Presented by Meryl James, Perth & Kinross Council at Unlocking the Potential (May 2010)

1. Newhill Primary School, Blairgowrie, Scotland Learning about China by Primary 7K 9 th February 2010

2. In this presentation, we would like to tell you about what we have been learning about China and how we have been learning. We have covered many topics in the last few weeks and we have prepared these slides to tell you about our work. We have illustrated it with photographs of our work and some of our learning resources. Our China Presentation

3. Cross Curricular Learning and Teaching and Pupil Choice In January 2010, we started our Environmental Studies topic ‘China’. Over the last 5 weeks, we have learned a great deal about many aspects of life in China, its geographical features, its history, its culture and its language. We will continue our topic until May. Cross Curricular Links When we learn in Environmental Studies topics, we try to make links between different areas of the curriculum. In this particular topic, we have been learning a range of subjects through our study of China – expressive arts, I.C.T., geography, history, social studies, talking, listening, reading, writing, and science. Pupil Choice in Learning Pupil choice is an important part of teaching and learning. We are currently working on Personal Topic Folders. These are completed at home. We decide which areas we are particularly interested in, carry out our research and compile a personal topic folder on our findings. In class, we are working on China Fact Files. Again, these allow pupils to choose their own areas of interest and they find and record information in this appealing way. We are also working on China information leaflets and this gives us another opportunity to follow our personal interests.

5. As part of our China topic, one of the writing exercises we were set was to create information leaflets about China. They had to be made as if they were going to be given to tourists who were visiting China. First, we had to fold a piece of paper into six panels – three on each side. Then we had to make sure we had the right panels for the cover and the back. That left us four panels to complete with information about four topics which would be useful and interesting for someone visiting China. We worked very hard trying to find information for each of our four panels. Once we had hand written a first draft, we typed it up using Microsoft Word. They all look really good in our display. Information Leaflets Writing the first draft Eilidh typing her leaflet – and the finished product!

6. In January, we started to make our China Fact Files. A Fact File is a set of information cards. To make a Fact File, we use pieces of card 21cm x 15cm. We choose a subject we would like to research and write about and we write our information on a card. We can use one or more cards for each subject. We try to make our cards look attractive and informative by using text and illustrations. As we complete our cards, we join them together with a special fastener called a treasury tag. Our first card was about the Chinese flag. We were given some information from the internet and we had to write it in our own words. We were then allowed to choose some other topics about China. Some of the topics chosen so far are the Terracotta Warriors, Chinese food, Chinese music, the Great Wall, pandas, farming and crops and the Harbin Ice Festival. When we are writing our fact file, it allows us to choose topics that we wish to learn about. We also choose what colour of cards we use and most of us choose lots of different colours so that our fact files look really attractive as well as being full of information. We continue working on our fact files whenever time is available, usually after most of our work has been completed. This way, we build up our fact files over time. Resources we use are the internet, reference books, photographs and videos. China Fact Files We all wrote our names in Chinese characters on the front of our Fact Files and decorated them with suitable pictures. Inside, we wrote about many different subjects.

7. China Fact Files We punched holes in the corners of the card and joined the cards together using treasury tags. We wrote our name in Chinese characters on the front and wrote about many different subjects inside.

8. The first thing we learned about China is where it is in the world by looking at map booklets and our class map. We learned that China can be found in the east in Asia. We also learned that China is made up of areas called provinces. We learned that the capital is Beijing and that Shanghai is also a very important city. We listed some of the countries bordering China such as Russia, India and North Korea. Rivers are another thing we talked about. We watched a news video about pollution affecting the Yellow River and we looked at the news headline ‘Pollution Turns the Yellow River Red’. We enjoyed learning about where China is. Map Work Lisa completes her map work looking at the map of China and its bordering countries. Rachel studies her atlas

9. One of the first things we learned about China was some words in Mandarin. We learned how to say: Nǐhǎo Nǐhǎo ma? Hěnhǎo, xièxiè Wǒ jiào ... Zàijiàn We can also say the numbers 1 – 10. We watched a video where a Chinese lady called Fong told us how to pronounce words in Mandarin. We also saw young Chinese children learning the tones by using hand movements. With Sun Yan Bing, we learned a song called 茉莉花 . We found it difficult to pronounce the words but it was good fun. Leejuin taught us that words can have different meanings depending on the tone used. She taught us that ma could mean mother, scold, horse or numb depending on the tone used. To help us learn the tones, we used hand movements like the young Chinese children. Mandarin

10. In class, we have been studying the Great Wall. We have been learning about how it was built and why it was built. We included pages about the Great Wall in our Fact Files and our Personal Topic Folders. We learned about the Wall from reading books and watching videos. We have agreed that the Great Wall is definitely one of the most interesting things about China and although we have learned a lot about the Great Wall there is still lots to learn. Kim, a girl who used to be at our school, brought in some photographs of the Great Wall to show us. These had been taken by her father when he visited China. The Great Wall of China These are some of the photographs taken by Kim’s dad.

