Chinese Immersion Program
Frequently Asked Questions
Resources
Chinese New Year
Potomac Elementary School has taught a partial immersion Chinese program since 1996. In this program, students spend half their day being taught in Chinese and the other half in English. The Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) math and science curricula are taught in Chinese. Reading, language arts and social studies are delivered in English. Immersion students also receive one hour of direct language instruction in Chinese each week. Students learn the language through the medium of instruction in Chinese. They participate in classroom and hands-on activities in Chinese and naturally acquire the language.
Parents may select this program for their child beginning in kindergarten and first grade. Students remain in the program until fifth grade, after which they can continue in the Chinese immersion program at Hoover Middle School.
Potomac's is a local immersion program, meaning that students with siblings in the program or who reside within the geographic boundaries of the school are offered entry first. Any remaining vacancies are then filled by out-of-area students via an MCPS lottery system.
In our increasingly interdependent world, there are many advantages to knowing two languages. Chinese immersion offers a unique opportunity for children to acquire a high level of proficiency in Chinese at an early age.
Visiting Teacher
We are happy to welcome Ms. Min Li to our staff for the 2011-2012 school year. Ms. Li joins us from Shaanxi Normal University where she taught Chinese to international students.
The Chinese Immersion Team at Potomac