The University of Utah’s Second Language Teaching and Research Center (L2TReC) and the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) are excited to host the Fifth International Conference on Dual Language/Immersion Education, to be held at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 15-18, 2014. The conference will bring together researchers, practitioners, administrators and policy makers interested in immersion education. In addition to plenaries, symposia and presentations, attendees will be able to visit Utah dual language immersion schools and participate in professional workshops.

http://l2trec.utah.edu/immersion2014/

Nathan Yeung has updated his map and it’s way cool. Please check out his site.

Parents urge board to consider middle school Mandarin immersion program

Group hopes to bridge gap between Ohlone program and high school courses

by Elena Kadvany / Palo Alto Weekly

Then first-grader Kira Sterling reads a book in Mandarin at Ohlone Elementary School in 2009. Photo by Shawn Fender/Palo Alto Online.

Bringing the state’s Mandarin immersion programs up to 33, as well as 14 French immersion, 2 German, 6 Portuguese and 63 Spanish. They don’t do anything by halves in Utah.

I’ve updated the full school list to include these, as well as Frontiers Academy, a new private Mandarin immersion school opening this fall in Anaheim, Calif. that also includes 10% of the day taught in Spanish.

New Utah programs:

Aspen Elementary, Orem

Black Ridge Elementary, Saratoga Springs

Indian Hills Middle School, Sandy

Draper Park Middle School, Draper

Northlake Elementary, Tooele

Horizon Elementary, Washington

Yay! The next set of Utah’s Step-by-Step readers is out. As we all know, reading more is key to increasing vocabulary and language ability. And these are one of the few series specifically created for kids in immersion. And what’s so great is that these are linked to the types of topics that U.S. students in elementary school need to read about. For example, the story in the book here, “The Invitation” is set among the Pacific Northwest indian tribes (it could also be southern Alaska, it looks Haida, coast Salish or Tsimshian, I can’t quite tell.) Most fourth graders study about local history, so this would work for anyone writing about Indians. I’m so psyched to start seeing things like this appear. So check them out!

Beth

Step by Step Level C

• Publication Date: July 28, 2014
• Boxed set of 19 fully-colored illustrated volumes
• ISBN: Simplified Characters 978-1-62291-051-9

What is Step by Step C?

Transport students into a world of vivid color, imagination, and fun as they learn Chinese with Step by Step Level C. Designed for students with two to three years of elementary Chinese study, this delightful, 19-volume set of graded readers builds off the vocabulary learned in Step by Step Level A and Level B. Focusing on Grade 3 curricula based on the Utah State Standards in science and social studies, Step by Step Level C elaborates 6-high level content areas including:

• Science (on general science concepts like the scientific method, gravity, and friction)
• Anthropology (on Native American culture)
• Physics (introducing Newton’s Laws of Motion)
• Astronomy (gravity and the rotation/revolution of the Earth and moon)
• Environment (explaining how energy from the sun affects us and the world)
• Technology (simple machines)

Pedagogical alignment with ACTFL’s 5 C’s and the Common Core State Standards places Step by Step in a unique position to satisfy the curriculum goals of every elementary school Chinese program: from intensive immersion to casual exploration.

How does Step by Step, Level C work?

The third in this multi-level series, Step by Step Level C includes 1 Foundation story which introduces numerous vocabulary and grammatical structures that spiral through the rest of the themes, while also reviewing content from Level A and Level B. After reading the Foundation theme, students and teachers can pick up any theme that suits their needs and interests, finding that grammar and vocabulary will both build within themes and spiral between all the content areas.

There are three readers in each Level C theme. In total, Level C introduces over 450 new words, at 20-30 words per book. Like the earlier levels, the new vocabulary terms systematically recycle throughout each reader across all themes. Step by Step‘s content-based instruction continues to provide a context for learning and reinforces subject matter learned in other disciplines. The companion website includes audio recordings, teaching tips, vocabulary lists and flashcards, grammar guides, and writing practice templates.

Home support

Most American parents do not speak Chinese—this challenges programs and teachers to find new ways to help parents and guardians support their young learners during the study of Chinese. Step by Step Level C provides a variety of resources to meet this challenge, including full English translations, new word lists with pinyin, and a robust companion website complete with mp3 audio, flashcards, word lists, and more. Contact your representative for samples and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781622910519

Format: Paperback

Illustrations: Full Color

Pages: 20pp

Check out their video and web page for the Ayaprun Elitnaurvik Yup’ik immersion school in the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Bethel, Alaska.

Our friends over at Parents of African American Students Studying Chinese have been busy updating their blog. Well worth a visit.

http://www.paassc.com