Extending Literacy: Developing Approaches to Non-Fiction

One of the most problematic areas in the teaching and development of literacy appears to concern children's interactions with non-fiction books. Many surveys and reports have commented on the tendency for children to do little more than copy out sections of non-fiction texts. The Exeter Extending Literacy (EXEL) project was set up with the aim of exploring ways in which non-fiction might be used more effectively and profitably than this. In this book David Wray and Maureen Lewis outline the thinking behind the project and describe in detail the many useful teaching strategies and approaches which were developed in collaboration with primary teachers across the country. Teachers of children from five to fourteen will find this book both a stimulating account of a very influential development project and a useful source of practical teaching ideas.

David Wray is Reader in Literacy in Education at the University of Exeter, and is a former primary school teacher. He has written and edited over twenty books on language and literacy, including English 7-11 (Routledge 1995)., Maureen Lewis is Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy in the Rolle School of Education at the University of Plymouth. She was Research Fellow on the EXEL project and has also worked as a primary school teacher. She has published widely on children’s interactions with non-fiction.