Showing posts with label dekalb county. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dekalb county. Show all posts

Friday, October 16, 2015

Week of October 13-16, 2015

This week, we are all about positional words. The students placed the ball above, below, inside, next to, in front of, and behind a box. They also practiced with a figure and a cup. You may do this at home by incorporating any objects. Reinforce those vocabulary words in English! 






In language, we continued to work on body parts. We made our flash cards and are now learning to tell someone/ a teacher if a body parts. Your child may sing the body parts song to you if you ask! 
In centers, we are testing our sight words reading muscle! It's exciting how many words we already know and it's only been 40 something school days. 






In Science, we continued on experimenting with gravity. Look at the gravity art our class made on this beautiful fall day. 





Board Game Day!! 
Our second graders and kindergarteners were giggly when they saw each other. So many leaders in the group, which made the experience more meaningful. We encouraged the children to apply all the Mandarin words that they know. By playing familiar games with friends in Mandarin not only reinforce oral skills but also improve critical thinking abilities. There are so many times a second grader tries to explain the rules in Mandarin mixed in some English. 




Monday, October 5, 2015

|Home Project| Due Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Time to eat! What? Yes! Your homework involves eating out.

Where: Any Chinese restaurant in your neighborhood! Don't have a clue, look at the suggestions below.
Why: So your family can immerse in the culture, language, and food. Your child is ENCOURAGED to speak to the servers in Mandarin. You will sit back and feel proud.
Due Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2015
What: Collect artifacts from the experience (pictures, menu, chopsticks, fortune cookies...etc) and put them in a shoe box. Assist your child to be as creative as possible.

I would love for you as parents to share your positive experience in the comments below. Questions? Just ask!

Authentic Chinese Restaurant suggestions:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hunan-inn-chinese-restaurant-atlanta
http://greensproutga.com
http://www.harmonyvegetarian.com

Have loads of fun!!

Friday, December 12, 2014

What's Ahead and Week in Review!

Ms. Cristi Elliot-Earby sent out an important letter regarding 50/50 Language Immersion Model. Please read carefully and let me know if you have any questions. I am excited about the change because our children will be immersed in the language every day! The students will learn English Language Arts and Social Studies in Ms. Salzillo's room, and Mandarin Language Arts, Math, and Science in Ms. Liu's. This is the model most immersion programs follow in the United States, and Kindergarten will be the first grade to pilot. Remember it is key to consistently read and write with your child at home as well as practice Mandarin on Better Chinese frequently to ensure meeting your child's foremost potential.

Next Week...
- Uniform Free! Wear whatever you want, but please wear sneakers for PE.
- 12/15 Kindergarten Lunch Mini Concert (Parents are not invited to this, sorry!)
- 12/18 Kindergarten Mandarin Mid-Year Performance (K Mandarin Parents ARE invited!!) 
- 12/19 Polar Express and Dress in your Pajama Day!

Mid- Year Performance
Your child has been busy getting ready to show off! They are so excited about this opportunity to perform in front of their loved ones. Show starts at 12:15 in the Village Plaza, a craft activity to follow.

Pete the Cat Field Trip
Don't forget to turn in your permission slip and money for Pete the Cat field trip in January!

Better Chinese Online Subscription
Sign in using the log-in ID and password emailed to you last week. This is a very interactive program that will keep your child busy while learning during the break.


Mandarin Buddies
So this is not new that Mandarin 1st and K have been doing buddy convo practices for three months now. Now not only we are able to greet and ask for basic personal information, we are also buying and selling fruits (and veggies, not really popular, yet! ;)) The children never seize to amaze me everyday with their growth and desire to learn. The video shows the 1st grader buying and the kindergartener selling. How many fruit names can you pick up? Leave a comment!



More Fruit Stand Pictures!


 First Field Trip on the Yellow Bus for newbies!! 



Monday, April 21, 2014

Small Grass

K-Man will perform the famous Taiwanese campus folks song "Small Grass" at the graduation. Below is the lyrics and a video clip for extra familiarity at home.

