Mandarin Immersion Parents Council

Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • Chinese Education Conference 2012: Salt Lake City

    Mandarin Institute and the University of Utah Confucius Institute invite you to the

    Chinese Education Conference 2013

    Empowering Chinese Language Teachers

    March 2-3, 2013 Salt Lake City, Utah

    Utah State Office of Education invites you to preconference school visits and workshops Friday March 1, 2013.

    CEC is the premier conference dedicated to Chinese Language Teachers with experts and in-service teachers presenting:

    §  In-depth workshops

    §  Best practices and hands-on teaching methods

    §  Immersion techniques benefit all classrooms

    §  Delve into curriculum and literacy issues

    Don’t miss the best conference for K-12 Chinese language teachers. See what’s happening and register today!

     

     

  • Houston Mandarin immersion school to be rebuilt

    I’d love to know if the placement of the MI program at Gordon Elementary kept the school open. –Beth

    Posted: Friday, December 7, 2012 4:00 am | Updated: 8:46 am, Fri Dec 7, 2012.

    By Examiner staff

    Condit Elementary, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion School at Gordon and Grady Middle School are among the first 17 of 40 schools scheduled to be rebuilt or renovated in Houston ISD’s $1.89 billion bond program, district officials said Wednesday, Dec. 8.

    Others include Debakey High School, High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Lee and Sharpstown high schools.

     According to the timeline, planning and design for the first group of projects will begin in early-mid 2013, with construction expected to begin by the end of 2014.

    All of the other schools will be phased in over the next five years, with all construction under way by 2017. The district’s goal is to finish all work by 2020.

    Bellaire and Lamar high schools are scheduled in the second phase of projects, with planning and design to begin in early-mid 2014 and construction expected to begin by the end of 2015.

    Schools were prioritized based on need, achieving a balance of projects district-wide, site logistics, cash flow within the schedule of bond sales, and availability of temporary relocation space for students affected by construction. All geographic areas of the district will see construction from the very start of the bond program. All schools included in the first phase of projects are expected to break ground by the end of 2014, if not sooner.

    Please read more here.

  • Other immersion language surging as well

    Demand for French education surges in Louisiana

    By Stacey Plaisance

    Associated Press / November 16, 2011

     NEW ORLEANS—The wave of Hispanics who flooded the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina doesn’t appear to have dampened Louisiana families’ demand for their children to get a French education.

    There’s a waiting list at all 29 of the state’s public French immersion programs, and this year at least one school — the International School of Louisiana in New Orleans — received more applications for its French program than ever before.

    Demand for Spanish language education remains strong, both for local use and as a language of inter-American commerce. But even some Spanish-speakers are seeking French language education for their children.

    Gayle Perez, a New Orleans native who grew up speaking Spanish because of her Ecuadorean parents , enrolled her son in ISL’s French program. Now 10 years old, Alejandro Perez, is fluent in English, Spanish and French.

    “It was the best thing I could have done for my son,” Perez said. “He’s not just learning a new language. He is learning that there’s another part of the world out there, one that’s not only English-speaking or only Spanish-speaking.”

    Please read more here.

  • New Chinese-learning app for your phone

    Screen Shot 2012-12-01 at 7.08.15 AM

    Lingo’s Market is a one-of-a-kind app that transforms mundane shopping excursions into multi-lingual, educational experiences. Lingo the Dragon goes shopping along with your child teaching vocabulary and word recognition for over 100 words as he eats his way through the market. Parents can control the language that their children view and hear as the app includes English, Mandarin, French and Spanish. In the English option, parents can choose between uppercase, lowercase or mixed letters. In the Mandarin option, parents can choose for their children to view the app with simplified Chinese characters or pinyin. To find out more information about the app, check out our website hilingo.com.

    !

  • Where World Languages and the Common Core Intersect

    How teaching world languages can help meet the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

    by Heather Singmaster

    “I have two long antennae,” the student at the front of the class said, in Chinese.

