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5. Supporting reading and writing across different levels

5.1. Using storybooks – supporting younger children

Using storybooks in your classes is a good way to involve all the learners in reading activities. There are different ways in which you can do this:

Shared reading: You read a story to the whole class. Show pictures if it is possible and talk about what the learners see, hear, think and feel. Follow up the reading with discussion and activities. You can set a particular time or day in the week where this takes place so that the learners become used to sitting, listening and participating.

Paired reading: Learners sit in pairs to read together or take turns to read a simple storybook that they can read themselves to each other.

Independent reading: On their own, learners read short, simple books that are easy enough for them to read without help.

You can use factual books as well as fiction to do the following activity with your learners.

Activity 5.8: Collaborating with others

Choose any story that you want to read with learners. Select a story that is good for asking questions about – questions which will make learners think. It could be from a book or a story you know well and can remember, or you could write or make up your own story.

During the TGM:

  1. Practise by reading the story aloud to a partner, with expression and gestures. Think about how you will introduce the story to the learners?
  2. In your Teacher Notebook, write down questions you can ask during and after the story. You can use ‘wh’ questions during the story to check that learners understand what is happening; use open-ended questions and questions that encourage learners to use their imagination. A good way to get learners to talk is to stop at an exciting point and ask, ‘what do you think will happen next?’

In the classroom:

  1. When you have told the story, have a discussion about it with your learners using the questions that you prepared.

After the lesson:

  1. Make notes in your Teacher Notebook about how the activity went.

    • Were the questions suitable?
    • Did you need to give more time to learners to respond?
    • Was the story too long? Should you read in shorter or longer sections?


Learners telling a story to the class in Central Province, Zambia

You can also ask your learners to tell stories to the other children in your class.

Activity 5.9: Learners telling stories

Watch this Class 1 student telling a story (based on a traditional Zambian folktale) to her class. What does the teacher do to ensure that all the other learners are involved and listening to the story?

Think about how you could use your learners as storytellers in your classroom and share ideas with your colleagues in the TGM.
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