Books are the quietest and most constant of friends;
They are the most accessible and wisest of counselors,
And the most patient of teachers.
– Charles W. Eliot’s
The celebration to appreciate the love for books at CPS Global School,
Thirumazhisai witnessed every student from CAIE 1 to IBDP yr 2 and teachers
indulged in various activities to spark the creative energy within themselves.
In an immaculately planned and executed day-long celebration, the students from
CAIE 1 watched the movie adaptation of our favourite fairy-tale, “Snow White and
Seven Dwarfs”. As they watched the movie the students were motivated to pick up a
book to read, now that they were familiar with the storyline. It also tried to enkindle
their interest to read a story and then evaluate the movie adaptation, even at this
tender age.
When we read, we do not just read English books. Through our vernacular language
reading we learn about our rich cultural heritage, which exactly happened with CAIE
2 and 3 students. They read vernacular pictorial books with the help of teachers
helping to reactivate their imagination and comprehension skills.
CAIE 4 students read the Times NIE, students’ edition newspaper, provided by the
school every day, to get into the habit of reading the newspapers and they were also
encouraged to complete the activities there. It was really satisfying to see students
being engrossed to solve a crossword puzzle or do a quiz or even Sudoku!
Why should teachers and adults only read to little ones? CAIE 5 students
professionally handled the book reading session for the ELP 3 students. This was
not only a good exercise for the CAIE 5 students to work on their speaking skills, it
also helped the ELP 3 students to get familiarised with books and bond over a book.
Surely, a lot can happen over reading a book together!
Students from CAIE 6 and 7 indulged in a book review of a book in the school library,
which helped put out the good books in the front for the students who read books to
pick up and read. This critical activity helped the students to develop their evaluative
skills to understand the characteristics of a good book!
CAIE 8 did a different activity, where they were asked to do research on different
libraries around the world, its significance and its location – which was then written as
a fact sheet. This was to encourage students to learn about the significance of
libraries and visit them when they can.
And lastly, the students of IG 1 to IB 2 were part of the interaction with Ms. Sindhu
Rajasekaran, an author from Chennai based in the UK. The session was not only
enriching for students who hoped to start indulging in creative writing, but it also
served as a platform where they interacted about the process of publishing itself.
What was the activity for CAIE 8 saw onward journey for IGCSE and IBDP students
as they tried to chart the way to a successful writing career. Ms. Sindhu was deeply
appreciative of the enthusiasm the students showed as the session itself was guided
by the questions posed by the students.
Overall, the Book Lover’s day was filled with activities that would surely encourage
the students to move beyond the ‘screen’ and pick up a book.
