Summer Reading @ Portland Place School

Avoid a slump in literacy over the summer by encouraging your son or daughter to read over the holidays.  

We have a rewards scheme in place for students at the moment.  Here is how you take part:

1) Read a book over the holidays

2) Tell Ms O'Shea when you come back to school

3) She will check you have read the book and you can earn 5 merits!

4) To earn further merits design a new book cover for the book you read to convince others to read it.  This will be displayed in our new library space.

Here are some ideas for reading over the summer:

Years 5 & 6
Take part in your local library's Roald Dahl themed summer reading challenge

Year 7

This year we challenge our Year 7's to read the following 5 books which have been especially chosen for this age range and reading ability by the Book Trust.  (Some free copies still available at the library)* : 

Bubble Wrap Boy by Phil Earle

Cow Girl by GR Gemin

Smart by Kim Slater

Shine by Candy Gourlay
Smart by Kim Slater

Years 8 & 9
Have a look at some interesting new titles available in the library by licking the link below:

Summer Reads 2016 for Years 8 & 9

Any more reading related queries for the summer please contact Ms O'Shea in the library.

Happy reading for the summer :)

Independent Reading Projects No.2 : The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Some students in Year 7 and 8 have been working on reading projects over the last few weeks and we will be featuring one on the PPS library blog every week between now and the end of the school year.

This week's project was a really creative project inspired by John Boyne's Boy in the Striped Pajamas , a book which features on our Year 7 reading list. This book is a very sad story chronicling the experience of a lonely German boy who befriends a concentration camp inmate.  Zak wanted to learn more and came up with the very original idea of presenting his research on a simple pair of striped pajamas.  

This is a very eye-catching project which draws in the viewer and makes you want to read the book right away.  It really impressed his classmates and led to an interesting discussion on this period in history and how prejudice can drive people to do awful things.  We have several copies of this book  in the library and despite being sad it is highly recommended. 

Independent Reading Projects No.1 : Tom Gates Extra Special Treats Not

Some students in Year 7 and 8 have been working on reading projects over the last few weeks and we will be featuring one on the PPS library blog every week between now and the end of the school year.

First up is a special project featuring a game based on Tom Gates Extra Special Treats Not  (read a sample) by Liz Pichon (Check out her gorgeous Tom Gates filled website). The Tom Gates series is ideal for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and diary books, it is hilarious and Liz's amazing illustrations make it a pleasure to read.

Ali decided to create a reading project with a difference. A board game based around the stories and funny scenarios that occur in this Tom Gates book, such as when Tom gets chocolate on his Mom's favourite dress or goes on a road trip. Ali got everyone in the class involved in playing the game which worked really well. It encouraged so many students to read the book.

Teachers were so impressed they asked me to tweet Liz Pichon to show her the game and she was impressed too. So impressed that she retweeted the work to her thousands of followers mentioning how much she loved it!

The game is available to play in the library now and you can also borrow the book here too. Stay tuned for another reading project next week