A Taste of Soup Noodle in Luzhou

Home ＞Project Narrative ＞Project Elements

Project Elements

1. How did your activities and research for this International Schools CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

Domain	Descriptions
Language	From the beginning of the project, the students of our team must read a lot of articles on the Internet to look for the information related to Luzhou Soup Noodle. During their interviews with local gentry and the noodle shop owners, they not only practiced their oral expression ability, but also needed to summarize the information conveyed by the interviewees systematically, which greatly practiced their listening skills and the ability to summarize data. After each activity, they must write journals on the process of the activity, their experiences and feelings. Thus, their writing skills gradually enhanced. The students had improved their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing of Chinese required by Grade 1-9 Curriculums through this project.
Mathematics	During our interviews and investigation of customers, we designed a questionnaire to quantitatively analyze their backgrounds, preferences, and consumption habits. To extra information from a questionnaire, the students must learn basic statistical concepts so as to solve our problems via statistical methods and explain the information filled by customers by graphs. These valuable experiences were helpful to improve the students' abilities sin mathematics.
Comprehensive activities	During the project, the teammates must learn teamwork capabilities like communication, expression, and sharing. As the time was fairly tight, the students must learn how to manage their time so as to balance between their schoolwork and the project. The main four goals of comprehensive abilities, including (1) practicing and experiencing what students have learned, (2) introspection of personal significance, (3) expanding learning experiences, and (4) encouragement of diversity and respect, were consistent with the goals of the project.
Social studies	The general objective of our social studies is: understanding local environment, cultural characteristics, otherness, and issues. During our searching for the roots and the field surveys of Luzhou Soup Noodle, the research topics, such as the understanding of local history, cultural changes, and the influence on traditional noodle culture by modern and diversified food culture, and how the local noodle culture could survive and be carried forward, were tightly interlocked with the general objective.
Arts and humanities	During the CyberFair project, we adopted visual and performing arts, made posters, picture-story books, performed dramas, designed a website, and served as the judges of Soup Noodle Drawing Contest. Through the implementation of these artistic activities, we enhanced our abilities and practices of aesthetics and increased our key capabilities.
Nature and life technology	The implementation of the activities cultivated the students' abilities in observation, inquiry, planning, induction, analysis, teamwork, getting well with each other, communication, cooperation, critical thinking, creation, and so on. Furthermore, they learned how to utilize technological resources to investigate issues and collect and summarize resources and materials and experienced the joy of initiative exploration and independent thinking.
Health and Physical Education	In the planning and actual procedures of interviews, we would remind the kids to pay attention to their own words and behaviors, especially the politeness in reception activities. These would benefit their well-rounded development of personalities. Positive ways of thinking can also cultivate healthy mentality and philosophy. We also practiced the kid’s physical strength so they would be able to stand up to the physical exertion during activities and interviews.
School-based curriculum	Grade 1-9 Curriculum puts 20% of flexible classes in the hands of schools. Lu Chiang Elementary School has been participating in CyberFair for over 10 years. Each project completed was shown on the school website for the teachers and students to use. It has almost become one of the highlights of school-based curriculum management. This kind of CyberFair project is a very suitable activity for students and teachers to participate in together. In this project, we can demonstrate our local cultures in diverse ways and arouse students’ interest in learning through lively activities. We led the students into the communities to observe. We also led residents in the communities into schools to join in the activities and help the students to learn and grow up. When we saw the enthusiasm and energy of participating students, we knew this kind of curriculum was very worth advocating and promoting.

2. What information tools & technologies did you use to complete your CyberFair project?

Applicable Tool	Function
Recorder pen	Recording.
Internet	Searching for relevant data, email delivery, and transmission of files.
Digital camera	Taking photos at the scenes of a variety of activities.
Digital camcorder	Recording of promotional activities, interviews with the noodle shop owners, Mr. Lian-fu Yang's speech, an interview with Yueh-e Li Weng, the City Councilor, field surveys, and so on.
Printer and poster machines	Printing of data, large posters, and the questionnaire to customers.
Internet & EMAIL	Search for information, communicate, hand in the interview records
USB Drive	Storage of the data related to the CyberFair project
Computer software	Dreamweaver—production of web pages, PhotoImpact—image processing, PowerDirector—production of films, Microsoft Word—journals, Google Map—production of the map of delicacies

