Beginner Chinese Writers: Sentence Ladders and Micro-Journals introduces two simple, effective strategies to help beginners move from isolated words to meaningful sentences.

Busy, detailed pictures are wonderful tools for getting students to speak more Chinese in class. When students look at a lively image like a spring day in the park, they naturally want to describe what they see. Teachers can guide students to use simple vocabulary and sentence patterns to talk about people, animals, and actions in the picture.

Teachers can begin by playing the video once so students understand the story. During a second viewing, pause to highlight useful vocabulary such as 男孩 (boy), 狼 (wolf), 说谎 (to lie), 帮忙 (help), and 农夫 (farmer). Students can notice how these words repeat throughout the story, which helps reinforce comprehension.

After watching, students can retell the story using pictures or sequence cards. Another simple activity is to ask students to discuss the moral of the story and describe what the boy should have done differently. These activities encourage students to use Mandarin to express ideas rather than simply memorize vocabulary.

Key Phone Call Vocabulary

打电话 (dǎ diànhuà)
to make a phone call

喂 (wèi)
hello (used when answering the phone)

你好 (nǐ hǎo)
hello

请问 (qǐng wèn)
may I ask / excuse me

你是谁？(nǐ shì shéi?)
who is this?

我是… (wǒ shì …)
this is…

他在吗？(tā zài ma?)
is he/she there?

请等一下 (qǐng děng yíxià)
please wait a moment

我找… (wǒ zhǎo …)
I’m looking for…

Teachers can begin by playing the video once so students simply watch and listen. On the second viewing, pause to highlight key words such as 晴天 (sunny), 下雨 (rain), 下雪 (snow), 刮风 (windy), and 多云 (cloudy). Students quickly associate the weather visuals with the language they hear.

In class, start by playing the video once for general understanding. Ask students simple questions such as: What activities did you see? What time did they happen? This encourages students to listen for meaning rather than individual words. During the second viewing, pause the video to highlight key vocabulary such as 起床 (wake up), 吃早饭 (eat breakfast), 上学 (go to school), 学习 (study), and 睡觉 (sleep).

A Chinese New Year Word Bank is more than just a vocabulary list. It becomes a living language tool students can use during speaking activities, writing tasks, games, and cultural projects.

The Compare and Contrast worksheet is great for small groups to brainstorm ‘same and differences’ with western New Year celebrations and Chinese New Year festivities.

This year, why not make authentic 饺子 with your class? Use this easy recipe and let the fun of Chinese New Year begin!

Chinese New Year writing sheet: 恭喜

The Big Race - Chinese New Year video for students

This easy Board Game is great to help students review (or explore) Chinese New Year traditions and even read some characters related to CNY.

Writing worksheet - 福

Download, print and encourage students to explore our CNY pictures with curiosity and their own questions. It’s a great student-driven way to start a unit about Chinese New Year.

Use our Dragon head template to make Chinese dragons for Chinese New Year.

Download two writing worksheets for young learners to use during Chinese New Year celebrations!

Picture Talks are one of the most powerful ways to build language, cultural understanding, and joyful participation during Chinese New Year learning.

Chinese New Year is the perfect time to bring culture, language, creativity, and joy together in your classroom. Instead of memorizing vocabulary lists or doing the “same old” cultural activities, these seven creative lesson ideas invite students to explore, design, perform, collaborate, and think deeply about tradition and meaning.

This CNY lap-book includes several key learning components. Students create a “My Horse” section, where they personalize their own horse and describe it - perfect for vocabulary such as body parts, actions, colors, and simple sentences.