Students meet weekly at the local café to study a novel using a technique called Reciprocal Reading. Using this teaching model, students learn to guide group discussions using six strategies: summarising, visualising, making connections, question generating, clarifying and predicting.  

The positive response to the Book Café has been overwhelming, with over 90% attendance from the Year 5/6 students last term and 100% voluntary attendance from the Year 3/4 students this term.

The staff at Trinity have seen a shift in student attitude about reading since implementing the Book Café and have been encouraged by the support from families who have backed the program.

Classroom Support Coordinator Penny Lucas said that students are starting to believe that reading is a fun, relaxing and social activity rather than a task set by a teacher.

Mrs Lucas is planning to run the sessions again in Term 3 and 4 and is currently seeking funding from local organisations to ensure that she can provide good-quality, engaging literature to deliver the most worthwhile experience possible for Trinity’s budding young readers!

Students are currently reading ‘The Explorer’ by Katherine Rundell that has proven so popular that all local distributors had run out of copies.

Here’s what the students have to say about Book Café:

“I love Book Café because we can eat and learn at the same time!” – Poppy

“I would really like to read a Number 2 of that book!” – Tylerr

“We get to hang out with each other and chat about a really great book!” – Archie