While most students are preparing for the coming final exams and to say goodbye to the academic year, first graders at Fuyuan Primary School, Futian District celebrated the end of their semester with fun games featuring the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac on January 11. Themed “Conquering the Kingdoms of 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals,” the game included 12 tasks featuring the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. For example, the “Holing Rat” is a sports-related task, requiring students to crawl through a five-meter-long “tunnel.” Another sports task called “Jumping Oxen” required students to jump over hurdles. “Escaping From the Mouth of Tigers,” on the other hand, is a math-related task in which students must raise a math question and then solve it. In an English skills task called “Ten Little Rabbits,” students dress as rabbits and jump, sing and answer questions from their peers. In the last task, “Three Pigs Welcoming the Chinese New Year,” students performed a stage play called “Three Piggies Building Houses,” incorporating fine arts, theater and Chinese reading to welcome the Year of the Pig. After completing each task, students will get one animal stamp. Collecting all 12 stamps meant that they had won the game. The game was designed in the order of the Chinese zodiac so as to arouse students’ interest in traditional Chinese culture. Fuyuan Primary School has been committed to breaking the boundaries between disciplines by exploring interdisciplinary teaching and thematic and independent learning. The country’s education bureau has always urged schools not to arrange final exams and rank students in exams. The school said the game was not only a way to test what the students have learned at school, but was also meant as a Chinese New Year gift for each student. (Yang Mei) |