Quiet: Litcham Library’s Sponsored Silent Read

Sponsored Silent Read – Sam’s Fund

A massive thank you to all the Year 7 students who took part in the sponsored silent read last week and to the friends and relatives who sponsored them. Your support is very much appreciated. The students were absolutely brilliant – not a word was uttered all day. Well done to everyone involved. Mrs Berry had a very peaceful day!

“On the 7th March, we carried out a sponsored silent read to raise funds for the Litcham School Sports Pavilion Charity in memory of Sam Alger. Anyone who was participating in it had to get a sponsorship form and find people who were willing to sponsor them to read. Thirty-two Year 7 students took part. They headed straight to the library on March 7th where they read in silence for the whole day, only stopping for break and lunch. After every hour we were allowed a drink and biscuit and then headed off again. Overall I enjoyed the event, although it was quite hard at times, especially for the two hour sessions. I am really glad I did it and hope that we manage to raise lots of money for Sam’s Fund.” Astrid Bucher 7K

“The sponsored read was really good fun. Everyone was so quiet – it was for such a good cause. It was really nice when Mrs Pavey came in to wish us good luck and explain how close we are to meeting the sports pavilion target. It was a great way to read lots of books and we got to quiz on them as well. I loved it. It was a brilliant impact day.”  Esme Platt 7K

 

Celebrating World Book Day With Helen Moss

Author Visit – Helen Moss

On Tuesday 5th March our ‘Author in Residence’ Helen Moss visited the Secondary phase to help celebrate World Book Day and promote a love of reading. In the morning she spoke to the whole of Year 7 in the hall about children’s books, past and present, and about our favourite book characters and stories.  She then carried out a creative poetry-writing workshop on the theme of ‘place’, with selected pupils from years 7 and a travel writing workshop with students in Year 8.

“I enjoyed the workshop because Helen was able to explain what we had to do well. I liked it when she read a part of her book to us as it gave us an example of what we were meant to aim for. She showed us different ways of doing travel writing and the sorts of crazy things people do when writing a travel book.”  Sarah Fife 8B

“I really enjoyed the travel writing workshop. We had to create a chase scene, whilst describing the surroundings – this was my favourite part. Helen read us a short section of one of her books and also told us about her childhood in Saudi Arabia. I really enjoyed meeting her and found her very encouraging.” Zena Yaxley 8B

“ I enjoyed the poetry workshop with Helen Moss because it gave me the chance to what I like doing, with a friendly atmosphere. Everyone was sharing ideas and it was good to hear all of the poems, even the sad ones! Personally I felt like I could have done it all day and would do it again in a minute, but all good things must come to an end!” Max Bradbury 7K

“ The workshop was based on poetry but we also looked at song lyrics as inspiration which was fun. We wrote our own poems about home or a place we liked to be. I got lots of inspirational tips and hints for writing empathy poems and overall it was a fantastic workshop.”  Skye Frier-West 7K

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Importance of History by Amelia, Year 10

The Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said,  “Those whose do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” These words ring especially true on the eve of Black History Month. Taking place throughout the month of October Black History Month aims to celebrate and educate people about black history. It’s aim is to insure that black culture and influential black people are introduced to a new generation. However Black History Month has a deeper purpose. By learning about the atrocities against black people in the past we can improve our empathy. Recent events such as the crisis in Myanmar show how important it is for human beings to be able to understand and appreciate other people and their views. For our display we selected a wide range of books that feature black characters, are written by black authors and are about the black historical experience. By celebrating and reading these amazing books we can all contribute to encouraging diversity in our literature. We as the next generation have a responsibility to ensure the lessons of the past are never forgotten.

Our library display.


Litcham Cluster Book Quiz 2017- Great Massingham Win!

