New reading tools and updates, Term 3 PLD and online resources
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Newsletter to schools — Term 3 2024
Here's what's in our Term 3 newsletter:
- Use our new Reading Identity Cards
- Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers summary of findings
- 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
- The Need to Read: Sally Rippin and Alan Dingley in conversation
- School Library Week 12–16 August
- Start planning for summer reading
- Term 3 professional learning and lending news
- Term 3 online resources, new He Tohu programmes
Use our new Reading Identity Cards
Explore the statements, questions and activities on our cards to help you reflect on, develop and share your reading identity.
Reading identity is about knowing yourself as a reader — your reading attitude, habits, behaviours, choices and motivation. Having a reading identity is integral to being a reader and is included in our Teachers Creating Readers Framework.
Use the cards with staff, students and whānau to help them understand their reading identity as part of developing your school reading community. We also have a chatterbox you can use as an alternative fun way to explore reading identities.
Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers summary of findings
Reading for pleasure improves literacy and builds knowledge, a sense of belonging, imagination and wellbeing. Research shows that having the skill to read is much more powerful when it’s paired with the motivation to read.
Between 2019 and 2024, the National Library collaborated with partners in 6 Aotearoa New Zealand communities on co-designed projects aimed at raising reading engagement of children and young people. The projects of varying sizes took place in Dargaville, West Auckland, Tauwhare, Huntly, Canterbury and South Dunedin.
What the Pūtoi Rito projects found
- Given the right conditions and opportunities, all young people can enjoy reading and gain the benefits of reading for pleasure — across different settings, diversity and cultural factors, ages and abilities.
- Building a culture of reading works best when it is a collaborative effort between schools, libraries, families and communities and makes the most of the national and local resources and connections available.
Read the 2019–2024 summary of findings report
The report shares the context for Pūtoi Rito and the findings that emerged from the initiative’s first 5 years.
Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers summary of findings 2019–2024
We've also recently published the report by the New Zealand Council Educational Research (NZCER) for the Dargaville Pūtoi Rito project, which ran in 2023 and 2024: Dargaville Pūtoi Rito Communities of Readers research report
Kate De Goldi's talk at the Reading for Pleasure Hui
Pūtoi Rito is part of the National Library’s strategic priority to grow a nation of readers. This includes Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador and the He Pārekereke initiative to build national conversations on reading.
One such conversation was the second hui on reading for pleasure hosted by the National Library and New Zealand Council for Educational Research. At this one-day event, more than 60 people from the research, education, library and other sectors came together to share and discuss insights from research and practice around growing communities of readers.
Author and Te Puna Foundation Chair Kate De Goldi was one of the speakers on the day.
Read the transcript of her talk: Children’s books matter.
2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults
Image credit: New Zealand Book Awards Trust.
The finalists for the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults (NZCYA) 2024 have been announced.
A team from Services to Schools have written 3 blogs unpacking the diverse collection of themes, characters and experiences that readers will find within the pages of the finalists:
- Exploring connections in junior and YA fiction
- Te reo treasures and notable non-fiction
- Colour and tone in picture book and illustration finalists.
The team have also put together a range of activities for the 2024 finalist activity booklet.
You can borrow the NZCYA finalists and other great books from us through our school lending service.
The Need to Read: Sally Rippin and Alan Dingley in conversation
Join Australian Children’s Laureate Sally Rippin and Te Awhi Rito New Zealand Reading Ambassador Alan Dingley as they share their unique perspectives on the importance of reading for children and young people.
Rippin and Dingley will discuss the impact and importance of libraries in inspiring young readers. They'll also discuss ways we can support a broader reading ecosystem to ensure every young person can become a reader.
This special livestream conversation is for teachers, librarians, parents and anyone interested in understanding more about the importance of reading.
The event is presented in partnership with the Australian Children’s Laureate Foundation and Te Awhi Rito New Zealand Reading Ambassador partner group.
