Jenny Rault Smith

Before starting school children often look at pictures and make up their own stories. Television, radio, magazines and picture books help to stimulate children, who begin to associate words with pictures.

The department of education encourages teachers and learners to "drop all and read" once a day. This is a great idea for those of us who love to read, but the reading period presents challenges for a teacher who has a class of reluctant readers. Perhaps the best way to ensure that the reading period becomes an opportunity for even the weakest readers to improve their reading skills is to develop an exciting programme of activities so that children look forward to the next reading period.

There is undoubtedly a need for learners to learn to read to be able to read to learn. As teachers, we can teach our learners the skills of reading, but they only become good readers when they want to read. The way to solve this dilemma lies in giving learners the opportunity to read for enjoyment.