Welcome back to a new term at Ferndown Middle School! Whether you have just joined us or you are starting a new school year, we are all adjusting to a new way of operating at school.
Our wonderful school library is still open; we can’t go in there at the moment but our librarian, Mrs Bolton, is working hard to provide each class with a selection of interesting books which match their reading ability. These books stay in school at the moment and our children are given time to read them every day. We are also working hard as always to expose our children to engaging texts via our class novels.
This year has been unlike any other, but reading can be a wonderful escape in times of stress. With this in mind, I have included some suggestions for sourcing books for free or cheaply.
Accelerated Reader
If your child has not already done so, he or she will shortly be taking a computer-based reading test called Accelerated Reader.
Ferndown Middle School bought this programme last year, and it is used at the Upper School too. Its purpose is to ensure that the books your child is choosing are within their reading ability but challenging enough to improve their reading and vocabulary levels.
At the end of every book they read, they are asked to log on and take a quiz on the book. Your child has been given their log-in details. Good scores on these quizzes will raise their ZPD score. They should take these quizzes soon after finishing the book – within two weeks at most. They can log in at school and take the quiz or do it at home.
Reading for Pleasure
