“Arufe beme Arsete”, Bibi reads aloud. No – this is not a foreign language. Bibi reads three German words: “auf dem Ast”. But she hears an “r” resonating with every “a”, every “f” sounds to her with an “e”, the same with “s” and “t”. And it’s really easy to confuse the letters “d” and “b” … Around ten percent of primary school children in Germany cannot read properly by the end of fourth grade.

Children with reading difficulties struggle from word to word. They cannot match letters and sounds correctly or understand the syllable structure of words. Incorrect reading strategies that are only consolidated during “normal” reading aloud. It is clear that these children avoid reading texts wherever they can. Nobody would expect an adult to enjoy reading a book in a foreign language that they only have a rudimentary knowledge of. And that’s exactly how these children feel.

The Karl Bröcker Foundation has been supporting initiatives at two elementary school in Lippstadt for many years to individually remedy such reading weaknesses. Reading coaches recognize the wrong reading strategy and develop a suitable training plan for each child. The goal is: at least a 3 in reading. The first successes can be seen after just a few weeks. And when it comes to deciding which secondary school to attend at the end of elementary school, after a year of reading promotion, children on average achieve a whole level more.

And reading? Fun at last!
Other elementary school in Lippstadt are supported by the Dr. Arnold Hueck Foundation.