The Online National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival Cultural Class was Successfully Held in Confucius Classroom at Riga Culture Secondary School

On October 1, local time, Confucius Class at Riga Culture Secondary School ushered in a special Chinese class – 2020 National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival Culture Class. Affected by the epidemic, this cultural class was conducted online. This was the first cultural class of Confucius class at Riga Culture Secondary School this semester, and it’s also an exquisite feast of online cultural exchange!

First of all, the class was introduced in the form of guessing puzzles which firmly caught the eyes of the students. Then, the teacher used the character-based teaching method to Expand vocabulary with Chinese characters around “月” and “国” which are closely related to the National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival and explained the meanings of the vocabulary. Next, the Chinese teacher volunteer Shan Qi and the Latvian teacher Ma Xiaoxiao jointly organized students to play games and practice the grammar point of digital expression.

Because of the special form of online teaching, organizing students to play Chinese games is extremely challenging. Before class, Chinese teacher volunteers actively discussed how to practice games remotely. We absorbed the essence and learned from each other, and finally, the Chinese game – Morse code was carried out smoothly on the line. The students were divided into two groups and the volunteer teacher would say a number at random. Then each group would run to the blackboard and write down the number they heard. The group that finished correctly would get one point. The group with the most points would win. This game not only practiced grammar points, but also greatly enhanced the interest of students in learning Chinese.

In addition, the teacher also explained about the legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival: Hou Yi shot down the suns, Chang E flew to the moon, Jade rabbit pounded medicine and Wu Gang cut down the laurel tree. The students listened with great interest. After that, the teacher explained the Shui Diao Ge Tou, and let the students try to read it. Students said that they can understand Su Shi’s feelings of missing his family. Yeah! Although China and Latvia are thousands of miles apart, the cultural background is also very different. But the desires for human beings to expect peace, reunion, beauty and prosperity are unanimous. With these common feelings as a fulcrum, we will be able to overcome the epidemic together ! Overcome all difficulties! Welcome a more gorgeous tomorrow!

Finally, the teacher taught the origin and style of moon cakes, the students sat in the classroom to taste the moon cakes and feel the Chinese reunion festival together. “As the moon rises above the sea, we share the same time though we are far apart”. When the course was approaching the end, the teacher and the students take photos together to record the rich cultural atmosphere of the Chinese class.

当地时间10月1日，里加文化中学孔子课堂迎来了一次特别的汉语课——2020年国庆、中秋节文化课。受疫情影响，本次文化课在线上进行。这是本学期里加文化中学孔子课堂的第一次文化课，也是一场精致的线上文化交流盛宴！

课堂首先以猜字谜的形式导入，牢牢抓住了学生们的眼球。然后，教师采用“字本位”的教学方式，以字带词，围绕与国庆和中秋节密切相关的两个字——“月”“国”展开了词汇讲解。接下来，汉语教师志愿者单琪与拉脱维亚本土教师马笑笑共同组织学生做游戏，操练数字表达语法点。

因为线上教学的特殊形式，组织学生做汉语游戏是极具挑战性的。课前，汉语教师志愿者彼此探讨如何远程操练游戏。汲取精华，取长补短，最后使得汉语游戏——破译摩斯码于线上顺利开展。学生先分成两组，由教师志愿者随机说出一个数字，然后各小组成员跑到黑板前写下听到的数字，先正确地写完的小组得一分。最后得分多的小组获胜。这个游戏既操练了语法点，又大大提高了学生的学习兴趣。

此外，教师还讲解了关于中秋节的传说：后羿射日、嫦娥奔月、玉兔捣药、吴刚伐桂。学生们听得津津有味。之后，教师讲解了《水调歌头》，并让学生尝试着诵读。学生表示，可以理解苏轼思念家人的感情。是啊！虽然中国与拉脱维亚相距千里，文化背景也大相径庭。但人类期盼平安、团圆、美好、顺遂的愿望却是一致的。有了这些共性的情感作为支点，我们必能携手共克疫情！战胜一切困难！迎接更为绚丽的明天！

最后，教师讲授了月饼的起源和样式，学生们坐在教室里一起品尝月饼，感受中国的“团圆节”。“海上升明月，天涯共此时”，课程接近尾声时，教师与学生们合影留念，一同记录这堂文化气息浓郁的汉语课。