Ziptales helps make reading fun with a library of over 600 literacy modules.

Reading and writing are essential to children’s personal development and preparation for life. Teaching children to read is a complex matter, best done by trained professional teachers. However, when children can read, even at a simple level, the key factor becomes motivation. Do they want to read? Ziptales has always had as its primary aim to make reading an enjoyable experience.

Children enjoy variety in their reading. Some days they want to have a laugh. Other days they want a good mystery. Sometimes they want a thrill. Ziptales offers a wide range of stories in various genres. In its main library it offers myths, mysteries, comedy, true stories, adventure, fairy tales, animal stories, fantasy, scary stories, people stories and even ‘yucky’ stories. All reading levels and preferences are accommodated with Ziptales.

The Ziptales online ‘library’ is divided into a ‘Nursery’ section (ages 3-5), a Key Stage 1 section, and a Key Stage 2 section. The content is broken down into stories, poems, puzzles and other ‘reading’ modules (over 300 in total) at all levels, and curriculum aligned explicit teaching lessons (over 200), catering for all major English concepts.

Ziptales stories are all completely original, written by professional authors with a strong interest in education. The Ziptales editorial team selected only stories with a strong narrative arc - stories that give children a great ‘pay off’ narratively. All stories are suitable for children, both in terms of age appropriateness, and high ethical standards (stories promoting ‘good values’). Our stories include a range of reading levels from basic beginner texts, to stories for experienced readers. To make sure there was adequate understanding, each story is followed by two interactive comprehension quizzes.

Ziptales uses a 10 stage reading scheme, referencing Reading Recovery, Flesch and Lexiles. A simple five minute test establishes a child's Zip Stage (reading level).

All Ziptales content is aligned to the National Curriculum English, as well as Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence and the International Baccalaureate.

After more information? Take out a FREE trial to try Ziptales for yourself or read more with ‘Ziptales - The Full Guide’.