A Guided Reader to Early Years and Primary English ─ Creativity, Principles and Practice

Few topics arouse such passionate feelings as how English should be taught to children in the primary years.

• What is the role of the spoken language in children’s learning?
• What knowledge needs to underpin our evaluation of the different methods and approaches to the initial teaching of reading?
• How is critical reading best developed and nurtured in the later primary years- particularly when it comes to the appreciation of literature in all its forms?
• What does research tell us about helping children to achieve confidence in their own ‘voice’ in the writing they do?
• How do we teach knowledge about language to children so they take pleasure in using it for expressing their thinking and their feelings about themselves and the world they inhabit?

This unique guide tries to answer these and many other critical questions by identifying and clarifying the key elements in the teaching of English in the early and primary school years. It draws on cutting edge international research in considering important issues for principles and practice but takes care to contextualise and guide the reader through the various theories and research findings to help them develop their own understanding.

The Guided Reader to Primary and Early Years English covers all crucial areas of literacy including:- reading, writing, speaking, listening, spelling, punctuation and grammar. It also covers a wide range of text types including, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, biography, multimedia and play scripts.

In each chapter there are suggested discussion points, key words and chapter summaries. Care has been taken to include extracts from journal articles and books which present some of the most interesting and relevant research for the intended readership: PGCE, B. Ed, MA students and those carrying out advanced research. The guide focuses on communicating a foundation of knowledge and understanding which could underpin any particular curriculum approach and so it has a global relevance and appeal.

After an introduction indicating the book’s aims, scope and main themes , each of the seven chapters takes up an important aspect of the primary English Curriculum, identifying issues and drawing on extracts from journal papers and books containing some of the most interesting and important research.

Margaret Mallett taught in Primary schools in Northumberland and Kent following an academic career as Lecturer and then senior lecturer in Language and Education at Goldsmiths College, University of London. She is a member of the editorial team of The English Association’s primary journal English 4-11, and reviewer of professional and children’s books for Books for Keeps online and The School Librarian journal.