Because we are planning a field trip to China, I asked my students to plan a five day four night trip to China as the winter holiday project.
I asked them to take the best advantage of voicethread.com, one of my favorite websites. It takes time to practice using this website. The disadvantage is if you try to upload a power point in Chinese, the characters normally will disappear after you upload it. I told my students not to worry about the characters but focusing on recording the voice. Some of them used movie maker and upload the movie they made,it's very cool, but sometimes it's really slow to upload a movie.
This class just finished the first book of the , so I don't expect them to do much, the main purpose of the project is simply to find out some interesting places in China to go, the good food to eat, and then share with their classmates.
When they came back to school after the holiday, I asked them to do an oral presentation again in front of the class, the difference is they can't rely on the voice they recorded in advance. It turned out to be a good oral practice, because they often wrote a script and read it when they did it at home.
For my advanced students who finished the first half of the , I asked them to do a food project, introduce the background of the Chinese dish, explain the ingredients and steps of how to make it. I asked them to do it because they will have an opportunity soon to make their own dumplings. The school is very supportive, they asked the canting to prepare the ingredients, and let students use their space.
We are going to make dumplings this Thursday before the Vietnamese new year holiday, I wish the dumplings will taste good (actually my mum just taught me how to make dumplings during the Christmas Break,so I'm not experienced at all)
I finally submitted my field trip proposal to school. One of my students yelled out "You are an awesome teacher!" after I showed them the trip plan. Well, I was really honored to receive such compliment, but I have to say, without students' enthusiasm I wouldn't have pulled all these together.
At the end of last quarter, I introduced my hometown to my students, and some of them wished to see it by themselves, the idea of having the field trip to China just jumped in my mind, like thousands of other ideas which ended no where. But this time was different. Many of them kept asking me whether I started the plan or not, just like everyday I check their homework.
Nothing would have been done if they haven't pushed me so far. Now looking at the whole trip plan, I'm really proud and can't wait to go as if it's the first time for me to travel to China as well.
After the field trip, we will hold a Chinese week in school, in which students can show their work and share the experience with their peers. I'm sure it will be a wonderful experience for both me and my students.
Below is our field trip plan, I found an educational tour agency in Beijing called Wild China, I told them the places I want to visit, and they pulled everything together perfectly.
Day 1 Shanghai Le Tour Traveler’s Rest Youth Hostel D Afternoon: Arrive at Pudong International Airport; take the Maglev train to terminal station; ascend to the 100th floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center; enjoy a boat trip on the Huangpu River Evening: Dinner; evening walk on Nanjing Road Day 2 Shanghai – Hangzhou Emerald Hostel B, L, D Morning: Visit Yuyuan and explore Chenghuangmiao Afternoon: Lunch; visit the Tianzifang neighborhood; take train G7319 (1600/1645) to Hangzhou Evening: Dinner at White Deer; visit local night market Day 3 Hangzhou Emerald Hostel B, L, D Morning/Afternoon: School exchange; visit Hangzhou Silk Market Evening: Dinner; Karaok in Kaige Day 4 Hangzhou Emerald Hostel B, L, D Morning: Bike riding at Xixi Wetlands Afternoon: Transfer to Longjing tea village; learn tea making process and tea tasting; return to Hanghzou Evening: Green tea dinner; Enjoy Impression West Lake Day 5 Shanghai – Hangzhou N/A B, L Morning: Take train G7306 (0900/0945) to Shanghai; transfer to Xintiandi; early lunch and free time Afternoon: Transfer to Pudong International Airport; depart Shanghai
When we had a department meeting last month, some teachers suggested to have a informal Christmas song competition among all the foreign language classes. I wasn't a big fan of it. I am not a big Christmas fan, and I can't think of any Christmas song in Chinese........ Well, I admit I was too lazy.
French class was practicing the song "Santa clause is coming to town", our French teacher is beautiful and romantic, she even designed a cute dance to go with the song. One day before the exam week, one of my students who had given up on me finally found the same song in Chinese, and sent the youtube link to me.
Well, let's do it!
Yesterday after the big final exam, students all excited about the coming winter holiday. We only had 15 minutes to practice the song,I was really amazed by their enthusiasm, they nailed it!
We went to the French classroom, it is tiny and cozy, by the time we arrived there, there was another math class. We sang the song in French and Chinese, many of the French class students also study Chinese as well, so when we sang the Chinese version, they all joined in together. In the end, we all sang "The moon represents my heart" in Chinese, it's probably the most well known foreign song in our school. More than 40 foreign students packed in a small classroom and sang the song in Chinese, it's absolutely one of the most beautiful things I ever seen in my life.
Thanks to the Santa Clause, I have decided next year we will sing the same song, and ask students to design their own dance.
