Y6 East 2018
Welcome to the 2018-19 Reading Gladiators challenges. Let the reading begin!
There are schools in this group:
- Just Imagine
- St George’s C of E Primary School, Colchester
- Ivy Chimneys Primary School
- Burnham on Crouch Primary School
- Great Easton Primary School
- Brightside Primary School
- Howbridge C of E Junior School
- Wormley C of E Primary School
- Dallow Primary School
- Toftwood Infant and Junior School Federation
- St Mary’s Prittlewell C of E Primary School
- Giffards Primary School
- The Albert Pye Community Primary School
- Kessingland C of E Primary Academy
- Tudor C of E Primary School
- Chappel C of E Primary School
- Roselands Primary, Hoddesdon
- Saint Andrews C of E Halstead
- Long Melford Church of England Primary School
- Bramfield CE Primary School
- Brampton CE Primary School
- All Saints’ CEVA Primary School
- Terling CofE primary school
- St Mary’s Church of England Primary School
- Foxdell Federation (Infants and Juniors)
- Morland CEVA Primary School
- Rayne Primary & Nursery School
Updates
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Submission by Kessingland C of E Primary Academy
Kessingland Gladiators Legacy Project
After much discussion and some extremely ambitious project ideas, our Year 6 Gladiators decided to make cushions for their legacy project. They designed and painstakingly made two sets, one that reads I love (image of a heart) books and the other one stating reading is fun. They then ceremoniously passed the cushions and the Year 2 Gladiators books like a baton on to our year one children, so they can enjoy reading the books in comfort when they are in Year 2 next year.
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Pax
We are mixing it up at Burnham on Crouch, by reading this fantastic pick from last year’s Gladiator shelf! Year 5 are really enjoying it and are discovering the answers to lots of these questions.
Comments
7th May 2019, 4:54pm
Pax is such a great book - we love it. Great idea to look back at last year's books.8th May 2019, 10:12pm
We are loving it, Sam. Vola is such a brilliantly drawn character. A lot of our discussion focused on her this week! Does she isolate herself because she likes people or hates them? -
Submission by Burnham on Crouch Primary School
The Odyssey Maps
What a challenging challenge! We really found this tested our recall and knowledge of the book. It was hard to keep track of where Odysseus has been, and showed us just how far he had been blown off course.
We didn't feel he had changed very much over his voyage, he remained the same wily operator!
Comments
6th May 2019, 9:22pm These a great maps Burnham Gladiators and it's lovely to see members of the group being inspired to create at home. You're absolutely right that you need to know a book well to be able to map it and your maps show your excellent knowledge and understanding. Well done! -
Submission by Kessingland C of E Primary Academy
Odysseus’ Wanderings by Kessingland Year 6 Gladiators
Our Year 6 Gladiators were on the edge of their seats throughout the adventures of Odysseus, as they absolutely loved this book.
They have painstakingly (there were several paper cuts) produced their 3D map of Odysseus' Wanderings and found six quotes that they think best illustrate Odysseus' development as a character.
Enjoy
Comments
6th May 2019, 8:55pm What a work of art this is Kessingland! A beautiful map with really well chosen quotes. Well done. -
The Odyssey
My Gladiators know what they like, and apparently this version of The Odyssey doesn’t have enough figurative language and imagery! We are going to look at the Robert Fagles translation, where I hope there will be enough wine dark sea and rosy fingered dawns to impress them! Loving the adventures though!
Comments
14th Mar 2019, 10:34am It's good to know what you like and don't like - the sign of a sophisticated group of readers I think.14th Mar 2019, 11:34am They are becoming a tough crowd, Sam! They loved Emma Carroll and are always annoyed that the next book isn't another one by her! -
How to kill a king.
We enjoyed a lively debate on how Timur might be done away with. The main stumbling block seemed to be his loyal guards and huge army, so we all liked the idea of tricking him into saying the names of the dead, leading to his losing support.