Last Thursday, we held a Litcham Cluster Book Quiz at the Secondary phase site and had a brilliant time. Teams of four students from Years 5/6, from each of the cluster primaries, plus a team of teachers, battled it out over nine rounds of book-related questions for the LCBQ Cup. The rounds of questions ranged from mythical creatures to wild animals, fairy tales & legends to picture books, from witches to famous duos and family relatives to food. The primary students were very impressive in their literary knowledge, and I think we are going to have some very keen readers joining our school in July.


Congratulations to Great Massingham who came first, scoring only five points less than the teachers – they really gave them a run for their money! Close behind them in second place were St. Mary’s, and in third place were Great Dunham. Well done to all the students for participating really well in a nail-biting and exciting competition. You all represented your primary schools superbly!

 

Litcham Cluster Reading Club Event

On Wednesday 7th June, reading club members, from our cluster primaries, met at the Secondary Phase, to review the eight selected books that they have been reading over the course of the year. The eight titles were:

Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

The Silver Donkey by Sonia Harnett

Wonder by R J Palacio

WARP- The Reluctant Assassin by Eoin Colfer

The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean in an Armchair by Lara Williamson

Demolition Dad by Phil Earle

How to Fly With Broken Wings by Jane Elson

The Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell

The books were chosen from a range of genres, and authors, to encourage students to venture out of their comfort zone and to try some stories that they might not normally read. It was really impressive to see how many of the pupils had read the books, and wonderful to hear about the activities they carried out in their reading clubs at school. For example, students at Great Dunham took it in turns to bake a cake based on the book they were currently reading.


 

 

 

 

 

 

During the event, the Year 6 pupils from each school were mixed into different groups so that they could get to know each other. Supported by secondary phase students; Jessica Banham, Isla Palmer, Summer Peacock, Felix Platt, Sophie E Russell, Sophie M Russell and Amelia Platt, they discussed and debated their thoughts, opinions, likes and dislikes about the books. It was really interesting to listen to all their different, and often conflicting, points of view.

Some of the pupils had written reviews about their favourite story, which they read out loud to everyone. Some of these are shown below:

A review of Wonder by Louis, Great Dunham

 “I really enjoyed Wonder because I loved how the book put the story in different people’s point of view. I felt sorry for August because Jack was mean to him, but he only did it to impress Julian (Julian is mean). I would give wonder 10 out of ten. It was sad, it was funny, it was amazing, it was a wonder. I would recommend Wonder to years 5 to 7. It is the best book I have ever read”

A review of Wolf Wilder by Jessica  Year 7

 “I really enjoyed this story because it has many twists and made me want to read on. Throughout the book I cried as I imagined what it would feel like if I was Feodora. The best bit for me was when all the kids of the village came and helped Feodora and the boy, and with this, all the adults came to help as well. I enjoyed the part when general Rakgoff got his comeuppance too. I love the fact that although it was creative and imaginative it also had parts which were historically correct. I could not put the book down.”

The groups then competed in a quiz about the stories, before voting in a secret ballot for the best book. The clear winner was “Wonder” by R. J. Palacio.

Self Reflections on Self-Esteem

Available in the Litcham School Secondary Phase library is a special selection of books, labelled “Shelf Help”.  These texts are within easy reach of students who wish to read around building self-esteem and other related issues.  Below are a selection of anonymous book reviews written by some of our students.  Mrs Berry is available should students need any help in selecting titles or if pupils have any questions.

Living with a Black Dog

There is a book about how to care for someone suffering depression.  This book works as a guide to spot someone with depression and also what to do and not to do with someone who may be suffering.  The book uses the metaphor “black dog” to describe the person suffering depression.  The phrase “a black dog” infers that they go under the radar.  This book describes a “Black Dog” as more of a disease that latches onto your loved ones.  I recommend this book to someone who wants to have a more detailed understanding of depression and how to cope with it.

Under Pressure: How to Handle Low Self-Esteem

This book is about how to deal with the pressures of life. For example;  self-harm, anxiety. It includes support and practical advice for dealing with real-life problems and suggestions as to where support can be found.  It also has good advice on things like how to feel more positive.

