《声音》启明星专刊 VOICES for Daystar Academy VOICES Spring/Summer Edition 2019 | Page 20

ES SANLITUN CORNER
W
Learning and
Understanding
through
Experience
Designing cultural
experiences to teach
traditional Chinese
culture
By Hannah Wu, K-5 Instructional Coach/Program Director
Katy Jiang, Yu Yue Teacher, Daystar Academy Sanlitun Campus
Daystar Academy Spring/Summer Edition 2019
hen talking about bilingual schools, the first
thing that often comes to mind is learning
a foreign or second language. Of course,
while that is impressive, having the ability
to speak clearly and fluently is necessary, but it is far
from enough when students and parents are pursuing a
bilingual and multicultural life. Daystar believes that
strong cultural education is required to build a solid
language learning environment, and to do this you need
not only to develop your ability to navigate and think
between and through languages, but to also understand
both cultures. Important aspects of traditional Chinese
culture are integrated into the bilingual educational
setting to support and challenge our students.
Designing Chinese Lessons with the Goal of Also
Understanding Traditional Chinese Culture
When designing lessons for the Chinese classroom,
Daystar teachers integrate language, history and culture
into the standards-based lessons for all grade levels.
Each morning from their classrooms you can hear the
chants of children reciting traditional Chinese poetry
or beloved Chinese classics. Through experiences
such as this, students gradually gain understanding of
the meaning of each Chinese character and learn to
appreciate the musical characteristics of the Chinese
language and develop an overall love of the Chinese
language.
In addition to learning about Chinese culture through
Chinese language arts, Chinese culture is also integrated