I've always believed as a teacher that there is more to learning than passing a test and memorizing information continue to move forward in our current educational system. I believe in helping to develop the whole child, and that means accessing both the right and left sides of the brain. So much of our education is geared to the left side. Memorization, structure, organization, etc. However, we sometimes miss the mark of tapping into the other side that enhance learning on so many deeper levels. The right side offers so much more enriching conversations and learning as it probes a child to think outside the box, create, access the depth of a imagination, problem solve, connect to a community, and develop empathy in daily interactions. Kids bodies are meant to move, find rhythm and patterns, sing, draw, act, and problem solve. I firmly believe the beauty the arts and STEM instruction is invaluable to each child's success, and I have loved seeing how it can also be integrated using Mandarin. Language learning happens in the left side of the brain, but I have loved seeing how the right deepens their connections in the language and makes the learning so much more engaging and meaningful. Here's just a few things we have done so far! I used our number tape for them to practice their retelling skills of a story. Many of my kids still can't write complete sentences, so this offers everyone a chance to show what they know. I was able to assess who needed extra support, and the students loved showing me what they drew while they practiced retelling a story. Awesome! Here is a quick and easy assessment of the characters using dance. Unfortunately, you can't hear the music in the background, but the kids had a fantastic time, and I was able to assess the holes. I also couldn't help but join in! As part of our pumpkin unit, I always had them do a pumpkin art for their October calendar. This year, I decided to expound on teaching the different emotions in Chinese and discussing how they can tell when someone is happy 快乐, sad难过, angry生气, or scared怕. We used one of our Chinese literature books to further the discussion and each child practice being a mirror with a friend. They were able to mirror each while expressing the emotion using Mandarin. Finally, they created their pumpkins using an emotion. I loved how they turned out! Today, we talking about buildings and a STEM bus came to our school to talk about geometry, spheres, and problem solving. We also used pumpkin candy to make our own building.
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