Literacy Workstations:
There are five
Literacy Workstations in the classroom. They are Reading, Speaking and
Listening, Computer, Chinese Characters and Writing. Students do
different activities at each station and then rotate. At the reading station, they read books quietly and they fill out basic information about the book on a book report form. Students practice listening and speaking skills at that station using command cards. They work in pairs: one student reads a command from the command card - for example " close the front door," "get a book from the teacher,""find a pink eraser," and the other student needs to perform the task. Students also use the computer to play pinyin games for practicing pinyin
skills. At the writing station, students can choose from practicing character writing,
making sentences, or writing a note to the teacher or classmate. They can also choose a
topic and make a booklet.
Reading
Corner
There is a
special place in my classroom designed just for reading. We have books, cushions, and a giant
panda stuffed animal sitting on the floor that the whole class named together by voting. Every student in my classroom loves to read with him.
They read by themselves, or read with a friend. They enjoy reading.
Actual
Objects, Pictures and Gestures
Visuals,
gestures, body language, expression, modeling and movement are used to help my
students to understand Chinese characters and phrases. This allows them to develop
comprehension without direct explanation in English.
Various Types of Student Interactions
Students can
talk to the teacher or have conversations with their friends. They ask questions and also answer questions. They can have large group or small group discussions. After learning a new conversation, they role-play or act out the content of a new
lesson.
Cultural
Exposure
We listen to
Chinese music all the time. Students learn Chinese songs. I play quiet Chinese music
while students are doing their activities. My students watch short videos in
Mandarin about Chinese culture, Chinese traditions, or topics in science. We
celebrate the Moon Festival and Chinese New Year at school. We learn the story about the Dragon
Boat Festival in the classroom and participate in the annual Dragon Boat Festival in
the community.
