Bilingual Program

For children who do not speak Chinese regularly at home, we offer a Bilingual Program. This program is strongly recommended for students who don’t have a sufficient daily Chinese language environment. Our bilingual program emphasizes daily conversation in the beginning, gradually adding reading and writing over time.

We are committed to teaching Chinese as a second language. In order to assure that the program promotes a clear progress in learning, the following course descriptions outline the methodology that we have adopted for our students over years. This has been developed with the input from the parents and our teachers who best understand the needs of students in our environment. This outline will serve as the basis for our current and future development. We will continue to adapt the program as required to meet the evolving needs of students. This will include adding advanced levels as enrollment grows.

Level 1 and 2 (Ages 6-8)

Ideal for beginners with no previous knowledge of Chinese.

  1. Introduce Pinyin (Chinese phonics and 4 tones) through flashcards and videos;
  1. Introduces basic Chinese characters and culture through E-Chinese (online textbook, kindergarten level), storybooks, tongue twisters, songs, games and other interactive activities.

For young learners at this early stage of language development, basic listening and speaking skills are the goals of learning. In level 1 and 2, Chinese characters are used in the lessons to create a language environment for children.

Level 3 (Ages 8-9)

Ideal for advanced beginners with basic knowledge of Chinese.

Introduces children to the Chinese language and culture through E-Chinese (online textbook, first grade level), in addition to

  • contexts created by pictures and photos;
  • use of visual images and audios as cue for oral language production

Literacy skills, such as reading and writing characters are emphasized. Pinyin will be reviewed at this level. These classes will have some older children who do not have prior knowledge of Chinese, but can be expected to quickly master the basics. Reviews and expands on what was learned in level 1 and 2.

At level 3, we expect the students can understand and speak longer phrases and sentences, and recognize/use certain Chinese characters.

Level 4 (Ages 9-10)

Ideal for low intermediate students with basic knowledge of Chinese.

This class will continue to focus on conversation, character recognition and Pinyin application, with the addition of more writing through E-Chinese (online textbook, second grade level)

At level 4, we expect the students to understand and speak more complex sentences, character recognition and using pinyin. Continued expansion of sentence patterns and vocabulary, differentiate tones; write characters and simple sentences.

Level 5 and 6 (Ages 10-12)

Ideal for intermediate students with knowledge of Chinese.

This class will continue to focus on conversation/dialogues on different topics, character recognition, Pinyin application, and writing through the curriculum of Learn Chinese with Me跟我学汉语》level 1 and 2.

We expect the students at level 5 and 6 can carry on increasingly challenging conversations and read/write more complex characters and sentences. The ultimate goal for bilingual level 5 and 6 students is to be promoted to Bilingual Credit 1 program after the course completion.

Bilingual Credit 1 program (Ages 12+)

Ideal for advanced bilingual students with knowledge of Chinese.

This is the basic introductory language course in Modern Standard Chinese (Putonghua, or Mandarin) through the curriculum ofIntegrated Chinese level 1 The curriculum incorporates five Cs standards (Communication, Culture, Connection, and Community). Throughout the course, the teacher facilitates the learning through hands-on activities, and provides students with opportunities to demonstrate their level of proficiency in four language skills across three communicative modes (Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational).

This course will help students develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. It consists of a series of linguistic activities and cultural topics, which enables the student to communicate about daily activities at a survival level. At the end of this course, the student will be able to understand, speak, read, and write by using high frequency expressions and phrases.

The credit earned through the Chinese Credit Program completion can be reported to high school and recorded in the student’s transcript, if requested by the student.

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