Combining Intellectual and Fun Elements through Extensive Reading

        On 13 April 2021, just about one week after school reopened, English Language Centre held the third reading club online on The BFG by the remarkable, world-renowned writer, Roald Dahl. The book which has captured the hearts of all walks of life, won Federation of Children's Book Groups Award in 1982. Seven years later, it was turned into an animated film. After more than 30 years, The BFG remains a much-loved character and of all his stories, Roald Dahl said that The BFG was probably his own favourite.

        The reading club was held online via Google Meet and was joined by 12 students and two teachers. The event started after Miss Shyne gave a short introduction of Roald Dahl and his book, The BFG. The presenters of the day were two junior one students named Lim Zhi Hann and Tan Wen Ee as well as two senior two students named Evelyn Samantha Carlos and Ha Zhishuen. Together with the participants, they embarked on an adventurous journey to the heart of the big, friendly giant. 

        During the session, Wen Ee gave us a brief summary of the story while Zhi Hann introduced some of the important characters of the book. After that, Evelyn and Zhi Shuen took over the event by sharing with the audience how they discovered the book together in our school library. They also took turns to talk about the characters, values, language used in the book as well as how they would change the plot if they were the author. The presenters also prompted a lot of questions to the audience and gave them opportunities to share about their opinions too. It was indeed a fun and interactive session. 

 

       Unlike the previous reading clubs, there were two presenters from junior level this time round. Tan Wen Ee and Lim Zhi Hann, both from J1 Adelaide, thought that though the idea of presenting in front of people was a little daunting, especially when they were still new to the school, it was an eye-opening and enlightening experience. “I was a bit unsettled and I made some mistakes during the presentation but overall, it was a good learning experience,” said one of the junior presenters, Wen Ee. Evelyn Samantha and Ha

Zhishuen were also thrilled to take up the roles of presenters as they thought the experience could further sharpen their presentation skills. “I have always wanted to try out different presentation styles and this time, Zhishuen and I decided to deliver the presentation in a natural setting. We wanted it to look as if two good friends were having a fruitful conversation,” said Evelyn. 

        Despite the fact that the school closure has greatly affected the participants’ reading progress, one teacher, Mr. Teoh Kah Chun from the Chinese department has actively shared his thoughts about the book. He mentioned that he resonated with the BFG. “I think he reminded me of myself when I was learning English. Though the BFG’s English was bad, he did not care much about what others would think, he really tried his best to speak and ensure that his messages were conveyed. That is really important to language learners, having that courage to speak up.” 

        The reading club ended with a fun mini quiz in which the participants were to answer some questions correctly as fast as they could. The winners were also given Roald Dahl’s books as prizes.