Reading is as important as physical exercise because it trains the mind to think critically and imaginatively.
When a learner reads, he is introduced to new concepts and various approaches to thinking, which help him assess insights and make better life decisions. Reading also aids students in expanding their imagination. When a person reads, he is teleported to different realms, which inspires him to look deeper with innovative ideas.
Therefore, the Department of Education promotes literacy among students. The primary objective of education, by its mandate, is to create competent readers and lifelong learners. Considering this, every school in the nation adopts the necessary strategies and interventions to deal with the reading-related learning gaps and losses in the post-pandemic era.
To positively promote literacy skills at the elementary level, teachers create reading programs during the remediation period to enhance the fluency and comprehension level of the learners. In addition, at Cataning Integrated School in Balanga City, the stakeholders produce reading hubs to make remedial instruction more interesting.
Every Monday through Wednesday, teachers ensure that reading strategies are tailored to the needs of each student. To keep the children’s attention, they do a one-on-one reading with them, peer reading, reading aloud, and storytelling. Besides this, they make sure to regularly incorporate not only a traditional method of remedial instruction but also a creative way of utilizing technology and other online educational resources to retain the students’ learning focus.
Meanwhile, on Thursday and Friday, parents are the ones to scaffold children’s reading skills. Just like the teachers, they do the same strategies to engage learners in reading both English and Filipino. Furthermore, they do storytelling and ask questions to develop the comprehension skill of the pupils. They also use flashcards to present unfamiliar words. In addition, parents utilize games during the remedial period to make reading meaningful and enjoyable.
Truly, learning to read is doable if everyone is willing to work together to make it happen.
By: Lirio D. Evangelista | Teacher I | Cataning Integrated School | Balanga City, Bataan
