Reading
for Real is a six-month pilot initiative of Akshara Foundation and
the Hippocampus Reading Foundation. It is aimed at strengthening
the vital role that Akshara’s Librarians, Mobile Librarians
and Dream a Dream Volunteers play as key facilitators in fueling
an interest in reading amongst school going children, who are members
of our libraries.
Started in August, the six month pilot program
would involve librarians, mobile librarians and Dream a Dream Volunteers
in handling 24 creative reading sessions. These sessions which are
conducted in Kannada and English combine reading with other related
activities for 90 minutes every weekend.
A series of interactive training sessions conducted
by The Teacher Foundation preceded this pilot initiative.
Among the techniques used to instill an interest
in reading among children are the rebus technique, which entails
the weaving of stories through a series of random pictures, which
are stuck together. This facilitates a creative learning process
through picture-word linkages and helps build language and vocabulary
skills in children.
The use of finger puppets in story telling,
soft boards with character pictures from stories, poetry (action
rhymes), music and drama, and word games help in tapping inherent
kinesthetic, linguistic, mathematical, musical and interpersonal
competencies as essential components for enabling effective reading
and comprehension in children.
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