Bawat Bata Bumabasa – Alapan 1 Elementary School
Ready… Set… Go… From Zero to Bravo!
A “reading” proof that a non-decoder can be an excellent read through perseverance and effective interventions such as BABIBU.
BaBiBu is also known as Bawat Bida Bumabasa, was introduced by the Division of Imus Assistant Schools Superintendent (ASDS) Dr. Galileo Go last year. It aims to teach non-readers using strategically designed leveled story booklets in English which was implemented across all Elementary Schools in the Division of Imus City.
As part of the BaBiBu reading program monitoring and implementation, the ASDS Dr. Go conducted a reading marathon on pupils listed under BaBiBu at Alapan I Elementary School on February 26, welcomed by the School Principal Mrs. Gina U. Reyes.
Xian Nobleza, one of my non-readers in Grade Three Hope joined with several grade three Babibu struggling readers from other sections and was summoned by Dr. Go to showcase their improvements in reading.
As the reading sessions transpire, Dr. Go taught them how to instill memory retention through various writing repetitions. He instructed the learners to write on show-me board the spelling of the word they find difficult from all its sides and angles and then asked them to write the word in the air using hand gestures. To make it more fun, the ASDS also asked the pupils to spell and write the word right on his back to ensure retention.
During the reading process, Dr. Go was highly impressed with my pupil Xian Nobleza who happens to read amazingly fast and was able to decode and read the prescribed leveled BABIBU storybooks with very minimal error up to level 7. “Ito yung batang Grade Three sa Alapan I ES na labis akong pinahanga sa napakalaking improvement mula sa pagiging non-decoder to a reader of level 7 storybook!, said Dr. Go on his recent Facebook post in appreciation of my perseverance in teaching the learner to read and the overall support graciously given by the school Principal Mrs. Reyes. It is indeed considered a huge achievement which only goes to show how effective the BABIBU program is considering the fact that Xian was then considered a “non-reader” who’s unable to even recognize basic letters in the alphabet during the start of our classes last year but was able to successfully read the level-7 storybook now like he was never been a non-reader.
As part of the process, I was also called up to provide additional documentation about the pupil’s reading progress from day one to date. Dated logbook of agreements signed by parents concerned, Babibu individual reading folders, and remedial actual photos were some of the few things presented as proofs that Xian Nobleza was used to be a non-reader without a doubt. I also shared that since July 2019 after the PHILIRI Group Screening Test (GST) has been fulfilled, I have already started teaching my non-readers including Xian the basic alphabets, phonetics, syllables, and sight words up to reading simple sentences with pictures to kick start their reading journey.
Mutual agreements were also accomplished between me and the learners’ parents including Xian’s mother Mrs. Jena Nobleza to set the remedial reading schedules every after class from 12 noon onwards together with two other non-readers to help them read both in Filipino and English. Apart from teaching the pupils to read at school, follow-up reading while at home is a also must. I believe that this is really important to have a holistic approach to fast pace the learner’s reading level.
This is why I always make sure to communicate with the parents to encourage them to take part also in the responsibility to teach their children while at home. No one was ever born an instant reader but we can definitely do something to help our struggling non-readers climb up high to reach their maximum reading potentials for the love of them. Consistent communication with parents, words of encouragement to pupils, effective reading program implementation topped with burning passion to teach learners from the heart are keys to making a non-reader get across the bridge to be good in reading. Xian Nobleza is living proof that learners can make their way up from “zero” in terms of reading to a “bravo” reader at the end of the day through consistent perseverance and effective reading interventions like Dr. Go’s BABIBU.
