Ministry of Education Singapore : Contact Online

Issue 12 - June 2005

A Taste for Chinese

Walk on the Wild Side

Work-Life Balance

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A Taste for Chinese

To arouse pupils' interest in learning the Chinese Language (CL), Elias Park Primary set up a “canteen” and game stations with parent volunteers acting as stall owners and game masters.

Miss Tan Whai Sze, CL Teacher, shared the objectives behind this innovative approach. “We wish to enable students to learn in an interactive and fun manner, where they should be able to use Mandarin to name the different types of food commonly found in the canteen.”

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“Canteen” Learning Centre

•	Students are taught the names of all food items found in the “canteen” and the Chinese phrases required to purchase them.
•	Every student is given a performance card which lists the food items.
•	Students use Mandarin to tell the “stall owner” the food item that they want to purchase.
•	The stall owner will put a tick on the performance card if the student is able to use the correct Mandarin phrases.

“UNO Heart Attack” Game Station

•	Each student is given four different picture cards depicting food items. Students throw cards to each other.
•	Once a student receives four cards of the same kind, he or she has to shout out the name of the food item in the picture card to win the game.

Students choosing their “food” in Mandarin.

Having fun at the “Uno Heart Attack” Game Station.

Back in class, the CL teacher will discuss students’ learning experiences at the different learning centres. Class teachers are to assess students’ communication skills and check their performance cards.

Learning is Fun
Miss Tan said, “Students enjoyed the lesson and found it easier to remember the names of food items. Just as important, every student had the opportunity to participate.”