Favorite Sport

Favorite Sport Click on this title to listen to podcast.

What's Your Name

What's Your Name Click this title to listen.

生词：

请问 May I ask?

我 I

是 To be; is

名字 Name

你呢 And you?

贵姓 Family name; surname

姓 Surname

喜欢 To like

叫 To be called

什么 What

北京 Beijing

美国 America

Cancel Dinner Plans

Cancel Dinner Plans

Learning More and More

4th graders will soon be biting off a little more Chinese.  Here are a few new vocabulary words coming up.  Try to write these!
他          Ta1          He
是          Shi4         Is
谁          Shui2       Who
Can you guess what sentence we will be forming?  That's right!  We will be learning to say 他是谁？Who is he?

3rd graders are diving head first into new skits and puppet shows speaking out against bullying with the words:
大         Da4          Big
小         Xiao3       Little
脚         Jiao3        Foot
Stay tuned to Keiki Chinese to watch and learn how to say these very helpful words and learn more about how to prevent bullying at your school, in your neighborhood, and anywhere it might occur.

Teachers enjoyed their monthly cooking competition today.  I have included a few pictures for your giggle.  Once a month teachers choose a theme and compete for the coveted "spoon" award.  This month the theme was tailgating.  Among the recipes presented today were Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches, Pulled Pork and Cole Slaw Sandwiches, Salsa Chicken, Frito Pie Surprise, and Pan California Roll.  Tasters vote on their favorite recipe and all ballots remain secret.  What fun!    Who would have thought these teachers were such yummy, yummy cooks!

Here are a few of my favorite cooking websites and blogs.  What are some of yours?
http://veganthyme.blogspot.com/
http://www.meettheshannons.net/


Learn More Do More! And ALWAY Practice What You Know!

Follow us on Twitter @MushudragonUSA

Learn More Do More!

你好学生！

Have you been practicing Chinese?  I certainly hope so!  Here are some words to remember...

什么        What
人            Person
不            No
山            Mountain

Congrats to the 1st graders for finishing their movie 老师在吗？The Keiki and Laoshi certainly have had a lot of fun learning new phrases, learning the photography of movie making, creating and moving sets all over campus, laughing and dreaming up funny scenes for our movie!  WOW!  The students really are smart, smart learners!

4th graders have been catching up on some writing practice.  They are well on their way to writing 你叫什么？Students have also been enjoying building QR codes.  Fu Guo Guo even downloaded Chinese characters onto her computer and created QR codes for her class to decode at school.  What fun we had decoding her Chinese messages.  Laoshi was very impressed with her use of Chinese and her inquiring mind that put the Chinese characters on her computer.  Fu Guo Guo says she is the computer wiz of her family.  I can certainly see that to be true!

Chinese Club will be every Tuesday from dismissal to 3:45.  Right now we are working on Stop Motion Animation.  Kids seem to have a lot of fun with this wonderful piece of technology.

Want to know what I had for dinner last night?  Little Village Noodle House in Chinatown.  My very  favorite restaurant in Honolulu.  I had garlic squash, dried string beans, mixed veggies with tofu, and the house special fried rice!  Yummy!  Next time you and your family are in Chinatown check it out.

Super Classroom Apps for Creative Learning

Super Classroom Apps For Creative Learning

PuppetPals HD

            Tell an animated story using PuppetPal puppets and backgrounds. 

Record your voice, move your characters, save to your Mac PC, share on YouTube, email your creations to friends and family.

Storyrobe

            Story telling app.

Hipstamatic

            Camera with cool and fun features.

Prezi Viewer

            Create a prezi presentation and carry it with you on our device.

inClass

            Calendar created with school students in mind.  Good for jotting

down homework assignments, notes, list instructors, class

schedule, backup data capability.

Doodle Buddy

            Write math equations, vocabulary words, notes to friends, even

draw pictures with this fun drawing application.  Change colors to

add flare to your maps, math, graphs, or whatever your

imagination can create. 

Wunderlist

            List making application

SynthCam

            Really fun camera app.  Add zing to your classroom images

this year!

Smithsonian

            Smithsonian.  Needs no explanation!

