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Teaching resources

As part of our commitment to support teachers and school librarians to celebrate and teach more books by writers of colour, we'll be releasing a range of free resources over time, for all age groups. These resources will be aimed both at the English literature and language curriculum, and also to support reading for pleasure and extracurricular activity.

You can explore what's available so far below.

We'd love to hear from you if you have ideas for future resources we might be able to create, or if you know of other great resources available which we could signpost, by emailing litincolour@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk.  

4 book covers on a purple background: The Extraordinary Life of Serena Williams, Tall Story, Girl Woman Other and Run Rebel

Lit in Colour book lists

Explore titles suitable for primary and secondary schools with our Lit in Colour (incomplete) book lists.

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Secondary resources

We know that there is some flexibility to introduce new and different texts to your students at different stages in secondary education. The main ones being at Key Stage 3 as there are no examined texts, but also English Language GCSE.

So, we have produced resources on Poetry, Non-Fiction and Fiction for KS3, and resources for KS4 that support students' exam practice. We have also produced a KS5 resource for English Language which develops students' critical thinking and discussion skills. 

All these resources include an extract of the selected text, videos of the author reading the extract aloud and/or talking about the text, and interactive activities you can run with your class. Download them all for free below.

KS2/3 - City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak

Activities for middle grade students on debate, comprehension, analysis and more on City of Stolen Magic by Nazneen Ahmed Pathak.

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KS2/3 - Stolen History by Sathnam Sanghera

Activities for middle grade students on reading, speaking, analysis and comprehension exploring Stolen History by Sathnam Sanghera.

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KS3 - The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman

Activities for reading, speaking and comprehension for KS3 English Language students for the The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman.

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KS3 - The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera

Activities on comprehension, structuring ideas and more for The Boy with the Topknot by Sathnam Sanghera.

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KS3 - A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi

Activities for reading, speaking and more for A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi.

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KS3/4 - Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann

Activities for KS3 and KS4 students of English Language for Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann.

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KS3/4 - Engaging with Empire

Reflective practice teaching resource with Nazneen Ahmed Pathak and Sathnam Sanghera.

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KS4 - Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi

Activities for comprehension and critical analysis and more, plus a practice GCSE English Language exam, for Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi.

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KS4 - Minty Alley by C.L.R. James

Activities for comprehension and critical analysis and more, plus a practice GCSE English Language exam, for Minty Alley by C.L.R. James.

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KS4 - Boys Don't Cry by Malorie Blackman

A video of Malorie Blackman in conversation about GCSE text Boys Don't Cry.

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KS5 - Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

A resource pack designed to give teachers a foundation of knowledge to springboard teaching ideas from; includes videos and pdf document.

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KS5 - Empireland by Sathnam Sanghera

A resource pack on how to explore, analyse and understand the arguments made by Sathnam Sanghera in Empireland.

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KS5 - A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi

A resource pack giving students opportunities to explore ideas around identity and belonging for A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi.

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KS5 - Living While Black by Guilaine Kinouani

Activities for discussion, comprehension and more for KS5 English Language students for Living While Black by Guilaine Kinouani.

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KS5 - Penguin Modern Poets 3 featuring Malika Booker

A resource pack including activities for discussion, understanding and more for KS5 students studying poetry by Malika Booker.

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Visit Tes Black Experiences Hub

Discover more Lit in Colour resources on the Tes Black Experiences Hub.

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Author talks to watch with your class

Penguin Talks is our existing programme which takes our authors into secondary schools, or more recently live streamed from their homes, to talk to young people about issues they care about – from grime artist Stormzy on finding your voice, to how to prepare for the squiggly world of work. 

We’ve pulled out a few of these events which are particularly relevant to Lit in Colour below, but you can explore the full programme of talks on offer here.

Primary resources

A picture of new book My Skin, Your Skin on a background of orange, green and pink circles

KS1 PSHE: My Skin, Your Skin

Three activities, with worksheets and slides, for My Skin, Your Skin by Laura Henry Allain, illustrated by Onyinye Iwu.

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KS1/2 picture book inspiration: Clean Up!

Download an inspiration pack, containing prompts and exercises, for Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon, illustrated by Dapo Adeola.

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KS1/2 reading, art and PSHE: Hey You!

Download slides and activities for Hey You! by Dapo Adeola.

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KS3 resource pack: Becoming

This pack includes excerpts and photographs and an overview of themes that appear throughout Michelle Obama’s memoir Becoming.

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Puffin Schools

Resource packs, reading lists and more

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Visit the Twinkl Lit in Colour Homepage

Discover more Lit in Colour resources for your classroom with Twinkl.

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