Mandarin - Mr Yang

新年快乐!Xin Nian Kuai Le! 

Welcome back to 2022 with our Mandarin learning! 

As the new school year starts, it also marked the beginning of the new year in the lunar calendar. This year is the Year of the Tiger, we have been learning about the traditions and how people greet each other during Lunar New Year celebrations in China. 

Our Mandarin learning in Term 1

Junior level

The prep students start their journey of learning Chinese mandarin through daily greetings and basic numbers. They are learning the basic features of writing and speaking in Chinese. Students, therefore, are immersed in the sounds and spoken words of Chinese, the meaning of which is made clear through participation in a range of activities. 

Students from year 1 and 2 will review the features of formal language used in school contexts, such as using titles to address teachers and peers in Chinese. The students explore the functions of Pinyin, use gestures to understand the difference between the tones. They also reinforce the knowledge of numbers and expand their vocabulary to familiar topics, such as color and classroom objects. 

Middle Level

In term one, students from the middle level continue participating in class routines, structured conversations, and activities using teacher-modeled tones and rhythms.  They also begin to recognize the importance of tone in Chinese speech and observe that the sounds of Chinese can be encoded in Pinyin using familiar letters. The students learn to use correct sentence structures to ask for permission in the classroom.

Senior Level

In term one, senior students will learn to discover the distinctive features of the spoken language and begin to use Pinyin and tone marks to practice syllables and tones they encounter in new words. Students will use Pinyin to write, knowing that characters represent the real form of writing in Chinese. They use a variety of communication modes as well as mime and gesture. 

Looking forward to another great year of language learning at TCS!

谢谢(xie xie)and Happy Lunar New Year to everyone!

Mr. Yang

杨老师