Jillian Tsai-- Middle School
Cheyenne Z. Matthewson -- Upper School
Lakeside School Chinese: the Articulation of a High-Functioning Chinese Program
Brief History of Lakeside School’s Chinese ProgramStarted in 2000 as a
desire of school to add a non-western language to our language course lineup
- Acknowledgement of the
rise of China
- Local community
Challenges of Starting our Chinese Program
Gaining parent support
Finding qualified teachers
Setting up our curriculum
Challenges of Starting our Chinese Program
Support of the parents
- Endowment/Financial support
- Parents involvement in the planning stage. Give them the sense of ownership, but not control of the program
Challenges of Starting our Chinese ProgramFinding and retaining
qualified teachers Where to find teachers?
- CLTA network at national and
local levels
- NAIS China Connection
- New teacher support -Mentor system
-Support of professional
organizations
Setting up curriculum
-articulating goals at each level
-selection of materials
(MS approaches vs.
US approaches)
-students language background
(heritage and non-heritage
learners)
Program Overview Middle School
- Levels A, B, C, D
- Students are required to
take one foreign language.
- Students who successfully
complete C or D may be
placed at the Upper School
Chinese II level.
- More than 20% students
enrolled in Chinese program
Program Overview
Upper School - Levels I-IV, IV/V, V/VI
- Graduation requirement:
at least two years in Upper
School and successfully
complete Level III.
- More capable students should
be able to enroll in Third Year
level college courses after
completing Level IV/V or V/VI.
Course Descriptions
Course Descriptions--Upper School
Philosophy & Approach
Communicative, Task-Based methods
Student-Centered classroom
Use of Target Language as much as possible.
Appropriate use of grammar lessons
Occasional use of grammar translation exercises.
Community and Connection-- Using Chinese in the real world
Fairytale project
Community and Connection-- Using Chinese in the real world
Connecting MS and US programs
Thank you!How to contact us:
Jillian Tsai 蔡季芬 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.swiftclassroom.com/lakeside/jtsai/index.php
Cheyenne Z. Matthewson 张晓云E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://teachers.lakesideschool.org/us/languages/matthewson/default.htm
Lakeside School website: http://www.lakesideschool.org