You may choose to judge the early years category of the Royal Mail Awards in a shared reading scheme, involving P6 or P7 pupils reading the 3 shortlisted picture books to P1 or P2 pupils (or in a secondary school S1 or S2 reading to younger pupils in one of your cluster primaries). This is a particularly good project for reluctant older readers.

• Why try shared reading?
• Apply to run shared reading across an education authority
• Free books for individual schools
• Research
• Our shared reading model is based on the Dundee City of Discovery Picture Book Award - find out more

Why try shared reading?

• Builds confidence, motivation, enjoyment and enthusiasm of more reluctant P6/7 readers: although the reading material is of a younger reading age than material for their age group, pupils don’t feel patronised by it as the purpose is to read and find out the views of their younger peers: “Children really enjoyed reading and sharing books with younger children in P2. It was a great boost to their confidence, fluency and self esteem.” Lois Cassidy, Slamannan Primary School, Falkirk
• It’s pupil-driven: often we find even after the project has finished older pupils are still very keen to read to the younger ones, and the younger ones are still keen to be read to
• Helps you fulfil the Curriculum for Excellence: click here for more details
• Links secondaries to primaries in their cluster: where secondary/primary pairing takes place, pupils build good links with their feeder schools
• Builds trust and respect between pupils
• Official research based on the experiences of the children and teachers at 10 Falkirk schools who took part in 2008 highlights the many further benefits of being involved in the shared reading scheme and is available to download here.

Apply to run shared reading across an education authority

The deadline for applications has now passed.

The chosen local authorities this year are Aberdeenshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Highlands and the Western Isles.

They will each be receiving:

• 50 free copies of each shortlisted picture book – 150 free books in total
• CPD for teachers and professionals taking part, on running a shared reading scheme and reading picture books to younger children, to take place in the autumn 2010 term
• 3 workshops in 3 schools in your area with drama practitioner to help groups of participating children bring their favourite book to life 
• Detailed guidelines on taking part for teachers and professionals involved in the project
• Help, support and guidance at any point throughout the project
• Opportunity to take part in research on project’s impact on participating children in your area
• The above amounts to approximately £4,000 investment in pupils and teachers in your authority

In return they will:

• Involve 10 schools in your authority in the project (this can be any sort of school – nursery, primary, secondary or special) and a minimum of 100 children across the authority
• Recruit one lead teacher in each school to manage the project in their organisation (usually a class teacher, principal teacher or Additional Support for Learning teacher)
• Ensure all teachers attending the CPD session on shared reading are informed about the project and what it entails before they come to the session
• Register all schools taking part in your area on our website
• Distribute free books to participating schools in your area
• Coordinate dates for the drama workshops with the schools in your area
• Keep in touch with all lead teachers at regular intervals throughout the project to monitor progress and report to Scottish Book Trust on their progress
• Provide a local venue for the CPD session in the 2010 autumn term, and coordinate teacher attendance at CPD session
• Coordinate the collection and return of votes to Scottish Book Trust by 28th January 2011

Timetable

• Shortlist announcement: 9th September 2010
• CPD for classroom teachers on running shared reading in the classroom: September 2010
• Shared reading: Start of 10/11 session – 28thth January 2011
• Drama workshops in participating schools: September and October 2010
• Votes submitted: 28th January 2011
• Royal Mail Awards  ceremony (winners announced): week of 22nd February 2011 in Glasgow

Free books for individual schools

Scottish Book Trust’s funding through Crerar hotels also allows us to provide 100 sets of the 3 shortlisted picture books for each school taking part using the shared reading model, available on a first-come, first-served basis.  – make sure you select ‘paired reading’ in the registration process and your set will come to you after the shortlist announcement on 9th September 2010.

Register to take part here

Research

Scottish Book Trust Research 

In 2008 Scottish Book Trust commissioned official research into the impact of the shared reading project in 10 Falkirk primaries.

The final report gives an overview of the project, provides details of the research methodology, lists a range of findings (including approaches, benefits, suggested changes, the legacy and effective practice) and makes recommendations for future projects of this nature. 

Click here to download the Shared Reading 2008 Final Report   

Dundee City of Discovery Picture Book Prize

In Dundee primary schools taking part in the Dundee City of Discovery Picture Book Prize, upon which the Royal Mail Awards shared reading scheme is modelled, and at Corrie Primary School in North Ayrshire who ran the Royal Mail Awards in a shared reading scheme in 2007, the teachers recorded the following benefits for participating pupils:

• increase in pupil self-esteem and confidence, and their own awareness of this
• improved reading
• listening and talking skills
• working with and reading to a younger audience
• demonstrating independent learning and self motivation
• and the following feedback from teachers:

"I think they learned more from doing the Picture Book Award than they have from any other project. It made me feel very enthusiastic about my teaching too."
"The children grew in self confidence. The tasks and responsibilities they were given allowed them to be much more independent and work on their own initiative."

• and the following feedback from pupils:

"It made me feel like reading"
"I have learned that the P1s are more fidgety than I thought!"
"I really enjoyed working in the awards because it brought everyone close together and it was really fun. It also taught us a lot."

This scheme is also ideal for involving reluctant readers or children with additional support needs in the awards.  

Register now to take part in the awards. Remember to tick the shared reading box to say you are judging the awards in this way.

Go back to Royal Mail Awards home page