PSCS is the only school in Seattle offering Mandarin Language and Culture!
Students in Spring Term of this year-long Mandarin II class will continue to engage with the language at an intermediate level through the Comprehensible Input Method. Participants will remain focused on high-frequency Mandarin, connecting lessons with real experiences in Seattle’s Chinatown; and practiced ordering in restaurants, grocery shopping, and discussing movies and TV shows.
Students will also continue practicing how to find and use independent language learning resources effectively. Additionally, students participate in tea tastings and learn about Chinese cultural products, practices, and perspectives from Chinese-speaking communities around the world. Students who have taken this course have described their experience as being “simple but effective.”
Throughout the class, students set and measure growth goals in proficiency, progress, and performance—covering interpersonal, presentational, and interpretive communication, as well as intercultural competency. By the end of the school year, students who prioritize practice can expect to be more confident in using their language abilities to ask basic questions for comprehension and to circum-locate for better comprehension.
Outside class-work will include practicing what we cover in class in various ways.
Note: This class is approved for students who are continuing with their Mandarin studies. Please see the Director of Program if you wish to join.
About the instructor:
Jeremy Smith, or 史老師 Shi Laoshi as his students call him, is the Founder and Executive Director of the Communitea Project and its sponsor companies: Storied Journeys, The Village Teacher, and Communitea House.
Jeremy spent the last 15 years in traditional and experiential education, mentoring new teachers, in business development, and volunteering his time in service to non-profit work for communities in the United States and abroad. He has taught pre-school through University, Special Education, English Language Learners, History, and Mandarin Chinese. He has also worked for the last six years collaborating, planning, and leading experiential education trips in countries like Taiwan and China.