ES Literacy Program
	While parents choose AIS for a range of reasons, our purpose and mission remain the delivery of a robust US college-preparatory academic program. All programs at AIS are delivered in English. However, as an international school that welcomes students and families from both the local and international communities in Hong Kong, we recognize there will always be varying degrees of English language proficiency within our student-body. Literacy provides the foundations for academic achievement and as a school committed to academic success, AIS places the development of strong literacy skills at the heart of its curricular program. Students in Early Childhood are exposed to a range of developmental programs that lead to formal areas of reading, writing speaking and listening. As the students move into Grade 1 Junior and then on through the school to Grade 5, they will continue to systematically build and strengthen their literacy skills through our Language Arts Program.   Click here to enjoy a slideshow from 2012. Click here to enjoy a slideshow from 2011.   Click here to enjoy a slideshow from 2010.

	Literacy Week is an annual event at Elementary School. English literacy teaching enables students to speak, listen, read, view and write purposefully and confidently. At AIS we provide a balanced literacy program where students become proficient in all aspects of literacy including, reading, writing, speaking and listening. Explicit teaching of reading and writing skills, and strategies, provide the main focus for literacy instruction. Proficiency in speaking and listening forms the foundation for good reading and writing. The classroom program provides many opportunities for students to engage actively in speaking and listening. Pair-work, small groups and whole class groupings are used to lead students in developing key skills through discussions, stories, debates, speeches and drama.     Reading, writing speaking and listening are supported in the classroom by a range of strategies and resources. The Guided Reading Program commences in Grade 1 Junior, where focus groups are taught explicitly by the teacher whilst other students work independently on meaningful reading activities including comprehension, vocabulary and grammar. The school continues to invest considerable funds into continually building the resources available for classroom use in this program.   Children commence writing in their first days of school as they develop knowledge and understanding of letters, words, sentence formation and the writing process. In Grade 3 the 6 Traits of Writing is introduced. This is a system designed to teach students the craft of quality writing, using a structured framework that allows our teachers to provide focused, detailed feedback and instruction. The Six Traits system strengthens students’ writing in the specific areas of organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency and conventions.     The Home Reading Program is an important component of the literacy program. Students are required to read at home every day and a record of reading is kept for each student.   All students in the elementary school also participate in library / literacy lessons under the instruction of a trained library specialist. Students borrow books regularly from the library and are encouraged to purchase books through the school’s book fairs and the Scholastic Book Club. Students are also encouraged to improve reading skills through the Reading Counts incentive program.   AIS is focussed and committed to developing strong English literacy skills across the elementary school. To support this further, teachers are continually involved in ongoing professional development directly focused on the development of our students’ literacy skills.