Book week for the boys

This week is book week at Huntley and the boys and staff started the week off with our, “Dress up as Characters Day.” This is one of the highlights of the week for the boys and I’m sure a lot of parents heaved a heavy sigh of relief to finally find the costume for their son. The Staff get right into the dressing up as well, but the real objective of the day is to highlight to the boys the favourite books of staff and their peers. The mid-winter Christmas lunch was another highlight of the day and certainly added to the festive atmosphere.

Over the week the school has guest readers and visiting authors such as Stu Duvall. The inter squad book quiz, book mark competition, and reading log challenge are all part of this exciting week.

Book week is all about reading and this is especially important for boys. At Huntley the hallmark of success for a reader is when boys truly start reading for pleasure. It is important that staff are good examples to our students. Headmaster Brad Gay reads extensively. “During term time I tend to read professional texts. This term for example I have already read: James Popham's, "The Truth About Testing", Douglas Reeves, "The Learning Leader", Neila Connors, "If you don't feed the teachers They eat the students", Sheena Cameron, "Teaching Reading Comprehension Strategies". My last great read was Maurice Gladwell's "Tipping Point". I am currently reading Gladwell's, "Blink". I also read a number of boys books so I keep up to date with what they are reading. Currently I am reading Morris Glietzman's book "Then" the sequel to "Once". During holidays I read a variety of novels. I have been reading Robert Jordan's Series lately. 12 Volumes recommended to me by a student two years ago!”

Huntley teaches reading in a similar way to mainstream schools but with some differences designed to especially engage the boys. The library for example has a huge array of non-fiction books, and the fiction section is stocked with boy friendly books. Many of the books are series books as boy's love to read these. Robert Muchamore’s Cherub series is a firm favourite at the moment. It has all the hallmarks of a great series for boys. The character is a boy, he is a spy, he faces danger, and he has a certain amount of power. He is a boy’s boy.

Book week sends out the message to the boys that reading is a worthwhile important part of their education. Research tells us that if children cannot read their ability to comprehend and make sense of what they are being taught is greatly impaired. Book week is fun way of highlighting this to the boys.