JadeOrchidSong Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I wish I had found this and started this one at the beginning. It looks like a good fit for my two boys. I have high hopes that I will be able to teach Mandarin in bite size. I am so tired of the big steak size of Ma Liping Chinese after three years of using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Is this the set you ordered? http://www.singaporemath.com/Chinese_Language_for_Primary_Schools_s/78.htm I'm curious how this is working out for you. We're coming from the reverse direction - used to teach from some Singapore/Malaysian materials (not the ones above), and now switching over to Ma Liping's materials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I didn't end up ordering Ma's Chinese books, and this is the first I've heard of Singapore Chinese books, which look very similar to ones that we had to buy when DD was in a Chinese class. I think I like the format of Singapore better than what I have now. Did you buy order from singaporemath.com? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 my ears are all :bigear: my ds age 11 has been bugging us to to let him learn Chinese. I am totally at a loss. so far, we gave him Rosetta Stone Chinese and he is using it everyday, all on his own. I do know, from using RS French myself and dd using Russian, that it is lacking in grammar... soo...there is a Singapore set for Chinese? I did not even know. I am so glad you mentioned it, thank you. off to go look...:auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 ok, probably not going to work...it says no English in the materials, and it is simplified Chinese...we chose Mandarin. Now I am wondering if that was wise. suggestions, anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 It says that the series requires a teacher that speaks Chinese. So... yeah. No, I don't have a different suggestion. But good luck, I'm very intimidated by Chinese. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nansk Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 My dd is learning from Primary 1 materials. At this level, they mainly learn Hanyu Pinyin. I agree, there is no English support. A non-Mandarin-speaking teacher cannot teach from these books. BTW Simplified Chinese is also Mandarin; it's just a different alphabet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) 'Mandarin' refers to a spoken Chinese dialect (the standard dialect) 'Simplified characters' are the ones used in mainland China and are easier to write (fewer strokes per character); they were simplified in the 20th century. 'Traditional characters' are used in Taiwan and are what their name implies, the traditional way the characters were written. HTH ETA: It helps to remember that written Chinese and spoken Chinese have no connection; you don't "sound out" a character; the characters are not an alphabet. You can learn to read Chinese without knowing how to pronounce it and vice versa. Edited October 5, 2011 by LAS in LA forgot something Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I had looked at the Singapore Chinese before. My Mandarin is pretty rusty, but I lived in China for awhile and took it in college, so I have some experience. My kids used to do lessons ages ago but they changed teachers and we really disliked the new teacher then we sort of lost track of doing it. I keep thinking I want to recommit and do something with Chinese, but then I keep not getting it together. Is this teachable at all for a non-native speaker or are there not enough support materials? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I have the 1A Chinese text and activity books from Singapore. Our tutor used them with ds for awhile (when he was in a Chinese bilingual school). I think it would be possible for someone to use the books without knowing Chinese, if you can read pinyin. But there is no CD (unless I'm wrong - I ordered them awhile ago). BUT, even level 1A isn't really for beginners I would say. It goes right in to conversation, etc. I would recommend this instead: http://www.betterchinese.com/ProductDetail.aspx?CurriculumID=1&ProductID=1 It is a set of little books with characters and pinyin. It also had a CD so you can listen along. You can also buy a coordinating CD-rom for review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) I find that Singapore Chinese and Ma Liping's curricula differ philosophically. 1. PinYin - Singapore teaches pinyin from the get-go, Ma Liping's emphasizes learning/memorizing the Chinese words straight off. 2. Assumed verbal proficiency - Singapore teaches for Mandarin as a second language (students may speak Chinese dialects at home), Ma Liping's teaches for mainland Chinese expatriate families, i.e. students will speak Mandarin at home. In fact, her school's webpage specifically cautions families who speak other languages (even Cantonese, a Chinese dialect) at home to expect a steep learning curve. If I were to arrange these curricula on assumed beginning knowledge of Chinese: <---No previous exp.