LEH International School Foshan was bustling with activities, colours and wonderful words from 27 February to 3 March, as Prep and Secondary Schools joined together to celebrate our second annual World Book Week. Students across the school were invited to dive into a host of fabulous reading, events, competitions and other activities all linked to this year’s theme of ‘Magical Worlds’.
In this article, we are delighted to have Mrs Kathryn Chapman, our Head of English and Head of Language Faculty, to take us through the wonderful world of Book Week and to introduce the diverse reading programmes at LEH Foshan.
Head of English and Head of Language Faculty
Mrs Kathryn Chapman is our Head of English and Head of Language Faculty, specialising in Literature. She has taught in London and Lincolnshire in a wide variety of different types of school, most recently selective. She has also been a Subject Leader in Drama, introducing it as a subject as well as running the school's theatre company and their ambitious productions, and loves bringing drama skills into English learning. She has also worked as a Sixth Form tutor, supporting pupils into their preferred universities.
Instilling a culture of reading for pleasure amongst students through peer-to-peer reading programmes is one of the proudest things I've done. I have also led extra-curricular clubs in creative writing, film, drama and debating, and can’t wait to see how imaginative our LEHF students are going to be!
World Book Week Celebrations
Reading is a beautiful way to escape to strange, fascinating, mysterious and thrilling places, whether real or imaginary. Fantasy is a genre that allows children to think abstractly and creatively themselves, their imaginations stimulated by literary fantasy worlds to generate their own characters, settings and narratives, with unlimited possibilities. Students explored magical literary worlds in the week from books like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Peter Pan and, of course, Harry Potter.
We kicked off the week with a visit from local published author Ms Hui Wang, who worked with our Y5-7 students on using legendary figures as inspiration for their writing, then welcomed parents to a wonderful discussion on engaging children more deeply in reading, especially as they get older.
In English lessons, students were treated to some delicious Book Tasting with Mrs Jones, sampling a menu of tantalising book extracts to make them hungry for further reading. They worked on story writing, magical world word-association, and honed their book-review skills.
Across the curriculum, they were challenged with an Alice in Wonderland-themed Escape Room in Mathematics, and explored Chinese stories of magic and legend. They created fantasy island maps in Geography and, in Spanish lessons, translated Harry Potter extracts between English and Spanish – then created their own characters with Spanish vocabulary!
Thursday 2nd March was the big day – World Book Day itself – and we joined with schools around the world in filling our corridors and classrooms with a cavalcade of magical characters. Some students had clearly put a huge amount of effort into their costumes – as had staff, whose costumes became the basis of a very hotly-contested Guess the Teachers’ Characters competition.
All week, our Book Fair was filled with students and parents browsing for their next favourite read, and the Book Sharing Board in the Library has become jam-packed with great recommendations.
We rounded off the week with a superb assembly from Prep and Secondary together, with our future authors sharing stories, some haunting readings, teachers’ book recommendations and the winners of our Extreme Reading competition.
We know that World Book Week will have inspired our students to keep exploring this world – and many others – in their reading for a long time to come.
In addition to World Book Week, there are numerous reading activities and programmes that take place throughout the school year. These initiatives encourage students of all year groups to develop and maintain a love of reading, and provide a range of opportunities to engage with literature in a variety of formats.
Our English Department places a strong emphasis on reading lessons where teachers regularly take their students to the library and guide them to read with a critical eye, asking them questions about the main idea, themes, and concepts of the story. By doing so, they help students to develop a deeper understanding of the text and improve their reading comprehension and oral expression.
The Reading Buddy programme is a wonderful initiative that involves pairing up a senior year student with a Prep School student to support the younger student's improvement in reading and literacy skills. This programme brings mutual benefits to both participants. For the Prep student, it offers a chance to improve their reading skills and become more confident in their ability to read with the help of the senior. For the senior student, the programme provides an opportunity to develop leadership skills and to give back to the community.
LEH Foshan offers convenient access to a wide range of reading materials through its main library and Prep library. Both libraries are equipped with a rich stock of age-appropriate reading materials selected by our experienced teachers and librarian.
Located adjacent to the dining hall, the main library is easily accessible to students who can utilise their free time to explore its vast collection of books. Similarly, the Prep library located in close proximity to the Prep classroom makes it easier for our younger students to read, thus promoting a reading culture within the school.
Reading can be an exhilarating and thrilling experience, especially when one undertakes reading challenges. For instance, some reading enthusiasts participate in extreme reading challenges that require them to read in unconventional or uncommon settings (of course in a safe manner).
The Reading Journey competition, organized by our experienced librarian Ms Liang, is another example of a reading challenge that motivates students to push themselves beyond their limits. With a fierce determination to clinch the top spot, students immerse themselves in books, devouring page after page, chapter after chapter, in a quest to come out on top. As they progress on their reading journey, they also gain new insights, broaden their horizons, and expand their knowledge and understanding of the world.
The benefits of reading extend far beyond just improving language proficiency. Reading allows students to broaden their understanding of different cultures, perspectives, and ideas. It also promotes critical thinking, problem-solving, and empathy, which are essential skills for success in both personal and professional life. So join us as we delve into the exciting world of books and discover the joys of reading!
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