June 17 | Theme: Colour and Clay From writing about boats to collaging boats, this lesson led us to the next step — building boats. But before we started, the students first needed to learn some Chinese vocabulary related to colours. I introduced the three primary colours — red, yellow, and blue — and guided them to discover how secondary colours like green, orange, and purple are formed. We then added black and white, exploring how these affect other colors: black + white = grey; adding black darkens a colour, while adding white lightens it. With this foundation, the students began experimenting with colour mixing using air dry clay. Through hands-on work, they not only reinforced their memory of mandarin color names but also gained a more intuitive understanding of basic colour theory. We then moved into the boat-building activity. Some students showed their creativities, wanting to create sharks or giant sea monsters. In the end, we collaboratively created a wonderfully imaginative clay piece titled “The magical Ocean Adventure.” 6月17日 | 主题：颜色与粘土 从“写船”到“拼船”，这一节课我们来到了“造船”。不过在动手造船之前，学生们需要先掌握一些关于颜色的中文词汇。我以红、黄、蓝三原色作为引入，带领学生们探索如何调配出绿色、橙色和紫色。接着加入黑色和白色，讲解它们调和后的颜色变化：黑+白为灰色，加入黑色会使颜色变深，加入白色则会变浅。 打下基础后，学生们开始尝试用轻粘土调色。在动手操作中，他们不仅加深了对颜色中文名称的记忆，也对基本的色彩原理有了更直观的理解。随后进入“造船”环节，有的学生发挥创意说想做鲨鱼，想做巨大的海怪。最终，共同完成了一幅充满故事性的《奇幻海洋大冒险》粘土作品，课堂气氛热烈又富有想象力。 June 24 | Theme: “Me” and Clay In previous lessons, our focus was on “landscapes” and “objects”. This time, we shifted the focus back to “me.” We continued working with air dry clay as our medium. The lesson began with learning the names of body, followed by writing practice. I also shared a little character recognition trick: Chinese characters with the “口” (mouth radical） often relate to the mouth, such as “嘴” (mouth), “唱” (sing), and “哈” (laugh); characters with the “月” (flesh radical) often refer to body parts, such as “腿” (leg), “脚” (foot), and “臂” (arm). From facial features, we extended to expressions and emotions, learning four basic emotion words inmanmandarin: “happy” (开心), “angry” (生气), “surprised” (惊讶), and “sad” (难过). With this vocabulary in hand, students began creating self-portraits out of air dry clay. While working, some students tried to mix colours that matched their own skin tone, which naturally led to learning the new term “肤色” (skin colour). This lesson not only helped students understand and describe themselves in Chinese but also encouraged personal expression and emotional connection. 6月24日 | 主题：“我”与粘土 此前几节课我们关注的是“景”和“物”，而这节课则回到“我”的主题。我们继续使用轻粘土作为创作媒介。课程开始，我带领学生们学习身体各部位的中文名称，并练习书写。在教学过程中，我分享了一个识字小技巧：带“口”字旁的字大多与嘴部相关，如“嘴”、“唱”、“哈”；而带“月”字旁的字常与身体有关，例如“腿”、“脚”、“臂”。 从五官出发，我们又扩展到了表情和情绪，学习了四种基本情绪词汇：“开心”、“生气”、“惊讶”和“难过”。掌握了这些语言后，学生们开始进行自画像的创作。在塑造过程中，他们尝试调配与自己皮肤相近的颜色，由此学到了“肤色”这一新词汇。这一节课不仅帮助学生用中文认识自己，也激发了他们表达个性和情感的兴趣。 July 1 | Theme: Momo Comes To London For the final lesson of this term, I wanted to end on a warm and relaxed note — with a picture book reading. I shared my own picture book《A Day Of Momo 》, the mandarin verison has been published in China. The story follows a young girl named Momo who forms an unexpected friendship with a mayfly — a tiny insect that lives for only one day. In this single day, Momo and the mayfly explore, learn, and enjoy the world together. Their story celebrates the beauty of connection and the bittersweet nature of time — a gentle reminder to cherish every moment. I introduced the students to this special character — the mayfly — hoping to spark their curiosity. We also learned Chinese vocabulary from the story, focusing on animals and family members, such as “鹅” (goose), “马” (horse), “狗” (dog), “爷爷” (grandpa), and “奶奶” (grandma). During