Reading is a foundational skill that provides the avenue to learning in school. In the article ’Learning to Read: A Call from Research to Action”, Dr G. Reid Lyon explains the importance of reading and how it affects other areas of learning.
Students who attend the reading programme for kids in MindChamps @ West Coast Plaza are taught the important foundations of reading such as phonemic awareness, fluency and vocabulary.
While many argue that these are crucial skills necessary for reading and writing, they are not the only skills taught in this reading programme.
Altogether, the MindChamps reading programme for kids develops eight essential skills that are not only useful for reading but are equally vital for one’s overall academic growth.
Here are some unexpected lessons that our learners take home through this reading programme for kids.
Being able to actively understand
Active understanding leads to effective learning.
In this reading programme for kids, our students will be able to actively understand and interact with words in four areas of language: reading, writing, speaking and listening.
If students are able to actively understand, they will then be able to analyse what they are reading and doing.
This, in turn, will allow them to activate their higher order thinking skills. This skill is necessary not only in Language Arts but also in other subjects such as Math and Science where they need to actively understand in order to solve problems.
Read also: What is the Best Age For Kids To Start Reading Programmes?
Having narrative intelligence
Reading does not merely involve reading words off a page, it is also about having the narrative intelligence to make sense of what is read logically through sequential understanding.
In the MindChamps Reading programme at West Coast Plaza, our students are equipped with the ability to ask unique questions and generate innovative answers.
Being able to question and find answers to what they are reading shows that they are actively processing the subject matter. This is a particularly useful skill that students can take with them from primary school to university as they work on different enquiry units and research projects.
Activating higher order thinking skills
In this time and age, rote learning is often not the most preferred mode of learning. Instead, activating higher order thinking skills can propel one further and bring success in learning.
According to Reading Rockets, higher order thinking skills require active interaction with the facts we learn. This is achieved in the MindChamps Reading programme as theatrical strategies are used in the classes to make words come alive, allowing students to connect with what they read.
In this reading programme, students find new and novel ways to engage with the reading material and present creatively what they read.
This way of learning helps our students with the retention of the subject matter. Furthermore, these theatrical strategies can also enable our learners to become more confident presenters.
Read also: Reading Programmes for Kids: Which is the Right One for My Child?
Helping young learners benefit with an all-rounded reading programme for kids at MindChamps West Coast Plaza
As a whole, the MindChamps Reading programme for kids at West Coast Plaza not only provides our students with critical reading skills – it also equips them with other important skills that are useful for other areas of learning.
Keen to find out your child’s reading proficiency?