Progress in Reading

Help your students make good progress in Key Stage 3 English with our popular series, now updated for the new curriculum.

The Aiming for series provides targeted support for all ability levels to help every student move forward from their achievement at Key Stage 2 towards GCSE success.

This revised edition of Aiming for Level 4 Reading offers student-friendly explanations and activities to build, develop and extend students’ literacy skills, showing them precisely what they need to do to progress.

Whether you're looking for a one-off lesson, snappy starters or a longer programme of study, these flexible resources are designed to fit around the needs of your teaching and your classes.

Now refreshed to reflect the text types and skills in the new Key Stage 3 curriculum, the Reading books include new lessons on summary and synthesis, literary non-fiction and Shakespeare.

This Aiming for book is the perfect starting point for students arriving at secondary school with a secure Level 3 or a low Level 4 in reading. It will help you to

• target areas of underperformance, with a chapter on each key reading skill written at the right level by experienced teachers and consultants
• develop the essential reading and commentary skills with clear, accessible explanations, inspiring examples and lively follow-up activities
• build confidence in grammar analysis by exploring the effects of writers’ choices
• motivate and engage students, with exciting stimulus texts, fresh approaches to learning and a clear, colourful layout
• embed Assessment for Learning in your day-to-day teaching, with clear learning objectives, criteria for self and peer assessment on every double-page, and end of chapter checklists to help students understand how to progress
• gather evidence for periodic assessments, with the ‘Apply your skills’ tasks designed to build writing stamina and independence
• plan ahead without the stress, with ready-to-use double-page lessons and a teacher guide at the back of the book
• support the transition to Key Stage 3 by reinforcing and building on the reading skills taught at Key Stage 2
• lay the foundations for GCSE success, with coverage of new skills such as summary and synthesis, and an expanded focus on Shakespeare and literary non-fiction.