Last Saturday a half-dozen Mandarin learners met at the Sandy Library to hone their language skills. It was serious business cloaked in fun and games.
The kids started by introducing themselves, their families, likes and dislikes. Then they broke into pairs and role-played with one pretending to be a teller at McDonald’s, and the other, a customer. I couldn’t understand a word of it, but loved watching them break into laughter when one of them ordered 100 hamburgers! Here’s how the twice-monthly event works:

All about Chinese Corner
By AnnElise Xiao
Chinese Corner is a free community activity where Chinese language learners gather to practice their speaking skills. Native speakers join the group to correct pronunciation and answer questions. Students benefit by practicing what they learned in class in a relaxed, conversational environment with peers. They make new friends, improve their social and listening skills and stretch their vocabulary.
Chinese corner is adopted from the “English Corner” tradition in China where high school and college students gather in a library or park after classes to take their English for a spin. The subject matter is chosen by participants, but content  from classroom textbooks can be put to use. The experiences boosts students’ proficiency and gives them the confidence they need to use their second language in public.
The meetings usually start with a  game or get-to-know-you activity, followed by a brief lecture by a native speaker who introduces a topic for discussion to get the conversation flowing. Students then break into smaller groups, according to age or fluency level.
Utah Chinese Corner meets every other Saturday for an hour starting at 10:15 a.m. at the Sandy Public Library (10100 Petunia Way Sandy, UT 84092). The next event will be Nov. 17. Come join us!
Questions? Email AnnElise Xiao