A slice of Mandarin

Grade 1-End of Term 2 Project:

The Number Snake     

NI HAO!!  Term 2 Mandarin program is coming to an end.  Our Grade 1 students have been learning Chinese numbers and how to write them in Chinese characters from 1-100 throughout this semester. We wrap up the learning of numbers with a fun project by making a snake with Chinese number writing on its body. Unlike English, the Chinese number system is largely based on mathematical concepts, so in the process of learning the numbers, students are actually learning complex math, bit by bit, of course.  

Here are a few notes for parents who would like to delve into the “mystery” of Chinese numbers. The Chinese number system is very logical and uses multiplication and addition to construct numbers, enabling speakers to make numbers up to 99 if they know the numbers from 1 to 10. For example, whereas English uses different words for two and twenty, Chinese uses two-ten (er shi) to express the concept of twenty. To say twenty-five, Chinese speakers just add five (wu) and say er shi wu. There are no complicated exceptions to this system like fourteen (4+10) in English, which is just ten-four (shi si) in Chinese. This highly logical way of creating numbers through math has led to Chinese being called the “ideal language” for mathematical thinking, for example, by the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-best-language-for-math-1410304008

Of course, having to use multiplication and addition to create numbers poses special challenges for children in younger grades, who have not yet learned these mathematical procedures. While these kids are doing an amazing job producing numbers despite their early emerging math skills, we review numbers throughout the years to ensure kids control them with ease.