Description

We are speaking to you today in English - like we always do - but do you know what the most common language in the world is?  It’s Mandarin.  And since we are here in China we figured it’s about time we speak with one of our amazing Concordia Mandarin teachers. Ying Shen will be here to share some of her favorite tools and strategies for for helping her students learn to speak and read the most popular language in the world.

Lessons Learned

Dennis - Always have a plan B, and remember there are 24 other letters in the alphabet.

Daniel - Happiness project.  Anticipation is a key stage; by having something to look forward to, no matter the circumstances, you bring happiness into your life well before the event actually takes place.

Fun Fact

According to the foreign service institute - Mandarin is considered a class 5 language. 88 Weeks or 2200 hours for an english speaker to demonstrate proficiency.

http://www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty

 

Notes & Links

GUEST:  Ying Shen - Concordia Middle School Mandarin Teacher

 

Apps & Tools

Padlet – Brainstorming & Post ideas & Matching Pictures with Characters

Imgflip – Meme Generator – Make Chinese Memes

Quizlet – Quizlet Live- Fun Vocab Game

Kahoot – kick off a lesson, revision

Pinterest - looking for ideas, poster

iMovie

My Maps (Google) - Learning Countries and Locations

EXAMPLE:  https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1xr7jlN1CIbJdRM0YMlZQVUgKIFo&ll=-0.7960514797712221%2C0&z=2