NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2015
Northstar Christian Academy
On October 10th, at the fall open house of Northstar Christian Academy in the Rochester school district, CIAU instructors Lin Hao and Jing Wu presented the Chinese program to the parents who came with their students to meet their Chinese teachers. Many parents were really happy with their children’s achievement in another language and culture. Some said their children sang Chinese songs at weekend family gatherings and the Chinese happy birthday song at birthday parties.
Some children can count in Chinese from 1 to over 100.
In November and December, Ms. Wu and Ms. Hao focused their language teaching on the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. They designed Thanksgiving card, turkey poster, Chinese lantern, and Christmas card projects for their kindergarten to 6th grade classes. Students made Christmas cards, wrote letters to Santa Claus and their parents in
Chinese, and learned and sang two Christmas songs. They wrote Chinese characters while learning important strokes. They also learned the story of Chinese character formulation.
Students acted out the story, “Little Tadpole Looking for Its Mother.”
A student’s work
In the high school, the Chinese AP class started studying Kuaile Hanyu (Happy Chinese) Book 3. The students covered the Introduction and chapters on city and environment, houses and furniture, school life, traffic and transportation,
communication, etc. The students can carry on simple daily conversations with their Chinese classmates.
A student’s work
Gates Chili Central School District In November and December, CIAU faculty Juan (Rita) Xu taught some 1st and 2nd grade students at Neil Armstrong Elementary School greetings, country names, numbers, family members, body parts, etc. Rita Xu introduced some famous places in China and the changing of clothes that people wear from ancient times until now by showing some pictures to the children. The kids learned the Chinese gestures of 1 to 10, tried using chopsticks to pick up small things, and practiced Chinese paper- cutting. They showed strong interest in learning Chinese language and culture. At Florence Brasser Elementary School, Rita Xu started a Chinese Culture class for the 3rd
grade students. The students are very curious about historical sites in China such as the Great Wall, the Terra- Cotta Warriors in the tomb of the first emperor of the Qin dynasty, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the Temple of Heaven. They have learned about some of the geography of China, such as the highest mountain, the longest river, and the biggest city. Rita Xu also introduced ancient Chinese architecture and the diverse styles of civilian residential housing. The 3rd graders are fascinated with Chinese culture and always have many questions to ask.
Binghamton City School District In November and December, 6th grade students at Binghamton East and West Middle Schools studied three units discussing “My family”,
“I go to the library”, and “The book is on the desk”.
6th graders practicing paper-cutting
They consolidated what they had learned through diversified practices such as games, role-playing, and word matching. Now they can use the right location nouns, place nouns, and structures to introduce their family members and make conversations in Chinese.
So far, the 6th grade students have made great progress in Chinese language learning. They can not only spell new vocabulary well, they can make simple daily conversations and write beautiful characters. CIAU instructor Zhaoyun Zhai made hand- writing workbooks for her students and instructed them in writing Chinese characters. The students showed great interest in their writing practice.
Students having fun with Chinese paper-cutting
Ms. Zhai also introduced Chinese culture, including Chinese kung fu and Taichi, and paper-cutting to the students on their bloc days. She
presented some TV programs and movie clips and created three- dimensional representations of the Chinese character “chun” (spring) with her 6th graders. To celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, she designed a series of programs including word study, story reading, games, and handcrafts. All students enjoyed the videos and making Christmas cards.
Geneva City School District
The elective Mandarin class at Geneva West Street School focused on different topics according to the school district's content for each grade. The pre-K and kindergarten focused on family members and self- expression. Some of the children tried to express their love to their family members in Mandarin. The 1st and 2nd graders started a new topic of winter and holidays, and they tried to make a connection and comparison to their lessons in English.
This fall, Fang (Starry) He, kindergarten Chinese teacher for the Geneva School District duel- language program, taught Chinese expressions about the body, motions, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, etc. Through many fun activities, her students made great
progress in Chinese listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Students are touching and guessing the shapes of objects
Starry tried adding math to her teaching content to match her students’ lessons in English, and it worked well. Her students can count to 100 in Chinese and do addition within 5. They also know some basic shapes, and can compare big & small, long & short, and tall & short.
