Mandarin Chinese 101 for Middle Schoolers

In this class, students will learn beginner-level Mandarin Chinese. This course will be teaching how to read and write pinyin and simplified characters, as well as how to speak it. I will be using canva slides, games, and students will be doing writing and reading practices.

Here are the topics that will be covered: 

Week 1: Pinyin 
- What is Pinyin? 
- How do we use it? 
- How to read and write it 
- The tones 

Week 2: Pinyin Practice
- Review last week's content
- 5 vocabulary words
- How to spell them with pinyin
- Reading and writing pinyin practice 

Week 3: Pinyin Practice Part 2
- Review the 5 words from last week
- 5 additional vocabulary words 
- Pinyin spelling
- Reading and writing practice
- Use all 10 words to make sentences

Week 4: Pinyin Practice Part 3 (Last Part) 
- Review the 10 words from last week
- 5 additional vocabulary words 
- Pinyin spelling
- Reading and writing practice
- Use all 15 words to make sentences

Week 5: Simplified Characters
- What are "simplified characters"? 
- How to write the 5 words from Week 2
- Make flashcards together 
- Reading and writing practice 

Week 6: Simplified Characters Part 2
- Review the words from last week
- How to write the 5 words from Week 3
- Make flashcards together 
- Reading and writing practice
- Make sentences together with the 10 words (characters) 

Week 7: Simplified Characters Part 3
- Review the words from last week
- How to write the 5 words from Week 4
- Make flashcards together
- Reading and writing practice
- Make sentences together with all the words (characters) 
- Last day project: write a skit using all the words (pinyin and characters)

Week 8: Simplified Characters Part 4 (Last Day)
- Review all the words 
- Student present their skits
- Quiz (self-assessment)
- Quiz
- Share the short story with each other