My First Chinese Reader
We then began to meet with the instructor one-on-one for private lessons. We tried a Chinese curriculum through Singapore Math but I was disappointed in the lack of materials available for practice at home. Through the immersion program, she was already familiar with My First Chinese Words so we finally settled upon My First Chinese Reader by Better Chinese.
The My First Chinese Reader series is perhaps the finest curriculum available for elementary school students to learn Chinese. Specially designed for children living in non-Chinese speaking communities, these books feature a spiral-up lesson structure that builds upon and applies previous material, so children can learn Chinese naturally--the way they would in a native environment. Better Chinese is available in either Simplified or Traditional characters. We chose to go with Simplified so the samples hear show that.
Please join me as I explain how we use the curriculum materials from Better Chinese.
Wednesday
Our Week Begins
Textbook
This is an excerpt from lesson one in the first volume. Sweetie enjoys the colorful, vivid pictures. I like that it features both the pinyin (Chinese phonetical spelling of the words) and the characters or symbols. As she progresses through the text, the pinyin for words that have been introduced previously is no longer used ... thereby ensuring that she learns to recognize and read the characters as well.
Thursday
Workbook B
This workbook includes a variety of activities ... matching, connect the dots, fill in the blank, puzzles, etc. Sweetie enjoys them but occasionally, She needs a little assistance to understand what she is expected to do. Some of the exercises are a little difficult but I strongly feel this is more due to our lack of diligence and follow-through than to a poorly developed practice sheet. We just haven't adhered to the practice schedule as much as we should. Practice makes perfect, right?
Friday
Workbook A
This is an excerpt from Workbook A which focuses predominately on reading and writing the characters. The stroke order is shown and grids are provided for easier practice. In the back of the workbook are numerous cards with perforated lines meant to be torn out and used as flashcards. Sweetie enjoys this book and never fails to complete these lessons on her own.
The Weekend
Online Games & Activities
- Zon :: Virtual World
- Zon is an unique interactive massively multi-player online role playing game for learning Mandarin Chinese.
- Games @ Better Chinese
- There are many games and online activities available at Better Chinese to supplement the text and workbook exercises. However, most are available only by subscription.
Ni Wa Wa
A delightful Chinese children's song
Movies w/ Mandarin Audio
and optional English subtitles
- Mulan
- To save her father from death in the army, a Chinese maiden secretly goes in his place and becomes one of China's greatest heroes in the process.
- The Secret of the Magic Gourd
- When an inquisitive 11-year-old discovers a mythical, magical gourd while fishing, he has no idea of the trouble that lies at the end of his hook. With the ability to grant any and every wish, The Magic Gourd attempts to make all of the boy's dreams come true, but instead succeeds in turning his world upside down.
Monday
Review Textbook Lesson w/ Audio CD
We purchased the Audio CD companion to Volume 1. On Monday, we review the textbook lesson that her instructor introduced the previous week. It features a native speaker reading through the lesson just as though they were in the room with her. It moves a little fast but otherwise provides a great review of the material.
Tuesday
CD-ROM
We didn't purchase the CD-ROM with the first volume. However, we will certainly do so from here forward. The stories are cute and engaging while simultaneously reviewing the characters and spoken Mandarin Chinese introduced in the lesson. I think this is one component that we would use most frequently to practice.
My First Chinese Reader by Better Chinese
My First Chinese Reader Volume 2
Amazon Price: $99.95 (as of 05/30/2012)
Vividly illustrated with a comprehensive selection of sentence patterns, easy-to-read Chinese characters, Pinyin, and colorful pictures, this book introduces young readers to basic Chinese sentences in a daily living environment. Each lesson features sections on vocabulary, exercises, character practice and a reading challenge, along with English translations for each vocabulary word and sentence.
Where Can I Buy Better Chinese?
- Better Chinese
- Better Chinese is the premier provider of Chinese educational materials for ages 3 and up. Colorful and easy to use books, animated story CD-ROMs, DVDs, Chinese teaching aids, classroom posters, and subscriptions to our complete online curriculum for non-native speakers to learn Chinese from anywhere in the world.
More Mandarin Resources
Comments on my page?
Thanks for reading!
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tandemonimom May 23, 2010 @ 9:38 am | delete
- This looks like a wonderful program! Thanks so much for sharing it with The Homeschool Club!
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by Makita
Eva is passionate about education and has extensive experience in both formal and informal settings. In 2001, she was awarded National Board Certification... more »
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