Confucius Chinese
Confucius Chinese Program is designed for students who may have limited or no Chinese language exposure as well as doe students whose home language is a language other than Mandrain Chinese. MICS Confucius program consists of three age groups based on children’s cognitive development phases: Little Panda (ages 4-6), Crouching Tiger (ages 7-10), as well as Mighty Dragon (ages 11 or older).
(1)Little Panda Classes (ages 4-6):
In our Little Panda classes, we implement the curriculum called Monkey King Chinese. This series helps the young second language learners (ages 4-6) build a foundation of Chinese language in fun and systematic ways. Students are exposed to different common topics related to their life experiences, along with easy-to-learn songs and chants.
Students in our Panda classes learn their new language through the Total Physical Response (TPR) method—a way to engage and comprehend the new language using coordination of language and physical movements. They are able to identify approximately 200 commonly used vocabulary words in daily life, recognize basic Chinese characters, and carry out basic conversations and give a self-introduction, while they build the knowledge of the Pinyin system.
(2) Crouching Tiger Classes (ages 7-10):
In our Tiger classes, we adopt Easy Steps to Chinese for Kids. In this series, students at ages 7-10 are able to grasp new concepts easily using this series’ spiral feature as lessons and vocabulary are built upon from previous lessons. Also, cultural exposure is embedded in the curriculum. It provides the students with opportunities to explore the culture more in depth.
In our Tiger classes, students learn the new language using the Communicative Approach—a way to establish meaningful interactions with speakers while developing language skills. Students in this program will be able to produce longer sentences when talking to native Chinese speakers, read short passages in Chinese, and possess knowledge of character strokes, radicals, and characters. Many hands-on activities are also included in each lesson in order to assist the students in mastering their language skills.
(3) Mighty Dragon Classes (ages 11+):
Students at age 11 or older can attend our Mighty Dragon classes. Easy Steps to Chinese is designed for teenagers from a non-Chinese background. This task-based curriculum allows students to learn the language via a variety of activities, such as role plays, games, technology, etc. that are appropriate for this age group of students.
In our Mighty Dragon classes, students are able to perform Chinese confidently using complex sentences and paragraphs, to comprehend a short text or literature without Pinyin support, and compose paragraphs in Chinese.
C. Singapore Math (Grades 1-6), Middle School Math (Grades 7 and 8), and ACT
MICS adopts the curriculum of Singapore Math in our math program, taught in English. This curriculum has been used in many school districts throughout the country and internationally. The majority of the schools using this curriculum have had great success in assisting their students in comprehending both concrete and abstract math concepts. Due to the fact that Singapore Math is aligned with Common Cores, students in our math program will be equipping themselves with math skills when they go back to their regular math class at school. In addition, we are very fortunate to receive support from university professors to assist us in designing our math program. With the exposure of Singapore Math, we truly believe that the students in our math program will become critical thinkers and problem solvers. In addition, our middle school math and ACT instructors not only have passion and many years of teaching math, but also have been coaching students in math competitions up to state levels for years. With our math curriculum, they are able to assist students in developing critical thinking skills and problem solving skills.
