Ms. Claudia's Bento

In the past, I had my kids do their in one language per entry, then switch languages in a different entry.

👉This time, I tried something different: I had them write about the same experience in two languages.

🧠Bilingual brains need regular practice switching from one language to another, and holidays in Japan always offer the perfect opportunity to do this through writing. Not long entries—just short, to-the-point ones—enough to exercise those language-switching brain muscles without it feeling heavy or school-like.

🚝The same approach worked well during museum visits too. Many exhibits presented information bilingually, which came in handy when my kids chose to write in either English or Japanese.

Places visited:
📍 Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Center, Tokyo
池袋防災館

🚄 SCMaglev and Railway Park, Nagoya
railwaypark_official

On the day of 9-11, I watched the towers crumbed on the small tv screen next to the cash register inside UBC bookstore as a freshman, while my husband was heading out for breakfast from his office in Midtown Manhattan, witnessing and hearing the flare of the the plane flying low over the city.

That was 25 years ago

From time to time, I still tune in and read about the victim’s lives on which continue to play tributes to those who perished that day.

25 years later, I am sharing memories of that day with my children, as well as books that are written not just to remember the lives lost on September 11, but because they offer more than just an account of the events leading up to that day. They are about community, resilience, and
remembrance.

The world has certainly changed in many ways since 9/11. Whether it’s truly a "better" place may never have a simple answer, but what’s clear is that each new generation has the power to choose a different path. For my children, I hope they learn to respect differences and embrace the richness that diversity brings.

This year marks my 10th year living in Singapore. In this post, I’m sharing a glimpse of my journey learning about the rich Peranakan heritage—a beautiful blend of Chinese and Malay cultures. From exploring colorful shophouses to dressing in a Nyonya kebaya, reading children's books and making Kuih Pie Tee, living in Singapore has allowed all these experiences to happen.

National Day is around the corner on August 8th, and although my family won’t be in town, my children and I have already spent some time connecting with Singapore through stories- tales that connect with our visits to landmarks, warm interaction with locals, and of course bites of Peranakan snacks!

Books borrowed from
📕绣珠鞋
📘迷失在海湾花园
📕买肉干记
📘奇妙的篮子
📕建筑工叔叔，值夜班 (Thank you, for these great reads!)

Check out my IG stories for more behind the scenes snippets at the Peranakan Mansion!

😟 Concerned but common:�Many children 📚 read frequently and fluently—but that doesn’t always mean they’re reading well 🤔. At home, it can be hard for parents to tell whether their child truly understands what they’re reading. And while comprehension questions are a common tool, they’re not always practical—or effective—especially since someone needs to create a new set of questions for every book 🔄.

😊 �Over 20 years ago, my amazing mentor teacher introduced me to Faye Brownlie, a literacy expert from British Columbia, Canada 🇨🇦. Her book "Grand Conversations, Thoughtful Responses" helped me see the power of response journals ✍️. Through them, children engage in deeper, more meaningful conversations about their books—often with their peers 💬.

💡 �To this day, Brownlie’s work remains one of my go-to resources in the primary classroom 🏫—especially for readers who have moved beyond the foundational stages taught through the science of reading 🧠📖.

👩🏻‍🏫 I often emphasize the importance of slowing down a child’s reading. Many children tend to race through books without taking the time to truly think about and reflect on what they’re reading.

📖 Simply completing book reports doesn’t necessarily lead to a deeper understanding of the story. Instead, children should be encouraged to pause at key moments and engage with reflective questions.

📕Something like this reading bookmark can support that process during shared reading time. It’s appropriate for young children and helps guide them to slow down, make connections, and think carefully about what they’ve read.

💡As I’ve said again and again, before jumping to comprehension questions, children first need time to process, reflect, and connect with the text.


#読書メモ #どらえもん #讀書報告

My 9-year-old has always been fascinated by the sea 🌊whether it was being obsessed with 🪸Finding Nemo, 🐙Octonauts, or 🏴‍☠️pirates, to now enjoying hobbies like scuba diving and 🎣fishing.

I had always been fascinated about Zheng He and introduced him to the boys last year through videos and the story Admiral Zheng He by .

So when I was choosing a city to visit, Nanjing was at the top of my list—it was the departure point for Zheng He’s seven great expeditions between 1405 and 1433.

✈️During our study trip, we took a side visit to the 📍 Zheng He Memorial 郑和纪念馆 , and it opened our eyes to so much more than what we had learned from English or even Chinese books.

The Chinese books were quite challenging, so I created a bilingual word list to help us while reading together.

If anyone’s interested in the book list or vocabulary list, feel free to leave a comment below—just in case there are other sea-loving families out there too.

One regret was not having enogh time to visit 📍Treasure Ship Shipyard (宝船厂遗址). This is where the massive treasure ships of Zheng He’s fleet were built.



#郑和

Some of my favorite lunches from this year

⛰️Understanding the story mountain takes time, and it’s not effective to quickly introduce the elements and expect a child to analyze a story using this visual tool right away. Instead, children need ample practice to become familiar with the events in each part of the story mountain, supported by numerous modeled examples before attempting to complete a story mountain independently.

💡Remember, providing them with the events and allowing them to decide where each one fits on the story mountain is always a great idea‼️

👌🏻I’ve shared some of my suggestions in my post. Feel free to leave a comment below if you’d like the list of events in *Nezha 1* along with the story mountain.




#哪吒 #哪吒之魔童降世 #哪吒之魔童闹海 #山形圖 #故事山