Nelson Thornes - primary > Reading

Welcome to Spotty Zebra from Nelson Thornes

Give your pupils the best start in reading with Spotty Zebra! A Guided Reading resource that appreciates just how crucial the early years are in children's development...

Spotty Zebra is an exciting KS1 (P1-P3) guided reading programme offering a holistic, integrated approach towards teaching across the curriculum. Starting with Foundation level the programme is based on the latest research and thinking - teaching children not only how to read, but how to get the most out of reading. As you already know young children are constantly encountering new experiences and seeking to understand them in order to extend their skills and develop their confidence. Spotty Zebra is a new reading programme that builds on what children already know and can do, helping to encourage and scaffold the development of ‘active readers’ – children who can use their developing reading strategies and experiences to gain meaning from the text.

Inspire imaginitive play in early years

Spotty Zebra books have been designed to provide you with reading resources that develop speaking and listening skills, inspire imaginitive play and give you lots of opportunities for planned and unplanned ways into learning. The content of the books has been based upon the Stepping Stones and the Early Learning Goals in the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage.

Spotty Zebra Resources

Community Books and Artefacts

These unique reading resources have been developed to introduce children to 'reading behaviour' using an innovative and engaging approach.

Ideal for developing speaking and listening skills as children can engage with the topics without being constrained by reading difficulties
The Artefacts act as useful prompts to promote a range of different 'talk' such as exploratory, role-play and structured conversation.

Reading Books

-Spotty Zebra texts offer plot lines, text structures, design and language features that will challenge pupils to engage with the content and seekmeanings, both literal and inferential. Many titles use special features, such as cutaway pages, split pages and fold out pages to allow children to interact with the text.

Guided Reading Notes - FREE with each six pack of Reading Books

Each six pack of texts includes a free set of Guided Reading Notes. The notes offer a 'profile' of the books, such as text characteristics, which allows you to accurately match texts to pupils.