Creative ideas to teach Chinese - Grades 6-8

Reading and writing characters

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Brain was disengaged脑袋瓜无法和汉字连结。

No Learning Autonomy没有学习自主权

Chinese Journals

Choice Boards

Work Stations

打破常规思考问题

要解决这个问题，你需要打破常规思维。

创造性思考

创造性思维

That’s the way we have always

done it!这就是我们一直做事的方法

“Give a person a fish and

he/she will eat for a day.

Teach a person to fish and

he/she will eat for a lifetime.”

授人于鱼不如授之于渔 - 孔子

跳出传统的思维框框，以新的眼光看问题

New ways of ensuring students are successful learners

确保学生新的方式是成功的学习者

Inspire students

鼓舞和激励学生Gǔwǔ Hé JīlìXuéshēng

Students need to take responsible for their own learning.

There is way too much spoon-feeding in Chinese language classrooms!

填鸭式

没有学习自主权

创新性思维

Learning Outcomes for students

• On entering classroom, students know exactly what they will achieve in the lesson.

• I will not spoon-feed my students.

• It will be a THINKING classroom!

• 填鸭式

‘Raising the bar’

High ExpectationsEngage Learners

The traditional model of Teaching

Teach Test Move on

Repeat......

Teach Test Move on

Teach - Test - Move on

Thinking outside the box is about...

Repeat and

perform introduction to class.

Write own introductio

n and perform to

class.

Make a TV interview and

interview a favorite sports

star about his/her family

Use an image to talk about a family.

Respond to a person talking

about their family.

Create a new toy. Introduce

it and it’s family

members.

An Example 80/201.Teacher reviews previous lesson.

2.Teacher asks the whole class to repeat new vocabulary.

3. Teacher asks individual students a question to review new vocabulary.

4. Teacher demonstrates writing of new characters. Students copy characters in book.

5. Teacher writes sentences on board. Student copy sentences.

6. Teacher review new vocabulary. Students repeat.

An Example 80/201. Students play game to review previous lesson.

2. Teacher models new vocabulary, and students rehearse with Talk Partner.

3. Students conduct survey of classmates using new vocabulary.

4. Students follow stroke order and write new characters.

5. Students create their own sentences using new vocabulary, and read to their Talk Partner.

6. Students write Journal entry of what was learnt today.

Tips for Academic Rigour in the Secondary School

• Clear Learning Outcomes

• Less Teacher Talk

• Lesson variation

• More Inquiry-based Learning

• Raising standards

• Expecting much from students

• Deep Learning

• Developing a ‘THINKING’ curriculum

WHAT? HOW?

Challenge Engagement

平衡Pínghéng

How often do your students go into this mode?

Engaged Learners

Culture of Thinking

As teachers, we have a duty....• to encourage independent learning!

• I expect student to take responsibility for learning.

• I provide the scaffolding for learning.

• Students do the work and demonstrate their learning

How do we engage our Secondary School students?

Engagement in the Secondary School

classroom• Secondary school students want

Meaningful Learning (purpose)

• Culture as a delivery of language (interest)

• Technology (relevance)

• Learning Contracts (choice)

• Collaboration (motivation)

Secondary school students

• being accepted by peers

• being part of a group

• TALK Partners

Meaningful learning• Purpose of learning

• Authentic context

Innovation in the Chinese classroom

The student has:

Some freedom/choice in acquiring skills and understandings

Responsibility for learning independently

Guidelines for completing work and time management

Expectations tailored to readiness level

The teacher is available as a guide to learning

Choice BoardsStudents choose from a menu of

optionsTasks vary by process and interestSome anchor activities can be

required of all studentsCan be used for homework, projects,

and assessmentRequire deeper learning and higher-

order thinking skills

选择板 -我们来开派对吧

Choice Boards

Topics: Chinese New Year

Animals of the Zodiac

Choose one

Choose any ONE activity from the top row to complete in this lesson.

Reminders

At the end of this lesson you must pass up ONE completed activity.

Please write your name on your worksheet or Index card.

You will now receive a yellow

envelope.• One the outside of the yellow envelope, paste the Choice Board list of activities.

Inside the yellow envelope is:

• Worksheet 1

• Worksheet 2

• Worksheet 3

• Index Card

A Learning contract is...

A written agreement between the student and the teacher which includes

opportunities for the student to work relatively independently on

demonstrating their learning.

Learning Contracts

The student has:

Some freedom/choice in acquiring skills and understandings

Responsibility for learning independently

Guidelines for completing work and time management

Expectations tailored to readiness level

The teacher is available as a guide to learning

Thumbs up - On-Task Tracker

RapInterview

GameMapCartoon

SurveyBumper

Sticker

PosterComic

Rap

Role-play

Card game

Cartoon

Poster

Map

Vocab. game

Technology

Work Stations

Set up Learning Activities

安排学习活动课题一 :做护照课题二 :奥运的吉祥物课题三 :进行调查课题四 :设计一个跟交通路线有关的对话 .课题五 :比赛项目时间表课题六 :运动饶舌歌

My Exchange Student

What supplies will he/she need?

