Students gain superpowers in epic week of reading

Reading is my superpower: schools around the area are getting into the spirit and having fun interpreting the theme

Mt Sylvia State School students Matikah "Wonder Word" Reid and Isabella "Princess Paragraph" Hanford prepare for national book week. Picture: Mt Sylvia State School

CHILDREN Australia-wide are journeying into other worlds with the arrival of national book week.

Schools across the region are getting into the spirit and having fun interpreting this year's theme: Reading is my superpower.

Ma Ma Creek State School Principal Nathan de Mey said his school was looking at different comprehension strategies as superpowers and creating fictional heroes with those powers.

Inference Woman, Figurative Language Lad and Decoding Dave are just some of the characters coming to life at the school this week.

"We've taken a bit of a different angle with it this year,” Mr de Mey said.

Mr de Mey remembered The Digging-est Dog, his favourite childhood book.

"Reading is the foundation of learning and it's definitely our key focus at Ma Ma Creek,” he said.

"We try to make it fun for the students so weeks like these that come every year are a great opportunity to put a little flair around otherwise (regular) reading lessons.”

Another Lockyer Valley school had a similar idea.

Mt Sylvia State School students have brainstormed what skills someone needed to be a good reader.

"We have interpreted it by creating our own superheroes,” Principal Mark Thompson said.

"We've come up with about 50 superheroes the children can choose from and the children will create a costume around that.”

"They'll all have capes and masks and whatever else they want to add but we wanted to focus on the skills and attitudes around reading.”

Mr Thompson said the school would be dedicating week 8 (September 2 - 6) to book week.

During the school's book week, students will participate in a scavenger hunt, using their reading skills to decipher clues to find their way around.

"We just make it a really fun week and focus on all aspects of reading,” Mr Thompson said.

"Children need to be great readers not just for enjoying but for all areas of learning - being a better reader helps you be a better learner.”

Book week is run by the Children's Book Council of Australia and takes place between August 17 and 23.