Bad Points: The layout is childish and formally written.  However, it has good advice and has stories from other people dealing with similar problems.

Good Points: It has a Q and A which is helpful to find out answers to your problems.  It has illustrations which make it interesting too. It does not have too much information which stops you feeling overwhelmed.

The Teenage Guide to Stress

This is an information book about dealing with mental difficulties such as self-harm.  The book reassures the reader that what they are dealing with is natural and can be helped.  It is aimed at teenagers and helps to point out the difficulties of these years whilst helping the reader to better understand the circumstances. It a addresses reader directly and helps you understand your feeling and how to deal with them.

 

 

Rotary Young Writer Competition – Litcham Winners

Members of the Swaffham Rotary Club, David Morris, Barry Briggs and Neville Robinson visited the Secondary phase yesterday, to present certificates and prizes to three of our students who recently entered the Rotary Young Writer Competition.

Felix Platt 7S won first prize in the regional heat of the competition, for his short story called “Reflections of the Accused”. His story then went on win second place in the intermediate group of the district competition as well. Liberty Blackmore 8S and Amelia Platt 9B were runners up. Congratulations and well done to all of you.

 

 

 

A visit from our ‘Author in Residence’ on World Book Day

We were very fortunate to have author Helen Moss visit both phases of our school last week to help us celebrate World Book Day. Dressed as ‘Irene Loveday’ a character from her Adventure Island series, she spoke to the whole of Primary phase during assembly, where students were able to share their favourite book characters and show off their wonderful costumes.

Helen then read a book called ‘Little Red and the Hungry Lion’ to Red Robins class. The reception pupils listened brilliantly to the story, which was an adaptation of the classic tale ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. They asked some great questions and really enjoyed talking to Helen about the differences between the two tales.

After break Helen carried out a ‘Dangerous Writing’ workshop with Year 6 students where she shared some useful tips for writing suspense scenes. She explained how to set the scene, zoom in on details and how to come up with a ‘yikes’ moment.

 “I think Helen Moss has helped us a lot with suspense writing. I also think that she has inspired a lot people to get involved with books.” Millie, Kingfishers

“Working with Helen Moss on our Year 6 suspense work was very good and she showed us lots of good ways to think of ideas.” Hannah, Kingfishers

“We had Helen Moss visit us on World Book Day and we did a writing workshop with her. The best word to describe her is ‘amazing’. I have read all her books and the writing makes me feel that I’m in the story. We would like to have her in again. Thank you.” Kelly, Kingfishers

In the afternoon, Helen met with our team of student editors in the secondary phase who are working on a creative writing anthology that we are producing with her. It was brilliant to receive some expert advice from a well-known published author on how to go about producing the collection of stories.

“We were really lucky to have our ‘Author in Residence’ the fantastic Helen Moss pay us a visit. Myself and the other editors met with her to discuss the anthology and how best to produce and publicise it. Helen loved all the stories and illustrations. We looked at the design of the book and how best to order the stories. We picked a title although this must remain a secret, I’m afraid!

 Meeting with Helen was invaluable experience as she gave us great tips on how to make the most out of your brilliant stories. It’s a real honour to be part of the editing team. Sitting there with the anthology in front of me was very exciting. It is really beginning to look like a very professional volume. We hope to launch the anthology in the summer term with Helen. A big thank you to Helen for coming in and giving us some fantastic ideas. Finally, thank you to everyone who has contributed stories and worked so hard over the past few months on the collection. We look forward to showing you the finished work!” Amelia 9B

Finally, at the end of the day Helen give a talk to the whole of Year 7, where she spoke about the inspiration behind her books and how she goes about researching them. There was an amusing reading from her short story ‘The Mystery of the Pineapple Plot’, when some of our students were given the opportunity to try on a Georgian wig and act out some of the main characters.

