The LEC Journey Continues… A participant’s reflection on Bookworm’s new course Library and Foundational Literacy

Blog written by: Indrani Barua
Library Educator
Jatak Children’s Library (West Bengal)

I am an alumnus of the Library Educator’s Certificate course (LEC) ‘22. I recently completed the Library and Foundational Literacy (LFL)  course with Bookworm. The LEC opened up the scope of the library space for me and the LFL course has reinforced and added to that understanding. LFL has resolved for me the dichotomy of literature and literacy in the library space. I now see why a separate Language Learning Class is redundant for Literacy and Literature are not at loggerheads in a library space. There is an exhilarating freedom in this understanding! For now I am free to choose any picture book ( Wordless or with Text) that I wish to and use it for either or both the purposes. So, a book like MY LETTERS, MY WORDS can be limited to being just a Primer for the Beginners or it can be transformed into a wealth of stories hidden in the illustrations just waiting breathlessly to be discovered and brought to light.

In this first page, one could be reading a letter /a / and then drawing lines to match the words with the appropriate pictures. The Educator can involve the children in talking about the picture and exploring the story of that one lazy ant who had heard the doctor saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and thought he might as well eat enough at one go to keep him fit for seven days and then had had such a bad stomach ache that an ambulance had to be called for him.

A ‘print-enriched environment’(Literacy)takes on a new meaning for me now as it coalesces with children’s ownership of the space at a much deeper level than merely putting down names on windows and doors and tables (very synthetic).. The act of labeling now becomes more functional and related to life (authentic) – labelling the different trays carrying the different materials they would want for drawing, painting or craft; making posters of what they learnt; making lists of books they want to read or commenting on books read in their library cards. 

While exploring background knowledge using ‘Mari’s March’ with a group of children ( 7+ to 9 years old), I used a National Geographic video on elephants (Elephants101.Nat Geo Wild). We used the K-W-L method as a warm-up. I showed children how to organize what they wanted to know into bullet points and also how to jot down answers alongside as they watched. This was organization at a very basic level of Writing. However, this helped with critical thinking later on. With this background knowledge, I think the next book ‘Bumoni’s Banana Trees’ can be given for a group reading and discussion, during which I can sit back and enjoy as the children take charge of the session.

In yet another session, we asked children (7+ to 11 years) to look at the trees in our garden and then transfer their observation and background knowledge into making trees with newspaper, thus connecting the real world to the world of pictures and craft activities. They also listened to a song on trees as they worked. The children could have been instructed to name the parts of the tree or a story could have been developed about the trees, etc.

In the Ankur session, the younger children ( 5 – 7 ) danced in rhythm to the same song. A discussion of the trees they had seen was followed by an identification game. A lot of facts about trees were discovered. A Read-Aloud came next. Later each child drew her/his favourite tree using her/his hands and fingers dipped in paint. They could have also labeled their drawings. I am planning a follow-up session for this that will also include a drama activity where the trees talk to all that are present in their environment.

In yet another Session children of Ankur drew their favourite person in her/his favourite place and then labeled the drawings. 

                         

LFL also deepened my understanding  of children’s art – colour, line, shape, perspective, value etc. Inspired by this understanding we asked our young members how they felt towards seasons. What emerged following the discussion were beautiful expressions of what each child felt about winter through drawings and words. We put some of these drawings together and arranged the words of the children into simple rhymes. The result was a beautiful book – our first publication from the library space. 

                         

LFL has altered my way of looking at a book. Before LFL a book was fixed in a frame – literature or Literacy. After LFL, the boundaries overlap and often merge. Now every book seems to be brimming with new possibilities and activities that tie together Literature and literacy. Art activities, puppetry and theatre weave seamlessly into one whole as I discover new and exciting ways to enthuse children about reading. In our first Outreach storytelling session with ANTARANGA, an NGO working with marginalized children, a big room full of 4 to 7 year olds listened to a narrated story HELP!HELP! (Tulika) as they watched the puppet play simultaneously totally engrossed in it. Then they drew their favourite characters from the story. 

                 

Whilst their seniors ( 8 – 10 year olds ) interacted excitedly to build the story of FLITTER-FLUTTER ( a wordless picture book from Tulika) and then drew on paper trying to create short narratives of the time they themselves had run like the girl to chase something, mindless of where they were going. Even without a written script  their stories were vivid. 

In my Library sessions I try to provide children with many opportunities of using the arts – through  songs and storytelling, dancing, playing theatre games, drawing, painting, craft and sculpture. What I have further learnt through LFL is how to add Literacy activities that would enhance the work and connect the imaginary and the real world of the child.