Expand teaching of critical foreign languages in the U.S. and internationally

Bao Qingmei (STEP Academy, 2018-2019) and Marwa Borghol (STEP Academy, 2018-2019) received a CLP grant for a Chinese Fair, in which students and faculty demonstrated what a traditional Chinese fair is like. There was food, snacks for sale, and Chinese dumpling tutorials. There was also an arts section where participants learned to write Chinese calligraphy, brush painting, papercutting, and how to paint a Peking Opera mask. In additional, there was a variety of performances such as a Chinese dance call guozhuang, Chinese children’s songs, and martial and Tai Chi performances.

Adbelrahman Dawoud (Baltimore International Academy, 2018-2019) and Henriette Sindjui (Baltimore International Academy, 2018-2019) received a CLP grant for an Arabic Week Celebration which will include activities for students in the Arabic immersion program and students and parents in the Arabic Language Club. Activities included a guest speaker, exhibits of students’ work, music, and performances. Before the celebration, students and teachers worked in the language club to learn songs, dances, and other performances.

Roxana Rivero-Taube (Plantation Middle School, 2018-2019) and Zhao Xin (Plantation Middle School, 2018-2019) received a CLP grant for a Chinese Reading Club for students, teachers, and faculty. From a series of reading activities (such as cross-cultural fair, language art classes, Chinese Club, and Chinese classes) the learners in the community received a basic understanding and engagement with Chinese culture. It was intended to increase people’s interest in Chinese culture and language learning. Some of the activities will continue yearly for the Chinese program.

Zhang Wenjie (2017-2018) received, with mentor teacher Ivy Yiu (2017-2018), a CLP grant to hold, at the North Warren Multi-cultural fair, an event that will introduce the folk art of Chinese fan-making to the school district and community. As part of the FANtasy project, students enrolled Mandarin I and those in the North Warren Chinese Club will perform a traditional Chinese fan dance and sing a traditional Chinese folk song.

Mentor teacher Debby Page (2016-2018) and exchange teacher Li Chunping (2017-2018) organized a unit (using the Franklin Institute's Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor K-12 Educators' Guide) focused on the story and science behind the terracotta warriors, exploring Chinese culture, history and language with their students. Working with library media specialists at their school, Ms. Page and Ms. Li Chunping guided students in a virtual field trip to the Museum of Qin Terracotta Warriors and Horses in Xi’an, China.

Bridget Veitch (2016-2018), a TCLP mentor teacher at LaSalle Language Academy in Chicago, Illinois, used the CLP grant she received to organize the first Spring Festival held at her school. The event significantly raised awareness of Chinese Language education at the school and showcased student dedication, involvement, and learning, promoting community building around Chinese language and culture. Over 300 attendees joined the festivities, a very strong showing in comparison with other types of the “language events” sponsored by the school.

This CLP, awarded to Li Jing (2017-2018) supported Nasalle Grays River Valley School's Chinese Exhibition Show on February 24, 2018. The show was open to parents and community members and featured three parts. Students learning Mandarin at the school performed traditional Chinese dances, including a fan dance, ribbon dance, and lantern dance, all set to Chinese songs. The second part of the show had an exhibition of students’ work from the 4th and 5th grades, including students’ calligraphy, drawing, crafts and research about China.

Ivy Yiu, mentor teacher at North Warren Regional, was awarded a CLP grant to take students enrolled in Chinese classes, as well as students in the Chinese club, on a field trip to Terracotta Warriors of the First Emperor exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. Students who participated in the field trip then collaborated with Mrs. Yiu and the 2017-2018 exchange teacher Zhang Wenjie to plan a week-long Discover China! event held at the school in order to raise awareness and enthusiasm about Chinese language and culture and the North Warren Chinese program.

Ms. Qu Bingbing, along with fellow TCLP alumni Xing Yali, and Sun Qi organized a workshop with two English Language Fellows from the U.S. and shared advanced teaching methodologies and effective English teaching techniques to English teachers in Tangyuan, Huanan and Jiamusi, China. The highly successful workshop provided professional development for over 350 English teachers in Qu Bingbing's hometown. The participating teachers had the opportunity to learn about U.S. teaching methodologies, especially students-centered interactive classroom teaching.

Ms. Hamed will organize activities at Highland Middle School around the story of Aladdin using a comparison of eastern and western interpretations in order to build cultural awareness and mutual understanding. As part of the activities she will lead a field trip for students to the Broadway show of Aladdin in New York City. After watching this interpretation of the story, students will watch a movie representing the eastern version of the story. Students will write a review on the show and movie both in Arabic and in English.