In April, our Learning Resource Centre (LRC) welcomed to our campus two book-related days: International Children’s Book Day on April 2nd and World Book Day on April 23rd. The LRC also held a series of reading-related activities for students throughout the entire month.
As an ancient Chinese poem says, “The best season of the year is spring, and it is the perfect time for reading”. Together, we embarked on a journey in the ocean of words, exploring the endless wisdom and beauty within books. The reading experiences were marvelous and unforgettable. Let’s have a look at the activities together!
Monthly Activity: 4.3-4.23 Reading Marathon
Weekly Activity 1: 4.3-4.7 Blueprint for the Future
Weekly Activity 2: 4.10-4.14 SUIS-QP Audio Storytelling
Weekly Activity 3: 4.17-4.19 Used Book Reborn
Weekly Activity 4: 4.24-4.28 Words of Wisdom
The Reading Marathon was a 21-day journey where books became our companions. We chased the waves in the sea of books, allowing our minds to freely wander within the rhythm of reading.
Every Monday our LRC teachers updated the reading progress for each class on a huge reading map. An electronic screen displayed real-time changes in daily reading data, attracting students and teachers to often stop and check the competition results.
At the same time, students from three SUIS campuses participated in the 21-day reading challenge through the Renaissance myON online library. In the end, our school narrowly defeated the other sister campuses and claimed victory, with an average reading count of 46,350 words per person!
After the results were announced, the LRC teachers presented certificates and prizes to the “Super Reading Stars” of each division and awarded certificates to the winning grades.
2. Blueprint for the Future
– Envisioning the Future Blueprint of the LRC
In February and March of this year, the world witnessed a major breakthrough in artificial intelligence with the emergence of ChatGPT, Midjourney and other AI software, all of which quickly entered everyone’s field of view and had a rapid impact on our learning and work processes. This led the LRC teachers to contemplate: What will a future LRC look like? Will it be a paradise that combines technology and the humanities? Therefore, we invited students to envision a future LRC together, soaring in their imaginations and drawing the palace of knowledge and creation in their hearts.
During the activity, we received a total of 11 hand-drawn submissions depicting the LRC, as well as one blueprint created by a middle-school student using Scratch.
3.SUIS-QP Audio Storytelling
– Bringing Stories to Life with Sound
Stories exist not only in words but also in sounds. Each sound represents a unique journey that can transform stories in books into vibrant audio chapters. We invited students to select a story plot with character dialogues from a book and bring it to life with their own vocal variations or by collaborating with family, classmates, or friends. Together, they made the story come alive with colourful voices.
During the activity, we received a total of 23 submissions from the Primary School Division, 11 from the Middle School Division, and 17 from the High School Division, with a total of 66 students participating. The LRC teachers carefully listened to each submission, evaluated them according to the selection criteria, and awarded prizes for individual and group categories. The results of the selection were announced, and the awards were presented during the school assemblies for each division. All winning entries were converted into QR codes, allowing students to scan and listen to them using tablets in the LRC.
4Used Book Reborn
The secondhand book market is a place where books find new life. Each book has its unique story and deserves to be read further. During the market’s preparation phase, we received a total of 642 donated books from the Primary School Division and 284 donated books from the Middle School Division, totalling 926 books!
The currency for transactions in the secondhand book market was virtual coins that students earned through participating in reading activities or answering questions on-site.
After the three-day secondhand book market concluded, we packaged students’ donations and sent them to Zhongping Primary School in Yunnan Province. The donated books included Chinese picture books, Chinese books with Pinyin, Chinese chapter books, Chinese novels, and English books, totaling 246 books. These books will no doubt weave new ‘chapters’ in the lives of their new readers.
5.Words of Wisdom
– Excerpts of Good Phrases and Sentences
Words are treasures of thoughts, shimmering with dazzling golden radiance. Every word and sentence in a book spark our wisdom and creativity. We invited students to record them on excerpt cards, wishing the cards to become guiding stars for our souls.
The LRC received a total of 133 excerpt cards from Primary School Division students, 183 from the Middle School Division, and 42 from the High School Division, totaling 358 cards. Students paired these words with appropriate hand-drawn illustrations, making the excerpt cards full of artistic beauty.
In addition to the above activities, the school also arranged a three-day book fair for students, featuring various books from the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Two guest authors were invited to give two wonderful lectures for the students.
The joy of reading is boundless, akin to the evergreen meadow that stretches endlessly before us, flourishing with the beauty of limitless growth.
Although the various activities of the LRC Reading Month have successfully concluded, our footsteps in reading will not stop. Every page in a book means a new journey, and every word and sentence will illuminate the light of our wisdom. The journey of reading continues, never-ending!