Administration evidence

Statement of Purpose

The primary goal of our Mandarin Chinese language curricula is to provide a positive language learning experience for all participants and to expand existing knowledge of language and culture. It includes a high degree of language acquisition, cultural awareness, communicative skills, and the standard of professional assessment. The concentration of our regular Mandarin Chinese language classes is speaking and listening with minimal exposure to reading and writing at the higher levels. We use a communicative approach to provide a broader range of meaningful, engaging, and authentic language learning experiences. Provide modern resource and technology environment to our students with communicative skills in authentic situations. We hope to help the learners easily to use the target language and connect the real world with the cross-cultural understanding, communication, and language education. By using the language teaching principles and methods, we will lead you to be a worldwide global citizen.

The coursework focuses on increasing learners language proficiency skills. The PreK and kids curricula build vocabulary and form the foundation for more pragmatically situation in later years. The Chinese camp curricula are modular so that new topics and themes are introduced each day. Students will have a clear study frame to assess their language proficiency. Our language class curricula is aligned with the Michigan World Language Standards and Benchmarks as well as with the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Proficiency Guidelines. https://www.actfl.org/

In this program, we

• provide learners with the rich learning resources and ensures appropriate accessible.
• provides qualified staff members who use appropriate practices and who develop warm, positive and supported learning atmosphere as well as responsive relationships with students and family.
• enhances students’ language proficiency with the consistent teaching team and learning assignment.
• establishes a warm, stimulating, and rich environment filled with culturally, linguistically and authentic, appropriate materials and activities.
• provides staff development to reflect the most current information about professional teaching methodology and team learning.
• maintains a continuous assessment and evaluation system that regularly monitors students’ progress and the important aspects of the program’s quality to support learners continued language acquisition.

Outline of skills

We create a dynamic curriculum with an effective way for students to learn languages. The language class aims to create a student-centered learning environment by providing the content based on what the students wanted to learn and fostered an open-minded space by encouraging the students to ask any questions they had in mind. We have great instructors, and an interactive course structure infuses success strategies and information about resources and opportunities.To meet the standard of language proficiency, our instructors focused on the 5C’goals (Communication, cultures, Connection. Comparison and Communities) to enhance the knowledge of language acquisition.

1. Communication
   • Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
   • Students understand and interpret written and spoken the language on a variety of topics.
   • Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
2. Cultures
   • Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the practices and perspectives of the culture studied.
   • Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied.
3. Connection
   • Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the world language.
   • Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the world language and its cultures.
4. Comparison
   • Students demonstrate an understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
   • Students demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
5. Communities
   • Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
   • Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

Interactive learning classes

Our Mandarin Chinese programs are open to learners, ages 4 to 18 who are interested in studying Mandarin Chinese. There are Pre K, Kid and Intermediate kid classes open in each semester. It is once a week class for 60 minutes. There are ten lessons are designed with different topics and themes by native Chinese instructor. This language program provides students to learn or improve Mandarin Chinese, learn more about Chinese language and Culture, or increase the language proficiency. We focus on communicative goals. Students will learn many vocabularies and learn how to use those words into the phrases. In addition to language, the curricula also include cultural aspects such as holidays, traditions, foods, celebrations, songs, or games, etc.

Pre k class:

Pre K class is open to children ages 3-6. Participating young learners typically are at the stage of language development in another language. We encourage introducing new language concepts to the young beginner learners into energetic activities through songs, art or hands activities.

PreK level objectives include that students will be able to

• comprehend vocabulary that is related to the familiar topics
• understand the meaning of Chinese from simple command.
• clarify the simple Chinese meaning by repeating words to convey their message
• primarily combine the facial expressions or gestures to indicate the comprehension
• imitate culturally appropriate vocabulary

Kid class

Kid class is open to children ages 6-12. Class sessions establish a solid foundation of conversational, reading, writing, and listening comprehension skills. The class designed to focus on the comprehension of basic simple Chinese words or phrases. A cultural component is interspersed with the topics or themes.

