The Extensive Reading Program run by Andrew Rouse (English Teacher) at EIS believes just like Dr Suess that the joy of reading opens up new worlds to students, but also develops a virtuous cycle of learning.
“The students read for the joy of it, they are doing something fun, so they read some more, there is more understanding, the more they understand the more they like it, the more they like it the more they read, it is a virtuous cycle.”, says Andrew.
As part of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) the Extensive Reading Program encourages students aged 11 to 15 to learn time management, responsibility and to be their own person. The students can choose their own books, when they read them and how much homework they do. With approximately 30 books to be read during the academic year, and 7 key questions of understanding students can be tested on at any time, they are challenged to be critical thinkers. Over the last academic year, the Grade 8 MYP English class of eight students read over 31,000 pages, with an average of almost 4,000 pages each.
Andrew says that there is constantly high praise from parents “Parents say that they love to see their children turn off their devices and read a book instead.”
It is not only the parents who give high praise to the Extensive Reading Program, significant research shows students improve their communication, writing skills, expand their vocabulary, independence and confidence. It also helps them to learn to make sense of the world around them, builds social-emotional skills and their imaginations.
For more about EIS’s IB Middle Years Programme (MYP), click here or contact EIS Admissions Team via info@eishcmc.com.
