COURSES

CHILDREN'S MANDARIN

Our Children's Mandarin Courses cater for children from English-Speaking backgrounds aged from 4 to 15 years of age. The courses complement the NSW Department of Education Syllabus for Mandarin Stages 2-5 and are suitable for children who want to improve their Mandarin skills as well as children who do not have the opportunity to learn Mandarin at school.

For children who complete Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 2, we offer Advanced Courses that are not outlined here. Contact us for details.

The Children’s Mandarin Reading Courses are designed for children from mandarin speaking background wishing to develop their character reading and writing skills.

Please note: Children must purchase and bring textbooks and workbooks to class. They are not provided by Macquarie Mandarin.

ENQUIRE HERE

Early Learning 1 (Beginner)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids -Book 1 (Lesson 1-8)

Pre-requisites:

No prior or very little knowledge required.

Age Group: 

4-5 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent: 

Stage 2

Duration of course: 

1-2 school terms (20-40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Mandarin pronunciation and the Pinyin phonetic alphabet
  • Numbers
  • Greetings
  • Apologizing and responding
  • Given name and surname
  • Family
  • Age
  • Colours

Grammar:

  • Initial and final sounds
  • Tones
  • ‘What’ questions
  • ‘Ma’ questions
  • Personal pronouns
  • ‘There is’/’there are’

Outcomes: 

Children will be able to:

  • Sound the Pinyin phonetic alphabet
  • Use the tone system
  • Count
  • Know the names of colours
  • Greet people
  • Introduce themselves and others
  • Talk about family members
  • Ask and answer basic questions about people, age and family
  • Relate their likes and dislikes
  • Recognize some basic Chinese characters
  • Sing Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Early Learning 1 (Ongoing)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 1 (Lessons 9-16)

Pre-requisites:

Early Learning 1 (Beginner) or equivalent

Age Group: 

4-5 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

Stage 3

Duration of course:

2 school terms (40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Revision of the Pinyin phonetic alphabet and Mandarin pronunciation
  • More greetings
  • About yourself
  • More on family topics
  • Large numbers
  • More on likes and dislikes
  • School uniform and clothes
  • Looks and appearance
  • Animals
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Drink and food
  • My school bag
  • My home and my room
  • Chinese songs
  • Basic Chinese characters
  • Chinese character structure and stroke order
  • Chinese cultural notes, traditions and stories

Grammar:

  • More on ‘ma’ questions
  • More on ‘what’ questions
  • Question words: ‘who’, ‘whose’
  • ‘This is’/’that is’
  • I wear …
  • Adjectives
  • ‘You have’
  • Every day: ‘mei tian’

Outcomes:

Children will be able to:

  • Count to large numbers
  • Introduce themselves and others
  • Talk about family members and kinship
  • Ask and answer questions about people, their appearance, age and family
  • Answer simple questions
  • Comprehend simple Mandarin conversations
  • Recognize additional basic Chinese characters
  • Sing more Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Early Learning 2 (Beginner)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 1 (Lessons 1-8)

Pre-requisites:

No prior knowledge

Age Group:

6-8 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

Stage 3

Duration of course:

1-2 school terms (20-40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Mandarin pronunciation and the Pinyin phonetic alphabet
  • Numbers
  • Greetings
  • Apologizing and responding
  • Given name and surname
  • Family
  • Age
  • Colours
  • Chinese songs

Grammar:

  • Initial and final sounds
  • Tones
  • ‘What’ questions
  • ‘Ma’ questions
  • Personal pronouns
  • ‘There is’/’there are’
  • Likes and dislikes
  • Basic Chinese characters
  • Chinese character structure and stroke order
  • Chinese cultural notes

Outcomes:

Children will be able to:

  • Sound the Pinyin phonetic alphabet
  • Use the tone system
  • Count
  • Know the names of colours
  • Greet people
  • Introduce themselves and others
  • Talk about family members
  • Ask and answer basic questions about people, age and family
  • Relate their likes and dislikes
  • Recognize some basic Chinese characters
  • Sing Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Early Learning 2 (Ongoing)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 1 (Lessons 9-16)

