In advance of our visit to the USA to the IDA conference in November, we have asked some of the educators using our books their students in the USA to tell us what they think about them. Here are some of their responses.
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Magic Belt series wins award from Primary Teacher Update
We are delighted to announce that the Magic Belt series has just won the silver award for best primary resources at the recent Primary Teacher Update awards ceremony. The books were given to two different teachers to test with their pupils. Here is what they said: “An excellent resource. The books are very appealing and […]
Read MoreEvidence-based teaching – fantastic reading results using Magic Belt, Totem and Talisman series
The table below shows a set of results sent to us from a teacher who has used our catch-up range Magic Belt, Totem and Talisman books and workbooks this past year. All her pupils struggled with reading and have various profiles of learning difficulties. These include speech and language difficulties, specific learning difficulties, emotional difficulties […]
Read MoreJohn Walker of the ‘Literacy Blog’ reviews Magic Belt Series
John Walker, phonics guru and co-creator of the ‘Sounds-Write Reading and Spelling Programme’ reviews the Magic Belt Series. http://literacyblog.blogspot.co.uk/
Read MoreHow decodable books can expand vocabulary
Critics of synthetic phonics have claimed that the language of phonic reading books (decodable books) limits children’s vocabulary. Instead of enriching their vocabulary, they read about a ‘cat’ that ‘sat on a mat’. To this, I would say, “Have you seen the variety of decodable books that publishers have produced in recent years? Many of them […]
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 MoreTwo new workbooks to complement the Magic Belt Series
For all those who have been anticipating the workbooks that complement the new Magic Belt Series – two new workbooks are in the last stages of production! These are comprehensive workbooks that will really build up the reading skills of an older, ‘catch-up’ pupils.
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