In the afternoon of 27th May,4thand 5thgradersatPuxi Campushave welcomed Geo Fair. The scenewasmarvelous;teachers and students were enthusiastic, immersingthemselvesin the lively atmosphere.

Grade 4: On The Silk Road To Adventure

On Thursday, May 27, Grade 4 students were able to host the annual Geography Fair. This year, students traveled back in time and had a chance to visit and recreate the famous Silk Road. They stopped at eight different destinations and collected facts and learned about each place along the way. Turkey, Italy, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Uzbekistan, Greece, India all played significant roles in connecting China to the western part of the world. These countries offered different spices and goods and were essential in developing our modern world.

Students got a chance to learn about the history and role each country played in the Silk Road, how they have changed over time, and their role in trade today. Each student received a Geography journal which included an essential question for each of the places they visited. They collected a country-specific fact for each of the eight locations and assembled their fun fact journal. They learned things such as the national sport of Uzbekistan, Iraq’s contribution to science, Italy’s cuisine, the nickname for Iran connected to the Silk Road, and Greece’s contribution to the Silk Road.

Students also received goody bags with activities that were related to the Silk Road route. Some of these included cultural snacks, crossword puzzles on the countries, articles further explaining the Silk Road history, and much more.

Through this process, students were able to interact with other classrooms and peers and learn valuable information and a large piece of their history. They had a fascinating time and hopefully can go home and share some of the facts they have learned along the way and keep exploring the mystery of history and geography.

Grade 5 Around The World In 80 Minutes

Thursday May 27th, marked the day the grade 5 students traveled the world in 80 minutes! After working hard for weeks, students finally had the opportunity to display their projects and share all their hard work with their fellow peers and teachers.

Before World Fair Day, students had worked to demonstrate their understanding of the five themes of geography, identify locations of cultural significance and relate them to the five themes of geography, and establish a foundation for global citizenship. Each homeroom was designated a continent to represent and from there, students then chose a country and UNESCO World Heritage Site to complete their project.

UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is an organization run by the United Nations. It aims to promote world peace through culture, science, and education. UNESCO maintains a list of unique places and items of significance around the world. It advances these lists to educate, inform, and preserve humanity’s shared heritage by highlighting our uniqueness. Adding a location, object, or practice to the list encourages people to learn about it and governments to protect it. The lists are updated every year and contain a wide variety of sites and traditions from every continent. Students researched these fantastic sites to learn more about our big, beautiful world and all the unique cultures in it.

After researching, students created an informative and creative element based on their chosen site in preparation for the World Fair. Students collaborated and worked diligently together for four weeks to prepare. They were given a choice in how they wanted to present the information they discovered about their UNESCO World Heritage Site. This choice given to the students allowed them to show their work in their unique way. The projects were diverse and impressive: posters, videos, models, games, puzzles, documentaries, maps, and more!

On the day, there was a buzz in the grade 5 hallway. Students were actively and enthusiastically exploring the continents in each homeroom and sharing information. Students asked intelligent questions to learn more about each country and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The presentations were interactive, and the students played games to earn prizes at each center. Students could spin a wheel, play board games created by their peers, explore models of UNESCO sites, watch informative and eye-catching videos, and play quiz games.

The grade 5 students’ work was truly impressive. Awesome effort, everyone!

This activity created an opportunity for students to contact multiple cultures, stimulate their enthusiasm for learning geography. Simultaneously we hope that our kids can broaden their horizons, keep a tolerant attitude toward different cultures, and become “Global Citizens” with rich knowledge and broad vision.

(Written by Jacob Edward, Shannen Larkin Translated by Wu Yin, Liu Lei Pictures by Puxi Campus G4-5 Teachers Edited by Huang Shiyuan, Mikah Jimenez)