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Local camp teaches students Chinese language, culture |
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Monday, 23 June 2008 |
by CORY WATSON
News Reporter
Summer is a time in which a variety of summer camps ranging from religious-oriented to recreational can be found in the High Country. One local camp, however, is offering an unconventional range of activities to its campers.
The North Carolina Summer Institute of Chinese is part of a program called STARTALK that was created by the National Foreign Language Center (NFLC) to teach students across the country the language and culture of Arabic and Chinese.
The NFLC is a research institute of the University of Maryland.
Dr. Li Jin, who was born in China and came to Appalachian State
University as a professor last fall, came up with the idea to start the
camp here in Boone.
“Chinese is a rising language in the world,” Jin said. “Chinese is not
as popular as French or Spanish but it is certainly rising in
popularity.”
Jin said the lack of resources available for teachers and students of
Chinese was one of the reasons she decided to start the camp.
Students are placed into two different levels of skill within the camp.
The first level teaches students the basics of Chinese and helps
students learn how to read, write and converse in the language.
The second level of skill focuses on expanding upon the basics that are
taught in the first level while helping students develop the kinds of
critical thinking skills necessary for a student to thrive in a Chinese
culture, Jin said.
The camp is the first of its kind within the state of North Carolina. In its first year, the camp has enrolled 33 students.
Hunter M. Levan, a senior criminal justice major, is a counselor at the
STARTALK camp this summer and says the students are immersed in a
variety of activities.
Students participate in classroom instruction similar to a school
setting to help teach them reading, writing and speaking skills.
Besides classroom instruction, students also spend their days engaging
in a variety of practices often found in the Chinese culture.
Students can watch movies in Chinese, hear stories spoken in Chinese,
and participate in martial arts programs every morning. Students also
learn how to play popular Chinese games such as Chinese chess, and
painting and calligraphy are taught to the campers as well.
Levan said students also participate in unconventional activities to help them relax but still learn the Chinese language.
The camp recently went for a hike on the Blue Ridge Parkway to take a break from their instruction.
Afterward, the campers were taught words associated with the environment experienced on the hiking trip.
Jin said each of the activities gives the campers a chance to practice their language.
“Our hope is to become a pioneer within the state and help further develop the use of the Chinese language,” Jin said.
The camp began on June 16 and will run until July 6 when the camp will
conclude with closing ceremonies which offer students to show their
mastery of the Chinese language through song or other performances.
Teachers will also participate in the performance.
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