Early Years and KS1

Cambridge University

Press

A coherent structure and strategy for literacy skills development.

Books arranged in clearly labelled phases.

FOR

Comprehensive prog.

Stimulating resources.

Excellent teaching ideas & guidance.

Challenging activities.

Schools can select elements.

AGAINST

Yes

Cambridge University

Press

New resource for fiction and poetry in the literacy hour.

Dedicated resources for year groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 matched to the NLS framework.

Also Passports Plus Fiction Packs for each year group. (books by top authors for children).

Teacher books in each year group give lesson plans, linked text, sentence and word level work, support for guided reading and activities to provide for differentiation.

FOR

Stimulating and challenging range of texts with highly practical teacher books.

AGAINST

Coordinating the four teacher's books takes time.

Collins

A completely integrated literacy programme for shared text work in the literacy hour.

Resources and support materials aimed at each year group from Year 1 to 6 inclusive.

Provides plans for the year, the term and daily literacy hour.

FOR

Very accessible.

Good coverage of range.

Stimulating texts.

Clear planning.

Learning objectives linked to lesson plans.

Supportive.

AGAINST

No resource for guided work.

Text extracts only.

Collins

Comprehensive programme for Guided and Shared Reading and Writing.

Broad range of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and plays. Activity masters for independent work.

Teachers notes:

Each book contains a double page spread with suggested ideas for all elements of the LH.

FOR

Covers full text range.

Teacher notes matched to objectives.

Ideas for assessment for each book.

A range of literacy selections are possible, e.g. guided readers, big book selections.

AGAINST

Structure, e.g. Year 3 = Stage 4.

Training implications for using full programme.

Early Years

& KS1

Folens

www.folens.com

A structured programme for guided reading and writing with carefully planned progression.

Emergent Stage (4-5 year olds: 5 levels), Early Stage (5-6 year olds: 7 levels) and Experienced Stage (6-7 year olds: 5 levels).

A wide range of carefully graded books at each level with a balance of fiction and non-fiction.

Packs A & B at each level.

Teacher planning file.

Activities for word, sentence and text work.

Extensive sight vocabulary.

Phonics reinforcement.

Assessment - error rate for each book.

Homework activities book.

FOR

Teacher files provide extensive support.

Supports EAL learners.

Resources guide reading and writing simultaneously.

Progression ensured.

Assessment allows ongoing monitoring and evaluation.

AGAINST

Needs to be woven into planning for other aspects of the Literacy Hour.

Implications for training.

KS2

Folens

www.folens.com

A structured programme for guided reading and writing with carefully planned progression.

4 packs of books at each phase: 2 fiction and 2 non fiction. Each pack contains 10 titles.

Big books for selected titles (2 in each pack).

Teacher book for each pack.

Teacher books provide:

-lesson plans for each title

-word, sentence and text work

-independent activities

-assessment.

FOR

Teacher files provide extensive support including identification of reading difficulty of the text, number of words in the book, the book genre, a synopsis, links with specific learning objectives in NLS.

Good mix of genres and stimulating texts.

AGAINST

Prescriptive.

KS2

KS1-Sep 2000

Ginn

A systematic & comprehensive approach to skills teaching in line with the content and approach of the NLS.

KS1

Teachers Book, Big books

PCMs

Activity cards Text books at Y2.

KS2

For each year:

Teachers book, Big book, Homework PCMs. Differentiated practice PCMs.

Pupil text book and anthology.

Teachers books provide step by step guidance on introducing and teaching the clearly stated learning objectives; teaching points for shared text work, and cross references to other Password English resources.

FOR

Easy to use.

Links each part of the hour.

Differentiated activities for group work (3 levels).

Provides coverage of NLS objectives at word, sentence and text level.

Scope and sequence chart.

Guidance on assessment.

AGAINST

No support or resources for guided reading.

KS2

Ginn

A range of texts for shared reading to cover requirements of NLS at KS2.

Very good.

For each year group year 3 to year 6:

Teachers book.

Big Book Teaching Anthology.

Pupils Anthology.

Teachers book provides suggestions for text, sentence and word level during the shared part of the hour.

Charts, PCMs and ideas for extending work to other resources.

FOR

Easy to use.

The range of texts by established authors.

