A week of stories and imagination - Literacy Week

At International School of Qingdao, celebrating literacy is a valued tradition that we look forward to each year. Encouraging students to read both at home and in the classroom is central to our English Language Arts curriculum. Developing a love for reading early on builds strong language skills, sparks creativity and fosters a lifelong curiosity about the world. Over the years, we’ve also seen how consistent reading supports academic success across all subjects.

This year’s Literacy Week focused on the stories of the beloved author and illustrator, Patricia Polacco. Everyday of this week, our ECC and Elementary students and teachers dressed up to reflect one of her books—from The Bee Tree and Meteor to The Junkyard Wonders and For the Love of Autumn. It was so much fun to see our campus and classrooms filled with bees, astronauts, recycled creations and curious cats.

On Thursday, Grades 1–5 took part in our annual Spell-a-Palooza, a team-based spelling and phonics competition. Students were grouped into teams and worked together to solve challenges based on words from Polacco’s books. It was a fun and friendly way to grow literacy skills and cheer for each other. On Friday everyone wore house colors and had an assembly to declare winners for the week.

Throughout the week, students across the school also joined in our whole school Book Swap, bringing in gently used books and choosing new ones to take home. The swap not only encouraged reading in multiple languages but also promoted sustainability and sharing within our community.

A big well done to all our students for their creativity, participation and enthusiasm. What a wonderful week of celebrating literacy together!