As a school, we place great importance on both encouraging and challenging our students and reading regularly is an imperative part of our ethos. A common factor that affects progress as well as impacting on the transition process from KS2 to KS3 is the summer reading dip. This refers to the decline in children’s reading development that often occurs during the summer break when children are away from the classroom.
In an effort to promote reading for pleasure, as well as prevent this dip, I would like to introduce you to Haslingden High School’s ‘Summer Reading Challenge’. Please encourage your child to read 5 books from the ‘cooler’, ‘warmer’ and ‘hotter’ lists. For each book, a short review must be completed. These are to be brought into school and handed to your child’s teacher during their first English lesson. House points will be awarded and there will be prizes available for students. The book choices range in level of challenge so please assist your child in selecting titles appropriate for their ability. ‘Cooler’ reads are the most accessible to students and they become progressively more challenging as they move up the chart.
An additional bit of fun that we hope you will encourage your child to participate in, is to take a ‘selfie’ whilst reading in the ‘weirdest’ place possible. Again, your son/daughter should hand the photograph to their English teacher during their first lesson. The winning entries will be judged at the end of the first week of term.
Reading is widely acknowledged as an educational necessity in primary schools and we strive to ensure that this practice continues at Haslingden High. As part of their English homework, students should be reading a minimum of 20 minutes per day. To enable you to monitor your son/daughter’s reading and ensure that they are fulfilling this expectation, a reading record will be issued to them at the start of term. This is also your opportunity to note down any helpful comments that you may want to share about your child’s reading habits and is a useful tool in establishing an ongoing dialogue between you and your child’s English teacher.
Please encourage your son/daughter to participate in the ‘Summer Reading Challenge’ and if you wish to discuss anything about the scheme, please do not hesitate to contact us in school.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://haslingdenhigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/COOLER-READS.pdf” title=”COOLER READS”][pdf-embedder url=”https://haslingdenhigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/WARMER-READS.pdf” title=”WARMER READS”]
[pdf-embedder url=”https://haslingdenhigh.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/HOTTER-READS-1.pdf” title=”HOTTER READS (1)”]