11. We made our own Great Wall but not of stones! We painted it with help from Mrs. Brown, our classroom assistant. We all participated in the painting, working in small groups with Mrs. Brown. We painted with sponges to achieve a stone effect. We also used pastels to highlight the stones. We painted bushes and trees and the sky. It took a few hours to complete but we think our wall looks wonderful. Our Great Wall of China We have started to arrange our art work along the top and the bottom of the wall. Molly and Eilidh work with Mrs. Brown to paint the sky.

12. The Terracotta Warriors are one of the most interesting things about China. We have learned a lot about them so far but we still have more to learn. We have learned how, where and when they were discovered by reading books, watching some videos on the internet and our teacher told us a little bit about them. She told us how some of the warriors were brought to Edinburgh in 1986. Her mother had visited the exhibition and had taken photographs so we were able to see them. Some warriors also came to the British Museum in London in 2008 and our teacher’s daughter had sent some photographs and postcards of them. We enjoyed looking at all these pictures. We also learned about the different types of warriors, the standing and kneeling positions, the hair styles, the shoes, belts, moustaches and armour. We also drew pictures of the warriors and horses for a display in the classroom. Terracotta Warriors Caitlin is drawing her Terracotta Warrior Our Warrior display in the classroom

13. Leejuin, a Chinese student came and taught us how to write Chinese calligraphy. She showed us how to hold a calligraphy brush and how to form the strokes in the right order. We enjoyed learning how to write calligraphy very much. Meryl James told us that Chinese calligraphy was calming and good for people who play the violin because when you write calligraphy you have to have a flexible wrist. Holding the calligraphy brush was odd at first but it felt more natural after a while. Meryl also told us how ink used to be made but we just poured ours from a bottle into a pot. Calligraphy Our brushes and inks. Robbie practises holding his brush correctly. Leejuin. We all loved her.

14. Leejuin taught us how to write the characters for a gentle spring wind, Happy New Year and dragon. Calligraphy Everyone is very absorbed in the activity.

15. In our first week of doing our China topic, we learned about silk. We found out how the Chinese make silk and also learned about silk worms. We learned how the Chinese look after their silkworms. We learned that there are many legends about how silk was discovered. Our favourite one was about a Chinese princess who was sitting under a mulberrry bush when a silkworm’s cocoon fell into her hot tea and began to unravel. Our teacher has been reading us some stories about the Silk Road. One of the stories she read to us is called ‘The Bride with the Horse’s Head’. We have also started to read a story called ‘The Jade Gate’. We found the stories very interesting and we look forward to reading other stories about the Silk Road. Our teacher brought in a silk garment and some pieces of silk for us to see and feel. Tamzin brought in a silk coat which belongs to her grandmother. Many of us have written about silk in our information fact files. To find out about silk, we have researched on the internet, used information books and answered questions in comprehension exercises. We have all enjoyed learning about silk. Silk Rachel and Tamzin model Chinese clothes Robbie reads ‘Stories from the Silk Road’ Rachel and Louise read about silk worms

16. We have learned about the one child policy in China. We have learned why the one child policy was introduced and how children of the one child policy live. We have learned about this subject by using the internet and we also learned about it in our information books and by watching a video. We read in a news report that the one child policy has led to a population imbalance because the men now outnumber the women. Because of this the law is now being relaxed in some areas. One Child Policy Alice and Ciara read about the China’s one child policy

17. We have learned about the Chinese flag. Using information sheets our teacher gave us, we learned about how and when the design was chosen and when the new flag was first raised. We learned the significance of the colours and the stars. We put the story of the Chinese flag into our own words. We found it difficult at first but once we got the hang of it, we found it quite easy. We also learned a bit about Communism and Mao Tse Tung who first raised the flag in Tiananmen Square in 1949. We also listened to the Chinese National Anthem on the internet. The Chinese Flag Finn and Angus draw a Chinese flag

18. We have learned that dragons are an important part of Chinese culture. We talked about dragons with Leejuin and Meryl. We listened to an amusing poem about dragons and did a comprehension exercise about them. We have started to make paper dragons to celebrate Chinese New Year. Dragons We first drew a dragon head and tail. These were then photocopied mirror image. We then had to colour the heads and tails symmetrically. We then folded some card in a concertina shape, glued on the heads and tails, added two sticks and some streamers and the dragons were ready for the display! We glued the two pieces of head together and the two pieces of tail together.

