kalliemorgan Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 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... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbb119 Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 There are different dialects of Chinese, however the primary is Mandarin, and it is the most widely taught, acceptable dialect. And many who speak other dialects also know Mandarin. My suggestion would be to find a program that most definitely has a very good pronunciation cd, or even a dvd program. The language is not an easy one to learn b/c of the different sounds in the language which can completely change the meaning of the word. Flashcards would only be helpful once you know all the sounds and inflections. I personally wouldn't do a vocabulary type thing at first, I would concentrate on the "alphabet", learning to make the sounds first, before moving too quickly into vocabulary. I think the younger the better for language. Children hear sounds and inflections better and are able to pick this up quicker and more easily than an adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I would start with some DVDs to expose them to some words/sounds. My favorite for beginners are the "Follow Jade" ones - there is one about going to the market and one about Chinese kindergarten. The teacher speaks very clearly and is likeable. There is a song that repeats that teaches the numbers 1 to 7. If you become serious about them learning Chinese, I would recommend finding a local class or tutor who is a native speaker. Even though I know a little bit of Chinese, there is no way I could teach it to my own kids. They really need someone who speaks Chinese who can model the correct tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Thanks to both of you for your advice. 'Round these parts, I can only think it will be like finding a needle in a haystack for finding a native speaker, but here's for trying :) But we do have a couple of colleges in our town, so maybe, just maybe we might have some college students in town looking to tutor. My kid's paternal grandmother has over the last 7 years taken up Vietnamese, but she lives quite a few states away, is isn't super "involved" with the grandkids (she's not the maternal type.) Otherwise, I would be utilizing her for her Vietnamese, and probably subsequently teaching the kids Vietnamese. Just from talking to her, I have learned the importance of inflections - how they can really make or break a language! So your advice on CD's and DVD's will be taken to heart. If anyone else has any input at all, I would be glad to hear it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bug's Mom Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 We've been very happy with Better Chinese. Besides just the books, you can get CDs, CD-ROMs and online practice. I've got a page on my blog with links to Chinese lessons/videos/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Wow! I am so excited to review your site! Lots of great stuff there...thanks for the link! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 By the way, what is your opinion of Rosetta Stone Chinese? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 By the way, what is your opinion of Rosetta Stone Chinese? No, no, no, no, no! It is my biggest regret when it comes to homeschooling purchases. That and Muzzy Chinese. Two big fails! We use Better Chinese now. I agree with the DVD suggestions too. I particularly like the Walter and Ping Ping and the Journey to the East River Dragon King DVDs for a good introduction. My kids learned well from them. The Jade DVDs are good too as well as the Chinese with Mei Mei. My little girl loves the dancing ones! Plus there are some movies with Mandarin language tracks like The Magic Gourd. Mulan is one too, I think. Then there is a big list of Mandarin shows that you can watch online - the link is here. You can see what we are using with Better Chinese here. Our tone drill practice has really helped. It isn't part of Better Chinese, but it really aids pronunciation and understanding. I plan to start my 4 year old on My First Chinese Words next school year. She has had a couple years of exposure through DVDs. At least she will benefit from my mistakes and not have to go through Muzzy and Rosetta Stone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Why did you think that those failed you? Was it the approach? What approaches do you think work the best? I am trying to figure out how to even begin with them.... Sorry if I ask too many questions! :) I just want to start them off right and not waste our time on something that doesn't work, or even doesn't work as well as others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 I second Better Chinese. I spend 30 minutes 3 times a week introducing vocabulary, sentence structure, and then dd completes a few worksheets. Then a tutor comes once a week to help with pronunciation, use the new vocabulary conversationally with her, and teaches her how to write the characters which I have her practice independently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 Also, were you already familiar with Mandarin Chinese? I am starting from scratch...does that make a difference for what you are using? