Reading for Pleasure

“Reading for pleasure is the single most important indicator of a child's future success.”

OECD 2002.

Reading throughout the day and across the curriculum

Every morning, the children in each class vote for the book that they would like to listen to whilst they eat their toast. Two age-appropriate books are carefully chosen by the class teacher for the class to vote on.

Each class has a ‘class reader’ which teachers have carefully chosen from the school’s ‘reading spine’. Time for reading the class reader is a daily non-negotiable.

Every classroom has a ‘class library’ which has a range of fiction, non-fiction, newspapers, and comics in it, that include the children's interests and choices.

Teachers plan reading into lessons across the whole curriculum; this shows its value and importance in our school, gives children more exposure to different texts, gives children more practice in reading a range of texts and genres, gives children more practice at using their reading skills such as inference, and challenges able children by enhancing their learning.

Our school library is ever-growing, and we work collaboratively with the Norfolk Children’s Book Centre and an independent local bookshop, Bookbugs and Dragon Tales, to ensure that the books we own are inspiring, cater for our children’s interests, widen our children’s interests and are books where children can see themselves as characters. Our school library includes all the books from ‘No Outsiders’ which encourage children to explore identities, focus on diversity and embrace difference.

Congratulations to our Years 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 children who earned their Blue Peter Book Badge. We are proud of each and every one of them for reading for pleasure. Click on the link to see where children with a badge can now get in for free (until they are 16) https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/attractions

Our Year 6 children went to Norwich to meet one of their favourite authors, S F Said. The school bought a copy of his new book 'Tyger' for each pupil, and were very excited to have had time with SF Said.

This World Book Day we welcomed the author Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward. Take a look at our Reading Ambassadors with Nigel in our school library.

We asked our children what their favourite part of World Book Day was:

"My favourite part was editing my writing with Nigel."

"I liked hearing 'Freddie's impossible dream' and thinking of my dream."

"I liked being creative."

"I liked writing a story."

"My favourite part was sitting next to Nigel at lunch."

Take a look at what Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward thought about his day at Heartwood:

Southbank Centre

Each year, our Year 4 children work collaboratively with the Southbank Centre in London to write a chapter of a published book with well known authors and illustrators. They then are presented with their own copy of the book to keep.

We love Reading!

At Heartwood we believe every child will love reading. If they don't love reading yet, they just haven't found they right book. Staff at Heartwood will always take the time to recommend books to children to help them on their reading for pleasure journey.

Online Links

CBeebies Bedtime Stories https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/shows/bedtime-stories

Audiobooks (free) https://www.storynory.com/archives/fairy-tales/

Picture books read to children https://storylineonline.net/

Nursery Rhymes https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/school-radio/nursery-rhymes-a-to-z-index/z4ddgwx

Some of the books from our reading spine read aloud (as these are from YouTube please watch with your child and be aware that there are adverts at the beginning):

Nursery

Dear Zoo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqGYWRHOV6E

We're Going on a Bear Hunt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OI7fe766nk

Reception

Owl Babies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g15by4ST2w8

The Gruffalo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQAVUQd7Bi4

Year 1

The Tiger who came to Tea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHKC8gXNUJw

The Family Book https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpaoSWE44Rs

Year 2

Traction Man is Here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FfW3X1V4J0

Fantastic Mr Fox https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzEj0qVUu5M