身份
Shēnfèn — Identity
Middle school opens with a bigger question than “what’s your name.” Students introduce themselves properly — where their family is from, what they care about, what they’re like — and learn to say it to someone who genuinely doesn’t know them.
Unit objectives
- Give a 90-second self-introduction covering five aspects of themselves
- Ask follow-up questions rather than only answering
- Describe personality, not just appearance
- Say where their family is from and how long they’ve lived somewhere
Key vocabulary
身份 性格 外向 安静 认真 幼默 关心 来自 第一语言 爱好
The skill that makes Grade 6 different
Until now, conversations have been question-answer ping-pong. This year students learn to keep one alive by asking back:
你是哪里人？ Where are you from?
我来自美国。你呢？ I’m from America. And you?
你在那里住了多久？ How long did you live there?
The third line is the Grade 6 skill. Answering is easy; the student who asks is the one having a conversation.
Who you are, in Chinese
Personality words
Eight adjectives about character rather than appearance, sorted by whether students think they apply to themselves.
Where I’m from
Family origin, languages spoken at home, how long in this town. Handled with care — every answer is valid.
Asking back
Follow-up questions drilled explicitly. Students are scored on the questions they ask, not the answers they give.
Draft the introduction
Ninety seconds, written out, covering name, origin, personality, interests and one thing they care about.
Meet someone new
Paired with a student they don’t know well. Introduce, ask three questions, then introduce them to the class.
Modesty as a reflex
Accepting a compliment directly can read as immodest in Chinese conversation. Told your Chinese is good, the conventional reply is 哪里哪里 — roughly “not at all” — or 还好, “it’s okay.” The convention is loosening among younger speakers, and a plain 谢谢 is fine now. But students who know the deflection exists will recognise it when it comes back at them, and won’t take it as their compliment being rejected.
Unit 1 progress check
A light, no-pressure way to see what’s sticking:
- Can your child introduce themselves for 90 seconds without stopping?
- Do they ask questions as well as answer them?
- Can they describe their personality, not just their appearance?
The follow-up question is the thing to look for. It’s what separates a recital from a conversation.