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This year, fifth graders at North Shore Country Day had the opportunity to choose which world language to study: They could continue with Spanish, introduced in junior kindergarten, or try Chinese, which until now was only available starting in middle school. Fourteen fifth graders — just over 40% of the grade — opted for the new Chinese class.

“This is the first step toward the possibility of opening Chinese in more grade levels in the lower school,” said Catalina Rincón-Bisbey, head of the world languages department and upper school Spanish teacher. “As a progressive school, our mission is reflected in our language program. Adding Chinese honors that mission by introducing another culture and language at an earlier age.”

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, Chinese is the third most spoken language in Chicago, after English and Spanish. Globally, more than 1 billion people speak it as their first language, giving Chinese the largest number of native speakers in the world. So adding Chinese as an option for lower school students felt like a natural next step. 

The decision to pilot a Chinese class for fifth graders was shaped in part by family interest. In recent years, some NSCD parents enrolled their children in Chinese lessons outside of school, and a popular Later Raiders enrichment class sparked excitement among students. Families began asking whether Chinese could be introduced earlier than middle school. “I knew firsthand that there was interest,” Catalina explained. “Families asked, ‘Why not start in lower school?’”

The class is taught by middle school Chinese teacher Dorothy Wu. Meeting every other day as part of the lower school specials rotation, the class blends cultural exploration with language basics. Students will learn greetings, numbers, family vocabulary and days of the week while also experiencing Chinese traditions such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year, paper lantern crafts and even making moon cakes.

“It’s not designed to replace middle school Chinese 1,” Catalina noted. “But it gives students appreciation for and a solid connection to Chinese culture and a stronger foundation with the language, so that when they start in middle school, they can build on those skills right away. 

The curriculum emphasizes interactive learning — songs, games, storytelling, movement and cultural celebrations — to keep younger learners engaged. “We want them to have fun while connecting with the language and culture,” Catalina said.

Families have welcomed the addition. “We were super enthusiastic to hear that fifth grade was going to have Chinese,” said Heather Pinkett, parent of Piper Held ’33 and an NSCD trustee. Heather’s husband, Adam Held, spent several years teaching in China, and the family introduced Piper to the language with a tutor when she was very young. But when the tutor moved back to China, and without consistent practice, much of what Piper had learned slipped away.

“A lot of people told us that if you wait until high school, it becomes much harder to learn. We had been entertaining the idea of having Piper learn Chinese on the weekends, so it’s wonderful that she can have that exposure to basic concepts and cultural understanding during the school day and we don’t have to add something extra,” Heather added.

For students, the chance to dive into Chinese at age 10 or 11 could pay dividends later. “Chinese is a language that does take a long time to learn,” Catalina explained. “Exposing students to the cultural component of a language that takes a long time to master is the right approach to maintain their interest  and support our mission to prepare global citizens.”

That vision is already coming to life in the fifth-grade classroom. “I’m so encouraged by the level of interest, and I can already tell this will be a lively and enthusiastic group,” said Dorothy, whose students know her as Wu Laoshi, which translates to “Teacher Wu.” “My hope is that they come away feeling curious, confident and motivated to continue learning in middle school and beyond.”