Teaching Standards, Approaches, and Techniques for K-12 Chinese Classes in the US

K-12 is the term used to denote the primary and secondary education system in the U.S., from kindergarten to 12th grade. Second language education is critically important, especially for Chinese language, which has become the fourth most widely taught foreign language at the K-12 levels in the country. This thesis addresses K-12 foreign language frameworks and content standards, as well as discusses and summarizes effective teaching approaches and techniques for K-12 Chinese Classes in the US; and therefore, provides a reference for teachers, schools, and educational institutions. This thesis includes three parts: Part One summarizes K-12 Chinese education in the U.S. It then introduces and analyzes the national standards for foreign language education, as well as state policy and standards of K-12 world language study in New York and California. Part Two introduces and analyzes some widely practiced second language teaching approaches at K-12 level. Part Three concludes with 25 effective teaching and learning activities for K-12 Chinese classes, based on the author’s experience of setting up and developing a Chinese program and the investigation of K-12 Chinese teachers in the U.S