During these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever that our students continue to develop their reading skills, delve into imaginary worlds and discuss their thoughts and opinions with others. In order to promote this idea, we have decided to start a Lockdown Book Club, where all students are given the opportunity to read the same fantastic book at the same time, discussing it with classmates and their English teacher as they read.
Books will be coming home this week and, to accompany their reading, students will also be given time to complete their own Reading Journal, keeping track of interesting plot points or characters and noting down any reflections on what they have read.
English teachers will be using some of the lesson time each week to assist with any comprehension, answer any questions and to help students fully engage with the book. Of course, there is a chance that students may have read their allocated book before. If this is the case, they should see this as an opportunity to investigate the text even further; research the author or some of their other works, look for subtle details that they didn’t spot first time around, listen and respond to comments made by their classmates.
It is hoped that the students will really enjoy this ‘communal’ reading opportunity and we believe that they will gain a lot from this fantastic experience. All we ask is that they attempt to read a little bit each day (even if only a page or two) and they look after the book so that it can be brought back into school when we return … where the discussions can continue.
We really hope our students enjoy the St Gregory’s Lockdown Book Club and if you have any questions regarding it, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Mr J Davis
Head of English
