Kids' Lit Quiz Gains Popularity in China
By Nadine Rosevear-Dewit, Middle School Teacher-Librarian
The aim of every library media specialist is to encourage students to read more and to expand their reading horizons. Book talks to classes and casual conversations in the library, author promotions and visits are some examples of effective ways to reach that goal. However, encouraging students to be actively and continuously engaged in exploring literature might garner more success. At the International School of Beijing, KidsĄŻ Lit Quiz has proved to be the catalyst in creating a veritable haven for book lovers and awakening readers.
On December 12, 2006 eight international schools from across China gathered at the International School of Beijing (ISB) for a captivating reading event, the annual Kids' Lit Quiz China Finals. Kids' Lit Quiz (KLQ) is an international literature competition and the brainchild of Wayne Mills, a senior lecturer at the University of Auckland. Mills started the quiz in 1991 in New Zealand . The competition is aimed at middle school students under the age of 14. It quickly gained popularity in schools in the UK, New Zealand, and South Africa. In 2005, a handful of international schools from China decided to join the KLQ aficionados and hold their own competition. This year again, schools in these countries have had their national competitions and will send their best team to Oxford, England for the World Final in July 2007.
Last December, ISB welcomed 16 "gung-ho" middle school teams, accompanied by teachers and parents, to its main theater. Wayne Mills himself was sponsored by ISB to oversee this event and acted as a lively and inspiring quizmaster. Students were seated at tables of four on the stage and were cheered by their fans and a continuous stream of middle school classes who came with their teachers and who were eager to hear Mills' literature questions. In a hard fought contest ISB's eighth grade team won first place and thus retained their title; the Western Academy of Beijing came in second; and Dulwich College third. Participating students and teachers had a thrilling day as each team worked collaboratively to answer 100 questions in ten categories. Some of these categories were predictable, such as authors and classics, but some of Mills' selections for this year were a bit more unusual and included cetaceans, reptiles, and food.
Kids' Lit Quiz is a great incentive for students to broaden their range of reading. It is also exciting and fun, and a splendid opportunity for different schools to get together. Cindy (ISB, grade 6) whose team won fourth place in the China Finals said she was proud of their achievements and that although she had been a bit nervous, had enjoyed a fun experience. Eight graders Cole and Melissa, from the ISB winning team both agreed that the upcoming competition in Oxford will be tough, as only the best teams will participate in the event. Melissa commented, "I didn't think we were going to win the China Finals, because the other schools were really good. But we did!" Cole is looking forward to staying in an Oxford College and to giving his best at the World Finals on July 10 th.
In the past the World Final has been held in Auckland, New Zealand, but this year, the winning teams have been invited to Oxford, England as part of the celebration of the city's millennium. Karen Ahnemann, middle school language arts teacher, and I will accompany the ISB students. We expect a week of fun and interesting visits while touring the city and various cultural sites. The group is scheduled to meet famous writers, such as Philip Pullman and Gillian Cross; visit Stonehenge and the renowned Bodleian library, and attend an Alice in Wonderland party. There is also the exciting possibility of receiving an invitation to attend the premiere of the latest Harry Potter movie in London's West End!
The middle school students at the International School of Beijing can't get enough of KLQ. During second semester, they will meet again every Wednesday at lunch time to answer questions on all genres of literature. Our winning team will assume greater responsibility and take charge of the weekly meetings. All participants will be asked to contribute to a bank of questions and organize titles in categories. This will encourage them to explore new works and genres, and to reread old favorites. We are even thinking of setting up a social network on wikispaces to get more students involved and make them passionate about formulating questions and recommending books to each other. If you want to know more about Kids' Lit Quiz, visit the website http://www.kidslitquiz.com/ .
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