Y6 West Midlands 2018
Welcome to the 2018-19 Reading Gladiators challenges. Let the reading begin!
There are schools in this group:
- Just Imagine
- Bearwood Primary School
- Lodge Primary School
- St Matthew’s C of E Primary, Birmingham
- Percy Shurmer Academy
- Montgomery Primary
- Gilbertstone Primary School
- Glenmead Primary School
- Little Sutton Primary School
- Willenhall Community Primary School
- St George’s C of E Primary School, Birmingham
- Our Lady & St Teresa’s Catholic Primary School
- Frederick Bird Primary School
- Perdiswell Primary School
- Pegasus Primary School
- Oaklands Primary School
- Court Farm Primary School
- Cotton Farm Primary Academy
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School (Birmingham)
Updates
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Submission by Willenhall Community Primary School
The Journey of Odysseus
The children decided to take the iconic front cover and use that as the basis for their map. They used the circular structure to show that in the end, Odysseus returned home. In pairs, they each took what they felt was a key adventure in the story and chose their own way to represent that location. The pupils really enjoyed being creative and artistic with their representation of the long journey.
Comments
6th May 2019, 9:17pm
I am really impressed by the way you have considered the structure of the story to create your map. This is a wonderful map and you should be very proud of your work. Well done. -
Exploring the themes of Secret Horses of Briar Hill
We’ve loved reading Secret Horses of Briar Hill and after finishing the book we explored and discussed the themes of the book and enjoyed matching the quotations to the themes. It prompted a lot of discussion. We’re now looking forward to reading our next book.
Comments
18th Mar 2019, 12:33pm Fantastic! I can see deep concentration here. -
Tamburlaine’s Elephants
Little Sutton y6 Gladiators have really enjoyed exploring the changing identity of Rusti. We felt that the moon and sun represented time and travel and the coins symbolised the accumulated plunder of Delhi but the softer fabric of his turban and jewels represent a softness and lightness in his character which is apparent in his developing relationship with Kavi. Finally, he rests his sword and his suitcase as he settles with his new wife. We hope you like it!
Comments
8th Mar 2019, 1:06pm A really thoughtful piece of work Little Sutton. It demonstrates a real depth of understanding of the characters and themes of this book.14th Mar 2019, 12:24pmWe are so glad you like it, thank you! -
Submission by Willenhall Community Primary School
The Changing Faces of Kavi
The pupils brought in objects of their choice to create their portrait. It shows the two sides of Kavi's identity and key elements of the story, such as Borti's cruel arm and Mumu's caring trunk, which influence his character and actions. The pupils included the sign to Delhi to symbolise the idea that despite his changing identity, he remains true to his roots.
Comments
4th Mar 2019, 9:18am
A very creative entry Willenhall. It is clear you have really got under Kavi's skin and understood his changing sense of identity. -
St George’s Blackout Poetry
This session was so much fun!
Comments
5th Feb 2019, 3:42pm Glad you enjoyed this activity St George's. It is so interesting to see which words sum up the essence of a poem. Hopefully you will now choose your own words very carefully. Did you try the Wordle activity too? -
St George’s Classic Poetry
We aren’t going to lie – we are finding it quite challenging but we are all keeping an open mind. The blackout poetry session was brilliant though!
Comments
5th Feb 2019, 3:35pm Challenge is good. Be guided by he children's choices - you could show them some of the mini-challenge entry recordings of children performing a poem. -
Visualisations of The Tower
We discussed the atmosphere that had been created by the author through the description of the tower. We then visualised the tower and its surrounding landscape, creating a sense of the atmosphere within our drawings. We believe that despite the ominous description of the setting there was a sense of hope in Kavi’s thoughts and actions.
Comments
2nd Feb 2019, 10:48am
Hello Willenhall Gladiators. Thank you for sharing your work and your thoughts about the book. It's evident that there is some thoughtful reading going on and that you are picking up nuances in the tone and style. -
What a treat!
At our meeting this lunchtime, I couldn’t believe my eyes! Look closely at the cake toppers, specially designed by Matilda, who absolutely loved all of our books so far. Maybe cake and books is the way forward for us!
Comments
26th Jan 2019, 1:10am Oooo. Perhaps Matilda would like a job in the Reading Gladiators office? -
Strange Star Readers Theatre prizes
Thank you so much! Our Y6 gladiators were so thrilled to receive their books and drew lots to choose their first title…most of them have read their first choice and are eagerly awaiting a book swap. The books were presented in assembly and they are all in the process of writing an
enthusiastic review to inspire other readers. What a way to brighten a dull January!Comments
26th Jan 2019, 1:04am That's great to hear. Happy reading everyone. -
St George’s visualization of Eden Court
We realised how important painting a picture in our mind is to our understanding of the story.
