It’s that time of the year when the nights are drawing in slowly and summer is on the retreat. We love autumn here at the Literacy Tree and, as Halloween creeps up on us, it might be time to break…
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This month, with the nights drawing in, the falling of the leaves and a distinct drop in temperature, change is afoot. And it brings with it the familiar: cosy evenings, hunkering down for the autumn with some good books and…
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The new academic year has begun and one of our most important priorities as educators is to hear each child in our class read. We need to quickly get a sense of how fluently a child can decode a text…
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Setting up your classroom at this point each year can be a moment of unbridled joy. Almost like moving into a new home, or redecorating a room, this is the moment where you can make your dreams a reality! ‘This…
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Why are we here? Who am I? What’s my purpose? Whilst these might not be ponderings of a primary-aged child, most children will still think upon life’s big questions at some point. Just the other day (at bedtime, as is…
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While writing this on July the 19th - so-called ‘freedom day’ from Covid-19 restrictions, and in the week where the vast majority of schools break-up for the summer holiday - it seemed apt to theme August’s review around freedom. As…
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Our raison d’etre is to ensure that every child has access to quality literature and we firmly believe that this is a right; an entitlement of each and every child. This applies not just to mainstream primary settings but also to Additionally Resourced Provision classes (ARPs)/SEND settings…
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Summer holidays are now finally appearing over the hazy horizon, ushering in the end of another very strange and discombobulating academic year. We do hope you are now getting ready for some R&R. Being literary minded as we are, we…
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We often talk about the importance of literature being truly representative of the children we work with and how being able to see oneself in a text is key not only to engagement and comprehension but also to being able…
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Children need a rich diet of varied literature as they grow up and collections of short stories can be an exciting part of the menu. They are ideal for the time-strapped who may struggle to get to the end of…
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It’s sometimes suggested that as adults we should develop altruism within our children. In an Observer article published in early May of 2014, psychotherapist and author Graham Music asserts that we're likely to be born big-hearted and kind. It is later we are…
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Children’s writing has been affected in several detrimental ways over the past year, especially those children that have not had access to a laptop or consistent support at home. From our consultancy visits in schools and talking to teachers from…
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An important ‘knowing’ in the mind of the very young child is the realisation that the world is bigger than they themselves are. Helping children to develop not just self-awareness but also empathy, the ability to self-regulate and the resilience…
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We’ve enjoyed putting together this list: so many glorious books about all-things celebratory! Each title reflects experiences and perspectives of different festivals, special occasions and life-events with the ultimate goals of sparking joy from within and allowing children to explore…
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With spring sprung, daylight-saving clock-changes and the lockdown restrictions easing, some of us are perhaps dreaming of the outdoors: yearning for adventure, travel or just a change of scene. And we can’t help but think that adventures this spring and…
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A year on from the first national lockdown and it would be safe to say we have all learnt a thing or two about ourselves in the last twelve months. Some of those lessons will have been obvious (the benefits…
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The topic of catch up and recovery is very much on our minds at the moment. We believe that for all children, we need to create points from which they can begin to regroup as learners, both within themselves as…
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We write this on the eve of all children returning to school in England. As we have explored in previous blogs, the needs of children on return will be hugely varied depending on their experiences of home learning so far. It will be a very welcome change…
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