Secondary-wide Homeroom Reading Comprehension has best week thus far

Every Thursday, the morning homeroom period for grades 6 through 12 is devoted to BIS’s “Reading Comprehension” activity, where all students are given a comprehension quiz (via the web-based group quiz application Kahoot) based on a weekly short reading passage that they were given access to 2 days prior. An idea of Principal Justin Walsh, the “Kahoots”, as they are referred to, are differentiated for grade level and feature both fiction and nonfiction literature on a wide variety of topics, from current events in Indonesia to the changing landscape of international schools to the essence of what it means to try and outrun our pasts; while students are honing their reading skills, they are also being exposed to news, current events and quality writing.

Grades are paired together and compete against not only their adjacent rival but the entire school in general (passages are adjusted for grade/reading level and winners are determined by overall percentage correct; Grade 9 took home top honors for the months of September and August). The “Kahoots” produce a wealth of data that can be used to track student progress, improvement and comprehension as well overall quiz behavior in addition to informing on how to improve “Kahoots” and BIS secondary  literacy in general.

With all that said, October 26’s “Kahoot” results specifically are cause for shining a celebratory light. It was easily the most successful in terms of scores, understanding and overall quality comprehension by our students since these quizzes began in mid-August. A few highlights…..

Thank you to the BIS Secondary teachers who run the “Kahoots” week in and week out. For copies of the passages being read, contact the Head Librarian, Mr. Marshall, at nmarshall@baliis.net. And don’t forget to follow the BIS Library on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat at the handle/username baliislibrary.