21 February 2020
“Challenges are what makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” (Joshua J Marine). The Junior School boys have been given their Premier’s Reading Challenge forms this week. The challenge requires the boys to read a minimum of 12 books before September, eight books are from the reading challenge list and four books are free choice. We are looking forward to seeing how far the boys are able to push the boundaries with their reading.
We have been discussing the notion of challenge and have been asking the boys to think about what they need to do to challenge their reading. Challenges that have been set include:
- Reading longer books
- Trying different genres
- Reading harder books
- Trying new authors
- Listening to audiobooks while following along with the book
- Dedicating a set time every day to read
- Reading recommended books from the Children’s Book Council
- Reading complex books
The notion of feeling uncomfortable when trying something new has been discussed and boys understand that they will need to use strategies to overcome that uncomfortable feeling. Strategies such as:
- Start new genres or authors with Mum or Dad
- Discuss and summarise what they read
- Write notes or draw characters, settings and events
- Identify tricky parts of the text and break it down so that it can become understood
- Read some parts of the book aloud
- Reread when necessary
We look forward to working with you this year to challenge your son with their reading and hope that we can uncover some fabulous literature.
Alison Winter and Sue Dansie
Junior School – Teacher-Librarians