Madarine Term 1 Overviews
| Year Level | Term 1 |
| Prep | In Term 1, our Prep students will begin their Mandarin journey by learning essential greetings such as 'nǐhǎo' (hello) while the teacher takes attendance. 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, including 'páiduì' (lining up), 'qǐlì' (standing up), 'zuòxià' (sitting down), 'zuòyuán' (forming a circle), and 'jǔshǒu' (raising hands).In various class activities, they'll follow high frequent instructions phrases, including writing ('xiě yī xiě'), listening ('tīng yī tīng'), and observing ('kàn yī kàn'). Encouragement and praise will be exchanged amongst peers using phrases like 'fēicháng hǎo' (well done). They'll gain cultural insights by exploring Lunar New Year traditions through stories like 'Peppa Pig Chinese New Year' and understanding the significance of each year's zodiac animal through tales like 'The Great Race'. Moreover, they'll delve into the vibrant tradition of lion dance, and trying out some basic movements themselves. |
| Grade 1 | In Term 1, Grade 1 students learn basic greetings in Chinese, such as “ni jiao shen me ming zi?” (What is your name?) and “wo jiao…” (My name is called…)”. 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, such as children receiving “hong bao” (red envelopes), eating dumplings and acknowledging lucky symbols. During class, they routinely experience hearing classroom instructions given in Chinese. They also learn ways of interacting with and responding to the teacher, using expressions such as “ni hao ma?” (How are you?). Importantly, they learn about the four tones in the Mandarin language. They actively engage in a variety of language-based activities through the use of worksheets, crafts and videos. The aim is to build a strong foundation for studies in Term 2, when they will learn about colours and how to use simple sentences. |
| Grade 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 recieve and give praise to each other using 'fei chang hao' (well done). They understand Lunar New Year traditions through the 'Dragon in the City' story. They understand each year is associate with a different animal while listening to the story of 'The Great Race'. They explore the culture of lion dance that it is made of four creatures. They learn Lunar New Year song 'xin nian hao' (Happy New Year) and performance it in Mandarin. |
| Grade 3 | In Term 1, Grade 3 students are introduced to phrases associated with the Chinese New Year, including 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè), which conveys the meaning of “Happy New Year”. Lessons also reinforce the use of a range of classroom instructions such as 请排队 (qǐng pái duì) for “Please line up.”, 请坐好 (qǐng zuò hǎo) for “Please sit up.”, and 我可以去厕所吗？ (wǒ kě yǐ qù cè suǒ ma) for “May I go to the toilet?”. The curriculum focuses on understanding the four tones used in Mandarin. The students learn to use plural word 们 (men). They learn how to respond with sentences such as 我___岁 (wǒ ___ suì) for "I'm ___ years old.", or 我住在墨尔本。(wǒ zhù zài Mò ěr běn). Students engage in activity-based learning through watching videos, speaking, reading, writing, engaging in craftwork, and singing. There is a strong focus on using simple sentences, including the use of pronouns when referring to themselves. The students build a strong foundation for learning how to introduce their family members in Mandarin during Term 2. |
| Grade 4 | In term 1, students will be introduced to Chinese New Year phrases such as "龙年大吉" (lóng nián dà jí) conveying the meaning of “Good luck to you in the Year of Dragon”. 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 using measure words like "个" (gè) to count people in sentences, such as inquiring about family members with "你家有几个人？" (nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè rén?) meaning "How many people are there in your family?" and responding with "我家有四个人" (wǒ jiā yǒu sì gè rén) for "I have four people in my family." Students will engage in various activities including watching videos, speaking, reading, crafting, and singing to practice using these simple sentences effectively. |
| Grade 5 | In term 1, Grade 5 students will be introduced to Chinese New Year phrases such as "龙年大吉" (lóng nián dà jí) conveying the meaning of “Good luck to you in the Year of Dragon”. 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 locations using the DCC map, such as “教室“ （jiào shì）classroom，“体育馆” （tǐ yù guǎn）library and much more. Students will be exposed to simple sentences such as “我的学校叫多贺提小学” （wǒ dē xué xiào jiào duō hè tí xiǎo xué）my school is called Dohertys Creek P-9 College. Students also develop understanding of connecting the sound of spoken Chinese with the spelling and tone marks of Pinyin, for example, reading out words written in Pinyin with attention to Chinese pronunciation and tone; using Pinyin to record the sound of words or sentences encountered. |
| Grade 6 | In term 1, Grade 6 students will be introduced to Chinese New Year phrases such as "龙年大吉" (lóng nián dà jí) conveying the meaning of “Good luck to you in the Year of Dragon”. 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 students learning to introduce different presenting short spoken texts to peers and to Chinese-speaking people in other contexts via digital media, sharing culture-specific aspects of own identity such as 我是澳大利亚人. (I am Australian). Students also develop an understanding of the word “裔“ the descendent of a country living in another country. |
| Year 7 | In term 1, Year 7 students are learning about exchanging personal information focusing on the use of numbers in various contexts, including the information of family members, nationality, phone numbers, house number and birthday date. Key expression include: 我家有三口人，这是我的爸爸，这是我的妈妈。（There are three people in my family, this is my dad, this is my mum）我的生日是 九月一日。（My birthday is on 20th of November。）我的电话号码是（My phone number is ...）我家门牌号是（My house number is...） |
| Year 8 | In term 1, Year 8 students are learning about how to express their preferences for eating habbits. Students can learn vocabulary related to various food items and ingredients, learn expression of how to ordering food "我要..." (Wǒ yào...) - "I want..." and "请给我..." (Qǐng gěi wǒ...) - "Please give me...",discuss personal food preferences and dislikes by using 我觉得...好吃-I think xxx is tasty. 我不喜欢黄瓜和白菜-I don't like cucumber and cabbage.Students can explore the concept of food as medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine (中医 - zhōngyī). They can learn about the therapeutic properties of certain foods and beverages, such as herbal teas (草药茶 - cǎoyào chá), and how they are believed to promote health and balance in the body. |
| Year 9 | In term 1, Year 9 students are learning about occupations in Chinese, inlcuding vocabulary related to occupations: teacher (老师 - lǎoshī), doctor (医生 - yīshēng), engineer (工程师 - gōngchéngshī), chef (厨师 - chúshī), and vocabulary related to workplaces and tools used in various occupations: office (办公室 - bàngōngshì), hospital (医院 - yīyuàn), kitchen (厨房 - chúfáng), construction site (工地 - gōngdì). They use word 想 (xiang) to indicate their intentions and construct their conversations regarding the different types of jobs that people possess and their aspirations for the future. Practice asking and answering questions about occupations using structures like 你妈妈是做什么工作的？" (Nǐ mama shi zuò shénme gōngzuò de?) - "What is your mum's occupation?"Learn about workplace etiquette and norms in Mandarin-speaking environments. |