imagine what a difference it would make if every child loved to read

www.readingconnects.org.ukGetting the whole school reading

5 July 2006Getting the whole school reading

Julia StrongDirector, National Reading CampaignDeputy Director, National Literacy Trustwww.literacytrust.org.uk

www.readingconnects.org.uk

www.readingconnects.org.ukImagine what a difference it would make if every child loved to read



To read is to soar. It is to fly to a point of vantage.

AC Grayling



The power of reading Being more enthusiastic about reading and a frequent reader was more of an advantage, on its own, than having well-educated parents in good jobs.

- Reading for Change, OECD


www.readingconnects.org.ukSelect the statement that sums up your schools attitude to developing a love of readingIt is a key whole-school priority It is just one of many priorities It has been subsumed by a range of other priorities


www.readingconnects.org.uk What was the greatest influence in turning you into a reader?


www.readingconnects.org.ukWhat image does reading have in your school?Put yourself in the shoes of a new pupil entering your school and think about what messages they get about reading as they walk around the school.

Tick the appropriate column on the handout

Excellent / Some / No / Dont evidence evidence know


www.readingconnects.org.ukGetting the whole school reading audit where are we now?

AspectEmergentIntermediateVery goodWhole-school environmentCross-curricular linksTutor timeEventsSchool library


www.readingconnects.org.ukWhat schools say about the auditThe audit process was in itself really useful. I thought we already did quite a lot to promote reading for pleasure in our school but the audit gave me new ideas and inspiration.

The audit process was simple, easy to manage and acknowledged what we were already doing. So many awards are paper-chasing, time-consuming mechanisms that can actually prevent a school from doing what its meant to be doing not so Reading Connects.


www.readingconnects.org.uk Practical suggestions Make reading visible

Set up a display in the main foyer of children, staff (including cooks, school keeper etc) and parents promoting their favourite reads (include comics and magazines)

Get the pupils to create screen savers to promote good reads


www.readingconnects.org.uk Get Caught Reading postersCurrent readingWhat I read yesterdayHistory of reading Extreme reading

Mrs HanleyEAL teacher


www.readingconnects.org.uk Use the power of recommendation Establish Postcards from the Gap

Liaise with local schools so that Year 6 pupils send their summer reading recommendations to their new school for display in tutor roomsAnd/or at the end of a year get the pupils to send reading recommendations to the incoming year Speed dating


www.readingconnects.org.uk Establish class group top 10 reads Each class establishes and displays its 10 recommended reads and groups exchange recommendations to establish each years top 10 reads. (Encourage the inclusion of non-fiction texts and comics)


www.readingconnects.org.ukInvolve the pupils

Set up buddying schemes

Train older pupils to support younger pupils reading


www.readingconnects.org.ukInvolve the pupils in a makeover of the school library/school foyer Let the pupils create special sections for great sports reads great books for boys great books for girls


www.readingconnects.org.ukInvolving the whole school in building a reading culture

Sort the suggestions into Useful Not useful Useful later Now discuss any additional ideas that have worked


www.readingconnects.org.uk Download the DVDs from

Best Reading Connects Secondary School of 2005 was awarded to Loxford School, Redbridge


www.readingconnects.org.ukFinding out what pupils think about reading

Introduce the reading-autobiography approach: I took to reading like

Use the Reading Connects questionnaire


www.readingconnects.org.ukOur survey findings from over 8000 pupils were largely positive but 11% of pupils, the majority of whom were boys, did not enjoy reading at all. They said that they would read more if books were shorter, had more pictures and were about things that interested themAlmost half the pupils never or almost never talked about reading with their familyA quarter of pupils reported that their father never spent any time readingPupils stated that their mother encourages them to read more frequently than their father


www.readingconnects.org.ukWhy parental involvement is keyParental involvement in their childs reading has been found to be the most important determinant of language and emergent literacy. - Bus, van Jzendoorn and Pellegrini, 1995

A study of the reading skills of 15-year-olds in 32 countries found that children who enjoyed reading did better at school, and that the children who were most interested in reading were those whose parents talked to them about reading and had books and other reading materials at home.


www.readingconnects.org.uk I believe that becoming a successful reader opens all doors to future learning. Learning to read is the single most important skill for children to develop. Our recognition for reading at home not only rewards the child, but also acknowledges the tremendous support from parents and other adults at home. If we believe that learning can be supported in partnership with parents, if we believe that learning is a lifelong process and not confined to school days, and if we believe that reading success is a vital life skill, then we need to explore every avenue to make important things happen. Nothing is more important that learning to read. Headteacher Kennall Vale School, Cornwall


www.readingconnects.org.ukWorking with the parentsThe Reading Connects Family Engagement toolkit will be available on line from early November full of practical ideas about how to engage parents in supporting reading including a special section on engaging fathers.


www.readingconnects.org.ukGetting the boys and their fathers on board:

