Now in its second edition, Teaching Primary English is a bestselling, comprehensive, evidence-informed guide designed to support and inspire teaching and learning in the primary school. Written in a clear and accessible way, it draws on the very latest research and theory to describe and exemplify a full and rich English curriculum. It offers those on teacher training courses, as well as qualified teachers who are looking to develop their practice, invaluable subject knowledge and guidance for effective, enjoyable classroom practice.

Throughout there is an emphasis on equity and inclusion. Advice and ideas are supported by explicit examples of good teaching linked to video clips filmed in real schools, reflective activities, observational tasks and online resources. Each chapter includes suggestions for great children’s literature, considers assessment throughout and offers support in planning for inclusion and special educational needs. New and expanded areas for this edition include:

• Multimodal texts

• Increased coverage of Early Years

• Dialogic learning and oracy

• Comprehensive companion website with revised and additional resources

• A new section on digital literacies

• Reading for pleasure

• Teaching grammar in context

• Critical literacy

With a focus on connecting all modes of English, the global and the local, and home and school experience, this detailed, uplifting book, includes inspiring case studies throughout and will support you in developing a curious, critical approach to teaching and learning English.

Additional content can be found on the fantastic supporting website. Features include:

• Video clips from within the classroom to demonstrate English teaching techniques

• Audio resources, including an interactive quiz, to check understanding and provide real-life examples and case studies

• Downloadable resources to support teaching and incorporate into lesson plans.

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The world we are preparing our students to succeed in is one bound together by words and phrases. Our students learn their literature, history, math, science, or art via a firm foundation of strong reading skills. When we teach students to read with precision, rigor, and insight, we are truly handing over the key to the kingdom. Of all the subjects we teach reading is first among equals.
Grounded in advice from effective classrooms nationwide, enhanced with more than 40 video clips, Reading Reconsidered takes you into the trenches with actionable guidance from real-life educators and instructional champions. The authors address the anxiety-inducing world of Common Core State Standards, distilling from those standards four key ideas that help hone teaching practices both generally and in preparation for assessments. This ‘Core of the Core’ comprises the first half of the book and instructs educators on how to teach students to: read harder texts, ‘closely read’ texts rigorously and intentionally, read nonfiction more effectively, and write more effectively in direct response to texts.
The second half of Reading Reconsidered reinforces these principles, coupling them with the ‘fundamentals’ of reading instruction—a host of techniques and subject specific tools to reconsider how teachers approach such essential topics as vocabulary, interactive reading, and student autonomy. Reading Reconsidered breaks an overly broad issue into clear, easy-to-implement approaches. Filled with practical tools, including:

• 44 Video clips of exemplar teachers demonstrating the techniques and principles in their classrooms

• Recommended book lists

• Downloadable tips and templates on key topics like reading nonfiction, vocabulary instruction, and literary terms and definitions.

Reading Reconsidered provides the framework necessary for teachers to ensure that students forge futures as lifelong readers.

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What is grammar? Why is it so central to the teaching of English? How can we teach it with confidence in secondary schools?

Essential Grammar will provide clarity, meaning and teacher expertise to this much debated area of the English curriculum. By exploring grammar as applied to literary analysis and using a range of examples from commonly-taught and popular texts, this highly accessible book provides an extensive overview of how to use grammar to enhance the teaching of academic and creative writing. Drawing on a range of resources, best-selling authors Webb and Giovanelli:

• discuss the context of grammar teaching in schools

• provide a clear overview of concepts and terminology for the teacher

• offer a wide range of examples of how grammar can be applied to the analysis of texts and the development of students’ writing

• debunk the unhelpful view of grammar as a list of prescriptive rules and limits

• outline grammatical concepts in a way which is clear and simple to understand

• provide a huge range of practical ways to ensure that teaching of grammatical concepts can be rigorous and successful for all.

This resource, with its grounded and straightforward approach to grammar, will be immediately useable in the classroom with strategies that be used by teachers in their classroom today. For any training and practicing secondary English teachers, Essential Grammar will be a compulsory classroom companion.

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