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Happiness Looks Like This

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smilingteacher

What happens to the heart when it is too filled with joy to fit in its body? It spreads like the sun all over the face. We have had over a week encountering such smiles. They arrive at the training sessions on foot and/or via crowded taxi vans – teachers and caregivers eager to learn new tools to help their children on the journey to reading.

The Rotary Global Grant 25244 was to impact 4000 children. The project is in its third year and because of community action – including the University of Pretoria and the US Peace Corps – the number of children being reached has doubled.

Rotarians from the international club typically join Rotarians from the host club at least twice each year to train new teachers or follow-up on previously trained teachers in the project. Often visits focus on classrooms. This visit focused on teacher experience with Souns. What has been happening? How is the program working? What are the difficulties? What are the great moments? Teachers are the greatest champions for their children.  I love to listen…it is magic!  For example:

One teacher shared that she greets each child as he or she arrives at school with a Souns symbol. The learner keeps the symbol until all the children have arrived. The teacher then collects the symbols by asking for /s/ or /m/ or /p/. This takes so little time and is a daily review of the letter-sound associations being learned in the classroom at that time. That activity excited many, who want to implement it in their classrooms. There were SO many wonderful ideas shared, each relished like a gift.

There were discussions about how to meld the Souns program with the CAPS curriculum for language/literacy in South Africa. Some excellent ideas were shared and demonstrated.

Getting teachers together on a regular basis to share their questions and successes builds a repertoire of good practice with Souns. It is quite beneficial for everyone….and it is FUN!

Look at the smiles!

happyteachers

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Alongside Their Children

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hartenbostownship4-2011A Peace Corps volunteer sent this report from one of the most challenged provinces in South Africa. She was instrumental in this literacy initiative during her assignment and is currently proposing a plan to sustain the work after she completes her stay. PCV’s are life changing forces in their communities. I am in awe of their passion for service and commitment to humanity.

A family outreach program began in our informal settlement. Tribal leaders nominated residents to serve as “Community Development Coaches.” These Coaches were trained on key topics in early childhood development, play, nutrition, and gardening. Each Coach works with ten families for two years at a time, conducting weekly home visits and teaching both parents and children together. The program targets children ages 1-5 years whose caregivers do not have a source of income (excepting social grants). In 2011, toys and books were donated to each of the families in the program. The arrival of the books prompted the Coaches to request training in literacy. In November 2012, nine Coaches were trained on the SOUNS method and began to implement SOUNS with 110 children in the program.

            Most of the children were immediately delighted with the SOUNS symbols. They readily mimicked the Coaches and eagerly handled the O-M-S-T as each sound was presented. Even the children’s caregivers were excited to participate. Many of these caregivers are illiterate, and SOUNS provides an opportunity for them to learn basic literacy skills alongside their children. At one home visit, the grandmother in charge of four young girls sat to the side, pronouncing each sound carefully and showing her granddaughters how to feel the symbol. X (pronounced “sh” in Tsonga) is already a favorite among the children who giggle every time they shush their Coach. By using the SOUNS method, the Coaches expect to prepare these children to enter Grade R on par with their peers who have attended crèche. 

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It Is Happening!

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“The baby is watching them dance!” is English translation of the last sentence child reads.

One step at a time. These children had Souns in their Grade R (kindergarten) classroom last year. This mid year of Grade 1. They are well ahead of their classmates who did not have the Souns program. One child at a time – one gentle, encouraging step at a time – we will build readers in South Africa. Thank you, Rotary! You are making a difference.

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The Magic Is In The Play!

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Slowly! Step By Gentle Step, It Happens!

By arrangement with the teacher, this was the first time this child had sounded out words. Clearly he was ripe with readiness and was SO happy with himself. “Look at you! You are reading!”

He had Souns since he began school. This was mid-year.  He was almost 5 years old. The happiness you see is the result of a very good teacher implementing Souns in just the right way – slowly and playfully.

First the child learned 12-15 specific letter-sound associations, then he began building words (as you see) by listening to the word to find the sounds. He has been building words for a while, long enough to be ready for the next step….. listening to the sounds to find the word. Encoding – writing – comes before decoding – reading – in Souns.

The magic is in  p l a y !

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More To Souns Than Letters

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A delightful email from a new Souns champion reflecting on, “be lovingly too busy!”
donottouch
As we are getting to know each other, I should warn you I am not only random but also slightly (!!!) obsessive and controlling.  You have been warned.  🙂  My parents were VERY strict and I am trying to be a different kind of parent and adult than I was programmed to be.  I turned 40 this year and decided it’s time to be myself.  Not a moment too soon.  For example, it took me years to not “re-decorate” the Christmas tree after the kids would decorate it and go to bed so it would be symmetrical.  So I could enjoy it.  I very slowly realized that was NOT a good thing for my kids self-esteem.  So you and I are meeting while I am in the middle of evolving into who I want to be, not who I feel I should be.
 
