Class Details

In 2018 Chinese for Families classes will be held at Toorak Gardens and Seaton.

Term 2 Toorak Gardens Classes

Class location: Gartrell Church, corner Prescott Terrace and Alexandra Avenue

Playgroup: Saturday afternoons 3.30-4.45 May 5 to 7 July

Beginners: Saturday mornings 11.00 -12.15 May 5 to 7 July

Continuers: Saturday mornings 9.30-10.45 May 5 to 7 July

Intermediate Level 1: Saturday mornings 9.30-10.45 May 5 to 7 July

Intermediate Level 2: Wednesday 4.30-5.45, 2 May to 4 July (no class 13 June)

Intermediate Level 3: Thursday 4.30-5.45, 10 May to 5 July (no class 3 May)

Intermediate Level 4: Tuesday 4.30-5.45, 8 May to 3 July (no class May 1)

Mother Tongue 母语班: Saturday afternoons 2.00-3.15 May 5 to 7 July

Seaton Classes

Class Location: Seaton Uniting Church, 41 Squires Avenue Seaton

Beginners: Saturday mornings 11.00-12.15 May 5 to 7 July

Intermediate Level 1: Saturday mornings 9.30-10.45 May 5 to 7 July

About our classes

Playgroup

New in 2018! Immerse your child in Chinese through song, play and interaction. A Chinese language playgroup for children aged 18 months – 4 years old. All children to be accompanied by a parent or caregiver.

Beginners

The Beginners class is aimed at children aged 4 and up. It is run in Mandarin with English only used occasionally as required. Each lesson is carefully planned with many visual prompts so that children with no prior exposure to Mandarin are able to follow and gradually acquire language. Songs, stories and interactive learning are the core activities of our Beginners program.

The Beginners program is based on the first section of the My First Chinese Words set of 36 books story based curriculum. Children are also exposed to a thematically linked vocabulary set each term and develop their memory skills practising these through interactive games and activities. They listen to and practise answering simple questions each lesson. Our classes are activity based and children consolidate their learning each lesson with craft activities or games which consolidate the focus language. Children are introduced to a range of picture based characters and given time to gradually absorb them through memory games and craft activities. Making glittery characters remains an all time favourite!

Continuers

The Continuers class is run in Mandarin with English only used occasionally as required. Children learn songs, rhymes and expand their repertoire of simple conversational questions and answers. The program is based on the My First Chinese Words set of 36 books curriculum and we generally finish the books in the series in this year. There are vocabulary sets each term and previous vocabulary is frequently reviewed.

Children’s listening and responsive skills are further developed as teachers spend more time each lesson interacting with the children in Mandarin and read them a wider range of extension stories. Children are introduced to a wider range of characters and start to read and write sentences. Each term children produce a simple booklet in characters. Booklets are read aloud in class time and can be taken home at the end of each term.

Intermediate Classes

The intermediate classes offer a clear pathway of upward learning progression for primary school aged children. They are open to children who have completed the Chinese for Families Continuers course or who have learnt Chinese elsewhere. The Intermediate program aims to help students’ acquire vocabulary, sentence patterns and learning skills which will set them up for success for in secondary Chinese language programs and beyond.

Each lesson follows a structured set of carefully designed learning activities including vocabulary practice in pairs, intensive conversation practice and listening and reading of the lesson text. Students are exposed to both pinyin and characters. The My First Chinese Reader curriculum is used in the Intermediate classes. This reinforces and extends the listening and speaking skills the students have already developed and also provides a structured reading and writing curriculum.

Assessment and recognition of learning becomes more important and students become older. Preparing for internationally recognised Chinese language tests (YCT 1 and 2 and HSK 1) is one part of our Intermediate class curricula and students can then choose to sit the tests in their own time if they wish. Students have also participated in the Chinese Star writing competition and a five minute oral examination with an external teacher.

Mother Tongue Development 母语班

More than just a character writing class! These interactive classes are designed for children aged 4 to 8 who speak Mandarin at home and follow the themes of the Better Chinese Better Immersion program. Students learn to discuss, read and write about a range of curriculum topics which connect to their learning at school and the world around them. They also develop their connection with their Chinese heritage through Chinese songs, rhymes and stories. The teacher Zhiyu Wang from Shanghai has a Masters in Early Childhood Education and is a passionate educator.

我们教孩子学写汉字，但不止于此！

家乐中文母语发展班适合4岁到8岁中文为母语的孩子。我们使用《大华风采》国际出版社的《中文游》(Better Immersion)教材来全面支持和辅助沉浸式中文教学。学生围绕与学习和生活相关的一系列话题进行讨论、阅读和写作，通过歌曲、诗词和典故的学习继承和弘扬汉语文化。任课老师王之余（南澳大学学前教育硕士，南澳注册教师）来自上海，对语言教学有极高的热忱。

Costs and Resources

Chinese for Families

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