Kids'+Lit+Quiz+Becomes+KIDS+READ

After serious deliberation with the ISB middle school administrators we reached a unanimous decision at the end of the last school year to withdraw ISB’s participation in the annual Kids’ Lit Quiz (KLQ). Instead other schools in China will join ISB students for the first ever KIDS READ competition. At ISB we encourage students to read across the globe and to choose literature that is challenging but also age appropriate. We also want the kids to have fun while reading. KLQ often did not seem to fit into this framework. This was made clear at the recent KLQ World Finals in Johannesburg on August 3, when our ISB participants did very well on the questions that focused on world and American literature, but were stumped when it came down to answering questions on British authors and poetry questions that were obviously part of a British curriculum and which formed the majority of the questions asked. The winning UK team definitely was at an advantage and proved to be unbeatable. Four countries participated in this event: United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, and China and ISB placed fifth out of six teams. After their initial disappointment, our ISB participants quickly recovered and enjoyed the rest of their stay in South Africa. They were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Soweto and Nelson Mandela’s house. They saw a fabulous African musical show that told the story of African music; they met South-African authors, John Van de Ruit (author of Spud) and Gcina Mhlope, and also attended writer and illustrator workshops. It was a short visit, but the four days in Johannesburg were very engaging and interesting culturally and provided the kids with a deeper understanding of the Apartheid era. Our students have enjoyed the KLQ competitions in China for the last four years and the subsequent trips to New Zealand, UK, and South Africa, but it is time to start our own regional program. Various schools in Beijing and from other regions in China are already enthusiastic about joining KIDS READ. With this new literary venture we are aiming at a diverse student population that includes voracious readers but also students who have only just discovered the pleasure of reading. KIDS READ will have its first CHINA FINALS at ISB on DECEMBER 4. In the meantime, we continue to meet every Wednesday in the MS/HS Library to get prepared for these finals, but also to learn about new and old books and authors. The meeting time is from 11:45 until 12:20. Participants will bring a packed lunch from home.