Primary English pre-arrival tasks

1. Primary English pre-arrival tasks Canterbury Christ church university “That very night in Max’s room a forest grew” Where the wild things are By Maurice Sendak

2. What does it mean to be literate? "Literacy achieves our listed aim of empowerment by conferring the skill not just to read and write but to make these processes genuinely transformative, exciting children’s imagination (another listed aim), extending their boundaries and enabling them to contemplate lives and worlds possible as well as actual" Alexander, R. J., & Armstrong, M. (2010). Children, their World, their Education: final report and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review. Taylor & Francis US. … it had a really weird look about it – a sad, lost sort of look. The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan

3. The reading journal The Primary English course at Canterbury Christ Church University is based on children’s literature. We would like you to begin to develop your knowledge of contemporary children’s literature by starting a reading journal to record children’s books you read and your response to them. You will continue to build on this journal through your course. You can record your reading however you like – but most of all we want you to enjoy it! The first time Sally flew was before she could even crawl. As her parents slept, she floated above them, too young to speak, too young to think in words.

4. Finding good books We recommend the following websites: http://www.readingzone.com/home.php http://justimaginestorycentre.co.uk/ http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/genre/pw/All‐Shortlists‐and‐Winners.html# Do also ‘like’ the Canterbury Christ Church University Primary English Team Facebook Page Tracy Parvin, Programme Director of the BA(hons) Primary Education; English team member and president of the United Kingdom Literacy Association (www.ukla.org) has some recommendations for you on the next few slides.

5. Recommended by tracyparvin: Recently published novels Five Children on the Western Front: Kate Saunders 2014 Although an absolutely lovely read, I think that  I am suggesting this from my own  nostalgic perspective: I used to love the Nesbitt books as a child. I wonder whether the context might be lost on those children who might  not have read the originals. Maybe it is more for us adults.  Counting by 7s: Holly Goldberg Sloane 2014 A delightful read for children and adults alike. There is much to explore in this book, from loss of parents to the power of friendship and community. Despite the potentially grim plot, this is neither mawkish nor downbeat...quite the opposite.  Beetle Boy:  MG Leonard 2016 Fantastic characterisations, especially the baddies, humour, adventure and everything that you ever wanted to know about beetles: simply genius! This is her first book and it is stunning!  The Imaginary: A F Harold (with Emily Gravett's fantastic illustrations) 2014 This is a really interesting and original book about 'imaginary' friends.  It is quite spine tingling in places with some very dark characters who are intent on eliminating all imaginaries.

6. Recently published novels Girl with a White Dog: Anne Booth 2014 Really interesting! It explores aging, family relationships , racial prejudice...all very sensitively. The Cat who Came in off the Roof: Annie Schmidt (translated by David Colmer) 2014 Simply delightful. The most strange story I have ever read, a real sense of humour permeates this book. It is about a journalist called Tibbles who is on a final warning: he must stop writing news stories about cats! He has the most bizarre encounter with a strangely feline young lady. The central characters are charmingly childlike adults, which I think is interesting.  The Amazing Tale of Ali Pasha: Michael Foreman 2015 On 6th May 1915, Henry Friston, a 21-year-old seaman, rejoined his battleship after ten days in Hell. Hell was just 180 metres long and seven metres wide and was otherwise known only as 'X Beach', Gallipoli. Henry, ferrying the wounded from the battlefield, had not eaten or slept for three days. Then, somehow, in the midst of the bombardments, he met an unlikely companion - a tortoise. Although this story might not sound appealing, it is one of the best books that I have read about the war. Michael Foreman is just a beautiful story teller and his illustrations are just sublime.  Oliver and the Seawigs: Phillip Reeve and Sarah Mcintyre 2014 A jolly good romp! Hilarious…look out for the Sarcastic Sea! Along with his new friends, a grumpy old albatross, a short-sighted mermaid, and a friendly island called Cliff, Oliver goes off in search of his missing parents. But before he can put his rescue plan into action there's the evil Stacey de Lacey and an army of greasy, green sea monkeys to contend with . .

