Connectors
Connectors is a groundbreaking reciprocal reading series for peer-to-peer learning: an ideal way to make the most of your Pupil Premium for disadvantaged learners.
It will help you to:
- Narrow the attainment gap, named as a key priority by the Department for Education
- Helps you to make guided reading time as effective as possible
- Improve literacy, leadership skills and metacognition
- Spark curiosity and debate
- Improve motivation and behaviour
- Include every learner
- Obtain high-impact benefits for low costs
Children work in small independent groups of up to six, each taking turns to be the leader as they read and debate a book together. Clear prompts show the leader how to focus the discussion and work with their team to predict outcomes, clarify issues, ask questions and evaluate content. This collaborative approach, recommended by the Education Endowment Foundation, develops teamwork as well as speaking, listening, comprehension and evaluation skills. The series contains over 130 non-fiction and fiction titles across 8 book bands and 3 age groups, covering topical issues that inspire curiosity and debate.
Formal classroom trials of Connectors show children’s reading age leaping forward by an average of 9.1 months in just 12 weeks. For more information, take a look at our case studies.
“Consistent positive effects have been found in different countries, across all age groups and across the curriculum.” Evaluation of peer tutoring from the Teaching and Learning Toolkit, Sutton Trust/EEF, July 2012
The Connectors series is structured using book bands, which are detailed below. For more fluent readers, we also have a range of books organised by age and interest level.
Introduce reciprocal reading with Connectors Starters
- Foster reading skills in Key Stage 1 with levelled books for Book Band Blue-Orange
- Encourage children to think and share ideas with engaging fiction and non-fiction texts
- Build children’s confidence and group working skills
- Support children move on to the Connectors reading programme
Connectors Starters are structured by book band.
Unlock the power of reading through peer-to-peer learning in Key Stage 2
- Develop reading skills with levelled books for Book Band Orange-Sapphire
- Build skills and confidence in a range of comprehension strategies including prediction, clarifying and summarising
- Engage readers of different abilities with high-interest fiction and non-fiction
- Foster discussion, collaboration and group working skills
Connectors Practice Cards
Keep comprehension skills on track with quick practice cards
- Engage children with short fiction and non-fiction cards covering a range of text types.
- Help children to get the most out of Connectors by revising comprehension skills as they progress through the programme.
- Measure children’s understanding, confidence and oral language skills with regular check ins.
