with cross-curricular

links specially developed for guided reading. They are written by top-quality authors, with pictures by excellent illustrators.

• The Rigby Star software contains motivating ICT activities to enhance each child’s reading experience.

Breadth• Rigby Star aims to provide breadth across the whole of the Star family.

Within guided reading, that breadth is achieved through a wealth of different genres and text types. The cross-curricular links enable teachers to plan opportunities for exploring other areas of the curriculum while using the books.

Progression• The Rigby Star books are correlated to Book Band levels. This careful levelling

ensures children meet books at the right level at the right time.• High frequency words are gradually introduced and language structures become

more complex through the series, ensuring that children become confi dent, multi-skilled readers.

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Assessment is for learning• Rigby Star fully acknowledges that guided reading lessons provide

an ideal context in which to apply the principles of Assessment is for Learning. The Planning and Assessment Guides for each year group provide comprehensive support in applying these principles alongside the books. They include guidance and checklists for:- assessing reading behaviours- assessing high frequency words and phonic skills- children’s self-assessment

• The teaching support pulls out all the word recognition teaching opportunities within the Rigby Star books, to ensure that children are practising their phonic skills during guided reading.

• Rigby Star also supports progression in the three lines of development, with strong links between listening and talking, reading and writing.

Depth• The Teaching Versions accompanying each title ensure that every

guided reading session is rigorous. There are thorough notes to ensure that the reading session includes a walk-through and group discussion, then follow-up ideas and assessment points to enable you to get the most out of every single title.

Personalisation and choice• The great variety of high-quality books ensures that there is something to

interest every child. Having a wide range means that children can exercise true choice in their reading experiences.

• Rigby Star has plenty of titles at each level, allowing children to progress at the pace that is right for them.

Coherence• As part of the Rigby Star family, Rigby Star guided reading books provide

a complete reading experience, with strong links to the other lines of development (listening and talking, and writing).

Relevance• The coverage of genre ensures that children can fi nd a story or non-fi ction

text related to their own environment or interest.

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From Foundation, Pink Level, Pat and Nat by Monica Hughes

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rRigby Star SharedRigby Star Shared is a structured shared reading programme providing

27 fi ction and 14 non-fi ction Big Books. It offers a wide variety of enjoyable,

informative and enriching books to stimulate and enliven literacy teaching.

Rigby Star Shared meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• Rigby Star Shared enables teaching within a broad and rich curriculum, offering many

opportunities for speaking, listening and discussion, as well as reading and writing.• The lesson plans provided in the Teacher’s Guides give guidance on asking children

to explore stories and poems and encouraging them to express their opinions and read aloud.

• The Rigby Star Shared books offer a whole range of teaching opportunities and can be used fl exibly within literacy teaching.

• A ‘re-visiting’ format provides the fl exibility to teach across age groups, since the texts have suffi cient depth to offer teaching opportunities at more than one level.

Breadth• The Interactive Big Books enable the integration of ICT into shared reading lessons,

giving children the chance to access texts in electronic and print form. • Specially chosen to appeal to children in this age group, the subjects covered

provide a diverse mixture of text types and topics.

Progression• The Rigby Star Shared books progress in skills and language features from year to year,

and from the start of one year to the end of that year. This means that progression within the Early and First stages is assured.

• Each Big Book comes with its own Teacher’s Guide. These include: - advice on word recognition and language comprehension opportunities- ideas for helping develop talking and listening skills

• The Teacher’s Guides highlight opportunities for children to practise their developing decoding skills:- ability to refer to letters and sounds already taught- demonstrate blending and segmenting through words, phrases or whole sentences- labels, captions and environmental print in Big Books for applying phonic knowledge

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Depth• The Teacher’s Guides provide 10 daily lesson plans for every Big Book,

providing you with suffi cient depth of teaching for every title. • The accompanying activity sheets within the Teacher’s Guides then provide

follow-up independent activities, often making links to writing.

