Compendium - Reading and writing resources for primary schools

Compendium - reading and writing resources for primary schools

Travelling Light Theatre 

Traveling Light have created an exciting new story and free digital resource for primary schools, 17 and the Squeak Gobbler. To access this free resource for schools, please contact Lizzy Stephens.

17 and the Squeak Gobbler

Unicorn Theatre - Philip Pullman's Grimm Tales re-told

Adapted by Philip Pullman this gruesome selection of six theatrical readings from Grimm Tales that were filmed at the Unicorn will be available for free on the Unicorn YouTube channel from the 5th October 2020 until 21 February 2021. Suitable for years 4 - 7, these short, vivid new readings are sure to excite and entertain your pupils. 

Grimm Tales re-told

Sing with Piccolo

Here are a range of sing-along videos for nursery and reception children to sing along to at home or in school that include classics such as old Macdonald and hickory dickory dock. 

Sing along videos

A New Direction 

A New Direction is a London-based non-profit, generating opportunities for children and young people to unlock their creativity.

They have created five activities for KS2 and KS3 pupils of varying length, each with a different creative focus that centres on a theme from the suggested Recovery Curriculum.

Reset activity book 

Artis Foundation

Creative ideas for teaching poetry

Artis integrate the arts throughout learning they aim to create a very different learning experience from a typical classroom. With the Artis approach, children are physically engaged in the learning process: they act, sing and dance the curriculum.

Cast of Thousands

Cast of Thousands, hand-pick books that your class will really enjoy exploring from home or school. Their website  includes recommendations in their Meet the Books section with exciting ideas for putting those books at the heart of creative cross-curricular learning. Check out the resources below: 

Help children learn as they play by sharing a story and building this  exploration pod designed by graphic artist Daniel Weatheritt

Seven Stories 

Weekly virtual storytime 

Seven Stories has teamed up with Andersen Press to share free readings of their picture books via weekly virtual storytimes every Friday at 10 am on Facebook. Don't worry if you miss a session as they are all recorded and stored in their Facebook video library making them easily accessible.

Make your own comics

Here are three FREE downloadable resources to help you help children make their own comics. These resources were created as part of the learning and participation programme of Comics! Make and explore comics with Seven Stories, by Applied Comics Etc for Seven Stories.

Oxford Owl 

Online eBooks and activities for 3-11 year olds 

Action for Children & Unfolding Theatre 

Voice of the Creative is an Action for Children artist residency project in central Northumberland. Unfolding Theatre has been commissioned to co-create a set of stories with local children and families to fuel ideas for a story trail in Newbiggin by the Sea. There are five stories in total and they are asking for teachers and parents to share ideas and artwork to help bring the trail to life. The Project is supported by Northumberland County Council, Arts Council England, Bait Museums Northumberland, Northumbrian Water and Andersen Press. 

Story trail

Tees Valley Museums  

Get Creative: Let's Write  

Tees Valley Museums has been working with the fantastic author of Alfie Bloom, Gabrielle Kent, who uses objects as inspiration in her writing. Better still Gabrielle has put her ideas on film and written tips on how to do it. There’s lots of online objects from the museums to use and Gabrielle tells us how we can use objects found at in the home as inspiration too.

Let's Write downloadable resources

Audible

You can access a range of children's books online by clicking the link below. 

Listen to children's books online

Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre

The Sill has an exhibition called 'The Lost Words', which celebrates the importance of our connection with nature. The exhibition drew to light the number of words used to describe nature that are being lost from our language. The activities below look at both learning the words and grouping them together in puzzles and poems.

Lost words activity

North Tyneside Libraries

Below is a link to some online virtual storytime videos that you can share with parents to watch with their children at home. 

Virtual storytime

Authorfy

Author videos and cross-curricular schemes of work and downloadable activities for both the home and the classroom. This free online website brings authors and teachers closer together.

Free resources

Great North Museum: Hancock

While the museum is closed you can enjoy Albany Mouse storytime sessions. 

The British Library

Here's a lovely set of resources created by the British Library.