克城消息

參加中文夏令營有感

I have attended the Startalk Chinese Immersion Summer Day Camp for ten days this summer. It was a great learning experience and also a lot of fun. Each day for about seven and a half hours, we participated in a wide range of activities that all involved different elements of Chinese culture. We learned new words, phrases, and sentence patterns in Chinese and practiced them by performing skits in front of the class. Our teacher, Chen Lao Shi (Ms. Chen) and our peer mentor, Hailun Zheng, helped us to learn Chinese. Our teacher spoke to us only in Chinese, so that we could improve our listening comprehension skills. Our peer mentor helped us to understand the material by explaining things we did not know and answering our questions. They were both excellent at teaching and I would not have learned as much as I did if I had not had them. We also used the Linguafolio computer program to practice applying what we have learned. We also sang many Chinese songs, like “Lao Shu Ai Da Mi,” “Peng You,” and the Chinese version of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” Singing in Chinese was fun and helped us to practice our language skills.
     We also participated in a variety of Chinese cultural activities. These included Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting, making bracelets with Chinese knotting, dancing with Chinese fans, Chinese paper-cutting, and participating in a Chinese tea ceremony. We also ate many different Chinese foods for lunch and snacks. These cultural activities helped to increase our appreciation of Chinese culture. I learned that Chinese culture is different from American culture, but there are also many similarities. For example, Chinese and American cultures both include art and music. I think that Chinese culture is very beautiful and exciting.
     On the second to last day of camp, we took a field trip to a wonderful Chinese restaurant and ate lunch. We ordered our food in Chinese, and this was a meaningful application of what we learned. We then went to an Asian supermarket and used Chinese to buy a wide variety of delicious Chinese snacks. The whole field trip was a lot of fun and very educational.
      This camp was a great experience because in addition to learning a lot, we all became good friends. Our class was very close and we always had fun learning together and practicing our Chinese together. We came together as a community to help each other and learn from each other. It was a lot of fun to experience this camp with so many great people. Through the Startalk Chinese Immersion Summer Day Camp, I improved my Chinese and increased my appreciation of Chinese culture, while getting to know some other great students who love Chinese culture as much as I do.

Louisa Armstrong
6-29-09

Most of my friends were hesitant to believe that I had signed up to attend Chinese Immersion Camp for ten days this summer. Many people would rather sleep in until noon during their summer, and do nothing productive. I feel that this camp experience made my summer special.
      All of the students walked in on the first day not knowing what to expect. What we didn’t expect is the smiling faces of our five teachers, and our peer mentors greeting us in fluent Chinese. We were immediately immersed to learn common classroom phrases. At first it was difficult to understand our teacher, Mrs. Chen, but after a while we started to comprehend the quick Chinese sentences. If anyone didn’t understand something, our peer mentor Hailun Zheng was there to help.
     There were many different things that we learned during class time. I picked up on several songs that taught good morals. We learned how to greet and introduce others, tell about our likes and dislikes, and even buy food. The classroom taught us a lot of things we didn’t know from previous Chinese courses.
     We didn’t just learn how to speak; we also learned about Chinese culture. We started off the day with a Chinese morning exercise. Each day after lunch we performed eye exercises. We played Chinese games and made Chinese crafts. One example is the crafting of a beautiful bracelet; another is when we made paper boxes and spring paper cut-outs. We were allowed to practice Chinese calligraphy on beautiful paper, and were taught how to prepare and serve delicious tea. Dancing with fans and making dumplings were some other thrills we shared.
     The whole camp felt like a big family. Everyone helped each other. I made great friends, and I definitely want to come back next year. All of the teachers and peer mentors were close at the end of camp. I will definitely continue to see my Chinese Camp friends in later years.
     Chinese class is different that math and science because it has culture, which other subjects lack. There i8s more to learn than just all of the facts in Chinese. There are fun games, songs, and many cultural activities. Chinese is much deeper than many other school subjects. This is why I would encourage everyone to learn Chinese, and I will tell all of my fellow Chinese students to take this camp with me next year.
　

