Jane Considine’s Reading Unit Plans are a full suite of evidence-informed teaching materials for Years 1 to Year 6.

In response to the DfE’s national focus on developing capable, enthusiastic readers, these resources are part and parcel of the solution: they support schools to fulfil the Reading Framework’s call to nurture a generation who “read with agency and of their own volition” (Reading Framework, p.6).

Each unit is built around a high-quality, carefully chosen text, many of which are award-winning or certified by the Empathy Lab. Consideration has been given to ensure representation across race, gender, and experience, with racially minoritized characters often placed as the central protagonist. As outlined in the Framework, these are books that “help children connect with who they are” and “understand the lives of people whose experiences and perspectives may differ from their own” (Reading Framework, p.32).

The plans directly address the Framework’s emphasis on fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and reading for pleasure. They reflect the Simple View of Reading, combining decoding and comprehension in meaningful, structured practice. Each plan includes: 

• Explicit vocabulary instruction (breadth and depth) 

• Background knowledge and context-building 

• Summary and main idea work 

• Explicit modelling of a strong reader’s mindset 

• Mental model building to make thinking visible (Appendix 9) 

• Practice in comprehension monitoring and inference-making 

• Cumulative fluency-building activities

This aligns closely with the Framework’s recommendation to focus on “reading miles”, comprehension monitoring and language-rich discussions to boost understanding and engagement (Reading Framework, pp.18, 20, 34).

The Reading Unit Plans also avoid “ineffective strategies” that the Framework warns against, such as excessive questioning or superficial prediction. Instead, pupils engage in meaningful oral and written responses, rehearsing how skilled readers think and behave. 

More than a scheme, these plans bring the principles of the Reading Framework to life. They offer a robust, practical system that reflects what “excellent teaching of reading looks like” (Reading Framework, p.8), combining direct instruction with rich literary experiences. 

Teachers using these plans are equipped to do what the Framework demands: ensure that by the end of primary, pupils are fluent, thoughtful and joyful readers - ready for the wider curriculum and for life.