‘Journey to the West’ is a well-known traditional Chinese classical literary work. Sun Wukong, also known as Monkey King, the protagonist of this story, is a beloved character. Sun Wukong has many magnificent skills: he can transform into 72 alter egos; With only a somersault can he travel a million miles away; he has piercing eyes to discern demons and ghosts. Recently, Year 1 students studied the theme of “Fantastic Journey to the West”. Children were fascinated by every little story in the “Journey to the West”. They read the story of “The Little Rock Monkey” and “Getting Treasure from Dragon Palace”. Children marveled at Sun Wukong’s magical weapon, Ruyi golden cudgel, which can freely become bigger or smaller. In Chinese Study class, students let their imagination run wild and imagined themselves as Sun Wukongs. “If I were Sun Wukong, I would use my piercing eyes to catch bad guys and use my Ruyi golden cudgel to fight with them.” “If I were Sun Wukong, I would drive somersault cloud to return home and visit my grandparents.” “If I were Sun Wukong, I would transform into a huge air purifier and make all the haze go away.” Students were very enthusiastic while making their own Ruyi golden cudgel and wanted to know more about the stories. The teachers then introduced some more classic stories from “Journey to the West”, such as “Three Attempts to Borrow the Plantain Fan” and “Monkey Subdues White-Skeleton Demon”. Students have developed language skills and stimulated their imagination through reading stories, singing songs, cooperative performance and hand craft making. They not only enjoyed the learning but also knew that when they encounter difficulties, they should try to find ways to overcome the difficulties like Sun Wukong did.
Y1D Chinese Teacher – Maya MAO