 "Chinese is one of the world's most important languages. Our students must learn and understand
the language,in a cultural context, in order to succeed in today's global economy." -Arne
Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education "We have to envision a new set of global skills that include understanding world languages and
cultures to retain our edge in an increasingly interconnected economy." -Gaston Caperton,
President, College Board
ChinaKids Chinese Language
Center in Chicago teaches Chinese to children starting from 18 months and up. Our curriculum and course offerings have
been developed to engage our students in actively learning the language and culture of China, based on age-appropriate topics
that are relevant to their daily life. Interesting activities are designed to develop all of the students' communicative abilities
covering listening, speaking, reading and writing Chinese.
Each of our classes is designed to build and expand upon what was learned
the previous lesson using a pragmatic, spiral-up learning system. Our activity-based curriculum enables students to
acquire practical communication skills, develop competence and confidence, and experience the joy of learning another language.
Our program systematically builds up speaking, reading and writing skills to Advanced Placement (AP) readiness
level fluency. Through early exposure to Chinese,
the school seeks to provide students with a foundation for future learning, and cultivate their long-term interest in the
language, culture and traditions of China.
 Our Approach:
- Native speaking teachers combine discussion-based
classroom instruction with experiential activities to engage students and empower them to readily use the language being taught.
- Our units of study on activities related to daily life are age-appropriate, practical
and relevant.
- ChinaKids seeks to create an environment where students enjoy the process of
learning. Classroom sizes are kept small to maintain an optimal learning environment.
- Supplemental
materials and online support are offered at every level to help facilitate in-home practice and extend
the learning experience beyond the classroom.
- Enrichment units on culture, history
and traditions supplement language instruction.
 Our approach is different in that we stress practical communication skills
over rote memorization. Lessons are organized around themes and useful phrases centered around daily subjects such
as family, food and school so that kids can quickly begin speaking.
Our school
is open to everyone. Our students come from all over the city and Chicago suburbs. Our diverse community includes
native speakers, non-native speakers, children adopted from China, and those with out any formal connection to China, yet
are passionate about learning the language and culture.
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