Teaching notes match NLS.

Makes explicit links with resources available in classrooms.

Ready-made literacy lessons.

AGAINST

Big book and pupils book are identical.

Need to weave into current planning.

KS2

Y5&6 April 2000

Y3&4 Sep 2000

Ginn

To support shared, guided and extended writing.

Materials arranged in each year group with 30 units per year.

Each unit gives 2 Literacy Hours for each week of the year, plus extended writing.

At each of years 3-6:

Teacher's book,

Overhead transparencies for shared writing.

Photocopy masters for group, guided and homework.

Teachers book includes notes for each unit.

NLS matching charts.

Teachers book cross references to pupils books,

OHTs and PCMs.

Notes cover teacher modelling text types, word and sentence work.

Guidance on differentiation. Ideas for plenary.

Assessment includes examples of pupils writing.

FOR

Easy to use.

Targets writing.

Full range of writing genres.

Teachers notes matched to NLS and the literacy hour.

Provides SATs preparation.

Meets all NLS range and writing requirements.

Can be used alongside any reading programme.

Carefully structured to improve pupils performance.

Ideas for extended writing.

Integrated homework.

Built in assessment opps.

Highlights common problems

AGAINST

Prescriptive.

KS1 and KS2

Ginn

Comprehensive reading scheme package.

KS1

Materials arranged in Year groups with 3 stages in each year.

KS2

KS1

Demonstration book for R,Y1 Y2.

Big Books for each genre at KS1 F, NF and poetry.

Readers for group & guided reading including group activity cards.

PCMs and Infant Writing Frames. Software to reinforce word level work.

KS2

Overhead transparencies for each year group on selected units of work.

6 big books span the key stage.

Range of pupils books for group and guided reading at each stage.

PCM books (3) and Junior Writing Frames.

KS1

New planning guides for each year group.

Demonstration books notes

Guided Reading notes.

Handbook for Phonic and Sight Vocabulary activities.

KS2

3 teacher books cover the key stage and provide support writing activities and detailed learning outcomes for each title. Cross references to learning objs, key skills, PCMs, Activity Book pages & glossary.

Teacher notes for transparencies.

FOR

Comprehensive programme.

Stimulating and high quality resources.

Excellent teaching ideas & guidance.

Challenging activities.

Schools can select elements.

Transparencies at KS2 and teacher notes

AGAINST

Training implications for full programme.

Limited range of big books at KS2.

Yes

Heinemann

Shared and guided reading programme including Storyworld Bridges to prepare pupils for KS2.

Very good.

Each stage has 4 titles for each of 4 different genre. Selected bug books at each stage.

2 word practice books at each stage for each genre.

Teaching guides & word skills pack.

Teachers cards to support big books & guided reading.

Shared and Guided reading teaching cards: comprehensive guidance for using the book in LHr.

FOR

High quality resources and stimulating texts.

Excellent teacher support.

Ease of use.

Bridges books challenge children at top end of Y2.

AGAINST

Learning objectives not directly referenced with NLS framework.

Does not cover full range of NLS (e.g. no poetry).

Heinemann

A complete programme for teaching fiction, non fiction and poetry with coverage of text sentence and word level work.

FICTION
Three literacy skills big books, text anthology, a Play anthology, short stories and novels & language skills book for each stage.

Teachers guide per stage for fiction and non fiction include easy to use weekly lesson plans for text, sentence and word level work that develop out of the anthology pieces.

FOR

Very supportive.

Well matched to NLS.

Easy to use.

Small versions elaborate big book extracts.

Stimulating materials.

High quality books and support ideas.

AGAINST

Some of the planning is ambitious.

KS1

Heinemann

Non fiction programme for KS1.

Six stages for KS1 from YR.

YR= stage A

Y1= stages B & C

7 books per stage in big and small book format that provide extensive coverage of NLS text types.

Two large literacy flip-over lesson books (Bk 1 for stages A, B and C; Bk2 for stages D, E and F)

New teacher guides for the literacy hour give structured lesson plans.

New NF guided reading cards offer practical suggestions for teaching skills with small groups.

FOR

Attractive and high quality materials across a wide range of topics.

Easy to use flip over and teachers books.

Motivating activities encourage investigation.

