Oxford University Press (OUP) launched Dragonfly Readers—an innovative 9 level reading series aimed at helping young learners of English to develop good reading habits and become motivated readers. The distinctive feature of these beautifully illustrated anthologies is that they are infused with Asian themes and values, helping learners explore the unity and diversity of Asian cultures. Covering both fiction and non-fiction texts written by Asian authors, the series is designed with non-native English language learners in mind and includes extensive teacher support materials.
At the launch event, OUP also introduced Oxford Reading Buddy—a next-generation digital reading service that offers a host of digital tools and unique inbuilt coaching feature to help students develop reading comprehension skills. Dragonfly Readers are included as interactive eBooks within the Oxford Reading Buddy platform. Additionally, the service tracks student progress with online quizzes and provides teachers with valuable insights into student achievement. Used together or independently, Dragonfly Readers and Oxford Reading Buddy offer a complete system to teach graded reading and develop students’ critical thinking skills.
The event featured an invigorating panel discussion on the topic ‘The Importance of Reading and Cross-Cultural Understanding’ with Basarat Kazim, Sarwat Mohiuddin, and Asma Zia as speakers and Ayesha Jabbar as the moderator. The panellists highlighted why in this age of globalization, it was important to inculcate among children an appreciation for other cultures. In this context, they emphasised that Dragonfly Readers will enable school children in Pakistan to learn about the traditions and values of other Asian countries and hence develop an understanding and tolerance for cultures that were diverse yet similar to theirs.
While speaking about Dragonfly Readers and Oxford Reading Buddy to school heads and teachers present at the event, Oxford University Press Pakistan Sales Director North Fayyaz Raja in his welcome address said: “These stories have been created by Asian children’s book authors and illustrators specifically to teach Asian children. The Readers feature a systematic ‘levelled reading’ approach with incremental vocabulary coverage.
Dragonfly Readers and Oxford Reading Buddy were simultaneously launched at events in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.
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