Dear Mr. Bennett,
It's me again. Gaila Cohen Morrison from A.H.A.V.A. English Learned in a Natural Method. Last week I wrote to you a letter with ideas to get students reading in the classroom. This week I want to share one of the most amazing and productive campaigns I run annually to get children reading everywhere - at home, at school and on the bus!
Run a campaign. Every year, for 5 weeks, A.H.A.V.A, runs a "Readathon" (see the facebook page or our readathon site) – children read in English to win prizes. THIS WORKS! Children are motivated to spend about a month reading intensely. English reading levels rise by 1 or 2 years! They discover the joy of reading! They discover their capability to read English!
The Ministry of Education should run something similar. We would be glad of support from the MoE, financially and otherwise. Unfortunately, every time we have tried to get support from the Ministry of Education, we have hit a brick wall of bureaucracy. We would be glad to cooperate with you if you wish.
Till next week, where I hope to share thoughts on changes that should be made in the classroom. Chag Sameach, Gaila