Renaissance Blog
Write it. Level it. Teach it – Assessing pupils reading levels with Matt Beighton
By Denisha Polin
After nearly a decade long juggling a career as both a teacher and writer, children’s author, Matt Beighton decided to pursue his writing career full-time. One thing he did take away from his time spent in the classroom is the value and importance of teacher time. In his latest book Write it. Level It. Teach […]
Survive the ‘September slump’: Encourage reading engagement all summer long with myON
By Denisha Polin
September is often a bittersweet month for many educators across the UK and Ireland. Teachers and students are back in the classroom after six (well deserved) weeks of summer. Vacations, picnics, trips to the beach, no striking alarm to wake you up at the crack of dawn… the perks are endless. So, it’s no surprise […]
The Librarian Files: Praise and Raise! Recognising student achievement outside of the classroom
By Denisha Polin
by Sharan Kaur Sharan Kaur, a secondary school librarian, has been using Accelerated Reader and Star Reading for over a decade to help keep students engaged and on track with reading development. As the sole librarian in her school, the high-accountability role can be isolating and intense. That’s why we’ve invited Sharan to write a blog series for Renaissance covering […]
Delving into Mental Health in Children’s Books
By Kerry McGuire
This month’s books cover topics such as anxiety, depression, worry, and bullying, all things that many children can experience at a young age. The titles were hand-picked by our team of quiz writers and have a particular focus on books for younger pupils. Illustrated and simple picture books are often a great way to begin discussions […]
The Librarian Files: How do we keep our reading buzz going to the end of the year?
By Denisha Polin
by Sharan Kaur Sharan Kaur, a secondary school librarian, has been using Accelerated Reader and Star Reading for over a decade to help keep students engaged and on track with reading development. As the sole librarian in her school, the high-accountability role can be isolating and intense. That’s why we’ve invited Sharan to write a blog series for Renaissance covering […]
Freckle Spots: Freckle, an “Online Onion”
By Denisha Polin
by Catherine Magee Freckle Spots! In the third instalment of our four-part series we’re breaking down our latest primary maths practice programme, Freckle. You may be wondering how it works, how it can engage pupils in the classroom whilst nurturing their numeracy skills, and lastly how it can support teachers. Catherine Magee, Senior Lead Teacher […]
The Librarian Files: Representation in Reading
By Denisha Polin
by Sharan Kaur and Denisha Polin Sharan Kaur, a secondary school librarian, has been using Accelerated Reader and Star Reading for over a decade to help keep students engaged and on track with reading development. As the sole librarian in her school, the high-accountability role can be isolating and intense. That’s why we’ve invited Sharan to write a blog series […]
Freckle Spots: Invisible differentiation for visible progress
By Denisha Polin
Freckle Spots! In the second installment of our four-part series we’re breaking down our latest primary maths practice programme, Freckle. You may be wondering how it works, how it can engage pupils in the classroom whilst nurturing their numeracy skills, and lastly how it can support teachers. Catherine Magee, Senior Lead Teacher at St Comgalls […]
Announcing the 2022 Quiz Writers’ Choice Awards Winners!
By Ruth Atkinson
Find out who the winners are of the 2022 Quiz Writers’ Choice Awards, and watch videos of the authors accepting their awards!
Building a Positive Body Image with Children’s Books
By Kerry McGuire
For this month’s booklist, our team have selected some titles that can help to foster a positive body image in children and teens. Many of these stories feature characters who start off with body confidence issues due to bullying about their weight, medical conditions, height, or physical differences. But as the stories develop, the characters […]