ORT launches project to instil love of reading

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The project was established by the Schwab, Lyons and Frank families in the memory of Carol Schwab, a primary school teacher of some 45 years’ standing.

Carol’s daughter, Ricci Lyons (an ORT SA national executive committee member) said of her mother: “She was passionate about nurturing her students’ imaginations and enquiring minds through the medium of books.”

Mama Ca Reading incorporates a “Literacy Wheel” developed by Dr Lydia Abel and her team at ORT SA Cape.

Ariellah Rosenberg, ORT SA CEO says: “ORT SA has historically looked towards STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education subjects in its training of teachers and pupils in Gauteng, but this project gives us an opportunity to expand into literacy and add to our stable of offerings by collaborating with ORT SA Cape.”

Dr Abel adds: “The ‘Literacy Wheel’ is a fun, game-like activity where learners can work independently, in groups or alone… to promote the development of reading with understanding and intentional writing.”

The Literacy Wheel encompasses all the thinking strategies that good readers use to understand text and offers learners multiple opportunities to practise. This frees up the teacher or parent to focus on specific learning issues at any given time and differentiate the classroom.