Chinese lessons are an important part of providing students with a rich, globally-minded education. All students from Preschool to Year 6 participate in Chinese lessons designed to build language skills while developing an appreciation of other cultures. Students grow their vocabulary, engage in hands-on activities, and explore Chinese history and tradition that help deepen their understanding of the world around them.
Since 2022, all students from preschool through to year six engage in Chinese lessons. We have two important partnerships that help us deliver these lessons to our students. Our partnerships consist of the Darwin Language Centre and the CDU Confucius Institute. The Darwin Language Centre supplies a teacher who teaches all students from transition to year one. The CDU Confucius Institute supply three teachers and they provide lessons to all year three to six student.
Ni hao. Hello everyone. My name is ing. I come from CDUCI. Now I come to Larrakeyah to be the Chinese teacher. I teach grade two and grade three. In this term, I teach grade two animals, grade three school items.
We will do some activities and learn some Chinese traditional culture. Every week I will teach students about idiom stories. I’m very glad to do this.
The CDU Confucius Institute is a joint program supported by the government and the People’s Republic of China to strengthen education and cooperation between Australia and China.
All students in year one to six receive a grade for their Chinese lessons and students from transition to year six receive a comment reflective of the learning that took place during those lessons.
Our partnership with the Darwin Language Center and Charles Darwin University Confucius Institute extends beyond the classroom.
Through this collaboration, our students have the opportunity to participate in Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Chinese cultural activities as part of the ECA program. Earlier this year, several students from the Tai Chi ECA were selected to take part in the Charles Darwin University Tai Chi showcase, where they performed on stage in front of more than 100 guests.
This experience allowed them to demonstrate their skills, build confidence, and engage with the wider community.
Larrakeyah Primary School’s partnerships provide students with access to broader experiences that help them not only learn Mandarin, but also learn about the Chinese culture. The CDU Confucius Institute has supported many initiatives that we have here at the school.
Firstly, was the production of Mulan. They offered costumes for us to borrow. They assisted with the Tai Chi inspired dance and organised a Chinese lion blessing dance, which opened up the ceremony and set the theme of the night. They shared culture and cultural events with our school community through our assemblies.
One to highlight was the Chinese New Year celebration. Representatives from the CDU Confucius Institute came to our assembly and spoke about this important celebration.
The teachers are always seeking feedback to better their practice and to ensure that they’re offering engaging lessons for the students at Larrakeyah Primary School.
