Reading Club
Mon–Sat, 2–6 PM
Free
In Malayalam, English
Inspired by PRATHAM
About the Sessions: The Reading Club follows the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach developed by Pratham. Instead of grouping children by age or grade, we first understand each child's reading level and then support them with activities that match their current ability. The goal is simple: help every child enjoy reading, build confidence, and develop a lifelong reading habit.
What happened at Reading Club
A Friday Reading Club agreed at SDPY Girls High School
Following our attempts to continue reading online, we spoke with SDPY Girls High School about how we could help students take part. One parent had told the teacher that network issues prevented her child from joining. Students use their parents’ phones, so availability matters too. The school highlighted other possible barriers, including limited data, evening commitments and needing help to join. Finding time in school was still a challenge, as our previous slot was needed for other activities. Together, we agreed a shorter, 45-minute Friday slot for a Reading Club with 7 std students, starting next week. We will plan smaller sections of Matilda, with discussion and short activities to check understanding. We will also explore using the bilingual Reading Room during school sessions, depending on device and internet access. We are looking forward to reading together again!
Finding a way to stay connected
We have been reading Roald Dahl’s "Matilda" with Standard 7 students at SDPY Girls High School. We help them understand the story and feel comfortable sharing ideas. Since our last session in September, we have been trying to keep reading together. Youth festivals, fairs and other preparations took up the reading period. We agreed with the school to move online. The school coordinator explained the plan in class, created a parents' WhatsApp group and informed families. We shared short weekly activities, including story recaps, English and Malayalam vocabulary, and reading and listening tasks. We did not receive responses, so we tried another approach. We offered weekly online sessions on Saturdays at 8 p.m. To support these sessions, we created the Reading Room. It is our first mobile-friendly reading website built with AI support. It offered word meanings, questions and creative activities in English and Malayalam. Students could complete these after each session so we could check their understanding. We planned our first online meeting as a chance to reconnect, revisit the story and explore the website together. But when the time came, the students did not join. It was disappointing. We had prepared a way to continue, but we still needed to understand whether it worked for families. We plan to meet the school coordinator to hear suggestions. We will ask the coordinator to gather feedback from students and families. Together, we will explore what could work, including reading before or after school.
In earlier sessions, some children could read words aloud without fully understanding them. This week, we changed from paired reading to reading aloud together. We paused to explore unfamiliar words and discuss the story's meaning. We chose "Stage Fright" by Pratham Books. It is a story about Champa, who loves singing but is afraid to perform on stage. We prepared slides with selected tricky words. Children guessed their meanings from the story before we revealed the Malayalam explanations. We discussed why Champa felt scared. We asked who had felt like her before. Children shared their own experiences of nervousness. They connected the story to their lives and explored the feelings behind the words.
This week at Curiosity Club, we explored a question. What helps us share our ideas when we feel nervous? We began with Champa from "Stage Fright", a story about a child who loves singing but is afraid to perform. Her worries helped children talk about their own feelings when facing an audience. We prepared slides with prompts and examples. We set up a microphone for practice. We started by inviting each child to introduce themselves with an action. Afterwards, we asked how it felt to stand up and speak. Children described shaking hands, trembling legs and sweaty palms. Their experience matched Champa's. This led us to practise breathing to calm our bodies and shaking out our arms and legs to release tension. We then warmed up our voices with tongue twisters and tried changing our volume and expressing different emotions. A facilitator demonstrated different speaking styles, and children noticed the difference posture, voice and energy made. They then chose topics for short talks in Malayalam or English. We introduced PREP, which stands for point, reason, example, point. It helped children organise their thoughts. We provided paper for notes. They then came to the front and used the microphone to share their ideas with the group. We closed by reflecting on how it felt to speak and what had changed after trying.
Reading for meaning with Stories, Voices and Confidence
Stories, Voices and Confidence began on July 10 with Standard 7 girls at SDPY Girls High School. We raised funds to buy 50 copies of Roald Dahl's "Matilda". Penguin India gave us a discount. We will use the books with future groups too. Through the story, we are helping the girls understand what they read and share their ideas. Between monsoon rains, Onam, exams and the youth festival, it had been some time since we last met. During the break, we encouraged the girls to read for 15 minutes a day and note difficult words. In our first session back, the girls were at different points in the book. Some had finished it. We planned for 37 girls to read short extracts in groups and then act out scenes or show them through still pictures. Many could read the English words but struggled to understand the passages. Olimalar facilitators and the school teacher moved between groups to help them work through the meaning. With support, the girls understood their extracts, but we did not move on to the performances. The session showed us where to focus next: helping the girls pause, ask questions and understand the story before presenting it.
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.
Books, buddies and growing confidence
This Saturday, 21 children joined us for our first structured, level-based reading session. Before the session, we reviewed the available reading assessments. They used the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach developed by Pratham. We chose three storybooks from Pratham Books. They were broadly suited to the children’s different reading needs. We printed multiple copies and arranged the room into three small reading areas, with a facilitator supporting each group. We removed the visible level labels from the books on purpose before giving them to the children. The levels remained useful for facilitators in planning the right support. They were not presented as fixed identities for the children. For about 15 to 20 minutes, the children read together. Some needed more assistance to work through the text. Others read with a buddy. The buddy-reading approach worked well. When one child struggled with a word, another would often step in to help. It was also encouraging to see how comfortable the children were asking for support. Some children raised their hands when they could not read or understand a word. They asked for help and kept taking part. One unexpected challenge was that a few children who attended that day had not completed the earlier reading assessment. We placed them provisionally, using our previous interactions and observations. At the end of the activity, the children completed a short reflection to tell us how manageable they found their book. Our main learning is that we need to check assessment records against the children who actually attend each session. Next time, we will confirm every child’s assessment status, assess anyone we missed, and adjust the groups where necessary. It was a positive first session. Books and buddies helped children participate at their own pace, support one another, and grow more confident about asking for help.
A Wrinkled Heart opens a conversation about kindness
The children read "A Wrinkled Heart" by Tracy Hoexter. We talked about how words and actions can affect other people. The story helped them think about kindness, feelings, and why it is important to speak to others with care.
Perfectly Norman opens a conversation about being different
The children read “Perfectly Norman” by Tom Percival. The story is about a boy who grows wings and learns to accept what makes him different. We opened up a simple conversation about being yourself and accepting differences. It was also about feeling comfortable with who you are.
Reading club started testing each child's reading level
Pratham developed the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach. We used it to assess each child's reading ability. This showed us what each child can read now. We can use these results to plan future sessions around what each child needs. Every child can learn at a pace that suits them.
The Reading Club split into small reading groups
The Reading Club continued with small-group activities. These activities encouraged children to read and to discuss stories. They also encouraged children to support one another in their learning.
Children read together with volunteers at the Reading Club
On March 14, 2024, children attended the Reading Club. They read books together with volunteers. The session encouraged regular reading and helped children become more comfortable with books.
Children began using the new Reading Corner
The science class continued with hands-on learning. Children also began using the new Reading Corner. The reading programme follows a research-based approach adapted from proven models such as ASER and Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL). It helps children build a regular reading habit based on their current reading ability rather than their age or grade. The goal is not just to provide books, but to help children enjoy reading and build confidence over time.
Young readers picked up their first books
The children’s reading corner came to life. Young readers picked up their first books and spent time exploring stories. This small beginning showed that a reading habit starts with a welcoming space. Children also need the freedom to find books at their own pace.
What people said
Aarthi Veerupillai, founder of the Olimalar Foundation
“I realised how much I would have benefited from these lessons growing up.”