Community school book clubs will be rolled out at eight schools in the Kouga region from the start of the new term after the pilot programme at four schools showed resounding literacy results success.
The Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm has taken it upon itself to provide books and reading assistants to impoverished schools in the area through its Foundation Phase Literacy Programme.
This was to help mitigate what is known as the “fourthgrade reading slump,” Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm economic development director Hlengiwe Radebe said.
She said that during the first three grades, children were learning to read, but from the fourth grade they were expected to read to learn.
Subsequently, for many pupils, the desire to read for pleasure became reduced, and reading was then associated with struggling and difficulty.Radebe said positive feedback following the pilot book club launch last year on International Literacy Day – September 8 – had led to the start of the second phase at the end of lthe ast term, which would be in full swing when schools resumed on July 17.
“A unanimous agreement that belonging to a book club helps reading skills has been reached,” Radebe said.
“Participants, without exception, reported that their book clubs helped them to develop their vocabulary and comprehension.”
She said in the jump from grade 3 to grade 4, pupils were confronted with textbooks, a wider range of subjects and more complex content than in the foundation phase.
“We would like to help encourage reading for pleasure after the foundation phase, hence a percentage of our literacy fund goes towards providing reading clubs,” she said.
“The schools have an exciting selection of interesting ageand stage-appropriate books, which pupils borrow to read at home, as well as the necessary infrastructural support.”
The book clubs are usually made up of small numbers, eight to 15 pupils a group, with some groups meeting at least three times a week at the four pilot schools – Laerskool Gamtoosvallei, St Patrick’s Primary School, Pellsrus Primary School and Hankey Primary School.
Book club conveners and reading assistants have introduced games and other fun activities linked to reading, to add more interest for pupils.
Hankey Primary School reading assistant Ruchaan Malgas said the pupils had surprised her with their enthusiasm, newfound confidence and literacy progress.
“We started with a small group of eight and ended up having more than 15 pupils during every lunch break.
“I challenged each one of them to read a book and the one who finished first got to share his or her interpretation of the story.
“The pupils are enjoying the books just as much as I am and I feel the need to continue as it is not every day that our learners get so excited about reading and books,” Malgas said.
Pellsrus Primary School principal Irvin de Vries said the programme had also assisted teachers in the school to better convey their lessons.
“There are regular workshops between staff and reading assistants, where skills transfer takes place, with teachers helping reading assistants in how to deal with pupils, and teachers being helped with pupil comprehension,” De Vries said.
“We also have reading corners in each class now through book donations, as we have never had a library.”
Schools that will join the programme include: Chigwell Primary, Graslaagte Primary, Kruisfontein Primary, Patensie Primary, Quagga Primary, Vukani Primary, Weston Primary and Sea Vista Primary.