Day of the Icelandic Language
16 November is the Day of the Icelandic Language and is also the birthday of the poet Jónas Hallgrímsson. Various events take place on this day in the operations of the City of Hafnarfjörður, particularly in the primary schools. On this day, the Small and Large Reading Competitions begin in the city's primary schools, where special gatherings are held to mark the day and to coincide with the launch of these projects.
16 November is the Day of the Icelandic Language and is also the birthday of the poet Jónas Hallgrímsson. Various events take place on this day in the operations of the City of Hafnarfjörður, particularly in the primary schools. On this day, the Small and Large Reading Competitions begin in the city's primary schools, where special gatherings are held to mark the day and to coincide with the launch of these projects.
Special emphasis on reading aloud and presentation
The Great Reading Competition is for Year 7 pupils, and pupils from all over the country take part. It began as a development project in Hafnarfjörður in 1996. The competition involves all Year 7 pupils dedicating special effort to their reading and presentation skills in the run-up to the competition's final festival in Hafnarfjörður, which will be held on 7 March 2017 at Hafnarborg. Alongside the competition, a Short story competition for pupils in Years 8-10 of Hafnarfjörður's state schools and the results will be announced at the aforementioned final festival. Also, at the same time, a competition for a design for the invitation to the final festival of the Great Reading Competition in Hafnarfjörður in 2017 will begin, which is intended for pupils in the 6th grade of the primary schools. The Junior Spelling Bee is younger than the main competition and is intended for Year 4 pupils in the primary schools. It also focuses on presentation and spelling, but has a different emphasis from the main Spelling Bee. Further information is available from the primary schools and the office of the Education and Leisure Services of Hafnarfjörður, but the project management for these initiatives is handled by Ingibjörg Einarsdóttir, former office manager of the Hafnarfjörður School Office.
Poster with the reading ambassadors of Hafnarfjörður
A poster is also being unveiled today featuring Hafnarfjörður's reading ambassadors, the footballer Fanndís Friðriksdóttir and the musician Friðrik Dór Jónsson. Its focus is to encourage Hafnarfjörður residents to read, and to remind the younger generations in particular of the importance of reading and of adults as role models. The poster will be distributed to the town's nurseries and primary schools, and to other relevant municipal institutions.
Word of Gold – a new language stimulation app
A special launch is taking place in Hafnarfjörður today for a new app designed to strengthen pupils' vocabulary, working memory, auditory processing and expression. The app is based on the teaching material of the same name, Orðagulli, which is available in most of Hafnarfjörður's primary schools. The creators of the teaching material and the app are the speech and language therapists Ásthildur Bj. Snorradóttir and Bjartey Sigurðardóttir, with Ásthildur also serving as a consultant at the office of Hafnarfjörður's education and leisure services. This project was, among others, supported by the Bjarni Snæbjörnsson and Helga Memorial Fund, for which members of the town council appoint individuals to the board. The Orðagulls app is available in the App Store from today and will be free to download. The app will be used as teaching material in nurseries and primary schools, as well as for parents.