Mandarin

Mandarin 1

Unlock the door to a fascinating new world of language and culture in Chinese 1! Students will learn the foundations of Mandarin Chinese and explore the rich history and traditions of one of the world’s oldest and most influential civilizations while striving to understand the special place of the Chinese people in God’s plan. Students will develop the essential skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing Chinese characters while also studying the customs and practices that make Chinese culture so unique, from calligraphy and painting to martial arts and cuisine. 

Mandarin 2

In this course, students will build on the skills learned in Chinese 1 to further their ability in Mandarin Chinese and continue gaining a deeper understanding of the traditions and unique cultural practices of the Chinese people. Students will have more opportunities to speak and present in the Chinese language individually and with their peers. 

Mandarin 3

This high school course introduces students to Mandarin Chinese, focusing on language acquisition and cultural understanding. Through a combination of vocabulary building, grammar lessons, and interactive activities, students will learn to communicate in Mandarin with confidence. The course emphasizes listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, with an introduction to Chinese characters and Pinyin (the Romanization of Mandarin pronunciation).

Students will also explore Chinese culture, history, and traditions, gaining insight into the customs and values of Chinese-speaking regions. The course includes conversations, role-playing, and multimedia projects to reinforce language skills and cultural knowledge. By the end of the course, students will have a foundational understanding of Mandarin Chinese and an appreciation for Chinese culture. This course is ideal for those interested in learning a new language and broadening their global perspective.

Our Approach to World Languages

The approach to teaching World Languages at American Heritage School is based upon three primary goals. First, we desire to expose students to a diverse variety of cultures, ethnic traditions, and societies throughout the world. As is taught in the first of our Seven Principles of Liberty, we want students to learn to see that “all people are children of our Heavenly Father. Each child of God and all of God’s creations have a unique, divine purpose.” Second, we desire to expose students to different languages because of the long-term cognitive benefits of linguistic awareness and linguistic analysis. Third, we desire to expose students to different languages because it removes the fear of learning new languages and helps children believe that new language acquisition is not only possible, but also fun and exciting. In three words, these goals are tied to the “culture, cognition, and confidence” benefits that world language instruction provides. We also recognize that proficiency or even fluency are additional goals that some families have for their children. We have made thoughtful and measured allocations of school resources, class time, and student homework time to accomplish the three goals outlined above. We want to be clear that we do not expect our students to become proficient or fluent in a second language based purely upon these allocations of time and resources; however, where students and families would like to pursue language acquisition more than what is offered in our curricular courses, we encourage them to take advantage of extracurricular world language opportunities and resources available at AHS and elsewhere.