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Monthly Achievement Report Quepos, September 2015

Starting Early: English Lessons for Preschool & Kindergarten Students Objectives The Quepos community project aims to increase basic literacy at under resourced primary schools. Extending English lessons into younger grades gives students a head start in their educational jour-neys. The local community also may benefit from increased school attendance. Volunteers can con-tribute to this objective by offering enriching educational environments through the introduction of new resources and interactive learning. Summary GVI Quepos was asked to fill a vacancy for a preschool English teacher. Using colorful, fun activities, and a variety of teaching modalities, classes made English accessible to a young group of students. Initial success of the lessons inspired the extension of the preschool-kindergarten program into part-ner schools. Report Staff members at GVI Quepos were approached with the opportunity to help teach English classes at a local preschool. Classes at this school had previously been managed by a United States Peace Corp volunteer, but her time in Quepos was ending. GVI agreed to try out teaching to the younger demo-graphic, which included students from a year up to six years old. GVI´s involvement in this school would contribute to achieving universal primary education, which is one of the Millennium Develop-ment Goals (MDGs). Class content for the little learners included a variety of songs, books, props, interactive activities and materials for sensory stimulation. The tiny scholars were able to par-ticipate and gained access to the in-formation in creative ways. Activi-ties were created that allowed each student to be successful, de-spite differing student levels or ex-perience with the English language. The classes last from twenty to sixty minutes and are thoroughly enjoyed by students and local teach-ers alike. Volunteers also have a great time planning and leading the lessons. Using books, as starting point, the lessons focus on counting, colors, letters or other age appropriate content – but all in Eng-lish. To close the language gap, pictures, props, acting and of course smiles are used to help identify key vocabulary words.

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Due to the initial posi-tive outcomes, GVI has been able to take the class set up and extend preschool offerings into two other community partner schools. Les-sons are now being taught five times a week, with plans to continue for the rest of the school year.