Chinese Jump! 2009

Summer Language Programs for high school students

From June 26 to August 1, 2009 the Confucius Institute at the University of Kansas will offer a summer language program for high school students called Chinese Jump! The program includes a series of two-week sessions designed to give high school students an opportunity to jump into the study of Chinese language. This is the second year Chinese Jump! has been offered by the Confucius Institute.

This program is part of STARTALK, a component of the National Security Language Initiative funded by the Director of National Intelligence and the Department of Defense to promote the teaching of lesser taught languages including Chinese.  The United States currently has too few speakers of these languages to meet our nation’s needs.

Who is eligible:

Selected high school students will be 1) in good academic standing; 2) intend to enroll in Chinese I during the 2009-10 academic year; 3)have permission from their parent(s) or legal guardian; and 4)have a valid social security number. Preference will be given to students attending a school district offering Mandarin Chinese classes via Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) technology including Auburn-Washburn, Chanute, Galena, Independence, Lawrence, and Seaman in Kansas and Gravette in Arkansas.

Dates:

The Chinese Jump! summer language sessions in 2009:
Session 1: June 26-July 11
Session 2: July 6-18 (afternoon sessions)
Session 3: July 20-August 1.

Venue:

Selected students will receive Chinese language instruction on nine weekdays for 3.5 hours per day via Interactive Distance Learning (IDL) technology in an IDL classroom designated by their school district or via face-to-face instruction depending on their location.  At the end of each two-week session, students will participate in a field trip to the Confucius Institute at KU’s Edwards Campus in Overland Park, KS on Friday and Saturday at no cost to students; transportation, lodging, meals, admission fees as well as third-party travel insurance will be provided. Activities during the field trip included visits to cultural sites such as the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, interaction with young adult native speakers, face-to-face interaction with Chinese instructors and individual assessments of learning.  Students will be supervised during the regular instructional sessions and field trip by a facilitator chosen by their school district or staff from the Confucius Institute..   

Instructors:

Instructors are provided by the Confucius Institute and are certified by the Kansas State Department of Education as K-12 teachers of Chinese.

Costs:

A deposit of $50 will be required from each student. Upon succesful completion of a Chinese Jump! summer language program, each student will receive a stipend of $200 in addition to the refund of their $50 deposit.

Resources:

The main STARTALK website is continually updated with useful resources.
See: http://www.startalk.umd.edu/.

Contact info: 

Please contact Chinese Jump! Program Director Nancy Hope at nfhope@ku.edu or 785-864-3918.