Library Activities: Summer Reading Challenge

As the Summer term draws to a close, I'm promoting the public libraries Summer Reading Challenge in my weekly lessons with pupils when they visit the library. This is the first year that we haven't been able to organise an assembly with a public library representative. There is just so much to fit into the school calendar at this time of year.


For Year 4 and 5, I'm doing some "fun" activities to go along with introducing the challenge and the concept of a Story Lab. I thought I'd share what I'm doing here in case it is of use to other librarians or anyone else who wants to excite children about participating over the holiday.

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Summer Reading Challenge: Story lab Lesson

Introduce the Summer Reading Challenge and the Story Lab theme – 6 Weeks, 6 Books – What do you think a Story Lab might be?

Activity 1

Writing Race – challenge students to come up with a list of 50 things you might find in a Story Lab. The winner gets a prize. Students read through their lists and select their most “inventive” ingredient to share with the class.   [Adapted from Rachel Barnett's Create a character with writing races activity - PDF with many ideas available at Book Trust Everybody Writes)

Activity 2

Character Consequences activity – Dory-Dunky Dahl Consequences template from the Puffin website. Link Here: http://www.puffin.co.uk/static/puffinplayground/childrensactivities/downloadspdfs/RoaldDahl/dory-hunky.pdf

Activity 3

Read the short story Willy, the Boy Who Loved Words by Laurence Anholt (from Wow 366! Story collection) aloud to the class. (If you have longer sessions than I do, you can link in a dictionary race to find a new and exotic word)

Plenary

Wish them a happy holiday where they discover new words and new authors.

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My students had great fun with this. But be warned the consequences game will make them very giggly. Personally, I love that. It's the end of term. We aim for fun!