Students made snowmen with colored shapes
To meet the teaching goals of the Geneva district, Starry did Mandarin assessments with her students to test their abilities in listening, speaking,
reading and writing. She had parent conferences to talk with parents about her teaching plan and how their kids learn Chinese at school. As most of the kids are fond of speaking Chinese at home, their parents wish that the Mandarin dual-language program could keep going throughout all the grades in Geneva School District.
On December 15th, students performed the Chinese songs “Happy New Year” and “Up, Down, Left, Right” for the New Year Sing-Along at Geneva West Street School.
Tatum making her New Year card for her family
Before Christmas, Starry had her students make New Year cards for their families.
In November and December, CIAU instructor Lili Huang taught her 1st grade Immersion Program students how to say different shapes, Happy
New Year, Merry Christmas, and the months of the year in Chinese. Ms.
Huang taught them the “Song of Shapes”.
Kindergarten students singing a Chinese song
The students felt excited when they sang Chinese songs. The parents gave some positive feedback, saying that their children enjoyed singing Chinese songs very much. At the Geneva district “Sing Along”, the 1st grade Immersion Program class performed a Chinese song, “I Love My Family”, and, together with Starry’s class, the students performed a Chinese song, “Happy New Year”, which made an interaction with their parents and achieved a good effect.
North Syracuse Central School District
CIAU teachers Zhang (Lucy) Yao and Yang (Eric) Daqian were invited by Cicero Junior High School to attend the “Shark Tank” business
class as “sharks”. They commented on students' business plans and the value of their products from another perspective. They were also invited to give a presentation in geography class, which gave students a vivid vision about a variety of aspects of China.
Lucy introducing Chinese Culture to her students
Chinese Culture Lecture at Chautauqua
On November 12, the Confucius Institute at Alfred University was invited by Chautauqua Lake Central School to make a cultural exchange.
Chautauqua Lake Central School
Tai Chi Master Liu performed Swimming Dragon, accompanied by guzheng played by Daisy Wu, and Flare Ding gave a lecture about the life of Chinese people. The presentation was well received by the students and teachers.
Tai Chi and guzheng performance
Students from the advanced culinary class had prepared delicious muffins for the CIAU teachers, and students from Chinese class had a great time chatting with the Chinese teachers.
CIAU teachers and students from Chinese class
At the end, CIAU members Jane Wu and Molly Zhang taught students the theme song of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, “You and Me”, which received a favorable response.
Students singing the theme song of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Sino-American People-to-People Exchange Day
CIAU teachers and students attended the event “Reunion of Returnees from China” on November 13th, 2015, at the Chinese Consulate- General.
CIAU teachers and AU Chinese class students
Joseph from AU’s CHIN 201 class was amazed by the fluent Chinese spoken by an American girl who told about her Chinese learning experience and her inspiring Chinese Bridge Contest experience. He hopes
that his Chinese will be improved by studying in China next year. After being informed that China has become the third largest destination for international students, after the U.S. and U.K., another AU student, Emily, who completed CHIN 102, is determined to continue her Chinese study and go to study in China.
Tai Chi and Taoism Lecture at AU CIAU Tai Chi Master Liu was invited by Mary McGee, professor of religion at Alfred University, to give a lecture on Tai Chi and Taoism on November 16.
Professor Mary McGee and Tai Chi Master Liu
Master Liu introduced the doctrine of Laozi, advocating a simple, honest life and non-interference with the course of natural events, and its magnificent influence on Chinese culture. Master Liu also showed the Swimming Dragon exercise, which was welcome, as both students and teacher tried to join in.
