The International School of Beijing (ISB) has just held its annual Book Week, offering a host of activities for bookworms of all ages. In the story of how ISB celebrates and promotes literacy, Book Week has a lead role. But there are many other events, initiatives, and academic programs that form the cast of characters.
Read on for a list of some favorite ISB traditions around literacy. Far from being exhaustive, this is a representative sample of all that the school offers in teaching reading and writing. As any editor knows, you can’t fit all the material you have into your published work! This article would be as long as Ulysses if we included everything.
Under ISB’s Strategic Focus Areas, providing challenging and joyful learning in all academic disciplines is the school’s first priority. Curriculum leaders and teachers here recognize that reading and writing provide a foundation for students to achieve their potential in core courses.
ISB is very intentional in designing its programs so that students learn most effectively, experience joy while being challenged, and achieve impressive outcomes. ISB’s expert faculty and staff understand the science of learning. They consider best practice and the latest thinking in how to teach, and all teaching is very carefully planned. The following events and initiatives show this approach in action.
Author visits and performances
ISB has a regular program of visiting authors inspiring students with their writing skills and captivating with their storytelling. The visitors for Book Week 2024 were Neal Shusterman, known for his New York Times bestselling series Scythe and Unwind; children’s author Zanni Louise; and storyteller Karen Golden. They gave talks for both parents and students across the Elementary, Middle, and High Schools.
Other professional writers who have joined us on campus or virtually recently include Remy Lai, ISB alumni Amelie Wen Zhao, and Baba the Storyteller.
The shows these visitors put on for ISB students may look fun, but they have a serious purpose. According to Neal Shusterman, “Getting students interested in reading and writing is the heart of the battle in education. There’s a level of excitement that meeting an author brings for students. It’s important for them to see that there’s a living and breathing author behind the book, and that books aren’t these dead things sitting on shelves. Getting students excited is critical to their futures. Schools have told me that circulation in their libraries doubles, and that their test scores go way up, after an author’s visit.”
Book Character Costume Parade
The annual Book Character Costume Parade encourages Elementary School students to dress as their favorite book character. Their parents are invited to come watch the parade and are encouraged to dress up too. This is the one time of year when you’re almost guaranteed to find Hermione, Waldo, and the Monkey King all together on campus. The fun sparks conversation about who your friend is dressed as and where you can read about their adventures.
Bilingual writers
The creative writers and journalists in ISB’s classrooms have lots of opportunities to get published. High School clubs putting members’ words into print include BJ Student Press, Buddy Magazine, Dear Letterbox, and Dragon Dispatch.
In recent years, ISB’s Bilingual Children’s Art and Literature Magazine has showcased students’ poetry, stories, and essays written in Chinese and English. This initiative not only encourages creative expression but also reinforces language skills, as students learn to navigate and appreciate the nuances of both languages.
Middle School students’ work has featured in a special supplement to one of the world’s most respected publications. Book reviews by Grace H, Eva Y, and Afreen L were selected for the December 2020 edition of The New York Times for Kids and Rayna M had a poem and essay published by the venerable American newspaper here.
Grade 9 Identity Project
Entering High School, students do a project in English classes in which they explore the theme of identity by considering how they are shaped by both internal and external factors. It culminates in an exhibition of their work open to the school community.
As part of their study of characterization, symbolism, and figurative language in short stories, the ninth graders are asked to apply their learning by creating these identity projects. After a process of drafting, peer and teacher feedback, and revising, the students are ready to exhibit a variety of stories and artwork offering a joyful introduction to who they are. In these exhibits, the young storytellers demonstrate their narrative writing, creativity, and self-reflection skills.
ISB community members can catch this year’s Identity Project Exhibition on campus from Monday, November 4 to Friday, November 15.
Junior Librarians
Among the huge range of after-school activities (ASAs) that ISB offers students, Junior Librarians is a chance for avid readers in the Elementary and Middle School to learn about the hidden and public work of a librarian. They learn to make displays of new or themed books and sort what’s on the shelves. They also help organize and promote library events. Of course, they get a big chunk of time to read too, as any good librarian must know their collection!
Panda Book Awards, and book clubs
What unites a poetic celebration of the natural world’s many magnificent creatures, a funny look at how to turn a problem into a solution, and the story of a third culture kid navigating the differences between Malaysia and the UK? They’re all books nominated for this year’s Panda Book Awards. Established by ISB in 2008 and now celebrated in more than 60 schools around China and the world, the Panda Book Awards invites students, parents, and teachers from participating international schools to vote for their favorite books.
The Chinese Panda Book Awards joined the party in 2015, providing a shortlist of books in the local language to vote on.
The collective element of the Panda Book Awards is motivating for students. Browsing the lists of nominated books, they get recommendations for what to read next.
Adult and student book clubs work similarly. ISB has always organized lots of such clubs – for students, parents, and staff. Participants read the same book and meet to discuss it. ISB’s Head of School has been leading a schoolwide book study this semester, encouraging a community discussion inspired by bestseller The Anxious Generation on when and how we are introducing smartphones to our children.
Dragon Storytellers
This new program invites parent volunteers to read to Elementary School students, spreading the joy of reading and promoting intercultural understanding and celebration of diverse languages and cultures. Recently, a group of dedicated parent volunteers completed training to conduct read alouds in ISB Elementary School classrooms. They will also delight young bookworms at ISB events – community members can hear the Dragon Storytellers reading at the ISB Farmers Market from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm on Friday, October 25.
The performer Baby the Storyteller performs with a musical instrument at ISB
National Simultaneous Storytime
ISB has joined this initiative, born in Australia but popular around the world. Schools all read the same book at the same time. You can tune in live to watch the author reading the book or read aloud yourself. The 2023 National Simultaneous Storytime was enjoyed by over 2.3 million participants in over 59,000 locations (one of them was ISB)! The 2024 text was Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker. ISB’s Early Years 4 students created a huge model bowerbird nest in the library to celebrate.
The 2025 NSS takes place on Wednesday, May 21.
Christian Polizzi, ISB’s Head of Literacy, says, “We believe fostering a love of reading through access to engaging, high-interest texts and creating literacy-rich classrooms should be visible to students and parents alike. Ultimately, ISB’s goal of literacy instruction is to develop students who not only are effective readers, but who are equipped to read widely and with a critical lens.
“We explicitly teach students skills to make them critical readers, such as making connections, questioning, visualizing, and summarizing, empowering students to actively engage with text and derive deeper meaning.
“All ISB’s teachers are teachers of reading. They bring in their unique perspectives, areas of expertise, and content knowledge to provide our students with a text-rich learning environment that gives freedom to explore. By intentional programming, shared professional development, and strategic focus, ISB’s teachers are able to empower students with purpose through reading.”
The challenging and joyful learning provided by these literacy events and initiatives is one of three main Strategic Focus Areas for ISB. This news article is part of a series looking at aspects of ISB that are examples of the three Focus Areas. To find out more, click here.
