Message from mgu

[Anonymous]

I used to teach K-4 and the school is in South Carolina. K-4 students participate the Chinese New Year celebration with the local community. It was a big project and focused on China and Chinese holiday. However, students have many opportunities to learn about China (not just holidays/celebrations) and the influence of Chinese culture on other East Asian countries (i.e. Vietnamese New Year) through the preparation for the celebration.

The students decorate the hallway and the gym with their character writing as well as other arts projects (making lanterns, etc.). Through these activities, they learned about the Chinese arts, the symbols in Chinese arts, and symbols in different celebration. The students also learn different chants/rhymes/songs related to Chinese New Year or different seasonal celebrations. They also learned the celebration of Chinese New Year not just in China but also in Chinese communities in USA. They read the story of the origin of Chinese New Year and through the story the teach would be able to introduce many symbolic meanings. Finally the students were able to perform the songs/rhymes at the event and observe the celebration in a smaller scale (in the gym) but with other community members.

It was a project that requires a lot of time, collaboration, and preparation. But the students enjoyed a lot and learned so much. The young learners responded very well to music, visuals, and story telling. Most of all, they could showcase their learning in a real setting.

Considering the scale of this project, individual elementary classes might take one or two elements of this project. For example, explore Chinese fables and have students make illustrations to show their understanding. Students can also role play celebrations, historical events, and culture practice.