Learning English
R. KRITHIKA
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Folk tales, poems, stories and facts... all put together to get a better grasp of the English language.
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Learning English has become a passport to better things, especially in India today. "Speak fluent English in 30 days" (or even less), scream ads galore. Parents go that extra mile to put their kids in an English medium school.
Amid all this brouhaha comes the Cambridge Reading, a set of 40 books with an exhaustive Teacher's Guide. This is based on the National Literacy Strategy of the United Kingdom. The 40 books are divided into five phases — from Becoming a Reader (the first three levels) and Towards Independence (the last two). The books are also a balanced mix of well-known folk tales, poems, stories, and facts. Each level has a play script too.
Beginning with very simple words in the initial book, the move to a tougher level is very gradual so the child is led into it without realising it. The Teacher's Guide also gives elaborate instructions so that teachers can keep note of the child's progress and identify and help those having problems with the language.
With examples of worksheets, scrapbooks, recording and assessing progress, identifying miscues and phonic problems — the book is a boon to teachers. The quality of the production in terms of text size and illustrations is extremely appealing and child-friendly.
While the basic premise behind the Cambridge Reading is a sound and excellent one, a niggling doubt remains. How many of the overworked teachers in our overcrowded classrooms have either the time or the inclination to take that extra step that this would entail?
Cambridge Reading (A set of 40 children's books with a Teacher's Guide), Cambridge University Press, Rs. 1800.
For further details, contact Foundation Books at 044-28291294, 52146807 or e-mail cupmum@cupindia.com
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