May

2017: GVI Laos Monthly Achievement Report

Reading success!

Objectives:

To improve quality of education in Laos for students taught by GVI

Provide teachers for English Classes at Wat Mano during the school year
To advance the level of reading at Wat Mano Temple School and encourage the Novices to read
independently
To standardise the teaching at Wat Mano to ensure both classes reach a basic level of knowledge
To have the students confident in at least 5 testable subjects

Over the past term the Novices at the Wat Mano Temple School have been focusing on improving their
reading skills, by following the Jolly Phonics learning program. This scheme introduces students to the
sounds of the English language, and exposes them to blending these sounds within words, with the aim that
students develop skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

This has been achieved at Wat Mano through following a syllabus which teaches letter sounds, blending
these sounds to make words, and teaching the associated vocabulary through the use of pictorial aids. The
students have engaged well with this program owing to its dynamic and interactive delivery, and as a result
have completed the 7 phonic groups as identified in the Jolly Phonics scheme. They are now onto the next
phase: reading!

This month, the Novices started reading their first books, which have been specially developed for use in
conjunction with the phonic groups, with 4 difficulty levels! The Novices are currently on the Red Readers, or
level 1 books. These books use simple concepts, each accompanied by a picture to illustrate the meaning of
what the students are reading. During class, the Novices were split into groups and encouraged to read
aloud, after which they acted out each scene as the teacher read to them. This confirmed their
comprehension of the verbs and characters involved, as well as getting them active, which is always
appreciated!

It has been a big leap for the Novices in terms of their ability to decipher words in English, and comprehend
their meaning. They still have a long way to go, and are only at the start of their journey into confidently
reading texts, however it has been very gratifying to see our work in helping the Novices re-create sounds in
English finally paying off! Who says reading cant be fun?!

For more information on the Jolly Phonics reading scheme follow the link here http://jollylearning.co.uk/

Written by Field Staff Elizabeth Wells