    “Are you a snail?” asked another student, also in Chinese.

    “No! I have three body parts and six thin legs.”

    “An ant?” quipped another.

    “No, I have two colorful wings.”

    “A butterfly!” the class shouted.

    This is an example of an activity you will see in today’s elementary classroom in English, or Chinese, or Spanish, or many other languages. Students, who are learning about the lifecycle in science class, will choose an animal and play a version of 20 questions. By describing the animal and eventually creating a digital storybook about it, they learn descriptive words in context, communicate with a partner, and learn technology skills.

    You may think that’s a great way for students to learn a language. What you may not realize is it also bolsters the literacy skills outlined in the Common Core State Standards.

    Please read more here.

  • Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition Summer institute

    Carla Summer Institutes 2013
    Technology ParticipantsThe Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota has sponsored a summer institute program for second language teachers since 1996. This internationally known program reflects CARLA’s commitment to link research and theory with practical applications for the classroom. Each institute is highly interactive and includes discussion, theory-building, hands-on activities, and plenty of networking opportunities.

    CARLA summer institute participants—more than 4,000 to date—have come from all over the world. They have included foreign language and ESL teachers at all levels of instruction, as well as program administrators, curriculum specialists, and language teacher educators.

    Summer Institutes for Language Teachers

    CARLA offers a range of institutes targeted at foreign language and ESL teachers from a variety of teaching contexts:

    Using the Web for Communicative Language Learning and Professional Development—online course
    July 8-August 11, 2013
    Presenters: Marlene Johnshoy and Alyssa Ruesch
    In this online course, participants will work together to create a foundation for gathering, sharing, evaluating, and incorporating technology into the second language curriculum.

    Using Technology in the Second Language Teaching
    July 15–19, 2013
    Presenters: Catherine Clements, Marlene Johnshoy, Beth Kautz, Dan Soneson, Rick Treece, Pablo Viedma, Zhen Zou
    Participants in this institute will learn how to use technology to facilitate student use of the target language and get “hands on” practice in using computers to promote students’ skills in interpretation, presentation, and interaction.

    Content-Based Language Instruction and Curriculum Development 

    July 15–19, 2013
    Presenter: Laurent Cammarata
    This institute will provide foreign language teachers with the background and tools needed to implement content-based instruction (CBI) in their second language classroom.

    Developing Materials for Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs)

    July 15–19, 2013
    Presenters: Bill Johnston and Louis Janus
    This summer institute will provide LCTL teachers with practical tools and hands-on experience in designing a wide range of materials that will improve their students’ abilities to use the language for communicative purposes.

    Culture as the Core in the Second Language Classroom

    July 22–26, 2013
    Presenters: Wendy Allen and Francine Klein
    Weaving together theory and practice, this interactive institute will help teachers develop instructional strategies and practical tools for integrating language learning with a systematic culture curriculum.

    Focusing on Learner Language: 
Second Language Acquisition Basics for Teachers

    July 22–26, 2013
    Presenters: Elaine Tarone and Maggie Broner
    Participants will learn to analyze learner language in light of research on second language acquisition and will then consider implications for language teaching.

    Improving Language Learning: 
Styles- and Strategies-Based Instruction
    July 29-August 2, 2013
    Presenter: Martha Nyikos
    This summer institute is designed to help language teachers maximize students’ ability to learn a foreign/second language through styles- and strategies-based instruction.

    Developing Assessments for the Second Language Classroom

    July 29-August 2, 2013
    Presenters: Donna Clementi and Ursula Lentz
    Focusing on the alignment of standards-based curriculum and assessment, this institute includes an overview of the wide range of purposes in assessment, and step-by-step guidance in creating integrated performance assessments for classroom use.

    Summer Institutes for Immersion Teachers

    CARLA also offers three popular institutes that are designed specifically for immersion educators:

    Immersion 101: An Introduction to Immersion Teaching for Chinese and Japanese
    June 24-28, 2013
    Presenters: Tara Fortune and a team of veteran immersion teachers
    This institute provides novice immersion teachers in character-based languages with the tools and information they need to survive and thrive in the immersion classroom. The institute also includes a two-day session for administrators of immersion education programs for character-based languages.