We then discussed how ready Rusti and Kavi are to commit murder. I saw some excellent use of the text to prove that Kavi is actually much more dangerous and rage-filled than Rusti.
Comments
5th Feb 2019, 3:45pm
Excellent to hear your Gladiators are using evidence from the text to support their arguments....but even better to hear you had a lively debate in which they were enthused and passionate about their views! -
Loving a bit of Mongol mass murder!
Year 5 are thoroughly enjoying this gory tale. Today we group read the chapter called Rain, concentrating on author intent, literary devices and visualisingthe scene. We used a technique from a previous session, choosing phrases we would be most proud of writing ourselves. Huge, eggy globules, the mountains disappearing behind a curtain of water and the warriors riding into the mud until they were completely submerged were all picked out as stunning images which really conveyed the horror of the monsoon. Oh, and another favourite? The lice, sheltering in various hairy nooks!
Comments
2nd Feb 2019, 10:56am
Geraldine McCaughrean's writing is so vivid and she does bring this period of world history to life so well.5th Feb 2019, 6:04pm One of my Gladiators told me he has been looking for more of her books! What would you recommend, Nikki?14th Mar 2019, 11:38am I asked my Year 5 Gladiators if they thought this book was a bit too brutal and gory. One girl said she felt Strange Star was scarier because it had such a creepy tone. Someone else said although horrible things happen in Tanmburlaine, they are based on true events, so he thought we should know about them. My most bloodthristy Gladiator thought it wasn't gory enough! (She is reading Frankenstein at the moment!) -
I’ve got the POWER!!
Our Year 6 Gladiators had a rather long, and at times heated, discussion about how much power each character has within our story.
They finally decided that Tamburlaine (or Mr Big Boss man, as one Gladiator calls him) sits at the top of the power ladder, with poor Kavi at the bottom.
However, we predicted that this might change, as we thought Tamburlaine will die in a future battle and an older Kavi will become the almighty leader!
Comments
2nd Feb 2019, 11:02am Hello Kessingland Gladiators. Thank you for sharing this with us. We can see you using your knowledge of how stories work to make those predictions about shifting power. -
Blackout poetry
We loved this activity. The group really embraced the idea of finding a theme within a poem and selecting the anchor words. I was impressed by how different the themes were.. Weather, storms, darkness, rejoicing, beauty… all found in High Waving Heather by Emily Bronte. This poem is about freedom.
Comments
21st Jan 2019, 8:57pm What a powerful blackout poem. We are really pleased to see you taking so much pleasure in the poetry sessions.31st Jan 2019, 12:08pm It's good isn't it! It was my favourite! -
Submission by Kessingland C of E Primary Academy
Year 6 Gladiator Poetry Performance
Our Year 6 Gladiators performed their their favourite poem to a Year 5 class. After reading the poem we discussed why we chose the poem, what we thought the poem was about and what might happen next.
The children really enjoyed sharing their joy of poetry to another class and they hope that their performance managed to spread some of this love and enthusiasm for poetry on to others.
Comments
10th Jan 2019, 8:37pm Thank you for sharing your favourite poem with us. A perfect choice for a cold January day. Sharing your enthusiasm with other children in the class is a great way to introduce poetry to other children. -
Submission by Roselands Primary, Hoddesdon
From a Railway Carriage By Robert Louis Stevenson – read by Roselands School Year 6
From a Railway Carriage By Robert Louis Stevenson - read by Roselands School Year 6
Comments
10th Jan 2019, 8:33pm Thank you for sending us your reading of View from A Railway Carriage. You had a feel for the rhythm of the poem. Imagine, when this was written a journey on a train would have been such an exciting event. ravelling at that speed would have been simply thrilling. We are all much more used to speedy travel these days. -
The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
We really enjoyed this book-it gave us an insight into the impact of the war which is a topic we have coming up this year.
Comments
16th Dec 2018, 11:02pm Hello Foxdell Gladiators! Thank you for sharing this super poster and giving us an update on your reading. Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas. -
Readers Theatre
We really enjoyed practising our performance!