Personalisation and choice• With a wide range of titles, teachers can make sure that children are reading

the right level of text at the right time. • The interactive Big Books provide true fl exibility in teaching methods, allowing

children to develop and choose reading strategies and media for themselves.

Coherence• As with other strands of the Rigby Star family, Rigby Star Shared Big Books

provide a complete reading experience, with strong links to the other lines of development (listening and talking, and writing).

Relevance• Rigby Star Shared books are written and illustrated on the same principles as the

rest of the Rigby Star family: children will fi nd them relevant to the world around them, with topics, language and illustrations that are age-appropriate and will capture their interest.

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Rigby Star IndependentRigby Star Independent offers a wide range of engaging stories and

non-fi ction texts for children to gain meaningful practice of core skills

during their independent reading.

Rigby Star Independent meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• The Rigby Star Independent books are full of lively illustrations and familiar characters,

to spark children’s imaginations and provide motivation for independent reading.• Similarly, the non-fi ction texts provide captivating photographs and fun facts

to stimulate independent reading.

Breadth• The broad range of genres offers children a variety of reading experiences.• Rigby Star Independent now includes Star Adventures; two series of character-linked fi ction

and thematically-linked non-fi ction, which provide even greater breadth.

Progression• The Rigby Star Independent books have a clear structure and progression. • At the lower levels, high frequency words are gradually introduced and language structures

are repeated for reinforcement. • Higher up the series, the vocabulary and language structures become more challenging.

Depth• The notes inside each book have been specially written for use by parents or classroom

assistants, and provide an opportunity to check key skills before, during and after reading.

Personalisation and choice• With a wide range of titles, teachers can make sure that children are experiencing

the right level of text at the right time. • Since each title is Book-Banded, a child can be directed to a wide range of titles at each

Book Band level, allowing them to freely choose the title that captures their interest.

Coherence• Rigby Star Independent has strong links between listening and talking, reading and writing.

Relevance• Children will fi nd these books relevant to the world around them, with topics,

language and illustrations that are age-appropriate and will capture their interest.

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Literacy WorldLiteracy World is a great choice for Key Stage 2 fi ction and non-fi ction,

providing exciting resources for shared reading and writing, guided reading,

ICT and talking and listening.

Literacy World meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• The Literacy World Anthologies and Big Books provide an excellent range

of texts, many of which are included in their entirety. Carefully chosen for their appeal, quality and ability to deliver a full range of learning objectives, the texts are ideal models for developing children’s own writing.

• Literacy World Interactive provides activities and multimedia content,enabling you to easily integrate ICT into your shared reading and writing sessions. Video clips, audio fi les, text and images are all linked to the units of work in the Teaching and Planning Guides.

• Talking and listening opportunities are embedded throughout the Teaching and Planning Guides, such as time out for paired discussion and giving children a listening focus while the teacher reads.

Breadth• The Teaching and Planning Guides include complete units of work for both

fi ction and non-fi ction, ensuring coverage of a broad range of genres.• The Teaching and Planning Guides provide links to the wider curriculum,

creating opportunities to make cross-curricular links.

Progression• The Teaching and Planning Guides support fl exibility in planning by providing

optional sessions within units of work, putting you in control of how much time you spend on a particular focus.

• Teaching objectives in the Teaching and Planning Guides are clustered in each unit, to ensure clear and brisk progression.

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Literacy World Anthologies and Big Books

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Literacy


Literacy W

orld

Depth• Each unit in Literacy World covers an essential aspect of literacy in depth. • As children progress through the programme, they are exposed to increasingly

complex text types, allowing them to develop the skills needed for reading at higher levels. They are set challenges that allow them to apply their understanding and are encouraged to refl ect on what they have learned.

Personalisation and choice• The Teaching and Planning Guides include targets in each unit, to help children

understand what they will be learning. They are written so that children can be involved in self-assessment and can understand what is required to make progress, therefore supporting the principles of Assessment is for Learning.

• For guided reading, Literacy World Satellites and Comets allow differentiation by providing age-appropriate higher- and lower-ability texts.

