A World at Our Fingertips!

World Book Day is on 7 March

by Claire Law

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To explore the benefits of reading to celebrate World Book Day 2019.

Preparation and materials

• You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (A World at our Fingertips) and the means to display them.
  
  
• You will also need World Book Day tokens or information about how children can get hold of them.
  
  
• Prior to the assembly, arrange for a few members of staff to be ready to put their hands up and contribute an answer to questions (see the ‘Assembly’, Steps 4 and 5).
  
  
• More information about World Book Day is available at: http://www.worldbookday.com/

Assembly

1. Ask the children what is special about today.
   
   Show Slide 1.
   
   If children are unaware, explain that today is World Book Day.
   
   
2. Show Slide 2.
   
   Ask the children about places that they’ve travelled to. Questions could include the following.
   
   - What is your favourite place that you have visited?
   - What is the longest journey that you can remember?
   - What is your favourite journey and how did you travel?
   - Why did you make that journey?
   - Who did you travel with?
   
   Listen to a range of responses.
   
   
3. Ask the children to put up their hands to vote as to whether their favourite journey was somewhere in the UK or somewhere abroad.
   
   
4. Ask if anyone has ever been on a journey back in time.
   
   A prearranged member of staff should raise his/her hand. On being asked to explain, he/she should describe a book that takes him/her back to a previous time in history. The staff member should not reveal that he/she is talking about a book at this point, but rather simply describe the experience in the book as if it were his/her own. Examples could include Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (set in the mid-1700s), Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome (set in 1929) and Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian (set during the Second World War).
   
   When the staff member has finished, say, ‘Wow! That is unbelievable!’
   
   
5. Ask if anyone has ever been on a journey out of this world.
   
   Another prearranged staff member should raise his/her hand. On being asked to explain, he/she should describe a book that takes him/her to space, another planet or another galaxy. Again, the staff member should not reveal that he/she is talking about a book at this point, but rather simply describe the experience in the book as if it were his/her own. Examples could include Whatever Next by Jill Murphy or Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce.
   
   When the staff member has finished, say, ‘Wow! That is unbelievable!’
   
   
6. Ask the first staff member how on earth he/she managed to travel back in time. He/she should respond by saying, ‘Oh, that was easy! I just read (insert title and author of book).’ If possible, he/she should hold up a copy of the book.
   
   
7. Ask the second staff member how on earth he/she managed to travel out of this world. He/she should respond by saying, ‘Oh, that was easy! I just read (insert title and author of book).’ If possible, he/she should hold up a copy of the book.
   
   
8. Point out that books can transport us to different places and times. A well-written work of fiction opens up different people and places for us to explore. Such a book enables us to exercise our imaginations and can take us on an adventure – all without leaving the comfort of our sofa or bed.
   
   When we are sitting on the bus on a cold, wet morning, we can be transported to somewhere tropical and exotic with the help of a good book. When we are at home and our friends are all too busy to play, or our parents can’t afford to take us to expensive places to have fun, we can escape to action and adventure by becoming engrossed in a good book. And – if non-fiction is your thing - we can explore the wonders of nature, learn to play the guitar or find a delicious cake recipe to try out, all with the aid of a book. We might say that books are a form of transport. They take us to different places and different times, and show us different wonders.
   
   
9. World Book Day happens at the beginning of March every year, and this year is no different. This year World Book Day asks the question 'Who do you like sharing a story with?'
   
   Perhaps we regularly get to share a story with someone important – a grandparent or another family member who reads us a bedtime story that takes us to a magical land. Perhaps we enjoy sitting listening to our teachers sharing a story with the class. There is something special about sharing a book with others. It brings all sorts of benefits.
   
   
10. Show Slide 3.
    
    Read through the benefits of sharing a story.
    
    - Sharing a story helps us to have a better relationship with the other person. We have a happy memory!
    - Chatting with someone else about a book helps you to understand it better.
    - Reading aloud with someone else develops your confidence as a reader.
    
    
11. Explain that you want to set two challenges. The first challenge is to try a new book this week and to go on an adventure that you have never been on before. Explain that World Book Day tokens enable the children to get £1 off any book.
    
    Optional: you may wish to arrange for the school library to have a special display of books for the children to borrow.
    
    
12. The second challenge is to try to ‘share a story’ out loud with someone else so that you end up bonding over a book. This could be reading a story to a brother, sister or cousin, or to an adult. It could be pledging with a friend to read the same book, and chatting about it as you go along – asking him/her what he/she thought about the opening chapter and so on. Alternatively, it could be that the children volunteer to listen to children read in another class in school.

Time for reflection

As we think about books and the benefits of reading, let’s consider how books are important to believers of all religions.

Each major religion has a book that is important, precious and sacred to the believers of that religion. We call these books holy books or Scriptures. For Christians, that book is the Bible; for Muslims, it is the Qur’an and for Jews, it is the Torah.

All religions believe that their holy book has wisdom in it that can transport us to a place of greater connection - connection with ourselves, connection with others and connection with God.

Let’s take a moment to think about a book that we enjoy or that has helped us in some way. Let’s be grateful that we have an education that helps us to read. Let’s remember children in many parts of the world who will never experience the joy of reading.

Prayer
Dear God,
We thank you for the power of a good book to transport us to new places and to give us new experiences.
We thank you for the creativity of authors and illustrators in creating books for us to enjoy.
We are thankful for our own ability to read and to imagine.
We thank you for the people who have helped us to enjoy reading and for our education.
Amen.