Reading Circle Helps During Holidays
Reading Circles enhancing Children's Ability to Read & Comprehend
During holidays, Children can rest and play, to relax. In Rosengbeh Community this is not the case, the community wants to get better grades for their kids, so they organized several reading sessions through reading circles. With the Government’s goal of getting all children to be able to read and comprehend at age 11; ActionAid focuses on government meeting this goal by setting-up of reading circles in various schools that ActionAid is supporting. With the reading circles, Children are engaged in various sessions of reading so they can be conversant with words, be able read and pronounce well and above all recognise words.
I was very weak, when it come s to reading, but with what I am reading now, I will be good when school reopens....Says Aminata
During the holiday session, ActionAid encourage communities like Roshengbeh, in the Tonkolili District conduct reading circles for primary School Children. Aminata Turay, 10years of Rosengbeh RC Primary School, a class 4 Pupil is part of the reading circle that is been organized during the rainy season. “I love reading, and I am happy that we continue to read”. These sessions focused on kids that were a little bit slow during the normal school term” we want to bring the kids up to speed, so that when school re-opens, they can match up with their companions” M Sankoh, teacher informs.
With this session, Aminata is so excited, to be part of these sessions “I have never missed a session, and with my friends we always come to the reading session, and I can now read and comprehend now” Aminata intimates. With this sessions, Aminata and other children are taking through the rigors of reading, spelling and then construct words “I was very weak, when it come s to reading, but with what I am reading now, I will be good when school reopens” Aminata again
ActionAid’s role in all of this is the supplying of core reading text books to all schools and do repairs and maintenance for the books that are worn out “we want these books to be used and passed on to other pupils, so the reading culture will stay in schools” Samuella Turay Programme officer Tonkolili LRP. With this move by the school also, the parents are happy that they children’s mind are occupied during the holiday season and this will help them a lot when school reopens.
“we want to make this a norm for us on this community, that during the holidays, the children are engaged in the reading Circles” Mr. Sankoh again. Aminata who wants to be a nurse, so that she can save lives in her community, is ready and happy that she can now read and comprehend “I am happy that I can now read the reader 5 correctly, I am ready to help my friends who are slow to learn the words’ Aminata smiles as she informs. What the process helpful is when the kids are given the books to take home and bring with them everyday when they come for the reading sessions.
“when I take my reading book home, I make sure it is kept safe so no water or palm oil will drop on it’ Aminata informs.
