Boys and Reading

I have been working with animation artist Jack Lockhart this year in a number of different schools, looking at the connections between animation and poetry, and encouraging boys in particular to get into reading by making their own book trailers. It has been great fun! The biggest lesson we have learnt I think, is to allow the young people involved to really take the lead and create their own film material. Sometimes things have therefore not turned out in expected ways, and there are a lot of ’special effects’ and references to Star Wars in some of the work produced. In one primary school in Oldham half way through a session, I overheard a pupil say ‘This is the best fun I’ve had at school all year.’ Whether or not you can really encourage a love of reading in just five short sessions is a tall order. But many pupils reported that they had a leap in confidence because of the project, and some tried books they would not have attempted before the workshops this summer.

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