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted May 4, 2012 Share Posted May 4, 2012 Also, were you already familiar with Mandarin Chinese? I am starting from scratch...does that make a difference for what you are using? I had taken an intro to conversational Mandarin class - it was a community class, not college or even high school level. I knew some basic pronunciation and grammar and maybe 100 words? Haha. So not too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 4, 2012 Author Share Posted May 4, 2012 In retrospect did it assist you at all, or was it all a wash? Would you have learned the same by going through Better Chinese with the kids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Why did you think that those failed you? Was it the approach? What approaches do you think work the best? I am trying to figure out how to even begin with them.... Sorry if I ask too many questions! :) I just want to start them off right and not waste our time on something that doesn't work, or even doesn't work as well as others. Muzzy was poor quality and basically a movie that you can watch in Chinese or English along with a vocabulary DVD. My kids basically learned nothing. I tried Rosetta Stone for 3 years. My kids made very little progress. They did learn some, but it was them and the computer. Better Chinese is more logical and gradually builds. My kids learn best through a reading approach when it comes to foreign language. They also do well when they interact with me instead of a screen. It was also easier for me to have my kid sit down at Rosetta Stone and complete the lesson. I wasn't able to carryover what they had learned because I didn't do the lesson with them. Now I do two Better Chinese lessons each day and try to carryover what we learn. Also, were you already familiar with Mandarin Chinese? I am starting from scratch...does that make a difference for what you are using? No, not at all. I have a background where I had extensive ear training on the sounds of language, but that is all. I would probably start with a year of exposure through DVDs. My library has a bunch of them. It helps to have a ear for the rhythm and sounds of the language before you start learning vocabulary, reading, and writing, imho. FWIW, I'm learning along with my kids and my oldest son is ahead of me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 I am so sad that I have to leave the house right now. But PLEASE if anything else comes to you as advice let me know. I would love to hear from you more. Thank you so much! (And you will probably continue to hear questions from me on this thread!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 No, no, no, no, no! It is my biggest regret when it comes to homeschooling purchases. That and Muzzy Chinese. Two big fails! We use Better Chinese now. I agree with the DVD suggestions too. I particularly like the Walter and Ping Ping and the Journey to the East River Dragon King DVDs for a good introduction. My kids learned well from them. The Jade DVDs are good too as well as the Chinese with Mei Mei. My little girl loves the dancing ones! Plus there are some movies with Mandarin language tracks like The Magic Gourd. Mulan is one too, I think. Then there is a big list of Mandarin shows that you can watch online - the link is here. You can see what we are using with Better Chinese here. Our tone drill practice has really helped. It isn't part of Better Chinese, but it really aids pronunciation and understanding. I plan to start my 4 year old on My First Chinese Words next school year. She has had a couple years of exposure through DVDs. At least she will benefit from my mistakes and not have to go through Muzzy and Rosetta Stone. Thank you so much for this. Reviewing it has really helped me pick a direction. I have been having fun reviewing the Better Chinese site, also! It seems like a great program. (I have been having fun playing the beginner games :D) Do you happen to know if the 6 month subscription online starts with date of purchase or when you begin to use the lessons? I am trying to figure out what to purchase without going completely bananas with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Thank you so much for this. Reviewing it has really helped me pick a direction. I have been having fun reviewing the Better Chinese site, also! It seems like a great program. (I have been having fun playing the beginner games :D) Do you happen to know if the 6 month subscription online starts with date of purchase or when you begin to use the lessons? I am trying to figure out what to purchase without going completely bananas with it. It starts when they set it up which is usually a day or two after you purchase it. I would purchase it when you are ready to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Do you find that any of the curriculum is geared more for a classroom setting versus a homeschool setting? I noticed you had mentioned the CD-ROM appeared relatively unnecessary if you had access online. I also noticed there are two different teacher's guides? Do you happen to know the difference? Sorry if these are questions I should be asking them. But you have the on-the-ground experience :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Do you find that any of the curriculum is geared more for a classroom setting versus a homeschool setting? I noticed you had mentioned the CD-ROM appeared relatively unnecessary if you had access online. I also noticed there are two different teacher's guides? Do you happen to know the difference? Sorry if these are questions I should be asking them. But you have the on-the-ground experience :) I think it is all geared for a classroom setting, but it isn't difficult to adapt for a home setting. Yes, I don't use the CD-ROM - just the online subscription for the animated lessons. If you don't speak and read Mandarin you need the English teacher's guide. Otherwise you won't really know what is going on. The animated lessons are entirely in Mandarin with no English translation. I hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Do you think it would be better to start with the Simplified Chinese or the Traditional? If we start with the Simplified, is the next step to move into the Traditional? What are the differences between Simplified and Traditional? