Reporter: Will

After a friendly introduction and warm-up, Davean segued into the lesson's topic by asking the students "Where is the moon?" After eliciting several clever answers, she supplied that "The moon is in space." From there, the class learned several new vocabulary words relating to the moon, such as "light, orbit, quarter, and reflects." The students also learned about how the moon, earth, and the sun interact to create the various moon phases. In order to check for comprehension, and to practice the new information, Davean introduced the exciting "Star Wars Bomb Game." The students played this game for several rounds, competing for points while answering questions like "Low long in the moon's orbit around the earth?" and "Which phase of the moon is this picture?" I was very impressed with the students' retention of such difficult English.

Daniel began his lesson by telling the students to clear off their desks and settling the children. From this, he performed an icebreaker of asking the students how they were doing and how old they were. From this, he transitioned to the topic of the day: space. He asked the students "Where are we?" Getting answers like "Wuxi" or "China" before finally telescoping out to the earth and the solar system. Daniel played several exciting and informative videos and songs relating to space and the solar system. From this, the students effectively retained several properties of various planets, such as "which planet is the biggest?" or "which planet is the coldest?" The students also learned about the 5 major objects in the solar system and their qualities: The sun, planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

Reporter: Christine

Two of JESIE's talented and experienced teachers provided demonstration classes to students at Nanjing Lasalu Primary School. Grade 4 students explored the depths of the sea and some of its magnificent creatures both large and small, while Grade 5 students looked to Space to learn about the planets and their moons; and Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 that have provided significant insight into the expansive and mysterious solar system.

Colourful presentations and a range of interactive games ensured students were able to participate and showcase their abilities to communicatein English. A good time was had by all which was evidenced by the smiles on students' faces as they left the classroom.

Reporter: Christopher

On the last day before the upcoming holiday, Gulou Experimental Primary School hosted experienced JESIE teachers Jaf and Amber for an Open Day. The topic for the afternoon lessons was Sea Life. Teacher Jaf introduced Grade 2 students to sea creatures, colours, and different abilities those creatures are known for. Jaf's calm demeanour and smooth presence quietly resounded through the room: the students were well-behaved but fully engaged. Students seemed to really love producing all of the target language, but some were disappointed to discover a mystery bomb.

Teacher Amber worked with slightly higher level students in the third grade.  She introduced similar sea creatures (dolphin, shark, whale, jellyfish, seahorse) but instead focused on their characteristics and abilities. By the end of the lesson students demonstrated a clear grasp of the concepts, evidenced by their agility and excitement in the Make-a-Sentence game. The lesson culminated in some creative depictions of the creatures, courtesy of Gulou Experimental Primary School's keen student body.

Reporter: Tom

Teachers Theard and Megan came to Wangzhuang Middle School to teach their classes about Space. In Class 4, Theard taught the students about the solar system and the Moon Landings, while Megan also taught about the solar system but extended the topic with a segment on the Voyager Missions. 

Both sets of students impressed their teachers with their good comprehension of a complex topic, as evidenced by their enthusiastic and accurate answers in the pop quizzes. The students comprehension was further tested and consolidated by games of True or False Trash Ball, where they eagerly demonstrated their new-found knowledge of planets, asteroids, comets, moons and much more. In all it was a fun morning for teachers and kids, and finished up with smiles all round.

Reporter: David

JESIE teachers Ethan and Tim made their way out to Fang Qian Primary School to take the Grade 3 students on a trip under the sea.

Ethan's class started off with some fun Under the Sea music. Ethan then greeted the students and divided them into two teams; girls and boys. After teaching the target vocabulary, Ethan went on to play a fun and interactive game to practice the new words – fish, shark, octopus, dolphin and turtle. Students did a chain mime, where the first person on each team was shown a picture the students then had to mime this word down the line. The first team to correctly say the word at the end wins! The students then learned how to talk about what the different sea creatures can do. Ethan finished the class by playing a Finding Nemo game. Students had to choose a sea creature and use the target language correctly. They could then see behind the picture to see how many points they won or lost! Ethan had the students speaking loudly and enthusiastically throughout the lesson. It was great fun for the kids!

Tim's class began with greeting the students and getting them to answer the question, "How are you?". After dividing the class into two teams, Tim taught the students the key vocabulary – crab, dolphin, shark, and whale. The students were very active and had a lot of fun imitating the actions of the different animals. Tim continued his lesson by teaching the kids how to talk about what they see in the sea. He used very clear TPR, which helped the students remember the sentence structure. Tim concluded his lesson by playing a Finding Nemo game. Students had to choose a sea creature and use the target language correctly. They could then see behind the picture to see how many points they won or lost! The competitive atmosphere of dividing the class into boys vs girls helped keep the class exciting throughout. The kids truly enjoyed their adventure under the sea!