Teacher Reviews the Start Right Reading Series for Kindergarten Learners

Mary Rose Lagunsad has this to say about the STart Right Reading Series (STARS) Kindergarten Learners (Lampara Books, 2014):

Having bought a copy of the STart Right Reading Series several months after seeing the set on display and meeting its author & illustrator at the Philippine International Literary Festival (August 2015) brought so much joy to me. The long wait was worth it. I started using the series in February of this year with my former Kinder pupils who are now in Grade 1. 

The stories are very simple yet so rich in experiences and situations on which the children could very well relate to. But I had to translate them in Tagalog as I'm handling Public School Kindergarten children. 

Yet, later in the school year, when some pupils have already mastered a few Basic Sight Words, I expounded on how they were used after the pupils recognized them on the pages. They also loved the illustrations and insisted on showing these up close to each one of them as the books were quite small to present in a big class.

The Parent and Teacher Guide which comes with the Learning Package is a very useful reference to help develop, reinforce and enrich their basic skills from fine motor, hand-eye coordination, readiness in counting, writing, reading and language.

A portion for Beginning Reading in Filipino and Basic Sight Words Activities for each story is highly recommended to engage the children more in reading; help them gain mastery of their first language.

Hats off to the author, Zarah Gagatiga and to the illustrator, Bernadette Solina-Wolf.

Mary Rose is one of the NCR Coordinators of Pinoy Reading Buddies (PRB). They have upcoming workshops in Palawan, Iloilo, Bukidnon, Cavite, Batangas & Kalookan City. They encourage teachers, schools and communities to be partners in building a nation of engaged Filipino readers. They are also invited to attend these workshops for them to adopt a reading program. PRB friends donors abroad help send boxes of books to these schools.
Mary Rose is the Kindergarten Dept. Chairman of Bitik Elementary School in Valenzuela City South District.

Author Visit: Marivi Soliven Blanco

Preparing for an author's visit is one library event I enjoy doing. I get excited promoting, not just the author and his/her book, but reading their books too.

Last Wednesday, August 14, 2013 I took charge of hosting Ms. Marivi Soliven Blanco's visit to the school. She discussed the publication journey of her novel, The Mango Bride (Penguin Group, 2012) as well as the process she went through to see it published in the US. She gave an emphatic reading of an excerpt from the book complete with props, facial expression and body language. She delightfully answered the smart questions of our young Griffins which is proof that her session with them was an engaging one.

Ms. Soliven has taught creative writing at the University of San Diego and the University of the Philippines. Her essays and short stories are published nationally and internationally. The Mango Bride is her first novel published abroad. 

Excerpts of Ms. Soliven's works can be read online via her website http://marivisoliven.com. 

Live Blogging: SAS Teacher Training - Read-A-Thon

The day started with a session on Experience Stories conducted by Jojo Pagsibigan. Participants were encouraged to cull out songs, poems, folk tales, local history, family and cultural stories unique to Donsol and their own experiences. In the absence of printed materials to read and use for instruction, Experience Stories can be used as tool and strategy to teach literacy skills. Participants performed the songs, stories and dances after te input session.

The Art of Questioning and Lesson Planning was taken up as well. It was a pretty heavy morning.

In the afternoon, the SAS Team did a skit of the Read-A-Thon. The participants finally had a more concrete idea of how the SAS reading program is implemented. In the photo, Cats Alcaraz played the part of Project Monitor while Divine David portrayed the role of the teacher. Jojo Pagsibigan was the Principal.

Right now, Jojo Pagsibigan and Divine David are conducting the last session for the day which is Storytelling and Read Aloud. It's graduation at 4.30PM. This concludes the 45th Teacher Training Workshop of SAS. A new Read-A-Thon program will commence in Donsol, Sorsogon on June 15, 2009.