In this stimulating collection of specially commissioned essays, teachers and researchers in the forefront of thinking in this area consider both the controversies and the day to day realities of teaching primary English. The book's four sections reflect the organisation of the National Curriculum for English: Speaking and Listening, Reading and Writing, with a final section on issues which confront the teacher across the English Curriculum. Particular attention is paid to assessment within the three strands of the National Curriculum and throughout, the contributors combine the latest research with practical suggestions about what it means for the teacher in the classroom.