the storytelling, I narrated primarily in English but deliberately inserted these mandrain words, helping students understand them in context. In the final 15 minutes, I invited students to reflect on a question: “If you only had one day, where would you take Momo in London?” They illustrated their answers. Some wanted to take Momo to play football near Big Ben, while others imagined reading books with her at school. The class ended on a heartfelt and thoughtful note, wrapping up the term with imagination, reflection, and joy. 7月1日 | 主题：莫莫来伦敦 作为本学期的最后一节课，我选择了一个轻松温馨的收尾方式——绘本分享。我带来了我创作并已出版了中文版的绘本《莫莫的一天》，这本绘本讲述了一个名叫莫莫的小女孩与一只蜉蝣之间意外建立的友谊。蜉蝣是一种只活一天的昆虫，而在这短短的一天中，莫莫和它一起经历了探索、好奇和简单的快乐。他们共同发现了连接的美好，也感受到了时间流逝中那份微妙而深情的伤感。这是一个关于陪伴与珍惜的温柔故事。 我向学生特别介绍了故事中的主角之一——蜉蝣（mayfly），这种神奇的昆虫仅有一天的生命，也激发了学生的好奇心。接着，我带着学生学习了几个与动物和家庭相关的中文词汇，如“鹅”、“马”、“狗”、“爷爷”、“奶奶”等。在故事分享时，我用英文讲述情节，但有意识地将这些中文词汇穿插其中，以帮助学生在语境中理解并记忆。 最后的15分钟，我请学生思考一个有趣的问题：“如果你只有一天时间，你会带莫莫去伦敦哪里玩？”他们将自己的想法用画画的方式表达出来。有的学生想带莫莫去大笨钟旁边的公园踢球，有的想带她到学校一起看书。这节课在轻松与感性的氛围中，为整个学期画上了一个温暖的句号。

20 May | Theme: Explore Ink Painting — ShuiMo City In this session, students continued developing their ink painting project, building on the previous week’s theme. Having gained familiarity with ink, colour, and brushes, they showed growing confidence and control in their artistic expression. To introduce material diversity, I brought in small twigs and encouraged students to paint using natural objects. This not only sparked curiosity but also helped them explore the connection between art and nature in an intuitive and engaging way. Students began creatively combining rivers and urban structures, using dots, lines, and Planes to depict unique cityscapes. Some even focused on atmospheric elements, such as capturing the glow of a sunset along the riverbank — a testament to their growing sensitivity to visual storytelling. In the final part of the lesson, students were guided to integrate Chinese words into their paintings — for example: Shanghai, London, Hello, and River. This activity linked language and image, encouraging them to express meaning across cultures. They also learned about the traditional Chinese art practice of adding an artist’s seal (luòkuǎn), giving their work a meaningful and authentic finishing touch. 5月20日｜主题：水墨城市探索 本节课延续上周的水墨主题，学生们完成了作品的第二和第三部分。在前两次的练习基础上，孩子们在使用墨汁、毛笔和色彩方面逐渐熟练。我还带来了小树枝，引导他们尝试用自然材料作画，提升对材料多样性的认识。 随着技巧提升，学生们的表现愈发自信、自由。他们开始将河流与城市建筑巧妙融合，利用点、线、面创造出独特的城市风景。有的同学甚至加入了夕阳、倒影等氛围细节，展现出对自然美的细腻观察。 课尾，鼓励学生将词语融入画面，例如“上海”、“你好”、“河水”等，并介绍了中国画中的“落款”印章，帮助他们完整一幅具有传统韵味的作品。 3 June | Theme: Starting from “舟” (Boat) This was the first lesson after the Half Term break. Students returned with high energy and enthusiasm. We began by reviewing the Chinese words for “river (河水)”  and “house (房子)”, creating a smooth transition into the new topic. The core focus of the lesson was introducing Chinese pictographs, one of the oldest writing forms in Chinese. We explored how visual symbols evolve into written characters, helping students understand how meaning and form are connected in Chinese script. Starting with the character “舟 (boat)”, we examined how the structure of characters can spark imagination. One student observed that the right part of the word “船 (boat) ”looked like a smiling face, as if someone were joyfully sitting in a boat — a creative interpretation that was shared and celebrated in class. This curiosity naturally extended to other characters. Students eagerly asked about stroke order and the meanings behind their Chinese names. I guided them using visual metaphors and drawings, helping them understand character structure through storytelling and imagery. The lesson helped students engage with Chinese writing in a hands-on, exploratory way. Writing no longer felt like rote practice — instead, it became a fun, meaningful part of their creative journey. 