如何使用 How to Use the Textbook

Vocabulary Input

Establish Meanings 建立主题. Stay in the target language (Chinese), group the focused words, introduce vocabulary and the key grammar structures: write on the board, characters, pinyin and the English meanings tell a simple in Personalized Real Life Context 个性化  in short sentences, Stay in Bounds of the focused vocabulary and grammar structures 保持在生词语法内容之内 all must be comprehensible. Speak Slowly with Gestures 运用手势缓慢讲话 , Pause and Point the vocabulary 暂停和指出说到的生词 while speaking. 

Step One: Ask students to gesture thumbs up, flat or down to show how well they understand while telling a story, Pause and Point the focused words.

Step Two: Ask students to repeat after having understood the first round of checking understanding (step one), try not to point, but still Pause at the focused vocabulary.

Step Three: Erase the English definition on the board, repeat the same story, still Pause and Point repeat step one and two., and check students understanding

Step Four: Erase pinyin, repeat step one and two.

Step Five: Pop-Up Radicals 快弹部首Explain the characters structures, radicals quickly in minimum English, still use as much Chinese as possible

Outcome: Students should be able to understand vocabulary when they hear them, respond to simple questions, speak (output) most of them accurately in simple sentences. They may be able to recognize some of the characters too. 

Talk About and Read the Story

Establish Meanings 建立主题. Stay in the target language (Chinese) . Read by paragraphs, one after another. 

Circling 循环问答 and allow students to read the text. Chinese character reading is more challenging than most western languages. Start with reading and apply plenty reading activities in teaching and learning. Stay in the target language, Stay in Bounds of the story 保持在故事内容之内.

Pop-Up Grammar 快弹语法 Use English quickly to explain the grammar, keep it short, e.g. a minute. 

Write the focused grammar structures on the board, ask students to take notes. Pause and Point the grammar 暂停和指出语法要点 while speaking. Comprehensible repetition and repetition with a variety of activities is the CI's key strategy .

Learn to hand write Chinese characters. Start to write characters by analyzing characters first with the help of radicals 部首. See various  writing activities to engage students practicing characters. 

Our favorite character writing tools including stroke order and radicals are:

1. Pleco (app, free)

2. Archchinese.com (web browser, free)

3. Skritter: Write Chinese (app, very good free intro tutorials)

4. Strokes Order (app)

An Additional Story in each lesson

Every lesson contains a 2nd story/text to reinforce the focused vocabulary and grammar structures. It also introduces a few new words, apply scaffolding principle.

This extends learning by repeating and reinforcing memory in a different circumstance and context. 

Brains seek Novelty! The creative repetition encourages the learner to listen more, speak more and read more. 

Listen, listen, listen! Input is crucial use Circling （循环问答）,  Stay in Bounds of the story 保持在故事内容之内, reinforce input, and scaffold the outcome expectations. Start with asking for easy, short responses, then increase the complexity of the expected responses. 

Review sentence structures

Every lesson contains Language Points with examples.

This helps learners to gasp and review the key structures in each lesson. The examples cover the current and the past learned vocabulary with increased difficulties.

Regrouped vocab and reading practice 

Suggestions:

1. Read the Chinese words out loud covering the pinyin; Write the English definition for each word; Handwrite words in Chinese characters by memory

2. Read the sentences out loud in Chinese, know the meaning 

True or False, and Answer Questions practice 

Suggestions:

1. True or False: listen to the questions 👂 or read out loud 🗣 , or read silently 📖 , complete the task independently or with a partner. 

2. Answer questions: can start with listening to the questions 👂, read out loud 🗣 , or read silently 📖 . 

Unscramble sentence practice 

Suggestions:

🗣📖 ✍  Learner reads out loud or reads quietly, handwrite on the line.

Integrated skill practice: Listen and fill in the blanks

In this shorter version of the story, learners practice all vocabulary and grammar structures. The best is once again listen to an audio 

Suggestions:

👂📖 🗣✍ Listen to the audio, speak with the audio while reading out loud (shadowing) pause audio and handwrite. 

Integrated skill practice: Story retelling or creating a new story 

Suggestions:
independently or with a partner

1. Speaking: Use the provided word bank and the language points of the lesson as a reminder, refer to the cartoons, fill in the speech bubble, or retell the story 

2. Speaking: Make up your own story/ conversation that is unrelated to the cartoon storyline; 

3. Writing: Type up the story/conversation in Chinese. 

Learners should cover the pinyin completely, and only use the pinyin hint when needed.

The word bank from Vol. 2 to Vol.4 does not include pinyin.