19 Aug 2014
Book Week - Friday 22nd August, 10am Parade Gould League Hall
This is Term 3, Week 6 and it's BOOK WEEK!
The theme this year is Connect To Reading. There is a definite message in the theme because connecting to reading is something everyone should do on a regular basis. It is important especially to students while they are improving their reading skills and developing a love of reading.
Children should enjoy their ability to read and engage with a text so that they can use this valuable tool to read stories; grow their knowledge; help them understand the world they live in; research and find answers to questions; understand how other people think; to
expand vocabulary, broaden their imagination; and see that reading is or can be integral to nearly everything they do. The list of things you can use or need reading for is endless but it's all about the structure of language and the way it is used correctly.
Parents have an important role in developing a love for reading by making sure that from the youngest age children are surrounded with books. They can read to their children and as the children get ready they can share the reading and get the children involved in the text to expand their understanding of what they are reading. If you want to help develop that love of reading adults have the responsibility of developing favourable attitudes so that their children grow a confidence in reading. With skill and confidence children are well on the road to become independent in their reading habits and read for their own reasons of engagement and purpose. Reading should never be made to be a task to labour over nor should it ever be used as a punishment. Encouragement, recognition and praise will go a long way to help children become life-long learners.
If you can, Support your children by helping them to dress up as their favourite book character. Join them as they parade their costumes to everyone at Friday's Parade and perhaps (weather Permitting) bring a morning tea to share as a family picnic at recess time.
After the parade, students will go back to classrooms for 30 minutes of DEAR – Drop Everything And Read. As parents you might stop to read your book, magazine or newspaper to help demonstrate the importance of reading. I'm sure that if you were to do this you would be welcome in classrooms providing there is room.
DEAR in some schools is called USSR. This acronym stands for Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading and the meaning is clearly conveyed in the words.