Literature

English

Secondary

Michael Rosen talks to Alexander McCall Smith

In this programme Michael Rosen talks to the author of the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books, Alexander McCall Smith. He finds out that long before these novels for adults became bestsellers, McCall Smith wrote a collection of children's stories. We also find out how Quentin Blake's picture book, Green Ship, is inspiring a vast range of work and activities at a primary school in Tamworth, including a "senses" exploration of the school garden. Finally, we hear from our experts about Andrea Levy's Small Island, a story of raw racism in post-war Britain. The panel includes: Winsome Thomas, an education adviser to Birmingham LEA Victoria Shaw, a primary teacher Grant Bage of NESTA Please note that this programme is not available for download due to rights issue

Alexander McCall Smith

The panel discuss Millions, CS Lewis and Hans Christian Anderson

Reading Aloud is presented by author, poet and broadcaster Michael Rosen. It features interviews and tips from teachers on how to use books in the classroom, as well as books that have a profound influence on them. This programme includes: A look at the movie Millions: how a family film became a bestselling book and then inspired some magical work in the classroom Broadcaster and journalist Anne Diamond, who recalls how a very special teacher imparted a life-long love of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe The secret life of Hans Christian Anderson: our panel discuss a revealing new biography See the resources and support materials page for links, a list of all the books covered in this series and information about the English 21 QCA initiative.

Anne Diamond

Pupils who find reading difficult learn at a football ground

In this programme, serious Arsenal fan Michael Rosen visits the home of West Bromwich Albion to report on a new scheme called Reading the Game. It's a nationwide initiative to encourage reading sponsored by the National Literary Trust and The Premier League. At the West Bromwich ground, pupils who find reading difficult take part in a literacy trail, which involves a tour around the ground and a question and answer session with one of the first-team players. Also in this programme: An interview with prolific children's writer Anthony Horowitz - the creator of the Alex Rider spy novels How Stormbreaker - the first Alex Rider story - is being used in one Birmingham secondary school Grant Bage of NESTA, Winsome Thomas, education adviser to Birmingham LEA, and primary teacher Victoria Shaw, discuss Michael Frayn's book Spies

Anthony Horowitz

A look at the work of Babette Cole and Benjamin Zephaniah

Reading Aloud features books that inspire teachers and their pupils, presented by author, poet and broadcaster Michael Rosen. This programme looks at books to stimulate both teachers and pupils and features: An exploration of intelligence theory A discussion by the Reading Aloud panel about the educational impact of Howard Gardner's seminal book Multiple Intelligences Author and illustrator Babette Cole, creator of works like The Smelly Book and The Trouble With Mum, discussing her work A tense class vote on asylum seekers sparked by Benjamin Zephaniah's book Refugee Boy

Babette Cole

Michael Rosen visits the home of Charles Dickens

A quick burst of festive spirit, as Michael Rosen visits Charles Dickens' London home to explore his Christmas legacy. Michael Rosen, Children's Laureate visits 48 Doughty St, the elegant townhouse in London where Dickens and his family once lived. Now a museum, Michael looks at how the house could have inspired characters from Dickens' Christmas classic A Christmas Carol and views memorabilia from the time it was written. The programme will give students and teachers an insight into how Dickens helped shape the Christmas we know today, as well as being a way to inject a bit of Christmas spirit in the classroom.

Charles Dickens

Condensing six Key Stage 3 subjects into one lesson

A school reduces the number of Key Stage 3 lessons per week, by teaching up to six subjects in a cross-curriculum lesson, under the heading 'Creative Literacy'. Assistant headteacher, Gary Begusch from Archbishop Beck Catholic Sports College in Liverpool, has condensed the subjects so Year 7 and Year 8 students learn through creative literacy and logical thinking. The lessons cover literacy, communication, reading and writing skills, through different themes. In this new curriculum, the core content is being taught and teachers are encouraged to bring in lots of imagination in the way content is delivered. At the heart of the lessons is enjoyment and teachers are able to seek help from creative consultants to ensure they get the balance right.

Creative Literacy in the Classroom

Role-playing enables students to uncover black history

KS3 students role-play characters from Mildren D Taylor's book Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, merging black history with English. Segregation is examined in 1930s America by role-playing characters from Mildred D Taylor's Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, charting the life of a young girl, Cassie, growing up in Mississippi. Examining the language and social context of the book, students pick a character and track them through the story, gathering evidence about them for their behaviour. By role-playing, they invent scenarios for their characters and imagine how they would resolve the conflicts and moral dilemmas facing black and white characters living through segregation. The lesson is designed for Key Stage 3 classes, but can also be used with Key Stage 2 pupils.

English and Black History - Role-playing 'Roll of Thunder'

Artemis Fowl author talks about the secrets of his success

Reading Aloud features books that inspire teachers and their pupils, presented by author, poet and broadcaster Michael Rosen. This episode features more books to stimulate both teachers and pupils including Massive, a novel by Julia Bell about eating disorders. This book has stimulated teenagers at one Birmingham school into reading, writing and performing a whole range of scenes concerning food issues. Also featured is Eoin Colfer, who explains why his Artemis Fowl character has been such a runaway success. Plus the Reading Aloud panel discuss how a DH Lawrence classic inspired a career in teaching.

Eoin Colfer

Michael Rosen meets Malorie Blackman

In this programme, Michael Rosen interviews the author Malorie Blackman and the creator of Horrid Henry, Francesca Simon. Malorie tells Michael how a game of noughts and crosses inspired her award-winning book, which seriously challenges conventional views of race and prejudice. The book, Noughts and Crosses, is now turning some teenagers into avid readers. Michael also discovers what it was like living through a revolution as Sir David Winkley shares his memoirs of being a headteacher at a school in Handsworth, Birmingham when the streets were overtaken by violent rioting 20 years ago. The Reading Aloud panel read Sir David's book, Handsworth Revolution. Winsome Thomas, Victoria Shaw, and John Richmond explore the many issues raised by the book that has become something of a template for those seeking to turn around a failing school.

Francesca Simon

A secondary English teacher gets inclusion advice from Bayley

A secondary English teacher is seeking greater participation from quiet pupils in her Year 9 class. Behaviour management expert John Bayley provides coaching and mentoring assistance in this pedagogy resource. Working with Year 9 on Stone Cold, a novel about a homeless boy, Debra Robinson is trying to get verbal reactions from her literature pupils. But despite her promptings and encouragement she gets few responses, especially from the African-Caribbean boys in her class at Highgate Wood School in north London. John suggests practical classroom strategies designed to build pupils' speaking and listening confidence, but he agrees with Debra that the problems may be more deep-rooted. He shows the classroom footage to Paul Gabriel, who works as learning mentor and is also black. Paul is convinced the pupils are experiencing low self-confidence, caused partly by their lack of meaningful role models as second- and third-generation immigrants. Debra tries some of John's inclusion techniques, which prove successful, but with Paul she embarks on a longer-term teaching strategy to encourage greater participation from the silent boys.

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