Top Twelve Reasons To Learn Chinese

Top twelve reasons (copied from the website of the Waddell Elementary School):

1. China has surpassed Japan as the second largest economy in the world. Goldman Sachs chief economist, Jim O’Neill, notes that the 1.3 billion people in China will overtake the U.S.’s $14 trillion economy by 2027. [Dated October, 2010]

2. China is one of America’s largest trading partners.

3. China is the most populous country in the world with over 1.4 billion people. One out of five people in the world is Chinese.

4. Mandarin is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.

5. Chinese is quickly becoming the most demanded second language in the world, and knowledge of Chinese become nearly indispensable for business professionals in the next twenty years. 

6. Mandarin is spoken by MORE THAN one billion people. It is the #1 spoken language in the world.  

7. Knowing Chinese will allow students to compete effectively in the global economy of the future.

8. Learning Chinese in an immersion setting at early age improves your brainpower in math and logical reasoning.

9. Students develop an appreciation for Chinese culture and history (and at Smith other cultures, too) by studying Chinese.

10. When the student knows 1000 commonly used Chinese characters, he/she will recognize and understand 90% of the characters in Chinese newspapers.

11. At the US-China Educational Summit on April 2010, after a presentation by Principal Ynez Olzhausen, North Carolina’s State Superintendent, Dr. June Atkinson commented,  ”What Smith is doing (in Chinese Immersion) is a pot of excellencies in the state of North Carolina.”  (Please note that Waddell Language Academy was formerly Smith Academy of International Languages.)

12. Chinese is an extremely colorful and expressive language. Speaking it can seem almost as much as an art as it is ability. The tonal aspect as well as the daunting writing system can seem insurmountable, which is why you come to Waddell Language, as it provides the powerful immersion opportunity for kids learn Chinese in a natural and most effective way.

Why am I interested in Mandarin Chinese. We have just started importing a fantastic series of Mandarin Readers from New Zealand – The Magic Story Box. There are over 160 readers in over 7 levels of difficulty – available in Simplified or Traditional Chinese. The interactive books online read the book aloud. You can record and play back your own voice, comparing it to the native speakers. We are offering a limited number of FREE licenses to schools who qualify – email me at polyglot@wor.com to find out how!

To accompany the readers, there are reproducible activity books, big books and flashcards.

After a wonderful performance in “Black Swan”, people have asked me what other French dvds we have with this French actor. So here you go – in order from oldest to most recent, these are all in stock:
“Irreversible” 2002 French film – When a woman is raped by a stranger, her friend and ex-husband decide to take justice into their own hands.
“Sur mes lèvres – Read my Lips” – 2001 film – He will teach her bad habits, but she will teach him good ones!
“Le Pacte des Loups – Brotherhood of the Wolf”- 2001 film – In this exciting historical thriller, in 18th century France, the Chevalier de Fronsac and his native American friend Mani are sent by the King to the Gevaudan province to investigate the killings of hundreds by a mysterious beast.
“Les Riviéres Pourpres – Crimson Rivers” – 200 film – Two French policemen (Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel), one investigating a grisly murder at a remote mountain college, the other working on the desecration of a young girl’s grave by skinheads, are brought together by the clues from their respective cases.
“La Haine” – 1995 film – Abdel, a local hoodlum, is hospitalized after a riot, where a policeman lost his gun. His friend Vinz finds it and claims he will kill a cop if Abdel dies.
“Métisse – Café au Lait” – 1993 film – Lola is pregnant. But she does not know who the father is: Jamal, the black Muslim, son of diplomats, or Felix, the pennyless Jewish messenger.

This is a great video – http://online.wsj.com/video/can-bilingualism-make-preschoolers-smarter/708AB4AE-E286-445D-A491-3E413A750E0C.html I watched through my subscription to the Wall Street Journal. Once again, it talks about the benefits of young children growing up bilingual, and shows a preschool immersion program in New York, but that even if you are an adult – you can help fight off Alzheimer’s by learning (or re-learning) another language. So parents should be learning WITH their children.

