|PROJECT DUE 10/17| Chinese Restaurant Outing

Due Date: Thursday, 10/17/2014
What: Take your Mandarin Immersion student out for dinner at an authentic Chinese restaurant.
Why: Your child will get to speak to the native speakers and possibly order a cup of tea for you.
And: Collect artifacts from the restaurant (menu, chopsticks...whatever) that exemplify the experience. Create a display using the cardboard trifold display (the stand along kind you can get at the Dollar Tree).

Can't wait to hear about it! Email me if you have any questions...comment any authentic Chinese on here or on our Mandarin K FB page.

|WATCH| Week of September 22-26, 2014

In language, we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar in Mandarin and did retelling by stuffing the fruits inside the caterpillar. The students are learning to combine simple color or number words and fruit names into simple phrases. For example, This is a red apple. I have four red strawberries. 

Most students could understand the context more than they may be able to verbalize, which is perfectly on target. I encourage you to remind your child to say their fruit names in Mandarin as well as practice counting. Counting backwards is also another important skill to have. 

On Friday, we officially began a new program called the "Mandarin Buddies". This is when the first grade and Kindergarten Mandarin students come together with a purpose.  We set norms for the activities and decided on the basic greetings that any beginner Mandarin student needs to learn. Both classes came up with four questions; How are you? What is your name? How old are you? What is your dad/mom's name?

So it goes like this, while the music is playing, the students were to roam around the classroom. When the music stops, each student was to find another child who is holding a different color cube( they were given two colors). It took some practice (as always) but seeing little teachers in action was truly amazing. 

At the end of the activity, first graders shared their thoughts...

Keeler: This activity made me happy because I was able to help.

Kodi: It made me happy because I learned their names.

Madison: I am happy because I had fun teaching the little kids.  

So, that is what this is all about. We had a purpose in mind, and they made it happen. Building confidence in learners one day at a time. 

Thank you Jamie for reading Rani with a Chance of Meatballs / It's the Great Pumpkin

      You may find the Five Finger Song in your child's Mandarin Journal.


Five and Six year olds stepping out of their comfort zone to speak and teach Mandarin to complete strangers! So far my Kinder class has only had 15 days of instruction.

Please continue to send in paper towels, thanks to those who have! 

Week of September 15-19, 2014

:: Project Alert :: A home project will be assigned at the end of this month or early October, get ready! You and your child will dine at an authentic Chinese restaurant while your child converse with the waiters/waitresses. To make the project more worthwhile, we will be practicing basic greetings and ways to order water and tea. The feedbacks from last year's families were positive, so I am excited to hear what's in store this year! 

Writing - The children continued working on an Opinion Piece. They copied the statement and illustrated. Next week, we will be brainstorming on why readers should eat certain vegetables or fruits. You will find their writing in English to be similar, that is because the teachers collaborate frequently to ensure understanding. 

Reading - It is important that your child is familiar with the Routine Phrases in their journal by now. I will continue to assess and provide one-on-one support during center. 

Math - Please review numbers in Mandarin (1 to 10) with your child. Encourage him to count objects (cars sitting in traffic, trees, crackers...etc) in Mandarin and perhaps even make words out of pretzel sticks. 

And as always, pack water bottle and fresh fruit/veggie daily! :)  

|WATCH| The Fruity Song

Our children wanted to sing The Fruity Song to encourage healthy eating at the GLOBE! :)
How many fruit names can you pick up?
Parents, please refer to the Mandarin Journal for lyrics. And don't forget, the journal should always stay in your child's book bag.

Week of September 8-12, 2014

When I used to teach at a traditional public school, I was pretty relaxed on Fridays. Fridays are generally assessment days. That is the day you test the students on Math, Reading, Grammar, and Spelling. All the tests would have been printed/ copied and ready to go. All I had to do was to show up for work, pass out the test, watch my students fill in bubbles, and call it a day. Sometimes we ended the day with some sort of parties to celebrate the ones who followed directions and always turned in their work for the week. I did that for seven years, and it wasn't until now I realize what a treat it is to be able to teach and have fun. There won't be copies ready to go on my desk Friday mornings, or any morning. There are copies of songs or poems ready to be cut and pasted on children's Mandarin Journals though. Other than that, I am here to inspire and teach a lifelong skill - speaking, listening, reading, writing, and appreciating Mandarin. One of the oldest and most difficult languages in the world is taught here, and it's being done. It's rewarding to hear all the wonderful things you are saying about how much your child enjoy the new adventure. Always a treat!

This week we expanded vocabulary words in greetings, colors, fruits, and animals. Continue to work on number sequencing as well as teen numbers and counting by 10's.  In science the students planted seeds under three conditions - with sun exposure and water, with sun exposure but no water, without sun or water. The students made predictions and drawings for the outcomes.

Dot Art and Chopsticks during Literacy Center

Computer Lab

The children picked a name from a pool and each said something nice to another person. 

It was a lovely exercise where we practice to focus on the positive.

Taste Testing - Most children love grapes. 

Thanks Julie for donating organic grapes for the class! 

|WATCH| Kinder Mandarin Advice

Nervous about Mandarin Immersion? Are you new to GLOBE? Is this your first child? Is this your first child attending an immersion school? I hope the wise words below will ease some anxiety for both you (mostly just you) and your child. :)

|WATCH| Essential Words for the Daily Routine...

Here is the Routine Phrases video as requested! 

Enjoy and Practice! :)

Below are a few essential daily routine phrases that have been introduced since the first day of school. This will be added to your child's Mandarin Journal this week. A fun video will be added upon request... :) Comment below. 

Thank you Donors!!

                                                     

Thank you to the generous donors who came together to secure funds for the three brand new iPads for the class. The students already enjoy them very much, and we will sure be utilizing them for more than just Application games (although they are really engaging and interactive), but also for researching and FaceTiming purposes.

Thought you might appreciate this convo from center today...

Girl: Hey, it's your turn to go on the big phone.

Boy: Huh?

Girl: The B-I-G P-H-O-N-E.

Boy: You mean the iPad?

|Newsletter| September 2014

Here is the monthly newsletter that goes home with your child this week!