中文
HOME
HOME / LATEST NEWS / Content

Around the World In the 20 Stories: Middle School English Department Competition — Week 4 & 5

September 29, 2020

Middle School English department values the importance of global citizenship as a means to cultivate shared values, broaden perspectives, and learn compassion for those with whom we share this world with. This value is also supported with English teachers’ focus on the unique perspective all of our students hold; the desire to broaden students’ perspectives and reveal the world around them. It is these values that facilitated the department’s competition during Week 4 and 5 of this semester: Around The World In 20 Stories. Many students participated in this competition which enhanced and pushed their reading and writing skills to the limit.

From Monday 21st September to Wednesday 30th September, Grade 6, 7, and 8 students were challenged to read short-stories from countries across the globe. From tales of distant lands and cultures, to mystical tales of magical realism, to mythical tales of justice, students took part in this 10-day expedition around the world.

Each day, two short-stories from a specific country were displayed on each grade’s Linked Classroom page. The stories encompassed diverse parts of the globe, including: Nigeria, Colombia, Japan, Russia, France, the UK, the USA, Denmark, India, and South Africa. These short-readings required students to apply their emerging English skills through a close reading, analysis, and a subsequent written review to document their thoughts and feelings about these readings. For each review submitted, students received an entry into a grand-prize draw for a pair of Apple Airpods!

By the end of the competition, over 100 students had taken part with over 300 stories read! The results of the competition, along with the prize awarding, will take place after the National Week Holiday.

The quest to find one’s voice is spurred on by the growth through the middle, and arguably most critical, stage in their education. Reading and writing facilitates this journey and helps define students’ search for their identity, self-expression, and creative output. The array of short-stories read throughout the competition, as well as the unique and perceptive responses to the readings by our very talented students in Middle School, definitely illustrates that our students are on the right-path to realizsing their potential and mastering the craft of English Language Arts.

(Written by Mr. Key Pictures by Mr. Key)