19. We have briefly touched on the Harbin Ice Festival. We looked on the internet and saw some pictures of the ice and snow sculptures. We thought they looked amazing with the colourful lights. We learned that the Harbin Ice Festival is one of the four biggest ice festivals in the world. We also looked at newspapers and saw lots of beautiful sculptures and realised how cold it must be in Harbin. We enjoyed learning about it. Harbin Ice Festival Hannah and Emily drew pictures of some of the Harbin ice sculptures

20. We have learned a little about the Three Gorges Dam and will be learning more later. We learned that many people had to be moved from their homes and that towns and villages along the River Yangtse were flooded to make way for the dam. We have learned the dam helps provide electricity for many people. This makes a link with our present science topic which is Sources of Energy, so we know that the hydroelectricity generated by the dam is a renewable form of energy. Three Gorges Dam Rachel drew a picture of the Three Gorges Dam

21. Early on in our China topic, we watched a video about traditional Chinese medicine. We saw how the doctors used plants, insects and seahorses to make medicine. We learned how the doctor’s assistant helped with the medicines and put them in bags. We now know about acupuncture and how patients don’t really feel anything when the needle goes into them. The video also said that in China you don’t need an appointment to see the doctor – it is first come, first served. That is different from here because we have to make an appointment to see the doctor. We really enjoyed watching the Chinese medicine video and hope to learn more later. Chinese Medicine

22. Leejuin came to teach us tai-chi and kung fu. First she showed us a presentation and she explained that kung fu is not just about fighting. It is also about meditation and being in touch with the ground beneath you and the sky above you and about being being in harmony and balance. Then she taught us some basic moves and it was very hard! Leejuin then demonstrated some harder moves and she was brilliant at it. When it was our turn, we tried to copy the moves Leejuin had done and it was really difficult. We all found it quite funny watching everyone trying to be flexible and trying to stretch their legs really far. We all enjoyed it very much. Kung Fu We did some stretching exercises first then tried out some moves.

23. A Chinese lady called Sun Yan Bing came to teach us some beautiful art work and music about a jasmine flower. She taught us the song Molihua. It was really good fun. She had a beautiful voice. We found it quite difficult to pronounce the words of the song. Sun Ban Ying also painted a picture with us. The picture was a jasmine flower. At the bottom of our picture, we wrote 茉莉花 . When all the pictures were completed, they looked great. A big thank you to Sun Ban Ying for visiting us. That day was great fun. Molihua Sun Yan Bing showed us how to paint our jasmine flower. Angus’ mum came to help so she painted a picture too! 茉莉花

24. Molihua We wrote the characters for jasmine flower at the bottom of our pictures. We thought they looked lovely on our display when we had finished.

25. The Giant Panda is the national symbol of China. We have learned about where pandas live, their diet and their population by reading our information books. Meryl also showed us on the map the province where most of the pandas live and told us they mostly live in Sichuan. Through reading books and researching on the internet, we also know what they look like and why they are endangered. We have watched news reports and we saw pandas being transported from America to China. We also saw how pandas were taken to Beijing from Sichuan because of the earthquake before the Beijing Olympics. The Giant Panda Eilidh drew a lovely panda eating bamboo.

26. It is very interesting to see how different Chinese culture is from ours. We all really enjoy learning about your wonderful country. John and Harris Our thoughts on our China topic We really enjoyed learning about your country. We hope to visit China when we are older. Emily, Alice and Regan We have loved learning about your culture and lifestyle and are hoping to go to China later in life! Rachel C. and Ailidh In the few weeks we have been learning about China we already know so much about your amazing country. Angus, Rory and Jacob We can’t wait to learn more about China because it is such an amazing country. Tamzin and Rachel A. We have enjoyed learning about China. It has been one of the best topics we have done in school. Ciara, Eilidh and Lisa. We have especially enjoyed learning about the Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors. Mathew and Robbie We have learned so much about China – it was so much fun. We will remember it for the rest of our lives. Hannah and Rachel E. We really enjoyed working on this presentation and we hope you enjoy it too. Finn and Charles Learning about China has been very interesting and it has been our favourite topic. Molly and Katie We have learned a lot in the past 5 weeks and enjoyed learning about China. Caitlin, Louise and Georgia