Time after time, these studies show the same thing, yet public school boards across the U.S. do not understand the benefits of starting foreign language instruction in elementary school and requiring it through high school. I wish every school board member in this country could watch this little video. I know if you are reading this, I am probably preaching to the choir, but pass this video on – I will!!! Then you can come to our website, http://www.wor.com and find the products to help achieve bilingualism outside of a class!

Ok, I will first echo what I said about books for middle schoolers – books depend on their reading ability in English and the target language as well as the type of book they are interested in!
Audio cds – for French or Spanish – anything by Etienne. He writes rock, rap, hip hop etc., songs for learning French or Spanish and kids love his music and they work! For the French products and Spanish products.
DVDs – all the ones for middle school, plus if we can add some PG-13 films:
French – Tintin and Asterix of course, Le Petit Nicolas, Oscar et la Dame Rose, LOL, Hop, are a few of the newest we have added.
Spanish – Cinco Amigas, The Pope’s Toilet, The Wind Journeys, Viva Cuba, to name a few.

Software – I have 2 favorites, depending on whether or not you want grammar and whether you have a PC or Mac.
Instant Immersion 1,2,3 for PC OR Mac comes in Chinese, English (ESL) French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. 9 cd-roms for $50.00 – it is a great bundle for the entire family. It includes:
Vocabulary Builder – Beginning program to teach about 300 words (for young children).
Talk Now – Beginning program to teach about 500 words and 30 phrases – all ages.
Talk More – Put that beginning vocabulary into sentences and short dialogues.
World Talk – Low intermediate program with games for oral and written comprehension.
Talk the Talk – Learn slang and many informal expressions
Talk Business – Learn vocabulary needed in business situations.
Interactive Language Learning DVD – Interactive DVD – 9 topic areas with easy and hard games.

For PC only, my favorite is Learn to Speak Deluxe 10 – equivalent to 3-4 years of high school instruction, in your choice of French, German, English or Spanish – only $34.95 each

The most effective and affordable interactive Spanish software program just launched a new version. Designed by university language experts, this is an interactive learning system that’s proven to teach you Mexican Spanish quickly and easily. With progressive learning lessons, speech recognition technology, and immersion learning, you’ll have everything you need to become fluent in Spanish. Build your vocabulary, practice real-world conversations, and perfect your pronunciation!
Award-Winning Lessons – Pronunciation, Speaking & Listening, Reading & Writing, Simulated Conversations, Vocabulary & Grammar Captivating & Enjoyable! – Interactive Games, Speech Analysis, Voice Recording & Playback, Talking Dictionary, Cultural Movies
Personalized Learning – Pre-Assessment Testing, Adjustable Study Plans, Subject-Specific Courses, Track Your Progress

Books are tougher to recommend because here it depends on their reading ability in English AND the foreign language. We have LOTS of easy readers – in French, Spanish, German and Italian many include audio cds so they can listen to a native speaker read the story aloud. I can make specific recommendations individually.

Audio cds are tougher for this age too – face it, they want to listen to their own music! I recommend any of Etienne’s CDs for French or Spanish, Lingo Tech for German.
DVDs are tough – finding authentic films appropriate (G-PG) for middle schoolers, but here are a few:
Spanish – Casi Casi, Carol’s Journey, Under the Same Moon
French – Asterix, Tintin, My Father’s Glory, My Mother’s Castle, Small Change, L’Avion, Etre et Avoir, Les Choristes,
German – For these you need a code-free dvd player! – german-films-and-asterix-titles—german-and-german-dialects.cfm
Asterix, Emil und die Detektive, Pünktchen und Anton DVD, Momo, Vorstadt Krokodile dvd
Chinese – The Road Home, Warm Spring
You have to email me for other languages – polyglot@wor.com

This list gets harder because there are a LOT more choices to make. Books are always a great gift – get your childhood favorite – Good Night Moon or Where the Wild Things Are – in French, Spanish, German, etc. An audio cd is fun, something to listen to in the car – music or a story, if they can understand the story.

