Program Manager
Premier's Reading Challenge
Department of Education
PO Box 15033
CITY EAST QLD 4002
Email:
reading.challenge@qed.qld.gov.au
Phone: (07) 3328 6628
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find instructions on how to register and participate in the challenge?
Instructions can be found on the
documents and forms page. Select from school, individual or early childhood centre information kits for a guide on how to participate and use the database.
Do students need to read for the entire reading period?
No. Teachers can determine the length and timing of the reading period that best suits their students. Older students may need longer to complete the challenge as they are reading more complex texts. Younger students may do better having a short reading period to keep up their interest and enthusiasm. Students are encouraged to keep reading, even once they’ve read the allocated number of books.
Is there an award for students who participate in the challenge?
All students who complete the Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) will receive a Certificate of Achievement, sent out by the department in October.
Can students read any book they like during the challenge?
Yes. Students should select from a range of fiction and non-fiction books suited to their ability. You may like to consult the
book lists developed by teacher librarians, the Reading Centre and the Global schools through languages team (State Schools—Teaching, Leadership, Rural and Remote), or your local librarian may be able to help select books.
Teachers can consider student's cultural and language background/s when choosing books to read. For students who are English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) consider texts that are appropriate to their level of English as well as their age/interests. Students with special needs or those who do not speak or read Standard Australian English at home can engage with books using any or all of the methods listed below:
- customised or personalised books using graphics (including digitised graphics)
- braille books
- large-print books
- audiobooks
- books that have graphic support (text-to-speech support)
- electronic books such as a CD
- graphic support for text.
How do I encourage my child to read?
Parents, guardians, teachers, aides, siblings, student buddies and classmates play an important role in encouraging students to develop a love of reading. Here are some ideas to help:
- make time to read aloud to your child every day, even for a few minutes
- show the importance of reading in your daily life and let your child see you read—not only books but recipes, newspapers and text messages for example
- browse a bookstore together
- ensure reading time is fun and exciting
- visit the local library and let your child choose some books to borrow
- for younger children, let them hold the book and turn the pages.
How can I support my child to experience/read a book in an additional language?
Parents, guardians and siblings, can encourage the child to:
- participate in the challenge
- choose a book (see the
reading resources for ideas)
- listen to them 'reading' a book
- make time to listen to the audio of the eBooks together
- ask for meanings in English
- encourage the child to retell parts of the story
- visit the local library and request access to books in additional languages to borrow.
As a teacher, what can I expect when students experience/read a book in an additional language?
Students beginning to read in an additional language may:
- engage in shared reading of familiar texts with repeated language
- spend time looking at the book
- focus on understanding and describing the meaning of texts rather than reading all of the words accurately
- use their memory of familiar, predictable texts and emerging sound-symbol knowledge to match some spoken words with written words
- read 1 or 2 high frequency words in a sentence correctly in simple, predictable texts
- point to words using 1-to-1 correspondence when reading.
For children learning an additional language at school, their ability to read and comprehend texts will be dependent on the amount of time allocated to the program in the school timetable.
Students learning a scripted language (Chinese/Japanese) will more likely be beginning to read/recognise some high frequency words in simple, predictable texts and point to illustrations when they hear a text being read. For other languages, students will more likely be beginning to read 1 or more sentences correctly in a simple book.
Is there a PRC mailing list?
Yes, 5 newsletters are sent out each year, as well as reminders in relation to key dates.
Sign up now.