By Sher Betz-Cooper and Homa Kombo | Treasurer and Field Coordinator
Exciting and creative projects are currently underway at the Hampaté Bâ School to encourage and motivate students to improve their literacy.
Reading books does not come naturally to Nigerien students. The culture of reading has not grown enough roots in their communities. Youngsters have no role models; they very rarely see their parents, family, friends or neighbors read books.
To overcome this problem, we have helped Hampaté Bâ School devise 3 ways to improve student literacy. The results are very encouraging, both for the students and the teachers.
1. School Library promotes Reading Culture
We have set up a great library at the students’ disposal with extraordinary books we shipped from France and this has served a very good purpose. The school now runs a "10 books before you're 14" challenge, whereby 6th grade students attempt to read 10 books before they finish 7th grade. This challenge has proved to be very popular. The books students read are signed off by the French teacher, who briefly questions them to check the books have actually been read. Students gain bronze, silver and gold status and lower-ability students can access all of these levels, as the size of the book doesn't matter.
“ I was a struggling reader, but now it is much easier for me to read and I like to read books about dinosaurs. I want to become an archeologist.” - Fatouma in 7th grade
“ I feel happy and proud when I finish reading a book.” Youssif in 6th grade
2. Twenty minutes to read every Friday
Other ways to encourage reading include celebratory events such as World Book Day, but Hampaté Bâ School has moreover opted for a day-to-day effort to provide students with the time, space and tight structure students need to sit down and read.
“No amount of talking about reading can replace the act of reading itself. Therefore, every Friday morning, in the French class, students are given 30 minutes to read a book of their choice. This is an opportunity for those who do not have the encouragement and the possibility at home. Students benefit a lot from it, ”explains the school principal, Mr Moussa Baro.
“ My favorite books are the ones that I pick out myself.” Nafissa in 6th grade
3) Writing for Accuracy across the Curriculum
Also to improve literacy, the school ensures that mistakes are being picked up in students’ work across ALL subjects. The idea behind this approach is to point out that clarity in writing will improve students’ grades across all subjects.
“One strategy we've used to improve student literacy is giving all teachers training on how to assess and mark writing for accuracy. For example, in one quarter we focused on the use of colons in students' writing. Teachers were reminded of the rules of colons, and asked to highlight mistakes in work they marked, irrespective of the subject” says Mr Baro.
Your generous donations have enabled our students to explore new worlds through books. We were able to implement programs to help them improve reading and writing skills using fun and creative techniques. Thanks to your support, our students are inspired and motivated to progress. We can only do these innovative, successful projects with your help. Thank you for your constant kindness and continued donations which are making a big difference in these students’ lives.
By Homa Kombo and Sher Betz-Cooper | Field Coordinator and Treasurer
By Homa Kombo and Sher Betz-Cooper | Field Coordinator and Treasurer
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