教学周期 (Teaching Period): Jan 6th 2025-Mar 30th 2025, every Wednesday 15:30-16:30
教学总结 (Teaching Summary)
在2025年开始的第一学期，Tyntesfield Primary School 的课后中文兴趣班迎来不同年级的8位同学。回顾上半学期的学习旅程，同学们的中文水平如同一颗颗种子破土而出，早已悄然萌芽。从最初对中文一无所知，到如今能相互用中文轻声问候并书写简单的汉字，八位同学已经在使用这个在东方土地上存续和发展了数千年的语言的道路上迈出了坚实的第一步。
In the first semester of 2025, the After School Chinese Club at Tyntesfield Primary School has joined with eight students from different school years. Looking back to the journey of the past months, students’ progress in Chinese has been like seeds breaking through the soil, sprouting and growing quietly. From knowing nothing about the language to being able to greet each other in Chinese and write simple characters, they have taken their first solid steps on their path of the language that existed and evolved in the East land over thousands of years.
韵律在舌尖流转，汉字的笔画在指尖描绘。与之照应，苗苗中文课堂的教学分为“听说”和“读写“两部分”。在上半学期，胡老师首先带领同学们认识了拼读拼音的方式和普通话的四个声调。于是，同学们可以在拼音（语音辅助系统）的帮助下认识汉字，并掌握“你好”、“大家好”、“谢谢”、“不客气”等日常用语，与同伴进行相互问候。
Rhythms flow on their tongues, and brushstrokes take shape at their fingertips. Correspondingly, the teaching from Miao Miao Chinese Class is divided into two parts: Listening & Speaking and Reading & Writing. In the first half of the semester, Ms Hu first introduced the students to the four tones of Mandarin and the fundamentals of Pinyin (the voice-assistance system) pronunciation. With the aid of Pinyin, they learned to recognise some simple Chinese characters and mastered common daily phrases such as "你好" (Hello), "大家好" (Hello everyone), "谢谢" (Thank you), and "不客气" (You're welcome), which engaging students to greet their classmates in daily life.
另一方面，同学们学习了构成汉字的六个基本笔画“横”、”竖“、”撇“、”捺“、”点“、”提“和其相对应的笔画变形，并掌握了如”人“、”大“、”天“ 和 ”口“、”土“、”田“等简单汉字。最后，同学们认识了中文汉字中的一到十，并挑战书写了至今为止遇到的最难汉字之一：”零“。从此，中文汉字不在是陌生的符号，而是这门古老的语言中承载意义的文字。
On the writing side, students have learned the six basic strokes of Chinese characters—"横" (horizontal), "竖" (vertical), "撇" (left-falling), "捺" (right-falling), "点" (dot), and "提" (rising stroke)—along with their variations. With these foundational strokes, they could successfully write simple characters such as "人" (person), "大" (big), "天" (sky) and “口” (mouth), "土" (earth), and "田" (field). They also learned the numbers 一 (one) to 十 (ten) in Chinese and took on the challenge of writing the most complex character "零" (zero) that they’ve seen so far. Starting from this point, Chinese characters are no longer mere unfamiliar symbols but meaningful representations of an ancient language.
在一月新年之际，胡老师还为大家介绍了关于这个传统节日风俗。同学们认识了十二生肖，并第一次听到了关于龙的传说。大家收获了饱含真挚情谊的糖果红包，并童谣歌《福气来》的歌声中，对中国年俗活动，如包饺子、看春晚、舞狮、舞龙有了更新的认识。
To celebrate the New Year in January, Ms Hu also introduced the students to this traditional festival in a special class. Students have learned about the twelve zodiac animals and heard the legendary tale of the 龙 (Long: the Chinese dragon) for the first time. They received red pockets filled with candies and love, exchanged heartfelt blessings, and listened to the nursery rhyme "Fortune Comes" (福气来). Through this experience, students have also gained a deeper understanding of Chinese New Year customs, such as making dumplings, watching the Spring Festival Gala, doing lion dances and dragon dances, and more.
此外，我们还为大家开设了关于中国象棋的特别课程。同学们在上半学期认识了”将/帅“、”车“、”炮/砲“、”马“、”士“、”相/象“、”兵/卒“这七个棋子和棋盘上”刘邦项（中国历史上的两位英雄人物）”、“楚河汉界“背后的历史典故。在未来，同学们也将尝试在这方寸棋盘间”驰骋沙场“。
Additionally, another special class on 象棋 (Chinese chess) was introduced to students, where they became familiar with the seven key chess pieces: "将/帅" (the general/the marshal), "车" (chariot), "炮/砲" (cannon), "马" (horse), "士" (guard), "相/象" (the Minister/elephant), and "兵/卒" (soldier). They also had a chance to explore the history behind the ”刘邦项羽“ (Liu Bang and Xiang Yu - two heroes in Chinese history) and “楚河汉界" (Chu River and Han Border) on the chessboard. In the coming lessons, they will have the chance to strategise and engage in exciting battles within the realm of this intricate game.
总结而言，次在每一次练习，都是同学们向语言世界更深处迈进的一小步。在下班学期，胡老师将带领同学们学习新的童谣《小花朵》，继续运用拼音认识更多汉字，并丰富大家的词汇库，让同学之间可以展开更多对话。苗苗中文课堂的课后中文兴趣班将持续耕耘，让些语言的幼苗枝繁叶茂，茁壮成长。
In summary, every practice in every session has been a small yet meaningful step deeper into the world of Chinese for our students. In the second half term, Ms Hu will continue guiding the students to expand their vocabulary through Pinyin and engage in more interactive conversations. The Miao Miao Chinese After School Club will remain dedicated to nurturing these young language learners, allowing their knowledge to flourish and grow.
