Reading Progress Shouldn’t Take a Summer Break for the Children of Sântion

At “Lónyay Tivadar” Secondary School in Sântion, Bihor County, the activities carried out as part of the Glittery Schools programme during this school year have contributed to the development of primary school students’ reading and writing skills.

The results achieved so far are encouraging. However, the end-of-year assessments show that some children need to continue literacy activities during the summer holiday in order to consolidate their skills and reach the expected level for their grade.

These results have motivated the school team to take the next step. This summer, primary school teachers Gagyi Annamária, Kriszte Beata and Pék Enikő, who teach the preparatory grade, Grade 1 and Grade 2, will combine their experience and resources to organise a Glittery Summer School for their students, dedicated to developing literacy skills.

Working together, they will create a programme adapted to each child’s needs, combining reading, play and creative activities to consolidate the skills acquired during the school year and prepare students for the year ahead.

Students’ Progress Confirms the Effectiveness of the Intervention

The need for a Summer School is supported by the progress made by the students who participated in literacy activities throughout the school year.

One of the students enrolled in the programme was unable to read at the beginning of the school year and recognised only a few letters, particularly those in his own name. In the initial assessment, he did not score any points on any of the criteria evaluated.

After months of work, daily practice, guided reading and interactive activities, he is now able to read short texts, makes very few mistakes and understands what he reads.

This is significant progress. However, in order to reach the level of competence expected for his grade, he needs sustained practice and continued literacy activities throughout the summer holiday.

Equally valuable is the progress of a student who, at the beginning of her schooling, recognised only about half of the uppercase printed letters and was unable to read or write words.

Through the activities carried out as part of the programme, she learned all the letters of the alphabet, developed her reading and writing skills and can now read confidently while understanding the texts she reads.

Nevertheless, developing reading fluency and further consolidating her writing skills remain important objectives so that she can successfully meet the requirements of her grade level.

Methods That Have Proven Effective

Throughout the school year, the teachers observed that the most effective methods included:

• guided and repeated reading;
• reading in roles;
• word identification and matching games;
• vocabulary-building exercises;
• reading comprehension activities.

These methods were implemented using comprehension worksheets and materials provided through the Glittery Schools programme.

Exercises involving matching texts with images, completing sentences or sequencing the events of a story helped students read with greater confidence and better understand the meaning of the texts.

The main challenges were related to the slow development of reading skills and a lack of fluency, which required concepts to be revisited and reinforced frequently.

However, the results demonstrated that consistent practice and interactive methods adapted to each child’s level can lead to visible progress. This is precisely why these activities will also form the foundation of the Summer School programme.

Summer School – A Natural Step in Continuing Their Progress

The experiences of these two children reflect the learning journeys of many students at the school.

They have shown that children can make progress when they receive appropriate support, effective teaching methods and a stimulating learning environment. At the same time, their experiences demonstrate that developing literacy skills is a long-term process that does not end when the school year does.

For many students, stopping practice during the summer holiday could slow their progress, which is why continuity is essential.

The Glittery Summer School is designed to prevent the loss of foundational skills during the summer holiday and accelerate the progress of students who still need support in reading, writing and mathematics.

The progress of the two students described above demonstrates that sustained interventions work. However, continuity is necessary to consolidate these gains and help students reach the level of competence expected for their grade.

Through activities combining reading, play, practical exercises, creative workshops and teamwork, the Summer School will provide children with an engaging learning environment adapted to their individual needs.

An Initiative That Needs Support

For this initiative to provide high-quality learning experiences, it requires community involvement and resources that can create a welcoming and stimulating environment for the children.

These include storybooks, educational materials, creative activities and snacks, as well as all the resources needed to carry out literacy activities.

This will allow children to spend enjoyable days with their classmates and teachers while strengthening their reading and writing skills in a positive and motivating way.

The Glittery Summer School at “Lónyay Tivadar” Secondary School in Sântion is one of the 13 Glittery Summer Schools that the All Children Read Association is organising this summer.

However, financial support is needed to make it possible.