N.S.W. Using Her “Activity Books”

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30822, 6 August 1965, Page 2

N.S.W. Using Her “Activity Books”

Because Mrs Gertrude Cree, of Christchurch, felt that there were gaps in the method of teaching children to read she set out to write a series of books that would give planned progress in reading to cover the needs of the individual child. She wrote what she called “activity books.” These were followed by “Getting Ready to Read,” “Environmental Studies,” and “Say and Do.” Now her publishers, A. H, and A. W. Reed, have told her that these last three —l9 books in all—have been placed on the list of books recommended for use in schools in New South Wales. In addition, a further series “Read and Do” has been placed on the approved list for the same area. Mrs Cree was a teacher — mainly of infants for 30 years. “1 used to watch my teachers in their morning and afternoon tea breaks, at lunch time and after school, making up exercises for their pupils who need individual assistance in learning to read,” she said. “A teacher who has to make up exercises for individual pupils on the spur of the moment is pushed to the end of her endurance and tends to let go, so I started

to write books that would cover the main difficulties children experience when learning to read.” Many of the stories that Mrs Cree has included in her books are based on fact. She says they have been stored away in her memory and come out as they ar e needed. Mrs Cree has written her' books so that they have a high interest level for the children. They contain exercises based on the phonetic approach to reading and also on comprehension. She says there is scope for more books and has six more in the hands of her publishers. Mrs Cree is also planning a further series of about five books graded to the same level as her “Read and Do” books. Mrs Cree has found that sales of her books are also climbing in New Zealand.