The rapid expansion of K-8 Mandarin/English bilingual programs in United States public schools presents both serious educational challenges and a timely opportunity for anthropologists to engage in important curricular research and development. This article describes a long-term project that began with ethnographic research on cultural instruction in diverse Mandarin/English bilingual programs followed by collaborative work with K-8 Chinese teachers to develop an innovative, age appropriate, integrated language/culture curricular framework that enhances language proficiency while addressing issues of student motivation and retention.