George R.R. Martin once said: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once.” Although the pandemic prevented us from physically attending school, students at SUIS Qingpu never stopped exploring the outside world. In their spare time, they roamed freely in a sea of books. Over the past month, in order to further stimulate students’ interest in English reading as well as improve their oral English expression and presentation skills, our Primary School conducted a fun but intense English storytelling competition! The students’ interesting stories and creative expressions resulted in rounds and rounds of applause. Let’s view their wonderful performances together!
Read and Enjoy
In late April, our students received the call to participate in English Story Speeches! They watched wonderful English stories performed by Mr. Hockley and Ms. Nathalie in English reading classes. By using exaggerated body language and quaint props, they acted the stories out vividly, immediately attracting their audience’s attention. Under the inspiration and guidance of their teachers, the students were eager to try also, and everyone then opened their minds and actively participated in the preparation of their story speeches.
Read and Share
From late April to early May, teachers received varied works from students. Some students shot videos in their own small gardens, while others used a video editing function to make themselves appear in a sea of flowers or wheat fields. Some used materials from home, self-made costumes and props, and turned themselves into the characters of their stories. Some used their mobile phones’ camera applications to apply quaint expressions to their faces. We can see how creative and imaginative the children were and how much effort they put in!
Award Ceremony, Shining Moment
After submitting their Story Speech works, students also turned into judges and voted for their favourite stories according to the established scoring criteria. The students not only exercised their listening ability, but also learned from each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and expanded their English reading library. The most exciting moment was the award ceremony, where teachers announced the winners after a fierce competition! You could see how excited the students were, even via a computer screen. While participating students received a certificate, the most valuable result of the competition was to see our students empowered to continue reading, a desire that will continue to accompany them as they journey into adulthood.
To Everyone Who Loves Reading
In the Daily Reading Journal records and the weekly HRT (Home Reading Time) presentations, students continued to engage with English reading. This storytelling competition was a touchstone moment for them in their learning journey. Our teachers are sincerely happy and proud to see that the students will keep reading, thinking and recording.
The teachers would like to applaud all the students who participated in the English Story Speech competition and prepared so carefully for it, whether they won or not. The students challenged themselves once again in their learning journey! “When you try to do something you have never done, it’s called growth. When you do something you are not willing to do, it’s called change, and when you do something you dare not do, it’s called a breakthrough. There are always thorns on the road of growth. When you pursue bravely, the road stretches beneath your feet.”
Although the pandemic has trapped our bodies inside our homes, reading allows our minds to reach a wider world. ‘A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.’ We hope children will continue to explore this wonderful world with a great and never-ending interest in reading.