Teaching Mandarin

Free Resources and Teaching Tips

Everyone can teach Chinese! All you need to do is give it a go!

You may worry about mispronouncing the words and teaching them incorrectly but pronunciation can be corrected at a later date. Building confidence in speaking, understanding and reading a new language is key in language acquisition.

Below you will find a list of website which will demonstrate pronunciation but Google Translate is a fantastic source when learning new words. I have also included Pronunciation Guides in the Mandarin for Beginners book.

There are a lot of resources online for learning Mandarin Chine

se. One of my favourite language programs is Poisson Rouge.

I have made a few resources, lesson plan and exercise book for children to use when learning Mandarin Chinese. 

Chinese New Year

Understanding the World: People and Communities

Chinese New Year has a wealth of different activities and resources to enhance an Understanding the World lesson about People and Communities.

The children are always interested in different cultures and customs, especially something they are unfamiliar with.

Chinese New Year dates depend on the lunar calendar. It falls on a different day each year.

You may see the words ‘Kung hei fat choi’ associated with Chinese New Year. This is the Cantonese way of saying happy Chinese New Year. Cantonese is mainly only spoken in Hong Kong. The majority of people in China speak Mandarin. The Mandarin way to say Happy New Year is ‘Gong xi fa cai’ (or gong see fah sigh).

I tend to teach the Chinese New Year topic and have accumulated a number of resources over the years.

Please see the lesson plan below..

Teaching Mandarin

The Government Says We Have To!

According to the Daily Mail, ‘British schoolchildren should learn to speak Chinese language Mandarin, Boris Johnson said today.

The London Mayor said youngsters growing up in the UK needed to understand the culture and history of China to prepare them for the global battle for jobs.

Mr Johnson believes Mandarin should be taught in schools alongside traditional subjects like French and German, to reflect the power shift from West to East.’ Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2462652/Teach-Mandarin-British-schools-children-China-matters-says-Boris-Johnson-learning-himself.html#ixzz2nwQ4dkYT
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Luckily, I speak a little Mandarin! I can read a bit too and have a good enough understanding of Chinese to teach you how to teach the basics!

Obviously this will be aimed at the Early Years but learning a new language is a bit like being in the Early Years.

I haven’t made the resources yet but check back here for teaching Mandarin resources!

Chinese New Year

Display and Resources

This year (2013), Chinese New Year is Sunday 10th February, although celebrations will take place for the entire weekend. I will be teaching the children about Chinese New Year the week commencing 11th February.

I do enjoy sharing Chinese New Year with the children in school. They have already explored Christmas and New Year a month before so are open to understanding that in China they celebrate New Year at a different time.

Chinese New Year is an excellent way to explore new cultures and talk about different ways of life. There are so many different resources and learning opportunities, there is even a story!

This is the Chinese New Year display in my classroom, it’s almost taking over one wall!

I am very fortunate to have a mother-in-law who can send me beautiful Chinese artefacts to show the children but there are a number of shops in my area which can supply easy to find resources.

You can also find resources for Chinese New Year from learning libraries.

I bought a number of the resources I use in my classroom from the China town in Birmingham.

I’m going to talk about the resources I have in my classroom based on the best of my ability, however if I say anything wrong, please leave a comment and let me know!