Report and photos by Mira Tanna-Händel
Learning how to read can be a long and arduous process, but with a little help, it’s easy and long-lasting. The Lesepaten (reading partner or reading "godparent") parent work group is helping to do just that. Initiated by Ulrike Kassun, a BBS parent and an educator herself, the group is fairly new. However, the results are already encouraging according to first grade class teacher Jen Carney.
From a visit to one reading morning, it seemed that it is probably a method developed to familiarize children fairly quickly with phonetics in sentences with the same pattern. The children read aloud from thin pamphlets which also help develop confidence. The readers then work their way through a series of material, including sight word flash cards, going onto more complex literature later. Entering the reading rooms enthusiastically with their own reading folders, the children take turns to read out loud for approximately ten minutes at a time with the parent helpers. The parents work in very close cooperation with the language teachers and get basic instructions before they start. Apart from other helpers, the children’s immediate family is also encouraged to get involved. One of the aims is to free up time for the teachers in what could be a very time-consuming activity.
The group operates on three days at the moment:
- Wednesdays 8:45 – 9:30 English for 3rd and 4th grades
- Wednesdays 3:15 – 4pm German reading with 1st and 2nd graders
- Friday 8:45 to 9:15 in both languages for 1st and 2nd graders
This parents work group is hoping to expand to other German and English groups, and will need more help from parents in the near future. Successful forays have already been made to involve secondary school pupils – five joined at the last session – to get involved as part of their afternoon workshops. For more information interested parents can contact Emilie Florenkowsky or Ulrike Kassun at readingpartner@berlin-bilingual.de
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