Structured Literacy Teaching Resources
Get expert support for structured literacy approaches with evidence-based, practical resources for Years 0–10.
To boost structured literacy approaches in your school, Essential Resources offers a comprehensive range of highly practical, research-informed resources for Year 0–10 students at all stages of their literacy journey. And the icing on the cake? Ministry funding is available for primary schools to purchase resources that support structured literacy learning.
The How to Teach collection
Build strong writing foundations with structured literacy teaching resources
The How to Teach collection takes a research-informed approach to developing literacy skills from foundational to advanced levels. Authored by renowned literacy experts and educators Dr Helen Walls and Dr Christine Braid, these resources take the stress out of running fun programmes that achieve tangible results throughout the school.
How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar
Helen Walls with Christine Braid (2024)
This book offers evidence-based, easy-to-implement methods for teaching writing confidently and well. It sets out how to support foundational skills such as handwriting and spelling, a clear system for teaching vocabulary and sentence structure, and straightforward guidance for writing lessons. Teacher knowledge in these areas is supported. Also introduced is a quick and constructive method of feedback based on Dr Walls’ own research.
How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence
Christine Braid (2025)
This book focuses on sentence writing as a key building block towards overall improvement in writing. It supports teachers with technical knowledge about sentences, effective ways to teach sentence writing, and guidance on using published authors as creative, skilled mentors to inspire and guide students in their own writing. Teaching ideas to support a progression in students’ sentence-writing skills across year levels are included.
How to Teach the Foundational Skills of Writing: Book 1
Helen Walls (2025)
This book is the first in a series presenting an intervention programme to support older primary school students who still need to secure the foundational skills of handwriting, spelling and writing in sentences. The teacher resource provides the planning and resources you need to teach these foundations in daily lessons over a 10-week programme. An accompanying workbook is available in which students can complete the programme activities.
How to Teach Advanced Writing Skills: Book 1
Helen Walls (2025)
This book is the first in a series designed for teaching older primary school students with secure foundational skills who would benefit from support with developing skills at paragraph and whole-text levels. The 10-week programme covers both report writing and narrative writing related to high-interest topics and includes the planning and resources you need to provide daily lessons in a fun and effective programme – without the stress.
How to Teach Writing, Spelling and Grammar
Helen Walls with Christine Braid (2024)
This book offers evidence-based, easy-to-implement methods for teaching writing confidently and well. It sets out how to support foundational skills such as handwriting and spelling, a clear system for teaching vocabulary and sentence structure, and straightforward guidance for writing lessons. Teacher knowledge in these areas is supported. Also introduced is a quick and constructive method of feedback based on Dr Walls’ own research.
How to Build Writing Success Sentence by Sentence
Christine Braid (2025)
This book focuses on sentence writing as a key building block towards overall improvement in writing. It supports teachers with technical knowledge about sentences, effective ways to teach sentence writing, and guidance on using published authors as creative, skilled mentors to inspire and guide students in their own writing. Teaching ideas to support a progression in students’ sentence-writing skills across year levels are included.
How to Teach the Foundational Skills of Writing: Book 1
Helen Walls (2025)
This book is the first in a series presenting an intervention programme to support older primary school students who still need to secure the foundational skills of handwriting, spelling and writing in sentences. The teacher resource provides the planning and resources you need to teach these foundations in daily lessons over a 10-week programme. An accompanying workbook is available in which students can complete the programme activities.
How to Teach Advanced Writing Skills: Book 1
Helen Walls (2025)
This book is the first in a series designed for teaching older primary school students with secure foundational skills who would benefit from support with developing skills at paragraph and whole-text levels. The 10-week programme covers both report writing and narrative writing related to high-interest topics and includes the planning and resources you need to provide daily lessons in a fun and effective programme – without the stress.
The Story Seekers collection
Engage struggling readers with structured literacy reading resources
Story Seekers is an extensive and growing series designed to support teachers working with students who need extra support in reading, including ESOL learners. At its core are fiction and non-fiction chapter books carefully designed for students who are at a 6.5- to 8-year-old reading level but have the interests of an 8- to 12-year-old. Readability has been considered from every angle – ranging from text aspects such as vocabulary and sentence length to the role of illustrations and design – so that each book is packed with features that enhance both decoding and comprehension skills.
Wide-ranging teaching support is also integral to each series. Each chapter book includes activities to encourage further engagement with the text and has a supplementary teacher book with discussion questions and teaching notes, including on a phonics focus. Activity Books provide comprehensive lesson plans and additional activities for the selection of books within each series.
Funding support to purchase structured literacy resources
Ministry of Education funding towards resources that support structured literacy teaching is available for use school-wide. The amount available per school ranges from $500 to $5,000 per year, based on Year 0–3 enrolments. For more information, see the Ministry of Education’s website.