Students practicing Tai Chi with Master Liu
Chinese Program Promotion at North Syracuse
On November 19, CIAU faculty went to the North Syracuse Roxboro Road and Gillette Road Middle Schools to promote the Chinese program, together with Lucy Zhang and Eric Yang who have taught Chinese there for more than one year.
CIAU faculty and the display panel
This promotion mainly focused on introducing the Chinese language class for the coming spring semester, which will be different from the past fall semester. During the fall, the main content was Chinese culture such as history, festivals and holidays, and places of interest.
CIAU also prepared some Chinese food and tea for the parents and students, which was well received.
Lucy introducing Chinese class to parent and students
CIAU Tai Chi Group in Health and Wellness Fair
On Nov. 19, 2015, the Tai Chi group of CIAU attended the 2nd Annual Health and Wellness Fair at Alfred University.
This is an annual event sponsored by Alfred University, Ardent Solutions, and Wellsville’s Jones Memorial Hospital in recognition of National Rural Health Day.
Tai Chi Demonstration
The daylong event included demonstrations, educational opportunities, and free wellness tests provided by Jones Memorial staff and pharmacy students from the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy. As part of the Health Fair, the Alfred Tai Chi group did several demonstrations, including Swimming Dragon, Twenty-Four Forms, Yi JinJing, Ba Duanjin, and Tai Chi Fan.
Alfred’s Tai Chi group
The elegant movements and music seized the attention of all present. In order to spread the practice of Tai Chi, we exhibited many academic surveys on Tai Chi, our Tai Chi class
brochures, Tai Chi videos, and a Tai Chi benefits panel.
Many friends took wellness tests after they joined in with the Tai Chi demonstrations, and their blood oxygen content was significantly enhanced. Regular practitioners of Tai Chi showed overall improvement.
Farewell Party for Tai Chi Master Fang
November 20th, 2015, the Tai Chi Group of CIAU held a farewell party for Tai Chi Master Fang Liu.
Master Fang has been the coach of the Alfred Tai Chi group for several years. Her diligent work brought happiness and health to many community residents and those who live nearby. Every morning, the members of the Tai Chi group would get together and practice Tai Chi Quan. Practicing Tai Chi has become a part of their lives, and Tai Chi also made this group a family. Master Fang returned to China on November 28th. In order to bow farewell to Master Fang, all members of the Tai Chi group arranged a great party for her.
The farewell party was held at the Terra Cotta Coffee House on Main Street. Old friends and newcomers got together and enjoyed the homemade cuisine. Later, the Tai Chi
group gave grand presents to Master Fang which they had prepared, some a long time ago. These special gifts not only represent every friend’s love, but also contain the warm memories of the Tai Chi group. At the end of the party, the Tai Chi group members all expressed their best wishes to Master Fang and their hope of meeting again.
Friends of the Tai Chi group
Master Fang said the reason why she likes to teach Tai Chi without charge was that she hopes to bring health to more people. A healthy body is the prerequisite of a happy life. It is the pursuit of happiness and health that bonds the Tai Chi group tightly together.
Dumpling-Making Activity at CIAU Chinese Corner
On Nov. 20, CIAU held a Dumpling- Making activity for Chinese Corner
at the Confucius House on Park Street in Alfred. This attracted many students to participant and experience Chinese culture.
Dumpling-Making
The activity started with the introduction of some Chinese cultural knowledge, and then the CIAU faculty demonstrated the six steps of the whole process, including making the dough, making fillings, forming wrappers, wrapping the dumplings, cooking the dumplings, and serving the dumplings.
AU campus E-news reporter Rick McLay trying dumplings
Meanwhile, the campus E-news reporter Rick McLay came in and interviewed some participants. He also tried eating dumplings with chopsticks.
The activity ended with a delightful and delicious hands-on experience of the participants’ first attempts at dumpling-making.
Multicultural Dinner
On Dec. 3, CIAU teachers were invited to a multicultural dinner at AU’s Language House, together with teachers of other languages such as French, Spanish, and German. The CIAU teachers not only brought Chinese dumplings, but also noodles and the most popular Cantonese dish, Sweet and Sour Pork, which were all well received.
