Ellie's Reading Plus Champion hub
We are thrilled to share what Ellie achieves as a Reading Plus Champion this academic year!
Within her role, Ellie has the opportunity to complete a series of exciting reading activities throughout the year, including:
- Reviewing new (and unseen!) texts yet to be added to Reading Plus.
- Sharing her experience of Reading Plus in a blog titled ‘My Reading Plus Journey’.
- Expanding her reading further and reviewing books outside of Reading Plus.
- Collaborating with us on interviews with children’s/YA authors.
As she progresses through her Champion duties, all her tasks will be added here – so look forward to more amazing activities being published soon!
One of the things I love about reading is the fact that I can escape into a different world and immerse myself in the story.
TASK ONE: ‘Meet Ellie’
Hi, my name is Ellie and I’m so excited to be a Reading Plus Champion! I love reading, and with the book voucher I received in my Champion kit, I plan to buy Loveless by Alice Oseman and The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson. One of the things I love about reading is the fact that I can escape into a different world and immerse myself in the story.
My favourite author is Malorie Blackman and my favourite book is Boys Don’t Cry. Boys Don’t Cry is a YA novel about single teenage parenthood from the view of a single teen dad, toxic masculinity and homophobia. The story was very well written and themes made for a thought-provoking read. My favourite character also appears in this book. My favourite character is Adam and he is the protagonist’s (Dante’s) brother. He is the fun younger brother who battles homophobia from his family and people close to him. His story is excellently written and can make you feel a range of emotions.
When I’m not reading, I love listening to musicals. This is because, like reading, I can escape from reality. If I’m honest, I have no clue what I want to do when I’m older. If I won the lottery, I would donate most of the money to a charity and then use the rest to help my local library so more people can enjoy reading.
If I found a genie in a bottle and it granted me three wishes, I would wish for:
- More libraries.
- To end poverty.
- More books.
Thanks for reading!
TASK TWO: My Reading Plus Journey
Hi everyone! My name is Ellie and I am here today to share my Reading Plus journey with you! But first, let me tell you a bit about me. Ever since I first learned to read, I have constantly been found reading a book, and my passion for reading has only grown with time. By Year 2, I was enthralled in a variety of books such as Harry Potter and had started to read more non-fiction books. During lockdown, reading was a huge part of my life and let me escape from the world of turmoil we lived. It was also a source of information, and books like the Horrible Histories series developed my love for history.
Nowadays, I still enjoy reading just as much as when I began many years ago and over time I have expanded and developed my taste in books. Currently, my favourite genre is dystopian fiction as I enjoy the complicated and flawed worlds that often parallel ours in many ways. Some of my favourite books are:
- 1984 (George Orwell).
- Animal Farm (George Orwell).
- The Hunger Games series (Suzanne Collins).
- Divergent series (Veronica Roth).
- Scythe (Neal Shusterman).
With Reading Plus, I have had the opportunity to learn many new facts and words with the Vocabulary and Reading lessons. The wide variety of stories on Reading Plus has led to me discovering topics that I never would have discovered. I have also learned many interesting facts. For example, did you know that victims of bullying are twice more likely to experience severe mental health problems in later life? This is just one of many facts that I have learnt on the programme.
I have also learned many new words, such as profuse, prosecute and maxim. I think that my reading skills have improved after using Reading Plus and I have become a faster, more confident and more fluent reader.
My advice for students on their Reading Plus journey is to enjoy it, you're being given a wide variety of books for free and all you have to do is answer a few questions! Even if you don't enjoy reading, the lessons aren't too long and there are stories for everyone.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed my blog. Bye!
What is DreamBox Reading Plus?
Reading Plus is an adaptive online reading development programme designed to accelerate progress, improve results and build engagement.
Benefits of Reading Plus include:
- An efficacy study proved that students using Reading Plus significantly progressed more than non-users (full study here).
- Students are offered choice and control to self-select texts aligned with their interests from a vast online library.
- Regular challenges and initiatives motivate students, encourage reading for pleasure and celebrate successes – like our Reading Plus Champions!
Want to discover if Reading Plus can help your school? Book a call with a Reading Development Consultant to find out more!