3. In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person?

Through various promotional activities, we made more people including our schoolmates aware of the stories about Luzhou Soup Noodle and its role in the fair culture in front of a Luzhou temple. Also, through a questionnaire survey, we promoted Soup Noodle, our local delicacy, to the customers who come to the noodle shops. We served not only as researchers, but also "ambassadors" of our local culture. In the past five months, we had the following specific practices:


(1) The Achievements Presentation of Associations of our school
When it comes to the end of each academic year, our school will hold a grand Achievements Presentation of Associations to allow each association to present their achievements of the whole year on the Student Activity Center on the fifth floor. All the students from grade one to six will visit each booth under the guidance of their teachers.
We seized the opportunity to introduce the origin of Luzhou Soup Noodle by serving as an "ambassadors" of research plan and posted our research results for the convenience of explanation. Our activity received high praise from all the students and faculties of our school who believed that we led them through a profound journal to our local culture.

(2) Announcers
We compiled the history and the culture of Luzhou Soup Noodle into a lively radio drama with interesting and funny content and broadcasted it during lunch time as a type of edutainment.

(3) Promotion in the classroom
We made posters and props and advocate the culture of Soup Noodle in the classroom to carry out interaction with our schoolmates. We also invited them to participate in activities via learning sheets.
During holidays, they could go and taste the delicious Soup Noodle in those old shops where they could observe well the working conditions and surrounding environment of the noodle shops.

(4) Production of the Map of Delicacies
Through visits and Google Map, we marked several famous Soup Noodle shops on our map of local delicacies and showed them in a 3D manner. We put the map in the anteroom of our school to attract more attention.

(5) Drawing Contest & Prize Game

We hoped to interact with all our schoolmates via various activities like a drawing contest and a prize game so that they could express their ideas about Soup Noodle and their feelings towards their hometown.

4. What has been the impact of your project on your community?

Impact on us:
The five-month CyberFair project, for us, was a brand-new learning experience. All the outputs of knowledge were obtained through our own efforts, including data collection, interviews, field surveys, promotional activities, and so on which was greatly different from the way of sitting in the classroom and listening to the teachers' explanation. In the past five months, I learned how to cooperate with my teammates, collect massive data, write journals, conduct an interview, and deliver a speech. It was an unforgettable experience. Besides, our understanding of Luzhou was deepened gradually during our interviews and visits. We also became aware of the efforts and devotion by many to the place. “Luzhou” is no only a name of my hometown. Rather, it becomes an imprinting of my acknowledgement of my hometown. Maybe several years later, due to study or work, I will leave my hometown and head for faraway places. But whenever I eat Soup Noodle, the taste will appear in my mind once more with my memory of primary school and my nostalgia.
Impact on the local:
We participated in Soup Noodle Festival and interviewed Ms. Yueh-e Li Weng, the City Councilor and driving force behind Soup Noodle Festival in person. During our interview, we repeatedly expressed our hope if Ms. Li Weng again could promote Luzhou Soup Noodle again and help the shop owners find new creative power, and good publicity media. We hoped that Soup Noodle would be more than a traditional delicacy. It should combine with new cooking methods and be transformed in a diversified and refined manner so as to make it a feature of Luzhou and one of the representative of Taiwanese foods.
5. Intellectual Property Rights
1. Writing contents:
All the writing contents are written and edited by our team members through first-hand interviews. All the interviewees were informed of our activities. It was only with their approval that these contents were quoted on the web pages. All the origins of relevant materials cited on the web were listed, in order to protect the rights of original writers
2. Pictures:
Most of the pictures on the website were shot or painted by teachers or students. Those cited ones were authorized and approved by the interviewees.

6. How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

We'd like to extend our thanks to the following people for their contribution to this CyberFair project:
1. We'd like to thank the shopkeepers of Asan Noodle Shop and Damiaokou Noodle Shop who told us the history of Soup Noodle and their own experiences.
2. We are grateful to Ms. Yueh-e Li Weng, the City Councilor, who explained how to promote Soup Noodle to the entire Taiwanese market and facilitate Soup Noodle Festival.

