The Literacy Engine

Driving Literacy Across The Curriculum

Embed it your way

Perfect for use across the curriculum to embed a non-fiction reading programme and to close background knowledge gaps

Send the powerful message that literacy is not just for English lessons by having ALL adults model reading across your school.

Week 1 September resource pack from The Literacy Engine
Curriculum Cogs Overview
Gears of Thought Logo

Gears of Thought

Gears of Thought are monthly extended reading packs to embed modelled, non-fiction reading into your Tutor Programme or across the curriculum.

Every month, members download a set of weekly extended reading packs. The texts in each pack explore a rich variety of topics significant to that time of the year. 160+ texts across 40 weekly extended reading packs.

  • Hot topics from around the world
  • This week in History
  • Influential people
  • Have you ever wondered...?
Home page splash of pages from the September Week 1 Literacy pack from The Literacy Engine
Topical and Cultural
Home page splash of pages from the coronation of Charles III Literacy pack from The Literacy Engine

Topics chosen for their cultural significance to develop students’ crucial background knowledge and enable them to comprehend challenging academic texts.

Each week a person that has made a significant contribution to humanity will be selected for students to read about.

  • Scientists and their discoveries
  • Writers and their works
  • Influential people in politics
  • Sporting heroes
Significant People
Curriculum Cogs Logo

Curriculum Cogs

Subject specific, adult modelled, extended reading packs to embed across your KS3  Geography, History and Science lessons.

Instant access to 170+ texts across 39 extended reading packs. The texts in each pack explore significant topics and individuals to augment and develop your study of the subject.

GEOGRAPHY Overview
Rainforests Image
8. Causes of WWI
HISTORY - Overview
SCIENCE Overview
6. Space

A focus on the nuts and bolts of literacy

Preload Vocabulary

Each text will have a selection of five key Tier 3 Vocabulary choices pulled out to share with students prior to reading it.  This preloading of difficult vocabulary improves comprehension of the text as it reduces the amount of time students spend stumbling over unfamiliar words.

Etymology Extra
Image showing a selection of Etymology Extra boxes from resources produced by The Literacy Engine

Key words across the packs will be drawn out for an extended look into the etymology of the word so students can begin to unlock the roots of our rich and diverse language and start to form links between similar sounding words.

Comprehension

To review the texts and assess how well students have understood them, each text contains a set of five comprehension questions.  They make a perfect stimulus for discussion around the text and for enrichment of the ideas within them.

The Engine Room
The Engine Room Title Image
  • Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction and how they relate to reading instruction
  • The EEF guidance on improving literacy in secondary schools
  • Practical strategies to develop a culture of Interactive Read Aloud driven by our resources
  • The Literacy Engine Fluency Builder – How to use our resources to drive the improvement of student fluency in reading
The Oracy Engine
The Oracy Engine
  • The Oracy Engine: A transformative framework for schools
  • Empowers students’ communication skills
  • Structured framework for articulate expression, active listening, and confident communication
  • Integration of oracy across subjects
  • Fosters inclusive and collaborative classroom environment
  • Offers practical and adaptable strategies
  • Sets measurable benchmarks
  • Prepares students for academic success and life beyond the classroom
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