Year 4 Mandarin

It is pleasing to see the Chinese (Mandarin) program growing at Hills Grammar. The enthusiastic chanting of 'Laoshi Hao' (Hello, teacher) and 'Xiexie Laoshi' (Thank you, teacher) across the grades from Kindergarten to Year 4 is heartwarming.

In the first Unit of Inquiry, the Year 4 Mandarin class inquired about the Chinese language and culture. We explored the values and beliefs that Chinese people around the world still hold when celebrating the Chinese New Year. On 8 March, the students showcased their learning with a mini in-class parade that featured dragon dance, lion dance and fashion, food and realia walk. It was wonderful to see the beautiful props that the students had brought in including costumes, red lanterns, lion puppets, lion’s head and drumswhich gave an authentic Chinese feeling ro the parade. 

We closed our mini-parade with an encore of Malia’s Beijing Opera performance--'Mu Guiying Takes Command', which told a story of a young woman, Mu Guiying who, at the prime age of 19, accepted her appointment as the military general of the imperial army. 

We appreciate the enthusiasm and participation from every member of the Year 4 Mandarin team and look forward to further adventures in learning.