Reading is Discovering

Bildunterschrift: Mit Aktivitäten wie dem Literaturspiel wird die Freude am Lesen von klein auf gefördert.

Reading comprehension development is essential for learning How does the Deutsche Schule Medellín approach it?

 

Jorge Luis Borges said, “Of all the various tools of mankind, the most astonishing, undoubtedly, is the book”, and the fact is that a book is an extension of the memory and the mind, expresses Lina Marcela Calvo, Head of the Spanish Department, “There is no other way to travel, visit and get to know other places”. Christine Philipp, Head of the German Department, adds that this activity is fundamental when learning another language, “As well as providing an in-depth knowledge of the culture, it is a valuable tool for acquiring new vocabulary”.

Consequently, from the different language departments of the school, activities are planned in the four sections to encourage reading and improve students´ reading comprehension skills. In addition to the efforts being made from the library system, led by Sonia Garcés.

The framework governing the reading programmes is the Reader Plan, developed from the three languages taught at the Deutsche Schule Medellín.

While in Spanish the idea is to read around seven or eight books per academic year, in German and English activities are carried out with at least one book. “When we envision the activities, we want there to be a high participation level from the students” expresses Lina. Therefore, it is left to the students to choose the books according to their tastes and trends. “We must demystify the myth that there are good and bad books, the most important thing is that a book allows us to approach knowledge in any way” points out Lina.

Carolyn Marin, Head of the English Department, emphasises that books are chosen according to the students´ abilities and level, “In Klasse 5 the books that are read in English are less demanding than those read in Spanish or German, whilst they have been working in these two languages since an early age, this school grade is their first contact with English”.

Reading is a pretext to start developing competencies from different disciplines, as students are asked to develop activities in multiple formats to evidence what is understood when reading. Thereby, activities are not only proposed based upon writing, but also, based upon visual arts and music. The aim is to develop reading comprehension with the understanding that it is not only books that are read, but also, people, places, objects, and moments amongst others. “Reading is a starting point for observation, and from there you can approach research, creativity and curiosity” concludes the Head of the Spanish Department.

From the Library
Reading is Discovering

Amongst the essential places for promoting reading, is the school library. Sonia Garcés its Coordinator assures that from there, activities are designed to support language teachers of all grades. For example in kindergarten activities such as the literary game and story time are carried out. For Grundschule students, library hour is organised, and they also have an extracurricular reading activity, whose purpose is “To boost the passion for reading that begins to awaken in children of this age group. It´s not for learning to read or for reading faster, but to channel the interest in reading for children already interested in it” explains Sonia. In Mittelstufe, they create their own book from texts created in Spanish Class with the help of IT. Finally, for those in Oberstufe, students are accompanied in the research and bibliographical research for their extended essay due at the end of the course. Each activity is designed depending on the students´ needs, bearing in mind that, as Sonia states “Reading is the main tool for developing critical thinking”.