Just to update everybody. Tomorrow there will be a test in Chinese. The material will all come from Quizlet sets "Traits of Organisms" and "Literacy 3b". We will do some stuff from the "Seven Habits" as well. If your student practices on quizlet they will do fine on the test.
Also, if anyone have had trouble figuring out how to input Chinese characters or pinyin on your computer feel free to email me. I'll need to know what type computer you have, but we should be able to figure it out.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Yesterday (Monday, 8/26) we worked on Chinese literacy. It was clear that the students did not need to review a book that I was supposed to review for the first have of the year. They knew it inside and out. So we decided as a class to just go straight into the next literacy textbook. Your students truly are remarkable.
We also reviewed multiplication and began our Science unit on the Traits of Organisms (Genetics, Heredity, etc.)
I notice a few families were able to get signed up for Quizlet. But many still have not. I would encourage you to go to the "learning at home" tab, and get your student signed up for Quizlet (our class quizlet specifically). I will start putting up new vocabulary we are learning for both literacy and Science.
Also, for our Character building curriculum in our class, we will be following a program we are thinking of adopting school-wide called the "Leader in Me." This is a book and program adapted from Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, but it is tailored to younger people. For those of you not familiar with the 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, you can get a brief summary here. For those who really want to help your student understand, you should read the book 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, or a lot of teachers recommend reading 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens, which is supposed to be really fun and interesting for people of all ages, and will help you teach your student's the habits.
If you are wondering how to really help your students this year, mastery of these habits will do much them during their life than any possible academic knowledge acquired.
We also reviewed multiplication and began our Science unit on the Traits of Organisms (Genetics, Heredity, etc.)
I notice a few families were able to get signed up for Quizlet. But many still have not. I would encourage you to go to the "learning at home" tab, and get your student signed up for Quizlet (our class quizlet specifically). I will start putting up new vocabulary we are learning for both literacy and Science.
Also, for our Character building curriculum in our class, we will be following a program we are thinking of adopting school-wide called the "Leader in Me." This is a book and program adapted from Stephen R. Covey's 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, but it is tailored to younger people. For those of you not familiar with the 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, you can get a brief summary here. For those who really want to help your student understand, you should read the book 7 Habits for Highly Effective People, or a lot of teachers recommend reading 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens, which is supposed to be really fun and interesting for people of all ages, and will help you teach your student's the habits.
If you are wondering how to really help your students this year, mastery of these habits will do much them during their life than any possible academic knowledge acquired.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
First Day of School! 开学了！
The 5th grade Chinese Immersion students at Spring Lane are some real cool kids. I had a really great time teaching today. Please make sure your students know that they were really attentive, respectful, funny and really good at Chinese. If the students can keep up all their good work and attitudes they showed today, we will be able to learn and grow a lot this year. They really demonstrated maturity and self control allowing me trust them enough to relax the class and have a lot more fun! Please encourage your students that class will be better for everyone if they continue to act how they did today--meaning that they are attentive, listen and follow directions, respect others, and (most importantly), work hard.
On to tomorrow...
On to tomorrow...
Monday, July 29, 2013
Welcome to Mr. Chipman's 麦老师 Mài Lǎoshī blog.
I'm looking forward with excitement and anticipation to begin helping your 5th grader continue their journey learning Math, Science, Literacy....and Chinese. This will be an exciting year as your student has now reached a level of Chinese proficiency that their learning can really begin to accelerate exponentially and they can begin to reach for genuine advanced-level language and continue learning valuable academic content.
The immersion program has been exciting for many reasons, but by far the most exciting is that we still have not reached these kids ceiling or potential. We honestly don't know how good they can become. Every goal post we set they just keep passing it by with ease, making us set the goal post a little further. This year, my goal is to really see what these kids can do! The only way we can really see their potential is if you, the family, are as engaged in the process as possible.
This blog will serve as the primary (but not only) tool to make the home-school connection both possible and effective. My number one priority this year is to communicate and involve the family in the learning process, and to understand your student's unique mind and circumstances, both of which are really just two sides of the same coin.
To turn these goals into realities, I commit to the following actions:
- Every Monday post on this blog what we will be studying that week, and how families can help in the learning process. (Also available in paper form for those who would prefer.)
- Every Friday post on this blog how the week went, what went well, and what we can improve on. This will occasionally contain weekend observation assignments to reinforce what we are learning in class. (Again, also available in paper form for those who would prefer.)
- Thoughtfully and carefully consider every suggestion, question, compliment and concern that you or your student raise. Please also understand that it will be impossible please everyone 100% of the time, and that their will be trade-offs to get what is best for everyone collectively, especially with so many students in each class.
Please keep me accountable to these things. I will also be much more motivated to post more content with you if I know that the blog is being read. Please do your part and check it regularly. Bookmark the page in your Internet browser. Write down the URL on your fridge. Whatever you have to do remind yourself to check it.
It is my philosophy that it is better to make a mistake by over-communicating, than to mis or under-communicate. Communication will be a large part of our classroom culture, meaning it is something we will emphasis a lot in the classroom. It will not only help us improve our Chinese, but also is a crucial skill to develop for life generally. We can begin by setting a good example to our students by also communicating effectively with one another.
I look forward to more communication soon...
I'm looking forward with excitement and anticipation to begin helping your 5th grader continue their journey learning Math, Science, Literacy....and Chinese. This will be an exciting year as your student has now reached a level of Chinese proficiency that their learning can really begin to accelerate exponentially and they can begin to reach for genuine advanced-level language and continue learning valuable academic content.
The immersion program has been exciting for many reasons, but by far the most exciting is that we still have not reached these kids ceiling or potential. We honestly don't know how good they can become. Every goal post we set they just keep passing it by with ease, making us set the goal post a little further. This year, my goal is to really see what these kids can do! The only way we can really see their potential is if you, the family, are as engaged in the process as possible.
This blog will serve as the primary (but not only) tool to make the home-school connection both possible and effective. My number one priority this year is to communicate and involve the family in the learning process, and to understand your student's unique mind and circumstances, both of which are really just two sides of the same coin.
To turn these goals into realities, I commit to the following actions:
- Every Monday post on this blog what we will be studying that week, and how families can help in the learning process. (Also available in paper form for those who would prefer.)
- Every Friday post on this blog how the week went, what went well, and what we can improve on. This will occasionally contain weekend observation assignments to reinforce what we are learning in class. (Again, also available in paper form for those who would prefer.)
- Thoughtfully and carefully consider every suggestion, question, compliment and concern that you or your student raise. Please also understand that it will be impossible please everyone 100% of the time, and that their will be trade-offs to get what is best for everyone collectively, especially with so many students in each class.
Please keep me accountable to these things. I will also be much more motivated to post more content with you if I know that the blog is being read. Please do your part and check it regularly. Bookmark the page in your Internet browser. Write down the URL on your fridge. Whatever you have to do remind yourself to check it.
It is my philosophy that it is better to make a mistake by over-communicating, than to mis or under-communicate. Communication will be a large part of our classroom culture, meaning it is something we will emphasis a lot in the classroom. It will not only help us improve our Chinese, but also is a crucial skill to develop for life generally. We can begin by setting a good example to our students by also communicating effectively with one another.
I look forward to more communication soon...
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