I've been compiling various web resources while I'm deciding on a Mandarin curriculum for my dd. I know there are others on here who are interested in teaching Mandarin so I thought I would share! If you have discovered other free online resources, please post them here! Curriculum/Syllabus/Lessons for Mandarin language study: Singapore American School goals by grade for grades Pre-K through 2nd grade and placement chart Kindergarten topics and vocabulary Free lesson plans Chinese zodiac lesson plan Chinese New Year unit study Numbers lesson - numbers up to 100 million Worksheets: Numbers worksheet More numbers worksheets Even more numbers worksheets More Links to various worksheets Character practice worksheets More character worksheets Bilingual alphabet coloring pages Chinese New Year worksheets A bunch of worksheets, etc. that are China related Flashcards: Free printable flash cards Other fun stuff: Chinese song lyrics in Pinyin and English with mp3 files Dragon puppet craft Other resources: Tone drill (to help with tone recognition) Chinese-English-Pinyin dictionary (with sound files if you need to hear pronunciation) Another good dictionary Pinyin editor (write what you want in pinyin and then copy into a word document - it only works with certain fonts) Simplified to Traditional character translator Pinyin pronunciation guide Another pronunciation guide (this one is great) Places to buy supplies/curriculum: www.childbook.com www.chinasprout.com

I am just curious if any one else is pursuing this......:tongue_smilie: Since I feel like a rarity in any homeschooling groups.... We do almost all the subjects in both Mandarin and English every day. Now my DD1 (just turned 8 this week) is learning much more and quicker in all her subjects in English, I feel I am in a rat race everyday trying to maintain her Mandarin writing and reading....

I've avoided the high school board as long as possible :) My DD used Rosetta Stone Mandarin levels 1, 2, and 3 last year. This year she is enrolled in a Mandarin I class through our state dept. of education, and next year she will take Mandarin II as a Senior. How should I list what she did last year? My thinking is to call it Introduction to Mandarin to hopefully make it 'flow' as close to her having the three years of foreign language even though they will not be called 1,2,3. Would that work or does anyone have any better ideas?

I would love input about which Mandarin language program to use. My children are going to have (weekly?) tutoring sessions with a native speaker also, but I want a program for daily practice. I've looked at Rosetta Stone, TellMeMore & others and my head is spinning. Recommendations?? :confused:

Hi everyone, I just learned about Better Chinese and was wondering if anyone has used it? I am specifically looking at their preschool program but am completely overwhelmed by all of their choices. What are the must have's and what can be skipped? Are people using alone or with a tutor? Thanks, Marisa

Has anyone taken any Mandarin Chinese classes with Connie Hong on Currclick? She uses Zhong Wen by Dr. Li Ping Ma, founder of the Stanford Chinese School, as the curriculum and the price is certainly reasonable. Thoughts?

I've been waiting all year for the Better Chinese app to be released. I got the email this morning, downloaded the app & free first chapter during lunch. After trying it out, I bought the whole thing. It's not much more expensive than buying the textbook & workbook and you get so much more. This video: is VERY helpful. Here's a link to the app: Discovering Chinese app This uses the Discovering Chinese series, rather than My First Chinese Reader. They're both for beginners, but this series is geared towards middle school/high school. The biggest change is the artwork, really.

I have absolutely no familiarity with Chinese (there are different versions, are there not?). I am currently teaching my kids ASL and Spanish. But I think it would be very good to introduce them to Chinese now. I would like some sort of flashcards or curricula, but I don't know where to begin (or what is the best method of teaching it). I did see from another thread that drilling and memorization is good, but how? And what? Am I doing more damage than good trying to teach them something I don't know? By now have you decided that I am completely hopeless? Because if I am, now would be a good time to know! :tongue_smilie: PLEASE any suggestions would help...or even links to old threads that you think would be appropriate. Seasoned teachers are a welcome voice here...

