The importance of reading is undeniable. It expands the mind, allows for creative thinking, and can even improve your concentration. That is why grades 4-5 celebrated Author’s Week! To engage students in the importance of reading, each grade focused on influential authors, incorporating thrilling activities along the way!

Grade 4: It’s Greek to Me！

Fourth grade celebrated Author’s Week by embracing the author Rick Riordan. He may be better known as the author of the Percy Jackson Series. To go along with the series, the students in grade four celebrated Greek Week, with a focus on mythology.

Monday began by comparing and contrasting Greek myths, including Hercules, Pandora’s Box, and Arachne, seeing how they compare to the plot of the Percy Jackson series.

Tuesday was “Toga Tuesday,” where students learned how to create and wear their own togas. On Wednesday, students and teachers dressed as their favorite Mythological character, from gods, such as Poseidon, Apollo, and goddesses to centaurs! By mid-week, the students learned the Greek alphabet and tried to write their names in Greek. Some students found difficulty because not all of the English letters are included!

By Friday, students took a quiz about the fascinating life of Rick Riordan. Throughout the week students could check LC to find clues and facts about the author. They tested their knowledge with a class quiz and won a prize at the end!

All in all, grade four had a fantastic Greek Week and renewed their love of reading! We look forward to the next exciting English event!

Grade 5: Discovering Dystopia

This week, students in grade 5 celebrated Author’s Week. The theme was Dystopian Discovery. Grade 5 teachers were inspired to choose this theme for author’s week, as several of the grade 5 students have been reading books from this genre in their free time. Does The Hunger Games or Divergent ring a bell? How about The Giver or Wings of Fire? These fantastic books are all from the dystopian genre.

A dystopia is an imagined society in which there is a great suffering or injustice. Take The Hunger Games, for example. Katniss must participate in The Hunger Games, a dangerous game, all for the entertainment of the wealthier people in The Capitol. This is a deeply-flawed society, but the exciting and suspenseful plot makes for a great read!

On Monday, students were introduced to the intriguing genre and explored its unique characteristics. Students shared their favorite books and stories within the genre and discussed how the genre is different from others they have read. It was wonderful to observe such an active discussion about books!

On Tuesday, students were introduced to the main activity of the week: Creating their own dystopian world! Students used what they learned on Monday during the class discussion to plan out their dystopian land. They mapped out, drew, and labelled their land. As well as this, students gave their land a name and added color and details. The grade 5 teachers received some amazing entries and were blown away by the students’ effort!

On Wednesday, the grade 5 teachers gave a book talk introducing a dystopian book: Lois Lowry’s The Giver. This story follows a twelve-year-old boy, Jonas, who lives in a seemingly perfect world. He is given an assignment as the Receiver of Memory and begins to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Students were delighted upon hearing the topic of the book talk: most students had already read the book and could actively participate, while others were interested in the plot and were encouraged to read the book after the talk.

On Thursday, students added to their dystopian lands by creating unique laws and flags for their creation. Students finalized their work and submitted excellent examples of dystopian lands. The grade 5 students worked hard and demonstrated their understanding of the dystopia genre through this activity.

On Friday, it was the students’ turn. Students volunteered to give short book talks discussing their favorite books from the dystopian genre. From Jeanna DuPrau’s The City of Ember and George Orwell’s Animal Farm to Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a wide variety of books were introduced during P&B. Students were confident and persuasive as they shared their favorite dystopian books with the class.

This year’s author’s week has been a huge success. The students were eager in their participation and put in a huge effort to make this week special. Amazing work everyone!

(Written by Ms. Larkin and Ms. Alyssa, Translated by Liu Lei and Wu Yin Pictures by Teachers)