Reading for pleasure 3 July 2015 - conference notes
Margaret Holborn, Head of the Guardian Education Centre, welcomed everyone to the conference.
Julia Eccleshare, the Guardian children’s books editor, introduced and chaired the day and spoke about the Guardian’s commitment to as much discussion of children’s books as possible. The aim is to get the best possible books to children, teachers and schools. There is a children’s book prize every year and one of the day’s speakers, author Piers Torday, was last year’s winner.
Emily Drabble, editor of the Guardian Children’s Books site, explained that the website is for under 18s and is often written by young readers. Young people can review books and they will be sent books for free. There are thousands of members of the site and children are sent encouraging emails to improve their reviews. The website produces galleries, articles and reviews of books for age 0-18. There are themed book weeks and also live chats with authors. Children and reading groups can join the site.
Writing for children - Piers Torday
Julia introduced Piers Torday, 2014 winner of the Guardian children’s book prize for his book The Dark Wild, the sequel to his debut novel The Last Wild and the second book of a trilogy.
Piers explained that he spends time in schools every week and is aware of an upsurge in strategies, initiatives and schemes for reading.
He talked about the value of children reading. His focus was not just on educational, social or literary value but also the human value. Through reading children can feel that they are not alone and they can engage with feelings and experiences that they may not have yet encountered. They can become aware that there is a space in the world for every kind of person.
Piers asked delegates what they thought were the 100 most influential books according to Facebook. Data collated shows that 20% are books originally written for children. Harry Potter was listed as the most influential, with Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games and the Narnia books also in the top ten.
Piers asked delegates to name their influential books and they recalled Polyanna, Secret Garden, The Once and Future King, Tom Sawyer and Little Women. Piers loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Piers felt it was an immense privilege to write for children.
Piers addressed how adult writers set about creating stories which will inspire, excite and move a younger mind. He told a story about a boy called Jack who lived a happy and conventional life in Belfast in 1906. His mother died and his response was to lose himself in a fictional world called Animal Land. He wrote to his brother at boarding school and said that he was going to write a history about Mouse Land. This boy was CS Lewis. He said that all his happiness and security went with his mother's death. Piers said that the author seems to be recreating a personal paradise that existed before his mother died.
Piers tries to create stories that he would have enjoyed as a 13 year old. The environmental themes in his stories probably have roots in a holiday he took when he was 12. He went to the tiny Scottish island of Colonsay with his best friend and family. The 12 year old boys trekked across moors and cliffs and were followed by a cat. On a beach they found a seagull with a broken wing, which his friend put in his pocket and they took to a vet. They then came across a mouse interested in their sandwiches and to protect it from the cat Piers put it in his pocket. A rabbit then joined them and the boys returned to their hotel with the creatures. He later used this experience as inspiration for his stories. Children's books often come from recognisable experiences.
Piers said that 40% of his work as an author is reading. He reads to top up his own imaginative reservoir but also to be aware of the range of styles, tone, voice and different structural approaches.
Jacqueline Wilson said that she writes with one eye on the market to be imaginatively in tune with what children are reading. Piers would also add having one eye on history. He is aware that he is working in a tradition and so wants to be original but learn from past classics. He enjoyed Aesop's Fables and The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. A book which is pleasurable usually has resonance beyond its own words and plot and children will respond to that. Piers works as a volunteer with reluctant readers with the Beanstalk charity and thinks the answer is not to give them something too simplistic to read. They live in a modern complex world and even the simplest tale needs depth and context to be convincing.
Characters are at the heart of any story. He approaches characters from the point of view of function, eg: hero, enemy, liar, trickster and then tries to think of the most original and appropriate personality to fill the role.
When writing The Last Wild Piers wanted to write a book about climate change and the relationship with the natural world. Children have lost about 60% of their playing space during the last 50 years and spend more time playing with computers. Before writing The Last Wild Piers had decided he wanted the story to include a whale and a polar bear. Whilst wondering how to write his story he spotted a large pigeon outside his window. He thought it was a boring animal but he researched them and found they had an interesting history, they had been useful during the second world war and one had won a medal. Piers was also surprised to learn that the passenger pigeon, an extinct North American bird, numbered over a million in the 19th century and the last one died in 1914. The Last Wild was written about pigeons
Piers concluded by saying that what most children want is to be older and freer. A good book will grant that wish. For an hour or two young readers can also be wiser and braver, happier, sadder and angrier. The gradual awakening of the imagination can be a passport to a lifetime's journey of self-discovery that is the central pleasure of reading that children's writers have all discovered in their own way and try to return for generations following them.
Creating a community of readers – Martin Cooper, deputy headteacher, Mile Oak School, Brighton
Martin talked through a huge number of ideas that he uses to encourage reading for pleasure at his school, with an emphasis on ownership by the children, entering the 21st century, innovation and reinvention, including:
The Library (called the Hub) is run by the children. There is a space for writing as well as reading. Children write letters applying to be a librarian. Everybody also joins Mile Oak library
Reading champions: At Mile Oak they wear black shirts so everyone knows who you are. Writing champions wear purple shirts, maths wear red. There is no jealousy; it is about aspiration. The youngest children start as reading stars and then it goes right up to silver and gold champions for the older pupils. Children have said things such as: “Every time I put on my shirt I feel a tingle of power in my brain” and “I can write a lot better when I put the shirt on.”
