This practical guide presents the Big 5 of literacy – decoding, comprehension, vocabulary, writing, and spelling. They are the five essential skills for success in school and in life. Tom Nicholson offers a toolkit to help you bring your class, including those with persistent literacy learning difficulties such as dyslexia, up to typically achieving level for their age and beyond. Designed as a “one stop shop” for classroom teachers, this book covers assessment, planning and progression of writing, spelling, decoding and comprehension, with a range of practical, easy-to-follow charts, activities, lesson plans, and posters. The final chapter is a Countdown to the Classroom, showing how to plan for a successful and explicit start to literacy, how to encourage good conduct, and how to be an effective leader. Chapters combine both the experience gleaned from a teaching career focused on literacy and countless hours of research. The author presents solutions for the pressing problem of achieving high levels of literacy in the modern classroom for all students, not just some. Containing a wealth of resources and tips for teaching ages 9-12, this will be of great interest to all classroom teachers teaching literacy, as well as parents and librarians.