Kid level objectives include that students will be able to

• clarify meaning by repeating words and occasionally selecting substitute words to convey their message;
• recognize the vocabulary from a variety of topics
• clarify meaning by repeating words to convey their message
• imitate culturally appropriate vocabulary and idiomatic expressions

Intermediate kid classes

Intermediate kid class is open to children ages 6-12 learners who have at least two years language learning experiences. The class focus on the five language skills in writing, reading, speaking, listening and communicative skills. The class of instructor designed the content-based curriculum to help students to be able to use the language in their daily life. Traditional and simplified Chinese characters are introduced. A cultural component is interspersed with the topics or themes.

Intermediate kids level objectives include that students will be able to

• comprehend and produce vocabulary or a simple phrase that is related to topics
• Acquire new content knowledge about familiar topics through the target language
• Identify basic target culture practices and compare them to one’s own
• Exchange information in the target language with other people
• Use words or phrases primarily as lexical items without awareness of grammatical structure

Kids Camps

Our kid camps are open to children ages 6-12. The five days of Mandarin Chinese language program is focused on communicative goals. Participating children typically are at varying stages of physical and mental development. To meet the varying stages of language development in the camp, the instructor uses the communicative approach teaching. We encourage introducing new language concepts to all campers and then breaking out into smaller groups for activities that apply the new language knowledge so that materials can be tailored to different age groups.

Camp objectives include that students will be able to

• comprehend and produce vocabulary that is related to everyday topics
• use words and phrases primarily as lexical items without awareness of the grammatical structure
• recognize and use vocabulary from a variety of topics including those related to other content areas

Overall

One of our main goals is to prepare our participants with the ability to communicate. We emphasis on speaking and listening skills. We also want to instill a positive frame of mind toward second language learning so that our students will continue to learn languages throughout their educational path and professional lives.Our curriculum is following the standard of ACTFL language proficiency levels. We will evaluate the students’ levels with five proficiency skills. Students will have a learning benchmark by an instructor from each semester.

Michigan World Language Standards and Benchmarks

https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/WL_Standards_Benchmarks_Accessible_Final_601923_7.pdf

For the higher level, we may encourage students to attend the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi), also known as the Chinese Proficiency Test, is a national standardized test designed to evaluate the Chinese proficiency of non-native Chinese speakers.

HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi)

http://english.hanban.org/node_8002.htm

In the 21st century, knowing a second language is not only beneficial but necessary for success in life. Language learning has been shown to improve a student’s cognitive function in

• Problem Solving Skills
• Verbal and Spatial Abilities
• Memory Function (long & short-term) Creative
• Thinking Capacity
• Better Memory
• Flexible and Creative
• Thinking attitude toward the Target Language and Culture.

These cognitive benefits of language learning have been shown to enhance student performance producing higher academic performance in

• Standardized test scores
• Reading achievement
• Expanded student vocabulary in native language (English)
• Higher academic performance at the college level) as well

The Mandarin Chinese program is a highly demanding course from communities, schools, parents, and students. Our professional and multilingual staffs are always available in the program to assist learners with any support in language acquisition, including services like academic language support, student language counseling, language learning enhancement tools, and much more. Our goal is to provide a highly interactive learning approach for students to meet all aspects of the language. And support students to quickly and effectively learning language by providing constant care.

The Mandarin Chinese language program provides the most communicative curriculum and interactive speaking environment so that students can quickly master the Chinese language. We use effective teaching strategies to enhance the learners’ confidence in language acquisition, building a strong foundation in listening and speaking, and provide students ample opportunities and resources to learn and practice the Mandarin Chinese. We hope students who take the course from this program; they will not only develop the communicative skills but also have a rich language and culture knowledge in and out of the classrooms.

Preferences

Michigan World Language Standards and Benchmarks

HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi)