Christmas Reading Challenge

The Christmas reading challenge at Dulwich International High School Suzhou is designed to encourage students to read and write down their thoughts on the books they read during the Christmas break.

In order to encourage more students to join the program, the school library worked with the English department to distribute the news to students through Microsoft Teams, in assembly, and in various warm-up activities.

The warmup activities took place at lunchtime on 7th and 9th Dec 2021.

Lunchtime is when our students get to relax and unwind. However, the Christmas Reading challenge is a serious thing. We needed to devise attractive warm-up activities that would encourage students to participate in a serious event when they are trying to relax.

Margret, a Year 11 student, suggested that students could draw something and write down their Christmas Wishes. The idea was for our students to find they can express their thoughts through writing and drawing. The enjoyment makes students understand the value of reading and motivates them to read more and express their thoughts in writing.

At the beginning of the event, only a few students joined in with the activities, but gradually, more and more students joined in. Some of the students even called their friends to join in with the activities.

The event only cost us a few coloured pencils and a roll of paper. It attracted the attention of students and gave them a great opportunity to express themselves.

Audio and physical books curated for each year group for the event can be found below.