Comments
21st Nov 2018, 6:25am Yes that's very true. Visualisation is such an important part of comprehension. -
St George’s Visualisation of Eden Court
Our pictures were so similar yet different at the same time. It generated some lively discussions!!
Comments
20th Nov 2018, 4:09pm Those discussions are so important! It's fascinating to see how others visualise isn't it? It's a bit like being able to look inside someone else's head. -
Visualisations of Eden Court
Following a discussion, the children drew their visualisations of Eden Court using quotes from the text. We discussed the use of language and the image and atmosphere that Emma Carroll was trying to create such as the driveway being described as ‘choked with weeds’.
Comments
16th Nov 2018, 2:21pm Visualisation is so important when we are reading to help us understand the text. It's really interesting to look at the way other readers have visualised something and then to look back at the text to compare again. Well done Willenhall! -
St Matthew’s Secret Horses of Briar Hill
St Matthews Mini-Challenge Submission
Comments
9th Nov 2018, 10:41pm An emotional ensemble piece, St Matthews. The images of the trees in the background remind me of photographs of the World War 1 battlefields. -
Characters
Here is a poster the gladiators created about the characters. I love the illustrations; they are inspired by the drawing in the book. Our competition entry is on it’s way.
Comments
8th Nov 2018, 2:08pm Hi St Matthews, it was wonderful to visit your school today and find out about the interesting things that you have been doing. Your teachers are so proud of you! Well done everyone. -
Submission by Bearwood Primary School
Bearwood Primary School The Secret Horses of Briar Hill
We designed our piece of work to have Foxfire in the centre with words and images associated with sadness and despair on one side and those relate to hope and happiness on the other. We thought aslo bout events in the book that were bittersweet - such Anna's death which is a heart-breaking for Emmaline, but finally releases Anna from pain.
Comments
6th Nov 2018, 8:03pm Just Imagine comment: this is a simple depiction of the Bittersweet theme. It's eyecatching and the key words that you have chosen to reflect the themes in the story stand out. The pencil drawings of the horses are detailed and show that you have been observing closely. We loved the little 3D horse. How did you make it? It was also very intriguing to read about your thought processes. That's an interesting observation that you made about the broken pencils. -
Submission by Willenhall Community Primary School
Where there’s darkness, you can always find light.
The children worked as a team to convey the darkness and hope within the story. Some children found key quotes from the text which they thought showed the two contrasting themes whilst others constructed the winged horse using outlines of their hands. The children decided that the hands could represent the friendship and togetherness of those at Briar Hill.
Comments
6th Nov 2018, 8:03pm Just Imagine comment: This simple image is very effective and well-thought out. The quotations really worked welll with the black and white image too and we liked that you had used your own hands to create the pegasus' wings.7th Nov 2018, 10:03am The amount of thought that has gone into this submission is really impressive. I have enjoyed revisiting the quotes from the story. Very powerful!7th Nov 2018, 1:18pmClever! Love the juxtaposition...It is striking! Well done Willenhall!9th Nov 2018, 12:55amAmazing presentation. We at St Matthew's are very impressed. Well done! -
Symbols
We talked about symbolism and agreed that the Black Horse could symbolise death and disease, while Foxfire could represent hope and Emmaline’s battle to get well and healthy. We also thought the winged horses might be the spirits of the children who had died from TB.
Comments
16th Oct 2018, 3:49pm Brilliant ideas, clearly expressed. Well done Bearwood Primary - you're off to a flying start.6th Nov 2018, 5:27pmI love the way you recorded your thoughts about symbolism. Very intriguing! Lydia Trapnell (Reading Recovery Teacher, Filton Avenue Primary School, Bristol) -
Little Sutton’s reading reflections
The children have loved selecting “reflections” for the front of their journals.
All ready to go…Comments
15th Oct 2018, 8:30pm What a super idea for the cover of your journals. We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts.6th Nov 2018, 5:29pmBeautiful! Lydia Trapnell (Reading Recovery Teacher, Filton Avenue, Bristol)7th Nov 2018, 1:20pmThese journal covers are wonderful. Great work Little Sutton Gladiators! -
Little Sutton Gladiators
Little Sutton’s Gladiators have loved beginning the Secret Horses of Briar Hill and indeed some have romped through to the end before me!
