How to use the World Cup to get kids reading more

Now that England have qualified for World Cup 2014 in Brazil, I am very happy to be announce that I will be working with the National Literacy Trust to use the interest in the tournament to promote reading in schools and libraries.

Our plans include :

 * a daily five-minute classroom-read episodic story based around the events of the tournament, written at the end of play each weekday of the tournament and published the next morning

*  daily writing challenges based on each day's talking points and controversies

* a toolkit of reading activities for the classroom, library and home

It will all be free.

This work will build on the huge successes of our 2010 World Cup Reading activities, where we did all the above.

In 2010 our World Cup materials were downloaded 119,199 times. The toolkit –  Love Football Love Reading – was used by at least 2433 schools and libraries. Over 2000 schools read all 28 episodes of The World Cup Mystery and, with most schools using it in more than one classroom, at least 100,000 children will have been read all 28 episodes.

More information on the National Literacy Trust website, here.