Te Awhi Rito Alan Dingley's reading recommendations
Chapter books are a vital step in any reader's journey. In his latest post, Alan recommends some early chapter books to help young readers transition from picture books.
Read Alan's post: Chapter quest
School Library Week 12–16 August
Image credit: Aotearoa NZ School Library Week poster created for SLANZA by Paul Beavis.
The third annual Aotearoa New Zealand School Library Week is coming soon.
This year's theme is ‘School libraries build readers’. To help you join in the fun, the School Library Association of New Zealand Aotearoa (SLANZA) has created and shared resources and activities you can use to celebrate libraries and reading in your school.
Check out Aotearoa NZ School Library Week on the SLANZA website
Start planning for summer reading
Yes — summer is coming, despite the current weather!
Reading over the long summer break helps prevent the summer slide in reading levels. Planning a summer reading initiative early will allow you to manage and promote it within a busy end-of-year schedule.
Use our summer reading guide to help you plan, manage and measure the impact of a summer reading initiative. It includes information to share with families and whānau on supporting reading at home and tips for collaborating with public libraries.
Term 3 professional learning and lending news
Do some PLD with us
We have some great learning options for you this term.
In particular, look at our free, online course ‘Growing and shaping your school library collection’ where you'll learn how to build a library collection that meets the needs of your students and teachers.
Growing and shaping your school library collection — 5 August to 22 September, sign up by 2 August.
We have other options about curating resources, encouraging school-wide reading, weeding and stocktaking, and more.
Have a look and register for our learning options for Term 3
Come along to local library network meetings
Our local network meetings provide an opportunity to connect with other professionals with an interest in school libraries and learning.
Check out the advantages of joining — and where and when network meetings are held in your region.
Key lending service dates
Submit your Term 3 topics selection and extra reading requests by 23 August. Term 3 books are due back to us by 27 September. Request books for Term 4 from 24 August.
Term 3 online resources, new He Tohu programmes
Image credit: Photo by Mark Beatty. National Library of New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Used with permission.
Use our Topic Explorer sets, Many Answers entries and stories from Te Kupenga to find reliable sources of information on important events and topics for this term. He Tohu also has resources, activities and some great new programmes for students.
26 July to 11 August — Paris 2024 Olympics
1 to 31 August — Sorted Money Month
4 to 10 August — Cook Islands Māori Language Week
5 August 1914 — New Zealand enters the First World War
12 to 16 August — Maths Week
21 August 2006 — Māori King Te Arikinui Tūheitia Paki crowned
29 August 1915 — New Zealand force captures German Samoa
18 to 24 August — Tonga Language Week
2 to 8 September — Conservation Week
14 to 21 September — Te Wiki o te Reo Māori
19 September 1893 — Women win the right to vote
- Women’s suffrage
- Women’s suffrage (New Zealand)
- Kate Sheppard (1847–1934)
- A petition: Women’s Suffrage Petition
25 September 1951 — Māori Women's Welfare League established
29 September to 5 October — Tuvalu Language Week
Popular topics this term
New He Tohu civics and waka programmes
We have 2 new, free programmes for ākonga (students) in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) and Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).
In Te Whanganui-a-Tara, He Tohu is offering a civics programme — ‘Ngā reo whanake | Voices of change: Past, present, future’ — in conjunction with New Zealand Parliament for ākonga in Years 7 to 10. At He Tohu, ākonga will journey to the past and learn about people whose actions changed Aotearoa New Zealand. At Parliament, ākonga will learn how they can have their say today through the processes of Parliament.
The civics programme starts in Term 4. Find out more and register your ākonga: Ngā reo whanake | Voices of change: Past, present, future.
At He Tohu Tāmaki (in Auckland), Year 4 to 13 ākonga can learn how Māori and Pacific peoples sailed their amazing waka across one-third of the earth’s surface. Ākonga get ‘hands-on’ with our replica voyaging waka, ‘Whakaura’.
Find out more and register your ākonga: Waka Moana: Pacific wayfinders and their amazing craft.
