English Libraries

English Libraries is a national program designed to encourage extensive and intensive reading at the elementary school level, specifically in grades 4-6.

In 2017-18, 278 schools were accepted to the English Libraries' program based on their Meitzav scores. In 2018-19, a further 253 schools joined, and next year, we will welcome another 160 schools into the program.

Schools in the English libraries program are required to create a work plan including goals and evidence of good use of the books received. In the middle of the year, schools are required to provide evidence of assessment and visual results of the program’s ​progress. Additionally, schools are required to allocate a specific amount of time for English reading per week in all English classes in grades 4-6.

​Towards the end of the school year, teachers responsible for the program at their schools are required to publicize their pupils' work in response to reading the library books, in the form of digital or physical displays in the school building itself or on the school or Ministry websites. ​

​Each school participating in the program is sent a box of approximately 250 individual readers for pupils at all levels of literacy in grades 4-6 as well as 30 copies of Aladdin and 30 copies of The Secret Garden, especially adapted for ​Hebrew / Arabic speakers at 5th and 6th grade levels respectively. New vocabulary, translated into both Hebrew and Arabic, appears in a glossary at the bottom of each page.

​Turn the Page​ is a site ​that has been ​created especially to provide resources and ideas for English teachers who are participating in the English Libraries' program and additionally for English teachers who are not yet in the program, but would like to learn about ideas and be inspired by what can be done ​with​ extensive reading programs at their schools. Evidence of pupils' response​s​ to reading in English can be seen in the Photos and Videos section.