Questions abound and debate is commonplace – does Emmaline REALLY see the horses or is it an effect of the tuberculosis? What happens to Emmaline after the book, is she reunited with her parents? Should there be a sequel?
One thing is certain.. Thursday lunchtimes will never be quite the same again!Comments
15th Oct 2018, 8:28pm Hello Little Sutton, Gladiators. Some interesting thoughts from your group. There's a novel called Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr, which is about a girl who has vivid dreams while she is recovering from an illness. It makes you wonder what is real life and what is a dream.16th Oct 2018, 12:07pmOoh , thank you...we shall investigate!6th Nov 2018, 5:34pmAt Filton Avenue Primary School we also felt that this was a book that was very thought-provoking! Emmaline's story raises many questions that go unanswered. It takes a mature reader indeed to interpret some of the underlying themes but not to insist on a concrete answer for everything. Lydia Trapnell (Reading Recovery Teacher, Filton Avenue, Bristol) -
Journals
Pupils at Willenhall have loved their exploration of ‘The Secret Horses of Briar Hill’. Pupils often meet on the playground before school each day to discuss the story and share their journal entries.
Comments
11th Oct 2018, 5:02pm We think you should be very proud of these journals. Thank you for sharing your thoughtful work with us. Wonderful!17th Oct 2018, 5:22pmThank you! All of these journals and the illustrations below were completed by the pupils in their own time. They are so caught up in the book, they just have to explore it even further than the discussions we've already had in the sessions. We can't wait to start the next book!6th Nov 2018, 5:37pmThese journals look amazing!! I'll definitely share these great pictures with my Gladiators tomorrow to encourage their own creativity in recording their responses to The Secret Horses of Briar Hill. Lydia Trapnell (Reading Recovery Teacher, Filton Avenue, Bristol) -
Illustrations
Pupils at Willenhall have portrayed key events of the story in the style of Levi Pinfold.
Comments
11th Oct 2018, 5:00pm TWhat super work. Thank you for sharing it with us. You have looked very carefully at Levi's artwork. I hope you had plenty of time to discuss the book with each other. Well done Wilenhall Gladiators. -
Session 2
Session 2 took us into our school’s immersion room where we got a real insight to how it would feel being an evacuee child during WW2. The children shared some fantastic vocabulary regarding Emmaline’s feelings. We finished the session by reading a few chapters in a peaceful, countryside setting with the sounds of horses playing in the background. The children have been set a short, hometime task of either writing a short diary entry in the words of Emmaline or a piece of artwork, showing her feelings.
Comments
9th Oct 2018, 2:48pm We'd love to see those diary entries - I wonder how the experience of being in the immersion room will help with your writing. -
Our first session
Year 6 Frederick Birds Reading Gladiators are engrossed with The Secret Horses of Briar Hill. After last years topic of WW2 the children have enjoyed sharing their knowledge and eager to find out more of Emmaline’s secret.
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Our First Session at St George’s
Our Year 6’s were so excited to get started. They have all taken The Secret Horses of Briar Hill home tonight are looking forward to getting stuck in! They were blown away by the illustrations!
Comments
1st Oct 2018, 3:49pm Wonderful to hear such enthusiasm St George's! Yes Levi Pinfold's illustrations are one of the reasons we wanted to include this title in the Year 6 selection this year. You will have plenty of opportunity to reflect on them throughout the activities for this beautiful story. -
Bearwood Yr6 Gladiators Getting Started
We remembered our trip as “evacuees” on the Severn Valley Railway to Highley in Shropshire and our learning about World War II in Yr4 before reading the first chapter of The a Secret Horses of Briar Hill.
Comments
1st Oct 2018, 3:36pm Hello earwood Reading Gladiators. We are very pleased to see you! Making connections with your own experience will help you get into the book - great idea. Do let us know what you think of the book. Happy Reading, everyone! -
First Meeting of the Year 6 St Matt’s RGs
The Year 6 RG Champions, at St Matthew’s, are loving the first book – The Secret Horses of Briar Hill and are deep in conversation, discussing their first impressions and capturing initial ideas. Go Gladiators!
Comments
25th Sep 2018, 6:53pm Hello St Matthews Gladiators! We are excited to be joining you on your reading journey this year. We look forward to reading your thoughts about the books. -
Let the Challenge Begin!
The 2017- 18 challenges are now completed and we currently enrolling schools for the 2018 -19 challenges. Why not join us?
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