Children are made readers on the laps of their parents - Emilie Buchwald

The Intsomi Reading Programme seeks to promote literacy development in the early stages of children’s education by equipping them with the necessary skills to read to both understand and engage well with educational material. It also encourages parents to read with children and establish a culture of reading, starting in the home. 

Memebers of the programme can access the Intsomi Reading bags in the Rhodes University Library and borrow book bags for two weeks and exchange it for a different bag. Members collect bags that are targeted at their child’s phase* and home language. Members are also provided with adult literacy materials to use for their own personal development and reading for pleasure.

Members then use these resources (books and activities) to engage with their children at home.

Intsomi also involves mentorship and in workshops, members are encouraged to reflect on their experiences and are provided guidance and support in various related areas. In collaboration with literacy development experts, quarterly workshops are held to address various aspects of home literacy, parenting and concerns noted during reflection. Members reflect on how they implement their learning in the home, and how this translates to their children’s results. They are also required to submit their children’s progress school reports at the end of each quarter, which are used to measure impact

Reading for Pleasure

The programme recognises that parents and learners already read various media at home and so the library provides resources to build on this reading culture.

Through the programme in past years, there have been caregivers who have recognised the value of literacy development in the home, and have seen the good results translate in their children’s school progress. These caregivers have become literacy activists in their communities, partnering with a local pre-school in Grahamstown where they interact with caregivers from that pre-school around the importance of literacy development and library memberships.

*Early Childhood Development (ECD); Foundation Phase (FP); Intermediate Phase (IP)

2021 Programme

Children in the programme attend two literacy classes a week taught by lcoal teachers. These sessions take place in the Social Innovation Hub.

 

Contact Information:

Intsomi Reading Programme Coordinator – Thandiwe Matyobeni t.matyobeni@ru.ac.za

Book bags and resources Coordinators (RU Library) – Molly Chikafa m.chikafa@ru.ac.za or Vuyo Ntamo v.ntamo@ru.ac.za

Last Modified: Thu, 17 Oct 2019 12:26:14 SAST

 

Last Modified: Mon, 07 Mar 2022 15:26:19 SAST