Thread: MN-Kindergarten Learns Chinese Through Immersion

Kindergarten Learns Chinese Through Immersion
Reporting
Sue Turner

ST. PAUL (WCCO) ― School at the Yinghua Academy in St. Paul begins just as it would in China: with some daily exercises. And, as the school year comes to a close, the students are going home able to understand a second language.

What's more, the students are only in kindergarten, and have been studying the language for only one year.

For the two kindergarten classes, nothing is said in English, not even when attendance is taken.

After just one year of Chinese immersion, Roman Schifsky can carry on a conversation with one of his teachers. Immersion in a second language often scares parents more than it does kids. But there is no better time to learn a language, when even the accent is easier to pick up.

Instead of learning to translate words from English to Chinese, as we would as adults, children learn to think in the language. The curriculum is almost identical to a regular classroom with one big exception, the teachers speak absolutely no English. Most of them are natives of China.

Here the kids each get a turn to be a leader. To them this is all routine.

Schifsky said it was easy to learn the language because he "started a long time ago," meaning last fall.

The kids are totally immersed in Chinese until 2nd grade. By 3rd grade, they spend about half of their day in Chinese and the other half in English. Next year, Yinghua Academy will be offering the curriculum in the 5th grade.

The St. Paul charter school had 120 applications for 50 kindergarten spots. They ended up adding 25 more spaces to try and give as many children who want to go to the school a chance.

http://wcco.com/education/yinghua.acade ... 33594.html

Isn't this is how English was taught to generations of immigrants until Bill Clinton changed it with his August 11, 2000 EXECUTIVE ORDER 13166

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