Middle Schoolers Learn Mandarin By Sending Cards Abroad

Students enrolled in the Chinese language course at Robert M. Finley Middle School in Glen Cove recently created New Year's greeting cards in Mandarin for students at Finley's sister school in Beijing, China.

Tiffany Fan, the district's teacher for the Chinese language, met the Chinese students two years ago when they visited Connolly and Landing elementary Schools. Fan's students thought that creating the cards this year was a great way to reconnect with old friends.

"This project gives the students a sense that they are really using language to communicate with others, " Fan said. "The cards provide them the opportunity." 

School officials said there are 45 students in the district who are currently learning Chinese, and more than 30 students participated in the greeting card project.

"The students in China were then able to visit the Finley Web site to learn more about our school," explained Nomi Rosen, the district's Fine Arts Coordinator.  "They cut and pasted images from the Web site, and added their own, to create lovely collaged responses in Mandarin and English."

What's next in this bilingual dialogue between the two schools? Finley is considering creating a video of excerpts from Fan's Mandarin karaoke day lesson, giving the students another way to express themselves creatively while learning the language and nurturing their global connection.