for 30 of Ms. Lu’s students in July 2015. The exchange took place during the school’s summer Chinese camp and included two hours of English instruction for the visiting Chinese students each morning in the classroom. During the afternoons, the Chinese students visited sites of interest in the surrounding area such as a baseball game and nature preserve. A group of American students from the school’s immersion Chinese program accompanied the exchange students on the afternoon excursions to allow all students the opportunity to practice their target languages, increase cross-cultural understanding, and build friendships. One of the highlights of their time together was inviting the community to an ice cream social, which gave people in the community and at the school a chance to meet the students.
Cameron Hedlund, Executive Director of Lakes International Academy in Minnesota, partnered with TCLP alumna teacher Lu Xin to organize a student exchange program