Students in Wen Shi Sheet’s seventh-grade Mandarin immersion classroom at Pacific Beach Middle had a taste of the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on Sept. 29 as they feasted upon traditional mooncakes, sang a popular Chinese love song, and wrote Chinese poetry in calligraphy.

A rich pastry typically filled with sweet beans, egg yolk, or custard, mooncakes are traditionally eaten throughout the autumn festival, which is based on the legend of Chang’e, the Moon goddess in Chinese mythology. The students drank a blend of authentic green tea to wash it down.

They then formed groups to perform the song in front of their classmates, incorporating modern dance moves throughout. For the final part of the celebration, the students used classical Chinese calligraphy techniques with ink and paint brushes to reproduce a classical Moon Festival poem.

“Singing in Mandarin and having the Moon Festival party was great because it kept our class work interesting and fun,” said seventh-grade student Amari S., who has been learning Mandarin in an immersive environment since kindergarten along with Sam C. and many of the other students in their classroom.

What’s the best thing about learning Mandarin? According to Sam, “I get to learn Chinese history and culture, which is interesting and fun.” He also explains that “it is an important language to learn because it is spoken pretty much all over the world.”

The San Diego Unified School District’s Mandarin immersion program begins in kindergarten at Barnard Mandarin Magnet Elementary and continues into PBMS and Mission Bay High, giving students the opportunity to be immersed in the language from kindergarten through high school. Students can also begin introductory Mandarin language classes in sixth grade at PBMS and continue through the middle and high school programs. Hands-on, cultural projects like this one make learning fun and leave the students hungry for more. For information, visit sandiegounified.org/schools/pacific-beach-middle.