Some of the teachers at Little Stoke Primary School have been taking part in teachers’ reading groups organised by the Open University and UK Literacy Association. These groups encourage teachers to make changes to their practice based on the Teachers as Readers research. As a result of this, several of the teachers have brought in initiatives in their classrooms to encourage children to enjoy the fascinating world that books can allow them to experience.
Over the last six months, book enjoyment boxes were delivered to the children during partial school closures resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. These boxes included hot chocolate, snacks and books hand-picked for each child. In Reception class, book bags were sent home with a set of linked books and props for the children to help further engage with activities after reading the story.
In classes across the school, teachers have made personalised recommendations for children, regularly re-stocked the class libraries with fresh books and read children’s books themselves to further their understanding of children’s literature. The children have got on board and there’s been a great impact – they really enjoyed the personalised recommendations and have enjoyed talking about books and sharing recommendations in their reading for pleasure sessions in school.
Rebekah Glover, English lead teacher said:
“Research has shown that reading for pleasure is proven to be more important for children’s academic development than their parents’ level of education and is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background. Given the huge importance, we are keen to continue to develop a love of reading in any way we can, and we are now evaluating which initiatives had impact and talking to the children to get their feedback to see how we can move forward next year to keep the excitement for reading going!”
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of the Stoke Gifford Journal magazine (on page 27). The magazine is delivered FREE, nine times a year, to over 5,000 homes in Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Harry Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.
