Learning Literature Differently – ‘Je Bouquine’ Contest

Reading excerpts from a prescribed novel, then imagining and writing the continuation of the story. These are the rules of the "Je Bouquine" Young Writers Contest, in which our students from 4ème have been participating for a few years.

The idea is to help them engage in a creative writing project and long-form writing. The goal is to move away from composition topics related to the literature curriculum, which may seem too closely related to their coursework.

Stimulating them, inspiring them, guiding them

It is an opportunity for us to help them build a more extensive reflective work by stimulating their ability to prepare the writing process well in advance, to spend time on drafts to define major directions, organise them, find appropriate vocabulary, and gradually enrich their future writing by avoiding the tendency to write too quickly and impulsively.

Every year, we try to organise the intervention of professional writers, such as Karine Yoaquim-Pasquier or Antonin Atger in previous years. They bring a critical perspective, a high demand for plot construction, and a reflection on the reader's expectations. Following the "master class" principle, these writers intervene for a few hours at various stages of our students' creative process. The students are quite impressed but also inspired to work with a writing professional, greatly motivating their personal commitment and desire to excel.

This year, it is Armelle Patron, screenwriter and author, who will be accompanying our students

Armelle Patron is a French screenwriter and author known for numerous successful series and films such as "Scènes de ménages", "Nos chers voisins", "Joséphine Ange gardien", and "L'amour presque parfait", as well as books like "Les questions essentielles de Zoé", "Les aventures de Pomme et Ti'Chat", and "La petite bibliothèque grinçante".

She also co-wrote a play with her brother titled "Chers Parents." The play has been a great success at the Théâtre de Paris, nominated for the 2022 Molières in the Best Comedy category, and will be performed in Hong Kong at our TKO campus auditorium from 20th - 23rd November.

Armelle's visit to Hong Kong for this occasion presents an exceptional opportunity for our middle school students. She will conduct workshops specially designed for them as part of the "Je bouquine" competition. The goal is to inspire students to explore their creativity while providing them with practical tools to write captivating stories. These tools will be accompanied by concrete examples from the play "Chers Parents," helping students better understand how to apply these techniques in their own writing.

If you wish to enjoy this successful French play with English Surtitles, click below:

FIS is multiplying initiatives to learn literature in different ways

Throughout the year and depending on the occasions, the literature teachers, the Library team, and the Vie Scolaire team, together or in turn, organise these invaluable initiatives for learning and, most importantly, for developing a taste for literature. It is all these activities that make FIS' program so unique.

Some examples below:

• "Plaisir d'écrire" National Competition, organised by AMOPA (Association of Members of the Order of Academic Palms)
• The Battle of the Books
• Acrostic competition "DRACULA" organised by the Library for Halloween
• Entertaining workshops during the Francophonie Week
• Prix AZIMUT for CM2 and 6th-grade students
• Prix Segalen for high school students in Asia

Last year, for the 2023-2024 edition of the AMOPA "Plaisir d'écrire" competition, a student from FIS, Eléanore Vidal, won the 1st Prize in the "Young Short Story" category (Fifth Grade). Her short story is worth the read…