Mandarin Term 1 Overviews

Mandarin Term 1

Prep	In Term 1, Prep students will begin their Mandarin journey by learning essential greetings such as 'nǐhǎo' (hello), they'll also master polite expressions like 'xièxiè' (thank you) and 'zàijiàn' (goodbye) for interactions with both teachers and peers. Throughout the term, they'll seamlessly integrate into classroom routines such as “pái duì“ line up，‘zhàn qǐ lái” stand up，and “zuò xià lái” sit down, and also reinforcing listening and focus in the Mandarin classroom. Throughout the term students will also explore the story of “Nian Monster”.
Year 1	In Term 1, Grade 1 students will participate in class routines, such as 'pai dui'（line up), 'qi li' （stand up), 'zuo xia' sit down, 'zuo yuan' (sit in a circle) and 'ju shou' (raise hands).They also learn some Chinese folk stories, such as Chinese zodiac animal stories. They are introduced to traditions and customs for celebrating the Chinese Spring Festival. During class, they routinely experience hearing classroom instructions given in Chinese. They actively engage in a variety of language-based activities through the use of worksheets, crafts and videos.
Year 2	In Term 1, Grade 2 students will participate in class routines, such as 'pai dui'（line up), 'qi li' （stand up), 'zuo xia' sit down, 'zuo yuan' (sit in a circle) and 'ju shou' (raise hands). They follow the teacher instructions in the class activities, including 'xie yi xie' (write), 'hua yi hua' (draw), 'du yi du' (read), 'ting yi ting' (listen) and 'kan yi kan' (look). They receive and give praise to each other using 'fei chang hao' (well done). They understand Lunar New Year traditions. They explore the culture of lion dance and understand that the Chinese lion is made of four creatures.
Year 3	In Term 1, Grade 3 students have been introduced to common classroom Mandarin phrases such as "jǔ shǒu" (raise your hand), "pāi shǒu" (clap hands) and "hē shuǐ" (drink water). They will soon explore the differences between the four tones in Mandarin and become more familiar with their usage. Students will also work on Chinese idioms associated with good luck. They will explore the concept of celebrations, comparing their own cultural celebrations with the Chinese New Year celebrations. Throughout the term, students will engage in activity-based learning, including videos, speaking, reading, writing, craftwork, singing, and more. This unit will provide students with a solid understanding of Chinese celebration traditions and gift-giving customs, offering both practical and cultural knowledge they can apply in real-life contexts.
Year 4	In Term 1, the focus will begin with learning how to learn, reinforcing routines of respect and transitions within the classroom. Grade 4 students have been introduced to new Mandarin phrases such as "shǒu zài tóu" (hands on head), "kàn lǎo shī" (look at the teacher) and "qǐng zuò hǎo" (please sit up straight). They will continue to develop their listening and speaking skills, focusing on distinguishing and producing tones correctly. Students will also learn phrases commonly used during Chinese New Year, such as "shé nián dà jí," which means "Best luck to you in the Year of the Snake." Additionally, they will discover how to express their zodiac sign in Mandarin. In the second half of the term, students will explore the concept of family, along with the use of measure words in Mandarin. They will learn to use the most common measure word, "gè," to count people in sentences, such as asking "Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?" (How many people are in your family?) and responding with "Wǒ jiā yǒu sì gè rén" (There are four people in my family). Students will engage in various activities, including videos, speaking, reading, crafting, and singing, to practise using these simple sentences effectively.
Year 5	In term 1, Year 5 students will be introduced to Chinese New Year phrases such as "蛇年" (year of the snake) additionally, they will reinforce classroom language including "看一看" (kàn yī kàn) for "look," "听一听" (tīng yī tīng) for "listen," "请坐下" (qǐng zuòxià) for "please sit down," and "请站起来" (qǐng zhàn qǐlái) for "please stand up," as well as "手在头" (shǒu zài tóu) for "hands on head." The curriculum focuses on understanding the four tones used in Mandarin and identifying different timeline of cultural clothing throughout China, and the different traditional clothes of China. Students will also understand that China has 56 different ethnic groups and each of the group has its own clothes.
Year 6	In term 1, Year 6 students are exploring the cultural significance of the Lantern Festival, the evolution of Chinese media, and the impact of modern art in China. Students will examine traditions, storytelling, and artistic expressions while developing a deeper understanding of Chinese history and contemporary influences.