Reading for Pleasure
At The Grove, we strive to instil a love of reading in the children. We carefully select the texts that are read to the children to transport them into new worlds or to give them a deeper knowledge of a particular topic. Children’s independent reading is encouraged through giving them the opportunity to talk about the books they are reading and to make recommendations to each other. These are some of the reading projects we have undertaken…
Lunch Time Book Club
Some children in Years 3 and 4 have participated in a lunchtime book club with local poet and regular Grove volunteer, Dr Mike Johnson. They read the moving story of The Last Bear by Hannah Gold and it really got their imaginations flowing. They were set the challenge to read certain chapters at home between sessions, before discussing their thoughts and feelings towards the book as a group. We were impressed with the empathy the children showed towards the characters and the confidence that grew within the children as the sessions went on. The very competitive quiz during the final session was a highlight for all!
World Book Day
This year, we celebrated the joy of a bedtime story on World Book Day.
All the children (and staff!) wore their pyjamas and enjoyed some hot chocolate.
Throughout the day, every teacher visited every year group and shared a story and an activity related to the book. This ranged from joining in with poetry to drawing illustrations to retelling traditional stories.
We ended the day with a whole school assembly where Miss Denmeade shared a story all about kindness.
Author Link
Year 3 and 4 have been communicating with the author Emma Read.
She is the author of Milton the Mighty.
You can check out her website here: https://www.emmareadauthor.com/
Reading Rivers
Over the half term holiday, children and staff created ‘Reading Rivers’ to show the wide variety of things they were reading.
Trowbridge Library
Over the course of the year, every class will visit Trowbridge Library. Here are some photos of our visits.
Shared Reading
Children from different year groups love to read together!
Poetry Performance
Some children have been working with a local poet, Dr Mike Johnson, to practise their poetry performance skills. At the end of term, Year 3 were treated to a performance from these children as well as from Dr Johnson himself. Even the teachers and local librarian got involved! Following this, the children have been inspired to write their own poems to share with Dr Johnson on his next visit!
Reading Assemblies
Reading Assemblies
Each week, the children are treated to a story assembly. Over the year, we have had different themes, such as poetry and traditional tales.
During a pupil voice discussion, one of the children suggested that it would be lovely for some children to read in assemblies.
During Term 6, it has been the turn of our fantastic Year 6s to lead these assemblies.
We have been incredibly proud of the effort and enthusiasm they have put in. From character voices to actions, they have all been entertaining to watch. Some of our younger children are now aspiring to have a chance to do this when they reach Year 6.