Our school offers Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) as a subject for students in Form 1, Form 2, and Form 3, aiming to develop students' listening, speaking, and spelling abilities. To create a conducive language environment, Putonghua teachers communicate with students in Putonghua and encourage students to use Putonghua for communication. The school also appoints "Putonghua Ambassadors" who participate in promoting Putonghua activities, assisting teachers in hosting guests, enhancing students' expressive abilities, and boosting their confidence in speaking Putonghua.

 

In addition to regular classes, to foster the use of Putonghua and bring out the joy of speaking it, our subject group collaborates with the Chinese Language Education and Learning Area to organize the "Chinese Culture and National Context Week," which allows students to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. The morning assembly topics for Putonghua cover a wide range of subjects, such as China's modern achievements in construction and technology, Chinese festivals, the eight major Chinese cuisines, flag-raising ceremonies, and the traditional Chinese technology series focusing on mathematics, weaponry, and medicine. These activities not only expand students' knowledge but also cultivate their interest in Putonghua through enjoyable experiences.

 

The Putonghua subject actively trains and encourages students to participate in various competitions. These competitions not only enhance students' confidence and public speaking skills but also provide opportunities for them to observe performances from different schools, which greatly benefits their learning. In the past year, our school participated in events such as the Hong Kong Schools Speech Festival, the Hong Kong Secondary Schools "Bilingual and Trilingual" Elite Competition (19th edition), and the "I Love My Motherland" - Golden Bauhinia Cup Hong Kong Inter-School Essay and Putonghua Recitation Competition. Our school received the Outstanding Award (Recitation Handling) in the Chinese Classic Reading Competition (Hong Kong Division) among Hong Kong-Guangdong sister schools and won the third prize in the 2022 Chinese Classic Reading Competition (Shenzhen Division). In the 24th Hong Kong Primary and Secondary School Putonghua Speech Competition organized by the Committee on Chinese Language Education and Research (CCLER), our school received the "Most Outstanding Participating School Award" and other honors.

 

This year, we have ventured beyond the school campus to align with the school's interdisciplinary learning and activity-based teaching approach. For example, we visited the Palace Museum as a collaboration between our subject group, the National Security Committee, and the Basic Law Education Team, where students had the opportunity to learn about the lives of emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties and appreciate royal artworks. Additionally, in collaboration with the Tourism and Hospitality Studies, Geography, National Security Committee, and Basic Law Education Team, our subject group organized a field trip to explore the restricted area of Sha Tau Kok. Through visits to places like Sha Tau Kok, Ap Chau, Lychee Valley, and Wu Kau Tang, students not only learned about nature but also integrated Putonghua into their daily lives.