Students from Wellman and Washington Township Elementary Schools enjoy using iPads to learn Chinese, while also spending some time playing Chinese checkers--both on the iPad and the old-fashioned way, on a board!

End-of-year listening, reading, writing and speaking assessments begin this week.

Compare, communicate, enjoy!

This week we are starting our three week look at Chinese playground games.  This gives me an opportunity to have the students do some comparisons between their ideas of what a playground game is and what people in China may consider a playground game.  The students have been able to enjoy games both inside and outside in spite of some of the foul weather.  The experience seems to have been very good for some of the students and they have come up with some excellent comments.

Putting on a show

Sometimes I love technology and some times I want to hurl it at a wall.  However, there is no denying that when it works it can provide a great way to showcase student learning.  Recently, our Mid Prairie Middle school students have been learning how to introduce themselves in preparation for a classroom call with Cedarlane Academy in California and we used some class recorders to give then a look at what they really look like speaking Chinese.  It is a real eye opener for some students to see themselves on camera and it can be a great way to push some students to try a little harder or improve on their already great work.

Music concert!!

Every student at Kalona Elementary is involved in the Spring Music Program on Thursday, March 21 at 7:00pm in the Mid-Prairie high school Gymnasium.

Mark it on your calendar and get ready to enjoy the kids moving, dancing and singing!

5th Grade Tai Chi

In honor of our Live Healthy Iowa Challenge, 5th grade is learning Tai Chi in our Chinese class.  We were very lucky to have Joseph Wyse come and share his love of Tai Chi with the students. 

Washington Township - Year of the (Rattle) Snake!

Washington Township 4th graders celebrate Chinese New Year by making rattlesnakes in celebration of the Year of the Snake.

The snakes are resting on their shoulders.  Scary!

The students also had to come to the teacher and say one of these two expressions in Chinese to get their fortune cookie.

蛇年快乐!
Happy Year of the Snake!

蛇年好运!
Good luck in the Year of the Snake!

Washington Township kindergarten

Washington Township celebrates Chinese New Year, and kindergarten students develop their cross-cultural skills by using chopsticks to pick up Cheerios and mini-marshmallows.

Afterwards, they opened fortune cookies to get some advice as they start out the Year of the Snake.