Today was World Book Day and we celebrated it in style at Millthorpe School!
As you are aware, the previous week, we had a visit from award winning author Christina Gabbitas and this week, Mr Baybutt has led assemblies to Years 7-10 about World Book Day and the benefits of reading for pleasure.
In form time, students also watched a video of Mr Baybutt reading a short quote from his favourite book of all time, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, where he explained how this one book, which was one of his GCSE texts as a child, changed his life in several ways. This includes making him want to be a teacher, informing how he interacts with students, shaping his strong anti-discrimination views, and instilling a love of reading.
During World Book Day, students in Year 7 enjoyed three lessons based on their current text: CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. These lessons were expertly crafted by Dr Bates, Head of English, but were delivered by colleagues across the school.
Students in Years 8 to 11 read a short story across the school day, written by Ray Bradbury who has been described as “a master storyteller, champion of creative freedom, space-age visionary, and guardian of the human heart.”
In every lesson today, teachers read a section of one of his short stories during their normal lessons, culminating in the ending during the last lesson of the day. The students were so engaged and many were excited to arrive at Period 5 to find out what happened.
Teachers again shared their subject reading lists and referred to their own reading poster, which informs students about a book that they are currently reading, or have read and loved. Some teachers also gave reading recommendations from beyond the curriculum or their current read, including hobbies and interests.
Teachers either dressed up as a character from a book or wore a badge identifying a character from a book and this served as a real talking point with the students throughout the day.
As always, the school library was open at social times and some students managed to get hold of a free book token!
As students were reminded in assembly, our school library is brimming with books that are completely free for them to borrow. World Book Day’s mission is “to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. Reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income. We want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them.”
Please encourage your child to have a book on loan from the school library and set aside a time for them to read it. Reading before bed, away from screens, is the perfect time and will lead to a better night’s sleep.
If your child is a reluctant reader, please take a look at the Reading Support section of our website for practical help and advice.
A huge thank you to all of our wonderful colleagues for all of their help and for supporting World Book Day, and to the students for their amazing engagement throughout the day. Happy reading!
7 March 2024
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