1. Description of Our Community
Can you imagine that 110 years ago, the green land in front of the Pingtung Fu-Shing Primary School was the largest Ako Sugar Refinery in East Asia?
The predecessor of our school is the Surrogate Primary School of Taiwan Sugar Corporation. After the Restoration of Taiwan, the Taiwan Sugar Corporation, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, received all the assets of the Taiwan Sugar Co., Ltd. in Taiwan.
The sugar industry was a very profitable company at the time, so employees had higher salaries and better benefits. To give children of employees a good educational environment, the Surrogate Primary School of Taiwan Sugar Corporation was established under such circumstances.
With the changes in the economic environment, the sugar industry in Taiwan could not continue to maintain its glory. The sugar refinery in Taiwan had become a heavy burden. In 1968, the Pingtung County government received the surrogate primary school and changed the name of the school to the Fu-Shing Primary School of Pingtung City, Pingtung County.
In 1970, to build a paper pulp mill, Taiwan Sugar Corporation replaced the land the Shimizumachi Farm, the current location of the Fu-Shing Primary School with the original school site, located in the sugar refinery.
In 1971, the Fu-Shing Primary School moved to the new location. Because the new address is on the Fu-Shing Road in Pingtung City, the name of the school is called the Fu-Shing Primary School.
Now, in front of our school, there is a large shade of green plants. It used to be the production base of sugar. A little further, it is now the location of the Pingtung Operation Branch of Taiwan Sugar Corporation.
2. Summary of Our Project
The topic of our research project is Exploring Sweet Secrets in the Pingtung Sugar Refinery. Pingtung Plain once produced a lot of sweet sugar canes and amber-like sugar. Pingtung used to be the sweetest county, and Pingtung used to be a city built of sugar. Next to our school used to be the Pingtung Sugar Refinery. During the Japanese occupation period, it was the Ako Sugar Refinery.
After the Restoration of Taiwan, it was the location of the Second Division of Taiwan Sugar Corporation and the Pingtung General Refinery. The Pingtung General Refinery ended its sugar business in 1997 and the refinery buildings were also demolished.
At present, if you want to understand the history of Pingtung sugar industry development, you must first visit the Heritage Museum of Pingtung Sugar Refinery, founded in 2010.
To explore the origin, development, and stories of the Pingtung Sugar Industry is the interest and goal of our study. We plan to explore the development of the Pingtung sugar industry and the newly established the Heritage Museum of Pingtung Sugar Refinery through searching and organizing relevant literature, visiting relevant professionals, field interviews, investigations, observation records, and taking photos, etc.
We will organize the collected data and make further sorting and comparison. We hope that through this thematic research, we can have a better understanding of the history of the Pingtung sugar industry.
3. Our Computer and Internet Access
A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%
B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:1
C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection
D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6
4. Problems We Had To Overcome
First, when we needed to take a video, some team members could not join us. Our Solution: 1. We took advantage of our time without classroom learning to finish our visit and investigation. 2. At work, we were assigned to groups and completed the tasks separately.
Second, we were not good at writing about our reports. Our Solution: 1. Our teacher provided an outline of the writing to guide us how to write and how to summary. 2. Sharing our thoughts and experience and providing suggestions for improvement with each other.
Third, after finishing writing and reports, we didn’t know the quality of our work. Our Solution: 1. We shared our reports and feelings in public. 2. After sharing, we proposed three compliments, two suggestions, and one improvement.
Fourth, the guided tour time of the Ako Sugar Factory Office Buildings held by Pingtung Sugar Factory is our class time and the Tainan Shanhua Sugar Factory is far from the school, so we were unable to participate in. Our Solution: 1. Our teacher took part in the guided tour of the Office Buildings of Ako Sugar Factory and Tainan Shanhua Sugar Refinery on Thursday and weekend. 2. Our teacher shared the guided tour with us through photos and videos.
Fifth, the quality of photographing and taking films needed improvement. Our Solution: 1. We practiced taking pictures and videos in the school. 2. We took 2 times more photos and videos, so we had more choices in organizing our data.
Sixth, the promotion effect of sharing our videos on the school website or youtube maybe be limited. Our Solution: we will share our video of research project’s achievements to historical editions, and education and learning editions on the PeoPo citizen news website of the Public Television Service.
Seventh, our members who were behind schedule needed assistance. Our Solution: we were divided into several study groups and assigned the team leader to assist. We worked hard to catch up with others during our noon break.
5. Our Project Sound Bite
(1) Through this research project activity, we found ten secrets about sugar industry development in the Pingtung Plain.
(2)The video reports we make related to the history of the Pingtung Plains sugar industry contribute to the data of Google Chinese keyword search and provide valuable reference materials. Our data sequence of search results of Chinese keywords always comes out in front. (3) Our attentive video report won the recognition of the Public Television Service. The video report is the Season of Sugarcane Breeding in Wandan Sugarcane Breeding Center. The website of the video report is https://www.peopo.org/news/391605.
(4) We made five guided tour maps and six historical story drawings of sugar industry to share with you.
(5) We find that the Wandan Sugarcane Breeding Center is a precious cultural asset, although it has not yet been registered. We also assist the sugarcane breeding center to fill out the cultural landscape form and submit it.
6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?
1. Language Arts, Mandarin: We learn to read the relevant materials and summarize the key points, organize and publish the feelings and experiences of participating in the inquiry activities. We figure out the plot of the recording film, dub, and make video. We go to visit and learn. We prepare questions, ask questions, and keep key records.
2. Mathematics: The weight calculation of the millstone for sugar in the historical park of the Heritage Museum of Pingtung Sugar Refinery, the calculation of the actual area of the map using Google Earth, and the meaningful interpretation of the chart information.
3. Social studies: Search and sort out the history and development of Pingtung sugar refinery, make satellite map of Pingtung sugar refinery, investigate and record the facilities of Wandan sugarcane breeding center and guide map of the office building of Ako sugar refinery.
4. Natural Sciences: Observe and record sugarcane growth, visit Wandan sugarcane breeding center and breeding facilities, and observe Sugarcane Cross operation process on site.
5. Arts and Humanities: Draw the historical development comics of Pingtung sugar industry, the story comics of the office building of Ako sugar refinery, the story of chimneys of Pingtung sugar refinery comics - the tears of Japanese grandma, the story comics of sugarcane breeding, etc.
6. Health and Physical Education: To investigate the source of sugarcane and the experience of dragon's beard candy production.
7. Information Technology Education: Use software to complete the learning tasks such as using FreeMind to draw mental map, using Photoscape to edit images and make comic strips, using Inkscape to design web pages, and using Dreamweaver to make web pages.
8. Environment Education: Understand the local sugar industry history, historical buildings and stories of Pingtung, and introduce the historical stories and development of Pingtung sugar industry to everyone.
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