Whatwasthere           

            Point the camera at any location where you are and the app will

give you a brief history of things that happened at that location.  Fascinating!

Comic Touch Lite

            Build your own class comic book with ease!

StoryKit

            Writing stories with illustration has never been easier.

SonicPicsLite

            Use images to tell stories, give directions, count money, endless

possibilities.  Drag and drop class pictures, homework, maps,

google images, animation to Sonic Lite then record your message to tell a story, answer questions, ask questions…you name it.   Jazz up your lessons and thrill your students about learning with this engaging and easy application.

Red Laser

            QR code reader.  Build your own QR codes at:

 http://qrcode.good-survey.com/about-qr-codes

Glow Draw

            Write words, letters, numbers, you name it then add your very

own drawings to this writing and drawing glow in the dark

application.  Learning to read, write, and do mathmatics has never been so fun!

GarageBand (ipad 2 only)

iMovie (iPad 2 only)

ShowMe

            Share learning with anyone, anywhere, any time, any place.  Yes! 

Anywhere! 

Popplet Lite

Capture learning and turn them into visuals and text.  Let Popplet help you teach and learn.  Let Popplet do the teaching for you and have keiki show their work with technology!

WikiNodes

            Really, really cool mind map that packs mean bling.  You gotta

check this one out!  Wow keiki of all ages and even your peers!

ScreenChomp

            Add images, backgrounds, write with your finger or stylus.  Let

ScreenChomp do the work of teaching your class today.  Even

better…let keiki tell ScreenChomp what to teach today.  Finish your homework using screen chomp!  Review spelling lists with ScreenChomp!  Read a graph, draw a map, count money with ScreenChomp!

Wikihood

            GPS, map finder, information seeker, visual and audio

encyclopedia for the 21^st century learner.

Qwiki

Thousands of narrated covering  art, science, language, history, sports, food, hobbies the list goes on and on.  Watch and listen to any topic you can dream up.  A visual encyclopedia.  This app can also locate you and give fascinating Qwiki’s about the location you are at.  On a vacation?  On an excursion?  Want to learn more about…something?  Use Qwiki.   The possibilities for exploration are endless.

Wiki2

            Wikipedia reader.  Easy and beautiful interface.  What a lovely

way for students, teachers, and families to read the encyclopedia.

Songify

            Open source original music.  Use it or even post your own musical

creations!

Animoto

            In a snap build a slideshow of images and graphics with text to

teach new concepts, review, or even better…have students build their own.

SimpleMind+

            Mind mapping made easy!

Talking Gina

            Record your lesson and let Gina the giraffe do the teaching!  Get

ready for those kids to learn when your substitute steps in!

Talking Lila

            Need a substitute teacher?  Just record and Lila the water fairy

will do the teaching for you.  Or even better…have the keiki record math problems, questions, assignments, classroom rules and agreements, or reminders for the next day.  Lila can even speak Chinese! 

Impression

            Water mark your images! 

Dropox

                 Cloud service.   Use this to transfer files from your desktop to your

iPad and back with ease.  PC Mac!

PaperDesk LT

            A favorite app.  Draw, add pictures, make lists, take notes, record

your voice, record others voices, transcribe, touch an area in the written text and it will take you to the same location in the audio text.  Very robust site for classroom and personal use.

Paperless

            List maker

i-Prompt Pro

            Teleprompter.  Works great!

CartoonStdio

            Create your own animation.  Save to PC Mac.

Book Creator

            Ever wanted to be a published writer?  Now is your chance.  You

write it and we will read it!  Includes image function so you can

illustrate your stories. Platform looks like a book.

Zite

            Read up on all your favorite subjects

Evernote

            Excellent and diverse note taker.  Transferable to PC/Mac

WordWeb

            Dictionary on steroids!

Google Earth

            Fantastic, robust site

Weather Eye

            Check the weather around the world

PS Express

            Device version of Photoshop on the go

iPreadMusic

            Read music, play music learning games

Skype

            Skype for iOS.

Dragon Dictation

            Dictation can be transferred to Mac/PC

SM: Rain

            Relaxing sounds for quiet classroom moments

Tips For iPads In The Classroom:

1.    You will need an Apple adaptor to plug the device into the

Smarboard.  Simply plug the Apple adaptor to your Smartboard and you are ready to roll!