Chinese teacher and Spanish teacher discussing the pictures
It’s worth mentioning that an interactive quiz accompanied the dinner: teachers from various countries printed out pictures of their
countries’ celebrities or places of interest, and others had to name these pictures.
The Tenth Annual Confucius Institute Conference
On December 6th and 7th, the 10th Annual Confucius Institute Conference was successfully held in Shanghai, China. The two days of lively discussions helped the delegates reach broad consensus on the development objectives of the world-wide Confucius Institute in the coming decade and built confidence for the future. More than 2,000 people attended this year’s conference, including Alfred University president Charles Edmondson, CIAU director Wilfred Huang, and Chinese director Tao Peng.
Vice Premier of China presenting award to AU president
At this year’s conference, CIAU was selected as one of the ten best Confucius Institutes, out of more than five hundred CIs worldwide. The award was presented by Madam Yandong Liu, Vice Premier of P. R.
China and Chair of the Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters.
This is the second year in a row that Alfred’s Confucius Institute has received an award.
Upcoming Events
Jan. 21st: North Syracuse 2016 Chinese New Year Gala
Feb. 6th: Alfred 2016 Chinese New Year Gala
Feb. 9th: Geneva 2016 Chinese New Year Gala
Feb. 11th: Rochester 2016 Chinese New Year Gala
Learn Chinese Word and Know Its Culture:
Chinese New Year which is known as Spring Festival (chūn jié 春节) is the most important Chinese holiday. The festival ushers in the lunar New Year
and is a time when the whole country throws itself into celebrating and eating.
No one is quite sure exactly when or where the festival originated. Legend has it that once upon a time, there was a monster called Nian (nián 年) that attacked Chinese villages every spring, eating anything that came its way – people, animals, plants and the odd building. One spring, villagers hung red paper on their doors and threw bamboo on a fire when Nian arrived. The monster was so startled by the bright colors and loud crackling noise of the burning bamboo that it turned and fled. Today the word “nian” is the Chinese word for year.
Since that day, Chinese people hang red paper signs and lanterns outside their homes and enjoy making loud noises on New Year’s Eve.
Firecrackers replaced bamboo after
gunpowder was invented and the main idea today is the louder and bigger, the better.
In the days leading up to the Spring Festival, every household gets a thorough cleaning. Since sweeping on New Year’s Day might sweep away the year’s good fortune.
Breaking dishes or using sharp objects is also seen as potentially unlucky.
The holiday is a time for family celebration and nearly every university students or migrant workers heads home. It’ll seem like the whole country is going somewhere at this time, whether on their way home or taking advantage of the long holiday to do some travelling.
On New Year’s Eve, once the family has been gathered, food becomes a central consideration. Large numbers of delicacies are prepared and fish is often eaten as the Chinese word for fish (yú 鱼 ) is a homophone for surplus (yú 余).
Children particularly enjoy the custom of receiving red envelopes (hóngbāo 红 包 ). These envelops contain gifts of money and are distributed by family elders to young unmarried relatives.
Confucius Institute at Alfred University
Board of Directors:
Charles Edmondson (Chair) Terry S. Galanis
Rick Stephens (Executive Director) Changqian Ma
Yanxin Wang (Deputy Chair) Lijun Zhang
Partner Institute:
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei, China
Director:
Wilfred Huang Chinese Director:
Tao Peng Assistant Director:
Susan Steere Instructors:
Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu Yangfang (Elyn) Song Zhaoyun(Catherine) Zhai Daqian (Eric) Yang Lin (Michelle) Hao Jing Wu
Yao (Lucy) Zhang Fang (Starry) He Lanfang (Haley) Gao Ruijun (Mark) Duan Jinxiang (Linda) Chen Lili (Lily) Huang Juan (Rita) Xu Wenyao (Flare) Ding Jing (Jane) Wu
Lingyan (Molly) Zhang