Elementary had a delightful time in April and early May, as they enthusiastically celebrated literacy during this year's Literacy Celebration Season. The theme of the season, 'From Here to There: Journeys of Imagination,' was inspired by the enchanting book Journey by Aaron Becker, known for its beautiful illustrations. The month was filled with an array of wonderful activities, inspiring visits, exciting challenges, and more, all aimed at igniting a passion for reading. Let's dive into the highlights of this incredible literary celebration!

Author and Storyteller Visits

Throughout the month, Elementary hosted visits from four esteemed authors and storytellers from different corners of the globe. Three of them visited our students virtually, and one had the opportunity to visit in person! These included: 

• Karen Golden: a storyteller, educator, and visionary. She told fascinating stories from different countries and even played various musical instruments while telling them! 
• Alton Chung: an award-winning storyteller, author, and public speaker. With his unique background, he told stories from all over the world.
• Todd Parr: an award-winning author and illustrator. He read aloud to our youngest learners from his wonderful collection of books and also took the time to answer their curious questions.
• Vani Veikoso Twigg: an international educator and author. She captivated our students with a reading of her beloved story Elif, the Chimney Fairy, a tale of bravery, companionship, and selflessness.

Battle of the Books

AISG hosted a Battle of the Books finale competition, with some of our Grade 3 to 5 students participating. They were joined with students from BSG, CIS Panyu, NAS Guangzhou Panyu, UISG SCNUFLS, and ZIS in a competition to test their knowledge on books they’ve been reading and preparing for the last few weeks. It was an exciting competition!

Poem in Your Pocket

One fun activity during the month was Poem in Your Pocket Day! Students and teachers wrote or printed out their favorite poems to put in their pocket and pulled them out to read whenever asked. It was such a creative way to celebrate poetry and inspire conversation!

Reading Challenges

Students were given weekly photo challenges with fun themes to share their love of reading with their friends, family, and even pets! Challenges included reading with a family member, reading in unusual places, reading with a pet/toy, and reading across languages.

Bookmark Competition

Literacy celebration season brought back our annual bookmark competition! Students worked individually or in groups to create incredible and creative bookmarks that are truly pieces of art. The Elementary community then voted on which bookmarks they like the best, which will then be made available as real bookmarks in the library!

These are just the highlights because there were many other activities that took place like creating collaborative books, puppet making, designing book covers, and using augmented virtual reality to bring stories to life. It was truly a wonderful season of celebration for our Elementary students and a huge shout-out to our library team for helping celebrate our love of reading!

The Elementary School library is a dynamic, energetic, balanced, and connected learning space. It is a hub of creativity, and a place for quiet retreat. Reading for choice and learning are the primary goals for this space, along with ensuring that students have the skills required to be informed digital citizens and researchers, capable of exploring their own independent inquiries.Click here to learn more about the AISG Elementary School.