Accelerated reader: The scheme helps children read entire books. Children do a star reading test and then the book quizzes are based on their level. There are currently around 30,000 books on the system. It develops reading stamina. Children are motivated by quizzes and recommend books to each other. Michaela Morgan took part in a mastermind quiz on her own books in assembly and was beaten by children. Parents are also involved via Home connect. Children get treats for targets being met – for example taking to them to the cinema. It is also useful as diagnostic tool as lots of data is collected.
Reading millionaires: Accelerated reading counts the words read. Children who have read a million words get a certificate and book tokens. Martin hired a Hummer and took the first 12 on a trip as a reward. This year they have over 30 millionaires – he is taking them on a boat.
Words on wheels: A book trolley selling books - run by 16 year 4 children, who invested £5 of their own money to invest in the company and sell the books to other children.
Book buses: Miniature buses full of books go up and down the corridors of Mile Oak. Book busketeers wearing hats deliver books – including on the field in summer. Brighton & Hove buses renovated the buses and made a new one that lights up. Busketeers give up lunchtimes to work with younger children. Teachers train the children on managing groups "we put the kids who weren't paying attention at the front...".
Community reading champions: Children visit local nurseries and volunteer with them. To become a champion they have to write to Martin and give good reasons why they should do it.
Reading pavement: A Reading Walk of Fame - children who reach beyond the gold standard get a paving slab inscribed with their name on the walk of fame. A very special honour – only 2 or 3 a year. Mile Oak also now have a Writing Walk of Fame.
Reading in different places: Outside of school grounds – While working at a school in Croydon, Martin took children to the courts – they were reading I Was a Rat. At the court they all got out their books and read in the courtroom instead of the classroom. The judge put him on trial.
Buddy reading: How to be a buddy instructions are always available. They have stickers for buddies, a buddy of the day – participation can be occasional, does not have to be all the time.
Book hunters: Children find the missing copies of a book hidden around school – to increase the complexity, have 'bad guys' trying to find the hunters.
Super dads workshops: To get dads more involved in children's reading.
Football and reading: Premier League Reading Stars is a football scheme where the children read football related texts and then finish with football related activities.
Quick ideas: Raffle tickets are given to children who are caught reading/writing/calculating (including at home and in the library); Keep Calm and Keep Reading posters; shelfies; speed dating with books; reading on line with a Kobo; blackout poetry using newspapers; recreate a cover for World Book Day (pose a photo like a book cover); beach read (crank up the heating, give out choc ices, children read); pets as reading champions competition (the best photos of pets reading). The hamster won.
Workshops
Bringing books alive in your school….for free! Guardian Children’s books and Puffin Live
Alexandra Taylor introducedPenguin Schoolsand discussed how they work with schools and how schools can engage with their authors. They have a schoolsmailing listand freeteaching resources.
Emily Drabble introduced theGuardian Children's bookssiteand showed avideoof children interviewing authors. She talked about how the website is written for children and by them. They have been running for four years and the number of children reviewing books has grown. She showed an article where two site membersinterviewed Jacqueline Wilsonand how this engaged children with reading.
Andrea Bowie and Tash Collie introducedPuffin Virtually Live. It is a free live author show that schools can sign up for and the children ask questions in advance of a show. During the shows there are live Q&As with authors and draw alongs with illustrators. The shows also star special guests and reveal exciting news such as book cover reveals. Puffin Virtually Live has been running since 2012 and over five million children have been involved.
The Puffin Live team showed an example of a draw along withQuentin Blakeas well asJeff KinneyandJacqueline Wilsonexamples. They also do shows that feature stories by authors who are no longer with us such as the annualRoal DahlDay show. The 2014 show featured performances from the West End production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
They also have lesson plans that schools can use before or after watching a show. They showed an example of a Virtually Live show withJacqueline Wilsonand her Hetty Feather book and they used a draw along with her illustrator Nick Sharratt as part of the show. The teachers got a chance to take part in that draw along.
Alex explained how visual literacy got children got into books and how this links toChris Riddell's, the new children's laureate, aim to get children to access books through illustration. The teachers talked about how you could use the draw alongs as a lesson starter.
Emily then showed somehow to draw galleries from the series that the site does once a week and explained how schools teachers and children can use them and be inspired to draw.
The Puffin team talked about a Steven Butler and The Diary of Dennis the Menace inspired showthat was anarchic and chaotic but the children loved it.
Emily then explained how she got the site reading groups to engage with authors – they did a call out to book members asking them to pitch a review of the Diary of Dennis the Menace and then picked the school to interview them. The St Andrew's Reading Group came up with some brilliant questions for the author that resulted in alovely interview. Emily encouraged the teachers tojoin with book groups and how using the site and taking part in such activities can really engage children with reading.
The teachers asked Emily what makes a good review from a child. She suggested that when children start writing reviews they think they need to be formulaic but actually they need to be chatty and fun. She suggested the children talk with a friend first.They should ask each other questions such as why do you love this book and give examples. The answers to these are what need to be in a review. When children send in reviews Emily and her team will give them advice and encouragement.