-----------Heritage-------- Native --> |------------------|------------|------------------------| Better Chinese, Singapore, Ma Liping's, Curr. from Taiwan/China Most of the offerings (like Better Chinese) I've seen in the US, are clustered around the beginning stage, and offer steps up to intermediate/Heritage level which is the level of Chinese SAT II/AP exams. Edited October 5, 2011 by leeyeewah Fix formatting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I find that Singapore Chinese and Ma Liping's curricula differ philosophically. 1. PinYin - Singapore teaches pinyin from the get-go, Ma Liping's emphasizes learning/memorizing the Chinese words straight off. 2. Assumed verbal proficiency - Singapore teaches for Chinese as a second language (students may speak Chinese dialects at home), Ma Liping's teaches for mainland Chinese expatriate families, i.e. students will speak Mandarin at home. In fact, her school's webpage specifically cautions families who speak other languages (even Cantonese, a Chinese dialect) at home to expect a steep learning curve. If I were to arrange these curricula on assumed beginning knowledge of Chinese: <---No previous exp.------------------Heritage-------- Native --> |----------------------------|------------|---------------------| Better Chinese Sing. Ma Liping's Curr. from Taiwan/China Most of the offerings (like Better Chinese) I've seen in the US, are clustered around the beginning stage, and offer steps up to intermediate/Heritage level which is the level of Chinese SAT II/AP exams. This has been very useful! Just one question - does Ma's book provide the Pinyin for each character in the first book? I was unsure about this and thus put off buying her book. I really need the Pinyin to teach since I can't read characters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 This has been very useful! Just one question - does Ma's book provide the Pinyin for each character in the first book? I was unsure about this and thus put off buying her book. I really need the Pinyin to teach since I can't read characters. Sorry, it does not have PinYin in the earliest level (学前班/K). I think it comes in 3rd grade, but I don't have the materials in hand so hopefully someone else can confirm. FWIW, the earliest level does come with a CD which recites the childrens' poems taught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) Hi, everyone, It is nice to come back and see so many responses. I want to clarify about the three curricula mentioned so far: 1. If you are NOT a native or close-to-native Chinese speaker AND reader, then refrain from using Ma Liping or even Singapore Chinese. They both require a native speaker/reader to teach it. Ma Liping is very heavy on reading amount. There is no Pinyin pronunciation help in Books 1 and 2. It progresses at a very fast pace and I used Book 2 for two years and now we are back to review again since ds8.8 just hasn't mastered all the characters he has been exposed to. The grammar/sentence structures/patterns in Book 2 are very heavy. That is why I have to switch to a lighter book. However, I do appreciate the reading part as heavy as it is because ds8.8 has been reading along the CD-ROM aloud and acquired a good amount of vocabulary and is a good listener of spoken Chinese. I love the CD-ROM. I already have Book 3 and the CD-ROM, which I plan to use as supplement to expand his listening and vocabulary. 2. From the samples I saw on singaporemath.com, Singapore Chinese seems much lighter. The texts are much shorter and the exercises are easier. It starts teaching Pinyin and then add characters. I hope that dss will be able to make steady progress with this because it is much slower and easier than Ma Liping. 3. I used the 36 little books of Better Chinese (called My First Chinese Words) to teach a group of children for a year. They come with CD-ROM and a CD. Students can learn easy everyday words and sentence patterns. 4. I do not like Better Chinese for the higher levels. 5. I have to add that both Ma Liping and Singapore DON'T require the student to be able to write all the new words. Students are only required to be able to read all new characters in each lesson, but only a selected few are required for writing practice, which I think is a great advantage over traditional Chinese programs designed in Mainland China. Edited October 5, 2011 by aomom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 (edited) Is this the set you ordered?http://www.singaporemath.com/Chinese_Language_for_Primary_Schools_s/78.htm I'm curious how this is working out for you. We're coming from the reverse direction - used to teach from some Singapore/Malaysian materials (not the ones above), and now switching over to Ma Liping's materials. You know, now I have second thoughts! I just asked my ds8.8 to read the stories he learned and he read at a much faster speed than before. I do like it that with Ma Liping, the crutches of Pinyin are not there in the very beginning. I am doubting myself now, which is not a good sign after spending another $71 for the two levels. By the way, the link in your post is the one I went to. Can you take a look at the sample pages and let me know what you think? I should have talked about our experience before I ordered. Now I am hoping it will work. Kids get distracted by Pinyin and their eyes look at the Pinyin instead of the real characters if Pinyin is there for them to see. Do you agree? On the other hand, it can be a necessary scaffold. I just checked the sample