The Fahari Book Club

Idea and Vision

On 8th April 2023, the Fahari Community Library launched a monthly book club for children between the ages of 8 and 12 years. The book club meets on the last Saturday of every month from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m. under the guidance of a language teacher from the local community working together with our librarians. From time to time, the book club invites professional writers and storytellers to guide the members through selected literacy promotion activities, to read and discuss their books or to conduct a writing workshop for the members.

Objectives of the book club

The objectives of the Fahari Book Club are as follows:

  1. To promote a love for reading in a positive, nurturing environment
  2. To bring the members together to learn about and discuss things that matter to them or affect their lives
  3. To build the foundation for a life-long love for learning
  4. To encourage critical thinking and a deeper engagement with stories
  5. To encourage teamwork and creativity

Reading promotion activities

During the monthly meetings of the Book Club, the participants are organized in groups, according to their ages and their interest to carry out the following activities:

  1. Reading aloud 

Each participant reads a story of his/her choice from a book in the library, either in English or in Swahili. The story is read aloud to another participant or a group of listeners. At the end of the reading, the listener(s) gives feedback about the story they have just heard: what they liked about the story, which character they liked most and why, whether they have heard a similar story or had a similar experience before. The listener may also point out any words that the reader did not pronounce correctly.

  1. From a picture to a story

Each participant or group of participant receives a picture or draws/paints one. After that, they imagine a story about that picture and write it down. The participants and the teacher meet again in a circle and each person/group presents their picture and the accompanying story. The listeners may ask questions or give feedback about the story.

 

 

  1. Completing a story

Each participant/group receives the first sentence or two sentences of a story. The participants are asked to use their own creativity to write the story to the end. The story should be short but have the key parts: introduction, main part and a conclusion. After that, the stories are presented to the whole group.

  1. From drawing/colouring to writing a story

Each participant/group receives a piece of drawing paper and a pencil and crayons. The participants are asked to draw their favourite domestic animal, wild animal, person, object or place. After that they should write 10 sentences in English or Swahili about what they have drawn. The participants then present their drawings and sentences to the whole group.

 

  1. Group poster-stories

Each group receives a piece of poster-size manila paper. The group writes a short story in English or Swahili. The story should preferably have at least one picture. The story should be about something they experienced in the past that was either good or bad, or about something they would like to experience (such as a place to visit, a prominent person or role model to meet, a musical instrument or a sport to learn, etc.). The poster-stories are hung on the wall and each group presents their story to the listeners who give feedback at the different or may also ask questions about the story.