Leaders are Readers
Exciting displays of mental fortitude took place this April as students tested their English mettle with the fourth annual Test of English by Kyonggi (TEK). The goal of the test is to encourage students to read and interact with English literature and reward them for being able to demonstrate their comprehension of the reading. Students started preparing for this months prior by devouring the several assigned books for each grade. The test also featured a listening component. Students were encouraged to watch the animation films beforehand in order to be prepared to listen to excerpts and answer both comprehension and fill in the blank questions.
The books chosen for the TEK ranged from educational mainstays like The Magic Treehouse series, all the way to classics of children’s literature, such as Stuart Little. Each grade had five books to read over the course of several months.
Students gave it their all to compete for the prizes. Gold, silver, and bronze prizes were at stake for students who demonstrated their hard work and determination. Overall, a grand total of 78 third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders aced their way to gold medal prizes.
Interviews with Greatness
We interviewed the two students that got a perfect score on their TEK. Third Grade’s Ian Ryu and Fifth Grade’s Dain Yang were the TEK superstars this year.
Q: How do you feel about being one of the students who got a perfect score on the TEK?
Ian: I am very happy that I achieved better results than I expected, especially since I was worried, so I prepared for my first TEK. Furthermore, I am grateful for the compliments my parents have given me.
Q: Are there any creative ways in which you express your love for reading? How do you use your knowledge of books in your life?
Dain: I love doodling. I doodle characters in different situations. I also make playlists that fit the characters. Let’s face it, I’m a geek. Sometimes books change my point of view. Like before I read “Starfish,” I used to think being fat wasn’t good. But now I think being fat is ok, as long as you are ok with it.
Q: What advice or tips do you want to give Kyonggi students to help them achieve excellence?
Ian: I read a book several times. Also, there are many clips on Youtube where native speakers read books in an interesting way.
Q: Do you like reading books? Which book do you want to recommend to other students?
Dain: I’ll recommend “The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl,” which is a story about a girl who becomes a math genius after being struck by lightning.
Students’ Choice Awards: Which Books Were the Favorites?
Grade 3
Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker edged out the competition for the most popular book in third grade, taking home a quarter of the vote. The story of a boy named Stink complaining about his supersized candy enthralled students like Songhyun, who liked that “everyone solved the problem” in the story. Samuel was happy to learn lots of idioms from this book as well.
Grade 4
With a whopping 47 percent of the vote, Mr. Klutz is Nuts was the runaway favorite for Grade 4. This story of a wacky principal tickled students like Kai, who “liked Mr. Klutz doing strange things.” Students like Lilly also liked the crazy antics of Mr. Klutz and especially the “things that are funny, such as kissing a pig.”
Grade 5
Frindle, the tale of troublemaking Nick discovering the power of language, was the most popular TEK book in fifth grade, garnering 30 percent of the vote. Students like Emily enjoyed the idea that “kids could also make up a word.” Many other students, such as James, enjoyed all the humor with the main character Nick.
Grade 6
In sixth grade, the most popular TEK book was The Magic Tree House: Titanic, which ended up with 34 percent of the vote. Some students, such as Grace, enjoyed the fact that it was a real story. On the other hand, numerous students remarked that it was “very fun,” which is an interesting way to think about this famously tragic event from 1912.