　　　The Chinese star talk immersion summer day camp was an incredible learning experience for both my classmates and I. The camp was designed to give an experience of a normal Chinese school day; including things like a morning exercise and afternoon ‘’eye exercises”. The immersion experience was a great way to get familiar with the language, by forcing us to speak with our teacher and classmates throughout the day. The camp also included a variety of cultural activities, ranging from crafts to making Chinese dumplings, all great ways to give us a glimpse of the Chinese culture. The last 10 days have given me a lot of insight into the Chinese language and culture, and I believe I’ve grown to new heights in my education.
      With the help and support of our teacher, Mrs. Chen, and peer mentor, Helen Zheng, we were able to expand our knowledge of the Chinese language. Each day we learned new dialogues and performed them in class. We practiced the new vocabulary over and over again, so that we could easily produce an everyday conversation, correctly and fluently. The teacher took the time to make sure that we knew the vocabulary and how to pronounce the words correctly. Mrs. Chen also made sure we had a fun time by changing things up every once in a while. We learned new songs and participated in things like calligraphy, kung fu, and Chinese paper-folding. The last several days we’ve also been practicing for our talent show on the last day of camp. Our class has done a great job of practicing and coming up with creative performances.
     Recently, we took a trip to an authentic Chinese restaurant and supermarket. The Chinese restaurant was a great treat after so many days of hard work. And they really paid off! We were even given a traditional and authentic Chinese desert. After having a tasty lunch we headed for the Asian supermarket, where we were able to explore all kinds of new tastes and flavors.
      The Chinese Star Talk camp has given me a lot of confidence in speaking the basics of the Chinese language. It’s shown me new opportunities for my future education in the Chinese language. This camp has definitely been a step in the right direction for my dream of becoming fluent in Chinese. I have had a great time these last couple of days and am looking forward to returning next year to learn even more.

Ana Medina-Fetterman

Chagrin Falls High School
Chinese Star Talk Program

6-29-09
　

　　Peals of laughter floated across the room as students received their first experience with Chinese morning exercises. The camp pledge was said half-heartedly when it was first taught to the middle and high school students. The reactions to the camp song strangely mirrored the reactions to the camp pledge. This was expected. Teachers and peer mentors were armed and ready. Who expected ALL the students to love the first moments of camp? The first day was mired by the mixed reactions of enthusiastic Chinese campers, and the audible groans of the campers whose moms forced them to come. This would change. For the next week, campers slowly conformed, and the campers started getting used to the Chinese camp, the Chinese Immersion Camp. As they slowly bathed in Chinese culture and language, they started to appreciate this Chinese camp more and more.

Day in and day out, the camp is structured similarly. Between singing the camp song, exercising to a video on a screen, going to class, and learning tidbits of Chinese culture through games and activities, it’s safe to say that each camper has a fun-filled day. Each session of class has a different topic, ranging from introducing oneself to learning different professions; the campers are kept intrigued by the multiple numbers of subject matters introduced daily. “Zi wo jie shao yi xia” is the phrase most commonly used for introducing oneself to others, and is one of the most important phrases that campers have learned so far. In addition to learning commonly used greeting phrases, campers also learned the names of different places, and famous places, such as the Arc de Triumph in Paris, “Kai Xuan Men in Ba Li”. This camp has significantly boosted the campers’ vocabulary and has made it more extensive.

A daily part of camp life is the “Awakening” phase of the camp. During this period of time, campers learn different parts of Chinese culture, including daily activities that children participate in China. The past couple of days, students have learned how to write calligraphy, the drawing of Chinese characters. In addition, campers have learned to draw bamboo, panda bears and dragonflies using the Chinese brush. Furthermore, they learned how to fold box origami and tie Chinese knots. On one occasion, campers learned how to make dumplings and wontons. We also had a Chinese fashion show, where campers wore traditional Chinese clothing and had a mock runway. Campers have also learned to sing Chinese songs, and their favorites include the famous “Lao Shu Ai Da Mi” (Mouse Loves Rice) and “Peng You” (Friend). One camper even composed her own song “Qiao Ke Li de Ke Le”(Chocolate Coca-Cola).

A small portion of the day is set aside for the campers to immerse themselves in Chinese culture. Some students decide to listen to Chinese dramas, others listen to Chinese songs. Also, Chinese Yo-yo is a popular activity for some but many students claim that it is “very hard to perfect”, and many students engage in jumping rope as well. One student has almost perfected his skill at the Chinese shuttle cock, claiming it is “the coolest thing ever.”

The talented staff and the well-planned curriculum at the Cleveland branch of the Chinese Immersion Summer Camp has made this Chinese Flagship Program extremely successful thus far. The teachers here have taught these students very well, and they will continue to do so. This summer camp experience is very valuable; students have managed to expand their vocabulary while having fun and learning different areas of Chinese culture. Ranging from the morning exercise, to reciting famous poems such as “Xiang Chou”(Homesickness) , campers have broadened their insight on Chinese language and culture. One camper said that “This year’s camp was better than last year’s. I hope I can come back next year.” It is apparent that the camp has greatly improved, and with more experience and even more time, this camp could only improve in the future.