New Programme further develops reading culture within BIS Hanoi

Many studies have shown that reading is a powerful tool to develop our minds, improve our vocabulary and performance across all subjects at school, and broaden our knowledge of the world. Furthermore, as English language learners, reading is a fantastic way to improve our language skills by introducing new vocabulary and grammatical structures that our students can use themselves verbally or in their written work.

At BIS Hanoi, this year in the Secondary school we have introduced a new programme called Accelerated Reader, to encourage our students to read more books in English and thus improve their English language learning. The programme works by firstly giving us a reading age for each individual student, which in turn is then used to suggest an appropriate range of books that are accessible to individual students. Because the books are age-appropriate, our students will be able to read books that they will understand and learn from. Furthermore, the programme will test students every term, so we are hoping to see progress in the development of their reading skills across the school year. 

In Secondary, we are keen to create an encouraging and exciting reading culture that motivates our students to read for pleasure. As part of their English lessons, students go to the library to discover new books and spend time creating positive reading habits. Reading is now a central part to the Key Stage 3 homework that students receive, so parents can help us with this at home by reading with their children, or discussing books that they or their child has recently enjoyed. This is a powerful way to promote reading, which is a vital skill for learning and particularly language learning.