Reading at Home
Adding reading to your daily routine really supports both literacy and wellbeing – and can be very enjoyable too!
This page has some useful links to reading resources and other tips to help keep reading engaging and positive. Please do share your own ideas and experiences with us too, so we can all learn from each other.
If you have any queries concerning passwords, reading levels, reading tips or how to find reading materials, please email our librarian Mrs Healey via E.Healey@harrisbeckenham.org.uk
Accelerated Reader
Accelerated Reader is a great tool for all year 7-9 students to support your independent reading practice. Develop your reading skills most effectively by choosing appropriately challenging books.
When you have finished reading your book you can log on to Accelerated Reader using the link below and we will track your activity and reward you with Faculty Points for every successful quiz you take.
If you have any queries concerning passwords, reading levels, or getting hold of books, please contact our librarian Mrs Healey via E.Healey@harrisbeckenham.org.uk
How often should I being reading?
The short answer is, as often as you like! During a normal school day, every student has a minimum of 20 minutes dedicated to reading. To help continue this habit while at home, we are encouraging students to aim to read at least 2—3 times a day for 20 minutes. if you can, including 20 minutes reading aloud to a parent, sibling or even a pet! Try and build in one reading aloud session each day.
HABE 50
Ten selected books for each year-group, recommended by your English teachers to inspire your reading choices.
Bedrock Vocabulary
Reading will really help to keep our brains active, engaged and learning while our school is temporarily closed. At Harris Academy Beckenham, all year 7-9 students have been using an online program Bedrock Vocabulary Learning to develop your vocabulary acquisition.
To make required progress across the programme, you must complete at least three lessons a week, which run for 20 minutes each. Your login and password details have been provided to you by the English Department. If you have lost these details, you can ask your parent or career to email Ms Woolloff (D.Woolloff@harrisbeckenham.org.uk) In the email please make clear the name of your English teacher so she can find your details.
Remember you can download Bedrock onto your phones and ipads too! The English Department will track your activity and reward you with Faculty Points for every green progress made each week.
Log into Bedrock here
Reading Bingo! - KS3 Challenge
HABE Bingo KS3 - Reading Challenge
- Print out the Bingo Sheet or save it to your computer
- You can choose any of the tasks you would like to complete in your spare time
- Fill out a book review for each book. Once you’ve done five, send your five book reviews to E.Healey@harrisbeckenham.org.uk
- If you complete 5 tasks in a row you will get a certificate and win a prize!
Bromley Library online
Click HERE to view the list of local Libraries where great online resources can be found.
More books and audiobooks
If you have a subscription of Amazon prime, there is a great selection of free books, magazines and comics available. Here are two websites offering free online books and audiobooks
- myON are offering access to thousands of enhanced digital books through online library to help 'keep the UK and Ireland reading'.
- National Literacy Trust - The Book of Hopes: Words and Pictures to Comfort, Inspire and Entertain Children in Lockdown
- Storyline Online
- Oxford Owl - expert advice, educational resources and free eBooks to support children's learning at home, from Oxford University Press.
- David Walliams daily free audio story for 30 days
- Audible.com - free audible books for all ages:
- Researchify - Word/PDF/Audiobooks of Children’s Classics:
- Project Gutenberg - good for classics
- International Children’s Digital Library
- Readon.myon.co.uk - 7000 free books to read during lockdown. Use the search function to find the right one.
- Stephen Lawrence 'Read Up A Storm' - a book for every age group, sharing the theme of working together to create a better world.
If you don´t have internet access please contact us and we will try to supply free copies. Don’t forget some students will have books from our school-library at home.
Guidance for parents
Here are a few other tips that you might try:
- Read together with your child, reading out loud in turns. Could your child read to a younger sibling?
- Try to keep the reading sessions fun and relaxed, perhaps by using different voices, or acting out scenes.
- Ask questions and discuss the storyline, characters, language, setting. Guess what is going to happen.
- Track your progress through our HABE reading at home log and send the results to our librarian for faculty points.
- Keep praising your child, especially when they find reading difficult.
Remember, if you have any queries concerning reading, please email our librarian Mrs Healey (E.Healey@harrisbeckenham.org.uk) We're here to support you in any way we can.
And don't forget to tell us how you're getting on. This is new territory for all of us and it's great to learn from each other.
