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Project Manager: Dana Shih
School: McCall Middle School and Winchester High School
Type of Grant: Education
Target Grade: 6-12
Curriculum: World Languages – Mandarin Chinese, Reading Comprehension, Literacy
Start Date: Summer 2026
Many Chinese reading resources are costly and require annual subscriptions, which limits long-term
sustainability. Mandarin Bean offers a rare lifetime license model – one payment for permanent access.
By securing 60 lifetime accounts (30 for middle school, 30 for high school), the entire Mandarin program
(Grades 6-12) will have continuous access to leveled Mandarin reading materials, ensuring equity and
enrichment for students of all abilities. This excites me because it means we can build literacy
consistently year after year, with no ongoing costs, and give students access to authentic, engaging
texts that match their level.
In our Mandarin program, students arrive with widely varying levels of language proficiency. Some have
prior exposure at home, while others are complete beginners. A single class often spans multiple levels,
making it challenging to provide differentiated reading practice. Mandarin Bean directly addresses this
issue by offering leveled texts and comprehension activities ranging from simple to advanced.
Link to Standards:
Supports Common Core Reading Standards for Informational Text (RI.6-8) by encouraging close reading,
comprehension, and vocabulary growth.
Supports World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (ACTFL):
Communication (Interpretive Reading)
Connections (reinforcing literacy skills through another language)
Comparisons (understanding linguistic and cultural similarities/differences).
Short-Term Goals (by end of 2025-26 school year):
All students will read at least one leveled Mandarin Bean text per week.
Students will improve vocabulary acquisition and reading fluency, measured through comprehension
checks and classroom assessments.
Increased student confidence and engagement in reading Mandarin.
Long-Term Goals:
Establish a permanent, sustainable reading resource that will benefit every future Mandarin student
without recurring costs.
Develop stronger vertical alignment in literacy skills from Grade 6 through Grade 12.
Foster a culture of independent reading in Mandarin that supports lifelong language learning.
Benefits:
Differentiated instruction becomes manageable for teachers.
Students gain autonomy and ownership in their language growth.
The school community saves resources by avoiding costly annual subscriptions.
Teacher introduces Mandarin Bean in class, modeling how to select level-appropriate texts.
Students use the program during weekly reading sessions at school and for additional practice at home.
Teachers assign comprehension tasks and vocabulary practice based on Mandarin Bean texts.
Innovation: Mandarin Bean’s lifetime license eliminates recurring costs, making this project both
financially and educationally sustainable. It also solves the persistent challenge of differentiated
instruction in mixed-level language classrooms.
Collaboration: Students will share reading reflections in small groups, encouraging peer-to-peer learning.
Parents will also be informed about how to support reading at home.
Total: $2,499
