Lesson series

Journalism Studio Middle/Upper (6/29-7/26) Sun 8-10AM PST

Welcome to the Chinese Journalism Studio! This summer program is designed to transform students into observant reporters, compelling storytellers, and confident broadcasters. Each month is a standalone session focusing on a different journalism genre and language skill, but the full summer covers a comprehensive set of journalistic skills.
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Learning Objectives

Through this comprehensive program, students will achieve the following objectives:

1. Photojournalism & Campus/Community News (May)

  • Objective: Understand what makes an event newsworthy and learn to observe like a journalist.

  • Skills Taught: Mastering the 5Ws + H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How), distinguishing fact from opinion, taking field notes, and writing concise informational captions.

  • Language Focus: Transitioning from spoken Chinese to written style reporting event details with precise verbs.

2. Interviewing and Profile Writing (June)

  • Objective: Learn the art of the interview and how to reveal a person's character through writing.

  • Skills Taught: Crafting open-ended questions, conducting live interviews, taking real-time notes, and organizing facts and quotes into a cohesive profile.

  • Language Focus: Asking deeper questions, reporting what others said, and smoothly integrating direct quotes into written paragraphs.

3. Reviews and Feature Writing (July)

  • Objective: Inform and engage readers simultaneously by writing compelling features and evidence-based reviews.

  • Skills Taught: Establishing evaluation criteria, gathering sensory details, structuring arguments (pros/cons), and refining descriptive vocabulary.

  • Language Focus: Expressing opinions with structured support, using comparative language, and writing strong paragraph transitions.

4. Broadcast Journalism (August)

  • Objective: Understand the differences between spoken and written journalism and deliver news confidently to an audience.

  • Skills Taught: Writing broadcast scripts, summarizing event highlights rapidly, practicing delivery, pacing, and coordinating team production.

  • Language Focus: Using formal oral presentation language, clear pronunciation, and smooth transition phrases for live or recorded broadcasts.


Program Highlights

Project-Based Learning

Every month concludes with a polished final product, such as a news spread, a profile article, a feature review, or a broadcast segment.

Differentiated Instruction

Activities are structured to accommodate Core, Stretch, and Challenge levels, ensuring every student is appropriately challenged.

Real-World Skills

Students build confidence in public speaking, active listening, critical thinking, and advanced Chinese literacy.
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We're More than Chinese...

We give kids...

  • Methods to Learn
  • Friends
  • Coolness
  • Culture
  • Self motivation
  • Charisma

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Our courses are best done with a BUNDLE with a different subject each day. Each course has:

  • 3-6 terms and 10 characters/lesson
  • Vocabulary, discussions and games
  • Use stories to learn Mandarin
  • Conducted 100% in Mandarin
  • Make cool friends and immerse
  • Zoom sign on, recordings for review, worksheets all conveniently in your dashboard.
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Why BUNDLES are best!

500/Year | FAST Results | Consistency | Entire Ecosystem

What Happens in Class

This is the Mandarin learning experience families have been searching for, authentic, rich, warm, and built on world-class literature.

We invite you to register and join the community!

Excellence & Recognition

  • We are fully WASC accredited, ensuring academic quality and high standards.
  • We have received multiple Innovation and Social Impact Awards from the University of Pennsylvania for our unique approach to education.
  • Our teachers are trained through the rigorous Motherly Notes methodology, known for making Mandarin learning fast, joyful, and conversation-driven.
At Motherly Notes, your child steps into a true native-language environment unlike any other bilingual program. Most classmates come from Mandarin-speaking households, giving students natural exposure to authentic tones, expressions, and high-level discussion. This immersive atmosphere consistently helps our learners skyrocket their Chinese abilities, quickly and joyfully.

Shared Reading

Teachers guide students through beautiful, bestselling children’s literature carefully selected from Asia. Our curriculum draws from a private library of over 20,000 books, making us true experts in children’s Mandarin literature.

Discussion & Vocabulary Exploration:

As stories unfold, students pause to unpack new terms, images, and ideas. They discuss meanings, connect concepts to their own experiences, and learn how native speakers express themselves.

Creative Language Use:

Students compose sentences, craft short responses, and participate in comprehension conversations that build confidence and fluency.

Daily Writing Practice:

We read and teach fully in Traditional Chinese, with full support for Simplified Chinese, especially when children write. All teachers are trained in both systems.

In our Foundations weekend classes, students learn both Simplified and Traditional in a structured approach.

Our Philosophy

At Motherly Notes, we believe learning Chinese should feel like an adventure, not a chore. Our approach is all about immersive, meaningful learning that connects language with real-world knowledge. In our classes, kids explore subjects through engaging stories, thought-provoking texts, and lively discussions—all in Chinese. We focus on building fluency naturally, making Chinese a tool for discovery, not just memorization. With idioms, character learning, and social-emotional insights woven in, kids gain confidence in both language and critical thinking. Learning should spark curiosity, and at Motherly Notes, we make sure it does.
  • Advanced methods for memorizing characters.
  • Scientifically proven methods for learning.
  • Fully interest driven so your child will never get bored.
  • Building people magic so it feels like a playdate.
  • Award winning curriculum design (UPenn, Wharton, Jacobs Foundation awards). 

Time Conversion Chart

Use the charts on the right to convert to your local time zone: 
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About Sign on and Flex Times

Motherly Notes courses are conducted online. All zoom links will be in your dashboard upon sign on. If there are multiple times listed, students are allowed to sign on at any of the given times listed for that day, as all zoom links will be provided in your dashboard.