Y6 South East

Welcome to the 2018-19 Reading Gladiators challenges. Let the reading begin!

There are schools in this group:

Updates

  • Strange Star is fantastic!

    Iver Village Junior School Reading Gladiators were completely absorbed in Strange Star. They particularly liked the darker side to the plot and were delighted to accept the mini challenge. To help them get into character they raided our costume store!

    Comments

    Sam Keeley
    Sam Keeley 12th Dec 2018, 1:25pm
    You certainly looked and sounded the part Iver Village! we're glad you have loved Strange Star as we all think it's great too. If you liked this you'll also enjoy Frost Hollow Hall. In fact everything Emma Carroll has written is well worth a read.
    Rachel Bjorck 13th Dec 2018, 3:26pm
    Thank you, we will certainly give the other books by Emma Carroll a try and ask if we can have some copies of her books in our school library so everyone can enjoy her stories!
  • Submission by Whitley Park Primary and Nursery School

    Strange Star Mini Challenge

    Download the file

    Comments

    Sam Keeley
    Sam Keeley 9th Dec 2018, 9:57pm
    A great effort Whitley Park. You had obviously spent time considering the different characters and the types of expression that would be suitable. Your voices are clear and confident too. Well done.
    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 10th Dec 2018, 5:19pm
    Thank you for entering the mini-challenge, Whitley Park Gladiators. It sounds as though you enjoyed this task.

  • Strange Star is excellent!

    We are really enjoying reading Strange Star in New Horizons Children Academy. Our club is on every Friday after school and we are really loving this book. We are going to be telling some ghost stories next week and we can’t wait!

    Comments

    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 12th Nov 2018, 3:34pm
    Oooo that sounds fabulous! Do you have any spooky music or sound effects to create the atmosphere? Perhaps Ghost Town by The Specials, Thriller by Michael Jackson or 'The Old Castle' froms Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibtion.
    Roisin Slattery 19th Nov 2018, 7:49am
    It was midnight when it happened. It was then that I knew this would be the weirdest day of my life! The ground started shaking. I thought it was an earthquake. My heart started beating at a phenomenal rate; my palms were sweating and I was shaking. It was terrible! A million thoughts now filled my head. What was happening? Were my family ok? I was panicking. I was about to collapse. I couldn’t escape from the horror. I tried to break free. Inside of me I had this feeling that someone was watching. Someone who was out to get me…. I heard footsteps. They were getting closer and closer, until I could hear heavy breathing. A sudden chill ran down my spine. A hand touched my shoulder. I was petrified. Glued to the spot. The mysterious figure approached my face. It’s powdery white fingers still attached to my body. I dreaded turning around. My heart rate was increasing even more by the second. I twisted around and I was shocked at the ghostly figure in front of my eyes. I was frightened, yet intrigued: he was wearing what looked like a prince’s robe from medieval times. The ghost, whose past drew me in, was staring bluntly at me. I tried to speak, but all that came out was a squeak that made me sound like a mouse. His deep voice echoed through the long, narrow hallway as he beckoned me to follow him. He led me to an incredible room. I followed….. This was one of our stories.
    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 19th Nov 2018, 3:39pm
    I'm glad I'm not reading this in the dark! It sounds as though you had a super, atmospheric storytelling session. Thank you so much for taking the time to share one of them with the Reading Gladiators team. I will send a link to Emma Carroll.
    Roisin Slattery 20th Nov 2018, 1:19pm
    That's amazing - our budding author will be thrilled. Thank you.
  • Submission by Whitley Park Primary and Nursery School

    The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

    Year 6 at Whitley Park created individual pictures at home then combined them to make one big picture with elements from the book. One side shows the bitter moments of the story, with the other showing the sweet, and the most bittersweet items are in the middle.

    Comments

    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 6th Nov 2018, 11:20pm
    Thank you for submitting your entry. Your drawings entertained us hugely. We thought the black horse looked imposing and the onomatopoeic words added to the menace. Well done every one.
  • Submission by Mortimer St Mary’s CE Junior School

    The Bittersweet Story

    Here is Mortimer St Mary's Junior School's depiction of the Bittersweet story of 'The Secret Horses of Briar Hill'. The children worked in groups and pairs and then combined their images.

    Comments

    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 6th Nov 2018, 5:26pm
    Just Imagine comment: The contrast between the plain lead pencil and the colour to show the different moods works well. We can instantly see which is the bitter and which is the sweet side of the story.
  • Submission by Iver Village Junior School

    A Bittersweet Story

    Despite the BITTER destruction, despair, disease and death that the characters face in this touching tale, IVJS Reading Gladiators think that they also show SWEET acts of kindness, compassion and love for each other …. and the Secret Horses of Briar Hill.

    Comments

    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 6th Nov 2018, 11:26pm
    We enjoyed your careful drawings, which we thought picked up on many of the themes and ideas in the book and demonstrated close reading. The red heart helped to unify your individual pieces and gave them impact. We look forward to seeing more of your responses to the other books. Well done everyone.

  • The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

    Year 6 at Whitley Park really enjoyed reading the Secret Horses of Briar Hill. We hope that the horses were real and that Arthur really can see the horses. Some of us think that maybe the black horse was actually a German Plane, because if you imagine a flying black horse from underneath with its legs stretched out it might be sort of the same shape as a plane. We would recommend this book to everyone, because it was really good. We’re looking forward to the next book too!

    Comments

    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 2nd Nov 2018, 3:14pm
    Some interesting thoughts, Whitley Park

  • The Secret Horses of Briar Hill

    Right from the start the IVJS Reading Gladiators have been absorbed in this intriguing story and dramatic illustration. We are looking forward to another enthralling year of reading!

    Comments

    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 21st Sep 2018, 11:11pm
    Hello to everyone at IVJS. Great to have you with us again for another thrilling reading rollercoaster. Levi Pinfold’s Illustration’s are powerful and evocative. We are pleased that you are enjoying them.
    Lydia Trapnell 6th Nov 2018, 5:24pm
    What a fantastic seating plan for the Gladiators! You can all see each other and share your ideas. I love that you all seem so engrossed! Lydia Trapnell (Reading Recovery Teacher, Filton Avenue Primary School, Bristol)

  • Let the challenge begin!

    Hello to all Year 6  Reading Gladiators in the South-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

    Paul Harrison 20th Sep 2018, 12:23pm
    Hello from Lyminster Primary! This is our first year of trying Reading Gladiators and we're excited to get started.
    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 20th Sep 2018, 12:44pm
    Hello Lyminster Gladiators. We are looking hearing more from you. Let us know if you need any help with posting updates.
    Sam Morgan 21st Sep 2018, 11:11am
    We are really enjoying the book. It's a great choice as it has many opportunities for discussion and inference skills.
    Nicola Gamble
    Nicola Gamble 21st Sep 2018, 11:14am
    Hi Sam, brilliant! To post an update, you need to login and then select the menu 'Manage Updates'. You can then upload your pictures :-) we look forward to seeing them.