Awards to Elements for Diversifying Reading
There is a hunger for reading in Elements as shown by the number of students who were presented with a Reading Challenge Certificate recently by the Headmaster, Mr Chris Lumb.
Twenty four Elements students were presented with the award for completing a reading challenge set by the college librarian, Ms Jane O’Loughlin. They were asked to read four books by four different authors over the second half of the term. The students were given the freedom to select books of their choosing from the library’s array of titles or from their own book collections.
The challenge stretched the students beyond their comfort zone of constantly reading books by one favoured author. It resulted in students reading a range of writers, some familiar – such as Boyne, Kinney, Muchamore, Morpurgo, Riordan – and others newly discovered such as Roland Smith, Benjamin Zephaniah, Gerard Siggins and Nicola Pierce.
The challenge also exposed the students to different writing styles, different subject matter and in some cases to the experience of a different genre. Those most frequently read were humour, biography, action, adventure and fantasy.
Diversifying students reading in such a way exposes them to a variety of writing styles and develops reading confidence that will allow them to continue exploring new authors and genres. The students will get a chance next term to build on their success when a new reading challenge will be presented.
Well done to all students who participated and many thanks to their English teachers, Mr Shane Heslin and Ms Anita O’Shea for supporting and encouraging their students in this endeavour.
Ms Jane O’Loughlin (Librarian)
