One of the most exciting reasons to study in an international school is to experience and learn a different culture. Our school provides language classes and various activities for students to interact with the local community. For example: community service, CAS, after school activities, or games and matches with local Chinese schools. Students are learning to become open-minded, caring, and knowledgeable communicators in the process of understanding the local language and customs.
The Chinese Mid-AutumnFestival, also known as the Chinese Moon Festival, takes place on the 15th dayof the eighth Chinese lunar month. This year the festival fell on September 15th,2016. The reason for celebrating this festival during that time is because themoon is at its fullest and brightest. It is a time for families to be together,so people far from home will return or at least appreciate the idealism of the roundmoon, lighting the lanterns and thinking about their families. The traditionalfood for the Mid-Autumn Festival is the moon cake which is round and symbolizesreunion and is shared among the Chinese households, families and friends.
Middle school students inour school watched a power point introduction and a video about the Mid-AutumnFestival during Dragon Time class and they had the opportunity to participate ina Mooncake Design Competition. Many of our middle school students shared theircreativity in designing unique and beautiful mooncakes. As this was a housecompetition, the winning house was awarded house points for 1st, 2nd,and 3rdplace, runners up, and 1stplace also received abox of mooncakes.
For Mandarin classes, Itried the Metaphor Strategy, as explained below with direct and indirect analogy,and students had the chance to think creatively and gain a deeper insight aboutthe Mid-Autumn Festival. It is not only knowing about the activities thatChinese people do to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, but also the culturebehind the celebrations and to understand the importance of family to the Chinesepeople.
Direct Analogy
After the studentslearned the general knowledge about the Mid-Autumn Festival, they were asked towrite down the attributes of the lantern. They wrote all the associations, asmany as they could. For example: the color, the usage, the shape, and how tolight it, etc. After that, they were invited to make crazy connections between theMid-Autumn Festival and lanterns, and shared their ideas with each other. From theconnections that they discovered, they understood why the Chinese people likelanterns, and the importance of the colors, red and yellow, as well as theround shape. They found out the relationships between round and family, reunionand love.
IndirectAnalogy
Students then became lanterns.They wrote a little poem in Chinese called “I am a Lantern.” They were givensome key words to start their sentences like, “I see…I smile…I feel…I like…” Therefore,they became much clearer about the meaning of the festival and they could, atthe same time, practice their fluency in writing Chinese.
Compressed Conflict
Students were asked tofind two words that contradict each other. For example, they found “big” fromthe “big event” and “small” from “small lantern” and “country” and “family.”The Chinese people think their country is one big family. It is only when each smallfamily lives happily that the county will develop well. Also, only when thecountry is strong and healthy will each family live a better life, and that iswhat we seek and we call it harmony. Guided by the teacher, students had theopportunity to learn important cultural implications and connections, with theclass ending in sharing mooncakes.
Dr. Patricia Wolfe said that learning is the act of making and strengthening connections. Embedding local customs to curriculum creates opportunities for students to make those connections, whichI believe will help students learn efficiently. In the process of learning and understanding different cultures, our students are becoming inquiring, knowledgeable and caring learners who contribute positively to their community.
