A Chinese class in Chicago high school

Standing in front of the blackboard, Christina Xu announced the start of the class. Eighteen students stood up, shouted their greetings of "good morning" in Chinese, and started the 90-minute class.

This is a usual Chinese class at Walter Payton College Preparatory High School in downtown Chicago. The 18 students were divided into small groups, four in each group, to practice Chinese speaking and writing.

The four different tones are considered one of the most difficult parts in Chinese learning. To make it easier, Xu attached to each tone a gesture, and asked the students to give corresponding gestures to the words she pronounced.