Beyond Reading: Building Language, Curiosity, and Connection at DHSZ
Last week, Dulwich International High School Programme Suzhou welcomed students and staff to our annual Book Fayre, a celebration of reading that extended far beyond browsing shelves or purchasing books.
As a multi-layered learning experience, the Fayre highlighted the diverse and dynamic ways English learning comes to life at DHSZ, through curiosity, creativity, and meaningful engagement within our vibrant school community.
From sustained reading initiatives to immersive, problem-solving activities, the week reflected a shared belief that language learning is at its most powerful when it is active, social, and deeply connected to how students think and interact with the world around them.
Building Reading Habits
The Book Fayre built naturally upon reading initiatives already underway earlier in the term. From August to September, students took part in the Reading Streak Challenge, an initiative designed to encourage consistency and independence in reading. By tracking their progress with stamp cards, students transformed daily reading into a visible and motivating habit, reinforcing the idea that reading is not an occasional task, but a regular practice.
Alongside this, teachers contributed to a monthly book recommendation programme, selecting titles they believed students would find engaging, challenging, or personally meaningful. These books were displayed at the library front desk and accompanied by animated posters featured on the LED screen at the library entrance. This initiative not only promoted reading choice and curiosity, but also positioned teachers as readers alongside students, reinforcing reading as a shared culture rather than an individual pursuit.
A Living Library
During the Book Fayre itself, book vendors set up displays in the school lobby, transforming a shared space into an open and welcoming reading environment for both students and staff. The wide range of titles on offer, spanning fiction and non-fiction, graphic novels, and young adult literature, allowed students to explore English and Chinese texts aligned with their interests, identities, and reading levels.
By bringing books into the heart of the campus, the Fayre reinforced a key message: English learning does not belong to a single classroom or lesson. Instead, it is woven into everyday school life, present wherever curiosity is sparked and ideas are exchanged.
Interactive English Learning
Two student-centred activities during the Book Fayre showcased how English learning at DHSZ extends well beyond traditional reading and writing tasks, inviting students to apply language skills through interaction, logic, and collaboration.
- Guess Who’s Reading
In this activity, students scanned a QR code in their booklet and were presented with a list of books read by teachers and staff members. Their challenge was to match each book to the correct reader, recording their guesses on a leaflet and submitting it to the library. The first 30 correct submissions earned a prize, and teachers and faculty were encouraged to participate as well.
This activity invited students to engage closely with book titles, genres, and reading preferences, while also strengthening connections across the school community. By discovering the reading lives of their teachers, students experienced literature as a shared point of connection rather than a purely academic requirement.
- Solve the Murder Mystery
For students drawn to challenge and logic, Solve the Murder Mystery offered an immersive reading and reasoning experience. Participants read a short mystery story and searched the campus for seven hidden clues. Using the information they gathered, students analysed what was possible and impossible, completed a deduction grid, and ultimately identified the guilty suspect.
The activity demanded close reading, inference, logical reasoning, and teamwork. In doing so, it demonstrated how English skills can be applied through critical thinking and problem-solving in engaging, real-world contexts.
English Learning in Many Forms
Taken together, the Book Fayre offered a clear snapshot of how English learning at DHSZ takes many forms. Students read independently, discussed books socially, analysed texts critically, and applied language skills through investigation and play. Teachers participated not only as guides, but as readers and collaborators within the learning process.
These experiences reflect a shared understanding at DHSZ: that learning English is not confined to exams or essays, but develops through confidence, curiosity, and the willingness to explore ideas from multiple perspectives.
The Book Fayre was not only a celebration of books, but a reminder that language learning flourishes when students are given the space to read widely, think deeply, and engage actively with the world beyond the page.