Pre-requisites:

Early Learning 1 (Beginner) or equivalent

Age Group:

6-8 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

Stage 3

Duration of course:

2 school terms (40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Revision of the Pinyin phonetic alphabet and Mandarin pronunciation
  • More greetings
  • About yourself
  • More on family topics
  • Large numbers
  • More on likes and dislikes
  • School uniform and clothes
  • Looks and appearance
  • Animals
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Drink and food
  • My school bag
  • My home and my room
  • Chinese songs
  • Basic Chinese characters
  • Chinese character structure and stroke order
  • Chinese cultural notes, traditions and stories

Grammar:

  • More on ‘ma’ questions
  • More on ‘what’ questions
  • Question words: ‘who’, ‘whose’
  • ‘This is’/’that is’
  • I wear …
  • Adjectives
  • ‘You have’
  • Every day: ‘mei tian’

Outcomes:

Children will be able to:

  • Count to large numbers
  • Introduce themselves and others
  • Talk about family members and kinship
  • Ask and answer questions about people, their appearance, age and family
  • Answer simple questions
  • Comprehend simple Mandarin conversations
  • Recognize additional basic Chinese characters
  • Sing more Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Junior 1 (Beginner)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 1 (Lessons 1-8)

Pre-requisites:

No prior knowledge

Age Group:

9-12 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

Stage 4

Duration of course:

1-2 school terms (equivalent to 20-40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Mandarin pronunciation and the Pinyin phonetic alphabet
  • Numbers
  • Greetings
  • Apologizing and responding
  • Given name and surname
  • Family
  • Age
  • Colours
  • Chinese songs

Grammar:

  • Initial and final sounds
  • Tones
  • ‘What’ questions
  • ‘Ma’ questions
  • Personal pronouns
  • ‘There is’/’there are’
  • Likes and dislikes
  • Basic Chinese characters
  • Chinese character structure and stroke order
  • Chinese cultural notes, traditions and stories

Outcomes:

Children will be able to:

  • Sound the Pinyin phonetic alphabet
  • Use the tone system
  • Count
  • Know the names of colours
  • Greet people
  • Introduce themselves and others
  • Talk about family members
  • Ask and answer basic questions about people, age and family
  • Relate their likes and dislikes
  • Recognize some basic Chinese characters
  • Sing Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Junior 1 (Ongoing)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 1 (Lessons 9-16)

Pre-requisites:

Junior 1 (Beginner) or equivalent

Age Group: 

9-12 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

Stage 4

Duration of course:

2 school terms (40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Revision of the Pinyin phonetic alphabet and Mandarin pronunciation
  • More greetings
  • About yourself
  • More on family topics
  • Large numbers
  • More on likes and dislikes
  • School uniform and clothes
  • Looks and appearance
  • Animals
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Drink and food
  • My school bag
  • My home and my room
  • Chinese songs
  • Basic Chinese characters
  • Chinese character structure and stroke order
  • Chinese cultural notes, traditions and stories

Grammar:

  • More on ‘ma’ questions
  • More on ‘what’ questions
  • Question words: ‘who’, ‘whose’
  • ‘This is’/’that is’
  • I wear …
  • Adjectives
  • ‘You have’
  • Every: ‘mei’

Outcomes:

Children will be able to:

  • Count to large numbers
  • Introduce themselves and others
  • Talk about family members and kinship
  • Ask and answer questions about people, their appearance, age and family
  • Answer simple questions
  • Comprehend simple Mandarin conversations
  • Recognize additional basic Chinese characters
  • Sing more Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Junior 2 (Beginner)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 2 (Lessons 1-8)

Pre-requisites:

Completion of Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 1 or 1 year of study

Age Group:

13-15 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

Stage 5

Duration of course:

2 school terms (40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Revision of Mandarin pronunciation and the Pinyin phonetic alphabet
  • Revision of Chinese characters
  • Where do you live?
  • More on family life
  • Day, date and birthday
  • The Chinese zodiac
  • More on colours
  • Describing people
  • School life
  • My classmates
  • Nationalities
  • More Chinese characters
  • Chinese songs
  • Chinese cultural notes, traditions and stories

