Literary Week 2017

The young Foundationers observed Literary Week from 24th to 29th July, 2017. The corridors were filled with enthusiasm, creativity and excitement. Curiosity and interest gleamed in the eyes of the children right from the onset! Activities on various aspects of both English and Hindi literature were conducted by language experts. In short it was no less than a literature extravaganza!

An action plan was prepared beforehand which had a different activity planned for everyday of the week.

Day I: The students of class I played Pictionary. This helped them learn the word picture- association for new words and enhance their vocabulary. The class II students were introduced to the concept of similes. They enjoyed seeing how two things were compared. They were able to comprehend the concept in a jiffy! They then made bookmarks on which they wrote a sentence using a simile of their choice and then drawing a little image. Later the children gifted these bookmarks to their friends.

Day II: In class I the children made bookmarks based on stories narrated by their teacher. They had fun drawings what they imagined the characters looked like, what they would have worn and so on. In class II it was time for choral recitation. The students were dressed as characters from poems. We were treated to a delightful visual pf little zoo on stage! There were crocodiles, cats and owls, a few monsters too and of course the dentists were there as well to manage the show. Class II A recited THE OWL AND THE PUSSY CAT, II B recited THE MONSTERS and II C recited THE CROCODILE AND THE DENTIST.

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Day III: In both classes I and II, it was time for some drama and creativity. The teachers narrated stories from Amar Chitra Katha which were listened to, very enthusiastically and why notwho doesnt love stories? Dont we too? The children then drew their favourite characters, spoke about them and made books covers too. They were then divided into groups, they chose the part of the story they liked most and enacted it. Let me tell you it was more enjoyable watching them then hearing the story!

Day IV: We all know that stories serve as the most educational and inspirational tool. Thus, it was time for some great story telling. We had amidst us, for what we called, Meet the Author, Ms. Vinita Zutschi. She narrated several stories in a most innovative way. She captivated the students and teachers alike, giving a humorous touch to old folk tales. She narrated The Blue Jackal to class I and The Monkey and the Crocodile to class II. The session ended on an interactive note with students asking her questions- they were curious about how she mimicked sounds, how does managed gestures and expressions etc.! It was a complete dose of fun and learning.

Day V: Such a treat for the children to hear stories especially when told in a most creative and an illustrated manner. Ms. Rupinder Kaur of The Indian School interacted with the children of class I. She was the storyteller behind the curtains and her story about the Caterpillar accompanied by a delightful hand puppet she used, enthralled the children. They enjoyed the afternoon.

Meanwhile there was a visitor who came to class II as well. In her big sunglasses the storyteller Ms. Priya Manchanda entered the class and from that very moment, she completely captivated the attention of the children! She told a story about animals. One could see the children actually imagining themselves in the wilds!

Day VI: It was the last day of the fun filled week. The children of class I did choral recitation. They looked so adorable with the little props and their harmonised actions. All that could be seen on stage were little cupcakes, magic wands, baby turtles and so on.

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Class I A recited FAIRY TALES, Class I B recited TEN TIRED TORTOISES, Class I C recited MOM ALWAYS KNOWS and class I D recited MOON CATCHIN NET. Class II students seemed engrossed in something different. It was called narrate your self made story. As the name suggests that is what the children did. Their imagination travelled far and wide. Someone became a fairy while another talked about monsters. Each had a unique story. Some even carried props. Most importantly is was an individual creation! Hurrah for our little heroes! The day ended with a display of what every class had done.

Classes III,IV,V,VI had a range of fun filled, motivating activities beginning with special assemblies each day. Choral recitation added to the gaiety and the poems recited were Adventures of Isabel, The Tiger, The Mouse and the Lion,The Butterfly and the Caterpillar, The sun and the Wind. Book jackets were made by Class IV using metaphors. Idioms were elaborated into stories by students of Classes V and VI. To promote Hindi literature, a special assembly was conducted and the assembly began with the recitation of some famous dohas. A few works of the Late Harivansh Rai Bachchan were introduced to the students and his poem Agneepath was recited.

The next was enactment was a scene from the book, 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'. Classes V and VI were briefed about William Shakespeare and his works. They also played a round of Guess the Author' , followed by a discussion about the authors. Class IV was briefed about Steve Jobs' biography which they enjoyed thoroughly.

To add to all this, there was three days of Authors' Meet at School. Ms. Ketaki Karnik, Ms. Vinita Zutshi and Mr. Ranjit Lal conducted sessions for the students during the week. All three engaged the children with beautiful tales, prompting them to learn to be creative and also be incisive. Ms. Zutshi narrated the story of The Monkey and the Crocodile. Ms. Karnik played a mystery game with the students in which they needed to find the culprit in a given situation. Mr. Lal narrated an amazing story about bugs and insects. These stories were not only fun filled but fostered love for literature in the students.

Literary Week proved to be an enriching and inspiring experience for both the students and their teachers. It stretched the horizons of the children with 'edutainment'!