Reawakening Literature

Real Reads are accessible texts designed to support the literacy development of primary and lower secondary age children while introducing them to the riches of our international literary heritage. The books can be enjoyed by able readers in middle primary, and allow older children with literacy difficulties to engage with great stories. The books are also useful in the teaching of English as an additional language.

Accessing and sharing important works of literature is often a daunting experience. Jane Campion’s practical guide is designed to support teachers and parents in maximising children’s reading experience. It identifies a range of opportunities for developing reading skills, and for talking about books. It also suggests ways of developing readers’ appreciation and understanding of the cultural and social contexts of these classics as world literature.

The guide is divided into five sections

Activities are designed to encourage engagement, strengthen comprehension, and to support the development of more complex skills such as inferential reading. For each activity there is an explanation of the activity with a worked example using one of the Real Reads texts, together with suggestions about how the activity can be extended for the more able.

About the author

Jane Campion has ten years’ experience of teaching English Language and English Literature at secondary level, and has been a lead teacher for English. She is a member of the English Association Secondary Education Committee, and edits the association’s journal for secondary teachers, The Use of English.