Comments
12th Dec 2018, 1:22pm Reader's theatre is great fun and you really get to know the characters through doing it. It looks like you enjoyed yourselves! Looking very festive in your school too. -
Submission by Burnham on Crouch Primary School
Readers’ Theatre
We selected this extract because the children felt this would make their friends want to read on. We really enjoyed trying out for the different parts. The Gladiators performed their piece in front of the two year 5 classes to share their enjoyment of Strange Star, a book we all really loved. Hopefully lots more children will read it... we have already had lots more reading The Secret Horses of Briar Hill.
Comments
9th Dec 2018, 9:42pm I'm sure your Reader's Theatre will encourage anyone watching to want to pick up their own copy of Strange Star. You have really thought carefully about how to engage your audience and used expression well to bring the characters to life. Well done!10th Dec 2018, 5:21pm Hi Burnham Reading Gladiators. I'm delighte that you performed you piece to the year 5 classes. Perhaps they will want to read the book next year! -
Further Franken-reading!
We all so enjoyed Strange Star and it has led to a lot more reading! Our bravest Gladiator is tackling the Real Reads version of Frankenstein and is going to report back on its scariness. Two more have read Letters from the Lighthouse… one declaring it the best book she’s ever read! I really enjoyed sharing Lord Byron’s poetry today. To be honest, we think of him as a friend. 😉
Comments
5th Dec 2018, 1:38pm We always love to hear about the ways that Gladiators challenge themselves and read more widely after being inspired by a fantastic book. Let us know what you make of Frankenstein and how scary it is! You're lucky that there a quite a few more books by Emma Carroll that you can read - I love Frost Hollow Hall and this is a great time of year to read it.5th Dec 2018, 6:58pm That one is already on a Gladiator's Christmas list! -
Another great read
Our Year 6 group are enjoying the challenge of being Reading Gladiators
Comments
20th Nov 2018, 7:13pm Hello everyone! Great to see you here. We look forward to hearing what you think about the book. Happy Reading! -
Guess who?
Some very well read children hiding behind the first two Year 6 books here. SO proud of our Year 6 Gladiators
Comments
20th Nov 2018, 8:55am Lovely to meet you Year 6 Gladiators. I was so impressed with your wider reading choices. As a seasoned gladiator school with a very well read team leader you are so lucky to have a fantastic collection of books from a wide variety of authors to choose from. -
Thinking aloud.
We really enjoyed sharing our thoughts as we read Chapter 8 together. Everyone picked up on the feeling of foreboding, and we talked about pathetic fallacy, trying to work out how Emma Carroll was creating this air of menace. We also shouted “Or is it??” and “Stop tempting fate!” loudly at various intervals! We are so enjoying this book.
Comments
7th Nov 2018, 8:46pm Oh, that's a great image to inspire creative writing. Have you heard the podcast that Sam did with Emma? You might want to share some extracts with your group. -
Submission by Burnham on Crouch Primary School
Who do you see in the mirror?
Who do you see in the mirror?
The children really got to grips with allegory as a device and we talked a lot about whether or not the horses were real or if not, what they might symbolise for Emmaline. We drew our own horses and talked about what they represented, and then displayed them in a mirror frame.
Rosie’s horse symbolises Anna’s pencils, and all the happiness and colour in the world.
Ella’s horse represents the disease of TB, and how it can hunt you down.
Zac said this about his horse: When you see Shadow, you know your time is up. He casts a shadow over the stormiest day. His translucent wings can slice into your core in one swoop.” Shadow symbolises disease.
Charlotte’s horse symbolises Hope. In Pandora’s Box, Hope is the one thing that can give us comfort against all the bad things in life.
Mia’s horse is called dark. She represents fear.
Ella’s horse symbolises peace.
Leela’s horse can fly, and so she symbolises belief.
Annie’s horse represents life, radiating the colours of nature.
