The sounds of dragon’s roar and delightful laughter floated out of classrooms as teachers and students tackled literacy from all angles during YCIS Shanghai’s Book Week. Timed to coincide Shanghai’s annual Literary Festival at M on the Bund, Book Week encouraged children to leave their game consoles behind and join their parents for a week of words and imagination.

In one K3 classroom, the Co-Teachers introduced new and well-loved authors with storytelling. Later in the week, mothers and fathers responded to the school’s invitation to come in and read to the children for “Snuggle Up and Read Day”. Kindergarten students also had a “Pair and Share” reading session with Primary “Reading Buddies”. The Kindergarten children enjoyed this so much; they kept asking when their buddies were coming back!

In Primary level, students greeted Book Week by creating fantastic door displays that represented their favourite books. However, it was the sensational visit from children’s author Sarah Brennan that was the highlight for all students. Her book series, which features the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, got Primary students leaning forward in anticipation of Sarah’s words as she read from one of the books.

“In an age reigned by computer games and cartoon TV shows, it sounds like an uphill battle when I say the goal of the week was to help children further their appreciation of and love for the printed word,” says Primary Curriculum Co-ordinator Heather Lockett. “There’s no denying that a lot of work took place behind the scenes to make Book Week happen, but when you see just how readily and enthusiastically the students responded to Book Week, you realise it was all worth it. In fact, we may have just planted a few seeds this week: seeds of new hobbies, seeds of curiosity, seeds for the next big author. As teachers and parents, we are simply thrilled by what we’ve witnessed.”