Book Week is one of my favourite weeks of the year. It gives children the
opportunity to celebrate literature by dressing up as their favourite book
character. It brings so much conversation amongst the children when they
are talking to each other about who they are and why they choose to be that
character. This year was no different! The smiles on the children's faces
when they came in and then when you spoke to them about what book they
had chosen is what we want to see every day when we are talking to
children about reading. This can only be developed through a love of
literature.
On Friday we were lucky to end the week with a visit from author Dannika
Paterson. She spoke to the students about how she started writing, where
she got her ideas from and what it takes to write a story. The Prep to Year 3
children then were able to paint their own piece of a Jacaranda Tree and
make this into a character that they could write about. Year 4 -6 had to
create their own character, writing a description of what they are like, a
meaning for their name, if they had any powers and if they had any big or
little accomplishments. The students were then encouraged to write a story
with their character either at home or school.
This year our annual goal is for all children at St James to improve in their
reading. This is not only done through the great work that is happening
every day in the classrooms but through experiences like last week. A love of
reading is one of the best ways to improve your child's reading ability but can
also be one of the hardest things to overcome when it doesn't come
naturally.
Please check out our Facebook page and school newsletter for photos of our Book Week celebrations.
© BCE, St James Primary School (2023)