Insights into Mandarin for Primary School Pupils

Four of our Mandarin students visited Farley Hill Primary School in March with Mandarin teacher, Lan Worrall, to support pupils at the upper end of their KS2 education with an insight into another language prior to their move to secondary school.

Students in Year 5 and Year 6 at the new school site on Arborfield Green benefitted from a Mandarin class on the 8^th and the 22^nd March respectively. They were taught by Thomas (Upper Sixth) and Mandy, Giselle and Annie (Lower Sixth) all of whom are taking A Level Mandarin at Leighton Park. The class began with an introduction to the Chinese Year of the Rabbit year and the Zodiac animals legend, before learning how to say and write in Chinese the word for “Rabbit”. Then students were then divided into five groups to practise and also to make an origami rabbit. In addition they learnt to say hello, thank you and their name in Mandarin.

Victoria Howard, Year 5 teacher at Farley Hill, commented, “The children learnt so much and were fascinated by reading and writing the Chinese characters. It was a great session, good idea to include some origami and paired/ group work!”

Fellow teachers, Stuart Gordon added, “My Year 6 class loved their experience and were full of positive things to say afterwards. They thoroughly enjoyed making the origami rabbit, and learning to say the phrases they were taught. They are greeted me in Mandarin the next morning! Your students were exemplary, and a real credit to your school.”

Lan was also pleased with the delivery of the session: “They were all excited and enthusiastic in learning.” she enthused, “The students were all very keen on learning and actively took part in the group activities.”