The challenge is on. In order to improve reading at Osiligi, two things need to happen. Teachers need to read more in class, in order to model fluency and comprehension and pupils need to read more in groups to practise their skills.
Before either of these things can happen, I need to establish what books we have in school. The short answer is a lot.
The school has benefited from many donations over the years, from UK schools and sponsors. But like the resource room, they have just been pile on to shelves because no-one really knows what to do with them. Teachers occasionally take a book or some books to share with the class. That’s the existing system.
There is no easy way, or short cut. I have to haul out every single book and find out if we have any sets. It is a long and painstaking job and I have to do it myself as only I can remember what I’ve already seen and where I’ve put it!
After two days, I have some semblance of order. There is good news. I have found sufficient sets of books to create a progressive reading system. The books aren’t perfect – most of them are not African, and they’re not all in great condition – but I’ve taken out any ones that are so far from Osiligi pupils’ reality that they have no benefit. The rest, with teacher support, can be used for group work. I reckon we have enough to make a start.
The next part in the process is to order the books from easy to hard, create a colour scheme to denote increasing difficulty, label each book and then create a spreadsheet with the progression. Paul, Bonface and Wasike help with labelling and after many hours slog, we finally have the skeleton of a reading programme. Red, blue, green, silver and gold are the bands. Now, teachers will work in groups to order the books from easier to harder, within each colour band. This will also increase their familiarity with the books.
We’re now on the road to improving reading at Osiligi!
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