Primary Literacy

5 ways a thesaurus improves pupil vocab

Using Collins Primary Thesaurus as an example, here are some clever ways in which the arrangement of a thesaurus can improve pupils’ vocabulary and writing skills 1. At each entry the meaning of the word is explained in a sentence so that pupils can see straight away which sense is… Read More

Dictionaries in the early primary classroom

There is much to be gained by children using dictionaries in the primary classroom. Familiarity with dictionaries will help children with their learning. Read More

Teaching activities to celebrate Euro 2016

Fans of English football will recognise that this summer marks the 50th anniversary of England beating Germany in 1966 to win the World Cup. Fifty years on, England, with their array of footballing stars, will be seeking a Euro win after winning all of their qualifying matches. This series of activities will help your class get into the excitement of Euro 2016 whilst learning new skills and knowledge. Read More

Applying Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation in Writing

Teaching vocabulary, grammar and punctuation for better performance in the VGP key stage tests is important for league tables and inspections, but, for many children, it does little to improve spoken and written language. It’s possible, however, to teach VGP in such a way that it leads to high quality writing, while simultaneously preparing for good grammar test results. Read More

Collins Primary host Twitter chat on Primary Rocks

On Monday evening Collins Primary co-hosted a Twitter ed chat with Primary Rocks! We had a fantastic time discussing all things primary literacy and hearing directly from teachers – we hope you enjoyed the chat as much as we did! Read More

Shakespeare Teaching Ideas for Key Stage 2

The result at Collins are five plays: The Tempest, Midsummer’s Night Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Twelfth Night, rewritten in story form for younger readers. These are a great introduction to the world of Shakespeare but how can we use them effectively to help pupils immerse themselves in the rich language of Shakespeare’s world? Read More

How to… celebrate World Book Day

World Book Day is almost here! This much-loved day in the school year is one to have lots of fun on, from dressing up as book characters to revisiting our favourite books. It’s a day to focus on books and reading and hopefully build up enough of a head of… Read More

From Your Valentine: Teaching the meanings of love

Very soon it will be Valentine’s Day when we get the chance to tell a special person that we love them. The story of Valentine’s Day comes from the Roman Christian martyr, St Valentine and using the story is a great way to introduce this series of activities to your… Read More

National Storytelling Week – Collins’ top 10 stories to share with your class

It’s National Storytelling Week and here at Collins we love nothing more than a good story and a celebration of sharing great tales, classic stories and a love of reading. Here’s some of our favourite engaging stories that are guaranteed to inspire a love of storytelling in every child in your… Read More

Baden Powell Anniversary

On the 8th January, 75 years ago, Robert Baden Powell died. Best known for starting the scout and inspiring the girl guides movement, he was also a successful military commander. Millions of girls and boys around the world will mark the day of the anniversary of his death and these… Read More