Little-(Chinese-English Bilingual)

Author: Wu Yuguang / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Science Class in the Wild
This elementary school science class integrates knowledge from biology, physics, and chemistry. Today, we are going to have a science class in the wild. Very early in the morning, each of us carried a small backpack and set off with the teacher. The sun had just risen, and between the blue sky and white clouds, the sky was filled with colorful streaks of clouds. The gentle morning breeze fluttered the leaves on the branches, while colorful wildflowers dotted the boundless green meadow. In the distance, the vast ocean stretched endlessly, and the rising sun cast its light on the calm sea, creating ripples of silver. Walking on the winding, narrow path through the forest, the light immediately dimmed. Tall, straight pine trees stood upright, reaching towards the blue sky. The branches intertwined like friends, supporting and caring for each other. Vines wrapped around the trunks of the trees. Tall maple trees stood together, their leaves forming a continuous canopy. Sunlight streamed through narrow gaps, casting golden rays. Various birds sang melodious songs overhead. There were so many different types of birds—sparrows, cuckoos, nightingales, doves, crows, woodpeckers, swallows, sparrows, and orioles. Their songs were of varying lengths, some loud, some soft. Cicadas chirped in the branches, grasshoppers hummed softly in the grass, bees buzzed, frogs croaked, and the excited shouts of the children formed a wonderful chorus of nature. Butterflies, dragonflies, flies, and bees fluttered around us. The little squirrels were not afraid of people at all. They jumped around our feet, their round eyes scanning to see who was eating and would ask for a small piece of bread or a candy, which they would grab with their front paws and eat with great enjoyment. The grassy areas on the ground were home to grasshoppers, crickets, ants, spiders, and locusts. Occasionally, a gecko or a small snake would dart through the grass, causing the girls to scream loudly. Some of us lay on the ground, others climbed trees, and some sat on tree stumps, while reading and memorizing the scientific names and Latin terms for various insects written by the teacher. We counted the number of legs on the spiders, the number of compound eyes on the flies, the number of wings on different-colored butterflies, the number of patterns on the bellies of bees, the number of antennae on the small beetles, the number of black spots on their wing covers, and the number of different types of ants. A few of us wanted to see if the ants were from the same family, but sometimes before we could get a clear look, they would run away. The teacher would then catch another one, help us identify it clearly, and then set it free. In this outdoor classroom, we also learned that loving nature and protecting life is a habit that every child should develop from a young age. P76-P78