“Helen’s visit was very inspirational for young writers. She showed that writing a book is good for your creativity, imagination and prospective of the world around us, without limits. She explained how having unique characters in your story can make it more interesting and fun to read. This is because they paint a very detailed picture in your mind and help to give your story a purpose. She told us how being an author can be exciting at times because you can visit the places you are writing about to boost your story. For example; by learning about the food the country eats and what the people are like. We learnt that having a mystery in a story can make it more addictive and gives the reader a chance to be in the character’s shoes. Overall Helen demonstrated that writing can be really enjoyable if you are not afraid of letting your imagination run.” Jessica and Elana-Rose 7C

 

A visit from our ‘Author in Residence’ – Helen Moss

Litcham School’s ‘Author in Residence’, Helen Moss, visited the secondary phase on Thursday the 1st of December, to carry out some creative writing workshops with selected students from Years 7, 8 and 9. During her workshop she talked about the research she had done in order to write her book series the ‘Secret of the Tombs’. She explored different themes and types of writing and provided students with lots of useful hints and tips on how to make their creative writing more exciting in order grab the reader’s attention. The students then had to plan a piece of writing that was loosely related to Helen’s series of books and these will be put together in an anthology, including a new short story written by Helen herself.  We had a brilliant day and are looking forward to welcoming Helen back in the New Year.

005“I really enjoyed the exciting visit with Helen Moss. I was one of the children chosen to do one of her workshops and I am glad I was! Helen told us about the sort of books she writes. She really inspired me to pick up my pen and start writing.” Rubie 7W

I loved the author visit with Helen Moss because we learnt how to write a good mystery story and how to build it with tension with just a few words. We did our planning for our short stories which will hopefully be put together into a big book of all our stories. I really enjoyed the workshop – thank you Helen for coming in!” Sophie 7W

“I did enjoy Helen Moss’s workshop. She tried to learn something about each person and what type of books we liked, forging some friendships in the group that weren’t there before. We also got to understand the story behind her books which I found unique, as I have not seen that before in an author’s workshop.  We got to think of our own adventure, a tomb raider type story improving our English skills, which we hope to put in a Litcham School anthology. We had a laugh thinking up a story for Helen to write as well. Some people have taken on the responsibility of organising and editing the anthology without any gain. Every one enjoyed her five word starter game, which allowed them to socialise and learn at the same time.” Finlay 8C

“It was brilliant to take part in a creative writing workshop organised by Helen Moss. Her presentation was very engaging. She really enthused us all. It was fascinating to learn about her writing methods for example, her objects that are used to prompt her writing. Helen was a great advocate for the true meaning of writing. She showed us how writing does not have to be hard but can be an outlet for creativity. I loved taking part in her activity ‘5 Word Wonder’. In groups we each wrote five words to come up with unique stories. Helen inspired every one of us. She helped us to improve our confidence in writing. Even better her workshop showcased the many different genres of writing. I think Helen Moss is a fantastic ‘Author in Residence’. A stronger voice for reading could not be found.” Amelia 9B

An interview with our ‘Author in Residence’ Helen moss, by Damien and Jordan Year 8

img_1005-copyOn the 1st December, Helen Moss will be visiting the secondary phase to carry out some workshops for students in Year 7, 8 & 9. When Helen visited the Primary phase back in October we interviewed her about her work and this is what we found out:

 

 

  • Helen said that she first started writing books 8 years ago in 2008, when she was 44 years old.
  • Her favourite book that she has written herself is Dragon Path, because she enjoyed researching the mystery of the Chinese emperors.
  • Her favourite book genre, other than mystery, is block buster and Victorian novels.
  • The book that has taken her the longest to write is Dino Discovery, because it was too complex and she had to restart it. It was one of her first books that she started to write and she has only recently finished it.
  • When she is writing she likes to keep her office door open and she finds she often loses track of time.
  • Her favourite book character from her books is Jack from the Adventure Island series because he is humorous.
  • The hardest book for her to get published was the one she is currently writing, The Sea Cucumbers Revenge.

For more information about Helen and her books visit her website www.helenmoss.org.uk