Who’s been “Reading on the Pitch”?

Heba learned the meaning of, and how to read, the word SIT her very first time “Reading on the Pitch” in San Francisco, California, USA.

Heba is 4 years old, from Yemen, and does not speak any English.

Her brother watched her playing soccer for the very first time from the sidelines. He cheered her on with enthusiasm, and smiled watching his little sister kicking the ball with excitement. He watched her aiming the ball toward the cone with the letter “S”, then “I”, then “T”. He listened as she sounded out the letters and blended them together to read SIT. With pride, he ran onto the pitch to join her. He took the cones and rearranged them. He encouraged her to put them back in the correct order and to read the word. He mimicked the “Reading on the Pitch” curriculum and had her show him what the word meant by sitting down. He was thrilled! He turned his head, looked over at me, and exclaimed, “She is reading!!!”