Reading Miles Global Challenge: Feedback from schools

The Reading Miles Global Challenge is becoming a success through many schools with children that have already completed the challenge. Some schools are taking the challenge to a new level by running it across the entire school and offering their pupils the added incentive of having their own awards and recognizing the achievements of their pupils through certificates and assemblies. 

One teacher said:

One parent came to see me. She has a boy in Y5 and a boy in Y6 and she said it was the best thing the school had ever done as the boys were competing as to who could read for the longest in the evening and peace reigned in her house.

Another teacher wrote in saying:

There has been considerable excitement in school regarding the challenge. It has been really well received. I introduced it to the whole school at an assembly and gave each child a passport. The maps were also provided for each class to display.  The whole school is taking part (200 children). Several children have already completed it and some are asking for another passport!!  There has been a lot of positive comments coming my way from parents; they are delighted with the children’s enthusiasm for the challenge and how much they have enjoyed it.

Some of the schools running the challenge have sent in details of what they are doing and how it is working in their schools. Read on for some inspiration...

Making the Reading Miles journey a success: Ideas from schools

Making World Book Day an event within your challenge

• Have pupils dress up as their favourite literary character for World Book Day
• Some schools are making their challenge deadline on World Book Day so they can have a celebration assembly/event and recognise the pupils who have completed the challenge.

Making the most of the wall map 

• Have a map for each class and use a symbol to represent each student within the class.  Challenge the pupils to be the first to read their way around the world or who can go around the world the most.
• Have a map for the entire school and a symbol representing each class.  Challenge the classes to be the first to read their way around the world or who can get the furthest.

Using the postcards and passports

• For each destination have the pupils write a postcard about there destination and what books they have read to get them there.
• Give each pupil an area of the classroom wall to display their passports and postcards they have collected throughout their progress.

Awards

• Have a regular assembly to showcase those pupils who are doing well in the challenge to encourage and motivate other pupils.
• Have an additional prize draw within your class or school for those pupils who have completed the Reading Mile Global Challenge or for whoever has travelled the furthest around the world.
• Give prizes along the way- ruler and pencil sets for completion of the first two journeys, book prizes for completion of journey 4 etc.
• Give prizes for completion of the journey around the world–  for example: book tokens, stationery sets and cinema vouchers