2.    Some of the apps listed are free and some have a fee.  Garageband and iMovie are the most expensive at $10.

3.    Your ipad can be set to any language you wish.  But that is another handout!  J

4.    Use your iPad controls or the Smartboard to control the volume. 

5.    Use Photobooth on your iPad to turn on a quick slide show for a re to reflect on the learning you did that day. 

This list was brought to you by:

Keikichinese.blogspot.com

Follow us on Twitter @MushudragonUSA

What's Your Name?

Every wanted to learn how to say What's Your Name in Chinese?  Watch this edition of the Chinese Bulldog Show with 2nd graders and learn!

Learn More, Do More!

Follow us on Twitter @MushudragonUSA

QR Codes In the K-5 Classroom

Check out this radical QR Code and find a big, big surprise hidden inside!  Do you remember which application we were using in class?  It's called Red Laser.  Do you remember which website we were using to build our very own Chinese character QR Codes?  It is http://qrcode.good-survey.com/about-qr-codes.  What kind of QR Code can you create?

Chinese Media Makers had loads of fun starting a new Stop Motion Animation project today.  Sorry...can't give you any more details.  You will just have to wait for the movie to come out!

High schoolers are starting to communicate with me on Twitter.  I certainly look forward to all their excellent written Chinese on Twitter.  Why don't you follow us, too!  @MushudragonUSA

Stay Healthy PSA LJA 4th Grade & Lao Shi

QR Code Chinese!

Use the app Red Laser or go to this link http://qrcode.good-survey.com/about-qr-codes and click on Decode - Read With Camera to read these QR Codes with hidden Chinese messages.  Can you read the secret code?  Write in the comments section with the correct translation and you just might get a treat for trying during our next class!

生词 Tea Refill Lesson Level II

生词

服务员               fu2 wu4 yuan2               waitress, server

茶水                  cha2 shui3                      tea water


要                       yao4                               to require


钱                      qian2                               money


免费                 mian3 fei4                        free


那                     na4                                   then


帮                      bang1                              for (someone)


倒                     dao4                                 to pour


杯                      bei1                                 cup, glass


茶                     cha2                                 tea


请                     qing3                                please


捎等                shao1 deng3                     to wait a moment


真                     zhen1                                really


苦                     ku3                                   sour
 
水                     shui3                                 water


倒茶                 dao4 cha2                         to pour tea

Helpful Phrases

1。 服务员，茶水要钱吗？  Waitress, does tea water cost anything?
2。  是免费的。     It's free.
3。  那帮倒一杯茶。  Then I'll have a cup of tea.
4.  好的，请捎等。  Ok, please wait a moment.
5。  这是什么茶？  真苦。  What kind of tea is this?  It's really bitter.
6。  那帮你倒一杯水 。  Then I'll bring you a water.

Public Service Announcement: Don't Take DRUGS!

Watch and learn as Andre, Cole, and Stefan warn you about the hazards of taking illegal drugs!  Great job on the Pubic Service Announcement 4th graders.  And thank you to Mrs. Debbie Smith for inviting me to take part in this fun and important project!

Stay healthy!

Honors Chinese Dialogue Practice

Tea Refill Dialogue Practice

Click on the above "Tea Refill Dialogue Practice" to listen.

Honors Chinese Test

Tea Refill Test

Click the above "Tea Refill Test" to begin.

Good Luck!

Peaceful Travels

Watch and learn as these super duper 4th graders teach you how to wish pals a fond aloha.  Wow your friends and be ready for International Peace day when you learn how to say peaceful travels in Chinese!

Follow us on Twitter @MushudragonUSA

Teachers Are Learners, Too!

Did you know that teachers love to learn, too?  Especially me!  This past weekend I went to the University of Hawaii to take a weekend long class about photography.  Do you like to take pictures? Me too!  I love to take pictures and decided it was high time to learn more about photography and how to take a good picture.

One assignment the professor gave us was to walk around the campus and take pictures of interesting shapes and forms.  After we took pictures we headed over to the computer lab to download our pictures and edit them using Photoshop CS5.  Here are my attempts at artistic pictures (giggle, giggle).  It was fun spending the weekend at the University of Hawaii.  I hope that one day you get to go to school there, too!

