Regional Literacy Fair Ignites Passion for Reading

The Regional Literacy Fair put on by Region 4 of the Ministry of Education and Youth provided an opportunity for young minds to embrace the joy of reading, while nurturing their intellectual growth and creativity.

The annual event was held at the Flanker Primary and Junior High School in St. James, on Thursday (May 25).

Hundreds of primary-level students from public and private institutions across the parishes of St. James, Hanover and Westmorland were in attendance to participate in the day’s activities, geared at igniting their passion for learning through interactive exhibits, competitions, and other literary works.

Among the fair’s captivating literacy-themed activities were Time-O-Rhyme, Reading, Comprehension, Spell-O-Fair, Sketch-to-Stretch, Maths Relay, Spelling and more.

Coding was introduced for the first time as an innovative tool, aimed at empowering students to enhance their problem-solving skills as well as foster their cognitive development.

Region 4 Director in the Ministry, Dr. Michelle Pinnock, tells JIS News that students were highly “engaged” in the new exercise, particularly the boys, who displayed high levels of enthusiasm.

“We do the coding using code.org and we also use it with scratch.mit.edu,” says Dr. Pinnock, who led the first coding session.

“It is the first time we are doing coding at this event, but we have been promoting coding throughout this year and we are focusing specifically now on the business of using coding to enhance reading,” she adds.

Dr. Pinnock led another session where she used an online platform, Epic, to expose students to virtual reading.

With the approaching summer holidays, students must get into the habit of using their digital devices to read over the long break, according to Dr. Pinnock.

“We were able to use Epic books, and it is a website that you are able to just go on and you can have the computer read for you. Also, you can read for the computer that can identify words you don’t know to give you pronunciations and meanings,” she points out.

“So, what we have here are students being able to become independent readers, and that is one of the things we really want to promote, especially as we enter into summer. We want them to be independent readers so that they will continue to read, even when they are away from school,” she adds.

Flanker Primary and Junior High School student, Andrea Henry, was one of the first students to take part in the fair’s coding activities. The fifth-grader explained that the session was “important” to improve digital literacy as well as being a steppingstone for future career opportunities in the Global Services Sector (GSS).

Another student, Phiona Graham, of Dundee Primary School in Westmoreland, noted that it is critical to learn something as students, and the coding sessions provided that opportunity for them.

This year’s event played into the national theme for Child Month, which is ‘Children Need our Love and Protection…Get Involved’, according to teacher from Townhead Primary and Infant in Westmoreland, Sophia Anderson-Thompson.

“We (teachers and parents) are catering to our children, our future nation builders. So, this event is something that encompasses students right across the region to support their literacy development,” Mrs. Anderson-Thompson pointed out.

“Also, while it is entertaining, I think that children will leave learning a word or understanding a better concept, “she added.

An educator from NEST Education in St. James, Yanique Sterling, indicated that with the involvement of teachers and parents, students would be able to develop proper literacy skills that are particularly vital in the early years of their lives.

It is for this reason that the institution brought out more than 32 students, who took part in every literacy activity at the fair. They were supervised by nine teachers as well as parents.

“Early growth is proper speaking [and] proper pronunciation. I think most teachers just go off the curriculum because we are given that to use [but] the literacy part of it is somewhat lacking, and we need to do more as educators for these children,” Ms. Sterling explained.

“We have to continuously work for the kids, and they should grasp something, even if it’s one thing,” she added.