It is the new year, which is a time for a fresh start and developing new habits. I've been working away for the last year on a new book that distils what every teacher needs to know and do when it comes to literacy in the classroom.

In concise and practical fashion, the book breaks down literacy into manageable chunks. It includes chapters on the following:

A chapter on READING ESSENTIALS. It explores the transformative power of reading in an era of declining reading habits. It explores home reading, the importance of foundational decoding and fluency, comprehension, and more, with lots of practical approaches for who, how and when to read in class.

A chapter on WRITING ESSENTIALS. It focuses on what every teacher needs to know about handwriting, spelling and sentence level instruction. It also unpacks the writing process - including planning, editing and revising - along with how writing changes in every subject discipline.

A chapter on TALK ESSENTIALS. It tackles why talk routines are vital in every classroom, but too often they lack explicit focus and structure. The chapter unpacks talking to learn, brilliant book talk, dialogue and debate, talk and behaviour and more. With the emergence of oracy, it is vital to get the essentials of classroom talk right.

A chapter on VOCABULARY ESSENTIALS. This chapter explores the vital role played by vocabulary in all learning. The chapter unlocks explicit vocabulary instruction, developing 'word consciousness', vocabulary for writing, and more. It turns out that sustaining vocabulary instruction is hard to do well, but it is essential we do so.

A chapter on LITERACY ASSESSMENT ESSENTIALS. This critical chapter explains how literacy assessment is bogged down in imitating national assessments and standardised testing seldom used by teachers. It offers a bumper compilation of practical diagnostic assessment approaches every teacher can use for reading, writing, talk and vocabulary.

A chapter on LITERACY AND SEND ESSENTIALS. This unpacks the challenge of supporting the literacy of students with additional needs. It includes pen portraits of different SEND diagnoses and how they relate to literacy. It also offers practical approaches for adaptive teaching and working effective with teaching assistants to support every student with literacy.

This book is the culmination of at least a decade of research, writing, and working with schools and settings on improving literacy. I am deeply proud of it and hope it proves just what busy teachers need.

You can preorder on Amazon HERE.

You can also add the book to your wish-list on Routledge HERE.