    Immersion 101: An Introduction to Immersion Teaching 

    July 22–26, 2013
    Presenters: Tara Fortune and a team of veteran immersion teachers
    This institute provides novice immersion teachers with the tools and information they need to survive and thrive in the immersion classroom. The institute has been reconfigured to offer two teacher sessions simultaneously and an expanded 3-day session for administrators of immersion education programs.

    Meeting the Challenges of Immersion Education: Biliteracy Development in Dual Language/Immersion Classroom 
    July 29-August 2, 2013
    Presenter: Diane Tedick
    In this new institute, immersion practitioners will gain an understanding of the complex phenomenon of biliteracy and with a range of instructional strategies for fostering biliteracy development in dual language/immersion classrooms.

    Information

    More information is available on the CARLA website.

    Registration will open on January 7, 2013.
    To request a copy of a print brochure you can email the CARLA office at: carla@umn.edu.

    The institutes have been developed and are offered with the support, in part, of the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI Language Resource Center program. The summer institutes are co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development and College of Liberal Arts.

    Advanced Practices in Second Language Teaching Certificate

    This certificate offered by the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development provides an exciting opportunity for teachers of foreign languages and English as a second/foreign language to showcase their professional development work through the CARLA summer institute program by taking the institutes for graduate level credit.

    More information about the courses needed to obtain the certificate, admission criteria, and application materials can be found on the web.

     

  • Chinese tongue twister contest for foreigners

    Screen Shot 2012-11-30 at 4.32.40 PM

    Global Times Tongue Twister Contest for ForeignersThe Contest is an event for non-Chinese speaking contestants who enjoy the use of Chinese language and the fun of tongue twisters, held by Global Times, co-organised by Commercial Press and Chinese Universe.

    Read more here.

    1. What is Tongue Twister Contest?

    Chinese Tongue Twister Contest for Foreigners is an event for non-Chinese who enjoy the use of Chinese language and the fun of tongue twisters, held by Global Times, a leading English-language paper in China.

    2. Is the contest free or not?

    Yes, the tongue twister contest is totally for free.

    3. Is there any appointed tongue twist? 

    Every contestant should practice one compulsory tongue twister and one optional from the five twisters. Please read the tongue twist in your video on this page: http://community.globaltimes.cn/ … iewthread&tid=6990.

    4. When the application begins and ends?

    The application of the tongue twist contest begins on November 1 and ends on November 30.

    5. What is the qualification of the contest?

    Anyone of nationalities other than Chinese are eligible and welcome to participate the competition.

    6. How can I enter for the contest?

    Contestants should upload their video to youku.com, tudou.com, 56.com and ku6.com (files uploaded to youtube.com will not be accepted) and post the video in the forum for the contest. Contestants should email the video link and their profile to event@globaltimes.com.cn

    7. Who is going to Judge?

    The winners of the event will be jointly decided by the votes from the web users and language experts.

    8. What is the prize?

    The contest will unveil NINE awards, including the Top Three, Excellence Award, Most Popular, Most Beautiful Most Handsome, Most Intereting and Best Performance., etc.

    Plentiful prizes are waiting for you, check it out at http://community.globaltimes.cn/ … 157%26typeid%3D157.

    9. What is the basic contest procedure?

    The basic contest procedure goes this way.

    Phase I (November 1 — 30, 2012): Contestants upload their video clips to assigned video website and email their video link and profile to Global Times Community;

    Phase II (December 1 —20, 2012): Web users vote for the contestants and the top 20 videos with highest vote will go to the next phase for the final vote;

    Phase III (December 21 — 25, 2012): Language experts vote for the shortlisted 20 contestants. Ten times experts’ vote plus web users vote will determine the final winners.

    Phase IV: Announce the winner list and mail the awards to the winners.