6月3日｜主题：从“舟”出发 假期后的第一节课，学生们以轻松愉快的心情回到课堂。我带领大家回顾了“河水”“房子”等中文词汇，为新主题做语言铺垫。 本节课引入了中国最古老的文字形式之一——象形字。我们从“舟”字出发，观察其形与义的关系。有同学发现“船”字的一部分像一个笑脸，像是人在船上快乐地坐着，激发了大家的想象力。 学生们的问题逐渐延伸，从“河水”的笔画顺序，到自己中文名字的写法与含义。我通过拟物画图的方式讲解字的结构，帮助他们在视觉与意义之间建立连接。 整个课堂轻松、有趣，孩子们在探索中主动进入汉字的世界，感受到了书写汉字的乐趣。 10 June | Theme: Collage “Boats” In this lesson, we expanded on the previous week’s theme by introducing collage art as a creative technique. Students used collage to explore different types of boats in Chinese, such as fishing boat (渔船), cruise ship (邮轮), and wooden boat (木舟). While working, they learned and practiced action-related vocabulary like tear (撕), cut (剪), and draw (画), integrating language learning with artistic expression. The students demonstrated outstanding creativity. Some used leaves and flowers to create vibrant scenes, such as sisters enjoying a summer day outdoors. Others continued building river-city landscapes from previous lessons. One particularly impressive piece combined a traditional Chinese wooden boat with a British-style boathouse, creating a visually rich and culturally blended artwork. This session not only reinforced students’ vocabulary and understanding of Chinese characters, but also encouraged intercultural imagination and visual storytelling. 6月10日｜主题：拼贴“船” 延续上节课“船”的主题，本节课引入了拼贴这一艺术方式。通过“渔船”、“邮轮”、“木舟”等中文词汇的学习，学生在动手拼贴过程中深化了对词义的理解。 我还引入了“撕”、“剪”、“画”等动词，让孩子们边操作边学语言。学生们想象力丰富：有的用树叶、花朵拼出姐妹夏日出游的画面；有的则继续构建水岸城市与船只相融合的场景。 其中一位学生将英国船屋与中国木船结合，创作出一幅中西文化融合的作品，令人印象深刻。 这节课不仅加强了词汇记忆，也进一步提升了孩子们用中文表达想法的能力与文化理解力。

Dear Parents, I'm Miss Zhao, the new Mandarin teacher at Granton Primary School for this term. I'm Miss Zhao, the new Mandarin teacher at Granton Primary School for this term. Below is the summary of the course contents and teaching feedbacks for the Summer term. I’ll continue to provide regular updates as the term progresses. This term’s our class focuses on the theme “A Better Waterfront”, exploring the riverside life and culture of two cities—Shanghai and London. Through a combination of drawing and language learning, the course offers children a rich visual arts experience in a fun and engaging environment. We aim to develop students’ Mandarin expression while expanding their understanding of urban culture and introducing elements of traditional Chinese art aesthetics. In each class, children use art to express what they’ve learned, experiencing the harmony between language and creativity. Students will explore the theme through ink painting, collage, and hands-on activities. Step by step, students will create a series of Mandarin-based artworks inspired by city life and water culture. 家长们好，我是本学期的新中文老师——赵老师，以下是我们夏季学期课程的概述，以及您的孩子每周学习内容的总结。随着学期的进展，我会定期更新。 本学期中文课以“A Better Waterfront”为主题，围绕上海与伦敦这两座滨水城市展开探索。课程将结合绘画与语言学习，通过丰富的视觉艺术活动，帮助孩子们在轻松愉快的氛围中学习中文。 我们希望孩子们在提升语言表达能力的同时，拓展对城市文化的认知，并逐步了解中国传统艺术与美学。在每节课中，孩子们将用画笔表达所学内容，在创作中感受语言与艺术的交汇与魅力。 接下来的课程中，孩子们还将尝试水墨、拼贴、手工等多种形式，逐步完成一系列以“城市与水”为灵感的中文艺术作品。 27 April | Theme: Impression of the Cities — Shanghai and London This class introduced the term’s theme “A Better Waterfront”, inviting students to explore the riverfront culture of Shanghai and London through both art and Mandarin. We began with a simple drawing-based icebreaker where children introduced themselves in a form of illustrations, they answered questions like: “Which city do you come from?” , “What are your hobbies?” and “What can represent your city?” This was followed by a visual tour comparing key features of Shanghai and London, such as their rivers (Suzhou Creek and the River Thames), traditional architecture, famous landmarks, and boats. Through the perspective of illustrators and artists, we observed how waterfronts are interpreted and composed visually. The class concluded with an introduction to Shanghai Zhujiajiao（朱家角）, a traditional water town in southern China, which will serve as an inspiration for future classes. In the final 15 minutes, students created their own artistic impressions of the city, building connections between Eastern and Western cultures. 