7. Recommended established novels/authors Liar and Spy: Rebecca Stead 2013 When Georges moves into a new apartment block he meets Safer, a twelve-year-old self-appointed spy. Soon Georges has become his spy recruit. His first assignment? To track the mysterious Mr X, who lives in the flat upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: what is a game and what is a lie? How far is too far to go for your only friend? A brilliant read!  A Monster Calls: Patrick Ness 2012 This is one of the most powerful books that I have ever read and I think that every teacher should read it! It is being released as a film in the not too distant future..but I suspect that you know that as well!  Connor's mother is dying and this is his story and how he finally comes to terms with the impending loss. If used, I suggest that the you buy shares in Kleenex. I have tears in my eyes just writing this...  The Graveyard Book: Neil  Gaiman 2008 Another brilliant story from Neil Gaiman (I am a fan!) which has also very recently been published as a graphic novel. Very interesting characterisations, dark, mysterious. An orphaned child is cared for by the inhabitants of a graveyard.    The Other Side of Truth: Beverley Naidoo  2000 Explores the need for political asylum, lone children refugees, detention centres. Possibly pertinent and offers so many opportunities to explore notions of social justice. 

8. Picture books The list here could be endless….I love children’s picturebooks…where there is often a sophisticated interplay between words and pictures – they are not just for young children. I am going to limit myself to authors. I have purposefully not included authors which you might already know (well apart from one or two!) • Anthony Browne • Shaun Tan • Colin Thompson • Emily Gravett • Mini Grey • Lauren Child • David Mckee • Michael Foreman • Debbie Gliori • Alexis Deacon • Michelle Robertson

9. Starting a journal… • You could keep a physical or virtual record of your reading • Record the Title and Author of the text • Write something about what you thought of it – what you liked/didn’t like – what your response to it was • Did the book?: • 1. Make you cry • 2. Change your mind about an issue • 3. Confront a prejudice • 4. Encourage you to empathise with someone who has lived a different life from you • 5. See how the world might be different • 6. Help you to understand yourself better • 7. Make you feel the satisfaction of delicious writing • 8. Help you to enjoy life more • Did you meet a character who you identify with? • Did you meet a character you aspire to be like? https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/tips-and-advice/writing-tips/writing-tips-for-teens/authors-tips/how-to-start-a-book-blog/

10. SYSTEMATIC SYNTHETIC PHONICS • Phonics refers to the relationship between sounds and symbols in written language (so the sound ‘sh’ is represented by the symbols s and h together). Systematic synthetic phonics is one particular type of phonics teaching which you will learn about on your course. • Since the publication of The Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading (Rose, 2006), there has been an emphasis on the discrete teaching of Systematic Synthetic Phonics (SSP) for decoding text. • We recommend that you watch the following video to gain an understanding about the use of ‘pure sounds’ in SSP teaching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J2Ddf_0Om8 • ‘Letters and Sounds’ is a freely available example of an SSP teaching programme – you will use this scheme in your sessions at university to develop your understanding. You could look at the materials here: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110202093118/http:/nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/84969 • The ‘Notes of Guidance for Practitioners’ is particularly helpful in giving an overview of the approach.

11. Phonics videos • The following videos will give you an idea about what phonics teaching looks like in school • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-bNu2FacCo • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9Cd-CRbH6s • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5v35_jYJYw • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRYiOcqyEs8&t=12s

12. Grammar, punctuation and Spelling, (gps) • There is currently an emphasis on teaching grammar, punctuation and spelling in primary schools and this is assessed by tests in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. • We recommend that you look at the sample materials on the DfE website and use these to identify elements of your subject knowledge which need to be addressed. • https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2016-key-stage-1-english-grammar-punctuation-and-spelling-sample-test-materials-mark-scheme-and-test-administration-instructions • https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/key-stage-2-tests-2016-english-grammar-punctuation-and-spelling-test-materials

13. Grammar, punctuation and spelling • Recommended websites: • http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/topics/z2b2tyc • http://www.englicious.org/ • http://www.cybergrammar.co.uk/ • You will find the glossary from the National Curriculum for English here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/244216/English_Glossary.pdf This will help you see what children are required currently to learn and be taught in primary school.