Shame to say, but this is the first English book I have ever finished in four days. We were on a beautiful island called Phu Quoc. It was really nice and quiet, almost too quiet for me. I'm not a beach person,I can't really swim. Thankfully I brought this book with me, I spent most of the time reading this book.
It's a story about a girl named Peony who was well educated from a rich family in Hangzhou. The story sets at the beginning of Qing dynasty when girls and women started to get good education, write poems and even publish their work.
Peony loved the opera "The peony pavilion", she dreamed to meet a lover even though she had been betrothed. She met a handsome young poet by accident, they shared the same passion about the opera and fell in love. The love was so strong that she got lovesick, she spent most of her time on commenting the opera and died just before her wedding. She became a lonely ghost, only then she found out that her fiancé was the young poet she was in love with.
Her love wasn't dying with her body, she stayed and watched her husband getting married, she put all her love in the sister wife's body, and continued to finish the comment she was working on.The sister wife died during the child birth.She educated and trained another girl to match her husband.This young girl was brilliant and sensible.She found the comments that both wives have been working on and finally finished it. The book was published under these three wives' names. This was the first comment book ever been published in Chinese history.
It's a true story(except the ghost part). I was really fascinated by the author's writing, it's not just a breath taking love story, the exciting changes happened during that period of history were beautifully wove into the story.
One of my students recommended the book to me after I introduced Hangzhou in the class. This is the best feedback I got. By teaching you learn so much from students.
I found it's quite hard to teach writing at the early stage. Students don't have a lot of vocabulary, they can't think in Chinese. One of my students wrote a whole story in English and came to ask me the translation in Chinese.
I insist that my students should use the vocabulary they have learned when they write.It forces them to think in Chinese.But for writing, I really don't have good ideas. My colleague asks her students to keep diary everyday, it's a good idea.But at the same time, students don't really write about many topics except for complaining to much homework, being happy or not happy.
So how to make them thinking beyond the boxes? Our drama teacher gave me an idea. He gives students a word, asks them to sit together in groups and write down words which are related to each other.
It reminds me of a picture book I read in Hangzhou, each picture has a connection. For example, the picture of grass is related to man's beard.
I was teaching the lesson about seeing a doctor. I wrote "生病（get sick）" on the white board, and I wrote an example word "妈妈（mom)", I told them when I am sick, I think about my mom, and my mom always take care of me. I ask them to come to the white board and write down a word each. They have to tell me the connections. It's a good exercise for them to review the words and practice speaking as well. Some of the students are very creative, they came up with words like: apple,travel,party,weather,clothes. After that, I asked them to write a short story of being sick. Most of them took the ideas from the words they wrote on the board.
I really got sick of hearing people saying Hangzhou is the best city when I was at home.But now I got home sick after two months in Ho Chi Minh City!
I miss the beautiful west lake,the food,the tea mountains people hang out during the weekends,even though I hardly went out when I was in Hangzhou,I even miss the KTVs which I used to hate! Everything about Hangzhou seems so lovely right now. I can't wait to go home and show the most beautiful city to my students.
I got some videos and love stories online to show them,one of the stories is called 梁山伯和祝英台，this is like the Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet; The other one is the White Snake lady,I'm going to do a reading project on this story with one of my classes. Both of the stories are quite popular in Vietnam.
I have four classes,three of them have a lot more girls than boys,they were fascinated by the stories and scenery;on the other hand,I have one class has 10 boys and 2 girls,they thought it was boring.It's interesting to see the fact,which made me wonder the different strategies or resources I might need to use for differentiation,I will discuss about that later.
Anyway, it felt really good that I could share something real important to me with my students,I asked them to collect videos,photos,songs,stories about Ho chi Minh or Vietnam during the autumn break,so I can share their love with them as well.I would like to know about this city and country more,it's an important chapter in my life too.
I'm really happy with my life now,I start to appreciate where I come from,I start to appreciate a lot more things than I ever did in my life! I feel alive and full of energy!
This is a popular show played on West lake every evening,I went to watch it before I left Hangzhou,it was absolutely stunning,the whole stage was built under the water surface,west lake is the natural perfect back ground,someone said it's the story about the white snake lady,someone said it's 梁山伯和祝英台，does it matter?
Below is the translation of the song I found online:
The rain is still falling, filling a lake of mist Broken bridge, silken umbrella, from black to white,I miss you Who's on the boat? Writing my past? A pen of promises, a paper filled with separation. Rain ~~~ standing by the lake Rain ~~~ gazing at the northern bank The rain is still falling, filling a lake of mist Broken bridge, silken umbrella,from black to white,I miss you Who's on the boat? Writing my past? A pen of butterflies, a paper filled with separation.
My farewell, never ending Upon the West Lake, again and again White wings, flying over the years A long sigh, from Heaven to Earth The rain is still falling, drenching a thousand years The lake water linked to Heaven, from Black to White our meeting Who's on the boat? Writing my past? Let's talk about human，then talk about the country.
