Sept. 8th - Visit to Xiang Primary School, Dujiangyan - Quake Zone

This picture show how many of the locals live in the mountainous regions around Dujiangyan.

Hard to believe seeing the smiling facing, and beautiful new Primary School (grades 1 thru 6) that just 16 months ago these children were witness to the devastating earthquake that killed 200+ of their class mates. It happened in May 2008, at 2:30 in the afternoon, when classrooms were full -- very tragic, and yet the resiliency of these children is remarkable.

My objective this week is to give the local teachers exposure to a native english speaker, share some tips & tricks - through interactive games & activities that help generate excitement for english learning. Best way to do that -- jump right in! I find myself in a class of 30/5th graders -- all smiles & filled with anticipation. There language skills are minimal, and they are shy about speaking at all. We start out with a couple of games, then move on to a singalong --- 10 Little Monkey's Jumping On the Bed -- with powerpoint visuals to go along. Many have never seen a laptop computer before, they flash their hands in the light of the projector & want to get up close to see the PC. I let some of them scan their finger to make my PC work - they get the big red X - then scan my finger -- a green check mark appears/and the PCs comes to life -- they think this is very funny.

Friday morning we'll rotate 120ish - grade 5 & 6 students through a 45 minute game where they get simple clues (eg. polar bear) and they have to match what country it belongs to. The idea is to teach them some english words while giving them some cultural insights about our countries.

I've prepared some of the Grade 6 students with background on the 7 countries the CSC team come from so they can know a little bit about our countries before Friday's game. Lauren my ever so competent translator helped source some chocolate & cream treats (shaped like little mice) at the local bakery - they are on order for the kids on Friday. These children come from rural areas, many living in poor economic conditions - I hope the surprise desert will be a hit.

Stay tuned for an update when I conclude my Friday visit and activities.