Free access to Cornerstones’ Love to Read resources for home learning

Keeping up a love of reading during COVID-19 school closure

These are extremely challenging times for schools and we are here to support you before, during and after temporary school closure.

We believe that reading is one of the most beneficial and enjoyable activities a child can continue to do whilst at home. To help schools and families, we are making all 45 of our popular Love to Read reading guides available as free downloads.

The Love to Read guides cover Years 3 to 6 and centre around an enjoyable fiction book, encouraging children to read both classic and modern literature. Every guide includes a whole range of suggested activities, both for independent reading and talking points with parents.

Although each book is pitched at a different age group, families can pick and choose, depending on the child’s reading ability and the level of support on offer.

Many of these titles are well known family favourites and are available via bookstores and the usual online retailers, in ebook and physical formats. Some libraries offer an online lending service, too.

For simple, practical tips on how to enjoy the Love to Read guides as part of your home learning, listen to episode 54 of The Curriculum podcast.

Download your free Love to Read guides here

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo
Bill’s New Frock by Anne Fine
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Children of Winter by Bernie Doherty
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner
Framed by Frank Cottrell-Boyce
Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian
Holes by Louis Sachar
I Was There… 1066 by Jim Eldridge
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman
Poems to Perform by Julia Donaldson
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis
Stig of the Dump by Clive King
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas by David Almond
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Demon Dentist by David Walliams
The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett
The Firework Maker’s Daughter by Philip Pullman
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hundred and One Dalmations by Dobie Smith
The Iron Man by Ted Hughes
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Phoenix Code by Helen Moss
The Saga Of Erik the Viking by Terry Jones
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson-Burnett
The Sheep Pig by Dick King-Smith
The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier
The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken
Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Treason by Berlie Doherty
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Usborne Greek Myths For Young Children retold by Heather Amery

Further home learning ideas for schools using Cornerstones

Our curriculum is primarily designed to support teachers in the classroom. However, there are some resources that could be used for home learning. Below are some ideas.

Please note that the following can only be sent home in hard copy or, if your school is using Curriculum Maestro, as a PDF download via email.

• Send the home learning activity suggestion sheet home for children to enjoy working from, either with or without their parents or carers.
• Send the project book lists home. Children could choose a good read from these and respond by writing a mini presentation, poster, video or book review.
• The reading, SPaG and maths tests, available in the ‘Library’ section on Curriculum Maestro, can also be sent home. All tests have a mark scheme that parents could use if appropriate.
• Our popular knowledge organisers can be sent home. Read our blog here about how to use these.
• Invite the children to plan a phone or a webcam interview with an older relative or trusted family friend or neighbour. This will help with Cornerstones projects such as School Days and Childhood, but it can also provide comfort and connectivity during isolation.
• Children could write a daily diary or blog about their daily activities and learning or, for an added challenge, in the role of a historical or another significant figure from their current Cornerstones project.
• Here are some websites that we recommend for home research. We’re sure you will be able to share many more, so please add these in the comments section below.

https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

https://www.britishmuseum.org/

https://www.tate.org.uk/kids

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/explorers/resources

https://www.nasa.gov/kidsclub/index.html

https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/

Extra support for schools using Cornerstones

These are extremely challenging times for schools and we are here to support you. If you have any questions – however large or small – about your primary curriculum design, delivery or management, our staff are all available to help. We can help you to plan your curriculum in the short and longer term and our curriculum blog, podcast and magazine articles are here to support continued staff training.

Free online training

We are also offering free online curriculum training to all schools with a Cornerstones licence during this period. Please contact us if you would like to book a session with a curriculum adviser.

In the meantime, keep an eye on your inbox for our email updates. We’ll be sending you links to new resources, projects, and our popular blogs and podcasts – perfect for continued staff training, even if working from home.

You can also access all copies of our The Curriculum magazine here.

If you’re not using Cornerstones

If you would like to book a free demo with one of our curriculum advisers to discuss your school’s curriculum and how we can help, please click here.

To all the incredible staff, children and school communities out there, we thank you.

Are you on The Hub but need to move over to Curriculum Maestro? Call 03333 20 8000 or email us at support@cornerstoneseducation.co.uk. It’s quick, free and easy to transfer.