Strategy referenced objectives at each stage.

AGAINST

As with all NF schemes there is a need to match titles to school topics.

KS1 and KS2

Kingscourt

A range of texts for developing reading and writing skills now linked to the NLS.

Organised in key stages.

Wide range of small and big books, foldouts charts and posters for each key stage.

KS1 posters and KS2 charts for writing skills include teachers notes.

FOR

A good range of texts.

Teachers can select elements.

AGAINST

YR

Longman

New, shared, guided and independent reading programme.

Arranged in year group YR to Y2.

Comprises three strands:

Story Street:

7 Steps (levels)

YR&Y1= Foundation and Steps 1, 2 & 3.

Y2 = Steps 4, 5 & 6

Genre Range:

Y1 = Beginner

Y2 = Emergent

Info Trail:

Y1 = Beginner

Y2 = Emergent

Story Street:

Big Books at each 'step' for shared reading.

Small version and additional readers for guided and independent Rdg.

Approx. 9 titles at each Step.

Genre Range:

Large whole-class t'ching anthology.

Readers for pupils include plays, comics, trad tales and poetry.

Y1 = 15 titles

Y2 = 15 titles

Info Trail:

Large whole-class anthology.

Readers for pupils relate to History, Geography and Science themes

Y1 = 12 titles

Y2 = 12 titles

Teaching Notes and Literacy Co-ordinator's Handbook for all three strands.

Additional Activity Sheets booklet for Story Street + poster map.

Activity sheets for Info Trail in teachers notes.

Teachers notes use a clear and consistent layout.

FOR

Easy to use and manageable.

Can use as a complementary resource.

Strands will 'stand alone'.

Clear and simple structure.

High quality texts and supportive illustrations.

Recognised writers for children.

Built in progression.

Range of narrative genres.

Non fiction texts support development of NF writing.

Support and resources for teaching guided reading.

Resources and teacher notes matched to NLS.

AGAINST

Thin at Reception end.

KS2

Books 1 and 2 in March 2000

Nelson

The new edition provides parallel Fiction and Non-Fiction strands containing thematically linked units.

Fiction Pupil's book;

Non-Fiction Pupil's book;

Copymaster Book;

Teachers Guide;

Anthology OHT copymasters.

Shared Text

Poster Pack.

Teacher Guides:

matched to NLS;

identify genre ;

Notes relate to teaching the unit and not lessons, (i.e. flexible)

Anthology OHTs are good aids to shared reading & writing sessions.

Pupils' books have differentiated questions to support reading and writing tasks.

FOR

Covers NLS fiction and non-fiction requirements.

Easy to use.

Teacher guides clearly structured and manageable.

Transparencies of extracts.

SATs style assessment materials.

AGAINST

Short text extracts although extended extracts accompany the programme.

No dedicated resource for guided work.

Many of the language activities exercised based.

Nelson

Carefully selected enlarged posters.

20 A2 shared text posters.

Teachers Resource Book.

Worksheets.

Teacher's book provides ideas for activities related to each poster, all linked to specific NLS objectives for Text, Sentence and Word level work.

FOR

Matched to NLS.

Stimulating and challenging texts for Y2.

Support material and lesson notes.

Will stand alone.

AGAINST

Oxford University Press

A balanced literacy scheme with 'strands' which focus on a range of reading strategies and content which fits the NLS requirements.

KS1:

5 literacy strands:

Word Level strand, Fiction strand,

Non-Fiction strand, Poetry strand,

Language strand for 'stages' matched to year groups_

N/R= starter stage

Y1 = stages 1 to 5

Y2 = stages 6 - 9.

KS2

Four 'strands':

Fiction,

Non Fiction,

Poetry,

and

Language

Matched to year groups, Y3 to Y6.

N/R and KS1

Word Level: Letters, Sounds, and Rhymes.

Fiction: Duck Green School stories.

Non-Fiction: 24 books cover KS1 in themed packs.

Poetry: themed packs.

Language: pupil books, posters and PCMs for Y2.

CD-ROMs for Letters, Sounds and Rhymes.

Workbooks, story tapes and Games with Duck Green School readers.

KS2

An anthology and poster pack for each year group.

Pupil Launch into Literacy language book for each year group and end of key stage assessment work book.

