Welcome!  We are so excited that you want to learn Mandarin Chinese!

You are making the first step to experience a language that over one billion people are using in their daily lives!! Congratulations! 

Mission For Success

NO FEAR LEARNING CHINESE! 

How do students succeed in Mandarin Chinese?  Our program is designed for every student to be successful in learning Mandarin Chinese. Good instruction and good study skills will help your child succeed.  S.M.A. students learn content and practice skills in reading, speaking, and writing Mandarin Chinese every day.  Every student has access to individualized instruction by experienced professional teachers.  All our students start out with an “A”.  It is up to the individual student and their individual study skills and work ethic to keep it.   Students can expect to spend a minimum of twenty (20) minutes each evening learning the new lesson and reviewing the previous lesson.  As teachers we provide all the materials and time in class needed for students to feel comfortable reading and speaking in Mandarin Chinese.

Our goal is for students to move beyond writing in the workbook and reading from the textbook to be able to initiate their own conversation in speaking Mandarin Chinese with others. Students in this class will practice conversational skills during class time, with friends outside of school, and at home using websites with audio Chinese dialogue, and the ‘Chinese Made Easy’ language CD they can sign out from the teacher.

The more students practice speaking and using Mandarin Chinese at home and during class, the better their conversation skills will be.  Learning Mandarin Chinese may be one of the most important influences in a person’s life.

The expectations for your child in Mandarin Chinese are as follows:

* To prepare for class                                       * To treat others with respect

* To be treated with respect                             * To work independently at home

* To be conscientious                                       * To do their own work

* To cooperate                                                 * To enjoy Mandarin Chinese class

* To give their best effort                                  * To ask lots of questions

Mandarin Chinese 1 will be using the textbook, CD and workbook series Chinese Made Easy for Kids 1. Students first have to learn the “Pinyin” form of writing and the “tones” used to speak the new vocabulary words.  Soon students will be able to read, write, listen and speak simple and basic Mandarin Chinese.

Mandarin Chinese 2 will be using the next level textbook, CD and workbook series Chinese Made Easy 1 .  The Mandarin Chinese Class 2 is going to build on the fundamental skills of Mandarin Chinese 1. Students will develop applied listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. The emphasis will be on sentence structure, and increasing vocabulary.

Please consider effort, progress, class participation, etc. as EXCELLENT unless the teacher lets you know otherwise. 

Please check your child’s online grades and the class web page for information. The class weekly syllabus is posted online.  Students are responsible for all assignments and can download them either in class or at home.  Every effort has been made for your child’s success in this class.  Let’s make this our best year ever loving to learn and learning to love Chinese.

Thank you for the privilege of working with your children.