Ya Ya Curriculum
Structured in topic studies...
Each school year, children study 6-8 topics, with each topic lasting about 6-8 weeks to allow for in-depth exploration of key concepts. These studies are based on our Ya Ya Big Books, developed by our education team in a bilingual format and available to parents as home support materials. Each topic consists of several units that guide lesson planning. A core part of the school day is dedicated to topic-related learning stations, which integrate language, life skills, music, art, science, math, movement, and more.
Examples of topic learning stations...
As an example, when we learned about the veterinarians in the topic “Ya Ya Community,” we set up an animal hospital with an x-ray machine, medical tools, and real x-ray films of different animals for children to act out how veterinarians do their job. During the “Beautiful Autumn” topic, children went to the park to pick up leaves and used them to make a number board. In another topic study of “Life on a Farm,” children grew real vegetables such as radish and scallion at school, and they kept a diary documenting the daily growth of these vegetables. Teachers also organized dramatic play stations where children could experience feeding the chickens, milking the cows, or shearing the sheep.
Pictures speak louder than words. Click through the slideshow below to see the topic studies in our classrooms!
Mandarin Immersion Approach
Let’s take a moment to think about how we acquired our first language. Did our caregivers or parents make us memorize flashcards, or did they just have conversations with us on topics that were meaningful to us? The answer is clearly the latter. And this is exactly the experience we want to replicate here at Ya Ya. Children develop their Mandarin proficiency through our 100% immersion program. However, what really qualifies us as a true Mandarin immersion program is the integration of Mandarin in everyday curriculum. In other words, Mandarin is not taught to children but rather, children learn all the content knowledge, verbal skills, and early literacy skills in Mandarin at our school. When children go through the door of a Ya Ya classroom, they are transported into a nurturing and playful space where the teachers speak Mandarin to them at all time. Topic discussions, daily routine, and instructions are delivered with vivid visual aids to support comprehension. Our original Ya Ya curriculum guides teachers to incorporate subject areas such as math, science, the arts, social studies, etc. so children can cultivate their Mandarin language skills in meaningful context.
Ya Ya Big Book
Each bilingual topic book is designed for young children, with multiple units tailored to different age groups and levels, along with a set of Ya Ya Cards. Each book guide the scope and sequence for lesson planning. Hands-on activities give children real-world context to these books.
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Audio Read-Aloud: Each book unit has an audio version available as parent resources at home.
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Paper Copies: All book units we study remain on the classroom bookshelves throughout the school year and are available for borrowing to take home.