KS1

Supportive and detailed teacher guides for each strand with PCMs and assessment record sheets.

KS2

Guides for each of the anthologies provide teaching notes for each extract, including ideas for shared and guided rdg. plus PCMs.

FOR

Tailored to fit NLS.

Software KS1.

High quality materials and engaging activities.

Teacher guidance/notes.

Structured experience of a range of text types.

Launch into Literacy strand teaches fiction, non-fiction text types and language knowledge in context.

Strands can be used independent of each other.

AGAINST

Care needs to be taken to ensure the very detailed guidance does not drive literacy planning.

Matched text, sentence and word level work may not fit needs of class/cohort.

Few big books.

Only uses text extracts at KS2.

YR and KS1

Rigby

New dedicated shared-reading resource.

Each big book comes with its own Big Book Bag.

Small version of each book available.

Teachers guide for each big book.

Co-ordionators handbook.

Teaching Guides give 2 five-day progressive literacy hours.

Guidance covers shared reading and writing, independent and group activities and ideas for the plenary session.

FOR

High quality a materials.

Recognised authors.

Unique features such as cut outs and split pages.

Covers NLS requirements for fiction, non fiction, poetry and plays.

Differentiated group work.

Teaching matched to NLS.

Can select to fill gaps.

AGAINST

Rigby

New dedicated guided-reading resource.

Arranged in year groups with colour coded difficulty levels within each year.

YR - 3 levels

Y1 - 3 levels

Y2 - 5 levels

A range of story books for pupils at each level.

Planning and assessment guide for each year group.

Assessment and planning guides help place pupils in groups and show how to use in the classroom.

Teacher's version of book to manage the session.

FOR

Easy to use.

Structured progression.

Matched to NLS.

Engaging texts with engaging illustrations.

Each book has a clear teaching focus.

Annotated version of books.

Books provide a context and model for writing activities.

Challenge for top end Y2.

AGAINST

Absence of non-fiction.

YR

KS1

Rigby

Revised big book programme to fit NLS.

Selected Big Book titles arranged in four strands:

Infant Fiction (24)

In Fact (Non-F 26)

Junior Novels (11)

Big book and small book versions * for each strand.

Teachers notes for each strand.

Activity sheets for each strand.

Matching little book versions for group reading.

New teacher's notes & activity sheets for every big book designed for the literacy hour.

FOR

High quality materials.

Teachers notes cross referenced with NLS.

New titles to fill genre gaps.

Each strand could fill a need within school programme.

AGAINST

* A few titles do not have a big or small book version.

Teacher notes and activity sheets cover all titles in each strand and cannot be got separately.

KS2

Rigby

A dedicated literacy hour programme matched to NLS requirements.

Pupils materials:

Text Anthology.

Reading Skills books A and B.

Writing Skills bk.

Word & Sentence skills books A & B.

Teacher material:

Tchr's anthology.

Teacher File.

OHTs Y5&6 (Spring 2000).

OHTs Y3&4 (Autumn 2000)

Teachers file contains a full introduction to the programme and strategies for use in the LHr.

Worksheets for independent work.

Assessment and marking schemes.

FOR

Easy to use.

Challenging text extracts.

The teacher's anthology.

Covers full range of NLS.

High quality OHTs.

Strategies for SATs prep.

AGAINST

Purely extract based.

No dedicated resources for guided reading.

YR

KS1

Stanley Thornes

Comprehensive language scheme dedicated to the NLS and literacy hour.

Teachers book for each year.

Course guide.

Posters and Big Story Books for shared reading at KS1 (Non Fiction due in 2000).

Flipover books.

Fiction and Non F readers at KS1.

Anthologies KS2.

Textbooks KS2.

2 Big Poetry Books.

Resources Files contain PCMs for each year group.

Teacher's books contain a daily lesson plan for each literacy hour from YR to Y6, including shared and guided sessions.

Lesson plans give ideas for differ-

entiated group work.

Detailed half-termly and weekly plans included.

Suggestions for assessment.

FOR

Comprehensive.

Lesson plans.

High quality resources.

Easy to use.

Full coverage and match to NLS.

Writing development linked to text extracts.

AGAINST

Detailed guidance could drive planning.

Weekly plans promote carousel approach.