Speciality Highlight February 2025: Mandarin
First Grade:
Welcome back, First Graders, to the second semester of your exciting Mandarin adventure! This term, we will continue exploring the beauty of the language through songs and poetry, immersing ourselves in the rhythm and meaning of ancient Chinese verses. We will dive into timeless classics like Goose, Goose, Goose, Mercy Farmers, and Quiet Night Thoughts, letting their words paint vivid pictures in our minds. Alongside poetry, we will sing lively tunes such as The Figure Song, making learning both fun and musical.
But that’s not all! This semester, we will embark on a journey into the art of Chinese writing, beginning with the essential strokes that form the backbone of every character. Step by step, we will build a strong foundation for learning to write Chinese characters with confidence in the future. Along the way, we will expand our vocabulary with exciting new words related to food and hobbies, giving you the tools to express yourselves in Mandarin with confidence. Get ready for a semester filled with discovery, creativity, and joy!
Second and Third Grade:
In this exciting stage of our journey, we will delve deeper into the beauty of ancient Chinese poetry, exploring the serene imagery of Spring Dawn and the breathtaking heights of Climbing the Stork Tower. Alongside these timeless verses, we will also learn new songs, enriching our connection to the rhythm and melody of the language.
Building on our foundation of basic strokes, we will continue mastering essential Chinese characters, strengthening both memory and writing skills. We will also revisit counting from 1 to 100, reinforcing number concepts through hands-on practice with the Chinese abacus. As students manipulate the beads to solve multiplication problems, they will develop a more tangible, visual understanding of numbers and mathematical patterns.
Additionally, we will expand our vocabulary, steadily growing a reservoir of words that will empower students to express themselves more fluently. Through engaging activities and immersive practice, we will bring the language to life, making each lesson a step toward deeper understanding and confidence in Mandarin.
Fourth and Fifth Grade:
After completing our grand Chinese puppet show project, we now embark on a new adventure—delving deeper into the world of Chinese characters. This journey isn’t just about writing; it’s about unlocking the essence of Chinese thought and philosophy through the structures of each character. By mastering the fundamentals, we lay a strong foundation for tackling more intricate characters in the future. Along the way, we enrich our conversational skills, gradually expanding our vocabulary from familiar topics like food to the rhythm of daily life. Ancient poems resurface like echoes from the past, inviting us to revisit their beauty while discovering new verses that carry the wisdom of generations.
Sixth and Seventh Grade:
This semester, our project focuses on bringing students' daily school rhythm to life in Chinese. By the end of the semester, students will be able to vividly describe their school routines—both in writing and speaking—in a well-structured essay of over 100 words. The goal is for them to express their day independently, without relying on references. From waking up in the morning, having meals, and heading to school, to attending different classes, returning home, and winding down for the night, they will learn to narrate their experiences seamlessly. Building upon the simple sentences we mastered last semester, we will begin by expanding their vocabulary with the names of school subjects before progressing to more complex sentence structures. I can't wait to see the progress our students will make!
Above are the lesson plans for all grades. Hopefully, we will have a fun and successful school year. Please let me know if there are any questions or concerns.
Mandarin Teacher
Cerina Wang
