WHAT YOU SHOULD DO:

# 1. Post a blog 3 times a week (M, W & F) of at least 200 words. In your blogs you could:
-describe something you learned
-explain something that surprised you
-give an update about stuff you're working on
-explain how you solved a problem
-tell a cool story

Also include images, sounds or video from your project.

# 2. Respond thoughtfully to another blogger's posts on this site. Post 1 of these response-blogs per week (200 or more words each).

Each of you is expected to contribute to this blog--even if you're working with another student or with a group.

I'm really looking forward to following your project via your postings! Have fun!

JB

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Intro to 中文

May 14, 2014

The first day was certainly easier than I anticipated. All the kids are excited to dive into Chinese. For those of you who don't know, Lauren and I are working at Chambers Elementary School teaching fifth grade students Chinese.  As an alum of Chambers Elementary, my nostalgia definitely gets the best of me as I walk the halls once again.

A little background: Chambers houses the SCOPE program which is the only honors program available to elementary school students in the East Cleveland School District. I was apart of the SCOPE program along wit hmy oldest brother and even my other so I have seen the program at some of its' highest points first hand! Over the three weeks I plan to observe the program for what it is today, and take an idea on how some flaws can be fixed.

We spent most of the morning observing the teaching techniques of the Spanish teacher, and third grade teacher. At chamber there are grades K-6, with about five classes in every grade so we plan on observing a variation of teaching styles that we can pick up for our Chinese lesson. During observation we have already gotten new ideas from the third grade class on how to incorporate reading comprehension and other key subjects into our Chinese Courses. That being said, we've noticed that the kids always need something to do! A couple minutes of idle time can turn our classroom into an unpleasant recess. This wasn't hard today though because the students are genuinely interested in learning Chinese. They were most excited after receiving the Chinese names Lauren and I created personally for everyone. After learning how to pronounce there names, a girl stated "I never even want to speak English again!" While that may be a bit excessive, I think that it a true goal for us over this project; to allow the students to explore new territory, encouraging them to see what is beyond their English-speaking homes in East Cleveland! I know I speak for Lauren when I say we are REALLY excited for the days to come as they are catching on so quickly!
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