A LOOK INTO LANGUAGE GROWTH THROUGH LITERATURE AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION
In the K2 stage, children show a strong interest in stories and reading. In AISL Harrow Hong Kong Children School (HKCS), we observed that the children not only enjoy listening to stories but also enthusiastically retell them. Building on this interest, we launched a storytelling-based inquiry project aimed at supporting children’s bilingual development through rich opportunities for both Chinese and English language input and output. Stories became more than just a source of enjoyment they served as bridges for vocabulary acquisition, sentence structure learning, cultural understanding, and above all, growing confidence in bilingual communication.
PHASE 1:
DISCOVERING FICTION A JOURNEY INTO STORY WORLDS
We chose The Wizard of Oz, a classic work of fiction, as the starting point for this unit. With teacher guidance, children explored the story’s timeline, characters, and major events, gradually developing an understanding of what makes a fictional story.
As part of their learning, each child created a personalised “Wizard of Oz Character Book”. They began by designing the book covers using English carefully writing titles like The Wizard of Oz, labelling characters’ names. Inside the book, they used drawings to represent the main characters, such as Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and Glinda.
Once their character books were completed, the children shared them with teachers and peers. They described their drawings and retold character traits in Chinese, often weaving in English words and phrases they had learned during the story reading. For example, a child might say, ”This is Dorothy, 她有 (She has) magic shoes,” naturally blending the two languages. This integration of Chinese and English in real communication reflected their growing fluency, vocabulary confidence, and ability to use both languages purposefully and meaningfully.
Through this process, the children not only deepened their comprehension of the story, but also took pride in creating something of their own by using two languages to express, share, and connect with others. It marked an important first step in their journey from being listeners to becoming storytellers.
PHASE 2: BUILDING THE STORY-TELLING CORNER
A STAGE FOR LANGUAGE AND CREATIVE EXPRESSION
As the children’s curiosity deepened, we introduced an interactive “story-telling corner” to bring the tale to life. Using open-ended materials, they crafted the story’s main characters–Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Wicked Witch.
They worked collaboratively to design these characters, discuss their roles, and map out the story sequence and causal relationships. Through this hands-on experience, children practiced organising their thoughts, developing narrative logic, and applying what they had learned in meaningful ways.
They then placed their handmade characters into self-created story scenes, confidently retelling or adapting The Wizard of Oz using their own words. Many children were able to clearly describe character actions, convey emotion through tone and voice, and structure their storytelling with clarity and purpose. This marked a major shift from being passive listeners to active storytellers, while significantly enhancing their listening comprehension, expressive language, collaborative skills, and creative thinking.
PHASE 3:
THE “BOOK MAKING STATION”
EXTENDING BILINGUAL EXPRESSIO N THROUGH CREATION
To further extend children’s enthusiasm for storytelling and books, we created a dedicated Bookmaker’s Workshop in the classroom. This space allowed them to transform their ideas into books through hands-on experiences such as punching holes, rounding corners, and binding pages with. Each child designed and produced their own original book from start to finish.
Throughout the process, children explored how to turn ideas into text and illustrations. They used both Chinese and English to create characters, organise storylines, and design page layouts, gaining a concrete understanding of what makes a book. Whether working independently or collaboratively, they demonstrated increased planning skills, task management, and a sense of ownership over their learning. Within this rich bilingual environment, the children found joy and pride in expressing themselves across languages.
During our student-led conferences, children took on the role of instructors, guiding their parents through the bookmaking process. With confidence and clarity, they explained how to turn a blank page into a bound book, using both Chinese and English to describe each step. This experience showcased their growth in bilingual communication and literary understanding.
The Bookmaker’s Workshop became more than just a creative space. It was a stage where language, imagination, and critical thinking came together. Many children seamlessly switched between Chinese and English, offering bilingual explanations and enriching their narratives with both languages. From cover design and story development to personalised content, each book reflected not only the child’s creativity but also their deepening grasp of language and storytelling.
Through this integrated journey from listening to stories, to building narratives, to authoring books-our K2 students made remarkable progress in their bilingual abilities, creative expression, and independent learning. Most importantly, they discovered the joy of using language to express themselves, connect with others, and bring their stories to life.
Each child is becoming a confident communicator, an imaginative storyteller, and a young author. With every story they tell and every book they create, they are writing the first chapters of their own bilingual journey, bold and full of wonder.
“This integration of Chinese and English in real communication reflected their growing fluency, vocabulary confidence, and ability to use both languages purposefully and meaningfully.”
