Literacy Initiative

Reading Can Be Fun!

At Mount Carmel we want to encourage students to read more by making reading fun and pleasurable. Research tells us that reading for pleasure promotes and develops self-confidence and self-awareness. 

Reading for pleasure is paramount in promoting learning across the curriculum. Students who read for pleasure are more likely to engage more readily with curriculum subject areas. The literacy focus objective across the whole college community is to promote, support, nurture and affirm the learning and development of Mount Carmel students.

The LRC is a great space where students can come to read books, listen to audio story collections, write stories, recite poetry and much more. Students are actively encouraged to get involved in the current LRC literacy initiatives. Last term, all year 7 students received a free book as part of the BOOKED UP scheme.

Once again this year Mount Carmel will be celebrating WORLD BOOK DAY in March and in the summer term by taking part in the CARNEGIE SHADOWING SCHEME.  All students and staff belong to BooXpace, the LRC’s online book club (accessed via fronter). Here, students can view short films made by book club members, upload book reviews, read book recommendations and access book club forums.

For the second year running the Yr 7 Reading for Pleasure Book Club has been a resounding success with feedback suggesting students have gained self-confidence enhancing their ability to be expressive whilst learning across the curriculum, demonstrating the link between ‘reading for pleasure’ and ‘attainment’.

Attendance was high with 10 or more students committing to the 10 week club duration.  The students also watched Matilda the musical as part of the club.

Student comments
Hossana Tedros “I didn’t want to go but I’m glad I did because I really did enjoy it”.
Hazal Unek “I’d never read aloud but now I am confident to read aloud”

Roald Dahl Audio Mornings

Starting 17th January 2012, celebrating NATIONAL STORYTELLING WEEK. The college community are invited to come along and listen to the wonderful stories of Roald Dahl in the Upper LRC from 7.45am – 8:15am on Tuesday mornings. The aim of this activity is to promote listening skills and instil the message that ‘reading can be fun’. Audio books are an important introduction to listening — a skill needed in order to learn and develop reading skills. Hearing a book read on tape also helps listeners to see how words come alive in an expressive way.

To encourage and continue to develop a college community of ‘reading for pleasure’, book boxes containing  a collection of genre for fiction and reading levels are issued to all form rooms.  In addition to reading during registration, students regularly share their book recommendations with Mount Carmel staff via VLE staffroom. These are just some of the events that help to put reading at the top of Mount Carmel’s agenda.