I'm looking for inexpensive options for Mandarin next year. I'm hoping to find a program, or text and DVD's or text and CD's, which doesn't use pinyin, but teaches correct pronunciation, character writing, etc.. Has anyone found something like this? Any help is greatly appreciated!

My dd7 is finishing up Better Chinese: My first Chinese words. She works with a tutor once a week so she can practice speaking and writing characters. Then on our own I drill her on the vocabulary, have her complete a few worksheets, and she reads the little books to finish up the lesson. We have been working on this program for about 2.5 years and she can read about 150 characters and is coming along on her writing and speaking. I'm happy with the program but she is ready for something more substantial. I am planning on continuing with Better Chinese: My first Chinese reader. This is the next level of the program, and looks much more workbook focused than the level we are using currently. The lessons also appear to be much more involved. I am going to be ordering it next month but was wondering if anyone here is using the program. If so, how do you schedule it? I'm trying to figure out how best to split time between what she does independently vs. what she does with the tutor, and how long each lesson takes to complete. Has anyone here used this? I would love to hear your thoughts on how the program works and what you think its strengths/weaknesses are. I'm also curious as to how helpful the teacher's manual is (the manual for the first level was difficult to use). Thank you!

I also posted this on the general board: Well, all things point to a move to Beijing the first quarter of 2012. We will have access to a tutor when we are on the ground in China. I was hoping that we might learn some basic Mandarin before hand to help with some of the initial stress. We will have real estate help and a driver, so thank goodness that will be covered. I'm concerned about reading signs, ordering lunch, going to the grocery .... etc, etc, etc. What should I use to begin some basic vocabulary and phrases? ANY advice is VERY welcome. thank you!

Our DD will be 14 in November and our DS is 12. They've both had a beginners intro to Spanish once a week with a certified native speaking teacher. She was great, but I would like to go to something that has daily practice and not require driving a half hour away. DS wants to learn Mandarin...he's been on me about it for a year now. I need a good program that can get him going. It needs to be engaging. It needs to not advance until he's ready to do so and have tests/grading available so he can see how he's doing. He likes that. DD is continuing Spanish. I've been trying to look over language programs for them both and just don't know where to begin. Virtual ones, boxed ones, book ones, computer based ones, etc. Could any of you give me some insight into the different programs and what has worked or not worked for you? Thanks a bunch!

Hi everyone, I'm wondering what you are using to teach your children Mandarin/Chinese. I think I'm looking for a curriculum that doesn't exist - one that ties in printed material, online material/activities, and online (via Skype, etc.) tutors. Since my ideal doesn't seem to exist, I'm looking at Better Chinese, and have also just learned about Active Chinese - although i think that's too advanced for my 5 y/o & 7 y/o student. Rosetta is not a good fit, nor Fluenz. My apologies if this question is redundant. I've looked around and didn't see this particular question asked.

Hi everyone--I have a question for those of you whose children are learning Mandarin. Our son was enrolled in a Chinese school for two years but then this year we pulled him out due to scheduling issues and just continued with the curriculum ourselves. We are not Chinese-American and thus had no idea before entering the school that it was started and run by Taiwanese Americans who largely prefer the traditional characters, which is what we have learned to date. I am debating whether to switch my son to simplified characters at this point, or if there are reasons to continue with traditional. I'm not so concerned with preserving Chinese culture (at least with regards to my kids' language study!) and it seems as though the majority of mainland China as well as schools in the U.S. likely teach simplified characters. But, before I make the switch, I would be interested to know if anyone here has chosen traditional characters instead of simplified, and if so, why. I have heard (although I don't know if it's true) that if you have learned traditional, you can probably figure out simplified characters but that the reverse is not necessarily true. Also, I am wondering if we make the switch, whether that will pretty much negate any of the progress that my 7 year old has made with learning characters to date. He's memorized tons of them over the past year and a half, and I'd prefer that work not go out the window! But if I'm going to bite the bullet and make the switch, I imagine that now is the time... Thoughts? Thanks! Helen