Dancing and the Letter "L"

The second teaching day for Kunming Team 202 was an "L" of an experience as Nancy introduced the twelfth letter of the alphabet and how to pronounce words containing it. As each student in each class practiced placing the tongue just behind the top teeth, a mouth puppet was a useful model. Body parts and actions using "L" were included in the lesson, also, as a preview to the game "Simon Says" that each of the teachers later taught.

Four of the five of us volunteers returned to the school in the afternoon for a lively game and dancing session involving all 69 students. With three dollars each in play money, the students asked each other questions; if the answer was a simple "yes" or "no," rather than a longer phrase or complete sentence, the answerer had to give up one of the bills. "Simon Says" was the next game, with several rounds led by students. Then Dixie taught folk dances from Germany, French Canada, Alabama, and Israel, her students ably demonstrating the steps before the whole group danced. Everyone left with a smiling face.

Dinner for the volunteers and Wang Baoli featured Yunnan's famous Crossing the Bridge noodles, with everyone cooking and eating the ingredients from individual pots of broth brought boiling to the table. The modest restaurant was just down the street from our hotel.

And so ended a successful day of teaching and learning in this vibrant city.

-Nancy