DVDs teach even more, especially for visual learners – Dora the Explorer, Barney, Sesame Street or Caillou in French, Sponge Bob or Mickey Mouse in German, or a dvd to teach the Arabic alphabet. A CD-ROM is the most effective – combining auditory learning with visual learning and interactive as well.

Educorock Español CD-ROM is only $15.00 and fun for teaching basic Spanish through 4 songs.
Jumpstart Spanish CD-ROM is $24.95 and provides a great intro to Spanish – http://www.wor.com/pd-jump.cfm
Kidspeak Asian for $40.00 can teach your child Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian AND Korean – http://www.wor.com/pd-kidspeak.cfm

Making a recommended gift list has to be divided by age and language, to start. My favorite inexpensive gift for young children are dvds. There are two I will recommend here – first “Bilingual Baby”. This is a nice series – only $16.50 each and it comes in Spanish, French, Dutch, English, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Swedish. Ages 1 – 5. Total immersion method to teach your child Brazilian Portuguese. This series is a breakthrough in Bilingual Education. It teaches in the style preferred by many educators: Total Immersion. Studies show that birth to 5 years is the best time to introduce new languages. A young child’s brain is wired to absorb vast amounts of information regarding the syntax, phonemes and sentence structure of any language. Because young children learn faster when they see things they can relate to, the videos are reality-based, featuring things that are part of a child’s real world like puppies, familiar toys and lots of happy children! The child only hears the language being taught. Portuguese words appear on screen to help readers and to reinforce what they see and hear. Small English words appear so parents can learn too! Bilingual Baby teaches more than 60 words and phrases. Give your child the language advantage and give them the world to play with! 45 minutes.
One more recommendation for young people: Little Pim – I said I would recommend 2 dvds – the other is “Little Pim”. These are really creative and well-designed dvds. Buy one ($17.95 each) or a 3 dvd set ($49.95 each) – they come in your choice of Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish.
Language learning has never been so fun and easy!

Foreign language for babies:

* Familiarizes babies with the rhythm of other languages.
* Stimulates the part of the brain that processes language, with proven benefits for development of language.
* Provides fun way for babies and parents to bond, as they watch and listen for new words together.

Foreign language for toddlers and preschoolers:

* They begin to pick up the vocabulary and use it in everyday speech.
* Toddlers realize every English word has an equivalent in another language, which fosters greater cognitive abilities.
* They develop a better accent and think foreign language learning is fun!

See a video clip for each language on our website at http://www.wor.com

Believe it or not, I received these interesting cultural traditions in an email from my local car dealership, and wanted to pass them on!
In Germany and in Austria, it’s a common custom to celebrate the new year by trying to sneak a peek into what the future holds with a practice called Bleigießen or Bleigiessen. This tradition, translated as “lead pouring” involves melting lead in a spoon, then pouring it into a receptacle of cold water and interpreting the resulting shapes. What is seen is supposed to indicate what the year will hold. If the lead forms a ball, you’re in luck; if it forms a ring, there’s love in the air. Shapes can be interpreted as either good signs or foreboding ones. Another tradition is to not clear the table before midnight; leaving a little food on the plate is said to ensure plenty in the coming year.

In Denmark, dishes hold an entirely different place in an unusual, time-honored New Year’s tradition. Old plates are put aside throughout the year, saved for smashing on the doorsteps of dear friends. The more broken dishes that adorn your threshold, the better, as this is representative of the friendships and positive relationships you will enjoy in the coming year.

In Peru, traditions meant to invite good fortune for the coming year abound. These include the custom called baño de flores (bath of flowers), in which a bath is drawn and flowers of a particular color are added; the specific color can bring the bather luck, money, love or other prosperities in the coming year. Similarly, the use of color to attract good fortune also applies to a tradition practiced in certain South American countries; sporting new garb, particularly yellow undergarments, is thought to bring good luck. Other Peruvian traditions include throwing coins to cast away poverty, and creating muñecos, which are effigies burned to symbolically get rid of misfortunes that occurred in the previous year. Eating a dozen grapes as the clock strikes midnight is also an omen of good luck practiced in several other countries including Spain.