大風(dàfēng)()把頭(bǎtóu)(yáo)()(yáo)(fēng)(tíng)(le)(yòu)挺直(tǐngzhí)(yāo)
大雨(dàyǔ)(lái)(wān)(zhù)(bèi)(ràng)()(jiāo)()(tíng)(le)(tái)起頭(qǐtóu)(zhàn)(zhí)(jiǎo)
不怕(búpà)(fēng)不怕(búpà)()立志(lìzhì)(yào)(cháng)(gāo)小草(xiǎocǎo)實在(shízài)(shì)並不(bìngbù)(xiǎo


Big wind rises, shaking its head side to side;
The wind stops, and straighten its back up once again.
Big rain comes, bending its back letting the rain drench it;
The rain stops, raises its head standing up straight on its feet.
Unafraid of the wind unafraid of the rain, determined to grow up tall;
Small grass, truly is not that small.


Thursday, March 27, 2014

Week of March 24-28, 2014

SPEAKING
We named our stuff animal friends, gave them birthdays, assigned their favorite and not so favorite foods. We also presented it in front of our friends. This was not as easy as I thought, but the children were able to brainstorm ideas and deliver half if not all of it correctly. As I mentioned in the video homework post, putting words together and speaking is a huge part of language development. Remember four or five years ago when your baby was just learning to speak and you filmed every precious moment? This is it. I know there might be lots of tears due to anxiety, so lots of encouragement will come in handy! 

CHINEASY
If you have not watched TED: Learn to Read Chinese with Ease, you should! 
Blurb from Amazon 
 Learn to read and write Chinese with Chineasy - a groundbreaking approach that transforms key Chinese characters into pictograms for easy recall and comprehension.
Chinese is one of the oldest written languages, and one of the most difficult to master, especially for Westerners. With Chineasy, learning and reading Chinese has never been simpler or more fun. Breaking down the Great Wall of Language, iShaoLan Hsueh draws on her entrepreneurial and cultural background to create a simple system for quickly understanding the basic building blocks of written Chinese. Working with renowned illustrator Noma Bar, she transforms Chinese characters into charming pictograms that are easy to remember.
In Chineasy, she teaches the key characters, called radicals, that are the language’s foundation, and then shows how they can be combined to form new words and even phrases. Once you’ve mastered these key characters, you can practice your skills with three stories—a fairy tale, an Asian legend, and a contemporary fable—told using the radicals.
With Chineasy, readers of all ages will be able to navigate a Chinese menu, read signs and billboards, and grasp the meaning of most articles in a Chinese newspaper. 

Below are just few of the art we have been making. Watching the characters progress is just another creative way to introduce the infamous Chinese characters. I don't think I ever thought the words were pretty until I opened this book. 








MATH
We compared numbers using numerical symbols as well as Mandarin characters. 



Friday, February 28, 2014

Homework + Week of February 24-28, 2014


FLASHCARDS - Please have the flashcards made this weekend and keep them in your child's reading bag. Next week I will go through all the flashcards and separate them by the ones they know or are unsure of. 

MAP testing, field trip, and lots of learning occurred this week. The students and teachers had the best cultural experience at the Synchronicity on Tuesday. The play was very well done and engaging for all. There were even some Mandarin words in the play that our children picked up, added bonus!

NEXT week we will celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday with story telling and crafts. Remember next Friday is a teacher workday!

WRITING - The students compared the differences between a regular Chinese restaurant and a Dim Sum restaurant. They were surprised by what they found. We also wrote and illustrated our favorite Chinese and American dishes. Traditional Chinese characters require lots of rigor and patience, but we are all just having fun!

 MATH- Students played Race to One Hundred utilizing the Mandarin hundreds chart. It is not only an excellent way to practice addition and subtraction but also a way to be familiarized with the characters.



Friday, January 17, 2014

Week of January 13-17, 2014

BETTER CHINESE ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION
Make sure you are checking your email for this important log-in information. Spend as little as 10 minutes on this wonderful program nightly. I have already received lots of positive responses from parents and students! 

Animals made out of recycled materials helped us learn about solid shapes. 
See what the kids have created!



Martin Luther King Jr. has inspired our children to think more about treating others based on their characters, creating peace with our words, and loving one another. We made hearts to exemplify his love. 
Happy Long Weekend Everyone!
Seat Work / Centers/ Indoor Recess (Just Dance Kids) 

Sunday, November 10, 2013

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

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

|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!

Friday, November 1, 2013

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



Thursday, October 24, 2013

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.