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Do you think it would be better to start with the Simplified Chinese or the Traditional? If we start with the Simplified, is the next step to move into the Traditional? What are the differences between Simplified and Traditional? I don't think many Mandarin learners study both and traditional isn't really something you transition into - you pick one depending on your reason for learning Mandarin. You can read about the differences here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 I don't think many Mandarin learners study both and traditional isn't really something you transition into - you pick one depending on your reason for learning Mandarin. You can read about the differences here. Wow. Lots to think about and reflect on. Out of curiosity, which did you choose, and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Wow. Lots to think about and reflect on. Out of curiosity, which did you choose, and why? Simplified Chinese characters are used by the 1.3 billion Chinese in China as well as in Singapore. Traditional characters are used only in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Hope this will help you make the decision. Generally, simplified characters are what are taught in foreign countries as foreign language as well. All immersion Chinese elementary schools (public schools) and classes that teach Chinese as a foreign languages in k-12 all use simplified characters. It is not easy to find classes taught in traditional characters. I use Ma Liping Chinese as well as Singapore Chinese, which teach simplified characters. Traditional characters take much longer to write because there are many more strokes for each character. So if I were you, I would do simplified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 Simplified Chinese characters are used by the 1.3 billion Chinese in China as well as in Singapore. Traditional characters are used only in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Hope this will help you make the decision. Generally, simplified characters are what are taught in foreign countries as foreign language as well. All immersion Chinese elementary schools (public schools) and classes that teach Chinese as a foreign languages in k-12 all use simplified characters. It is not easy to find classes taught in traditional characters. I use Ma Liping Chinese as well as Singapore Chinese, which teach simplified characters. Traditional characters take much longer to write because there are many more strokes for each character. So if I were you, I would do simplified. Thank you for chiming in! Every bit of info helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhotoGal Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I agree that you might want to choose simplified. Though I do know there are some schools in the US that teach traditional. My kids used to attend a bilingual school and they taught both (parents could choose which they wanted their kids to read/write, and all kids were exposed to both). My friend's son is at another local school that teaches traditional. I think most people choose based on their connections to Mainland China or Taiwan. Also, it might depend on what teachers are available. If the teachers/tutors in your area mainly come from Taiwan, then traditional might make more sense, kwim? As a parent who doesn't know Chinese, simplified is a lot easier for me to help with because the books often have pinyin (which I can read) vs zhuyin (a set of phonetic symbols often used with traditional characters). Many of the characters are the same in simplified and traditional, so if you start one way and need to switch, it will be fine. We started with traditional because our first tutor used traditional, but ended up switching to simplified later. Regardless, I recommend focusing on speaking/listening before tackling characters too much. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 I am wondering if anyone would be able to answer this, so this is just kind of a shout out to the universe, but would a simplified or traditional Chinese lead into Chinese Sign Language easier than the other? Or, like ASL, is it not necessarily written language based? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I highly recommend getting a tutor for Chinese. The tones are crucial and it will be close-to-impossible for them to learn them from you, unless you have yourself learned them thoroughly. Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalliemorgan Posted May 5, 2012 Author Share Posted May 5, 2012 I highly recommend getting a tutor for Chinese. The tones are crucial and it will be close-to-impossible for them to learn them from you, unless you have yourself learned them thoroughly. Thank you - I will definitely be searching that out! If I bother to do this, I want to make sure I am doing it correctly. I appreciate that everyone has been stressing the importance of the tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 Wow. Lots to think about and reflect on. Out of curiosity, which did you choose, and why? I chose Simplified because it is used by more people and easier to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroe1 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Another vote for Better Chinese! When Dd was 5, we bought Muzzy, a complete waste of poor quality graphics and sound. We then bought Rosetta Stone. At rhe time of version 1, the characters were too small on the screen to see well. So that was a bust. We then found Better Chinese and used it for about 3 years before switching to Version 3 of Rosetta Stone. I would start with the 3-5 year old program no matter what the age of your kiddos. And do not worry about tones or proper pronunciation. The CDs make the sounds and tones very clear. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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