Reading club at the elementary school on the island

New books, regular new magazines, board games, an iPad, beanbags and a sofa: the Auf der Insel elementary school is delighted with the many new items for the school library. “This is a huge win,” says school principal Birgit Schone happily.

The reason for the new equipment is the sponsorship of the elementary school by the Stiftung Lesen (Reading Foundation). With the help of funding from the “Kultur macht stark” program. Alliance for Education” we will support the Inselschule in the coming period. “The sponsorship runs until 31. December 2022,” Janina Tetlaw reveals in conversation. It is not yet clear whether the sponsorship will be continued. As part of the sponsorship, the elementary school has established a “Reading Club”.

School as an interface

“The school acts as an interface,” explains Tezlaw. In addition to Stiftung Lesen, which is primarily active in the background, the OGS is also one of the cooperation partners. The latter should also enable reading time in the afternoon hours. “This is added value for everyone,” says the teacher. The children get more time to read and play because of the new opportunities. The focus is on both individual and shared reading.

In the future, the school is also planning other projects in this regard. “We are also looking for reading mentors,” says Janina Tezlaw. Reading mentors should read books to the children. “We want to awaken the joy of books,” says Tezlaw. For this reason, the books are not only to be read aloud. Subsequently, the book will also serve as inspiration for further activities. “For example, an autumnal book can be read and then crafts can be made to match the autumn,” Tezlaw explains. The volunteer reading mentors can also draw on the ideas of the teachers: “We have a whole folder of ideas,” reveals the teacher.

The promotion of reading skills is multifaceted: “Thanks to the new equipment, we also have games to go with the books or we can deal with the content digitally,” says Tezlaw. The school would like to increase the children’s motivation and enjoyment of reading through engagement.

Read for the whole family

In further steps, the opening hours of the school library will also be extended. Cooperation with KiTas and clubs is also conceivable. “In the KiTas, for example, students can then read to the children,” says the teacher, explaining the cooperation that is already being practiced today. A digital reading club is also planned. Projects created as part of the reading club can be displayed in a showcase in the school.

With the reading island, the school wants to involve the whole family: “Here we want to cooperate with parents and families,” says Tezlaw. In addition to tips on which books to buy for the children or to read to them, the focus is also on another point: “We also want to use this to promote exchange among parents,” says Tezlaw.

Responsible use of media

Despite advancing digitization, the school still sees a real book as important: “It’s just something different when we have a real book in our hands,” explains principal Schone. The school also promotes the digital competence of the students. In particular, responsible use of digital media is to be taught. “The focus is always on the children,” Schone explains.

The idea to apply for a reading club came from Janina Tezlaw, explains the school principal. “I know the project from my traineeship,” says Tezlaw. Even though applying for the funding took some effort, the teacher is pleased with the results: “We were able to look through our old books and update the library.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *