Week of December 16-20, 2013

If this was not the most exciting, fun filled, and care free week...then I don't know what is! The children hand made calendars for their family for year 2014 for the new years, they practiced songs Ms. Mashburn taught them, and they accomplished their first holiday program on the stage in front of hundreds of people without a tear. This was a true GLOBE spirit we all shared and embraced. We do not have fancy technology, shiny bathrooms, or a grand entrance - what we do own is the pride, confidence, and the sense of family.  

We ended the week with Polar Express, some yoga, and a birthday celebration for Noopur and Nandini. Ms. Salzillo read Pollar Express to the classes and even punched holes in their golden tickets! I am fortunate to work with such creative and positive friend like her.

Just to share a huge transformation my family chose in 2013, we became not only vegans, but animal rights activists. I also left my previous general ed. job as a first grade teacher to teach Mandarin at GLOBE. GLOBE has gone through many ups and downs in the short five months it has opened, but I am so lucky to have been there to witness and embrace it all. I love all of my students and their parents who have been loving, supportive, and overly generous. You have made my job and life more rewarding than ever. So, thank you! 

More to come in 2014, can't wait to share what we have in store for the kiddos!! 

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 

Ms. Salzillo punching kids golden tickets before Polar Express

"How to" Writing Unit - How to build a house?

"Cake for Daddy's Birthday" made by Dylan

"Spring" 

Personalized 2014 Calendar by Lillian

Better Chinese

| Better Chinese |

Last month I was thrilled to be attending the ACTFL conference in Orlando. Asides from all the great learning going on, I was also introduced to several book publishers. One of them is Better Chinese whose curriculum and materials are excellent. Please sign up for a one month free trial lesson HERE! The activities are engaging and will be a great resource for extra practice from home especially during long breaks.

Very proud Mandarin kids perform in front of Grace Lin on 12.12.13! The program will be aired on WSB-TV sometime in January, 2014! 

Week of December 2-6, 2013

This week we focused on reviewing a few characters, reciting poems, singing new songs, and adding.

Below are two poems the students have been reciting in class. They are also working on recognizing some of the phrases within the poems during center. We have lots of fun reciting them on the way to the Village Plaza or to the park. Sometimes I just start reciting them to get the kids back on track. :)


Little Ball

Five Finger Song / Five Little Squirrels

 

Lyrics - in case you want to "study" 

Also I never realized even a poem can get very "violent" as this boy is carrying a bat wanting to hit the innocent tigers and squirrels. It was definitely a teachable lesson. :)

 

Writing Center

 

Writing Center

 

Got some Mandarin dice at the ACTFL convention and immediately put them to use! 

 

Working on adding using Pattern Blocks

 

Thank you parents for fulfilling my wishlist at our first Book Fair!! I will treasure them forever!

When is Your Birthday?

(((Important!))) If you have sent me your video but do not see them here...it's because it's not uploaded to YouTube. I had first started to upload the first few videos (sent to me as a movie clip) to YouTube with permission myself, but it was very time consuming. So please please upload the video, forward me the link, and make sure it's not set to private! Thanks so much!! 

I really enjoy the intimacy of these videos. Thank you for taking time and effort into the assignment. I hope you all had a restful and fantastic Thanksgiving break!


PS) Please email me the link to your Youtube video..for some reason the .mov ones won't play on here. 



                             

                              
     

|Home Project| Teach Someone How to Speak Mandarin Video Due Monday, 12/2/2013

Due Date: Email me the video clip or a link to it by Monday, December 2, 2013 at vivian.liu@theglobeacademy.org

Instructions: Take advantage of family time during Thanksgiving Break. Have your child teach someone (a family member, a neighbor, sister, or brother...doesn't matter!) how to say their birthday in Mandarin!!! Yes, your child will TEACH the other person how to say their birthday in Mandarin.  I will post a video on how to say the months and days in Mandarin if I receive enough comments below. (beg.)

Fine Print? With your permission I'd love to post them on my blog!

Sorry- dogs were not in the mood for today's shoot...

http://youtu.be/lQDwOfhy4eY

Week of November 11-15, 2013

THANK YOU PARENTS FOR SUCCESSFULLY FUNDED OUR FIRST DONORS CHOOSE PROJECT WITHIN 2 DAYS! YOU ALL ROCK! 

Friendly Reminder
*Fresh Fruit Snacks and Water Bottle in Your Child's Backpack Daily!
*Please Label Coats and Jackets!

 Aside from all the excitement from Fun Run, we had a lot accomplished this week. The children are now asking and responding birthdays with accuracy. Since questions do not begin with the typical "What, When, How, Where, Why", Mandarin beginning learners do take awhile to get accustomed to. Thanks to all who have completed and sent in the flash cards in the reading bag. We identified the words during Poetry Reading, and played games during teacher directed literacy centers. I am amazed by how quickly the children catch on and how much fun we had "playing"!

In Math we continued to learn different ways of making a number and solving word problems by manipulating objects. The kids all enjoyed solving problems on the individual dry erase boards as well as the paper Aja Mann donated! It is interesting to see how some kids decided it was okay to write a number sentence with Chinese characters. Ha! They make my day!

As part of the immersion experience, I introduced my favorite song writer / singer Jay Chou to the children this week. Here is the song "Listen to Mom's Words" I played for the kids. They begged for more...I promise you, I am going to sob when they learn to rap in Mandarin. Oh my!

 

My Husband Came to help with Math :)

 

Puppet Show

 

Semi-Concrete Problem Solving

 

The Poem We are Reading and all...

                                   

Week of November 4-8, 2013

This week in Math, the students were introduced Story Problems. There are problems with numbers in them, and the kids had to be the detective to figure them out. Problem Solving is a huge part of Mathematical thinking as well as a lifelong skill. It could be a complicated task, and to do it in Mandarin has got to be more challenging! I was able to engaged the kids by using their names within the problems. Let's just say, we had fun!

Do not forget to bring in FINISHED vocabulary cards on Monday, 11/11 (or Tuesday, if your child is in my homeroom class). We will be familiarizing them during read alouds, singing, and literacy center.

Thank you for all the parents who made it out to the parent teacher conference on time and with those warm and fuzzy smiles. You mean the world to me with your kind words and positive spirit. Looking forward to seeing the rest of you!!! :)

Last but not least, I'm trying to raise money for a projector for our class. Currently my project is on donorschoose.org. For the next 6 days, DonorsChoose will match ANY donation made to the class. If you have the time and the funds, we would really appreciate a donation. Even $1 will help (because really it will be $2 when DonorsChoose matches it). Please do not feel obligated to donate.

IMPORTANT: If you decide to donate within the next seven days, enter the code {CHEER}. DonorsChoose will only match dollar for dollar if the code INSPIRE is entered.

Link to my project: http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/2046698.-876216288?supporters=true

|Home Project| Vocabulary Cards Due Monday, 11/11/2013

Vocabulary words and index cards will go home today and tomorrow. Please watch the videos below to help your child complete the homework. We will be adding these words to the reading bags. See you at the conference in a few days!

How to make the Vocabulary Cards

How to pronounce the words

Week of October 28-November 1, 2013

What a busy, fun, exciting, and spooky week it has been! Thanks parents for volunteering, waking up early to dress your kids, coming up with creative ideas to participate on all the fun themes. Mandarin parents are the BEST! Special thanks to Amy W., Laura Beck, Laura Bales, Jen M., Alison M., Renee S., Krista A., and Christina L. You made the week so much more doable, meaningful, and memorable. 謝謝！

I was amazed by how well behaved the children were on the field trip. The puppet show lasted for an hour, but our kids had their full attention on the stage. They laughed and clapped at the right moment like they were much older. All the background knowledge you have been stimulating before this really shows. Lauren and I were just proud by how much our kids absorb and deliver during the puppet workshop.

Next week we will be learning new poems and be soon adding Mandarin Sight Words into your child's Reading Bag. We will also be starting a Mandarin Literacy Journal in the next week or two...
please send in a journal notebook with your child on Monday (11/4). Thanks!! 


Friendly Reminder - 

Don't forget Parent Teacher Conferences start next Thursday (11/7). You should be getting a reminder via Signup Genius. 
Water Bottle DAILY!! This is very important, we want to make sure the kids stay hydrated throughout the day. 
Please take some time to label all of your child's clothing. 

Trick-a-Treating with Family

Bringing up Baby Bilingual

A must read...
http://www.economist.com/blogs/prospero/2013/10/multilingualism-0?fsrc=scn/fb/wl/bl/bringingupbaby

Week of October 21- 25, 2013

Fall Conference Sign-up and Report Cards
Please look for an email for Fall Conference Sign-up sheet later this afternoon. Ms. Salzillo and I will be placing a hard copy of the report card in the folder on Wednesday, October 30.  Each student is scored based on his or her performance at this time. There are four categories: Meets, Approaches, Not Meeting, and Not Observed. Please be reassured that all the standards will be taught by end of the year.

The Shape Book
Please continue to practice reading the Shape Book at home. The video is located HERE!

Reminder for Next Week

Monday - Crazy Hair Day

Tuesday - Crazy Hat and Socks Day (Please label the hat)
                 Picture Day!

Wednesday - Spirit Wear Day!

