Special Education Information Press has just reviewed the Magic Belt series in its November issue. It concludes: “This is another well-produced series of books which will help stimulate struggling readers to want to read.”
Read MoreLearning to Read
Why are children still guessing and not decoding?
Reports are coming back from schools that, despite Synthetic Phonics being taught in Reception classes, many children are failing to learn to decode. This has been reflected in the results of the Year 1 Phonics Check, with 58% of children reading 32 out of 40 words correctly. Why is this happening?
Read MoreWhat is the difference between a ‘reluctant reader’ and a ‘struggling reader’?
One often hears the terms ‘reluctant reader’ and ‘struggling reader’. Is there a difference between these terms?
Read MoreMagic Belt Series – Reviewed by Teach Primary – verdict: Rare Reads
The Magic Belt series has just been reviewed for the first time by John Dabell at Teach Primary. He summarises with his verdict – the books are ‘Rare Reads’ as they successfully and thoughtfully address a much neglected need for decodable age-appropriate reading materials for older pupils.
Read MoreWhy we need to teach children that graphemes can spell different sounds
Read or listen to a clear explanation why teachers should teach children explicitly about graphemes that can represent different sounds on the Literacy blog. Well worth it! http://www.theliteracyblog.com/
Read MoreHow to make phonic reading material age-appropriate for older pupils
One way to make older pupils fell comfortable about reading a phonic reading scheme is to make the illustrations age-appropriate and the stories fast moving and exciting. Another way is to introduce chapters into even the simplest of texts. It makes children feel that they are reading texts their peers would like to have a […]
Read MoreThe importance of age-appropriate phonic reading material for ‘catch-up’ pupils
When older pupils, who are struggling with literacy, come to the learning centre where I teach, they often have low self-esteem. Offering them babyish looking books will compound their sense of failure. If they are given books that young primary school children are reading, what does that say about them?
Read MoreMagic Belt Workbooks now available!
At last our much awaited Magic Belt workbooks are in stock! There are two workbooks: 1. The Introductory Workbook prepares the pupil for reading the Magic Belt Series. It is for children who have weak letter/sound correspondences. It starts with wordbuilding CVC words with the sounds of the alphabet. 2. The Magic Belt Workbook complements the […]
Read MoreDyslexia Awareness Week – tips for teaching dyslexic pupils
Dyslexia Awareness Week has just flashed by. Here are some tips for teachers teaching dyslexic pupils.
Read MorePupil Premium – FAQ’s
“Britain has one of the widest and most entrenched education attainment gaps between poor and wealthier children in Europe…. Children from low income backgrounds are half as likely to get five good grades at GCSE as their classmates. … They are more likely to leave school at 16, more likely to become Neets (not in […]
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