Coherence• Literacy World draws together the three lines of development (reading, writing,

and talking and listening) into a complete literacy programme. • It is structured to ensure progression from start to fi nish, and provides complete

coverage of genre and range requirements. • Literacy World provides a comprehensive solution for the teaching of literacy.

Relevance• Literacy World equips learners with a sense of the purpose of literacy. By engaging with

‘real-world’ issues and topics directly relevant to children’s lives, the programme aims to foster a sense of the importance of communication and critical analysis skills that children need to participate actively in the world around them.

“As they develop an

awareness of audience

and register, [children] can learn

to communicate successfully

in ways which are appropriate

for different situations.”

From Literacy and the Four Capacities

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RapidRapid is an award-winning special needs reading programme designed

to motivate and support struggling readers within P4 to P7. Proven to

deliver twice the normal rate of reading progress, it combines motivating

speech-recognition software, fantastic books and outstanding teaching

support to provide a totally unique approach to special needs reading.

Rapid meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• The lively, contemporary style of artwork, combined with subjects chosen

for their boy-appeal, provide a rewarding reading experience for even the most reluctant reader.

• The unique Reading Assistant software listens to pupils read, prompting and guiding them as they progress through the text.

• The software provides a simple glossary to help with unfamiliar and diffi cult words, along with motivating interactive quizzes to check comprehension.

• Certifi cates help to reward the child’s reading performance.

Breadth• Rapid books cover a wide range of both fi ction and non-fi ction subjects.

With over 100 books, and subjects chosen to appeal to reluctant readers, children develop their reading skills and their knowledge base at the same time.

• Using the Rapid Reading Assistant also allows children to expand their set of IT skills, becoming more confi dent in using ICT to communicate.

Progression• The Rapid books have been carefully designed to meet learners’ needs. The fi ne

levelling of the books means that children can read texts at exactly the right level, building the confi dence to progress to the next stage.

• There are over 100 fi nely-levelled books, offering 16 stages of reading: these books provide a fast and effective route to reading fl uency.

• In one of the largest independent trials ever undertaken in the UK, Rapid books and software were evaluated by NFER, the UK’s largest independent educational research agency. More than 100 schools took part in the trial and it found that Rapid improves reading ages by more than twice the normal rate (5.7 months’ progress in only 2.3 months).

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Literacy


Ra

pid

Depth• Each fi ction text is linked to a non-fi ction text that builds vocabulary

and expands knowledge at the same time. • Comprehension quizzes and follow-up activities ensure that children are

able to read for meaning. • The Rapid Reading Assistant enables children to practise re-reading the book,

providing a series of short, in-depth sessions to make progress.

Personalisation and choice• Assessment is at the heart of personalisation. Rapid uses the principles of Assessment

is for Learning to make it easy to personalise the programme for each child.• Assessment is the driver for the Reading Assistant software, which prompts and guides

the child as they read, providing instant feedback in a non-pressured way.• Benchmark books for summative and formative assessment allow you to monitor

and track each child’s progress. The results allow you to:- place each child at the right level within the programme - identify if they are ready to progress to the next level - monitor the rate of progress through the programme

• A specially-designed font, cream backgrounds for the text and chunked text boxes allow pupils with dyslexia and other literacy diffi culties to access the text unimpeded.

Coherence• Rapid is a coherent, structured programme, linking fi ction and non-fi ction,

with a rich and varied set of texts, all at the right level. • Rapid builds on the essential link between talking and listening and reading to make

sure children make progress in both of these key areas of literacy.

Relevance• Reading books have never been so relevant to children as the Rapid series. • Each fi ction text has a non-fi ction link, helping children understand the place

of literature in the world around them, while stimulating their interest with everything from blood-sucking bugs to monsters and jellyfi sh.

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Key LanguageKey Language gives you fl exible resources with an emphasis on key skills

practice. It is the perfect series to sit alongside your language and reading

work, comprising three strands: Key Comprehension, Key Spelling and Key

Grammar. The programme covers all the essential language skills, enabling

children to practise, consolidate and extend their learning.

