Piedmont Language School

GOALS/PHILOSOPHY Piedmont Language School (PLS) Mandarin classes are intended to serve as an enrichment program for elementary school children within the Piedmont Unified School District (PUSD) and other nearby schools. There are no grades, and tests are informal and homework is optional. Progress reports are issued at the end of the semester, noting areas of progress and strength, and offering suggestions for improvement. Instruction covers spoken and written Mandarin for basic core topics of daily life, as well as discussion of Chinese culture, history, geography, and folklore. The goal of the program is to teach basic conversational ability and Chinese characters, and encourage interest and appreciation of the Chinese culture and language.



CLASS STRUCTURE/ASSESSMENTS

PLS Mandarin classes will be divided into five levels beginning October 2006. The majority of the students begin study in first grade, although a few begin before or after.

Class assignment is made each fall after reviewing the list of new and returning students. Key factors in deciding which level to place a student include: prior exposure to/study of Mandarin or other Chinese dialects, past achievement in PLS classes, grade level, previous demonstrated interest and attention, and the overall balance of the size of each level.

Starting this year, classes will meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:20pm to 4:10pm. (Previously, classes met only on Thursdays for 75 minutes.) The makeup of each level's class time varies, but generally include some review as well as new vocabulary, songs and rhymes, round-the-table dialogue patterns, matching games or bingo, skits, role playing, etc. On occasion, musical, art, or calligraphy demonstrations will be given by visiting artists or family members/friends.

Each level contains many of the same core topics and repeats some vocabulary and sentence patterns. It is rare that a student will retain all that is taught in a given year. For example, most Level I students will typically only remember the vocabulary/sentence structures most relevant to themselves - favorite foods, colors, animals, names for family members, etc. While there is some repetition from year to year, each ensuing level also includes more depth and complicated sentence patterns and vocabulary.

 
Liu Weishan teaching young student

Master musician Liu Weishan introduces young students to the Gu Zheng