Grammar:

  • Question words: ‘where’, ‘how many’, etc
  • Measure words
  • More on adjectives
  • Reduplicated adjectives
  • You have …
  • More on likes and dislikes
  • Prepositional phrases
  • Some: ‘you de’

Outcomes:

Children will be able to:

  • Make friends by asking for name, age, nationality, language spoken, zodiac sign
  • Talk about family members and kinship
  • Ask the time, day, date and birthday
  • Describe daily activities
  • Talk about school life
  • Tell more about their likes and dislikes
  • Create and tell their own stories
  • Recognize and write more Chinese characters
  • Sing more Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Junior 2 (Ongoing)

Text Book:

Chinese Made Easy for Kids, Book 2 (Lessons 9-16)

Pre-requisites:

Junior 1 (Beginner) or 1½ years of study

Age Group:

13-15 years

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

Stage 5

Duration of course:

2 school terms (40 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

Topics:

  • Revision of Chinese characters
  • Vocabulary revision
  • Nationalities
  • Chinese and other languages
  • My school
  • Classroom and everyday instructions
  • The time
  • Daily activities
  • Meals
  • Transportation
  • Hobbies
  • More Chinese songs
  • More Chinese characters
  • Chinese cultural notes, traditions and stories

Grammar:

  • Question words: ‘how’, ‘why’, etc
  • Can: ‘hui’
  • Modal verb ‘would like to’: ‘xiang’
  • Please: ‘qing’
  • Don’t: ‘bie’
  • Topic and comment sentence structure
  • Time expressions
  • Usually: ‘yiban’
  • Adverbs

Outcomes:

Children will be able to:

  • Ask the time, day, date and birthday
  • Describe everyday routines
  • Talk about school life
  • Discuss hobbies
  • Talk about travel by different modes of transport
  • Create and tell their own stories
  • Recognize and write more Chinese characters
  • Sing more Chinese songs
ENQUIRE HERE

Reading 1 (Background speakers)

Text Book:

Easy Steps to Chinese, Book 1 (Lessons 1-15)

Pre-requisites:

  • No prior reading knowledge

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

  • Stage 3

Duration of course:

  • 2-3 school terms (40-60 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

  • The Pinyin phonetic alphabet and basic strokes
  • Numbers
  • Greetings
  • Names and age
  • Family
  • Occupation
  • Dates and days
  • Time and daily activities
  • Means of transport
  • Colours
  • Clothing
  • Parts of the body
  • Chinese character structure and stroke order
  • Chinese cultural notes

Outcomes:

Children will:

  • Be able to read 150-200 characters
  • Be able to use 300-400 words
  • Be able to write texts of 50-60 words
  • Have improved reading comprehension
  • Have improved listening and speaking skills
  • Have improved writing skills

End of course test:

  • No test
ENQUIRE HERE

Reading 2 (Background speakers)

Text Book:

Easy Steps to Chinese, Book 2 (Lessons 1-15)

Pre-requisites:

  • Completion of Easy Steps to Chinese Book 1 or 1 year of study

NSW Department of Education Syllabus equivalent:

  • Stage 4

Duration of course:

  • 2-3 school terms (40-60 hours)

Learning Outcomes:

  • Revision of the Pinyin phonetic alphabet and basic strokes
  • Revision of Chinese characters
  • Countries, nationalities and languages
  • School subjects
  • Making phone calls
  • Weather and seasons
  • Seeing doctor
  • Hobby 1: Music
  • Hobby 2: Sports
  • Hobby 3: Dance
  • Vegetables and fruits
  • Daily meals
  • Eating out
  • House and furniture
  • Neighbourhood
  • Chinese character structure and stroke order
  • Chinese cultural notes, traditions and stories

Outcomes:

Children will:

  • Be able to read 250-350 characters
  • Be able to use 500-600 words
  • Be able to write texts of 100-150 words
  • Have improved reading comprehension
  • Have improved listening and speaking skills
  • Have improved writing skills

End of course test:

  • No test