Planning a classroom activity
In this final activity, you are asked to plan a classroom activity to help children get ready to read. You can plan an activity that uses pictures and questions, or songs, rhymes and games.
If possible, incorporate pair work in to your activity. This is an easy way to get children talking, even if you have a large class. You may find this TESS-India key resource on pair work [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] helpful as you think about how to organise the activity in your class. Work with a colleague and critique each other’s plans.
Activity 3.11: Plan a classroom-based reading activity
Look back through the section. You could base your activity on a picture or object that you bring into the class, a new song or rhyme that you have learnt, a storybook that you have in your classroom, or a storybook you have downloaded in the African Storybook Reader app.
Think about how you could use closed and open questions to promote thinking, or actions to help develop co-ordination skills. Your activity might be short, so think about how you could develop it into a whole lesson, perhaps linked to a topic that you are teaching at present.
If you have the opportunity, try your activity with a class and evaluate it by answering the following questions in your study notebook.
- Did the children enjoy the activity?
- Did this activity help children to develop their early reading skills? If so, which aspects? For example, vocabulary development, speaking and listening skills, spatial awareness, fine motor skills?
- Did all the children take part in the activity?
- What would you do differently next time?
Finding a good storybook
