HKIS Pages
HKIS Pages is the digital home for school publications like DragonTales, the Annual Report of Giving, special graduation features and more.
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These were thoughts shared by the 5th graders Charlotte, Owen, and Raphael in Mr. Myers’ class, who decided to answer these questions in their write-ups for their writing unit on feature articles.
Charlotte’s writeup today came to her after she looked at her desk and decided to write about the most straightforward thing she could think about: a pile of sticky notes. Although she scrapped her original idea of writing about African clay pots, she hopes she can one day write about it, whether as an assignment or not. While developing her piece, the budding author quickly realized how critical visual elements are to an article, as well as having a subtitle that can match the energy of a catchy title. It’s easy to see this in her work, with its bright images, vibrant colors, and small yet significant detail in her title.
When asked if she wants to become an author, she responds with a small “Maybe,” but quickly follows up with her reasoning. She’s creative, imaginative, and loves fiction–qualities she believes will help her if she decides to write a book someday.
Owen, Grade 5 Student
This isn’t his first time writing about battleships. In first grade, he wrote a book about torpedoes and hopes to write realistic fiction featuring watercraft in the future, either for an assignment or as an author. When reflecting on how writing assignments have changed since he penned his story in first grade, he believes that over time more structure has been gradually added to these assignments, and you get to learn a little bit more about the rules and twists in writing. This time, Owen learned that feature articles shouldn’t be severe: “People usually read [feature articles] for entertainment, so it should have enough humor to keep them interested.”
Raphael discovered the joys of research through this unit due to the extensive fact-finding he had to do for his writeup on Monopoly. The ominously titled ‘The Dark Journey’ is a writeup filled with facts you probably didn’t know about your favorite board game to flip over at a family dinner, fitted into small boxes. Raphael got his inspiration for fitting his research into small ‘bite-sized’ packets from his friend Adam’s project, which has a similar style. As for the title, he said it came to him in two parts: ‘Dark’ because of the facts he discovered that he realized would be unknown information to many, and “Journey” because ultimately, the game Monopoly, is one long journey. From the process: he learned that he really enjoyed two things when it came to writing feature articles: designing the layout for your writeup, and researching the content. With these newfound skills, the game enthusiast wants to write more about his favorite hobbies, but not another board game: “I’d love to write about video games, like the ones I play on my console!”
The Feature Article unit is just one part of the larger writer’s workshop in the Upper Primary. For Mr. Myers, the aim is to learn a pattern of writing and exploration that enables students to succeed. For example, if a student needs to write a letter to an editor they are able to map out the steps to achieving that by reading examples and taking note of what they can incorporate. The goal is create habits so that when they are confronted with writing a new genre, they have a flexible system to fall back on.
Furthermore, Mr Myers pointed out that “the big change for them [fifth graders] is that they have a lot more independence in how they use the authoring cycle.” This means that students are given the freedom to go back and forth between different steps like reading mentor texts for inspiration or looking back at their rubric to edit their drafts. In addition, students also learn to analyse a genre of writing. With the feature article, students started by reading mentor texts and making their own observation about the creative titles, subtitles, and introductions. When choosing their own topics, Mr. Myers also pushed them to start writing about more specific subjects. Mr. Myers describes the evolution of the writers workshop as “earlier on it’s a lot more hand holding and helping kids and (being) more structured. Further on, it becomes more open ended with more choice with topics and (students are encouraged to) write in a genre based on their exposure to it through mentor texts.”
The Feature Article unit serves as just one stepping stone in the students' journey to becoming skilled, passionate, and diverse writers.
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Oh the Drama! - Theater Shines at HKIS
The theater program at HKIS carries on the longstanding tradition of storytelling and creative expression that attracts students year after year.
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Student Boards: Wellbeing and Sustainability
Discover how students at HKIS empower each other through participation in the Wellbeing and Sustainability Board.
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Dragon Testimonies: Brennan Lee '23
Brennan Lee ‘23 encountered Jesus during a difficult time during 10th grade. His friends invited him to a lunchtime hangout in the High School Spiritual Life Office. Here, students had interesting conversations about faith and life with Church of All Nations youth worker Kevin Kong. Through the support of his Dad, he embarked on a journey of Catholic Confirmation at the age of 17 and continues to learn more about the faith through his church, FISH Club, and Alpha at HKIS.
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Dragon Testimonies: Theresa Lovelin
For Theresa Lovelin, coming to Hong Kong and to HKIS was part of an intricate plan by God. Theresa arrived in Hong Kong in June 2017 when her husband Dave Lovelin became High School Principal. While there, she met Jesus, became a committed Christian, and was baptized at the Church of All Nations. Looking back, Theresa sees the seeds planted throughout her life and can confidently say that HKIS was an important stepping stone in her lifelong journey of spirituality.
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Dragon Testimonies: Alan Zhou '31
Alan Zhao ‘31 didn’t like to miss out. It was his good friend Emmanuel who invited him to church, and when Communion took place, Alan wanted to know what he had to do to take part. The two friends joined JOY Club, the Christian after-school club, and continued to attend church together each week to learn more about the Bible. Friendship, support from his family, and God’s prompting have been Alan’s greatest gifts this year!
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The Past in the Present
HKIS Students “speak” to Holocaust survivors through Dimensions in Testimony, a virtual reality program brought to HKIS by the Hong Kong Holocaust and Tolerance Center.
