Time truly flies when learning is engaging, and this was evident while observing this award-winning lesson. Through a creative and thoughtfully designed simulated learning experience, the teacher provided both students and viewers with a meaningful and memorable journey.

We want to highlight two key strengths of this award-winning lesson plan:

• Intentional cross-curricular design:
  The lesson aligns with ACTFL’s emphasis on learning language through content. It supports immersion education goals by developing grade-level academic knowledge in mathematics, social studies, and language arts in the partner language.

• Promotion of higher-order thinking:
  The lesson intentionally engages students in analysis, problem-solving, and application of knowledge, fostering higher-order thinking skills as early as first grade and advancing students along the ACTFL proficiency continuum.

The award-winning classroom video demonstrates three notable strengths:

• Highly creative and engaging lesson design:
  The simulated flying and travel experience captured students’ imagination and sustained a high level of engagement throughout the lesson.

• Effective use of Project-Based Learning (PBL) strategies:
  The lesson reflects strong alignment with BeGLAD and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, supporting comprehension through movement, visualization, and interactive participation.

Strong instructional facilitation and student engagement:

The teacher skillfully facilitated learning, provided appropriate linguistic scaffolds, and integrated cultural perspectives to support the core goals of immersion education, including biliteracy development, high academic achievement, and intercultural competence.

To access the complete lesson plan and the full teaching video, please log in as a CLASS member and view them on the CLASS website.

This lesson is innovative because it allows students to apply what they have learned in real-life, immersive travel scenarios, transforming the classroom into an airport, airplane cabin, and city stations. Students use Chinese meaningfully to check in, order food, ask questions, and give cultural introductions—truly achieving 学以致用.

The unit highlights how culture shapes daily life by guiding students to explore foods, landmarks, and traditions across six Chinese regions, helping them compare cultural practices with their own experiences.

The lesson integrates multiple subject areas, including art (poster design), math (voting and bar graphs), and social studies (geography, cultural understanding, social skills, and teamwork), demonstrating how knowledge is interconnected.

Through authentic role-play, students practice all three ACTFL communication modes—interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational—within simulated real-world settings.

Students also learn from one another by collaborating in groups, rehearsing dialogues, and supporting peers during performances.

Finally, differentiated role assignments ensure that instruction is student-centered. Each child receives language tasks matched to their proficiency level, allowing every learner to participate successfully and confidently in meaningful communication.

If I teach this lesson again, I would make a few adjustments to enhance learning: 

• Provide more language scaffolds to help lower-proficiency students produce longer, more confident sentences. 

• Add extra practice rotations at each station to increase meaningful interactions. 

• Refine the classroom layout to make transitions between scenes smoother and more realistic.

These changes would make the lesson even more engaging, student-centered, and effective in promoting real-world communication.