                    Field Trip @ Center for the Puppetry Arts - Please pack a brown paper bag lunch that is      
                    easy transported (ie: sandwich, crackers, apple). Make sure each bag is labeled. No Nuts! 

Thursday - Book Character Dress Up - Dress in your favorite book character and bring a book with the character in it.

Friday - Pajama Day! 

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 Painting Fall Colors

Credit - The Flynns

Making characters with popsicle sticks 

 Credit: The Lanes

Students reinforce their body parts vocabulary through center games

 iPad Game - Gus Mandarin

Writing Center - Amazing penmanship! 

Writing/Copying Character Center is one of the hottest centers right now (behind iPad)

Ian's grandmother visited the class on Tuesday. 

She sang and played games with the class, so fun!

Mrs. Lin is a retired Elementary school teacher in Singapore.  

Week of October 16-18, 2013

| Restaurant Project Update|
Thanks for taking time and energy out of your busy schedule to spend some quality time with your child and completing the project. We have had much fun sharing and naming all the dishes the children enjoyed.

This week the children wrote their birthday in Mandarin on a sentence strip. We lined them up in order as a whole class. Their writing might not be perfect, but it is exciting to see the children grasp the structure of Chinese characters.

For math, we made the number 10 with the colored snap cubes. Children learn best through manipulating objects and we did just that.

If your child goes home to tells you he or she saw some really odd looking pumpkins, it is true. The children felt some mini pumpkins and gourds, drew a picture of what they think they are. Once the pumpkins and gourds are revealed, they illustrate what they really look like. We have got some real artists!

Enjoy this beautiful fall weather with your family. My family and I will be walking for the farm animals at the Farm Sanctuary at Piedmont on Saturday!

Our Birthdays

Before

After

Before

 After

Week of October 7-11, 2013

Friendly Reminder ...
* Water Bottle in Book Bag Daily
* Restaurant Project Due

This week we continued to observe the fall weather and the students were able to describe the colors, texture, and shapes of the leaves. We sat around in a circle and shared different findings. The students were encouraged to start their sentences with, "My leaf (我的葉子) is the color of__________, my leaf feels______, my leaf is shaped like a __________." Students were able to incorporate their color words without prompting, very impressive!

On Friday, we were so lucky to have Amy to pop in and throw a dance party. It was really amazing to see the varies dance moves among kids.

Here are two videos I'd promise to post -

Shape Book

http://youtu.be/2EhODY1UwRQ

Routine Book
http://youtu.be/T1dEiIQIzFE

Week of September 30 - October 4, 2013

Friendly Reminder

* Water Bottle in your Child's Book bag daily

* Limit sweets in your Child's Lunch Box

* Chinese Restaurant Project due 10/7 and 10/8 

This week has gone by so fast especially with me being out Tuesday with a sick child!

We had a productive week as we have completed our second book - The Shape Book (What Shape is it?). The students colored, cut, and glued the pictures / sentences onto each page. We will be sending them home in the reading bag. I will also try to upload two videos over the weekend. One featuring the Routine Book(sent home 3 weeks ago) and the other the Shape Book. These should serve as a good guide as you practice with your child.

During oral proficiency practices, we are now practicing, "What is your Mom's name?" and answering in the complete sentence, "My mom's name is______." Students may substitute 'mom' with any family member's title (Dad, Uncle, Aunt, Dog, Cat, Fish, Older/Younger Siblings) At lunch this week, I was surprised by two students from two different classes (Liu and Salzillo) sitting across from each other having a real conversation in Mandarin. I couldn't tell you how proud it made me! 

In Math, we continued to count forward and backward in Mandarin. The students also had fun come up to the board to write the number being said. Some students preferred to write the numbers in Mandarin..wow! If your child is writing symbols backwards, they certainly are doing much better in Mandarin. :) (And it it totally okay to write numbers backwards at this stage.)

At one of our listening activities, I had the children close their eyes and listen to songs and conversations among native speakers. They then shared the words they heard and understood. It was quite fantastic with the amount of words they pick up.

Have a fall-bulous weekend with your family!

Week of September 23-27, 2013

We've had a very busy week! This week we continued to review names of body parts along side with color names. The students had fun drawing "a red nose", "a green head", "two purple ears", and so on. It was a fun activity but also an excellent way to assess how far their listening proficiency has gone since August 14. It is stunning! In Math we have also created number lines using sentence strips and yarn. For shapes we built pictures using Popsicle sticks and learned to say triangle and square in Mandarin. As long as you are able to count from one to eight in Mandarin, you are able to pick up most shapes names quickly. For literacy/math integrated center this week, the children counted cotton balls in Mandarin by picking them up with chopsticks. It was both exciting and confusing. I would suggest getting your family a few sets of chopsticks to practice at home. It can be a lot of fun! For beginners cottons balls are challenging enough, but for high achievers, try beans.

