Reading
Reading at HKUGA College (2022-23)
From the week of 30th May to 2nd June, The Reading Committee held their annual Reading Week, filled with lots of engaging activities to promote reading across the whole school.
On Monday, the Inter-class Guess the Book Quiz began, in which each class’s reading knowledge was put to the test. A pre-selected list of 10 popular books were shared, and 2 book-related questions were asked daily - one in English and one in Chinese. Each class had to work together to figure out which book the questions were related to and submit their answers daily, with class S2TW claiming the class prize.
On Tuesday, the long-awaited results of Reading Challenge Bingo were announced. Over 8 months, a total of 230 book reviews were submitted and displayed as recommended reading in the school library. Book voucher prizes were awarded to 38 passionate students, and a class prize was also awarded for the class with the highest participation: S2TW with 61 book reviews submitted.
On Wednesday, The Reading Committee hosted a charity book sale called ‘Blind Date with a Book’. In this event, pre-loved books were donated by staff and students. After wrapping the books in paper, a series of ‘clues’ were then written about each book based on the content, thereby encouraging staff and students to ‘not judge a book by its cover’. Due to the popularity of the event, all books sold out on the first day of the sale, with over $900 raised for our chosen reading charity, Bring Me a Book Hong Kong. The charity provides quality books and reading training programmes for families across Hong Kong.
To culminate the week of reading, our S1-S3 students had an online DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) session on Thursday to read a book of their choice.
Meanwhile, in the S4-S5 assembly, we were honored to invite Miss Natalia Chan to introduce us to the cross-cultural creation of poetry and art. Poetry is not only an independent art of writing, but also a bridge across cultures which should not be limited by format or frame. Miss Natalia Chan used "Chinese Heroes" as a series of clues to tell students about comics, dance dramas, and the poem "Non-related Accidents" was created after the performance.
Later, Miss Natalia Chan shared her poems, written in 2013 in memory of Leslie Cheung, about the changes in Hong Kong. Students learnt that writing sincerely and expressing themselves in words is a force that time cannot erase. It was a fruitful and meaningful event which was well received by students.
All in all, Reading Week was a great success and helped to promote reading for pleasure across the whole learning community. Students expressed great enthusiasm about the events, and The Reading Committee is already excited to plan next year’s Reading Week.
Annual Reading Challenge
This is the third consecutive year of the Reading Challenge. Launched in October, the Reading Challenge encourages staff and students to diversify their reading habits by reading books from a range of categories in order to win points and prizes. For each category, participants will submit written book reviews or 1-minute review videos to share their thoughts and recommendations.
Year on year, the challenge has been steadily growing. This year, over 130 students have signed up and over 80 reviews have been submitted so far!
For the more reluctant readers, monthly 'book-to-screen' adaptations are being shown to encourage reading for pleasure. After all, many of the best films ever made have been based on a book! As students watch the film, they complete a short learning activity and have the option to borrow the book from the library afterwards.
Reading Week 2021-22
From the week of 30th May to 2nd June, The Reading Committee held their annual Reading Week, filled with lots of engaging activities to promote reading across the whole school.
On Monday, the Inter-class Guess the Book Quiz began, in which each class’s reading knowledge was put to the test. A pre-selected list of 10 popular books were shared, and 2 book-related questions were asked daily - one in English and one in Chinese. Each class had to work together to figure out which book the questions were related to and submit their answers daily, with class S2TW claiming the class prize.
On Tuesday, the long-awaited results of Reading Challenge Bingo were announced. Over 8 months, a total of 230 book reviews were submitted and displayed as recommended reading in the school library. Book voucher prizes were awarded to 38 passionate students, and a class prize was also awarded for the class with the highest participation: S2TW with 61 book reviews submitted.
On Wednesday, The Reading Committee hosted a charity book sale called ‘Blind Date with a Book’. In this event, pre-loved books were donated by staff and students. After wrapping the books in paper, a series of ‘clues’ were then written about each book based on the content, thereby encouraging staff and students to ‘not judge a book by its cover’. Due to the popularity of the event, all books sold out on the first day of the sale, with over $900 raised for our chosen reading charity, Bring Me a Book Hong Kong. The charity provides quality books and reading training programmes for families across Hong Kong.
To culminate the week of reading, our S1-S3 students had an online DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) session on Thursday to read a book of their choice.
Meanwhile, in the S4-S5 assembly, we were honored to invite Miss Natalia Chan to introduce us to the cross-cultural creation of poetry and art. Poetry is not only an independent art of writing, but also a bridge across cultures which should not be limited by format or frame. Miss Natalia Chan used "Chinese Heroes" as a series of clues to tell students about comics, dance dramas, and the poem "Non-related Accidents" was created after the performance.
Later, Miss Natalia Chan shared her poems, written in 2013 in memory of Leslie Cheung, about the changes in Hong Kong. Students learnt that writing sincerely and expressing themselves in words is a force that time cannot erase. It was a fruitful and meaningful event which was well received by students.
All in all, Reading Week was a great success and helped to promote reading for pleasure across the whole learning community. Students expressed great enthusiasm about the events, and The Reading Committee is already excited to plan next year’s Reading Week.
S1 Reading Programme
With so many new subjects to study in secondary school, all S1 students attend a timetabled Reading Programme lesson. The Reading Programme aims to equip students with the reading skills they need to succeed.
By building core reading skills such as prediction, inference, summarising and vocabulary, students are more equipped to read and understand lots of challenging subject-specific information.
Alongside this programme, each cycle, our experienced teachers hand select and share two articles for their subject area in order to promote subject-specific reading and enhance vocabulary skills. Students then form small groups and participate in Reading Circles to share what they have learnt.
Staff Book Club
The passion for reading doesn't stop once teachers leave the classroom!
As role models for our students, teachers regularly swap books and attend monthly book club meetings to discuss and dissect our chosen book.
Instagram
For current reading related news, events and activities, take a look at our dedicated Instagram page.
Here you'll also see upcoming library activities and be able to submit your very own book recommendation.