In the Time of COVID 2

 This week, I sent this notice to the principals of schools where SELI maintains Young Writers clubs under the Seli River Writing Project:

I am sorry to say that because of the current COVID19 situation, SELI will be suspending Young Writers clubs for the 2020-2021 school year. I have hesitated to take this decision because every year it is the children who are at the highest risk of failing that our clubs embrace.

 

High-risk students benefit greatly from good content conferencing on their true personal experiences, which is best done around a table in groups of 4-6 with a teacher present. Everyone participates: children learn English from reading their work aloud, asking good questions, reflecting and explaining. People at the table talk quietly so the rest of the class can draft and revise.

 

Members also benefit from peer editing, where they sit closely with another member and discuss spelling, punctuation and verb tenses in both of their pieces. In teacher editing, they read their work aloud as they sit next to a teacher. The teacher listens to how the authors read to know whether they understand where sentences end, or whether someone is speaking, and then ask authors what kind of punctuation they need.

 

This proximity that is such a plus in our club meetings becomes a minus when social distancing is the rule. There are other reasons that we need to step away from club meetings during the COVID period. Moving about the room to access shared writing supplies or to go on to the next writing stage, helps club members take ownership over both their writing and their progress, but it, too, obstructs social distancing. Even the fact that we meet before or after school means that our students may not be protected by the same level of COVID precaution that is enforced by the school during its regular school hours. The health and safety of our children is paramount.

 

We fully expect to restart the SELI Young Writers program for the 2021-2022 school year in all interested schools. I urge you, in the meantime, to develop a teachers’ community of process-writing practitioners in your school using your Young Writers club teachers as advisors, so that this valuable method of teaching writing will gain its deserved place in your regular school classrooms. 

In the Time of COVID 1

Twelve members of SELI's Young Writers clubs are about to receive "My Life" booklets like the ones pictured here from a previous year. To state that more clearly, before schools closed on March 31st, 2020, to protect students and staff from the pandemic, twelve club members had completed five final drafts, qualifying them for a printed booklet of their work. 

Some of the recipients are from these schools in the Koinadugu and Falaba Districts: Dankawalie Secondary School, Dankawalie (4); Kabala Secondary School JSS, Kabala (1); and Movement of Faith Secondary School, Yiraia (3). 

Other recipients are from these schools in the Western Rural Area: REC Primary, Bassa Town (1); Heaven Homes, Joe Town (2); and Seventh Day Adventist Primary School, Samuel Town (1). 

We are delighted that Kalie A. Kamara, one of the club facilitators from Dankawaliehas been writing as well, and will also be receiving a booklet. Let's have more facilitators writing!

What Primary School "Young Writers" Write About

Teachers usually prepare upper primary school students in Sierra Leone for the composition component of their Class Six public examination by having them write descriptive essays on topics such as "My Family" and "My Pet."

A few years ago, SELI extended its Young Writers program to rural primary schools. In these ESL process-writing clubs, students in Class 4 to 6 learn to write narrative essays by coming up with a list of their own true personal experience topics, and choosing which one they would like to write on next. They get help with revision by reading their first drafts aloud to their peers and teachers.

A little analysis shows us that the pieces of writing Class 4 to 6 students have produced in Young Writers clubs over the past several years fall into five general content categories, listed here. 

Perceived injustice (theft, abuse, deprivation of food or schooling and false accusation, either of self or elder sibling or parent). Seeking retaliation, recompense, or sympathy by appealing to relatives or neighbours, crying loudly, or running away. Boys choose this topic more often than girls.

Loss (or life-threatening injury or illness) of a family member or close friend. Nearly all of them write about death. They lack the age-appropriate writing skills to describe how it makes them feel (apart from saying, “I cried and cried.”) or what the loss means for them (ways in which this person had provided love, humor, security, tuition, protection against harm, food, shelter, and so on).

Friendship. The friends who are willing to accompany them to carry out an assigned task, and the support a best friend gives when they are in trouble.

Injury, often while carrying out tasks for adults. Includes how to travel to a health centre and pay for medical treatment. They all mention having to miss school but do not describe what that means to them. Their accidents can be categorized in this way:

vehicle (hit by an okada [motorcycle taxi] or car)

domestic (in kitchen, at stream, at market, house fire, severe flogging)

play (while playing football, running)

animal frights or bites (by a snake, dog, scorpion, monkey)

farm (fall from tree, cutlass injury, falling branches, flooding)

Venturing away from home. Whether they will find a friend there, be treated well, and succeed.

holiday period with aunt/uncle

experience at school, farm, beach

travel to another town/city

Being underestimated is a common underlying theme—rarely a writing topic in itself. Understanding the meanings implied in what adults actually say, or not being allowed to explain their observations because they are children. 

Forgiving a remorseful wrongdoer is another common underlying theme. The author will end a story about the pursuit of a thief with the author’s elders forgiving the person and giving their reason. Sometimes when the perpetrator is a schoolmate, the piece ends with the author doing the forgiving with a similar reason.

Perhaps you would agree that in terms of writing, primary schools might be under-challenging their pre-teen students!

SELI's Charity GoFundMe Campaign

SELI's Charity GoFundMe campaign in support of the Seli River Writing Project is now online,

and receiving donations. Many thanks to donors who have responded so quickly to help keep us going through this year and the next!

Your contributions, however large or small, are what keep SELI able to support the Young Writers club facilitators with mentoring, refresher courses and training. If you would like to help further, please take a moment to share the link to others who can help.