Reading material

The aim of this area is to give you some short cuts to relevant reading material that will offer you practical strategies for classroom methodologies. Look also to the research and relevant websites areas for more ideas.

If you come across a good resource, please share it with us by contacting the Building Bridges content editor. 

Three booklets, from the 5-14 Teacher Support Series, designed to support personal, imaginative and functional writing in the 5-14 curriculum.
ISBN 1 85955 164 5, price £7 (Sue Ellis and Gill Friel, Learning and Teaching Scotland, 1998) 

Direct Interactive Teaching
Useful practical guide with particular focus on staff development; sections include planning for interactive teaching, classroom interactions, active whole-class teaching, working with groups, working with differences, creating the right conditions for interactive teaching.
ISBN 1 85955 687 6, price £5 

Provides access to a range of information about the projects, publications and other activities of the QCA English team. 

Language for learning in Key Stage 3
Gives advice about co-ordinating a whole school approach to literacy across the curriculum and end of year expectations for literacy for each of the three age groups (P7 - S2), with specific objectives that could help these expectations to be met. The full booklet contains many practical examples of ways schools have risen to the challenge of introducing the idea of literacy across the curriculum.
Order ref: QCA/005/595, price £4 (QCA, 2000) 

Giving a voice: drama and speaking and listening resource for Key Stage 3 
(P7 - S2) 17 units of work containing sequences of lessons in which talking, listening and drama are explicitly taught. They are flexible and adaptable to other contexts.
Order ref: QCA/03/1075, price £12, (QCA, 2003) 

Getting the Buggers to Write by Sue Cowley 
Practical guide offering readers a range of effective strategies for developing children's writing in the classroom. Ideal for inexperienced teachers, or those unfamiliar with new methodologies.
ISBN 0826458394 

Through Writing to Reading: classroom strategies for supporting literacy 
In this book, Brigid Smith shows how children's own words, dictated to a teacher or other helper, and then read back, can give them an initial experience of literacy. Interesting strategy, with examples.
ISBN 0415096146