Key Language meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• Key Language provides self-contained units of work, each focusing on a key

objective. The key idea in each session is clearly labelled, encouraging children to engage in the learning process.

• The lively illustrations make the books fun to use, bringing important skills to life.• Teachers benefi t from the clear and practical advice and support for using the

series in the classroom.

Breadth• Key Language provides excellent coverage of all the skills required for a broad

understanding of language and its application. The programme covers skills from comprehension – including literal, inferential, deductive and evaluative skills – to spelling and grammar.

• Key Language provides excellent genre coverage, using a broad range of examples from different text types.

• Links across to the wider curriculum help support the teaching of language skills in other subject areas.

Progression• The units in the Key Language series are progressive. They cover all the key learning

objectives, focusing on specifi c text types.• The pattern of whole-class teaching followed by differentiated consolidation is an

excellent practice, ensuring that children are taught the key skills, then given the opportunity to use them.

• The activities are designed to check understanding, practise and consolidate learning and extend learning.

• Children are always aware of the focus for each session. To support them, there are clear examples of rules or features as a reminder of the learning introduced in the whole-class work.

• To help teachers give the best support they can, the teachers’ guides contain helpful advice and guidance about strategies for supporting pupils’ learning, as well as a clear mark scheme.

Depth• All of the Key Language units are self-contained, and address a particular

concept or rule. These units allow for an in-depth focus on a particular aspect of spelling, comprehension or grammar.

• Children are introduced to the key concept, then given the opportunity to check their understanding. Plenty of further examples and exercises enable children to consolidate and practise their learning, ensuring that they have a sound grasp of the way language works.

18

13


A

Literacy


Key La

ng

ua

ge

Personalisation and choice• The motivating whole-class sessions are followed up by consolidation work that

can be tailored to the needs of your class.• There is a great variety of practice and extension materials for individual,

group or homework, all with clear differentiation to match children’s needs.• The units are discrete, meaning that you can target particular problem areas for your

class. Alternatively, you could choose a unit that corresponds to particular ideas that are relevant for current class work.

Coherence• Taken together, the spelling, grammar and comprehension learning in the Key

Language series provides a complete, structured and coherent programme for learning and practising the essentials of language knowledge and understanding.

Relevance• Sound language skills can help children access many other parts of the curriculum.

Guidance on why grammar and spelling matter is given, helping children appreciate the relevance of the skills they are learning.

19

“Competence and confi dence

in literacy, including competence

in grammar, spelling and the spoken

word, are essential for progress in

all areas of the curriculum.”From Building the Curriculum 1, 2007

A









Rigby NavigatorRigby Navigator is perfectly aligned to the aims of the Curriculum for

Excellence. Active learning, challenging, motivating texts and differentiation

are at the heart of this programme, and as a result it will continue to support

you in teaching essential comprehension skills.

Rigby Navigator meets the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• The Rigby Navigator Teacher’s Guides are crammed with suggestions for

meaningful discussion, collaboration and innovating on others’ ideas. Active learning is easy to achieve with these fl exible, supportive notes.

• Rigby Navigator fi ction, poetry and plays are excellent for teaching the higher-order comprehension skills of inference, deduction and evaluation.

• Within Rigby Navigator non-fi ction, information is provided verbally and visually to help children develop non-fi ction reading skills.

Breadth• The wide range of genres within Rigby Navigator – non-fi ction, fi ction, poetry and

plays – means that children have access to a broad range of texts.• Rigby Navigator non-fi ction has supported the application of cross-curricular

links since its inception in 2002. Each Rigby Navigator non-fi ction book contains 12 complete, self-contained articles, allowing children to apply their literacy skills in other curriculum areas.

