Earlier this year, we spoke to the world-renowned literacy expert and KEY LINKS author, Jill Eggleton, and CHASE co-founder, Lynne Beachy Head about the iconic KEY LINKS Guided Reading series. The publisher also ran a competition for schools to win a full set of KEY LINKS books.
Children learn to read best when they hear teachers reading aloud with animation and emphasis. During shared reading, learners model the teacher and are able to follow the text and join in with the rhythmic, repetitive, rhyming lines as confidence builds. And so, the competition CHASE Education Solutions ran encouraged teachers to step up to the microphone and give their best reading of one of KEY LINKS’s most loved shared reading titles, Baboon’s Nest.
Star of the Sea Convent is the star of the show
Last week, CHASE announced the winners of the shared reading competition: the Grade 6H class of Star of the Sea Convent in Cape Town, and their teacher, Linsey Hartmann.
Ms Hartmann commented, ‘A group of Grade 6 learners practised tirelessly with their masks on! And we recorded it too, with masks on. We had such fun doing this. It was as though we were practising for a concert. It added a bit of spice to COVID times.’
The school selected their preferred prize of a full set of over 300 Intermediate Phase KEY LINKS Guided Readers. These were handed over on18 August 2021 to teacher Linsey Hartmann, Principal Alfonso Pereira, and the winning Grade 6H class with much excitement.
The second prize of over 500 KEY LINKS levelled guided readers, worth R40 000, was won by Ross Metcalfe for his brilliant reading of Baboon’s Nest. Ross tutors at Mokone Primary School in Langa with the Ithuba Foundation. Enthusiastic principal, Mr Raphalhlelo, was thrilled to receive the prize and thanked CHASE, Ross Metcalfe, and Ithuba Foundation Co-ordinator, Nathi Gigaba at the handover on 19 August. ‘Our learners will be so excited to learn to read with these bright and colourful books which we desperately need!’ he said.
The key to reading success
Teachers choose this CAPS-approved KEY LINKS graded reading series as it takes the stress out of learning to read. The shared reading ‘big books’ and levelled guided readers are available in English and Afrikaans, with shared reading big books also in isiXhosa and isiZulu.
For more information, plus free access to Jill Eggleton’s training videos, the KEY LINKS Teachers’ Toolboxes, downloadable assessments, articles and more, visit the CHASE Education Solutions website.
