Introduction


 * Introduction of the Teaching Portfolio**

**1. Units Overall Introduction** These 4 thematic units are designed for three different age groups of students.

The first two units are textbook based. The themes are “My hobbies” and “My school life”. The content are based on the book “Integrated Chinese” Level 1, part 1. The target students are 9th to 12th graders with proficiency level of Novice-high. Each unit has 5 lessons that are taught as a series. The focus of these two units are integrated and directly related to a students’ daily life. The units are intended to build basic communication skills in greeting, studying, making friends, and meeting with friends to go out.

The third thematic unit is “Happy little farm”. The target students are elementary school grade 2. Their proficiency level is Novice-mid. The topics are animals, plants, food and the natural environment. These topics are age-appropriate and interesting to the target students. This unit has rich connections with Math, Geometry, Environmental Science and Life Science.

The forth unit is “Celebrate Chinese New Year in Philadelphia Chinatown”. The target students are middle school grade 7 with Novice-high level. The goal of this unit is building a student language abilities utilizing the topic of travel. The unit lessons are collecting information, arranging transportation, deciding where to go, and completing the trip with a souvenirs shopping excursion. By the end of this trip, students will have developed their communication skills. They will gain a deeper sense of understanding about the most important holiday in Chinese culture.

**2. Lessons and Activities design** The development of my lesson plans was based on backward design. The classroom activities are designed for students who have different learning styles and intelligences. Activities are deigned to build the students’ language abilities in three modes: interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational. In interpretive activities, information is provided to students through authentic Chinese language and culture materials. Students practice with words, phrases, and sentences to enhance their oral conversations through interpersonal activities. Upon completing these activities, students’ will able to create and present what they learned through various forms. All activities are age-appropriate and meaningful for students to naturally utilize the target language in real life situation.

In addition to the language function, Chinese culture and customs are also the focused of these lessons and activities. The introduction of Chinese products, practices, and perspectives allow students gain a better understanding of the Chinese culture and custom. Students need to comprehend the uniqueness of Chinese products and how people use them (practice). Understanding Chinese beliefs and their meanings are important to Chinese people. By gaining familiarity with Chinese culture, students will avoid misunderstandings and respond appropriately during communication or interacting with a native speaker.

Technology plays an important role in our daily life. Computers and digital tools are used to augment my teaching and learning plans. Many assigned tasks for middle school and high school students are designed to utilize technology in research and learning. Students are required to collect and search for information online by visiting Chinese websites. They are also required to create messages and present learning result through digital media. Digital tools are used to increase a students study interests and help them reinforce memorization.

**3. Overall organization and logic of the units** There are 5 lessons in one unit and each of them has individual topic. The topics are related to each other and are arranged in a logical sequence. These lessons are designed based on Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition. Students gradually develop their language skill during the 5 lessons sequence. At the completion of the unit, each student language communication content will be broader.

The first and second units are students’ daily life in a school setting. Topics of the first unit start with a student hobbies, daily activities, pastime, and meeting place. The topic ends with a student making a phone call to set up an appointment. The second unit focuses on a student class schedules, getting to know new friends, their Chinese class activities, preparing for class, study habits, and writing a Chinese invitation. These two units are designed to reflect a student school life. The learning content and language topic are integrated functions that can be used to spiral up and down. These two units many activities required a students utilize critical thinking and teamwork to be successful.

The third and forth unit are individual plans for different age students. The third unit targets younger students utilizing a more kinesthetic learning style. This units theme is the growth of a farm. In this unit students will learn connected math, geometry and life science through fun creative activities. Students will learn about food consumptions for animals and people in other countries. This topic can be extends to other food and health related theme.

The forth unit is targeted to middle school students. This unit prepares students for a field trip to Philadelphia Chinatown during Chinese New Year. Students start by learning the destination and the meaning of the holiday. Then the students choose the date for the trip. Students will then collect transportation information and plan places to visit. The trip will end with students shopping for souvenirs. In this unit, students will experience the most important holiday in Chinese culture outside of the classroom setting. First-hand experience of culture is the best way to motivate learning.

The arrangement of these units is intended to cover students in various age and language proficiency levels. Each unit meets the 5 Cs (Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparison and Community) National standards and New Jersey standards. Each theme is set in a real life scenario. The lessons teach each student the 5 Cs through classroom activities and tasks.

**4. Teaching Philosophy** We are living in the era of the global village and the diversity of cultures. Speaking a foreign language is a must-have skill to be a global citizen. My goal of teaching is to build a students’ Chinese language proficiency and culture competence through real life situations. They will learn how to speak, read, write, and type Chinese. Each student will be able to apply these skills to communicate with a Chinese speaker. In culture, they will learn various aspects of traditional values, customs, and life in modern China. They will also be able to interact with people through cultural appropriate response. When my students walk out of my classroom, they can communicate and express themselves in Chinese with native speakers either in local community or travel outside of country. In the long term, students’ language abilities will help them face the challenges in a competitive society.