Reading for Pleasure
100 Recommended Reads
At Guilden Sutton Church of England Primary School, reading for pleasure is our ultimate goal. Our intent to surround children with exciting texts including books that celebrate gender, race, culture, LGBT and difference has been enhanced by the introduction of our ‘100 Recommended Reads’. These carefully selected, high quality texts promote an array of vocabulary, contexts and plots beyond children’s own reading from Reception to Year 6.
We believe that reading for pleasure provides our children with the opportunity to use their imagination to explore ideas, visit exciting places and meet new characters along the way. Research has proven that reading for pleasure improves children’s well-being and empathy. It helps them to understand their own identity and gives them an insight into the world and the views of others.
World Book Day marked the launch our ‘100 Recommended Reads’. Each child donated a book from their class Recommended Reads list and are all inspired to collect all of the books from the list.
Children choose a Recommended Read in addition to their reading book. These books are taken home to share and enjoy. Children might read their chosen book to themselves or share them with someone else. Others might enjoy the text being read to them. However children choose to read their book, our ultimate goal is instilling a love of reading.
Once children have finished their chosen text, they are encouraged to think about who they would recommend it to and to share this recommendation within their class. Each classroom has an appealing reading area where recommendations can be displayed to inform other children as and when they choose another book to enjoy. Children all have a copy of their 100 Recommended Reads in their reading record and can tick the texts off as they are enjoyed.
Dazzle Corner
Every term, we receive a gift of a box of books with a difference. Every box comes beautifully wrapped and inside are new and exciting titles with inspiring illustrations and powerful texts to nurture the positive reading environment we offer our children. Once these books have been shared and celebrated, they are added to our Dazzle Area where they can be enjoyed by all. They illuminate the minds of our readers across the whole school and promote our ultimate goal of reading for pleasure.
Mobile Library
Our annual visits from the ELS mobile library provide all of our children with a quality library experience. Children from every year group are invited to visit the mobile library and choose a selection of fiction and non-fiction books for their class. Children select books with their peers in mind and loan an array of books that promote reading for pleasure in their class.
The books chosen from the mobile library enrich the variety of books we already have within our reading areas as well as the boxes of subject specific, non-fiction books we receive every half term from ELS.