本节课以“A Better Waterfront”为主题，围绕上海和伦敦两座滨水城市展开，结合绘画与语言学习，带孩子们展开了一次跨文化的探索旅程。 我们首先通过简笔画自我介绍的方式进行破冰，引导孩子们用画表达“你来自哪座城市？”“你的兴趣爱好是什么？”等问题。随后带领大家进行了“视觉旅行”，围绕上海与伦敦的标志性河流（苏州河与泰晤士河）、传统建筑、船只与著名地标展开对比与讨论。 孩子们还通过插画师与艺术家的视角，观察他们如何选取主题、构图以及表现城市的方式。最后引入了江南水乡代表——朱家角古镇，为接下来的系列课程打下文化背景基础。在课程最后15分钟，孩子们尝试绘制属于自己的城市印象，借此建立中西文化的联结。 6 May | Theme: Explore Ink Painting — ShuiMo Zhujiajiao（朱家角） This class focused on Zhujiajiao, a traditional water town in Shanghai, helping students become familiar with its distinctive architecture and cultural identity. Keywords included: houses, bridges, water, and wooden boats. We introduced the ink paintings of renowned Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong to help children understand the expressive language of traditional ink art. They learned to use brushes and ink to illustrate contrasts like “light and dark” and the use of “dots and lines.” Through this, students also learned the corresponding Chinese vocabulary. In the final 20 minutes, the children created their own water town scenes on rice paper using ink brushes. To complete their work, they added their names and the place they drew in the corner — a meaningful finishing touch in the tradition of Chinese ink painting. 这一节课聚焦于中国江南传统水乡——上海朱家角古镇，通过关键词“房子、桥、河水和木船”帮助孩子们认识这一独特的建筑文化。 我们引入了中国艺术家吴冠中的水墨作品，启发孩子们理解水墨画的表现语言，并引导他们学习如何使用毛笔表达“深与浅”“点与线”等基本绘画元素。孩子们在动手的过程中，不仅初步体验了毛笔和宣纸的使用，还学习了相关中文词汇。 课程的最后20分钟，孩子们以朱家角为灵感，用宣纸和毛笔创作属于他们的水乡图景，并在画作一角落款（名字或者绘画的场景），体验了水墨画特有的完成仪式感。 13 May | Theme: Explore Ink Painting — ShuiMo City Continuing our exploration of ink painting, this class returned to the idea of urban waterfronts. The goal was to help students become more confident using brush, ink, and water. The session was divided into three parts, each focused on the foundational visual elements of dots, lines, and planes. Part 1: Spring arrives as fine as a thread. Inspired by Wu Guanzhong’s Spring Series painting, we guided students to find dots, lines, and shapes in nature—e.g., tree trunks as planes, branches as lines, and flowers/leaves as dots. Students had 20 minutes to use dots, lines, and planes to create their own spring-themed plant drawings. Part 2: Rivers We introduced a new concept—integrating words directly into the artworks. Students were encouraged to draw rivers while writing words like “上海Shanghai,” “伦敦London,” “你好Hello,” and “河水River” in ink, combining language and image together. Part 3: Skyscrapers Students practiced drawing city buildings using the same visual elements and continued learning related Chinese vocabulary and pronunciation. The class culminated in a complete “ShuiMo City” ink painting, which will serve as the foundation for the next lesson’s collage project. As the students needed more time, Parts 2 and 3 will be continued in the next session. 延续上节课对水墨画的探索，本节课回到“城市水岸”，希望让孩子们更熟悉地运用毛笔、水与墨。课程分为三大部分，结合美术基础概念“点、线、面”进行引导。 第一部分，春如线。通过吴冠中“春天系列”作品，引导孩子从自然中寻找点、线、面的元素。例如树干是“面”、树枝是“线”、花朵是“点”。随后，孩子们用点线面创作了属于他们的春日植物。 第二部分，河流。我们将词语引入画面创作中，鼓励孩子边写边画，用“上海”、“伦敦”、“你好”、“河水”等词汇，与水墨结合表现河流的意象。 第三部分，城市建筑绘制，继续强调点、线、面的视觉表现与相关中文词汇发音。最终，孩子们完成了一幅完整的“水墨城市”作品，也为下一次的拼贴创作做好了准备。 孩子们速度稍微慢了些，第二、三部分会在下一节课继续。