Information for parents of kids in Mandarin immersion education

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  • Boston immersion thrives, but traditional foreign language classes losing ground

    More than a decade after the state urged that students start learning a foreign language in the early grades, many local elementary schools are losing ground.

    Immersion programs, in which children study all of their subjects in the second language, are thriving in a few communities. But traditional foreign language classes, often for a few hours a week, have disappeared from elementary schools in Arlington, Bellingham, Franklin, Littleton, Marlborough, Needham, Newton, Norfolk, and Shrewsbury.

    The cutbacks are largely due to tight budgets and high-stakes testing in other subjects, officials say.

    “It’s really budget,” said Kathleen Bodie, superintendent of Arlington’s school system, which dropped its Spanish program for kindergarten through third grade.

    “People would love to have an elementary language program,’’ Bodie said. “In terms of brain development, that is the ideal time to learn a language. It’s much more difficult as we get older.”

    Please read more here.

  • Minnetonka, Minn. graduates its first 5th grade

    MINNETONKA, Minn. – Fifth-grade students murmer to each other as they read through their text at Scenic Heights Elementary.

    Bend in a little closer and you will hear they are speaking Mandarin Chinese.  Scenic Heights and Excelsior each host Chinese immersion programs in the Minnetonka School District and now these students are ready to move on to middle schoool.

    “We were told when we came into the program that there was a commitment to take it all the way through the high school,” said parent Nancy Getzkin whose son, David, is about to make the leap.

    So is the Minnetonka District, which starting next year will offer Chinese and Spanish immersion for its students who have completed the programs at the elementary level.

    Please read more here.

  • Houston to open Mandarin immersion school in August

    Principal Bryan Bordelon tries to reassure parents taking a chance on his new school: Don’t panic when you can’t understand your 4-year-old’s assignments.

    Your child may even tell secrets in a language you don’t understand, he says. That’s a good thing. It means the students are learning.

    Bordelon is leading a new public elementary school in Bellaire that will immerse mostly English-speaking students in Mandarin Chinese, teaching them to read, write and speak a language with growing importance in the global business arena.

    The Houston Independent School District campus, which will open in August, is one of the first schools in Texas to offer a Mandarin immersion program and is among a small but growing number nationwide.

    Please read more here.

  • Australia says forget French, Mandarin’s the thing

    It’s adieu to the French language at schools as experts advise a shift of focus from European languages

    • school

    Rouse Hill Public School’s Chloe Van Der Houen, Alessandra Valle, Keenan Davis and Joel Wright learn Mandarin. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Daily Telegraph

    TO get ahead, children should learn Mandarin: that’s the advice from education experts who say schools need to shift their focus from European languages.

    Although learning any second language is beneficial to children, the one that will deliver career and salary benefits is Mandarin – and students should stick with the same language through primary and high school to have any hope of fluency.

    Reviving the language debate, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott used his Budget reply speech on Thursday to pledge a boost in language studies so at least 40 per cent of Year 12 students were learning a language other than English within a decade.

    Mr Abbott would focus on languages of key regional partners like China, Japan, South Korea and India (see the story at right).

    UNSW school of education Professor Chris Davison said anyone considering a career in business would have a competitive edge by being fluent in Mandarin, the most widely spoken language in the world.

    Please read more here.

  • Orange County Mandarin immersion charter one step closer

    A note from one of the parents says “We got a Spanish charter school’s approval to include us as a mandarin immersion extension of their program in 2012. Still pending school District ok at end of may but early talks w them are promising. It would be k-2 in 2012.

    •A subsidiary of the Mandarin Language Academy, a successful Tuition-free Public Charter School in San Diego
    • Instruction will be: 70% Mandarin Chinese, 10% Spanish, 20% English
    • Credentialed, trained teachers and experienced administrators provided by the Mandarin Language Academy
    • Small class sizes (22:1 plus an aide)
    • Proven, time-tested curriculum over many years’ experience in language immersion programs

  • Get ready for summer and some reading in Mandarin

    As the school years nears its end, it’s time to start thinking about various ways to keep your kids listening to and reading in Mandarin over the summer.

    Once again the folks at 5Q Channel in Taiwan are making available a special ‘parents’ rate for their web site, which offers illustrated stories with the Mandarin in characters (simplified and traditional are both available) and the stories are also read aloud.
    It’s a great site if you don’t read Mandarin yourself, because it reads stories to your kids.
    They also have  iPad apps available.
    To get the $30 yearly rate, log in here:

    Another good site is out of Silicon Valley, called ChildRoad. It’s a a read-and-listen library of stories in Mandarin.
    Both are great ways to make sure your child keeps up with Mandarin over the summer. When my kids want to go online, I tell them “Sure, but only if it’s one of these sites.”
    Beth

  • A nice blog listing books in Mandarin for children

    http://vickietsui96.blogspot.com/

    Really useful English write ups of books that do well with smaller kids.

    She’s also got a blog about raising Mandarin/English bilingual children.

    http://mandarin-tiger-mom.blogspot.com/