pages again. I feel better about the order now. Edited October 5, 2011 by aomom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyforlatin Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 You know, now I have second thoughts! I just asked my ds8.8 to read the stories he learned and he read at a much faster speed than before. I do like it that with Ma Liping, the crutches of Pinyin are not there in the very beginning. I am doubting myself now, which is not a good sign after spending another $71 for the two levels. By the way, the link in your post is the one I went to. Can you take a look at the sample pages and let me know what you think? I should have talked about our experience before I ordered. Now I am hoping it will work. Kids get distracted by Pinyin and their eyes look at the Pinyin instead of the real characters if Pinyin is there for them to see. Do you agree? On the other hand, it can be a necessary scaffold. :lol: I always have second thoughts, which is why I have a load of books that I may never use. DD reads Pinyin well even if she doesn't know what the words mean :D. I may just try Ma's Level 1 for the CD and find someone to help me with the characters. I like the idea of having DD memorize poems and listen to the narrator recite it. As I mentioned before, I still have the books that we had to purchase for a Chinese class, which look similar to Singapore's, and now I remember why I haven't been using it. The workbook's characters (not the textbook) are small for the parts where the kids are suppose to read. Could you someone let me know if the font size of Ma's and Singapore's workbooks are comfortable for a younger child where reading is required? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 You know, now I have second thoughts! I just asked my ds8.8 to read the stories he learned and he read at a much faster speed than before. I do like it that with Ma Liping, the crutches of Pinyin are not there in the very beginning. I am doubting myself now, which is not a good sign after spending another $71 for the two levels. By the way, the link in your post is the one I went to. Can you take a look at the sample pages and let me know what you think? I should have talked about our experience before I ordered. Now I am hoping it will work. Kids get distracted by Pinyin and their eyes look at the Pinyin instead of the real characters if Pinyin is there for them to see. Do you agree? On the other hand, it can be a necessary scaffold.I just checked the sample pages again. I feel better about the order now. Oh, I didn't mean to give you second thoughts! I agonize over curriculum a lot as it is, I hate to make someone else go through it. If I recall correctly (from our previous conversations), you are already giving your dc an immersion experience by speaking with them. I think Singapore will be a nice, lighter supplement. My niece and nephew go to school in Shanghai, they learn the words with PinYin first, and then the PinYin is phased out. I think it is mid-elementary level (grade 3) that it happens, then only new words are introduced with pinyin. That is the way I learned it too - only that I didn't learn enough vocabulary in the first place so my eyes start seeking the PinYin if it is there. I don't think it will necessarily be the same case for your dc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 ok, probably not going to work...it says no English in the materials, and it is simplified Chinese...we chose Mandarin. Now I am wondering if that was wise. suggestions, anyone? Mandarin is the dominant dialect. It is written in one of two scripts: simplified and complex/traditional characters. So you need to choose which script you will learn, but it's all the same dialect. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I knew the Ma Liping curriculum was totally inappropriate for non-fluent speakers, but thanks for the heads up on the Singapore. When the kids were little, I used to just read to them in Chinese and we had a nice little collection of picture books (and I had memorized Goodnight Moon in Mandarin!), but when we lost the kids' lessons, I just didn't keep any of it up. The price tag and all the components of Better Chinese have stopped me from buying in the past. What I really want is for our old teacher to come back. Oh well. Not gonna happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Mandarin is the dominant dialect. It is written in one of two scripts: simplified and complex/traditional characters. So you need to choose which script you will learn, but it's all the same dialect. Laura The simplified version is used by many more people and countries/areas than the traditional one. It is also MUCH easier to read and write. So choose the simplified unless you have a unique reason to choose the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HejKatt Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 This is a link to download texts prepared in the mainland for overseas Chinese: http://www.hwjyw.com/textbooks/downloads/ This link in particular might be useful for some because it has PinYin and colorful pictures: http://www.hwjyw.com/textbooks/downloads/youerhanyu/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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