20

“Children and young people not only need to be able to read for

information: they also need to be able to work out what trust they should place on

the information and to identify when and how people are aiming to persuade

or infl uence them.” From Literacy and English Cover Paper, 2008

13


A

Literacy


Rig

by N

avig

ato

rProgression• Rigby Navigator fi ction is available at two levels, including Navigator Max,

which is specially designed for less able readers. The non-fi ction is extremely fl exible and allows you to easily integrate your teaching within the wider curriculum.

• Throughout Rigby Navigator and Navigator Max, children develop a variety of reading strategies, to extend their skills beyond literal comprehension into the higher-order skills of inference and deduction. They are encouraged to refl ect on and evaluate their own use of these strategies in order to become more confi dent, self-aware readers.

Depth• Each Rigby Navigator lesson has a clear focus, which is supported by a number

of steps through the lesson plan. The Teacher’s Guides prompt the teacher to check for understanding, integrate specifi c literacy skills and end each lesson with a purposeful plenary.

• Within Rigby Navigator non-fi ction, each spread focuses on a key skill, enabling you to set targets and review performance at the end of each lesson.

Personalisation and choice• Rigby Navigator is renowned for its fl exible and easy to use Teaching Guides.

They offer different routes through the material, allowing teachers to modify their guided reading sessions according to the needs of their class. Extra challenges are built in for those children who can accept more challenging interaction with the text.

• Navigator Max provides high interest books for lower-ability readers. It is specially designed to support the different learning styles of struggling readers, and provides motivating, boy-friendly subjects and artwork.

• The new Navigator Poetry and Plays strand adds to the wide variety of fi ction and non-fi ction texts available, providing even greater choice.

Coherence• Rigby Navigator provides an excellent solution for reading. The sessions develop

not only reading skills, but talking and listening and group interaction skills too. • The writing follow-up for each text completes the transition from talking

to reading into writing. • Rigby Navigator is fl exible enough to be used alongside your other literacy

resources to provide a complete literacy experience.

Relevance • Navigator draws on subjects that are directly relevant to children’s lives,

and encourage critical analysis not just of print but of other types of ‘text’, such as websites, e-mails and text messages.

21

A









Pocket ReadsPocket Reads is a brilliant way to support independent reading for your

juniors. The motivating texts by a range of great authors will capture children’s

imaginations and help foster a love of reading – they are just the right length

for an independent read. The careful levelling and progression helps ensure

that each child is reading a suitable book, and there’s guidance on using

assessment for learning and progression.

Pocket Reads meet the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• Pocket Reads provide whole texts by quality authors to be used in the classroom.

Pocket Reads offer children the opportunity to practise their reading skills independently, gaining fl uency and confi dence.

• Pocket Reads have great boy-appeal and are successful in motivating children to read more and to apply and consolidate key skills.

Breadth• Pocket Reads offer fantastic breadth and variety of genre:

- Pocket Tales provides captivating fi ction stories- Pocket Sci-Fi stimulates with stories from out of this world- Pocket Chillers spooks and excites with chilling fi ction stories

• Pocket Facts engages children through non-fi ction, and Pocket Worlds provides even more non-fi ction topics to explore, increasing children’s love of reading as they learn about people, places and cultures around the world.

22

“Children and young people

need to spend time with stories,

literature and other texts

which will enrich their learning,

develop their language skills

and enable them to

fi nd enjoyment.”

From Literacy and English Cover Paper, 2008

13


A

Literacy


Pocket Rea

ds

Progression• Pocket Reads includes a range of fi ction and non-fi ction independent

readers that have been carefully levelled to ensure each child takes home the perfect book.

• Pocket Reads contain integral notes which support the assessment of key reading skills and strategies.

Depth• The Pocket Reads notes ensure targeted questioning, so you can be assured

that every reading session counts.

Personalisation and choice• Pocket Reads offer a huge variety of high-quality texts, providing plenty

of choice for independent reading. • Pocket Reads are carefully levelled, meaning that you can match each child

to the right book every time.

Coherence• Independent practice is an integral part of children’s learning. Pocket Reads supports

children as they gain confi dence in reading independently, providing a sound basis for skills that they will be able to transfer to other areas of learning.

