Total number of words: 672 words
In the process of exploring specific issues, how do we highlight the "Chinese flavor" of the project?
The driving question for the first-grade Chinese project-based learning, "Unlocking the Secrets of the Four Seasons," is rooted in students' lives. Even after the project concludes, exploration continues to unfold in real life.
Situated in the southern part of China, Shenzhen does not have distinct four seasons; instead, there is a long summer and a brief winter with comfortable temperatures, vastly different from the clearly defined seasons in the northern regions. The poems and illustrations in textbooks depict the four seasons of the north. Students' understanding of the seasons is very one-dimensional.
To open students' eyes to the poetic, it is necessary to create an open, free classroom atmosphere to awaken their observational skills regarding the natural environment, plants, and human activities.
We build different learning frameworks through various sub-activities to help students develop learning skills.
When exploring the different colors of various seasons, children naturally express their vivid observations of colorful and uniquely shaped fruits through activities like smelling and observing. For example, phrases like "red, red," "yellow, yellow," "purple, purple," "round, round," "big, big" convey a sense of authenticity and emotion. Children, when describing seasons, no longer remain abstract or unfamiliar. The logic of poetry is not the logic of knowledge but the logic of emotion. When guiding children to create simple poems, it is essential to first awaken their unique feelings and experiences.
Exploring how ancient people expressed the four seasons, children, in pairs, read the entire book, perceiving the eight solar terms within the twenty-four solar terms.
Each season begins with: Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox, and Winter Solstice.
The Spring Equinox and Autumn Equinox divide the day into equal halves;
The Summer Solstice has the longest day and the shortest night, while the Winter Solstice has the longest night and the shortest day.
These fascinating questions continuously drive students' interest in learning through various sub-activities. For example, through group competitions, they enthusiastically recognize characters, highlight, annotate pinyin, and apply their favorite colors to the four seasons on the solar terms chart.
During group activities with four participants, children learn to listen to their peers' opinions, express their thoughts correctly and reasonably, and ultimately negotiate different ideas into a consensus within the group.
Children's expressions in Chinese language learning often lack substance, lacking in real-life materials, or have a limited range of imagery with a lack of poetic language.
As they read through the entire unit's articles in language learning, children also delve into stories and poems related to seasons found throughout the Chinese language textbook. Combining theme books related to the twenty-four solar terms further enriches their exploration of the four seasons.
For example, children understand the changes in the seasons around them through variations in clothing, activities, and the environment. Wearing thick clothes indicates winter, and it's time to swim in the summer! In autumn, lotus leaves in the pond wither, and in spring, they fly kites with their parents.
From exploring the curriculum to real-life situations, after enriching their understanding, children can naturally write a sentence using pinyin and simple Chinese characters, such as "I like spring." They also actively seek different learning methods to achieve their writing expression goals. For instance, when faced with unfamiliar pinyin and characters, they consult classmates and teachers, or find new words in the curriculum.
The presentation of a written sentence, a complete oral expression, serves as an implicit learning framework. Through students' exploration, appreciation, and recitation, they learn the subtle techniques expressed in these poems, allowing them to apply these skills to enhance their own poetic expression.
Guided by the core competencies of the subject, the Chinese language teachers at Huamei Foreign Language School are advancing in the exploration of project-based learning with a distinctive "Chinese flavor."
