Vo Thi Sau Junior High School, Nha Trang City, has just held an English magazine display. The English magazines are surprisingly created by students at grades 6 and 7...
Vo Thi Sau Junior High School, Nha Trang City, has just held an English magazine display. The English magazines are surprisingly created by students at grades 6 and 7.
The A4 size magazines are beautiful and creative with impressive photos and cute designs, containing a variety of writings, stories, poems, reportages, songs, etc. All are written in English, showing students’ thoughts, feelings and profound emotions for their teachers, parents, friends and those around them. That can be about unforgettable experience with their families, classmates or about mistakes ever made, etc.
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In addition, photos are taken by students, depicting their school day with teachers, school guards, cleaners and conveying students’ feelings and gratitude. There are also photos showing some problems related to environmental protection and safety; together with students’ ideas and suggestions on solution. There are interviews with teachers and senior students about all aspects of life.
Visitors and students’ parents feel so pleased and eager to see the magazines. At the display, they are asked to choose their favorite magazines by sticking smiling icons on the covers. Students are enthusiastic and eager to create their own magazines. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Class 7.9 says, “Almost everyone in my class is engaged in creating the magazine. The theme of the magazine is the New Year around the world. We have some problems because of limited English language skills. We receive help from older volunteers at grades 8 and 9. I hope every year, the school will have such an interesting activity related to other subjects as well.”
The first magazine edition of the 6.9 class sells well. Nguyen Minh Ngoc Phuong says, “We try our best to make the magazine. The work is divided among members based on talents. Errors are mutually corrected with the help of the 8th and 9th graders. I like the column about the feeling and emotions of teachers for their students and via versa. It helps me to not only improve my English but also understand more about my classmates and teachers. We grow more attached to each other.”
Principal Vo Thi Thu Huyen says the work is under the direction of Khanh Hoa Department of Education & Training in order to pilot the teaching material set on developing an environment for learning foreign languages at school in the National Foreign Language Project 2020. The contest on making magazines got the thumbs up from students and their parents.
The school began to receive entries from January. The content was assessed by teachers of English. Each magazine issue has 10-20 pages. Obviously, the magazines are not perfect but deserve appreciation for students’ effort, featuring the specific characteristics of school-age children.
Teachers themselves are also surprised at their students’ stunning, creative and humanitarian ideas. Classes also have some ways to attract readers such as making and offering some handicraft gifts to clients, designing appealing posters to share on social networking; introducing and giving replies in English to any questions raised by guests about magazines.
18 magazines by 8 classes at grades 6 and 7 are printed into 600 colorful copies for sale. The figure is beyond expectation. Accordingly, VND4.7 million proceeds from the sale of the magazines will be donated to the School Study Promotion Fund to help poor students.
The activity is an extracurricular activity, aiming to trigger learners' interest and motivation to get engaged in the work under the guidance of teachers. Besides, this is believed to be inspiration for creativeness, confidence and motivation in learning. The display is also combined with a Spring Food Fair for the 8th and 9th graders. At the Food Fair, they presented their dishes in English to create an English -speaking environment where students could improve their communicative skills in English and life skills as well. Students’ parents also had an opportunity to get involved in their children's learning.
H.Ngan
Translated by N.T
