Why is “Willy Goat” unique? Willy Goat is the second text book series to be published by Ignite Chinese that is specifically written for Teaching with Comprehensible (TCI) based instructions and Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS) practitioners. The Willy goat series have been written in a style that combines the characteristics of Dr. Krashen’s work, learning and the brain, with children’s developmental stages. At the start of the story, our main character, Willy, is a preschooler. Gradually, throughout the story he grows older. Willy Goat is just like every other kid in the world; he faces daily challenges...
How Do You Do Today?
What we are going through is so unprecedented. While teaching online reinstalls a form of normality, at the same time, it reminds us how unusual the whole situation has been. Watching the COVID19 cases and victims increase each day, when US's death toll easily crossed over 10,000 while key politicians are still playing a game of self-worship and personal gain, any reasonable and conscious person would feel the pain, frustration, anger, desperation, hopelessness... inside. And at the same time, we must be the anchor for our students. I haven't felt so much tension in my shoulders since I started meditating...
Guess Who Online: Who’s the Thief?
By Pu-mei Leng: Once we are online, I realize the input activities need to be shortened and students will need to speak more simply because they need to talk. When Lu laoshi showed me her new version of the old mafia game, I was excited. She said that we can simply use private chat to assign the roles to students. I was eager to test it out with my students. To play a game is a privilege in my class. I do not play very often and they will have to listen to the story carefully. And I usually play...
Addressing xenophobia
By Pu-mei Leng I still feel the need for addressing the issue of Xenophobia in the Chinese classes even though our students are stressed and even depressed now. For my lower-level classes, instead of discussing and debating the issues directly, I only focused on a simple message: intentionally or unintentionally, discrimination and prejudice hurt people. In a crisis we are facing, we do not need to hurt more people. I believe my students can get this simple message. What I did was to come up with a simple storyline: A panda was sad and hurt because people call the virus...
Wait, Google Meet? What about Small Group Activities and Interactive Collaboration?
By Haiyun Lu The preparation for teaching online is ramping up in my school. The tech department and administrators have been super supportive. At the same time, they have also provided an overwhelming amount of information regarding teaching online. Supports, protocols, challenges, and unforeseen complications... have been pushed out on a regular basis. This morning, I had three hours' meeting back-to-back online. Boy, my eyes got so fatigued to a point of getting watery. I guess you have been reading tons of information regarding teaching online as well. I'm going to keep this post short and simple. We will be...
Classroom Jobs Going Online
By Haiyun Lu Many of you around the globe have already dabbled in different platforms for teaching online. I saw many posts sharing challenges, stresses, ideas, suggestions and success. We are starting first day of online teaching tomorrow. I have been thinking about the need and the importance of creating an online community. I hope to bring in the wonder of classroom jobs online. May this post be a conversation starter for us to all chime in sharing and contributing ideas. Since I haven't started teaching online yet, I have no expert opinion to offer yet. En comparación con el...
The Daily Pandemic Report
By Pu-mei Leng Our school had two half-day classes for us to get used to online teaching and last Friday (March 27) was my first day of whole day class. I watched CNN to check the pandemic numbers in the morning before the class. And I made a quick slide intend to teach the current event. As I was teaching, I realize it is the best time to teach Chinese big numbers as a routine as long as we are having online school. The big number in Chinese is confusing to students as we all know. I usually teach big...
How Are You Feeling Today?
It was close to midnight, my son still struggled to fall asleep. He asked me to snuggle with him. I laid down on the floor on his home camping spot since my niece took over his bedroom, and a friend is staying with us and taking over the guest room. I wrapped one arm around his tommy, he bursted into sobs. "I'm so lonely. My friends are the only ones who understand me in my world. I can't see them with my own eyes." He complained. "Awwww, baby! Didn't you FaceTime them for three hours today?" I knew this kind...
Listen & Draw
Many students like to doodle, especially when they are given an opportunity to be creative, imaginative and novel. Listen and Draw is one of our shared favorite activities in class. We love it for several reasons. If there is not a time to finish a story, "Listen and Draw" is a perfect way to recap what has happened so far. A screenshot of the "Listen and Draw" provides a perfect visual clue for a homework assignment: a. Either looking at the illustration and telling the story b. Or looking at the illustration to speed write It is a novel way...
谁是#Coronavirus的第一个“吹哨人”?
从除夕夜起,哥哥每天都会在家里的群里发关于新冠状病毒的消息。有时候是关于国家的规定,有时候是关于疫情的教育,有时候是对疫情的追踪。从所有的信息里,都在告诫大家一定要把心静下来,管住嘴,管住腿,为了国家,为了老百姓的安全待在家里。如果不得不出门,一定要戴上口罩,戴上帽子,戴上手套,回到家,外面穿的衣服都要消毒。 嫂子在当地政府部门工作,跟家里其他人相反,天天都要早出晚归,到各个小区去探访,特别是听说有从武汉打工回家过年的人,天天都去追踪他们的体温,询问他们的症状,还要做好他们的隔离工作。直到没有发现异样,才会转到另一个小区去。 家人的信念是“众志成城”,大家一起齐心协力,这个难关中国的老百姓肯定会再次挺过。 与此同时,很多西方媒体开始拿中国处理疫情的速度跟一个理想中的完美速度相比。在很多西方社会也掀起了对华人歧视的报道,对华人歧视的行为和语言。很少有人知道,中国的老百姓在为疫情的付出到底有什么,为了控制疫情,中国的老百姓都在做出什么牺牲。这里,我来给大家介绍两个中国的普通医生。一个叫李文亮,一个叫张继先。为了控制#新冠状病毒,他们做出的贡献都是无可非比的。 当我在收集这两位医生的信息的时候,我读了很多不同来源的消息。为了能够帮到对外汉语老师的忙,能够用更多的普通的中国人的故事让学生们更多,更全面地了解到中国老百姓在疫情猖狂下的生活,我尽量用最简单的文字来讲述他们的故事。在课堂上,我会采取的一个教学方法是由 Dr. Beniko Mason 发明的 "Story Listening". 在这里我跟大家分享一下。如果觉得有用,请自由转发。 这里是一个The Whistle Blower的文本。 祝福中国吧,也祝福中国的每一个老百姓。
Up the Culture Game: Teaching Holiday Celebration Through Content-based Activities!
By Pu-mei Leng Spring Festival and Lantern Festival are coming up fast! Read the following post to learn how Leng laoshi teaches Lantern Festival in her Chinese class! The riddle activity for the Chinese Lantern Festival was created for the topic of Celebration of Festivals. All of my festivals were first taught on the calendar talk, very basic vocabulary and one or more important features on a specific festival, like everyone did, for example, Chinese in the north eat dumplings in the New Year. As their level advances, more details are added to the celebration of the festivals. This will...
Discover joy in Reading
By Pu-mei Leng I usually avoid typing on my phone. In response to an NTPRS 2018 Chinese teacher’s question of how to cultivate students’ interest in reading, I write this blog which has been long overdue. Winnie’s question is specific to her students with Asian origins, particularly the ones whose families speak one of the dialects. As we all know Asian parents believe in reading for its educational value and effectiveness. Some students would work for grade and read the things will be included in the assessment. We all have them in second language classrooms because reading is one of...