Confucius Classroom
GA holds the distinction of being the first Confucius Classroom in Pennsylvania, made possible through a partnership with Hanban, the Office of Chinese Language Council International, and Capital Normal University High School in Beijing.
Since 2009, GA has implemented Mandarin Chinese language instruction across all divisions, built community through annual New Year celebrations, conducted public classes for children and adults, administered official language tests, and even established a college counseling center in Beijing for students applying to colleges in the United States.
Chinese Programs
Yi Pan, Director of Community Chinese Programs
267-405-7563
Yi Pan P'10 continues GA's partnership with Hanban and maintains our status as a Confucius Classroom. In addition to being a GA parent, Yi coordinates our public classes, Chinese culture throughout the year, and promotes community events like the Chinese New Year.
Chinese Curriculum
Bertina Hsu-Miller, Chinese Curriculum Coordinator
267-405-7232
"I teach at GA because it is so exciting to be a part of GA's powerful mission! The commitment to everyone's growth and well-being is rich and motivating. Here, I am completely supported in developing sound, dynamic educational experiences for the students."
Lower School
Language instruction for Lower School begins in PreK with both Spanish and Mandarin. Students then choose one language to study for 1st through 5th Grades. All Mandarin classes are taught with Organic World Language teaching methods, which are a conglomeration of best practices in education and in language acquisition. Content is drawn organically from student interest and functionality rather than with pre-determined units or with a textbook. Our proficiency-based classes are highly kinesthetic, student-driven, naturally flowing in content and in advancing language skills. Students are challenged to persevere, negotiate meaning in context, take risks, and communicate in a non-native language environment.
Middle School
In Middle School Chinese, primary attention is given to oral proficiency. The pronunciation of Chinese, with its tonal system, is introduced early and remains one of the focal points of the course of study. Writing, both Pin‐Yin and in Chinese characters, is taught, but is less of a focus than oral communication. Cultural topics range from modern‐day Chinese holidays to everyday life topics such as school and family.
Upper School
Upper School offers four levels of Chinese classes, plus an Honors option and opportunity for independent study. Our program encourages the use of contemporary, authentic multimedia sources for instruction and real-life interaction with speakers of the target language.
Curriculum Partnership Program
The Curriculum Partnership Program is a joint Chinese-American program between the Capital Normal University High School in Beijing, China, and Germantown Academy. The GA college guidance and curriculum team travels to Beijing three times per year to counsel students and parents on every aspect of the college search and application process.