Reading Program
In 2022, Black Rhino Academy Foundation in Germany raised funds for a new structured reading program. Reading skills was one of the weaknesses we identified with our Head of School Mr. Paul Horstead shortly after his arrival in August 2021. Almost all of our students learn English as a second language as most speak Swahili at home so one of our main focus from early years and in lower primary especially is to increase English reading and writing abilities as those are closely aligned with academic success across all subjects in the future. After evaluating the different options we decided on investing in the Cambridge Adventures.
The Cambridge Adventures is a comprehensive literacy program designed for young learners and is aimed at fostering a love for reading and equipping children with essential language skills for lifelong learning. It features a graded series of engaging stories, carefully selected to align with children's developmental needs and interests. With a systematic progression of difficulty levels, the program helps children build their reading skills step by step. It also includes various supporting resources and activities to reinforce comprehension and language development.
We purchased multiple copies of 151 different titles, totaling 933 books. We assessed students' reading and comprehension levels through external computer tests as well as the Hertfordshire Reading test which all measure reading levels in age. Ideally children should achieve a reading age equivalent to their actual age. Teachers received training on how to implement the program and children were put in reading groups of similar levels so the teacher can round attending to individual groups and each group a has a specific reading focus or assignment.
Students made good progress through the program during this first full year of implementation, in fact, a number of children increased their reading age by almost 2 years in just 1 school year! Two specific stories to share include: After just one year in the reading program, one of our Year 5 students who started with a reading age of 8 years and 5 months (putting her slightly behind her actual age) is now reading at age 10 year and 7 months therefore putting her 9 months ahead! We saw similar results in one of our brand new Year 1 students: she was reading close to her age of 5 years and after one school year with us, she is now scoring a year ahead of her age and has the highest reading age in her class!
In addition to continuing the reading program in the 2023-2024 school year, we are implementing a writing program for Early Years and Lower Primary this August called Mighty Writer. Mighty Writer is an exciting, visual teaching resource which simplifies the process of learning to write. It was created by Emma Ralph, a primary teacher of 17 years, based on her time-honored classroom experience. Transforming the way children learn to write, this unique tool will fill the class with independent, confident and capable writers.