Making the most of Read, Write, Count and the First Minister’s Reading Challenge
At Scottish Book Trust, we know how integral our public libraries are to the reading culture of a community. From engaging with young families to partnering with schools, there are lots of ways that Scottish Book Trust can work with and support libraries in their mission to promote the benefits of reading for pleasure.
If you missed our most recent online workshop session for librarians, read on to find out how you can get involved with two of Scottish Book Trust’s key reading programmes!
Read, Write, Count and libraries
Our Read, Write, Count programme is a key part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to raising attainment by building parents’ confidence and encouraging families to include fun and easy reading, writing and counting activities in their everyday lives.
Every year during Book Week Scotland, our Read, Write, Count bags are distributed to Primary 2 and Primary 3 pupils across the country. Each bag contains two books, chosen by a panel including representatives from the Scottish Government, Education Scotland and other family and learning professionals.
As well as books, the bags contain resources for activities and games to support literacy and numeracy at home. For example, in 2022 the bags included a tangram, storytelling dice, our Beastie Battle card game and Talk It Out conversation prompts. The activities are designed to be accessible and easy to use by children and families, no matter your reading level. So, how can libraries get involved in Read, Write, Count bag gifting?
Library gifting events
Read, Write, Count bags are distributed to schools in each local authority area and we encourage schools to hold a bag gifting event that is open to all the children and their families. These events should be special, building excitement around the books and bags. We want to make a fuss, not just hand them out at home time! Some of the most successful gifting events we’ve seen have been held in local libraries or have been hosted by librarians.
Scottish Book Trust have also created a resource for each book, which can be used as part of your gifting event. These resources were created in consultation with librarians from around Scotland to make sure they are accessible, inexpensive and ‘good to go’ – you might need to collect a few basic materials but there’s no planning involved. Simply choose which activities you’d like to do and get stuck in! You can find out more about these activities for libraries on the Scottish Book Trust website.
First Minister’s Reading Challenge and libraries
The First Minister’s Reading Challenge (FMRC) celebrates young readers’ reading journeys at all stages. From encouraging reluctant readers to helping bookworms discover their next favourite author, the Reading Challenge works with groups and individuals aged 5 to 18 across Scotland. We offer free resources, workshops for learning professionals and funding opportunities to support author visits to help groups build their love of reading.
We recognise that not all children are supported at home or in school to read for pleasure. Public libraries are key to any community outreach and family engagement to maximise the percentage of children in Scotland to access books and the benefits of reading. Taking part in FMRC is a great opportunity for libraries to publicly celebrate their community reading culture and demonstrate how reading for pleasure has impacted the children and families they work with.
Connecting with schools through FMRC
Taking part in FMRC is a great way for libraries to work in partnership with their local schools. Whether you already have regular schools’ visits or want to connect with a new class, working together to submit a Reading Challenge highlights the ways that reading for pleasure is positively impacting your children and young people. The feedback we have received from librarians tells us that there is need to re-engage with upper-primary and lower-secondary school-aged children in particular and FMRC can be a fantastic way to help with this.
So what kinds of activities count as part of your Reading Challenge? Broadly speaking, anything and everything that promotes reading for pleasure! In fact, we’re pretty sure you’re already doing plenty of Reading Challenge-suited activity in your library. Once you register for free, you can access a range of materials on the FMRC website to kickstart your challenge journey. Some of the activities and resources we offer include:
- Bookish quizzes
- Bookshelf recommendation cards
- A reading-themed escape room
- Reading Dares
- My Life As a Reader – a resource for staff and adults to share their reading life
- Posters, flyers and certificates to promote your Reading Challenge
…and so much more! FMRC Libraries can also use our Book Discovery Guides and archive of Authors Live events which are available to watch online for free. We also have a letter of introduction you can use and adapt to make your first contact with schools.
Another top tip is to find out which of your local schools are currently accredited Reading Schools. At Silver and Gold levels, schools are require to be actively engaged with their local library and community and will be looking to take part in activities with you. You can find out where your nearest Reading Schools are by looking at our interactive map.
Submitting your Reading Challenge
All registered libraries, schools and groups are invited to share evidence of their fantastic reading activity from across the year by submitting their final Reading Challenge. Submissions will open in late March 2023 and libraries can submit to the Library Reading Culture Challenge category. All submissions will be considered for an award and the winners will be presented with their prizes at our celebration event in June 2023.
Your entry can be in any format, including a Word document, PowerPoint, video or photos, and we ask that it tells us how the library and children have been impacted by the following things:
- Regular opportunities to read for pleasure
- Reading is celebrated and has a high profile
- Staff act as reading role models
- Books and reading are embedded in your activities
If you want to find out more about how you might run a successful FMRC collaboration, have a read of our case study from Simpson Library, Bathgate and their project titled ‘Growing Up in a Pandemic’.
Get in touch!
If you want to find out more about how your library can take part in Read, Write, Count and the First Minister’s Reading Challenge, you can catch up with our most recent Libraries Workshop on demand. You can also head to the Scottish Book Trust website or email us directly.
We also would love for you to share what you get up to throughout the year! You can email us or share on social media – make sure you use the hashtag #ReadWriteCount or #FMReadChallenge so we can see the fantastic work that is happening in libraries across Scotland!