Book Week
Book Week begins on Monday, February 27, with an introductory presentation as part of the usual Monday morning assembly in the QET. However, there will also be another assembly on Thursday morning (8:30am in the QET) that will launch a special day of activities focused on the joy of reading (with a particular emphasis, this year, on non-fiction books). Our very own Mr. Little, Head of School, will join in with some reading activities! Of particular note for parents is the fact that Thursday, March 2, is a dress-up day: students and teachers are invited to dress up as their favourite nonfiction character or topic (you should have received this notice from the Book Week committee). Also, the Book Swap, organised by the library, will be running each day before school. Take a moment to ask your children about the daily Masked Reader quiz, too. The grade level teachers will also keep families informed of other activities that are part of our Book Week celebrations.
Reading aloud stories can help children of all ages to appreciate the wonder and magic of a book. Being read to is risk-free. When a teacher (or parent) does the reading, children’s minds are open to anticipate, infer, connect, question, and comprehend (Calkins 2000). We believe that you are never too old to enjoy a “read aloud”. Whether it’s a story or nonfiction selection, it’s both liberating and enriching to listen and have the experience of written language without the burden of decoding. Reading aloud grants all students (including those who have English as an Additional Language), access to content that they may not be able read and understand by themselves.
It’s widely acknowledged that being read to is one of the most influential elements, if not the most important factor, in helping children to build the knowledge required for success in reading. Throughout the Preschool and Elementary School, reading aloud is a routine practice in our classrooms. Ideally, it would form a part of the daily (or nightly) routine at home, too. Of course, as reading skills develop (something that can occur with a different timeline for each individual), the balance gradually shifts to reading independently.
Typically, children’s listening comprehension outpaces their reading comprehension until Middle School. Therefore, it is particularly important that students in the earliest grades build knowledge through being read to as well as through reading on their own. Many of the grades have returned to the practice of having guest readers - parents who come in to share one of their favourite stories, sometimes in a home language, which is not English. Over the course of our Book Week, the children will have many opportunities to read out loud to others and also listen to others reading to them. In fact, there will be buddy reading going across multiple grade levels, with students in Preschool and Elementary School not only teaming up with each other, but with students in Middle and High School, too!
Many thanks to Claire McMahon, who has provided enthusiastic and child-centred leadership in organising and coordinating a week filled with such an exciting and memorable set of activities. From the celebration of World Book Day on Thursday, right through the rest of the year, our teachers and students will continue to delight in the joys of reading.
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