The Angelus The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary And she conceived by the Holy Spirit. Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to your word. And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ Let us pray: Lord ,You revealed to us by an angel, the coming of Your Son as man. So lead us through his suffering and death to the glory of His resurrection, for He lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen Start with the sign of the cross. Cardinal Wiseman – Pray for us

Why is reading important? “Teens who choose to pick up a book for pleasure are more likely to succeed in life, research shows.” The Telegraph In order to succeed at GCSE and access the language used in the exams you need a reading age of 16 plus. Reading is a life-long skill, which opens doors both on a professional and personal level. Reading is important because it develops the mind and our imaginations. The mind is a muscle and needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuZSfvHHMr4 There is a huge body of evidence out there which proves that those pupils who read regularly and actually enga1ge with the text are more likely to be successful in their exams, and ultimately get more out of life. Who has ever been so engrossed in a book they didn’t want to stop reading it? Who has ever felt upset or bereft when they’ve finished a book? Who has been moved to emotion by a book they read? Who would not want to spend 30 minutes every day switching off from the hustle and bustle of school life to find escapism in a good book?

Your library: You have an amazing resource at your fingertips full of books chosen by pupils here at Cardinal Wiseman. You need to visit the library and make the most of this resource. In the summer myself and Miss Hennessy took a group of 12 students to Peters Bookshop and spent £1000 buying new books for the library. The books chosen were based on recommendations from you. There are lots of exciting things happening in the library at the moment to encourage reading: Read it, watch it! This enrichment activity is held in the library after school every Thursday until 4:00pm; Author visits – last year we were joined by Natasha Desborough who won an award for her book, ‘Weirdos vs. Quimboids, and this year we are hoping to invite other authors to visit our school such as Tom Palmer, Malorie Blackman, Philip Pullman and Benjamin Zephaniah. Merits are rewarded for excellent behaviour during DEAR and will be issued by your DEAR teacher; Praise postcards will be sent home for the pupils who gain the most merits each week, and the form which gains the most merits as a whole will win a box of chocolates every other week; Pupils who gain 100% on their quizzes will receive a certificate in assembly and an early lunch pass for the following week; The pupils who make the most progress related to their reading age each term will receive a Kindle Fire; Every pupil who reaches their target reading age will become a member of our ‘STAR Reading’ club and receive a pin badge to wear with pride.

Why do you think there is a World Book Day? Choose specific pupils to answer/show of hands

Virtues – 30 seconds, which of the virtues do you think reading/WBD links to? – Eloquent in the way we speak, learned in the way we engage, grateful for the books we have when others aren’t as lucky

What are we planning this year? Fancy dress Book swap Robert Muchamore LIVE Free book tokens Matilda competition Great Barr Observer Talk students through the different things we have planned and some ideas – (7Ne 101 Dalmatians) – put hand up if your form has already chosen its theme and you have your costume – talk about me/Em/Donna themed as princesses as team DEAR.

Next steps: Choose your theme as a form and make/buy/create your costume! Have a look at home for the books you would like to include in your book swap! Think of any questions you’d like to ask Robert Muchamore! Shop online to see which book you would like to use your voucher on! Think of a revolting rhyme you could send off for the Matilda competition for your chance to see the musical in London! Practice your best smile for the Great Barr Observer! ENJOY reading!

Prayer: a thank you for books Father God, we thank you for all the good books that we enjoy. Thank you for the people who make them, the people who read them to us, and the people who help us to learn to read. We thank you especially for the Bible: the good book that you gave us, where we can learn more about Jesus. Amen