In the past month, the Puxi campus fourth and fifth-grade native Chinese classes carried out a series of home-school interactions and class discussions on reading in Chinese. Students engaged in the reading month and explored the fascination from the books

Fourth grade—Parent-Child Book Reading

The fourth-grade reading month “Share the Books” advocated parent-child reading. Fourth-grade Chinese teachers invited students and parents to choose a favored book from the suggested Chinese reading list and then they read and finished the reading booklet together.

In the first week of the reading month, students sorted the book’s basic information, plotline, and main characters. Along with the reading, students and parents compete with each other on the book content. They designed questions for each other, answered them, and then checked the answers as a teacher. In the process, students also concluded the same opinion they had as their parents and expressed different views, presenting independent thinking and critical thinking skills.

After the whole reading activity, students and parents had a reflection on these activities, giving plenty of likes and thumb ups. Some parents said through this activity, children significantly improved their interests in reading. The reading booklet helped children learn how to think, conclude, and summarize step by step. Some parents believe that these activities promoted parent-child communication to discuss their own opinions and views deeply. Parents hope that children can apply what they learn from the book to realities in the future.

Fifth grade—Whole Book Reading

Fifth grade carried out the reading activity around the idea of “Whole Book Reading.” S and H level students chose The Mice Gets Up Late and The Proses of Wang Zengqi for Elementary Students as reading materials, respectively.

During the lunch reading time, students in S level were immersed in the reading environment and enjoyed the author’s childhood story in the Summer Palace with great interest. The author Ye Guangcen’s word has a strong personal style with Beijing accents, and students love imitating the dialogues with the Beijing accent just as the local people do. Students also need to finish the multiple-choice questions based on the chapter, which helps students review the main plot step by step. Meanwhile, students learn to empathize with the main characters through the details in the questions and appreciate the words.

H level students analyzed the proses of Wang Zengqi, rated their favored passages, and shared with peers. The words of Wang are intriguing but straightforward. Students copied the fascinating words that moved them in their reading booklet and analyzed the greatness. In the “Taste of Nature” chapter, students realized the beauty of the world as written in the book. “A petal of a flower, a piece of leaf, a sip of a drink, a bite or a peck are all related to one’s mind and heart.” Students further expressed their passion for life with their own words, just as Wang.

By reading the whole book, fifth-grade students took a close look into the surrounding world. In the simple and warm words, they feel the vicissitudes and happiness of life.

In the process of reading, students are no longer passive readers. Instead, they become a thinker who actively gains information and knowledge. Students try their best to reflect on their daily lives and make connections with what they learn in the books.

(Written by Wu Yin Pictures by Puxi Campus G4-5 Teachers Edited by Huang Shiyuan, Brie Polette)