Kids' Lit Quiz - now open to International Schools

Until last year, (when we questioned the practice), the Kids’ Lit Quiz™ (KLQ) was only open to MOE schools. They have now opened it to all schools in Singapore.

Schools can send up for 4 members a team (with additional 2 reserves). Members must be between 10 and 13 years old as at 1 July 2016.

The Quiz is based on any book (children and young adult) – no set list is given. More information on the international KLQ and sample quiz questions can be found here: http://www.kidslitquiz.com/home.php

There’s a host of fringe activities for your students to participate in such as Book Out! at the public libraries and online quizzes on discoveReads – you can find more details here.

You can also download the KLQ booklet and booklist here for ideas on promoting reading and literature in your school. 

They allowed entry by international schools with  two conditions:

* The cost is S$132.97 per team (MOE schools are funded by the NLB)

* In the event of your team winning then your school would need to find the funding to travel to the World Final (which was Auckland last year). Actually this is what happens in all the countries. Some receive a subsidy but no team receives the full amount.

Since many schools are no longer doing the Readers' Cup this may be an interesting alternative for your more "elite" readers.

There is now a "Kids' Lit App" as well. 

AFCC 2017 - 10% off

Date: 17 — 21 MAY 2017
Venue: NLB, Victoria Road Singapore

The Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) is an annual festival in Singapore that celebrates and promotes the creation and appreciation of children’s books and content, with a focus on Asian themes.  Indonesia is the country of focus for this year.  ISLN members are offered a 10% discount.

This year the following ISLN members are taking part:

Ben Farr
20 May, 9am – 10am.

[PANEL] Literacy Bites: Practices in Schools
Looking at four schools, St James’ Church Kindergarten, the Green School Bali, Sarada Kindergarten and Kumon, discuss about literacy practices adopted by their schools and efforts to help children improve their grasp of languages.

Katie Day
17 May, 4.45pm – 6.00pm:
Authors Discussion: Who Gets to Write Asian Stories?
Speakers: Wai Chim, Paolo Fabregas, Holly Thompson, Heidi Shamsuddin


21 May, 11.15am – 12.15pm:
Books from Around the World that Build Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Bridges (and Why Teachers Ought to Know Them) --
Myra Garces-Bacsal, Sarinajit Kaur

Sarah Mounsey

Elaine Fong
21 May 2017 (Sun) 11:15am – 12:15pm
A Mammoth Task: Encouraging Reading in the Digital Age
Elaine will go over the key points she uses as a teacher librarian to encourage reading among students. She will also highlight the pitfalls and challenges that parents should be aware of. This session will provide anecdotal and research based strategies on how to encourage reading.
Part of Parents Forum, Preschool & Primary Teachers Congress

Nadine Bailey
20 May 2017 (Sat) 9:00am – 10:00am
Blokes with Books: Can Social Belonging Impact on Reading Motivation and Skill for Young Boys?
For the past 1 and a half years, something special has been happening at a school campus in Singapore. Boys aged 8-12 are arguing about whose turn it is to read a desired book and rushing to join a book club that’s so full, it’s not taking any more members. How did this happen? More importantly, how can you recreate the magic in your school? Nadine will spill the beans at this session.
Part of Preschool & Primary Teachers Congress

18 May 2017 (Thu) 10:30am – 11:30am
[PANEL] Books Teachers Wish Authors Would Write
Rilla Melati (Director, Creative Content Development, Mini Monsters Limited), Myra Garces-Bacsal (Educator, Reviewer, Blogger), Nadine Bailey (Teacher librarian, Canadian International School)
Creators can step into the shoes of a teacher for one hour and learn what makes a book a treasured find. From beautiful illustrations to didactic language, speakers discuss their views on relevant and useful books children need and love.
Part of Writers & Illustrators Conference

You may also be interested in the talk of Dr. Myra Bacsal Books from Around the World that Build Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Bridges (And Why Teachers Ought to Know Them)

There is a Writers and Illustrators conference, Teachers' Congress, Parents' Forum and Cross Platform Summit - so let your teachers and parents know too.

International Storytelling Festival

StoryFest: International Storytelling Festival Singapore showcases the best of storytelling from Singapore and around the world.
Dates: Fri – Sun, 2 – 4 June 2017
Venue: The Arts House, Singapore

Presented by The Storytelling Centre Limited and The Arts House, the festival features a variety of performances including family and adult audience shows, workshops and local commissions – a Young Storytellers Mentorship Project Graduation Showcase and Stories for Change showcasing key storytelling and spoken word organisations.  2017 will mark our first edition.

It may be worth while for schools to contact the organisers to see if there are opportunities to get visiting storytellers to come to their schools.