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Yung-Ning Elementary School has been dedicated to promoting English language teaching for many years, actively seeking external funding sponsorship, and integrating resources to provide students with more opportunities to practice English listening and speaking skills face-to-face with foreign teachers, as well as to learn about various cultures.
In this semester, we invited Zelda, a teacher from Vietnam, to conduct the "Fun English" course with fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students. The course covers topics such as self-introduction and oral communication in daily life, allowing students to gradually get accustomed to listening and speaking in English, while also sharing Vietnamese culture and cuisine during the sessions.
Today's Fun English class is highly anticipated by students because Zelda previously introduced a traditional Vietnamese dish – spring rolls – in one of the lessons. The transparent rice paper wraps around chewy rice noodles, fresh green vegetables, and vibrant shrimp that stand out among the myriad of colors. Watching images of Vietnamese spring rolls on the TV screen is enough to make one's mouth water. Today, Zelda is going to have the students actually make spring rolls themselves, and it's truly fantastic!
Zelda starts by introducing the ingredients for Vietnamese spring rolls in English: rice paper, cooked rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber, pork slices, and peeled shrimp. She then demonstrates the steps of making spring rolls. After soaking the rice paper in water for 10 seconds, she places it on the chopping board and layers rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber, pork slices, and shrimp in the middle. The crucial part is the rolling technique! First, fold the left and right sides of the rice paper inward, then fold the bottom part upward, and finally, roll it up, pressing firmly to seal the filling inside. And there you have a beautifully rolled spring roll.
After listening to the teacher's explanation and demonstration, it's the students' turn to try. Initially, there is some chaos – some struggle to handle the soaked rice paper, some put too much filling causing the roll to burst, and some forget the steps as soon as they reach the table. Chen Zhi-Hao, a fifth-grade student, enthusiastically reminds her classmates, "Don't soak the rice paper for too long, or it will become too sticky, and rolling it will be difficult." With guidance from their peers in the same group, each student successfully completes their first Vietnamese spring roll.
Amid cheers, everyone proudly raises their spring rolls to showcase their creations. Although some are bigger or smaller, and the appearance may not be perfect, the experience is filled with joy. Wen Yun-cen mentions that she makes Taiwanese spring rolls at home, but making Vietnamese spring rolls was a new and enjoyable experience for her. Finally, the students express their gratitude to Zelda for her guidance and proceed to savor the delicious Vietnamese spring rolls, savoring the sweet taste of Vietnamese culture.
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