Mandarin language students in grades 4-6 started a brand new virtual pen pal program this month.
“I am so thrilled to be able to introduce this virtual pen pal program with my colleague Xue Laoshi from Golden Primary School," said Yi-Ting Zhou, who has taught upper division Mandarin at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s since 2007. “It is the perfect opportunity for our students to apply their Chinese and English skills, increase their cultural understanding, and to cultivate a global perspective.”
Each student has been paired with a student at Golden Primary School in Suzhou, China, to correspond with. The Golden students introduced themselves on video, and the St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's students watched and responded in class.
The pairs will continue to exchange messages via postcards and emails in Chinese, and students are working together to collect a box of cultural items to send to their partner class. They will also create a class slideshow presentation to show a day in their lives and describe their schools and communities.
The students are excited to learn more about their new cross-cultural correspondents. We will share more updates in the coming weeks!
