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Literature Focus

Lessons are busy in our literacy department, yet we are so pleased to see how well our pupils are developing. We want to share with you some of our current focuses in reading throughout the school.

  1. P1 Loves to Read!

Well done to P1! We are seeing big improvements as our Primary 1 class reads more and more. It is such a joy to see pupils reading other books beyond what they are assigned each week. As teachers we love to see pupils reach that point when they successfully decode words that they see all around them – what wonderful smiles they have when they do it!

2. Budding Authors in P2-P4

Having finished a component on poetry, we are spending a month improving our creative writing skills. The excitement for teachers is only realised when you compare a pupil’s work from the start of the year to their current level. Our budding authors are becoming more sophisticated.

Mr McCollum chose some special books from home to demonstrate good writing. We listened to him reading excerpts from various books with our eyes closed and allowed the author to paint us a picture by the words he/she chose. Then we tried ourselves – a great way to practise what we have learned in our Grammar class about adjectives, adverbs, and similes.

Here are some wonderful examples:

My dad is as spiky as a brush. (Sarita, P2)

It was a peaceful day and the wind was whistling a song. The green trees were swaying from side to side. (Danny, P3)

Alf was a young boy who lived with his parents. His real name was Alfred, but he didn’t like that name so now people call him Alf. On sunny days he would wear a hat – but not a sun hat – it was a woolly one! (Shona, P3)

  1. P6-P7 Delve into the Classics

Reading broadens our horizons and improves our vocabulary. Sometimes people say that it doesn’t matter what a child reads as long as he reads! But not all books have equal value and not all books stand the test of time. Reading the classics not only challenges the mind but also opens up a world of history, art, and culture that sadly is closed off to most children.

P6-P7 are each engaging with two pieces of classical literature. First, the whole class is listening to Mr McCollum read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer which opens up lots of opportunities for class discussion. We have used our IT skills to research Mark Twain because we want to be able to understand the book’s historical context. We have been displaying our findings on a poster. We recognise that Mark Twain’s worldview is not identical to our own and so we read the text with a critical mind.

             

The second piece of classical literature is different for each pupil. P6-7 chose from a list of classics given to them. Some examples include, The Wind in the Willows, The Hobbit, The Secret Garden, and Treasure Island. Each pupil is compiling a word bank of new vocabulary.

Some of the new words that we have learned are: lugubrious, melancholy, furtive, illustrious, and obtrusive. If P6-7 can finish this piece of literature before 31st March they will get a prize! The pressure is on, but we love to read!

 

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