A Journey Through the World of Books

There was a flutter of excitement in the air as we celebrated Literacy Week and World Book Day at HD Beijing this week. Reading has long been the cornerstone of any high quality education and as a community of readers, at HD Beijing, we have dedicated our selves to stimulating pupils’ passion for reading and love of books. Literacy Week and World Book Day provided the perfect platform for staff and pupils to embrace and share this passion as a school community.

Throughout the week, children participated in reading enrichment activities, involving opportunities to explore books and further develop their love of reading.

Buddy Reading

Buddy reading lessons were a fundamental element of Literacy Week, as they encouraged children to share their love ofreading and interest in books. Each child was paired with a child from another class and given the opportunity to share some of their favourite books.

This activity enabled children to practice their reading skills and make connections with other children in the school. During these buddy reading lessons, it was evident that the love of reading at HD Beijing has been fully imbedded; children were incredibly proud of their ability to read a book of their choosing to an older or younger child.

Visiting Readers

Many classes had ‘visiting readers’ this week. These mystery readers stirred up excitement in the classrooms, resulting in the children being fully engaged and attentive as they listened to a new storyteller sharing a special story with them. As every reader has a unique way of telling a story, it is important for children to experience stories being told by a variety of storytellers. This encourages children to develop their understanding of the importance of using expression when reading.

Character Parade

On Thursday, an array of literary characters could be found at HD Beijing; from Little Red Riding Hood to Crayons to Elves. A buzz of anticipation emanated from the children as they transformed into their favourite characters for the World Book Day Character Parade. Children were keen to talk about their character and the stories in which they could be found. Such experiences encourage children to become immersed in the wonderful world of books, where fiction can transcend reality.

Book Donation

Following the success of our charity book donation event last year, we decided to once again incorporate the gift ofgiving into our World Book Day this year. Every child was invited to bring a book into school to donate, so that they could share the gift of reading with a less fortunate child. Our reading tree in the lobby area is a wonderful testament to the generousity of the HD community. Thank you for all of your support with this event!

Read-a-thon

Our Read-a-thon has created ongoing excitement over the past two weeks. Children were eager to find out which house was leading the reading race as they arrived at school each morning. Crowds ofchildren could be found surrounding the results’ screen every morning, with accompanying gasps of delight, or exaspered sighs, depending on the performance of their House Team.

The Read-a-thon culminated on World Book Day with Centaur House being crowned ‘Most avid readers at HD’.

What a wonderful week it has been! The HD Community worked together to share their love of reading; ensuring each child received a rich and varied learning experience to help embed a resounding, lifetime passion for reading.

Book Recommendations

I love this book as it's full of adventure and you're never sure what's going to happen next!

--Ms. Lucy

When you get lost in a story your senses are engaged and you can smell the trees and feel the wind on your face. When I think of this book I remember how I felt reading it the first time; the surge of love Danny has for his father, the excitement of the secret, the colours of their aging caravan home, the earthy smell of the woods and the chirp of the pheasants. It transported me to another world.

--Ms. Kim

Why – This book has a special place in my heart as it is the first book I bought my nephew. I met the author of this book at a children’s festival and even managed to get a signed copy of the book. The book is funny and has lots of colourful pictures so was perfect for me to share with my nephew who was 2 years old at the time.

--Mr. Stefan

This book is all about a kid inventor who fails and fails and fails her way to successfully making the most magnificent thing. And that’s why it’s my favourite. (Plus, there’s a cute dog.) --Ms. Kalani

I love this book because it showed me that my imagination can take me to far away places, meeting interesting people along the way. As a child I have always dreamed of traveling around the world and reading this book gave me the original idea. This book is funny, and silly at times but always makes my heart happy when I read it.

--Mr. Emlyn