COMMUNITY School Book Clubs were rolled out to twelve schools.
This follows the resounding literacy results and growing support among learners and schools since the launch of four piloted book clubs at local schools.
“Participants, without exception, reported that their book clubs helped them to develop their vocabulary and comprehension,” says Hlengiwe Radebe, Economic Development Director for Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm.
The book clubs are usually made up of small numbers, 8 to 15 learners per group, with some groups meeting at least three times per week. The aim is to increase this to two groups, who will each meet at least once or twice a week.
In addition to supporting reading development, members thrive on the social interaction among like-minded members, and book clubs conveners will now begin to introduce games and other fun activities linked to reading, to help draw even more interest.
A Hankey Primary School reading assistant, Ruchaan Malgas, says, “The learners have surprised me in a way I never thought possible. We started with a small group of 8 and ended up having more than 15 learners during every lunch break. I challenged each one of them to read a book and the one who finished first, could share his interpretation of the story”.
“The learners 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.”
Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm’s Foundation Phase Literacy Programme launched the reading clubs in a bid to help mitigate what is known as the ‘fourth grade reading slump’, during International Literacy Day on September 8, 2017 – a day that aims to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.
“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 with an exciting selection of interesting age- and stage-appropriate books, which they borrow to read at home, as well as the necessary infrastructural support,” says Radebe.
The clubs kicked off last year at Laerskool Gamtoosvallei, St Patrick’s Primary School, Pellsrus Primary School and Hankey Primary School. Schools that will join the programme include Chigwell Primary School, Graslaagte Primary School, Kruisfontein Primary School, Patensie Primary School, Quagga Primary School, Vukani Primary School, Weston Primary School and Sea Vista Primary School,