Today the 1st graders did their very first Scratch projects!  1st graders created their very own Chinese music videos titled 你好吗.  Want to watch the videos?  Here is how to watch:
1.  Go to Scratch.MIT.edu
2.  Go to view galleries
3.  Type in our class Scratch name:  vschina2003
4.  Enjoy!

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter  @MushudragonUSA

Write The Chinese Word For Peace

Write The Chinese Word For Peace

* Click the title above to view the movie *

Did you like the movie Wallace and Gromit? I sure did! Wallace and Gromit was created using a method called Stop Motion Animation. Our very own Keiki Chinese 4th grade learners used stop motion animation to create the Chinese word for Peace. 4th graders are celebrating International Peace Day. Our stop motion animation movie will be combined with 13 other 4th grade classes from all over the world! Our combined movie will be a tribute to peace and happiness all over the world!

Like this movie? Want to make your own stop motion animation? Don't hesitate to ask any of the Chinese Media Makers how to do it! Our Keiki Chinese certainly are tech savvy as well as excellent Chinese speakers!

And don't forget to follow us on Twitter @MushudragonUSA!  Hope to see you there soon!

Learning To Write On The Computer

It has never been easier to practice your Chinese characters!  Keiki Chinese learners had a ball today when Xiao Long brought in his iPad for the class to use!  WOW.  Keiki installed the international keyboard and downloaded Chinese Handwriting and Chinese Pinyin.  Then we spent fun time using both the handwriting pad and the pinyin system for writing in Chinese on the computer!  If you have an iPad go ahead and try it yourself!

2nd graders are working on 你叫什么？What's your name?  This is a great phrase to know when you want to make new friends while living in China!

Kindergarten has started singing a new song using instruments such as drums, chimes, and even a xylophone.  What a smart class!

Have you had a chance to practice new phrases with our Chinese Bulldog Show?  To get started simply find a post with a recorded show in it and click on the title.  We appreciate comments and questions.

Remember...practice what you know!

Baby Ipo exploring Laoshi's house.  

Ms. Gamble smiling for the camera.

Dobie and Mushu Dragon begging for food.

Xiao Po enjoyed swimming and eating cupcakes.

Mushu Dragon made friends with Ms. Bailey.  B.F.F.

The life of the party, Mr. M!

Ms. Hoe adding to our happiness!

Xiao Po sure can swim!  

Xiao Po and his Ba Ba enjoying the pool.

Mr. R rolled in to the party on his bike!  Fit teachers rule!

Baby Chance enjoyed playing with the dogs!

Friday afternoon I invited LJA teachers and their families over to celebrate...us!  What a happy time we had!  Teachers from all departments dropped by for an early dinner, swimming, chatting, laughing, and lots of doggie kisses.  It was a lovely time and one that I will remember with a giggle in my heart for a long, long time.  

Celebrate teachers.  Celebrate learners.  Celebrate life with each other.  

Thanks LJA for coming to my house!  Come back soon!

Yesterday was an amazing day at the Hawaii School's of the Future Conference.  Keiki Chinese Media Makers rolled out to teach teachers how to speak Chinese using Garageband, iMovie, and Scratch.  It was standing room only while our super start students presented to a very interested crowd.  After our presentation during session one we enjoyed a delicious feast of pastries, juice, and cookies.  Students presented two sessions that lasted for almost two hours total! WOW!

Today Keiki Chinese returned to school to enjoy a free choice Chinese day.  Students could choose to create a stop motion animation of the Chinese word 平，build a Garageband for our Keiki Chinese Bulldog show listeners to practice 听不懂，or invent a music video on Scratch for the word 平。  Another fun, fun day of learning at LJA!

Did I mention?  I am the luckiest, luckiest teacher in the whole world with the smartest, smartest Chinese learners.

I am proud of you!

Good Things Happening Every Day!

Good things are happening at LJA!

Keiki Chinese has been asked to participate in a 13 country International Peace Day project.  One classroom from all 13 countries will create a 20 second movie about peace.  Keiki Chinese students got right to work creating a super stop motion animation movie!  Can't tell you anymore!  You will just have to wait until the movie comes out.

