“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” - Jhumpa Lahiri, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist

YCIS Beijing was abuzz with reading programmes as part of the two-week-long Literacy Weeks in April! The Literacy Weeks aimed to develop and showcase students' reading interests and language proficiency, empowering them to embark on a journey of discovery through the power of reading. It was also a celebration of World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April.

All Primary students enjoyed various Chinese reading activities, including individual reflections on Chinese reading, such as "I Read, I Show," and challenges on book knowledge and content, such as "Battle of the Books". Other activities included poetry appreciation activities like "Reading Poetry for You" and "Poetry Competition," as well as exciting events like "The Voice of YCIS," "Vocabulary King Context," and "Thematic Learning Showcase".

The English reading activities highlighted a special theme each day last week. It covered sharing stories by reading aloud in multiple languages on Mother Tongue Monday, students pairing up to share their favourite stories and books on Storyteller Tuesday, vocabulary activities on Wildcard Wednesday, and creating book characters or book covers on Creative Thursday. The week ended with a big book character parade where all students dressed up as their favourite book characters!

Author Visit

The Literacy Weeks was an extraordinary experience for our students, going beyond the book fair, book swap, and author visit! Reading is not just about meeting the characters in the book, but also about getting to know the great minds of the world. Therefore, we were delighted to have performance poet Kimba Bush on our campus, where he shared his love and creation of poetry with Primary and Secondary students on 18 and 19 April.

About Kimba Bush

Kimba Bush is a performance poet and writer who is passionate about words and how they can empower individuals to live life to the fullest. He started writing poetry as a young child at the age of 11. He has published a book of poetry titled "Write the Wrongs," where each poem explores the wonders of rhythm and rhyme with a hip-hop influence that stirs the imagination. He has also released two hip-hop albums, and his music has been featured in a US film production. Kimba is from the US and is based in the UK.

During his visit, Kimba shared his experiences, bringing joy, laughter, reflection, and outright fun in his presentations. He also brought poems to life through his performances. His workshop illuminated Secondary students to transform their creativity, emotions, and knowledge into impromptu poem writing. After the hands-on practice, they were encouraged to share their works, showcasing their talents and characters inspired by one another.

The wave of inspiration Kimba brought to the Secondary students also touched the Primary students during assemblies. His unique hip-hop style poem performance engaged the younger students, setting them off on their journey with SHAMPOO, the literary devices he uses in his poems (simile, hyperbole, alliteration, metaphor, personification, oxymoron, and onomatopoeia). The interactions between the author and our students have embedded a seed of poetry in their hearts.

At the same time, we celebrate the success of the YCYW Creative Response to Reading Competition across the whole organisation. All of our participants are encouraged to keep reading, and after highly competitive sections, we are proud to take places in Primary and Secondary. The organization-wide competition provided an excellent chance for our students to read, express their creativity through their linguistic and artistic proficiencies, and inspire one another.

Reading plays a significant and engaging part in English literacy development and language acquisition in our school. Through reading competitions like Battle of the Books organised by Ms Heather Wright and Mr Edward Pay, literacy-focused events and the application of advanced learning platforms such as ‘Achieve3000’ we foster a love of reading and support the acquisition of language for all our students.

All of the joy and inspiration of reading would not have happened without the support from our parents and our teachers, who supported, organised, and delivered the activities. A special mention to our Whole School Librarian, Ms Heather Wright, her outstanding commitment and planning contributed to the success of these special occasions. The two-week-long Chinese reading activities could not have happened without the careful preparation of all Chinese teachers. We wholeheartedly appreciate their talents and organisation. Last but not least, we want to thank everyone for making the Literacy Weeks such fun, joyful, and unforgettable!

All in all, the Literacy Weeks were a resounding success, instilling a love of reading and the power of words in our students. We look forward to continuing to nurture this passion for literacy in our school community.