During the first half term at my school- Newstead Wood- a paired reading scheme was carried out between year sevens and year elevens. Once a week our year groups would merge and we would read a suitable book that the year sevens found challenging, yet enjoyable. This aimed to bridge the gap between the old and young students and create friendships across the years. I remember being in year seven and being so scared of the older students so I know this scheme was helpful.
I am in year eleven now and the two books I chose for my year seven reading buddy (Holes- Louis Sachar and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief- Rick Riordan) were both books she hadn’t read before. Therefore, this scheme introduced her to new authors, stories, and genres as we read mystery and fantasy books. She also enjoyed both and made really good progress proving that this was beneficial.
This scheme did not only stop after half term, if a pair enjoyed reading and their time together they were eagerly encouraged to continue to meet up and read together. Other year seven students who find reading more challenging will also continue the scheme to become more confident. Even if students don’t read together anymore, I believe it was still helpful as the year sevens are generally more confident now to talk to us.
Furthermore, this scheme got year elevens reading again, a friend of mine said- “The scheme has actually benefited me to the same extent as my year seven”.
This reading scheme created relationships between the youngest and older students, introduced them to new books and boosted their confidence in reading and during school life.
