Jujube, Pearson Reading Competition begins

This month sees the start of the “Read Write Win” Competition for secondary schools, jointly sponsored by Jujube Bookstore and Pearson, a global leader in publishing, with several brands and businesses, including Longman, Ginn, the Penguin Group, and Ally and Bacon.{{more}}

The competition provides students between the ages of 11 and 16 years with the opportunity to demonstrate and hone their writing skills in three categories, namely short story (fiction), poetry, and essay (non-fiction). The competition will be adjudged in two age groups, 11 to 13 years and 14 to 16 years. A book of the month will be set for each age group each month, and entries must be based on the book or one of the main themes of the book.

The books will be chosen from among “Penguin Readers,” which is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading. The series’ combination of high interest level and simple text makes it suitable for a range of reading abilities. Many titles in the series also provide access to pre-20th century literature. For the advanced student, the books will be an easy, entertaining read, while students with limited reading ability will be encouraged by the simple text, and stimulating exercises on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing at the end of each book. Additionally, students can have access to factsheets, additional exercise material, as well as suggestions for creative writing via the Penguin Readers website, www.penguinreaders.com. Audio packs are also available.

While Pearson offers a vast range of children’s literature, the Penguin Reader series was chosen because the books present stories that students really want to read, with appropriate support material to nourish a sense of achievement and growing confidence from successful reading. The competition adds the dimension of creative expression, and gives students an opportunity to win prizes not only for themselves but also for their schools. Michele Samuel of Jujube explained that the aim was to cater for the wide range of reading abilities among our secondary school-aged children, and to provide an added opportunity and motivation for them to explore literature receptively and expressively.

According to Byron Wilson, Pearson Representative, his company is delighted to be associated with the competition and is committed to providing continuing support to reading initiatives, and education in general. The competition is expected to commence again in January and run until December 2012.

Read Write Win is one aspect of the Jujube Literacy Campaign, which was launched at the end of April under the theme “Promoting Literacy, Enhancing Life.”