Kings Monkton Celebrates World Book Day

World Book Day at Kings Monkton School is a day unlike any other. The atmosphere is different; there’s an air of excitement, of celebration. It feels like a day set apart. On such a day, it’s important that books remain at the heart of the festivities, but it’s equally important that the celebrations transcend the limits of the classroom.

?World Book Day Activities

?This year, our primary-aged students dressed up as characters from their favourite books, with many going above and beyond with their costumes, which impressed students and teachers alike. And all our students across the school began their day with our Masked Reader challenge which set an energetic and joyous tone for the day.

?Years 5 and 6 enjoyed a surprise visit from Welsh author, C.C Brampton, speaking on his writing journey and his latest book, ‘Charlie Robonik’. Head librarian teacher, Alison King, arranged this special visit for the students who had the opportunity to learn and ask questions about how to become a successful children’s writer and the writing process Brampton undergoes. Sporting his signature superhero costume, Brampton was a source of both fun and knowledge for the students.

?Over lunch, our KS3 book club attended an exclusive chat with award-winning author, Elen Caldecott. Caldecott enlightened the students about the process of writing her 2021 Tir na n-Og Award winning title, ‘The Short Knife’, before guiding students in Year 10 through some creative writing tasks to get their creativity flowing.

?Beyond World Book Day

?Every World Book Day, the students always relish in the activities and events that we organise for them. However, at Kings Monkton, we celebrate several literary events across the year, encompassing everything from poetry to censorship, and we do this because it’s important to promote literacy all year round and not just one day a year.

?Providing students access to a broad range of books gives young people a chance to inhabit aspects of life that sit outside their own experience. This highlights the exceptional power of the written word and how writing plays an integral role in developing, nurturing, and maintaining a culture of reading for pleasure.

?In September, our students were asked to contribute to discussions about censorship as part of Banned Books Week. We used resources from the American Library Association (ALA) to draw the students’ attention to titles that have been frequently challenged around the world, such as ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’, ‘A Brave New World’, and ‘Lolita’. Throughout the week, students debated the impact of banning books on human rights and the importance they place on their right to choose their own reading material. Debates like these are important to have with young people as not only does it teach them the history and culture of times before their own, but they also learn how essential freedom of speech is to telling a story or raising awareness of an issue, history, or person.

?On October 4th for National Poetry Day, we shone a spotlight on importance and beauty of poetry by decorating the school with tags bearing a line, a verse, or in some cases an entire poem. We highlighted a diverse range of poets in our LRC and devoted an assembly to celebrating the work of Elizabeth Bishop, Amanda Gorman, and Maya Angelou. All these poets have their own story and history to tell, and we teach our students that poetry has as much vitality and significance as novels or essays, and that any form of poetry, whether a sonnet, limerick, or an ode, can be deeply filled with the emotions of an author, community, or culture.

?Preparations to shadow the 2022 Carnegie and Kate Greenaway (CKG) medals are currently underway, and this year’s shadowing process will involve students from across KS3. Students will explore the shortlisted titles through art, poetry, drama, and music, and cast their votes for the Shadowers’ Choice Award before the winners are revealed in June.

?Later in the year, the English department will be facilitating literary trips to Bath and Oxford to gain further in-depth knowledge into the authors that lived in these inspirational cities, such as Jane Austen, Lewis Carroll, and J. R. R. Tolkien.

These events are just some of the high points on the Kings Monkton calendar, bringing with them a strong sense of creativity and fun for all students. Books can (and should) be engaged with on a creative level as well as an academic one, and this approach can be exactly what is needed to draw in those who may not consider themselves readers in the traditional sense.

?We recognise that a love of books is rarely born in a classroom, but by creating frequent opportunities for our students to engage in activities that are linked to, and inspired by literature, we hope to promote a positive attitude to reading that will support their wellbeing at every stage of their academic journey and beyond. We look forward to celebrating World Poetry Day with the students and seeing their creativity further flourish as they get inspired by past and present poets across the world.

?Want to find out more about?our school, the different school years, our?admissions?and more? Please?contact us?on 02920 482 854. Remember, always be the best you can be.