Northern Trails 5/6 School

Northern Trails 5/6 School provides Chinese Immersion students with a continued focus on language and literacy.

5-6 student testimonial

Northern Trails 5/6 School

FHPS Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program

欢迎 (Welcome) to Northern Trails!  At the 5th and 6th grade levels, students from three elementary feeder schools merge to come together with their future graduating class.  Northern Trails 5/6 School is one of approximately 60 schools nationwide that host two language learning programs: Mandarin Immersion and Spanish Immersion. Students achieve all of the Michigan grade level standards and grow in their second language competencies. 

5 / 6 Mandarin Immersion students receive 110+ minutes of Mandarin instructional time per day focused on reading, writing, speaking, listening and writing the characters.  Science, social studies, language arts, and mathematics are each taught in English with Chinese minutes focused on Mandarin Literacy.  Northern Trails proudly hosts a diverse student body with families fluent in more than 42 languages.  The entrance of our school showcases our student heritage with 51 flags posted representing the nation of birth of a Northern Trails student.

Northern Trails 5th Grade

FHPS Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program

The 5th grade learning contents are adapted from the Chinese Language for Primary Schools ( 《小学华文》  ).  Instruction covers eight core units with various topics related to the student’s daily life along with reading/reading comprehension and writing skills. 

Northern Trails 6th Grade

FHPS Mandarin Chinese Immersion Program

In 6th grade, students dive deep into Phonetics, Vocabulary, and Syntax through leveled independent reading, interactive read-aloud, writing workshop, culture-related projects and games. Students will study how characters and new words are created so they have the skills to predict the meaning and the pronunciation of a new character or word.

Northern Trails 5/6 School

Principal: Dr. Susan Gutierrez

5th Grade Teacher: Zhao Laoshi & 6th Grade Teacher: Du Laoshi

5th grade immersion students speak only Chinese in the classroom.  Students gain confidence through practice, and they focus on learning with a growth mindset while putting in their best effort.  
For 6th grade, homework expectations include practicing the weekly vocabulary words at home for 20 min every night.
Vocabulary tests are held weekly.

5th Grade Objectives

  • Make connections between learned and new characters/words, be aware of the patterns, and find similarities and differences. Familiar with the character structures and radicals, and follow stroke orders to form the characters.

  • Expand vocabulary and improve Chinese character decoding skills through reading practice. 

  • Understand the basic reading comprehension skills, and practice them while reading.

  • Acknowledge the basic Chinese grammar and tend to apply them in writing.

  • Use Pinyin knowledge to improve typing skills in Chinese, and follow the tone rules to improve pronunciation accuracy.

  • Engage in performance and presentation activities to develop listening and speaking skills.

5-6 student testimonial

6th Grade Objectives

Course Materials: YCT 3-5
 
Leveled reading materials:《我爱读中文》
 
Read Aloud materials:
《了不起的狐狸爸爸》(Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl)
《小乔治的神奇魔药》(George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl)
《查理和巧克力工厂》(Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl)
《世界冠军丹尼》(Danny, the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl)
《查理和大玻璃升降机》(Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl)
《小屁孩日记》(Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

*Families with 6-8th grade students are invited to attend Spring informational meetings for more information about the High School / Western Michigan University Dual Enrollment program.

Northern Trails 5/6 Chinese Immersion Resources

1.

Little Fox Chinese: https://chinese.littlefox.com/en

2.

Chinese story Read Aloud 1: t.ly/EKKL

3.
5.

Online dictionary: https://www.zdic.net/

We need your support!

Forest Hills Chinese Immersion program would not be a success without the support of our community.
Please consider a monetary donation to show your support. Corporate sponsorships are available.