Tools to use to encourage reading

1. Caroline Roche
Advanced Lead Practitioner
carolineroche1@hotmail.co.uk

2.  Go to the site: http://voicethread.com and sign up
for a free account
 If you want an educators account, which you can
use with several pupils, that is not free, but not
expensive either.
 Use it to comment about students work
 Use it to show pictures and ask for comments
 Use it to spark reading ideas

4.  Use Voicethread to comment on books for a book
prize like the Carnegie Medal
 Use it with AL pupils for commentary on texts
 Use it with your primary school partners to do
transition work
 Use it with other schools as a community project
 Use it with partners in other countries
 Time difference is not an issue!

6.  Livebinders allow you to collect resources in one
place that you would like a student to look at
 It creates a ‘walled garden’ without overly
restricting pupil searches or ‘spoon feeding’ them
 It is simple, and the pages update themselves
without you having to do any more work!

7.  Skyping is an excellent and free way to
collaborate with others. Download Skype
for free, and using a simple videocamera
or microphone you can use Skype to do
all of these wonderful things ….

8.  Talk to another colleague about a problem, anywhere
in the world
 Have a meeting of local school librarians, some
joining you via Skype
 Get your pupils to talk to others about books without
the bother and expense of a trip out
 Talk to your incoming Year 6’s on a regular basis, get
them to submit verbal book reports via Skype
 Talk to an author, lots of them are on Skype now

9.  http://writepath.ning.com
 International writing event which takes place every
October, created and led by Bev Humphrey
 Every day stories are started by children’s
authors, and your pupils have an allotted time slot
to comment on their stories
 This year lasted two weeks, and had two primary
days and one poetry day
 Contact: Libwithattitude@bevhumphrey.com

10.  http://writepath.ning.com
 International writing event which takes place every
October, created and led by Bev Humphrey
 Every day stories are started by children’s
authors, and your pupils have an allotted time slot
to comment on their stories
 This year lasted two weeks, and had two primary
days and one poetry day
 Contact: Libwithattitude@bevhumphrey.com