The Goshen Central School District has received the U. S. Department of Education Foreign Language Assistance Grant, a three-year grant that will allow our sixth grade students to study the language of Mandarin Chinese.

The program is open to select students and is a full-year traditional foreign language program, delivered via state-of-the art e-learning hardware and software. Classes taught by a New York State certified teacher whose primary classroom is located in the Videoconferencing Lab at the Orange-Ulster BOCES Harriman Learning Center.

From this location, the teacher will meet with one or two classes at a time for instruction. Materials will be made available to students through a teacher created website and Blackboard. Students will also meet with their teacher at least once a month. Communication with the teacher will take place during videoconferences, via the course management system and through e-mail.

Students will be introduced to written and spoken Mandarin Chinese and will explore Chinese culture. Students will also videoconference with students in China.

Sixth graders in Goshen, Chester, Greenwood Lake, Highland Falls, Minisink, Monroe-Woodbury, Tuxedo and Warwick will participate in the program.

In addition, the grant will give four Goshen Intermediate School third grade teachers an opportunity to participate in training at Orange-Ulster BOCES in order to educate the teachers to teach Chinese culture.