Bringing China to Seattle Elementary School

Each week, as a part of our Explore the World Program, FIUTS volunteers deliver a lesson about their home culture in local elementary schools! Check out Guan's experience in the classroom: painting masks with the children, teaching them about the Forbidden City, and, ultimately, what shocked her and what she would remember the most!

FIUTS students, including Guan, on a school visit to talk to elementary students about China

Name: Guan Yang (Maggie)

Country: China

Major: Language, Literacy and Culture

Class: 2015 M. Ed.

Presented On: Introduction of two cities (Beijing & Shenzhen). Hello and Thanks in Mandarin and Cantonese. Color words. Painting Beijing Opera Masks. Tasting Chinese foods.

Brief Introduction

Hello! My name is Guan and I am a first year grad student in the College of Education. I was born and raised in Beijing, the capital of China and have just moved to Seattle to pursue my master degree. I studied Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language when I was an undergrad in Beijing. There, I systematically studied the Chinese language arts, literature and history, which made me so excited about my own culture and so motivated to learn more about language and culture in the international perspectives. In my free time, I like reading books, watching movies and hanging out with my friends. Coming to UW is a new journey for me, I am very exciting to learn about other cultures and let more people know about Chinese cultures as well!

Why did you sign up for Explore the World?

In my first quarter at the UW, I had been learning so much about the knowledge of education in the classroom but never got a chance to meet a U.S. student face-to-face. I wondered what the children in America and their schools and classes are like. Therefore, Explore the World is a great opportunity for me to walk into an American school and spend time with the kids. Also, I could not miss a chance to practice what I had been learning and show the Chinese culture to the students.

What did you do with the students during your session?

The lesson was given by one of my Chinese friends and me together. During the session, we first introduced some fun facts about our home cities: Beijing and Shenzhen, and played a small Q&A game to test whether the students had remembered the facts.

Next, we taught Hello and Thanks both in Mandarin and Cantonese, and also some easy color words. To strengthen the learning, we designed another game to help students both speak the Chinese of each colors and recognize those words when hearing them. This activity turned out to be the highlight of the session because every student got really excited and involved.

In the end, the children learned about Chinese culture, like the Beijing Opera and its masks by painting a blank mask by themselves. We also brought a lot of Chinese dim sum, cookies, and drinks for the students to have a bite of Chinese foods.

"I remember their astonished little faces when I told them that there were 9,999 and a half rooms in the Forbidden City in Beijing"

What was one thing you really wanted the elementary students to learn about your region/country?

Since my friend and I come from two different cities of China, one in the traditional North and the other lies down in the South, we really want the students to understand that China is a big country with very diverse cultures and languages. Just like the United States, different parts and regions in China can all be geographically, historically, politically and culturally unique. By contrasting the two cities, we want the students to see the differences and commons between the Northern and Southern China.

What was your favorite part of, or memory from, your time in the classroom?

To be honest, what the students already knew about China and how fast they learned and remembered things really surprised me. Seeing their arms throwing up in the air to answer the questions was my favorite part. I loved seeing the students engaged with the learning process and really remembered something in my class. I remember their astonished little faces when I told them that there were 9,999 and a half rooms in the Forbidden City in Beijing, and how happy they were when they played the color game and said the colors in Chinese out aloud. I had so many things that I wanted to teach and share with them and I wished I had more opportunities like this.

Would you recommend other international students to do join Explore the World program? Why?

Yes, absolutely! For the international students who are new in the United States, go outside and meet people! The new culture can be a little different but the fun is worth it. For the students who were studying outside the U.S. before, it would be nice to see how children are educated in an American classroom. For the students who love different cultures and are interested in teaching to change, just like me, FIUTS’ Explore the World is an amazing program you simply cannot miss!

Check out our classroom visits & programs HERE!