About The School

學校介紹

Who founded the school?

The school was started about 30 years ago by overseas Chinese students from Taiwan for their children.  It is not affiliated with Columbia University.

When and where does the school meet?

The school meets every Saturday morning at Kent Hall on the Columbia University campus. Classes start at 9:30am and ends at 12:30 (except for Class A1 which begins at 9:30 a.m. and ends at 12:00 noon) with two 15 minute breaks for snack. The fall semester begins in mid-September and the spring semester begins in late January.

How many classes are there?

There are five classes; children are placed in each class based on their age as well as their proficiency in Chinese:

• Class A1: Beginner level for 5-7 Y
• Class A2: Beginner level for 7-10 Y
• Class B: Berginner level for 6Y +
• Class C: Intermediate level for 6Y+
• Class D: Advanced level for 9-13Y

What is the curriculum?

Class A and B is designed for children who speak little or no Chinese at home. They will be exposed to Chinese language and culture through songs, games, and stories. The students learn the characters for colors, numbers, days and months, etc; simple phrases and form simple sentences.

Class C & D will follow a more traditional Chinese curriculum in which grade-level appropriate text books will be used and reading/writing emphasized. The textbooks have use short dialogues to teach vocabulary words and expressions.