Recent research by the UK organization the Reading Agency states that the benefits of reading are more likely to be felt when children have a free choice in what they read.
Reading is not just something to be done in school, but it needs to be an everyday part of our lives, something we choose to do at all ages. There is strong evidence linking reading for pleasure and educational outcomes. We know that academic attainment is of vital importance, but the benefits of reading for pleasure go beyond this and stretch throughout our lives.
During the summer holidays all our Juniors, including those who were new to La Garenne in September, were given a recommended reading list and many of them really rose to the challenge of putting away their screens and picking up a book:
In Year 7 Yanli, Sofia D, Toku, Rio, Pablo and Arsenii all read three titles each – with Arsenii stretching himself by reading both the Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Oliver Twist!
Year 8 students Anzhelika, Evgeniya, Marousia and Katya deserve a special mention for tackling classic titles including Little Women, Swallows and Amazons and Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
Many of the Year 9 students read classics such as Treasure Island and Jane Eyre, but contemporary fiction including The Hunger Games, the Cherub series, Holes and If I Stay were equally popular.
The summer challenge for our Juniors wasn’t just about reading – they also took part in an international online Maths challenge, and thanks to some very enthusiastic mathematicians, La Garenne finished a very respectable 32nd out of 220 schools across the world!
Well done to everyone who took part.
Next week is our Literacy week and many activities are planned, including the launch of the Book Challenge as well as Drama workshops and presentations. The Literacy Week will end with a Book Fair on Friday 13th October, and we hope that this gives our children an additional opportunity to choose their own books to read for pleasure.