How creating Reading Champions can get the boys and men reading


www.readingconnects.org.ukFocusing on the boys - because statistically boys lag significantly behind girls in engaging with reading

but still engaging the girls - schools are encouraged to use a similar approach in engaging girls (Reading Angels) but the external recognition from the National Reading Campaign is reserved for boys only


www.readingconnects.org.uk What puts boys off reading?


www.readingconnects.org.ukRepeat after me learn to read not learn to enjoy reading Thou shalt read what, when and where we tell you, silently Thou shalt complete every book that thou starteth, no skipping or browsingVerily your reading should progress in a strict fashion, re-reading is forbiddenDigest, analyse and deconstruct your favourite books strip them of any joy Thou must read big thick books that were written hundreds of years ago for, behold! they are the classicsThou shalt only read books, for truly, they are the only proper reading materialsThou shalt not consider newspapers, magazines, or Heaven forbid, comics as reading. There is no such novel as a graphic novelThy reading preferences must be open to ridicule by others who think they knowest betterThou must cultivate an air of being un-cool; all readers shall be slightly smelly, unpopular and unattractiveThe Ten Reading Commandments(or how I learned to hate reading)


www.readingconnects.org.ukWhat motivates boys to read

Find out what motivates your boys ask them.We surveyed 1,500 boys

Q: Top ten celebrities? (281 different people were named as influences sharing 704 votes)A: Six footballers, two rappers, one page three model and an author Q: Top ten hobbies? (130 different responses)A: Sport, sport, sport, music, girls and gaming

Q: Top ten groups?A: Sportsmen, the services, the army, pilots and family


www.readingconnects.org.ukWhat motivates boys & menPeers and role models Ownership/responsibility They like to do stuff and want it to have a point Reward-orientated Competition The male ego!


www.readingconnects.org.ukBronze Champions stand up and declare their enthusiasm for reading

Silver Champions are involved in schemes to encourage other boys and men to read

Gold Champions make an outstanding contribution to the school reading culture

"Our boys in school think being a Reading Champion is great because they can celebrate being readers and being one of the lads." - Glyn Turner, Headmaster, Leighton Primary School, Crewe School Reading Champions involving boys in building a reading culture


www.readingconnects.org.ukReading Champion activitiesReading walls photos of the boys up next to Reading Champions posters

Boys books displays wide variety of materials

Reading games Guess who?

Community role models firemen, postal workers, graphic designers talking about the relevance of reading


www.readingconnects.org.ukReading Champion activitiesDiscuss the 10 activities and select The top three suggestionsThe least promising suggestion

Then see if you can come up with an additional idea that is a winner for getting boys involved with their own reading



Books have been a lifeline for me

I discovered who I was through reading

Fathers at a Dads Matter meeting,Lewisham, London

Reading Champion dads


www.readingconnects.org.ukReading Champion dadsEncouraging more dads and other males to come to school to model reading and to talk positively to boys about the benefits and value of reading Encouraging dads to read with their children at home Encouraging dads to take an interest in their own learning journey Encouraging children to go home and ask their dad to sit and read with them


www.readingconnects.org.ukCertificates and badges


www.readingconnects.org.ukReading Champions posters

I am putting them everywhere and the boys are thrilled to see their heroes up on the walls (actually the girls are too but for different reasons I suspect). The response has been amazing! - Teacher


www.readingconnects.org.ukMaking the link with football Ideas and resources for promoting reading to boys

Football-related projects in clubsFootball-based literacy activitiesPosters Reading the Game The Movie! A free DVD in Match-of-the-Day-style format, featuring England players talking about what, when and why they love readingwww.readingthegame.org.uk


www.readingconnects.org.ukDownloadable resourcesStickers

Bookmarks

Bookplates


www.readingconnects.org.ukReading Champion book boxesIn partnership with Badger publishing Chosen by teachers, book experts, celebrity and author Champions, and boys Three boxes: 7-9, 9-11, 11-14 A wide range of interests, reading abilities and genres


www.readingconnects.org.ukThe power of reading "It occurred to me that the only reason I was here was because of reading; it was the reason I began to climb. There is something about reading which takes you beyond the constrictions of space and time, frees you from the limitations of social interaction and allows you to escape. Whoever you encounter within the pages of a book, whatever lives you vicariously live with them can affect you deeply - entertain you briefly, change your view of the world, open your eyes to a wholly different concept of living and the value of life. Books can be the immortality that some seek; thoughts and words left for future generations to hear from beyond the grave and awaken a memory of another's life." - Joe Simpson: The Beckoning Silence



How to move forward

Create a supportive structure Build a team of enthusiastsConvert the headteacherPilot ideas involving the pupils in developing the approach


www.readingconnects.org.ukHow to move forwardList two or three key barriers to progress List two or three key levers to assist progress

Now list the key things that need doing to move forward Decide on two key actions


www.readingconnects.org.ukIf we work together, our combined expertise and enthusiasm could make every school a reading school and every child a reader


imagine what a difference it would make if every child loved to read

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