Elementary Curriculum Overview
- Pre-Kindergarten: Better Chinese and thematic readers for Mandarin; Frog Street phonics program for English Language Arts and Reading; AISD’s Early Learning curriculum.
- Kindergarten through 5th grade: Chinese Literacy, we primarily use Mandarin Matrix Dual Language Immersion readers. 1st grade through 5th grade students are provided student online accounts to use the Mandarin Matrix Online library and digital coursework.
- Kindergarten uses MMX Foundations and parts of the Better Immersion curriculum. First-grade uses Novice 1 MMX readers. Second-grade uses Novice 2 MMX readers and are introduced to Hanyu Pinyin in the Spring. 3rd grade uses Novice 3 MMX readers. Fourth- and fifth-grade use Intermediate 1 readers.
- Math & Science: Students have access to ThinkCentral, DreamBox, Pearson coursework. Teachers create translations of district coursework and follow the district’s yearly planning guides.
Chinese Character Quizlet Sets
- Pre-K Quizlet Set
- Kinder Quizlet Set
- Kinder MMX Foundation Quizlet Set
- 1st Grade MMX N1 Quizlet Set
- 2nd Grade MMX N2 Quizlet Set
- 3rd Grade MMX N3 Quizlet Set
- MMX I1 Quizlet Set
AISD Mandarin Dual Language Campuses & Program History
| School | Level | History |
|---|---|---|
| Doss Elementary | K-5th Grade, 50/50 Model. Doss plans to add a 2nd cohort of Kindergarten and 1st grade in the Fall of 2022. |
Started as a FLEX program for Kindergarten and 1st grade in the Fall of 2012, then as a Mandarin Chinese Immersion program in the Fall of 2013. |
| Reilly Elementary | PK-1st, Self-Contained and 2nd-3rd ,50/50 Model. Reilly will continue to add one class each year. |
Started as a partnership with a private school Chinese with Meggie offering in the Fall of 2018. |
| Joslin Elementary | K-2nd, 50/50 Model* *Spanish Dual Language with Chinese FLEX program Joslin will continue to add one class each year. |
Started with a TEA grant to promote a foreign language academy in South Austin in the Fall of 2019. |
Note: Students who participate in a Dual Language program are provided ongoing instruction in literacy and academic content in English and Mandarin with at least half of the instruction delivered in Mandarin for the duration of the program. Instruction provided in Mandarin Chinese in this program model is delivered by a teacher appropriately certified in bilingual education under TEC, §29.061, for the assigned grade level and content area.
Mandarin teacher’s content responsibilities (50/50 model) include Chinese Literacy, Math and Science (taught in Mandarin). Partner English teacher’s content responsibilities include English Language Arts, Social Studies and reinforcement of Math and Science.
Program Goals
Proficiency Chart for Dual Language Mandarin
Austin ISD uses the following proficiency targets for our Mandarin Dual Language programs to align with our mission to promote bilingualism and biliteracy. Although Reading and Writing do not have set targets on this chart for primary grades, students are expected to read high-frequency characters for that grade level, including short, simple sentences (after 1st grade) and demonstrate understanding of basic information and some facts from a text. Students are also expected to copy Chinese characters and sentences using correct stroke order and reproduce a modest number of characters from memory with few or no errors appropriate for their grade level.
References:
|
Grade |
Listening |
Speaking |
Reading |
Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Kinder |
Novice Mid |
Novice Low |
N/A |
N/A |
|
1 |
Novice High |
Novice Mid |
N/A |
N/A |
|
2 |
Intermediate Low |
Novice High |
N/A |
N/A |
|
3 |
Intermediate Low |
Novice High |
N/A |
N/A |
|
4 |
Intermediate Low |
Novice High |
Novice High |
Novice High |
|
5 |
Intermediate Low |
Novice High |
Novice High |
Novice High |
Secondary FAQs
- Question: What do students do when they get to 6th grade?
Answer: Currently students will continue their Mandarin at Murchison Middle School and Anderson High School. - Question: What tracks are there in middle school?
Answer: There are two tracks: advanced Mandarin track and beginner Mandarin track. When they apply, Dual Language Mandarin students will be registered for a Mandarin proficiency test in early-mid March to determine which track they qualify for. - Are you interested in the Advanced Mandarin Language Pathway Coursework?
Read the documentation for more information.