Mandarin Immersion Program Flourishes
at L.A. School
LOS ANGELES TIMES | By Matt Stevens
Broadway Elementary in Venice launched the effort to boost enrollment. The plan worked so well the principal is concerned that dual-language learners will outnumber students in regular classes.
Twenty-four first-graders scrambled from their seats and plopped onto a rainbow-colored rug in "Wong laoshi's" classroom. In a minute, they would begin a lesson on food groups. But first a quick exercise on water.
Published: 12/29/2011
The UCLA Confucius inaugurates opening of three Mandarin immersion programs
UCLA Daily Bruin | By Basheer Alas
The UCLA Confucius Institute held a ceremony Monday night to formally inaugurate three new Mandarin immersion programs in schools in Los Angeles and surrounding areas.
Known as Confucius Classrooms, the programs aid in the institute’s goal to promote Chinese language and culture, said Susan Pertel Jain, executive director of the institute.
Since its founding in 2007, the Confucius Institute has provided teaching and language centers to eight schools, said Xiaojie Ma, program coordinator for the Confucius Institute.
Published: 10/04/2011
UCLA institute helps kindergarteners master Mandarin
UCLA Today | By Letisia Marquez
In a kindergarten classroom decorated with a cornucopia of Mandarin words, 5- and 6-year-olds are diligently drawing intricate Mandarin characters and trying their best to keep English out of their conversations.
Suddenly, a student notices that a large insect has landed on teacher Kennis Wong’s back. Wong quickly brushes it off as her students huddle around to get a good look at the intruder.
Wong uses the moment to teach her students several words they don’t know in Mandarin, like "scared" and "insect.
Published: 06/16/11
More kids adding Chinese to their ABCs
Reuters | By Alex Dobuzinskis
In Mandarin immersion teacher Kennis Wong's kindergarten class, her young pupils are making paper masks glued to sticks that they twirl between their palms, showing a different face on each side.
With a similar duality, the children at Broadway Elementary in Los Angeles are learning to talk in English and Chinese, and some are becoming trilingual due to a Spanish-speaking parent.
Published:
Turnout at Broadway Elementary Speaks to Success of Mandarin Program
Vennice Patch Newsletter | By
Broadway Elementary School's Mandarin immersion program solidified its success Tuesday morning, when more than 30 parents from neighboring communities showed up to enroll their children in next year's kindergarten.
The program, which started last year with about 45 kindergartners, will keep adding grades as that class advances. On Tuesday, parents for whom Broadway Elementary is not their home school had the opportunity to sign their children up for the program.
Published: 03/30/2011
Broadway School Broadens Its Cultural Horizons
WestsideToday.com | By Deena Rahman and Paulina Firozi
These days, it takes more than just common sense and a college degree to remain competitive in the global business and market arenas. Proficiency in more than one language offers a large advantage to job candidates, especially if that language happens to be the most widely-spoken one in the world.
China has quickly risen as a world power – economically, socially, and politically. More people speak Mandarin Chinese than any other language in the world. 1,365,053,177 people, to be exact.
Published: 01/01/2011