What are his/her interests?

What time is he/she arriving?

How will I show him/her around the school?

What places will you take him/her to?

What are his/her food likes and dislikes

What’s his/her personality like?

What school subjects will he/she study?

What are his/her feelings about coming

to the US?

How will I show him/her around my house?

How will I introduce myself?

What does he/she look like?

Who is in his/her family?

非诚勿扰Guess what? Over the next 6 months you will

prepare to go on the TV show Fēichéngwùrǎo

I can introduce myself using my name, my age, and my nationality

I can describe my (and others) personality

I can describe my physical descriptions - hair, eyes, height, weight

My Learning Outcomes

I can ask others about their family members

I can describe my hobbies and daily routine

I can read a description of a contestant and formulate questions to ask

I can write a script for my appearance as a contestant

I can express my likes/dislikes about food, school, and pets

Get ready to be a contestant on 非诚勿扰 !

I can complete an application to be a contestant

Look, Cover, Write, Check

Rainbow Writing

绿蓝黑红

Students use a 4 color pen to learn the stroke order of characters.

Daily Lesson Reflections

好

不好

Story writing

1. Encourage students to create stories

2. Introduce ‘Chinglish’ to beginners

3. Nurture creativity with Chinese characters

Don’t limit your students to traditional topics

孙悟空

Students create their own books

Word Walls

My Word Bank• store new words• expand

vocabulary• easy to refer to..• customized for

each individual student

Learning Map

Writing Journals

写日记

有意义的写作

Formula Writing Express myself!

I hope there is a new series of Dr. Who.

I especially like watching music videos, because I want to learn to play the guitar.

Students need to see a purpose for writing

Expressing my opinion matters..

I think...

I feel...

I wish...

I hope...

My opinion is...

我想我觉得

我期许

我的意见是我希望

Chinese Journals

1. Three times a week, you will write an entry inyour 日记 . You can use 英文 and 中文 to start with.

2. The Journal is where you will write your thoughts, opinions, and likes/dislikes about anything. You may also illustrate your journal.

3. Every Friday, I will collect your Journals and give you feedback about your writing.

写作是一个过程，并允许学生犯错误！

Writing is a process, and students are

permitted to make

mistakes!

There’s a Celebrity in my Journal Week

What does he look like?

他是什么样子的？What do you like about him?

关于他你喜欢他什么？What don’t you like about him?

关于他你不喜欢他什么 ?

What kind of person is he?

他是什么样的人呢 ?

What does he do best?

他 ( 是 ) 做什么最好？

在周记里有名人（学生在他们的日记里写一个名人 . ）

Word Order 句子中的词序

S.T. P.V.O我

星期一

在学校

踢 足球I

Monday

at school

kicked

football

Tenses 过去，现在和将来时态

• Past

• Present

• Future

我现在 .......

我以前 .......

我将去 .......

Writing from Day 1

Support writing for meaning

Encourage use of characters

Allow feedback for learning

从第一天开始，让学生用中文写句子。

Adopt an Egg Project

Decorate an egg

Write a description of egg in Chinese

Introduce Adopted egg to class

Create an ID for Adopted Egg

Record daily activities of Adopted egg

What did we learn?Descriptions, parts of body, family, colors, dates, days of the week, numbers, nationalities, likes/dislikes, daily routine, S.T.V.P.O

Adopt an Egg Project• Today you will receive your egg.• 今天你收到一个鸡蛋。

• You will take it home and decorate it.• 你要把这个鸡蛋带回家 。画眼睛，头发，鼻子

etc.,

• You will care for your egg and write a weekly diary about the adventures of your egg using the S.T.V.O. rule.

• 这个鸡蛋是你领养的。每天要保护它。你也要写一个日记 ( 你的鸡蛋喜欢什么？它的日常生活是什么 ? ）

Adopt an Animal Projectfor 5 year olds

Think, Pair, Share想 , 谈 , 分享

Talk about how you can start Journal writing in your classroom.

Building Blocks 建筑字的部首

Meaning意思

Connections - 连结点

space

visual cues

building blocks

Week Strategies to attack characters

Writing for meaning

Modeled Writing

Strategies to write characters

Weeks 1 Explore 20 radicals

Modeled writing Stroke order Space/visual cues

Week 2 Explore10 radicals

Begin Journal writing

Tenses/stroke order

Space/visual cues

Week 3 Categorize characters

Journal writing Tenses/stroke order

Look, Cover, Write, Check

Week 4 Explore 10 radicals

Journal writing S.T.V.P.O order Look, Cover, Write, Check