As we conclude our Literacy Week and observe World Book Day, we wanted to expound on one of our practices at Banana Island School. At the end of every school week, we recognize and celebrate stellar accomplishments from every class.
As part of our Friday Celebration Assembly, we award one child from each of the Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes with a Star of the Week certificate and give a Headteacher’s Commendation to the most outstanding pupil from Year 3 through to Year 6 classes. We also recognize the efforts of classes with regards to how much time each class has put into their reading exercise. This week, The Year 3 and 4 pupils were awarded the Reading Champions Trophy for putting in a total of 158 minutes each.
How important is reading to a child?
Our teachers shared that from observing and following up on their pupils’ habit of reading, consistent and deliberate reading:
Builds self-confidence
Improves their vocabulary
Improves their opinions
Develops the child socially and emotionally
Protects the child from wrong and unsafe information
Reading isn’t just a requisite for academic accomplishments, a healthy reading habit can determine how children perceive themselves, their society and complex problems. For example, as we studied particular figures for Black History Month in February - we looked at contemporary figures like Martin Luther King Jr and historical figures like Septimus Severus - our pupils became curious and inquisitive about the racial divides in the modern world.
While we encourage a healthy reading habit, it is also important to reward the effort. Like our trophy that honours the children’s reading effort every week at Banana Island School, you can set up a system of rewarding your child every time they meet a reading performance indicator.
You might consider 20 minutes of screen time for every 10 pages completed. 😊