Busy Buzzing Book Week
Pupil engagement and Reading for Pleasure has become a focus for us as a whole school at Norwood Green Nursery and Infant School. We wanted to run a themed week around developing a love of reading through activities designed to help the children explore variety and the wonder of books and create a school-wide reading ethos and pedagogy.
Planning for success
We spoke to the whole staff about planning for the week and the outcomes we wanted to achieve. Everyone worked together to plan ideas for both the children and the wider school community through whole-school events and individual class activities. We considered authors and texts that would engage and motivate the children, and encouraged parents to get involved and offer support.
Highlights
Through the wealth of activities during the week, we raised some money for books, but more importantly, we were able to share and grow our love of reading as a school. Amongst the activities were a book exchange and a reading treasure hunt.
Impact
The children loved this week; engagement levels in reading increased tremendously. Changes in pupils’ reading behaviours were evident. Parents commented on the week’s positive impact. Staff observed that the children were better at sharing their thoughts and discussing the books they had read, making recommendations and sharing likes and dislikes. As a result, many of these activities have been adopted as part of regular classroom practice.
Reflections
Staff had the opportunity to engage with unfamiliar or new texts. By increasing their literacy knowledge base, we have found that staff are more confident when planning for reading and engagement with books. Children’s attitude to reading changed. Careful planning helped the children become more enthusiastic and motivated around reading; we witnessed the children showing interest and joy when picking up a book. We want to keep the Reading for Pleasure buzz going beyond the themed week.
Our next steps:
- To create ‘reading non-negotiables’ with staff.
- To continue to introduce new and varied texts to staff for reading aloud with the children.
- To continue to develop a reading community and culture of Reading for Pleasure and sharing books with all stakeholders.
Tracy Riddell, Assistant Head Teacher, Norwood Green Infant and Nursery School, Southall
