Learning Mandarin

  I have rechecked the recitation of "The Colour of Spring," and the majority of the students can now recite it proficiently. In today's pinyin class, we introduced the usage of the "介母" in pinyin. The "介母" is used between the initial and final sounds, serving as a transitional sound. The "介母" includes the sounds "i," "u," and "ü." In today’s class, we mainly focused on the usage and of "i" and "u" as the "介母" and we will cover "ü" in the upcoming lessons. We completed the study of Unit 6 in the Chinese textbook today. We reviewed the pronunciation, writing, and meanings of the 13 characters from the previous lesson and practiced combining characters to form words. We also learned six new characters (自, 飞, 里, 爬, 游, 林) and required students to recognize and understand their meanings. Using the characters and words we've learned so far, we practiced describing pictures th...

  I have checked the recitation of "The Colour of Spring" on the class. Most of the students were able to read it fluently, and some students could recite it proficiently with accurate pronunciation. Good job!!! Please continue reciting this poem, and I will check again next week.  Today we focused on learning the pronunciation and meanings of 13 new characters from Unit 6 (马horse, 牛cow, 羊sheep, 鱼 fish, 虫insect, 鸟bird, 草grass, 黄yellow, 白white, 黑black, 绿green, 红red, 蓝blue). We practiced writing these characters and made phrases with these characters. Please remember, the second stroke of "马" and the fourth stroke of "鸟" both are a "vertical, bend, bend and hook," which should be completed in one stroke. In the pinyin section, we reviewed all the pinyin we had previously learned. Then, we learned the pronunciation and writing of the initials "y" and "w". The pronunciation of "y" and "i," as well as "w...

  Today, we first reviewed the pronunciation, meanings, and writing of the 11 characters we learned in the last lesson ( 风、云、雨、雪、电、天、地、春、夏、秋、冬 ). Then, we learned to  read  six new characters (的   ’ s / of , 说  say , 是  is , 色  colour , 花  flower , 妈 mom ).  With the helping of pictures , we practiced answering questions like "What is your favorite season?" "What season is it now?" "What is in the sky?"  in Chinese. Ask your children what their answers are.  We also learned a new short poem  called  " The  Colors of Spring."  By  studying this poem, we  use  colo u rs to  describe  spring, helping the children  feel  the beautiful imagery of poetry. In the pinyin section, we reviewed all the pinyin we had learned before and then lear ned  the pronunciation and writing of initials zh, ch, sh, and r. We also did pronunciation exercises together.  P lease  pay attent...

  Today we learned the pronunciation and meanings of 11 new characters from Unit 5 (风wind, 云cloud, 雨rain, 雪snow, 电electricity, 天sky, 地earth/land, 春spring, 下summer, 秋autumn, 冬winter). Then, we practiced writing these characters and form words together. Please pay attention to the difference between the second stroke of "风" which is a horizontal slant hook, and the last stroke of "电"and "地" which is a vertical curved hook. During the class, with the help of pictures, we discussed our favorite weather and seasons. Everyone shared their opinions. In the pinyin section, we reviewed all the pinyin we had learned before, and then learned the pronunciation and writing of initials “z”, “c”, and “s”. We also did pinyin reading exercises together. After class, please complete the following exercises： 1.Listen to the recording and repeat the characters and words on page 25 and 26 from Unit 5 of the Chinese textbook. 2. Listen to the recording and repeat the content fr...

  Today we learned the pronunciation and writing of the initial consonants "j," "q," and "x", and practiced combining them with the previously learned finals in reading exercises. We reviewed the pronunciation, meanings, and writing of 12 characters from the last class (上、中、下、左、右、来、去、出、入、坐、立、走) and learned pronunciation and meanings of six new characters (长、写、字、它、最、忙). We also read together two riddles on page 22 and identified the answers.   Ask your children what the answers are. We practiced forming words using the newly learned characters. I would like to emphasize: 1.when pronouncing the initials "j," "q," and "x" with the final "ü," the two dots on "ü" should be omitted in writing, but the pronunciation remains unchanged. For example, the Pinyin for "去" is written as “qù”, not “qǜ ” . Also, it is important to note that "j," "q," and "x" cannot be combined with ...

  Today we started by quickly reviewing characters and pinyin. After that, we spent  about  an hour completing the first  uni t  check .  After we finished the test,  we practiced the dialogues   and did some additional character writing practice. The test results will be sent to your  email  individually before next  Friday .   I have attached the test  paper  and answers to this email.     For this week, please do the following practice: 1. Redo the written part of the test. 2. Write each of the Chinese characters we have learned so far twice every day. 3. Review the pronunciation of pinyin based on the pinyin textbook. Review two units each day.   In our next class, we will continue with the study of Unit  4.  Please prepare a pair of indoor shoes for your children to change into at the entrance of the school's front hall, and please remind your children to bring a pencil and textbooks. ...