 

Chopsticks Center 

 

L Picking up Cotton Ball Twins! 

 

D Drawing a Pentagon and Writing the first character of Pentagon in Mandarin

 

W Constructing a Picture with a Triangle and a Square 

Friendly Reminder - 
- Water bottle in your child's bag daily
- A light sweater for the unpredictable fall weather

I also want to personally thank each and every one of you for being AWESOME and continue to be patient with me and GLOBE. Starting up a school is no easy task, but with your kind words it does get easier and so worthwhile.  


Below is a quick refresher on shapes. Don't worry if your child seem a bit lost on some of it, we will be spiraling the skills through Calendar Math and all. :) We will also be creating an individual shape/color book and will be adding it to the reading bag within the next two weeks.

Project - Chinese Restaurant

Project Due - October 7 & October 8

In the next two weeks, I'd like for you and your child to visit one of the many Chinese restaurants in town. Take a picture of your child with his or her favorite dish(es) and create an art piece with it. You could make a collage with a poster board, do something cool out of a shoe box, or just anything under the sky. Be creative! Please if possible include a menu or a picture of the menu from the restaurant. We will have your child present and discuss all the different dishes in Mandarin.

Few of my favorite Chinese restaurants! Feel free to share yours in the comments below!

Green Sprout 

1529 Piedmont Ave NE  Atlanta, Georgia 30324 (404) 874-7373

P.F. Chang's Yes, for real! :)

1624 Cumberland Mall
Atlanta
(770) 803-5800

500 Ashwood Pkwy

Atlanta
(770) 352-0500

7925 North Point Pkwy

Alpharetta

(770) 992-3070

Harmony
4897 Buford Hwy #109  Chamblee, GA 30341
(770) 457-7288

Week of September 16-20, 2013

Happy Friday! Thank you all for coming out to GLOBE's first Curriculum Night. It was warm and fuzzy for me to see each and everyone of you. Hope you got a good glimpse of what goes on in the Reading/ Writing Workshop/ Mandarin Literacy block. As Ms. Kenner mentioned, there will be future curriculum nights focusing on other curricular components. Stay tuned!

This week the students continued to count objects in Mandarin. They were also encouraged to ask "how many" in Mandarin. To reinforce color words, students made an ocean out of a paper plate and cute out fish and colored them in blue, red, green, and white. We connected the colors with Dr. Seuss' book "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish."The kids love playing the "Color Game" where you pass around a certain color while naming the color words. I encourage you to complete the number flash cards if you have not done so and have your child read forward and backwards. Incorporate counting into your lives; count crackers, flowers, cars...etc.

Thanks to J's parents the students had a blast conducting puppet shows using the puppets! The children were encouraged to apply greeting words, perform a song, and say good-bye and thank you at the end of the show. The entire class was engaged and we cannot wait to do it again next week. We might have our own puppet show party mid-year!

Don't forget! Welcome to the GLOBE is coming this Saturday. Specific schedule will be released this week, but K will most likely perform between 11 and noon.

Friendly Reminder
* Prop(decorated water bottle with beads/rice/beans) due this week for the performance on Sat, 9/28 per Christina's email.
* Make sure your child brings a water bottle daily. 
* Only send in fresh fruit snacks for our AM snack. 
* Please limit sweets when packing your child's lunch

Week of September 9-13, 2013

This week we continued to review numbers and made a few flash cards. Please review the flash cards at home and help your child complete numbers one to twenty on index cards by Friday, 9/20. Make sure to keep the flash cards in your child's book bag at all time. They may come in handy during the Atlanta traffic! Several ideas on what to do with the flash cards: Putting the numbers in order, Read the numbers backwards, Start counting from numbers other than 1, Be familiar with the words "before", "after", and "between".

Months in Mandarin - Months and Day of the week has been an on going skill during Calendar Math. They are fairy easy and go hand in hand with the numbers your child has mastered.

Here they are -

Days of the Week

Days of the Week Flip Book 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Months of the Year

Ms. Salzillo's Homeroom class learned the song "Twelve Months" using the tune of Ten Little Indians today. You may review or preview it with your child if you'd like. 

Welcome to Globe | Saturday, September 28, 2013

Both Mandarin classes will be performing at the Welcome to GLOBE event on 9/28. Ms. Salzillo's homeroom class will be singing "August 15th". Ms. Liu's homeroom class will be singing the "Finger Exercise" song. Below you will find the Youtube clip of "August 15th". We can't wait to share everything we have learned on September 28th! 

I am happy. 

I am angry.

Routine Book that we have been practicing.