• The books can be used as discussion points and as exemplar texts, thus drawing together the three lines of development (reading, talking and listening, and writing).

Relevance • Children love the engaging stories in Pocket Chillers, Sci-Fi and Tales, which have

been specially selected to tie in to children’s existing interests. • Pocket Facts encourages children to fi nd out about and think about the world around

them, while Pocket Worlds encourages exploration and discussion of geography, people and customs across the globe.

23

Star Reader & Star WriterStar Reader and Star Writer are two new programmes that make use of

fantastic multimedia software, including video, animation and music to

inspire all your juniors. Star Reader is a reading comprehension programme

with talking and listening at its heart. Star Writer is an interactive writing

programme that demonstrates and practises writing skills through exciting

topics and themes.

Star Reader and Star Writer meet the aims of the Curriculum for Excellence in the following ways:

Challenge and enjoyment• Star Reader and Star Writer feature fantastic interactive software, packed with

video and animations which will inspire the whole class, whether high or low attainers.

• In Star Reader, children are encouraged to become critical readers, analysing a wealth of different ‘text’ types, and improving their higher-level comprehension skills.

• In Star Writer, the stimulating whole-class teaching sessions allow children to share the writing process, before being challenged to create their own writing independently or in collaboration. Star Writer includes the facility for children to create their own ICT texts: a truly memorable and motivating way into writing.

• Strong support from the teaching guide helps keep your whole-class sessions focused, motivating and meaningful.

Breadth• In both programmes, children are asked not just to read and write traditional

print ‘texts’ – they are exposed to a broader variety of text types than ever before. The stimulus pieces can be used to spark discussion and debate, or provide a starting point for research, across different curriculum areas.

• In both programmes, the child-friendly software can be used for both whole-class and small group work, providing an opportunity for children to develop ICT skills as well as language.

Progression• Structured in four main stages, Star Reader gives a progression in the diffi culty of

text types that children encounter, as well as in the diffi culty of questioning and reading strategies.

• In Star Writer, the supportive, child-friendly Writer’s Guides reinforce the whole-class teaching. Useful features such as style guides for different genres, and structured support for writing help children to use what they have learned. In the fi nal stage of the programme there are dedicated units that revise what has been learned.

• The principles of peer- and self-assessment and evaluation are integral to Star Reader and Star Writer. Through developing their critical analysis skills, children learn to improve their own reading and writing.

Depth• Star Reader and Star Writer are structured in individual units, allowing an in-

depth focus on particular aspects of reading or writing. • In Star Writer, the progression from viewing the stimulus, scaffolded writing,

evaluation and improvement means that you can practise and apply the skills needed in a series of targeted sessions.

• The whole-class sessions are supported by a variety of independent and group follow-up tasks.

24

13

Star Rea

der &

Star W

riterPersonalisation and choice• Star Reader is a skills-based programme, meaning that you can identify

the areas your children need support with and target them specifi cally. ‘Challenge’ tasks are designed to stretch your most able children.

• In Star Writer, the Ros Wilson criterion scale helps you identify personal targets for each child to improve. Because the CD is designed to be user-friendly, children can use it by themselves or in small groups, providing a choice of IT or paper-based working.

Coherence• Star Reader and Writer provide strong links across the three lines of development

(talking and listening, reading, and writing). Used together they provide a coherent solution for reading and language teaching.

Relevance• Star Reader and Star Writer are full of different types of ‘text’, and high-quality

animations and video. These closely resemble the multimedia experiences that children encounter every day.

• Children develop critical analysis skills in interpreting and evaluating different types of texts; as well as reviewing and improving their own work. These valuable skills can be transferred across other subject areas and beyond the classroom.

25

“Applying literacy skills

successfully through technologies

allows children and young

people to engage with and

express themselves using

different media.”

From Literacy and the Four Capacities, 2008

26

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a whole new reading experience – at the right level · curriculum for excellence into practice...

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