Every Friday from 4.30pm-6pm, children aged 8-14 joined Scribble Ink on a 8 week book reviewing course. Kids were encouraged to either bring a book from home or select one from the Scribble Library to read and annotate. The group then read through a selection of book review templates and developed their own literature. Subsequently, they developed a creative response to their books. Poems, letters of thanks to the authors, monologues, analogues and sequels were tried, tested, drafted, re-drafted and then scripted to perfection. The scripts were then used for the audio, which you can select from the ‘listen’ tab above.
Watch the promotional video.
This process really allowed the kids to get into the habit of really understanding what they were reading, and form well balanced, objective opinions that could be articulated and justified through their written work. It was an honour watching their reactions to books - the laughter in funny chapters, their eagerness to share something about the characters with me, even the naturally unfolding discussions they’d have amongst themselves when sharing how much they’d read outside of the sessions and how they’d be willing to swap books after the programme. All of this evidenced the fact that young people are still more than willing to be peeled away from the TV and dive into a great book if given the opportunity.
Both parents and children had noted howe much more confident and enthusiastic they were about literature, and now that the 8 weeks have been completed, I am assured that their new found love for reading and writing will continue and be taken with them into school...and maybe even during homework time!
My thanks to Greenwich and Lewisham Young People’s Theatre for their invaluable support. A huge thank you to the parents and guardians for their faith in Scribble and love for literature, and an enormous thank you to Zack, Eric, Charisma and Davina who showed up for more than just the doughnuts!
Click here to download the e-book.