Children in Portsmouth get a boost to their reading thanks to literacy scheme

CHILDREN have been learning about what's going on in the world thanks to a reading scheme supported by The News.
From left, Jeanne Kamakoue, 10, Finley Vincent, nine, Ben Hatherley, 10, Amber Heslop, 10, Jazzmyn Philpott, 10, and William Collis, nine, at Medina Primary in Portsmouth Picture: Sarah Standing (160627-3913)From left, Jeanne Kamakoue, 10, Finley Vincent, nine, Ben Hatherley, 10, Amber Heslop, 10, Jazzmyn Philpott, 10, and William Collis, nine, at Medina Primary in Portsmouth Picture: Sarah Standing (160627-3913)
From left, Jeanne Kamakoue, 10, Finley Vincent, nine, Ben Hatherley, 10, Amber Heslop, 10, Jazzmyn Philpott, 10, and William Collis, nine, at Medina Primary in Portsmouth Picture: Sarah Standing (160627-3913)

Pupils at Medina Primary School in Cosham are taking part in The Reading Passport.

It aims to help Key Stage 2 pupils aged from eight to 12 to improve their reading skills and foster an interest in the world around them.

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As part of the scheme the youngsters get a copy of The News to read.

Amber Heslop, 10, said: ‘I like it because it gives us help. When I look at newspapers it’s fun to read to learn about the world and to see what’s going on.

‘It helps with your reading because some people aren’t as confident as other people.’

Jeanne Kamakoue, 10, added: ‘I like it because we know what’s going on when we are reading the paper.

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‘We get to find out what’s going on in the world and how we can improve it.

‘I like writing and this helps me to improve because we can look at how the story is written and the style.’

William Collis, nine, said: ‘It’s a great opportunity to see what’s going on around the world.’

Children taking part have each received a Reading Passport – a pocket-sized booklet containing 15 educational activities.

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The young bookworms get a copy of The News each week for six weeks plus a certificate of achievement at the conclusion of the project.

Literacy manager Helen Reeder said: ‘Reading is very important to us at Medina.

‘We’ve embarked on this scheme because we’re 
involving the children about what’s going on in Portsmouth and it’s encouraging the children to read the newspapers.

‘We will look at how articles are styled and the language.

‘Children seem to think it’s just by accident that authors choose particular words.

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‘We’re looking to do some work regarding the articles by writing their own newspaper reports and looking at how they are structured and the language.

‘In Portsmouth it’s good to know what’s going on. ‘It’s such a small place and it can be quite isolated. Literacy is so important.

‘It’s all you hear about in the news. Anything that can be done to help children with their literacy is fundamental with the curriculum.’

The News has teamed up with CMC International and The NEWS Foundation to launch the project.

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