3. We are grateful to Mr. Lian-fu Yang who elaborated the development of the fair culture in front of Luzhou Yonglian Temple and evaluation of Luzhou Soup Noodle.
4. We'd like to thank Teacher Chia-rong Li and Teacher Yao-yen Yang who helped the students to participate in and complete successfully this CyberFair project.

5. Thank Chun-sheng Chen, the Principal of Lu Jiang Elementary School, for the support and encouragement. Thank, Li-chen Lu, the Director, Ming-gui Tsai, the Supervisor, and the staff of the Educational Affairs Division for solving many administrative affairs for us and problems， answering our questions on some information, and providing guidance to our research topic. Moreover, we'd like to thank all the students, faculties, and other administrative groups for all their support to this project.

7. Discoveries, Lessons, and Surprises

(1) Our biggest discovery: Along with the implementation of the activities related to this CyberFair project, we found that a seemingly simple bowl of Soup Noodle contained the wisdom of our ancestors and the insistence of quality ingredients. As our life becomes increasingly modernized and internationalized, it becomes more and more difficult and important to preserve the traditional snacks of Taiwan in face of the impact of many foreign food cultures. The participation in the CyberFair project enhanced my respect to the shop owners who stuck to the traditional taste of Soup Noodle. We hoped that, through our reports and research, we could help pass down and carry forward the traditional Luzhou culture of Soup Noodle.

(2) Our biggest lesson: The biggest difficulty we met during the CyberFair project was about the interviews of the noodle shop owners. Due to the insufficient communication in advance with them, their low willingness to accept the interviews, or failure to appoint the time of interview, we failed to carry out some of the interviews and thus lost many valuable data. In addition, due to personal reasons, some team members failed to attend our team meetings for common research and discussion. We realized in the end that teamwork was a must for its success. It was necessary to sacrifice one's own time for a team. Moreover, before the making of an activity schedule, we should make good contacts and communication in advance, express clearly the topic and key points of our research to the respondents, and appoint interview time so as not to delay the schedule.

(3) Our biggest surprise: The culture of Soup Noodle implies the culture of traditional Taiwanese snacks and the food culture of the common people. A bowl of Soup Noodle contains the efforts and devotion of many people. While eating the noodle, we should not only thank our ancestors for their contribution to our hometown, but also inherit and carry forward their persistence and enthusiasm to good things.

8.Contribute to the work

Participants	Tasks	Percentage
Kang-yao Kao Yi-kuan Yeh Chiao-hsun Cheng Pei-yi Lu Ya-ting Tsao Yi-hsueh Li Wen-ning Wu	◎Collection and summarization of data ◎Preparation of interview outlines ◎Interviews ◎Recording the interviews ◎Writing research progress reports ◎Integrating written data ◎Taking pictures, shooting video, and recording the activities ◎Setting up an exhibition and guiding the visitors ◎Writing progress reports ◎Production of the website ◎Typing out the interview recordings word by word ◎Organizing various materials ◎Making the questionnaire to customers ◎Making the picture-story books ◎Recording stories ◎Implementing of promotional activities at school	55%
Teacher Mei-tzu Li Teacher Yao-yen Yang Teacher Chi-hung Yu	◎Planning and modifying research direction ◎Assisting in enrollment ◎Analyzing the procedure of the project and ◎providing guidance through the project ◎Contacting relevant units and shop owners ◎Guiding the writing of promotional articles, interview manuscripts, and story briefing ◎Guiding the distribution of responsibilities among the team members ◎Planning and arranging administrative procedures ◎Providing courses of relevant knowledge ◎Taking pictures, making videos, and recording ◎Making learning sheets of various activities ◎Guiding, reviewing, and correcting the production of the website ◎Assistance of computer skills ◎Leading the students to the location of interviews and promotion ◎Information equipment and technical support	25%
Community residents	◎Interview with the shopkeepers of Asan Noodle Shop and Damiaokou Noodle Shop ◎Interview with Mr. Lian-fu Yang ◎Interview with Yueh-e Li Weng, the City Councilor	15%
Principal Chun-sheng Chen Director Li-chen Lu Supervisor Ming-gui Tsai The faculty	◎Processing administrative affairs ◎Website technical guidance and information equipment, facilities, and technical support ◎Consulting for project direction and content ◎Assistance and coordination in all promotional activities	5%