Week four: About our courses and tests

We just finished our fourth week and the second test.
Some of the parents and students themselves are worried about what we have been doing these weeks.
I hope this will make you more released or at least help understanding

(1) Some children feel stressful for not knowing what to do in Chinese class because this is only the second week we go through all the routines. So some things may only be done for a second time. But they will get used to it soon after a while. For example, by now most of them understand that when they come in and sit down in my classroom, they need to take out their planners, write down the homework and turn it in to me. The Chinese planner is new this year and they never heard of this term or understand the procedure in Chinese before and never wrote about homework in the planner. Some just haven't get used to it and need to be reminded. For Extended Practice Book, this is the second time they need to complete and turn it in, so some remembered and some forgot  and got a reminder slip for forgetting homework. Please feel less worried because they have two teachers' rules and routines to follow so it will take them more time, especially my rules and routines are explained in Chinese.

I am new to Lone Peak and it also will take me more than a month to know what to do here and I still forget some routines we do at school and need reminded. Mrs Todd and students reminded me a lot [time for recess, rotation, and giving them eagle bucks : ) ] as well.

(2) Tests and courses: The tests didn't seem every understandable for them, even with the answer keys I gave them in advance. I know some of the students are worried. We have two new test formats for Week 3 and Week 4 test. Students may not understand what to do with them. But after these two week, I think they already know what to do. I didn't give them any stress for not doing well these two times but I want them to understand what to do and how to review for test next month.
Another thing that may cause them to feel  uneasy and confused of what we are doing in class I believe it's the pace of teaching and learning now. We have only one week for each lesson in Book 2B so we just go through new words and vocabulary very fast. This is planned. Three lessons in 2B will be finished by the end of September and we start next level in October.  For what we are doing now, we have five days each week to complete learning of 2B. Five days is very little of time to absorb new words, their sounds and meanings, the strokes and stories reading. (We need three days originally to finish learning of new words only, so I know it is difficult to be able to understand, read and write new content.)

The pace for the third level will be slower because we will do more practices in four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) and will try not to rely on pinyin from this level.They will have more time for learning next level (3A and 3B). Book 2B is just a transition to it and serves as a step stone for us to get used to our homework, tests and routines as well as to reflect students' learning styles and my teaching methods in 4th grade Chinese program.

(3) Homework and supplementary learning materials:
Students will get a new set of homework and supplementary learning materials from next level. I want to thank all the parents who asked questions and gave me suggestions to make everything clearer. I think the materials from next level will be more systematic and will be explained better.

Please don't hesitate to let me know your questions and let me know how your children feel about school.
Anything helps us improve will help them learn.