Comments
6th Nov 2018, 11:51am Just Imagine comment: this is a super example of how individual works of art can be made into one collaborative piece and have impact. We really enjoyed reading your explanations of what your different horses represent. -
Submission by Terling CofE primary school
Bittersweet Artwork
We have loved reading this story and it prompted some brilliant discussion on a lot of subjects. We have produced individual pieces of art, using pencil drawing as the illustrator does, with the title 'Bittersweet'. The image shows our individual work photographed together.
Just Imagine comment: Thank you Terling Gladiators for sharig your artwork. Pencil was a good choice as it picks up on the monochrome used by Levi Pinfold. The broken pencils make a strong statement.
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Submission by Dallow Primary School
Year 6 Mini Challenge for The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
Year 6 at Dallow Primary School were given this mini challenge to do over the half term. This is what one student interpreted 'A Bittersweet Story'.
Comments
9th Nov 2018, 6:36pm Just Imagine comment: Putting the thoughts inside the larger horse's head is a clever idea. Well done! -
Some thoughts about Felix
We are taking our time with this exciting, menancing and dense text at Burnham. Here are our initial thoughts about Felix, after reading the first couple of chapters. We also looked at the powerpoint on slavery, which the children found upsetting, and thought about the difference between being a servant and being a slave. I highly recommend a trip to the Museum of London, Docklands, for a rather brutal but very informative introduction to the British slave trade.
Comments
31st Oct 2018, 9:24am Yes the difference between servant and slave is very interesting to discuss. Thank you for the recommendation too. -
Gladiators in action!
Some former Year 4 gladiators hiding in the Year 6 group, who enjoyed sharing what they love about being Reading Gladiators when they had a visit from Just Imagine today.
Comments
30th Oct 2018, 2:22pm And delightful it was to meet you Howbridge Gladiators and also lovely to see so many previous Reading Gladiator titles in your bookcorner!31st Oct 2018, 2:45pmWe enjoyed having you! -
Burnham on Crouch Year 5
Year 5 have been reading the myth of Pandora’s Box, and made some great connections between this text and The Secret Horses of Briar Hill. They saw a similarity between the evil things that swirl out into the world from the box, and the Black Horse which circles the hospital, and what he represents. We talked about how having hope (in the form of the horses) helps Emmaline, and about how finding something nicer to focus on can help us cope with horrible events.
Comments
12th Oct 2018, 9:51am What an interesting connection and observations. Other schools might be interested to read that story too. -
Allegory and Symbolism
What a lesson! I so enjoyed using these wonderful drawings to explore what the horses might represent for Emmaline. Some amazing suggestions from my amazing Gladiators. Charlotte thought Firefox might represent hope, and Zac thought the Black Horse represents her bad thoughts, sadness and fears. Annie thought he represents death.
Comments
2nd Oct 2018, 5:39pm So pleased you're gladiators enjoyed digging a little deeper and exploring some sophisticated literary techniques in what sounds like an emotional session!2nd Oct 2018, 6:08pm Thoughtful responses. Levi Pinfold's illustrations are so powerful.8th Oct 2018, 1:14pm I am really looking forward to finding out what they all thought of the last chapters and illustrations, after this discussion. -
Hello!
A big hello to the Year 6 Reading Gladiators group. The Burnham on Crouch Year 6 Gladiators are actually all in Year 5 but are going to read along and follow the programme with you. Our group is led by Mrs Elvidge, and some of the children were Year 4 Gladiators last year. Follow us on Twitter @BurnhamReaders
Comments
21st Sep 2018, 10:13am Welcome aboard! It's great to have you with us and we can't wait to hear your thoughts about the books. -
Let the challenge begin!
Hello to all Year 6 Reading Gladiators in the East We are looking forward to hearing what you think about this year’s books. Be sure to post an update and tell us how you are getting on.
Comments
11th Sep 2018, 4:13pmHello from The Albert Pye School and a special hello to our near neighbours over in Kessingland!20th Sep 2018, 1:24pm Hello and a big wave to all the Reading Gladiators at Albert Pye. We look forward to following your reading journey this year. Let us know if you need help to post your updates. Happy reading everyone.
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