Week of September 14-18, 2015

Science 

The students had tasted lemon (thanks parents!), salt, sugar, and cacao powder on Tuesday. Their expressions are priceless. We did a survey on what each person likes and dislikes and it turned out both classes liked sugar the best and cacao least. Surprise!

Students also used their hands to feel different textures and objects in a container.

In Math, we are making bar graphs by counting. The students continue to practice counting using ten frames, tally marks, and writing numerical numbers.

In Mandarin, the students are learning to match the spoken words to pictures. This month, we are studying school supply vocabulary words. Thanks for those who completed their homework on time. 

I will be uploading a video next week so the students can practice from home. Their flashcards will remain at school one more week so we can play a few games with them and become familiarized. 

|WATCH| 星期歌 Days of the Week

Don't panic if your child does not have this song in the journal. Eckmann homeroom will have it done by Friday. Make sure your child is reading and using the one-to-one correspondence technique when reading. Every word is ONE syllable. By pointing to the words while they read, it will reinforce reading skills by sight. Remember, each Mandarin word is a sight word. The more you read, the more you know.

Week of August 24-28, 2015

The students completed MAP test this week! Don't forget, the tests (Reading and Math) are 57 questions long... determine your child's age and the length of the test plus the test method, the scores will NOT be the only measurement in your child's benchmark. Portfolio and parent teacher communication are your best way to see your child's growth. Don't forget reading bag is coming home mid-September. Nightly reading in your child's native language is KEY to his/her academic success!

Write and Wipe Mandarin Sight Words

Building Words with Geo Board

Writing with Chopsticks and Pom Poms

Building Sight Words with Playdoh

Skip counting by 10's using sticks

No Connections - Outdoor Play 

Thanks Suo Hsien for Reading Chinese to the children! 

|WATCH| What does a Sight Words activity look like in Mandarin?

Students learn most when they are engaged. This is why language teachers work extra hard to create those activities to build the skills that might have taken a lot longer and many more yawns. Unlike a traditional Chinese classroom, I reinforce word recognitions through student centered games. In the video you will see a native speaker as the teacher. This is a way to build leadership skills and differentiation.  The child may have been shy, but being given a task he is comfortable of excuting fits the bill. I do not have many native Mandarin speakers in my classroom, but finding ways for those who tend to get bored opportunities to be the "teacher" always puts a smile on their faces.

**This is just one of the many sight words activities we play. :)

Week of August 17-21, 2015

Thank you parents for coming out for curriculum night. Below is a glimpse of what we did this week.

Science - The students went on a nature walk and used their senses to explore the outdoors. The little scientists drew pictures of what they hear, see, smell, and touch.

Math - We continued to practice counting number zero to twenty in Mandarin as well as learning the number names. Number flash cards will be sent home this week, this will be a great tool to practice identifying and naming the numbers in Mandarin. Below is a video of Mandarin Number Rap you may watch with your child to become familiarize with the number names.



Students have begun math centers this week. The only activity that is not pictured here is me pulling small groups of students and work with them based on their levels.

Match Numbers to Quantities

Write & Wipe Number Line

Race to fill the cup

Writing Numbers in Rice

|Mandarin Journal| How Are You / Routine Phrases

First Week of School 2015-16!

We have had a very exciting, busy, teary (yes!), funny, loving, curious, scary (yes!), and wonderful week. This is not a typical first week of school in the U.S., our children are entering a classroom where teachers do not speak English to them. I have been reminded just how important my two limbs are pointing at every single directions at objects just to help the kids understand what I am trying to say. It can be frustrating, yes, but we made it!

Students have been introduced to routine words and phrases such as - Go to the Bathroom, Wash Hands, Eat Snack, Eat Lunch, Recess, Line-up, Sit down, Stand up, Make a circle...etc. Several can now ask to go to the bathroom in Mandarin while most comprehend perfectly when asked to push in chairs or to stand-up and sit down.

We have also learned a few sight words, ten to be exact. We wrote the words with body movements, we made the words out of sticks in our outdoor classroom, we made the words on the geo boards, we trace the words with chopsticks and pom poms, and we even wrote them in our morning work!

Color words and fruit words have all been introduced through games and songs. I highly recommend you to download the album here - https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/xing-fu-de-hai-zi-ai-chang-ge/id589293548 (Finger Exercise Song + The Fruity Song both are relevant to what the students are learning now as they touch heavily on color words as well as numbers.)

Next week we will be introducing a Mandarin Journal which will include many of the poems and songs that we have taught in class. The journal will go home daily and the students will read them during independent reading during center. In Math, we have begun to count to 14 but will continue to practice counting to 20 as well as working on one-to-one correspondence skills during center. In Science, we will be exploring the outdoors and make observations. The students will also be introduced to science materials and how we handle them.