The lists are designed primarily to support school teachers who want to bring exciting texts into their classrooms, but also offer support to their pupils with great book ideas and suggestions for independent reading. We have listed suitable titles offered by year group, and have done our best to have a variety of books to support different reading abilities. By drawing together a range of books on different genres and subject matters, we hope to show some of the scope of what is currently available.

Picture books can be a great way to practice inference skills and start class conversations about big topics. KS1 Powerpoint – Picture Book Inspo: Look Up! includes high resolution images linked to the exercises so you don’t need the book to use these resources. Class conversation starters: Do people spend too long looking down at their phones? How do illustrators show the relationship between characters? What’s in outer space? This Inspiration pack includes: A prompt photograph Cover clues Pictures and prompts to develop text and inference skills Exercises to introduce pupils to picture book design and illustration techniques Craft ideas or a creative challenge set by the book’s creators

My Skin, Your Skin is a powerful book to help children and adults have meaningful discussions about race and anti-racism. Most importantly, the book empowers children to be the best versions of themselves; to have self-love, self-esteem and self-worth, irrespective of their skin colour. The following resources allow students in KS1 to explore the book’s themes of anti-racism and empowerment. The resources include three activities: Activity One – What makes you unique? Explore our differences and reflect on what makes us unique Activity Two – Let’s talk racism. Understanding racism, why it is wrong and what to do if they experience or see racism Activity Three – Let’s talk empowerment. Reflect on why we are special and what we are good at

This resource activity pack gives KS3 students opportunities to engage with poetry, exploring ideas around audience and performance, building their communication skills. There are activities for reading, speaking and comprehension. The activities in the resource pack are designed to be used alongside the video of Amanda Gorman reading the poem at the inaugural ceremony and the PDF text version of the poem. On 20 January 2021, Amanda Gorman spoke a message of truth and hope to millions. Aged twenty-two, she delivered a poetry reading at the inauguration of US President Joe Biden. Her poem, ‘The Hill We Climb’, addressed the country and reached across the world: a call for a brave future. What’s included in the resource pack? Amanda Gorman extract reading (YouTube video) Activities PowerPoint (aimed towards KS3 students) The Hill We Climb Text PDF Workbook Resource Overview How to use the pack Get your students to watch the inauguration video, before completing the corresponding powerpoint activities Go through the activities in the workbook using the video and the PDF of the poem Refer to the resource overview for more information

Featuring excerpts and photographs, with an overview of themes that appear throughout Michelle Obama’s inspirational memoir, this resource pack will support exploration of ideas from activism to politics, ethnicity to personal aspirations. Resources include book group discussion questions and issues arising, opportunities to encourage shared reading between young people and adults and writing prompts to help young people think about their own life experiences in the form of a journal. Ideal for supporting PSHE, reader development, and writing.

There are Run, Rebel resources for KS3 and KS4. The activities in both the resource packs are designed to be used alongside the videos of author, Manjeet Mann, who reads aloud the extract and also talks briefly about the book to provide context. The resources can be used as standalone activities, or used consecutively over the course of a lesson. The five activities in the KS4 Run, Rebel resource pack gives students opportunities to engage with an unseen fiction text. They include activities on comprehension, structuring ideas and looking for descriptive and narrative techniques, using evidence. The six activities in the KS3 Run, Rebel resource pack gives students opportunities to develop their reading, writing and speaking skills. They include activities on comprehension, critical analysis, structuring ideas and roleplay. About the text ‘I am restless, my feet need to fly’. Amber is trapped - by her father’s rules, by his expectations, by her own fears. Now she’s ready to fight - for her mother, for her sister, for herself. Freedom always comes at a price. Run, Rebel is a trailblazing verse novel that thunders with rhythm, heart and soul - perfect for fans of Sarah Crossan, Elizabeth Acevedo and Rupi Kaur. What’s included in the resource pack? Manjeet Mann context interview (see video below) Manjeet Mann extract reading (see video below) Activities PowerPoint (aimed towards KS4 / KS3 students) Text Extract (PDF) How to use the pack? Ensure all students have a print copy of the extract PDF Get your students to watch the author videos, before completing the corresponding activities Use the PowerPoint to go through the activities

Download an editable PowerPoint with some of the headline findings from the Lit in Colour research and prompts for discussion. Perfect for raising the issue with your Senior Leadership Team, or sharing in your English departmental meeting. You can also download a tool to audit what is currently taught across your English literature curriculum.

