Kids Learn Chinese
Ni Hao! I just came across a few fantastic online articles about the benefits of learning Mandarin:
Why You Should Learn Chinese by Ryan Edward
Why Let Kids Learn Chinese from NewsForNatives.com
Starting young is the way to go! In case you don’t have access to children’s Mandarin classes in your area, check out some of these dvd’s. Why not create a little Chinese “staycation” this summer? You can learn words and phrases with the videos, eat a Chinese meal with chopsticks, and make some crafts (from artistshelpingchildren.org) Have a great trip!
Image Credit: by Simona Dumitru at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/933050
Spanish Phrases for Children’s Games and Activities
Childhood is a culture all its own. Kids from around the world enjoy many of the same games and activities. It’s all about play! Play with words as you and your child discover some kid-friendly Spanish words and phrases:
jugar a pillapilla – play tag
leer cuentos de hadas – read fairy tales
llevar a alguien a cuestas – give piggyback rides
montar en tiovivo – ride a merry-go-round
saltar la cuerda – jump rope
subirse a los árboles – climb trees
los juegos – games
los juguetes – toys
los videojuegos – video games
la muñeca – doll
la pelota - ball
la oso de felpa – teddy bear
Photo Credit: by Joanna Vidad at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/558287
Foreign Language Education in the News
I’ve come across a few interesting articles this week that I’d like to share. Here are some news stories from the world of foreign language education:
Utah leads the nation in public school students learning Mandarin. Not only is there a high percentage of secondary students learning Chinese, but the language is finding its way into elementary schools, as well. By next year, 6000 students in the state will be learning Chinese. Furthermore, 21 elementary schools in Utah will soon implement dual immersion programs in Mandarin, Spanish, and French. Way to go, Utah!
New preschool language programs near Gainesville, GA. Hall County Schools recently received a grant to fund four preschool immersion programs. Get this–students will learn in three languages: English, Spanish, and Chinese . 90% of instruction will be in Spanish, 10% in English, and then there is also an hour of Mandarin at the end of every day. There’s already a waiting list. If I lived in the area, you’d better believe my four year old would be on it!
Language programs successful despite rocky economy. Houston’s Rice University language classes continue to thrive as professionals aim to make themselves more marketable.
Seniors learn Spanish. What a wonderful idea! A resident at a senior living center in Colorado is teaching a Spanish class to the other residents. That will keep minds sharp! This article got me thinking . . . wouldn’t it be cool to teach the young and old together? My family used to frequent a nursing home to visit a relative, and my oldest son who was 5 at the time absolutely loved to go. He would make little presents to give to the residents and he loved all of the attention he received. Maybe we could go volunteer together and teach some French.
$125,000 teacher salaries! Okay, this article isn’t about foreign language education per se, but as a teacher I am intrigued. The Equity Project is an innovative charter middle school in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. They’ve recently hired a dream team of teachers. The founder is out to prove that teacher excellence is the critical ingredient for a school’s success. What’s really amazing is that this charter school is simply reallocating existing public funds. The principal will earn less than the teachers, and other administrative positions have been eliminated. The teachers’ days are long: 7:45 – 5:00. But many, many teachers I know already put in those kind of hours as well as work at home. The Equity Project teachers have three planning times built into their day, and they teach only one course to four different groups of students. There is a 6 week intensive planning session in the summer. Not only will teachers earn $125,000, they also have the possibility of earning a $25,000 bonus. They can be fired at any time. The school will serve mostly students from low-income Hispanic families. In case you were wondering about the foreign language offered at the Equity School–it’s Latin. If they ever need a French teacher , I’m available 
Image credit: by sanja gjenero at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/853246
Rainy Day French: Movies for Kids Set in France
A rainy summer day with nothing to do? Why not take your kids on a trip to France? Make an indoor picnic of baguette, cheese, grapes, French cookies, and sparkling juice, then pop in one of these DVD’s set in France. On some, you can change the language to French if you wish–but don’t feel guilty about simply enjoying a good movie in English. Your kids can hunt for snippets of French language or sightings of monuments. Bon voyage!
The Tale of Despereaux
Madeline
Madeline: Meet Me in Paris
Passport To Paris
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Beauty and the Beast (Special Platinum Edition)
Ratatouille
The Red Balloon (Released by Janus Films, in association with the Criterion Collection)
Rugrats in Paris – The Movie
The Little Prince
Ever After – A Cinderella Story This one isn’t really for kids (it’s PG-13) but what a fantastic movie for tweens!
