Making the jump to Middle school

This year we are starting Chinese at the Middle school.  This is a great success for our Chinese program because it shows commitment to language learning here at Mid Prairie.  While it is great to be able to go to the Middle school and teach Chinese it is not without its challenges.  Middle school is that important bridge between elementary school and high school where students need to develop higher order skills that will allow them to be successful learners throughout their lives.  For students who are used to all the games and songs that were part of their elementary Chinese, this transition can be a bit of a shock.  Middle school Chinese has lots of fun parts, but students must also start to learn and develop abilities to make them successful language learners in high school and beyond.  So in addition to games and music, we are also learning how to read and write a good amount of Chinese characters.  Students are taking more rigorous tests in Chinese, and they are expected to speak using Chinese throughout their Chinese term.  They are also delving deeper into Asian culture as well as their own.  It's not as easy as it used to be, but the rewards are so much greater.