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A woman and two children sit at a table, intently gazing at an open book. The woman, with dark hair pulled back, wears a red and black patterned blouse and black pants. She rests her chin on her hand, her elbow on the table, as she looks down at the book. The boy on her left, with short dark hair, wears a white t-shirt and has his hand to his chin, also looking down at the book. The boy on her right, with short dark hair, wears a green t-shirt and has his hand on his head, also looking down at the book. The book lies open on the table, displaying a colorful illustration of a person in a blue and yellow hat, surrounded by trees and flowers. The background features a beige wall with a marble baseboard.
  • 10 took part
  • 3 facilitators

Saturday 19 September 2026

Read, retell, connect

Facilitated by a facilitator

What the work needed: people, time, money, space and materials.
What went in
Donated books, sorted into three reading levels

What was done with those inputs, step by step.

This week's Reading Club was smaller than usual, with 10 children attending. The quieter group gave us more time to support each reader.

The children began with informal play downstairs before moving upstairs for the reading session. We recently received a donation of books, which gave us a wider selection to work with.

We organised the books across three reading levels. This time, instead of giving every child the same book, the children could choose what they wanted to read from the books at their level.

Our emerging readers worked closely with Sreena. They read together and stopped to talk through unfamiliar words and meaning. The other groups worked more independently or alongside a buddy.

At the end, we asked each child to tell us what they had understood from their story so far. Almost everyone shared something, which gave us a clearer sense of comprehension than simply knowing they had read the page.

One of our main learnings was that children read at different levels, but they can still have a choice. Giving them a few books to choose from at their level helped them stay interested while still reading something suitable for them.

Attendance is still something we need to understand better. Numbers have reduced over the past few weeks, so we want to speak with children and families to understand what may be making regular attendance difficult.

For those who came, it was a calm and positive session. There was time to play, choose a book, read together, and talk about what they had understood.

What changed for the people who took part, and what showed it.

At the end, almost every child could tell us something they had understood from their story.

(We observed it)

What the team will keep or change next time.

Children read at different levels but can still have a choice: a few books to pick from at their level kept them interested. Attendance has fallen over recent weeks, so we want to talk with children and families to understand why.

MentoringEducationReading ClubOlimalar Foundationaikyam space

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