Have you seen any of these movies? Feel free to comment with a review.
What other movies for kids are set in France? Let me know what I’ve left out!
Summertime Vocabulary in French and Spanish
The kids are out of school and the summertime fun can officially begin. Learn some useful French and Spanish words for outdoor play:
the pool – la piscine (Fr.) – la piscina (Sp.)
the beach – la plage (Fr.) -la playa (Sp.)
the swings - les balançoires (Fr.) - los columpios (Sp.)
the bicycle – la bicyclette (Fr.) – la bicicleta (Sp.)
Play with these words and lots more with the Foreign Language House Summer Fun Flash Cards in French and Spanish, available from TeachersPayTeachers.com. You’ll get eight printable picture cards and corresponding word cards with five game suggestions. Have fun playing with language this summer!
Photo Credit: by Houng ngui at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/221198
Foreign Language Printables, Downloads, and Worksheets: A Subscription Site?
We’ve been busy at Foreign Language House this year. Although we never set out to create teacher downloads, to date we have prepared nearly 150 French, Spanish, and ESL activities, flash cards, games, worksheets and teacher guides. We’ll continue to create several new downloads each month for sale through Lulu.com or TeachersPayTeachers.com.
Got us to thinking . . . wouldn’t it be great to also make ALL of our downloads available on one site that could be accessed by subscribers internationally? One reasonable annual fee would gain you access to every foreign language download we’ve made or will make. Most of our materials are for novice-level learners, from pre-k through secondary. Perfect for teachers and homeschoolers. If you like our stuff, it should save you a lot of money. We’d love your input—does this sound like a service you’d be interested in? Please take our survey (at NO obligation since the site doesn’t even exist yet!) You can even put in your two cents about what fee would be reasonable. All comments and ideas are welcome!
Merci & Gracias
Foreign Language House
Make a Spanish Father’s Day Card
Father’s Day is next week. Get the kids busy wishing Papá a wonderful day in Spanish. Here are some useful expressions for a heartfelt, homemade card:
Feliz Día del Padre - Happy Father’s Day
para - to
de/ desde - from
Mi Querido- my dear . . ..
padre - Father
Papá - Dad
Abuelo - Grandfather
Abuelito - Grandpa
Tío - Uncle
Te quiero - I love you.
Pienso en ti - I’m thinking of you.
Te extraño - I miss you.
Eres especial- You are special.
If you’re looking for some famous Spanish quotes about fathers, check out the newest download from Foreign Language House: Spanish Father’s Day Card
Photo Credit: by Leon Tiedt at http://www.sxc.hu/photo/1053161
Secretary of Education Duncan’s Remarks about Foreign Language Study
A few weeks ago (May 2009), Rep. Rush Holt and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan discussed math, science, and foreign language education. Take a look:
It’s encouraging to hear both Holt and Duncan agree that foreign language education must begin early. Here are some of Secretary Duncan’s remarks (to the best of my ability):
“Finally on foreign language, starting young is absolutely right. Starting in high school is late in the game. Starting three year olds and four year olds and five year olds and six year olds . . . it’s like second nature to them. So the more we can provide those opportunities early on, the better students are going to do.”
Yay. Now let’s go do it.
Importance of Learning a Foreign Language in Elementary School
Just check out the statistics in this video. American schools must do a better job of educating children in foreign languages. Every child in every school should have access to quality foreign language instruction.
So, only 31% of American elementary schools offer foreign languages? Shameful. And I can tell you after months of school visits this past year, a lot of those programs are just one-day-a-week “exposure” classes. We can do so much more with quality FLES and immersion programs.
As far as the video’s slant on learning critical languages . . . I see HUGE advantages to learning Spanish and French, too. At a foreign language teacher’s conference I attended the other year, a speaker had related a conversation she had with a military language instructor. This instructor wanted learners with a strong background in any language, then they could be more easily trained in whatever other critical languages and dialects were needed by the military. Still, I’d be jumping for joy if my kids’ schools decided to implement Mandarin. Or Spanish or French. How about all three? (Now I’m really dreaming.)
Any thoughts?
Kids Tell Why to Learn a Language
You’ve got to see this PSA from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages for its Discover Languages campaign. These precious kids are just too cute, and their message just too important to miss!
Want to help spread the word about early language learning? Click here to download the following print ads:
