Parent’s Guide to Mandarin Immersion
by Elizabeth Weise
This book gives a thorough explanation of Chinese immersion programs from a non-Chinese parent’s
perspective. Published in 2014 more tools and support are available since the book was published.
About the Author
Elizabeth Weise has two daughters in Mandarin immersion in San Francisco. She was
on the committee that helped launch the Mandarin immersion program in the San
Francisco Public School District in 2005. Weise was a founding member of the Jinshan
Mandarin Education Council/金山中文教育协会, which supports Mandarin immersion
in the San Francisco public schools. She also writes the Mandarin Immersion Parents
Council blog. She is a breaking news and science reporter at USA TODAY.
Chapters
- A short history of language
immersion - How Mandarin immersion works
- How immersion programs are
structured - Immersion and your child’s
academic career - Is Mandarin immersion right for
your family? - Being bilingual is better
- Chinese 101 for parents
- Why parents chose Mandarin
immersion - Parent profiles
- Student profiles
- But will they learn English?
- How much Chinese will they learn?
- How to get more Chinese into your
child’s life - Chinese literacy issues
- Getting your child reading in
Chinese - For Chinese-‐speaking parents
- Why schools chose Mandarin
immersion - What you should look for in an
immersion program - School profiles
- Immersion Consortia: The support
schools need - Going to school in China
- Going to school in Singapore
- Tips from parents
- Things teachers and principals wish
they could tell you - How to start a parents’ group.
- You know you’re a Mandarin
immersion parent when . . . - Full list of Chinese Immersion
schools in North America