What’s the story? Hey You! is a lyrical, inspirational exploration of growing up Black, written by award-winning illustrator Dapo Adeola, and brought to life by some of the most exciting Black illustration talents working today. This picture book addresses – honestly, yet hopefully – the experiences Black children face growing up with systemic racism, as well as providing hope for the future, delivering a powerful message to a new generation of dreamers. It’s a message that is both urgent and timeless – and offers a rich and rewarding reading experience for every child. To mirror the rich variety of the Black diaspora, this book showcases artwork from Dapo and 18 incredible Black illustrators in one beautiful, powerful, and cohesive reading experience. This resource pack includes: Hey You! Art resource pack with a PowerPoint and accompanying activity sheets featuring activities centred on themes of family and self-belief. Hey You! Ks1 Reading resource pack with a PowerPoint to start to explore diversity, equality and self-esteem with young readers. Hey You! Ks2 Reading resource pack with a PowerPoint and accompanying activity sheet to explore ideas and celebrate diversity, heritage and identity. Hey You! KS2 PSHE resource pack with a PowerPoint and accompanying activity sheets featuring activities focused on the Black Lives Matter movement and celebrating diversity.

We have created The (incomplete) Lit in Colour book lists in response to one of the key findings in the research commissioned with our partner The Runnymede Trust, which found that teachers often struggle finding books by writers of colour. We’re calling our book lists incomplete, because we know they will never manage to be exhaustive or definitive, and we plan to update them annually bringing even more new and classic titles to the list. There are currently two book lists each for primary and secondary schools, each with over 100 titles from Penguin and our fellow publishers. The first list was created in 2021, and a new list of titles was created in 2022. The lists also contain handy indexes grouping books together, for educators who want to assign or recommend a number of books on a particular topic, or for pupils who want to read further in a particular area, subject matter or genre.

A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi, is a personal journey from denial to acceptance: a revelatory memoir about the power of love, belonging, and living every part of your identity. Growing up in a devout Muslim household, it felt impossible for Mohsin to be gay. Unable to be open with his family, and with difficult conditions at school, he felt his opportunities closing around him. Despite the odds, Mohsin’s perseverance led him to become the first person from his school to attend Oxford University, where new experiences and encounters helped him to discover who he truly wanted to be. Mohsin was confronted with the biggest decision he would ever make: to live the life that was expected of him or to live as his authentic self. Resource pack This resource activity pack gives KS5 students opportunities to engage with memoir; exploring ideas around identity and belonging in Britain, with a particular focus on race and intersectionality. There are activities for reading, speaking, analysis and critical thinking. This resource encourages students to engage with different migrants experiences of living in Britain and how this has been written about. The activities in the resource packs are designed to be used alongside the videos of Mohsin Zaidi reading Chapter 14 and interview video which gives additional context to the book as a whole and Chapter 14. There is a corresponding pdf version of the text extract, and another with guided questions.

We have created The (incomplete) Lit in Colour book lists in response to one of the key findings in the research commissioned with our partner The Runnymede Trust, which found that teachers often struggle finding books by writers of colour. We’re calling our book lists incomplete, because we know they will never manage to be exhaustive or definitive, and we plan to update them annually bringing even more new and classic titles to the list. There are currently two book lists each for primary and secondary schools, each with over 100 titles from Penguin and our fellow publishers. The first list was created in 2021, and a new list of titles was created in 2022. The lists also contain handy indexes grouping books together, for educators who want to assign or recommend a number of books on a particular topic, or for pupils who want to read further in a particular area, subject matter or genre.

The four activities in this resource pack give KS4 students opportunities to engage with an unseen fiction text. They include activities for comprehension and critical analysis, structuring ideas and looking for descriptive and narrative techniques, using evidence. A practice GCSE English Language exam paper is also included, using an extract from the book. The resource pack can be downloaded below. The activities in the resource pack are designed to be used alongside the videos below of author Avni Doshi, who reads aloud the extract and also talks briefly about the book to provide context. The activities can be used as standalone activities, or used consecutively over the course of a lesson (approx. 1 hour 30 mins in total.)

