1. Lakeside
School
Chinese:
the Articulation
of a High-
Functioning
Chinese Program Jillian Tsai
-- Middle School
Cheyenne Z. Matthewson
-- Upper School

2. Brief History of Lakeside
School’s Chinese Program
 Started in 2000 as a
desire of school to add a
non-western language
to our language course
lineup
- Acknowledgement of the
rise of China
- Local community

3. Challenges of Starting our
Chinese Program
 Gaining parent support
 Findingqualified
teachers
 Setting up our curriculum

4. Challenges of Starting our
Chinese Program
 Support of the parents
- Endowment/Financial
support
- Parents involvement in
the planning stage. Give
them the sense of
ownership, but not control
of the program

5. Challenges of Starting
our Chinese Program
 Finding and retaining
qualified teachers
Where to find teachers?
- CLTA network at national and
local levels
- NAIS China Connection
- New teacher support
-Mentor system
-Support of professional
organizations

6.  Setting up curriculum
-articulating goals at each level
-selection of materials
(MS approaches vs.
US approaches)
-students language background
(heritage and non-heritage
learners)

7. Program Overview
 Middle School
- Levels A, B, C, D
- Students are required to
take one foreign language.
- Students who successfully
complete C or D may be
placed at the Upper School
Chinese II level.
- More than 20% students
enrolled in Chinese program

8. Program Overview
Upper School
- Levels I-IV, IV/V, V/VI
- Graduation requirement:
at least two years in Upper
School and successfully
complete Level III.
- More capable students should
be able to enroll in Third Year
level college courses after
completing Level IV/V or V/VI.

9. Course Descriptions

10. Course Descriptions
--Upper School

11. Philosophy & Approach
 Communicative, Task-
Based methods
 Student-Centered
classroom
 Use of Target Language
as much as possible.
 Appropriate use of
grammar lessons
 Occasional use of
grammar translation
exercises.

12. Community and Connection
-- Using Chinese in the real world

13. Community and Connection
-- Using Chinese in the real world

14. Thank you!
How to contact us:
Jillian Tsai 蔡季芬
E-mail: jillian.tsai@lakesideschool.org
Website: http://www.swiftclassroom.com/lakeside/jtsai/index.php
Cheyenne Z. Matthewson 张晓云
E-mail: cheyenne.matthewson@lakesideschool.org
Website: http://teachers.lakesideschool.org/us/languages/matthewson/default.htm
Lakeside School website: http://www.lakesideschool.org