  Today we reviewed the pronunciation and writing of the Chinese Pinyin initials b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, and the finals a, o, e, i, u, ü, ai, ei, ui, ao, ou, iu. We also reviewed the four tones in Mandarin Chinese and their respective marking methods, and practiced combining them with initials and finals. We also revisited the pronunciation, meanings, and writing of the Chinese characters we've learned in the first three units and reviewed the texts from those units.   In our next class (on Oct 28), we will have a unit test covering the first three units. The test will include simple conversations, character recognition and writing, Pinyin, as well as tone writing and recognition. Please be well-prepared.   P lease complete the following exercises: 1. Listen to the recordings and repeat all the texts from the first three units. 2. Listen to the recordings and repeat the content of Pinyin lessons 1-8. Focus on practicing the combinations of initials and finals. 3. Review t...

  Today  we learned the pronunciation and writing of Pinyin initials 'd,' 't,' 'n,' and 'l.' We also practiced combining them with the vowels we previously learned. Additionally, we reviewed the pronunciation, meanings, and writing of the ten characters we studied in the last class (日, 月, 山, 石, 田, 土, 水, 火, 木, 禾) .    Together we talked about the meaning of  “ 大月 ”  and  “ 小月 ” , and we   learned   a   nursery rhyme  " the Months ."   P lease complete the following exercises: 1. Listen to the recording and repeat  the nursery rhyme  “ the Months ”   on page         1 5  of the Chinese textbook. 2. Listen to the recording and repeat the content of Lesson  7 and 8  of the Pinyin  text book. 3 . Complete Pinyin Workbook   Unit  7 (P16-18)  exercises one, two, three (1) , and four ; and  Unit  8 (P19-21)  exercises one, two, three (1) , and fou...

  In this lesson, we learned the writing and pronunciation of   Pinyin "ao ,  ou ,  iu" and we practiced combining them with the initial consonants we learned previously. We also learned the pronunciation , meaning  and writing of 11 new characters from Unit 3 in the Chinese textbook  (日、月、山、石、田、土、水、火、木、禾) . During the lesson, we discussed the Chinese traditional festival, the Mid-Autumn Festival, and all the students actively participated and shared their own opinions.   Please pay attention to the difference in pronunciation between "iu" and "ui", and remember to mark the tone on the last letter. (When "i" and "u" are together, the tone is always marked  above  the last one.)   P lease use  two  week s  to complete the following exercises: 1. Listen to the recording and repeat the pronunciation of the 11 new words on page 12 of the Chinese textbook. 2. Listen to the recording and repeat the content of Lesson 6 of the Pin...

  Today, we reviewed the characters and pinyin from the first two lessons and completed the remaining content of Unit 2 .   Students  learned the pronunciation of the characters "我" (wǒ), "有" (yǒu), "左" (zuǒ), "来" (lái), "右" (yòu), and "个" (gè). Currently, for this level, there is no requirement for students to master the writing of  these six  characters, but it is expected that they can achieve recognition and reading proficiency. It's important to note that the pronunciation of "有" and "右" is similar, but "有" is in the third tone, while "右" is in the fourth tone, so distinguishing between them is necessary.  We  also learned the pronunciation and writing methods of the three compound  finals  in pinyin: "ai," "ei," and "ui," and practiced  pronunciation which combined  with the pinyin we learned earlier. While I was checking  the homework ,   I   can ...

  Today, we reviewed the content from the previous lesson and learned the material from pages 6-9 of Unit 2 of the Chinese textbook.  Students  learned the pronunciation and writing of the characters "人 (rén), 头 (tóu), 目 (mù), 口 (kǒu), 耳 (ěr), 手 (shǒu), 足 (zú), 大 (dà), 小 (xiǎo), 多 (duō), 少 (shǎo)," and also the pronunciation and writing methods of the six initial consonants in Chinese Pinyin: "b, p, m, f   " .   S tudents should pay attention to differentiating between the second and fourth tones in Pinyin and also follow the stroke order when writing.   For this week's homework, please have the students complete the following exercises: 1. Listen to the recording and repeat the pronunciation of the new  characters on  page 7 of the textbook. 2. Listen to the recording and repeat the content of Pinyin  Unit   3  and  4 . 3. Complete Chinese workbook 1B from page 1 to page 8. 4. Complet e  Pinyin workbook: Unit 3, exercises...

  Today, we mainly focused on the content of ‘中文’ unit 1.  Students learned the pronunciation and writing of Chinese characters for "一、二、三、四、五、六、七、八、九、十、百", and they also learned how to read the characters "又, 两, 水, 中, 不, 见." In class, we also studied the pronunciation and writing methods of the six single vowels in Hanyu Pinyin: a, o, e, i, u, ü. During the lesson, I introduced the usage of Tianzige (田字格) and Mizige (米字格) when writing Chinese characters and the usage of the four-line three-grid format when writing Pinyin. (you can also use a three-line two-grid format for Pinyin writing practice.) Based on my observations during the class, I would like to remind students that when writing Chinese characters, horizontal strokes“一” should be written from left to right, and vertical strokes “ |” should be written from top to bottom. Also, please pay attention to the stroke order of each character, which generally follows the sequ...