[C]hildren at Hunter Hall School celebrated Book Week recently, which is an annual focus for the school on the enjoyment of reading, with the aim of encouraging as many children as possible to ‘get into books’.
The week launched officially with a special assembly with Dave Cryer, Learning & Participation Manager at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick and also writer, teacher & workshop leader across Cumbria and the UK.
Sir Dave, as he became known to the children, spent the day running writing workshops with all classes from Reception to Year 6. He also introduced each class to a range of popular reading material as a stimulus for the writing sessions. Positively inspired, all classes spent their English lessons working extremely hard to try to complete their stories in a very short space of time!
Lower School classes worked with teachers Mrs Wrightson and Mrs Griffiths collaboratively to produce a range of entertaining writing, whilst Upper School classes set off on quests to achieve a goal, with the inevitable problems or conflicts along the way and details of the steps their central characters take to overcome them. The stories were then judged in school and a selection forwarded to Sir Dave, who decided upon 1st places and runners up for each of the Upper school classes.
During the week, parents were invited into school to read to classes at various times during the day; older children prepared book presentations to deliver to younger classes and classes paired up to share their own reading books. The school also held a Scholastic Book Fair, which added further to the funds for the school library.
A ‘Dressing Up Day’, in which children came to school as a character from their favourite book, was a great deal of fun for both children and staff, and prizes were awarded for the most creative costume designs to Tate Bullimore, Rafferty Antrobus, Fergal Rowley, Luca Holt-Stott, Sophia Lewington and Toby Dobson.
Having completed his judging of the written work, Sir Dave praised the children’s wonderful imagination and their excellent word choices for similes, metaphors, adjectives and expressive verbs. The following prizes were awarded in assembly:
Year 3
- 1st Fergal Rowley for Snappy the Crocodile
- 2nd Ted Cooper for The Storm and The Worm
Year 4
- 1st Evie Pallister for Monty the Mouse
- 2nd Esme Ray for A Gnome called Bobby
Year 5
- 1st Matilda McTear for Wolves’ Life
- 2nd Alex Harbach for The Grand Flying Chickens
Year 6
- 1st Kenny Pallister for Raven Boy
- 2nd Eva Whittlestone-Pope for The Disappearing Nest
