Reading Ahead Challenge at Treloar’s
The Reading Ahead Challenge is a national event run by The Reading Agency to encourage young people and adults to read or listen to six items in six months. At Treloar’s, we have taken part in the challenge for over 12 years and encouraged the whole organisation to get involved, so it’s not limited to just over 16-year-olds. For students at Treloar’s, it can be reading the instructions for a recipe, listening to a story teller to a full blown novel. Anything counts! It is all about finding pleasure in reading and encouraging students to find the right topics in various accessible formats that engage them.
After they have read or listened to each item, they complete their reading diary, which can be completed using Book Creator on the IPad, filling in a symbolised diary or completing a paper version. Some of the college students even designed their own Reading Reflections diary which they tailored to their needs.
Some of the books/items student have read or listened to this year include:
- Pirates in a Supermarket by Timothy Knapman
- The Smartest Giant in Town by Julia Donaldson
- My Must-have Mum by Maudie Smith
- Cloud Busting by Malorie Blackman
- What’s inside Submarines by David West ,
- Articles from FirstNews (digital newspaper aimed at 7-14-year-olds)
This year, 87 students and staff completed the challenge (68 students and 19 staff). All of them received an official Reading Ahead Certificate and were entered in to a prize draw with prizes for school and college students plus a staff prize too.
Carmen, school student, was one of the lucky winners who won a £50.00 voucher.
The Reading Ahead Challenge is a great event, and it is enjoyed by all who take part; it is a great way to encourage Reading for Pleasure.
