A Year of Reading and Beyond @DHSZ Library
Over the past year, our school library and English department have teamed up to spark students' interest in reading through a series of fun and inspiring activities. Let's take a look back at the highlights!
Literature Talks
We kicked off the semester with our Literature Talks! Senior students took the stage to recommend their favourite books to new students, share tips on selecting English books, teach how to keep reading logs, and guide everyone through the ins and outs of the library’s structure and borrowing procedures. Our new students discovered how to use the library effectively, boost their English reading and note-taking skills, and find the perfect books to dive into. These are crucial skills for their academic success and personal growth.
Book Fair, Reading Scavenger Hunt, and Book Swap
Next up was our exciting Book Fair, where we invited book vendors to showcase a plethora of fascinating reads. But that’s not all – our thrilling Reading Scavenger Hunt had students solving riddles and completing tasks to earn points for their houses. Activities included poetry recitations, famous quotes, classic literature quizzes, and digital resources exploration, all designed to ignite a love for reading. In our Book Swap, students exchanged books and recommended their favourites to friends and teachers in English, fostering a passion for sharing and enhancing their English communication skills.
Membean & Achieve3000 Collaboration
To help students better memorize and use vocabulary, we introduced Membean and Achieve3000. Membean employs various memory techniques to help students understand and retain words deeply. Achieve3000 offers diverse reading materials and interactive exercises, boosting vocabulary and reading comprehension. These tools combined to help students systematically learn and apply new words in real-life contexts.
Blind Box Dragon Pin Reading Challenge
New this year, our Blind Box Dragon Pin Reading Challenge has been a hit! This ongoing event features different challenges throughout the school year, with students earning boxes containing unique Dulwich Dragon reading badges designed by their peers. The challenge's aim is to foster a love for reading and build a lasting reading habit. The element of surprise in the blind boxes motivates students to read more and discuss their reading experiences by trading badges with friends.
So far, we’ve hosted four amazing challenges:
Reading Posters Challenge
Students designed posters to recommend their favourite books, promoting creativity, communication, and writing skills. This activity deepened their understanding of the books and honed their ability to convey ideas effectively.
Recommending Chinese Books in English
Students introduced Chinese classics and authors in English, boosting their speaking skills and preparing them for confident cultural discussions abroad.
Reading Quiz
Incorporating various media forms, including print, e-books, and audiobooks, this quiz adapted to diverse reading preferences and positively impacted language development and learning.
Poetry Challenge
This challenge enhanced students' literary appreciation and expression skills through poetry selection, rhythmic exploration, and effective communication of emotions and meanings. It broadened their literary horizons and improved their spoken English and fluency.
From Students
Let's take a look at what students have to say about our Blind Box Dragon Pin Reading Challenge.
Celine S Y10
"The challenge is intriguing and rewarding. Each time I draw a blind box, it’s filled with surprises. This challenge also allows me to practise our English speaking and expression while enjoying the pleasure of reading. Through participating in this challenge, I’ve read English original books like The Chronicles of Narnia and A Wizard of Earthsea, which not only made me appreciate the charm of reading but also deepened my understanding of and insight into English learning. I increased my vocabulary, reading speed, and comprehension by in English. Presenting books and posters to librarians is a chance to practise speaking. Expressing my thoughts and opinions clearly has improved my spoken English fluency and accuracy. My writing skills have also improved by making posters, I learnt how to summarise book content in clear and concise language. I hope more students participate!"
Michelle L Y11
"Initially, I was drawn to the poem solely due to the cute pins, but upon repeated readings, I came to appreciate the author's remarkable skill. He used simple lines, but his words showed an astonishing view, which was a huge surprise to me. As a student who found it hard to read through long English stories, I have to say that reading poems encouraged me to read more because it takes less time to reach the end. Reading the short poem also allowed me to acquire some vocabulary, which I believe will be beneficial for my English reading and writing skills."
Jenny T Y12
"Actually, I initially participated in this blind box reading challenge just for collecting these unique badges. I'm a badge collector and I love pining these badgers onto my suit. I felt a great satisfaction from this, so I spent my spare time to participate in this activity. I took part in all the reading challenge activities. Not only did I read English books, but I also introduced Chinese books to others, which was enjoyable for me as a reader. To be honest, I didn’t like reading English books because my English wasn't very good. But now, because of this activity, I've changed my mindset. "
