‘Vesavi Vennela' brings respite to kids through story cards, craft sessions
Visakhapatnam: Summer vacation is about listening to stories, narrating them back and getting a bit 'crafty' at the end of each session. As a motley group of teachers stretch themselves beyond classroom-teaching methods, they team up to make reading fun for primary school children studying in government schools through 'Vesavi Vennela'.
An integral part of 'FROOTS' (foundation literacy and numeracy, remote teaching for government school children, online learning and support, one platform across the state, teaching collaboratively and student interactive) launched during the pandemic period, the summer engagement endeavour is meant to ease the process of learning among children. A group of over 30 government school teachers design bilingual story cards in Telugu and English and try to weave stories based on the pictorial representation and varied themes. 'Reading becomes so much more fun when we try to engage children in a creative manner and allow them to explore on their own. The story cards are not just meant to narrate stories but also help students read, learn and create,' explains Manga Rani, Headmistress of Sri Nagaraja Municipal Corporation Elementary School, Rajamahendravaram and part of the FROOTS team.
Barring weekends, students connect through online links or WhatsApp groups to listen to stories followed by craft exercises. The stories narrated each day are then shared through audio or video recording and shared among school and teachers' groups. With the Annual Status of Education Report indicating a concerning decline in basic literacy levels among children, teachers from various parts of the state dedicate their time for students to take up virtual classes so that they contribute to improved learning outcomes. Kids try their hands at drawing, painting, puppetry, origami and other story-based activities. 'Vesavi Vennela classes are specially curated for children to make them comfortable while reading and learning. Teachers from each district design story cards and the themes change every week.
During weekends, teachers, who are part of the FROOTS team, try to improvise the sessions through Zoom meetings,' says Velugoti Naresh, secondary grade teacher at MPPS Gottigundala BC, Kondapuram Mandal, Nellore. While summers are no longer a drab for primary school children, the sessions through 'Vesavi Vennela' spark curiosity among them in learning. Apparently, parents too find the platform engaging as they could see a shift among their wards in spending time with books, stories and crafts rather than with television and digital screens. Going forward, the teachers intend to incorporate assessments to understand the effectiveness of the summer engagement programme.
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