Meet Chen Laoshi
Beloved, Former Braddock MI TA and Passionate Mandarin Educator
​We’re thrilled to welcome Kimberly Tsuneta (née Chen) to our afterschool program at Braddock! As a former first-grade Teaching Assistant in Braddock’s Mandarin Immersion (MI) Program, Kimberly is already a familiar and trusted presence on campus. She spent two years supporting Braddock’s MI classrooms—working hand-in-hand with teachers and helping students thrive. Parents and staff alike know her for her warmth, dedication, and ability to connect with children in meaningful ways.
​
Born in San Jose, Kimberly spent 8 formative years in Taipei, where she immersed herself in Chinese language and culture. Her deep love for Mandarin, vibrant teaching style, and personal experience as a bilingual parent make her a powerful role model for young learners. Her own two children currently attend Braddock’s MI Program, and she understands firsthand how to make Mandarin fun, interactive, and accessible for kids.
In addition to her classroom experience, Kimberly has supported many students through one-on-one Mandarin tutoring. Her approach emphasizes engagement, confidence-building, and cultural connection—perfect for early language learners.
​
We’re so excited for your children to learn with someone who’s not only part of the Braddock family, but also passionate about nurturing the next generation of bilingual speakers!
SYLLABUS
Overview:
-
Class Duration: 1 hour
-
Frequency: 1 per week
-
Semester Length: 16 weeks
-
Fall Semester: August 27th - December 10th
-
Schedule: Weds 4-5pm
​
Objectives:
-
To reinforce the in-school Mandarin curriculum with added focus on listening, speaking, pre-reading, and character recognition in a low-pressure setting.
-
To enhance knowledge of Mandarin language with additional exposure, repetition, and oral language development through stories, songs, movement, and hands-on activities to make learning fun!
​
Curriculum Tie-in:
Use classroom teacher's pacing and vocabulary guide, homework and test schedule
Weekly Focus:
-
Mirror school themes (e.g., Unit 3: Animals, Unit 4: My Family)
-
Support retention of vocabulary, sentence structures, and characters taught in class.
​
Session Structure:
-
Welcome & Oral Review: Review sentence patterns, Q&A.
-
Curriculum-Based Reinforcement: Practice related vocabulary, games, and interactive repetition using classroom materials (adapted).
-
Literacy Activity: Character tracing, stroke order with sand/whiteboard, sight word bingo.
-
Storytime: Read-aloud of leveled readers or picture books related to theme.
-
Wrap-up: Group reflection, drawing/writing 1 character or word from the day.
​
Methods:
-
Scaffolded use of characters (tracing, visual mnemonics)
-
Speaking in full sentences with prompts
-
Use of flashcards, mini-books, and writing practice
-
Visual aids from classroom materials