JESIE Wuxi’s teachers received an especially warm welcome atShuofangExperimentalPrimary  School, and spread some smiles with some fun and active Halloween activity classes. Having been chauffeured to the site in the school’s brand new bus, the JESIE team were honoured with a greeting from Principal Hua, program coordinator Yang Liyan and other senior staff. The team were given a tour of the up to date English speaking classroom, an ideal setting for the JESIE program’s active, communicative style and a bright and comfortable learning environment for the kids. The visitors were also impressed by the serene and cosy poetry writing room, and a whole array of modern teaching and learning facilities.

No less impressive was the state of the art classroom where the classes took place, with spacious teaching areas and luxurious accommodation for the Shuofang and JESIE teachers who observed the class.

Danny took the first class, introducing Thanksgiving vocabulary and using a series of ball games to anchor the new words in the students’ long term memories. The excitement of the kids was obvious and other JESIE teachers stood by to give assistance where needed. The grand finale was a hilarious game where students gripped a squeaky toy turkey between their knees and raced to match words and pictures. The students were captivated by the fun learning style and left educated, entertained and happy.

Next in class was Marie, also teaching Thanksgiving vocabulary. After warming up with a song, Marie used a variety of games, including the smash hit pin the feather on the Thanksgiving Turkey.  Another original game saw the students throw balls at a target, with their throwing scores determining the questions they answered. Also on the list were students raced to identify pictures verbally, and others where they matched them with written words.

Both teachers deserve commendation for successfully teaching new things to very young kids with very limited experience of English learning. The learning objectives where met in style and just as importantly, the kids left the class bouncing with joy.