I am reading the Souns book, and thinking to myself, “I hope Brenda will be patient with me.” I can’t remember a time when my children have been doing anything where I haven’t helped or corrected or guided them.  I am going to be reminded to not “help” or correct.  It is so ingrained in me that I don’t even realize I am doing it until it comes out of my mouth. I was reading page 48 and it says to be “lovingly too busy” to spell a word so they do it themselves, and I nearly had a panic attack in my head.  I hope I’m not a lost cause!  This is a completely different way of thinking for me, to let them struggle through something.  I completely see the value in this way of thinking, I’m just hoping you will be patient as I will probably need to be reminded…
 
And I continue reading…. 🙂

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Souns With Remedial Group in SA

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sounsremedialsa13-3detail

Thanks for your marvellous mail. The project is slowly developing
legs. Regards, Rotarian from Rotary Club Pretoria East

Hi [R and E],

I used SOUNS exclusively for a month in this remedial class of 10 students of 4th graders plus one 6th grader. Most of them have failed a couple of grades but I don’t know exactly what their ages are. They were suspected of being special ed students (I am a retired special ed teacher), but I think 
only one of them actually might have real processing difficulties. She still 
confuses the b, d, p, etc. and other sounds at times. Almost all of the 
students confused especially these three letter sounds at the beginning, 
with a mix of a few other letter sounds, but now do not confuse any of them.
 The word writing really took off when the diagraphs were introduced. If SOUNS was to be used for older, remedial students across Africa, my wish
 would be to have several sets of the letters available in a 
classroom, with a large table. That way they could write [words] and write to their 
heart’s content without waiting for someone else to finish using a letter.
 They could even write short sentences. I know several sets isn’t a practical 
possibility, but they love writing with those letters, and even 
watching other students write with them.

Thanks again,


[Special Ed Teacher]

handsandsitIRCsmall

NOTE: What is described in this learning situation is exactly what our Interact Club does when working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Georgia, USA: there is a large table around which the refugees sit and build words with the letters by listening to sounds in the names of things like fruit and vegetables, etc. Spelling is not the focus, letter-sound associations are key to early writing…whatever the age. They love helping one another build words, giggling at their successes. It is really beautiful to see.



 

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Early Literacy? YES! I Smile!

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Take the time to see what four minutes of building early literacy looks like.

Do we have the patience to watch learning happen in child time? Probably not…but this is a happy 4-year-old doing what she wants to do…no “school” and no one telling her to do the work of learning. Play / real learning looks just like this. Souns is so different than other early literacy programs. Souns is designed for how children learn best – through exploration, manipulation, PLAY!

 

Mexico has never been analyzed so closely –  so much fun!

tessamexico

This same child was already sounding out phonetic words. Deep learning keeps on going as long as exploration and manipulation are involved. Child time is SO important. She demonstrates years of accumulated hands-on fun with Souns. NO “SCHOOL!’

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GET SET With Souns in Colorado Springs

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sounsgetsetco1-13 Chart1

The graph shows progress in the GET SET preschool in First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO. There are 31 children in the preschool and they began implementing the Souns program at the beginning of this school year – 2012/2013. The preschool serves children 4-5 years of age from economically challenged environments.  GET SET’s goal is to ready their students for success when they go to public kindergarten. The teachers are exceptional and the environment is a model for others to follow. In September as the children entered GET SET’s classrooms they were evaluated for letter-sound knowledge. That demonstrated knowledge is on the graph in green. The lavender is demonstrated letter-sound knowledge from a mid-year evaluation. The teachers should be proud of their progress, particularly since they are in a learning curve for the program as well. Imagine the possibilities at end of year and in future years as Souns becomes a natural part of their environment. What a grand step forward for the children they serve. Ready, GET SET, Go!

Looking at the results of the Souns program is SO much fun. The video is of a Rotarian volunteering at GET SET and a young student building a word by saying the word, listening for the individual sounds in the word, and identifying the letters that make each of the sounds. Building words or encoding is stage two in Souns. The first stage is the learning of at least 12 to 15 letter-sound associations. The third stage is decoding, or sounding out words, which happens after much experience building words. You can see the enthusiasm that comes from suddenly realizing, “I know that sound!”

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SounsAfrica – Hands-on Makes a Difference

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sounsremedialSA13

Thank you, Rotary Districts 6900 and  9400, and The Rotary Foundation! Another confirming detail from recipients of your gift of literacy through the Souns program. The following communication says this project is making a difference!

Working with remedial students using the Souns program:

The students got through the program already today after starting about January 15th, probably because they are older, but they did not know all the letter sounds before now. They just loved manipulating the Souns and making words. I think they could have played with them for weeks. I will probably let them work with the Souns letters off and on all year. I just love the picture with the kid who figured out how to write “scool.” 

sounsremedialsa13-2






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What Does Early Literacy Look Like?

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sounselw2-13

Counterpane’s Early Literacy Workshop – a community outreach for families of children 0-36 months – brings Moms, Dads, and their little ones together to share stories about Souns and parenting. During our last get-together we watched a short video encouraging parents to foster independence for their children in the home environment. Today’s harvest included one family who avoids the before dinner chaos by having their young child set the table. She loves it! Another celebrated their new “dishwasher”  –  all that is needed is a stool and happiness prevails with, “I want to do ALL the dishes!” This story was shared by the mother that, after the previous meeting, emailed the following –

Yes!! We are really enjoying the program as well… I call Nicholas my “I’ll do it” child And I spend all day trying to stop him from doing it himself. So as a parent I feel refreshed and pressure free, by giving in to this idea of, if he wants to do it, then… Let Him Do It”!!! It is almost Liberating!! Lol 

Then there was the delightful onion story. One mom was fixing dinner and her little son saw the sliced onions on the counter and targeted one piece, taking it in his hands and exclaiming, “Ahhh! This is ahh!” He has indeed learned the most common sound for the “o.”  He refused to let his mom cook the ahhh.

Souns is an amazing program and seeing these children want to match the sounds they knew with the sounds I wrote on the board and wipe specific sounds off  the board brings smiles to all of us.  Little hands placing each Souns symbol in the basket during clean-up is proof that play is the best way to teach. Reading builds vocabulary and Souns builds letter-sound associations. The desire for independence came in these little packages of humanity. The same drive for independence that wants to sweep the floor, wash a dish, crack an egg can be experienced with the symbols of our print. Just give the real tool – letter- sounds! The most magic words are, “I can do it myself!”

sounselw2-13-3