On the occasion of International Literacy Day today, September 8, StoryWeaver, an initiative of Pratham Books has launched two foundational literacy programmes in Marathi for children in remote areas of Maharashtra in partnership with the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and UNICEF. and UNICEF.

The programmes will help build early reading fluency and comprehension for children in grades 1 to 3, claims StoryWeaver. It will be available both at home and in classrooms. The resources are free to use online on StoryWeaver and can also be deployed via print.

It is aimed at children who do not have regular access to the internet at home and to keep them engaged during school closures. The Read@Home print pack has been created for children of grades 1 and 2, curated with the help of SCERT and UNICEF, using resources from StoryWeaver’s foundational literacy programme.

The pack consists of storybooks, associated worksheets, links to audio-visual books, and supplementary materials. 25,000 packs will be distributed to children in the remote districts of Gadchiroli and Nandurbar. Additionally, a capacity-building exercise will be undertaken for more than 1000 teachers, to help support the Read@Home intervention.

The in-classroom programme offers levelled storybooks, with associated lesson plans, book discussion questions, and video training materials for educators. The Read@Home version of the programme offers levelled storybooks in suggested reading order and worksheets with language learning outcomes aligned to NIPUN Bharat guidelines.

“Children, educators, and caregivers have been coping with the challenges of school closures for the last 17 months while trying to ensure the continuity of learning. Access to high-quality, easy-to-use foundational reading resources and strong partnerships can help us accelerate progress, and the launch of StoryWeaver’s Foundational Literacy Programmes is our commitment towards this ambitious goal,” says Purvi Shah, Senior Director – StoryWeaver and Strategy, Pratham Books.

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