Scotland contributes its own interesting New Year’s traditions. The holiday, known as Hogmanay, is welcomed with plenty of merriment and intriguing traditions like “first footing” and “fire swinging.” According to the tradition of “first footing,” for good fortune to follow in the new year, the first person to enter a home after midnight should be a man – ideally “tall, dark and handsome” – and he should also bear a present meant to bring prosperity to the household such as salt or another traditional item. It is considered a bad omen if the first person to enter a home is a woman with blonde or red hair. Fireball Swinging is a tradition prominent in Stonehaven, Scotland. Celebrants create “fireballs,” usually out of materials such as chicken wire, paper or tar, which they ignite and swing in the air to signify the sun and chase away, or burn up, bad fortune from the previous year, making way for good luck in the new year.

However you celebrate, join your neighbors around the world and have a Happy New Year. I posted a list of recommended gifts on my new Squidoo page – http://www.squidoo.com/foreign-language-recommended-gift-list

as always, email me at polyglot@wor.com if you need any recommendations for products at http://www.wor.com – we just added new games in Spanish, French and German!!! Italian coming soon!

A new company, Gifted Speech, has a unique perspective on teaching young children to speak other languages properly. GiftedSpeech teaches children through interactive, entertaining computer modules. Each module contains a short animated ѕtοrу thаt young children wіƖƖ find cute, colorful аnԁ captivating. Foreign words аrе strategically embedded іn thе narrative, аnԁ thеѕе words contain sounds common tο several foreign languages – thіnk οf thе rolling r οf Spanish, thе musical tones οf Mandarin аnԁ thе sophisticated vowels οf French. Children seamlessly absorb thеѕе sounds, whісh lays thе foundation fοr a variety οf languages rаthеr thаn јυѕt one.

Each module аƖѕο includes four different games, a game-Ɩіkе test аnԁ a recording session thаt allows children tο record thеіr οwn speech tο hear hοw thеу’re pronouncing thе words. Thеѕе activities challenge children tο recognize аnԁ produce thе sounds thеу јυѕt learned, whісh іѕ a critical раrt οf thе learning process. Children саn аƖѕο send thеіr voice recordings tο GiftedSpeech tο obtain expert analysis аnԁ feedback. Results аrе immediate аnԁ measurable, аnԁ parents аnԁ teachers саn monitor progress wіth automated reports.

GiftedSpeech іѕ designed tο bе аѕ fun, engaging аnԁ age-appropriate аѕ possible. Itѕ software іѕ based οn audiovisual instruction аnԁ doesn’t require аnу reading οr writing skills, nοr special аѕѕіѕtаnсе frοm Mom аnԁ Dad. Thаt allows children tο learn аnԁ play independently, clicking thеіr way tο аn accent-free future.

Check out http://www.GiftedSpeech.com and use the access code WOR for a free 3 month trial!

I feel bad that I have not posted anything new for quite awhile. In my defense, in the past 6 weeks, I have exhibited at foreign language conferences in 5 different states. So, here is something free I found for French teachers – Here’s a new twist on online Advent calendars: each day is linked to a French Christmas song.Available at http://www.csdraveurs.qc.ca/musique/noel/calendrier/default.htm

Yes, of course we have several French Christmas cds at http://www.wor.com but something extra for free is always nice. What is frustrating, is that it is extremely difficult to find foreign language resources for Hanukkah songs. Sure, there are cds in Hebrew – but I would love to offer cds in French and Spanish, for example. So if any of my readers know of resources, let me know! I will be on the lookout as well!

Remember, I will personally make recommendations for gifts for Hanukkah or Christmas for you – just email me at polyglot@wor.com