A group of students at St. Michael School thought hanging out on the playground would be a great way to celebrate the 54th annual International Literacy Day.
More than a dozen students in Kendra Waldenberger’s Grade 2 class read on swings and underneath playground equipment on Sept. 8 as they furthered their reading skills and comprehension. Many students paired up to share books and even read to each other.
Youngsters Bella Sonmor and Charlotte Scott laid in the shade under some playground equipment to read “The Berenstain Bears Clean House,” a popular children’s series that’s been keeping kids entertained since 1962.
Reading is fun, while looking at the pictures is the best part, beamed Sonmor. Her favourite series is Magic Ponies, which is about magical ponies that can come to life and shrink and grow depending upon the situation.
“I like to read because you get to learn, and sometimes I get to make books myself … at home about my class and my family,” said Scott.
Scott’s favourite series right now is Nancy Drew, featuring a teen girl who fights crime and solves mysteries — and has been doing so regularly since 1930.
“I love ‘Nancy Drew’ because she is into jiujitsu — just like me,” Scott continued, adding the sleuth’s adventures are also pretty entertaining.
Both Sonmor and Scott agreed that they want to be authors when they grow up.
Before the class went outside, they read a book where they practised making connections with the story, explained Waldenberger, who is currently reading a biography about Good Morning America broadcaster Robin Roberts. The story helped them make personal connections about what they’ve done in life so far or what they hope to do.
Another book the class read together was about making predictions, which helped them with their reading comprehension.
Reading is important because it helps students become lifelong readers, whether to learn or simply for entertainment, Waldenberger added.
This year’s theme for International Literacy Day is “Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide,” a theme the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chose considering how disruptive the pandemic has been to the learning of children, young people, and adults.
“It has also magnified the pre-existing inequalities in access to meaningful literacy learning opportunities, disproportionately affecting 773 million non-literate young people and adults,” UNESCO said. “Youth and adult literacy were absent in many initial national response plans, while numerous literacy programmes have been forced to halt their usual modes of operation.”
The pandemic reminded people of the importance of literacy because, beyond its intrinsic importance as part of the right to education, literacy empowers individuals and improves their lives by expanding their capabilities to choose a kind of life they can value, the organization continued. It is also a driver for sustainable development since literacy is integral to education and lifelong learning.
Literacy, therefore, is central to a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
Two goals UNESCO hopes to achieve through this day include the integration of learning of reading with writing skills and digital skills, and putting literacy and digital skills at the heart of a "human-centred recovery."
