World Book Day 7th March 2013

Here’s this years’ promotion for World Book Day

 

 

Tokens (one per student) will be given out by Tutors, you can use them in the MRC for one of the £1 books OR pop into a book shop in town and get £1 off any book you like.

Book of the Week

Check HERE to find the book on Oliver

Drop in on DEAR 4.1 Butterfly Lion

Click HERE to check if the book is still available from the MRC

PD Sessions (Personal Development)

Over the past few weeks Tutors have been delivering some PD (Personal Development) sessions that I created about Reading (DEAR) and Independent Learning (Information Literacy).

As part of the first Reading session students were asked to create an A4 landscape poster about the MRC, e.g. how to use it and what you can find there.They could then vote for their favourite.

I have received lots of wonderful examples that I have shared via the Academy screens, but here are some of the ones I liked best!

Summer Reading Challenge 2012 winners!

Better late than never….. Here is a short extract of some of our students who managed to complete the Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge last year. It was great that the Public Libraries were able to let us know who finished this time, as they haven’t been able to do this in previous years.

So here is a glimpse of some of our students receiving their certificates, medals and a reward from the MRC.

Summer reading challenge 2012 completers.

What is your attitude to reading?

If you are in Year 7, you may have noticed something strange going on during your MRC lessons, and no I’m not talking about my dancing!

Some Year 7 students have disappeared…… only to be found with myself or Mrs Bothamley quietly chatting………

You may be wondering “What’s that all about?”

Well I can reveal all…..

As part of our mission to help you all become better readers we are attempting to meet with each of you over the next term, or so. This may take a little bit of time as there is rather a lot of you! (350+)

The chat, I hope, isn’t too scary, and so far I’ve had lots of interesting conversations with many of you.

Here are two things I can share with you that

come up repeatedly.

1. To improve your reading (making it easier) doesn’t take 5 hours or more each day as many of you think! But only 10-15 minutes. So grab your book before you go to bed and read a chapter or two. That’s it. Simples.

Do this everyday, or most days, and abracadabra over a month or so you should see/feel a difference. Keep it up and over many months and you’ll notice a huge difference. Promise!

 

2. If you can’t find something “good” to read, then do not fear! It can be a bit difficult walking into the MRC and being surrounded by all those books – where to start? If only there was an expert around to help….. Oh yeah! there is!

 

All you have to do is be a little bit brave and ask one of us. Mrs Bothamley and I are especially keen to suggest books we think you might like. Plus we won’t get upset if you reject some of the books we show you. No really – come and give it a try. We won’t bite! (Well it hasn’t happened yet!)

 

So if you haven’t had a chat yet, be patient, and we’ll get to you soon!

 

 

Carnegie Long List – the challenge to read them all 2012/13

Shock, horror….. Robert Swindells has written a book about World War Two. Sigh! Still this one is set just after the end of the war, rationing is still in place, the ‘yanks’ are still hanging around, and ghosts haunt the empty house at the end of a shadowy lane. Or do they? A very easy book to read, short chapters of 3 or 4 pages long. I ended up playing, spot the chapter title whilst I read. Not a great deal of detail -but it is a simple read, and a slightly different approach to…. No can’t say anymore as I’d give the game away. So is it a War story or a school story? Not sure – but it’s definitely not a ghost story.

Carnegie – the Challenge to read all of the long list 2012/13

I like Unrest. It was different and sophisticated and obviously for the young adult market. 17 year old Elliot is struggling with life after his brush with death in hit and run accident. He can, apparently see, hear and feel ghosts during his sleep and periods of sleep paralysis. He takes matters into his own hands by getting a job at a haunted museum, meets a girl there, and discovers more than he bargained for. A good page turner, with some unexpected twists, and a grisly but satisfying ending.