Welcome to Heroes Headquarters, one of 20 exciting themes featured in The Reading Journey App.
Each pack consists of 3 copies of 10 carefully selected titles, designed to support independent reading and to encourage reading for pleasure and wider reading. The multiple packs are designed to encourage peer to peer discussion, Single copy packs are also available.
Please note the themed packs are a selection of books from the Core Reading Journey packs.
The Reading Journey App was launched in October 2019 and will be free to use until at least 2020.
The app is initially available for Years 3 & 4, but will be rolled out to include Years 5 & 6 in the Autumn term and Years 7 & 8 in Spring 2020.
All schools signing up to the Reading Journey app will receive a monthly newsletter, dedicated to sharing new ideas for getting the most out of the app and supporting continued reading for pleasure. Of course, you can unsubscribe from this newsletter at any time
Introduce a large version of a ‘Bubble Thinking Map’ with ‘hero’ in the middle, to explore children’s initial thoughts and ideas about what it means to be a hero.
Discuss different types of heroes from literature and real life. Use examples relevant to your class’s experience:
Write the following characteristics on nine pieces of card:
imaginative | adventurous | ambitious |
fearless | self-confident | caring |
determined | selfless | patient |
Alternatively, one of these pieces of card could be left blank for the children to add their own characteristic.
Do all heroes endure hardship, overcome trials and adversity?
Display a large world map, using string or thread to mark on the ‘stories of survival’. This could be used prior to introducing the book Survivors (or any other books featuring true life survival stories) For example, ‘The Girl Who Fell from the Sky’ linked to Brazil on the world map and ‘The Woman Who Froze to Death – Yet Lived’ linked to Norway.
Some questions to support group or class discussion around the books in this theme:
Welcome to "Heroes Headquarters", one of 20 exciting themes featured in The Reading Journey App. Each pack consists of 10 carefully selected titles, designed to support independent reading and to encourage... Read more
Claire Williams is the Year 4 teacher and Reading Lead at a primary school in Essex. She has recently completed an MEd in Children’s Literature at the University of Cambridge.
Jon Biddle has been a primary school teacher for the past twenty years. He helps coordinate the national Patron of Reading initiative, leads workshops about developing reading cultures in schools and writes a (worryingly irregular) blog about ways to get children reading. He recently won the Egmont Reading for Pleasure Experienced Teacher of the Year award.