At Tommy's Road Elementary (TRE), students take Mandarin as an enrichment class twice a week. The classes focus on reading, writing, and listening skills, speaking the target language, and learning about the culture.
All 472 students in Batesville Intermediate School participated in introductory Chinese calligraphy classes during the school day and 41 students signed up to participate in after school calligraphy clubs to learn even more. This all took place as part of my TCLP outreach.
The EMMS Chinese Class Yearbook 2021-2022 is an artistic presentation of all the activities, what we've learned throughout the year, as well as students' own understanding of things related to the language and cultural learning. This is not only a collection of memories, but also an achievement exhibition. Students in the Chinese class and Chinese enrichment class will all work together toward the final production of the Yearbook. Additionally, the outreach activities to the whole school and community will be included in the yearbook.
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.
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.
Ji Guanping’s (2017-2019) project aimed to enhance students’ cross-cultural understanding and increase their interest in learning about Chinese language and culture. Activities included Chinese New Year poster making, Chinese calligraphy for decoration, appreciating artwork of China and other Asian countries, and trying Chinese food by ordering in the target language in an authentic Chinese restaurant. A culminating event was held simultaneously with parent/teacher conferences for the students to share their experiences and knowledge and celebrate the Chinese New Year.
Xia Zhi, former TCLP Teacher, was awarded a CLP grant to support an immersive exploration of Chinese history and language with his students. Xia Zhi decided to set up this project with his students to focus on the name “China” and delve into the origin of this and other Chinese words. The students did research, interviewed experts, and proved the result of the research. Xia Zhi and his students used the research to develop a book for the school's library. Students learned how to conduct research, assess the outcome of the research, cooperate, and communicate with other people.