Check out the picture of Han Bao Bao, Xiao Laoshi, and Xiao Yu working together to build ideas for our stop motion animation film.  Check out the camera on the end of that tripod.  That's right!  The tripod is attached to the table.  How cool is that!

Last night I got to attend a fantastic and inspiring lecture by the  master teacher Marco Torres.  Mr. Torres is a technology teacher from LA who has devoted his career to teaching and motivating teachers.  He taught us about planning interactive and lively lessons that will engage keiki to dig deeper into learning.  He also talked about a lot about his love of learning.  I certainly understand how it feels to love learning!  Yes, I am the Chief Learner of Room B3!  Welcome to my world Chinese Learners.  Step right in!

As you can see, I had a very happy long weekend.  That is a picture of my dog, Dobie, going to the North Shore of Oahu for a picnic and riding.  He always loves a good picnic.  He is the Chief Sniffer in my life!  Dobie is about 3 years old.

 I also went to a lovely Labor Day dinner party with my little friend, Pippy, and her parents.  This is a picture of Pippy holding up a beautiful beaded napkin ring that she made especially for our dinner table.  Pippy is a 1st grader in Kaneohe who enjoys swimming, finger knitting, beading, reading to friends, and taking pictures.  Her birthday is coming up this weekend and what a celebration we will have!  Happy early birthday Pippy!

Remember...learn more do more!

I Don't Understand!

I Don't Understand!

Check out the latest episode of the Chinese Bulldog Show! Kamalu and Kristin will help you practice and learn!

Don't forget...practice makes perfect!

Click on the phrase above I Don't Understand to listen and learn.

Our Chinese Media Makers are certainly getting excited about the Hawaii Schools of the Future Teacher's Conference on September 8. We are hoping to livestream with ustream.tv.com from 10:15 - 10:45. Tune into the Keiki Chinese channel to watch this super presentation and learn how the Chinese Bulldog Show is created! Two thumbs up to these dedicated and hard working learners! We a proud of our bulldogs!

听懂吗？ Do You Understand?

听懂吗？ Do You Understand?

Join the Chinese Bulldog Show as keiki teach keiki to speak Chinese. Watch, learn, and practice along with these super-duper 4th graders. Oh, they did the iMovie on their own! Super techie keikie, too!

I'm a lucky teacher!

Click on the link above 听懂吗？ Do You Understand?

Do You Understand Chinese?

Do You Understand Chinese?

Learn how to say I Don't Understand with this fantastic videocast created by Xiao Gou and Xiao Long! And don't forget a big thank you to our Director Lao Hu!

Just click on the sentence Do You Understand Chinese to start the videocast.

The Chinese Bulldog Show is a video and podcast show dedicated to kids teaching kids how to speak Mandarin Chinese. So sit back, relax, and learn!

Where is Laoshi?

Where is Laoshi?

Check out the latest episode of the new Chinese Bulldog Show. A radio talk show dedicated to kids teaching kids to speak Mandarin Chinese. Join Xiao Gou and her friend Wai Jun to learn how to ask the whereabouts of someone! Very useful information when we go on our tour to China!

Just click on the sentence Where is Laoshi at the top of this post.

So sit back, relax, enjoy the show and learn more!

See You Soon!

See you at family night! Please drop by and visit my classroom. I will have a handout for adding Chinese characters to your Mac or PC as well as a handout with lists of my favorite online learning links, bookstores, and more.

Come see your new desks in the classroom. Last week I noticed many of our 4th grade boys have out grown my little tables. Maintenance generously brought me bigger desks. These "big kid" desks are reserved for 4th and up only. Benefits for the big kids!

3rd graders really dove into deeper content on Friday. We started learning 听过不懂。 I don't understand! Very handy when we go on our tour to Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian.

By the way, our educational travel agent from Explorica (Ann) will have our travel plans and pricing complete early next week. As soon as I hear something I will let you know. Here is keeping my fingers crossed.

Kindergarteners are really having a good time learning to write 一， 二 ，三 。Next week we are taking on 四. I think 四 looks like a window with curtains. What do you think it looks like?

Looking forward to seeing you all soon!