From The Library

We're pleased to introduce Beanstack, an interactive, fun and rewarding way to for students to engage with reading and learn information literacy skills.

Starting this Term 2, all Reading & Research classes are now being run using the Beanstack App. Accessed via the web or mobile device, Beanstack turns reading and learning into a series of challenges. Each challenge is comprised of various badges. 

All students are participating in the Reading Time Challenge and the Growing Reader Challenge, which tracks students reading minutes and finished books (respectively), giving rewards and tickets towards an end of year prize at reading milestones. For teachers, the reading level (Lexile) is also recorded and there are various verification techniques.

Reading minutes logged by all readers, including teachers, contribute towards the St Bede’s Community goal of 130,000 reading minutes before the end of the school year. As of the writing of this article, our College Community has read over 47,000 minutes - that’s over 30% through the goal for the year!

At each year level, various challenges have been created, comprised on activity-based badges, focussing on essential information literacy skills each throughout the year. 

Year 7s are currently completing the Research Novice Challenge, outlining ways to avoid plagiarism as well as highlighting and note taking skills. Year 8s and 9s are currently completing the Organised Mind Challenge, which allows students to understand and use the Cornell note taking method, as well as how to use graphic organisers to organise ideas and process information. Year 8s and 9s are also currently undertaking the Research Pro Challenge, which guides students through how to find good and reliable information when researching. Our Year 9s are currently completing the Lateral Reading Challenge, designed to equip students with the skills required to discern when information is trustworthy and worth using.

As well as the compulsory challenges, students have a variety of optional challenges, both logging and activity based, including one challenge called Reading Buddies that invites students to read the same book as their parent/guardian so you can join in too!

English teachers have access to insightful information about their student’s reading habits recorded through Beanstack and the Library staff will continue to ensure we use this data, as well as other invaluable data sources, to ensure all students have an appropriate and engaging book to read at all times.

Please invite your son to show you Beanstack and continue to encourage him to read regularly, in all forms, to ensure that he can continue to enjoy the mental and physical benefits that reading brings. 

eBooks and eAudiobooks are always available from the St Bede’s College Library webpage (Resource Centre Website). Our Library is open from 8am daily to 5pm Monday to Thursday and until 4pm on Fridays.