我的城市和传统
Wǒ de chéngshì hé chuántǒng — My City and Traditions
Students step outside: they ask for directions, buy something, order dinner and celebrate a festival — all in Chinese. This is also the year verbs learn to move through time, with 了, 在 and 过.
By the end of Grade 4…
- Speaking: handle a simple transaction — ask, choose, pay, thank
- Listening: follow directions and a short set of spoken instructions
- Reading: recognise 280 characters and read a short illustrated story
- Writing: write 160 characters and produce a 6–8 sentence paragraph
- Structure: mark completed, ongoing and experienced actions
Chinese has no verb tenses — it has aspect
Verbs never change shape. Instead, a small word says how the action sits in time:
- 了 — it finished. 我吃了。 I ate.
- 在 — it’s happening now. 我在吃。 I’m eating.
- 过 — I’ve done it before. 我吃过。 I’ve tried it.
Simpler than English tenses once it clicks — and Unit 7 is built entirely around making it click.
8 units
我的城市 — My City
Wǒ de chéngshì. Buildings, landmarks and describing where you live.
问路 — Asking Directions
Wèn lù. Left, right, straight ahead — and how to ask a stranger politely.
购物 — Shopping & Money
Gòuwù. Prices, 多少钱？, and the maths of 块 and 毛.
中国节日 — Festivals
Zhōngguó jiérì. Spring Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn — and regional differences.
动物和栋息地 — Animals & Habitats
Dòngwù hé qīxīdì. Where animals live, including the panda and its bamboo.
在饭馆 — At the Restaurant
Zài fànguǎn. Ordering a full meal, asking for the bill, and table manners.
动词在行动 — Verbs in Action
Dòngcí zài xíngdòng. 了, 在 and 过 — telling what happened, what’s happening, what you’ve tried.
我的地区 — My Region
Wǒ de dìqū. A guided tour of the student’s own town, presented in Chinese.
Traditional characters start appearing
From this grade on, whenever a character looks very different in traditional form, the unit shows both — for example 书 / 書 (book) and 马 / 馬 (horse). Students are never tested on the traditional form. The goal is simply that a child who sees a Taiwanese menu or a Hong Kong sign doesn’t conclude they’ve learned the wrong language.
Where students usually wobble
Overusing 了. It marks completion, not past tense. “Yesterday I was happy” takes no 了 at all.
Money words. Spoken 块 and written 元 mean the same thing. Both appear on the page so neither is a surprise.