A Six-Week Programme Using Selected Belizean Songs, Poems And Short Stories To Develop Reading Comprehension Skills In STD I Students At Ebenezer School

Abstract

The teaching of reading continues to be a significant challenge for educators worldwide, as the process extends beyond decoding printed words to developing meaning and comprehension. Many students can read fluently yet struggle to understand what they read, often relying on memorization rather than true comprehension. This issue is frequently linked to inadequate reading readiness and insufficient development of higher-level reading skills. The researcher observed that children enter the classroom with diverse backgrounds, abilities, and prior knowledge, which affects their reading progress. Effective reading instruction must therefore include strategies that build comprehension skills such as interpreting and predicting, to foster functional literacy. Without these skills, students may appear literate but remain unable to apply reading meaningfully in daily life. This study emphasizes the importance of developing strong comprehension abilities to support genuine literacy among learners.