The activities in this resource pack gives KS3 students opportunities to engage with a non-fiction text, developing their reading, writing and speaking skills. The pack includes activities on comprehension, structuring ideas and looking for descriptive and narrative techniques, using evidence. The activities in the resource pack are designed to be used alongside the video of author Santham Sanghera, and the extract of the text PDF. About the text “It’s 1979, I’m three years old, and like all breakfast times during my youth it begins with Mum combing my hair, a ritual for which I have to sit down on the second-hand, floral-patterned settee, and lean forward, like I’m presenting myself for execution.” For Sathnam Sanghera, growing up in Wolverhampton in the eighties was a confusing business. On the one hand, these were the heady days of George Michael mix-tapes, Dallas on TV and, if he was lucky, the occasional Bounty Bar. On the other, there was his wardrobe of tartan smocks, his 30p-an-hour job at the local sewing factory and the ongoing challenge of how to tie the perfect top-knot. And then there was his family, whose strange and often difficult behaviour he took for granted until, at the age of twenty-four, Sathnam made a discovery that changed everything he ever thought he knew about them. Equipped with breathtaking courage and a glorious sense of humour, he embarks on a journey into their extraordinary past - from his father’s harsh life in rural Punjab to the steps of the Wolverhampton Tourist Office - trying to make sense of a life lived among secrets. ‘Tragic, funny and disturbing. It will challenge you, and may even change you’ Carole Angier, Independent What’s included in the resource pack? The Boy with the Topknot context interview with Sathnam Sanghera (see video below) Activities PowerPoint (aimed towards KS3 students) Step 5 Activity Workbook Text Extract (PDF) Resource Overview How to use the pack Get your students to watch the context video, before completing the corresponding activities Ensure all students have a print copy of the text extract to work from Consult the resource overview for further guidance

The lists are designed primarily to support school teachers who want to bring exciting texts into their classrooms, but also offer support to their pupils with great book ideas and suggestions for independent reading. We have listed suitable titles offered by year group, and have done our best to have a variety of books to support different reading abilities. By drawing together a range of books on different genres and subject matters, we hope to show some of the scope of what is currently available.

The four activities in this Minty Alley resource pack give KS4 students opportunities to engage with an unseen fiction text. They include activities for comprehension and critical analysis, structuring ideas and looking for descriptive and narrative techniques, using evidence. A practice GCSE English Language exam paper is also included, using an extract from the book. The resource pack can be downloaded below. The activities in the resource pack are designed to be used alongside the videos of author and curator of the Black Britain Writing Back series, Bernardine Evaristo, who reads aloud the extract and also talks briefly about the book to provide context. The resources can be used as standalone activities, or used consecutively over the course of a lesson (approx. 1 hour 30 mins in total.)

Earth Day is about promoting awareness and appreciation for the Earth, and a great opportunity to teach children how important it is to take care of the environment. This assembly for EARTH DAY 2021 lasts around 15–20 minutes and encourages children to reflect on the issue of plastic pollution and the importance of protecting our oceans. You can use the assembly in conjunction with the short video by the author, Nathan Bryon, and follow up with the classroom activities in the Earth Day Clean Up! activity pack. About Clean Up! The sequel Nathan and Dapo’s debut Look Up! Join lovable, passionate Rocket as she sets off on a mission to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution! When Rocket goes for a holiday to visit her grandparents, she’s shocked by the pollution that is spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day?

Download an editable PowerPoint with some of the headline findings from the Lit in Colour research and prompts for discussion. Perfect for raising the issue with your Senior Leadership Team, or sharing in your English departmental meeting. You can also download a tool to audit what is currently taught across your English literature curriculum.

The five activities in this resource pack give KS5 students opportunities to engage with an unseen non-fiction text. There are activities for discussion, comprehension, critical analysis, structuring ideas and looking for descriptive and narrative techniques, using evidence. The activities in the resource pack are designed to be used alongside the videos below of author Guilaine Kinouani, who reads aloud the extract and also talks briefly about the book to provide context. About the text For the past 15 years, radical psychologist and therapist Guilaine Kinouani has helped hundreds of Black people to protect their mental and physical health from the harm of white supremacy. In this timely book, she brings together powerful case studies, eye-opening research and effective coping techniques from her anti-racist academy and award-nominated blog, Race Reflections, helping readers to: set psychological boundaries and process trauma protect children from racism handle difficult race-based conversations understand the complexities of ‘Black love’ find connection, beauty and joy in the world Living While Black empowers you to adopt radical self-care tools that improve day-to-day wellness. It teaches you how to thrive, not just survive and find hope - or even joy - in the face of racial adversity. It is also an essential anti-racist resource for allies who want to do better. ‘Revelatory, necessary and brilliant’ Candice Carty-Williams, Sunday Times bestselling author of ‘Queenie’ What’s included in the resource pack? Guilaine Kinouani context interview (video) Guilaine Kinouani extract reading (video) Activities powerpoint (aimed towards KS5 students) Text extract (PDF) How to use the pack Make sure all students have access to a copy of the text extract as Activities 1, 2 and 3, will require students to have a print copy of the text extract to work from. Get your students to watch the video of the author reading the extract for Activity 3, and watch the author interview video for Activity 5.