2009 Chinese New Year

除夕我們特別與朋友相約,他們很會桿麵做麵食,我們特別到他們家學習包餃子,我們大概包了一百個左右,這是留留的第一次,對他來說非常新鮮.現在留留會桿超漂亮的餃子皮了!

牛年的第一天週一,我跟一個 ABC 媽媽自願到留留的學校講 Chinese new year.

今年我們除了講新年的習俗和慶祝,特別加了一段 Chinese 101 (認識中文字).去年我們講的是 Chinese zodiac (十二生肖).在網友 AB 的 blog 上看到製作卡片的主意.覺得很適合跟"認識中文字"的主題放在一起.講完中文字後讓小朋友動手寫出"牛"和"年"這兩個字.

週日晚上趕工做卡片,我拉老公下水,他負責切洞,我再用金色的筆畫框,寫上金色的 2009 和銀色的 year of the ox. 貼一張"福"的金色貼紙.在內頁框下看不到的地方寫好牛年兩字的拼音 "Nu", "Nem" 便大功告成.卡片的紙本身有橫條的 texture (照片照不出來), 帶到學校後居然被一個媽媽誤以為是買的,這樣應該算成功了.

前一個週五放學後,我們在教室裡佈置了許多春聯和燈籠. This presentation was made in the afternoon. 所以班上孩子們已經盯著這些字半天了.在講中文字之前,我先問他們 if they are interested in knowing what these words say. 然後根據小朋友有興趣的春聯解釋了"大吉大利","老少均安","福","恭喜發財"的意思.

我準備了十二個象形字,一週前模擬書法的筆畫寫在投影片上,再交給 ABC 媽媽畫圖,目的是把字和圖畫兩張投影片重疊一起教學(先秀圖畫,問小孩這是什麼,然後再疊字的投影片上去).這也是班上首度使用教室角落的投影機. (我原本不知道這個學校每間教室都有一台專屬的投影機.)

Before I forgot, 把當天的 lesson plan 寫下來.

(1) Put yourself in the inventors' shoes. What kind of words would you make first? sun, moon animals or cars, computers, iPod and Wii? (小朋友聽到 iPod and Wii 就大叫 iPod nd Wii, I said unfortunately the kids in the old time were not as lucky. This was a time way before Franklin discovered the electricity. Imagine there were no cars, no washer and dryer, and no stoves!)

(2) What do you think the inventor of the Chinese characters wanted to record? Things he did yesterday? The number of cows he owned? I hope he didn't need to record the number of children he had. (That was a set joke.)

(3) Let's imagine how the early words got invented? Did he make something simple that most people could easily remember? Or did he make something really complicated that only he can understand?

(4) Discussion from (3) leads to the word "Pictogram" (象形文字). Since the early-created Chinese characters were based on the symbols and shapes, many people consider these words a great piece of art.

(5) Demonstrate the words of 人,大,心,山,川,水,火,日,月,上,下,馬 (上和下其實是指事字 but it's fun to show them) (人 is a person's upper body with two split legs. 大 is the person reaching his arms out. Asked them the most important organ of a person to mention 心. 川 is with two riverbanks at each side and stream flowing down in the middle. 水 means water flowing from and to all directions. 小朋友最 confused 是"日",他們說比較像窗戶.我說古代的窗戶不太一樣,上面有很多 decorative beams. 我不會講窗櫺...)

(6) Review a few words without the drawings and see how much the class remembers. (結果超棒,除了火和大有個小孩搞不清楚以外,其他全對!)

(7) Tell them "You guys just learned 12 characters of one of the most difficult writing systems in the world. Do you think you can write two characters and bring them home to show your parents?"帶進"牛"年"的卡片製作.

今天除了我們兩個,還有個白人媽媽也來幫忙,她在我講解的時候用我的相機照了許多相片.

她捕捉了許多小孩很專心的神情, to my surprise, all of them were REALLY interested. 結束後不但有小孩特別跑過來請我在他的卡片上寫上兩個"馬".還有小孩 made a comment to Bennett, "Bennett, you are so lucky. Your mom knows both Chinese and English!"

班上的 teacher's aide 同時是其他年級的美術老師,時常一筆筆示範繪圖,這二十二個小孩訓練有素,非常習慣 follow and trace. 我在投影片上畫兩個框框.一筆一筆教他們寫"牛"和"年".我特別要他們哪兩個 stroke (筆畫)要寫的等長,哪個 stroke 要特別長,哪邊留多少空間.結果每個小孩都寫出非常漂亮的"牛年".

今年的 Chinese New Year 大成功!老師說 "What a lesson! Even I learned a lot!" (揮汗中, this year's planning was made early. 我們聖誕節前就定下主題了.為了老師訂下的這個時段,今天工作上的 meeting 開到一半我就跑了...)

教室的佈置之一.

結束後發的橘子和 sweets (這個是 ABC 媽媽準備的,我不確定她準備了什麼 sweets), 留留從台灣帶回來的舞獅也展示在教室後方.我們一人放了一本書 about Chinese New Year.

這次的 Chinese 101 得到這樣好的反應,我想,如果哪天生活裡要找點刺激的時候,再來給他們一堂 Chinese 102 吧! 留留得到的,不只是 the idea that his parents care about his school life a lot, 現在班上小朋友覺得會說寫中文實在很 cool. 如此一來他學習中文的動機更加強烈了,對自己的文化也更有自信! I can tell he feels really proud of his rich culture!