Mandarin curriculum

A Mandarin course covering pinyin and tones, characters, sentence patterns, listening, reading, writing, and everyday communication.

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Novice to intermediate / Chinese 1-3

Mandarin curriculum

A Mandarin course covering pinyin and tones, characters, sentence patterns, listening, reading, writing, and everyday communication.

Pacing

7 units, 24-36 weeks self-paced

Units

7 unit sequence

Practice

14 checked answers

Support

Self-paced or tutor-guided

Outcomes

Use tones, pinyin, and basic characters accurately.
Build sentence patterns for everyday communication.
Read and write high-frequency characters with spaced review.

Unit sequence

Built for independent progress first, then tutor support where the student gets stuck.

01
Pinyin, tones, and pronunciation
- Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.
- Use tone pairs and basic greetings.
Practice: Record tone-pair drills and compare them against a model.
Original practice checks
Answer in PeerTutor, then use the explanation or bring the miss to a tutor.
2 checked answers
Unit readiness
Which target best matches the Mandarin unit "Pinyin, tones, and pronunciation"?
Introduce yourself and others.Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.Use tone pairs and basic greetings.Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.
Practice artifact
Which practice artifact should you produce for "Pinyin, tones, and pronunciation" before asking a tutor for help?
Record tone-pair drills and compare them against a model.Skip the unit and start a new subject.Memorize vocabulary without checking any examples.Watch videos without writing or solving anything.
02
Core sentence patterns
- Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.
- Introduce yourself and others.
Practice: Build 20 original sentences from a fixed pattern bank.
Original practice checks
Answer in PeerTutor, then use the explanation or bring the miss to a tutor.
2 checked answers
Unit readiness
Which target best matches the Mandarin unit "Core sentence patterns"?
Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.Use tone pairs and basic greetings.Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.Introduce yourself and others.
Practice artifact
Which practice artifact should you produce for "Core sentence patterns" before asking a tutor for help?
Memorize vocabulary without checking any examples.Watch videos without writing or solving anything.Skip the unit and start a new subject.Build 20 original sentences from a fixed pattern bank.
03
Characters and radicals
- Recognize radicals, stroke order, and common components.
- Build a daily character review routine.
Practice: Create a character notebook with meaning, pronunciation, component, and example sentence.
Original practice checks
Answer in PeerTutor, then use the explanation or bring the miss to a tutor.
2 checked answers
Unit readiness
Which target best matches the Mandarin unit "Characters and radicals"?
Recognize radicals, stroke order, and common components.Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.Use tone pairs and basic greetings.Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.
Practice artifact
Which practice artifact should you produce for "Characters and radicals" before asking a tutor for help?
Create a character notebook with meaning, pronunciation, component, and example sentence.Watch videos without writing or solving anything.Memorize vocabulary without checking any examples.Skip the unit and start a new subject.
04
Daily life communication
- Discuss time, dates, family, school, food, and preferences.
- Use numbers and classifiers accurately.
Practice: Role-play ordering food and planning a schedule.
Original practice checks
Answer in PeerTutor, then use the explanation or bring the miss to a tutor.
2 checked answers
Unit readiness
Which target best matches the Mandarin unit "Daily life communication"?
Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.Use numbers and classifiers accurately.Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.Use tone pairs and basic greetings.
Practice artifact
Which practice artifact should you produce for "Daily life communication" before asking a tutor for help?
Watch videos without writing or solving anything.Memorize vocabulary without checking any examples.Role-play ordering food and planning a schedule.Skip the unit and start a new subject.
05
Past and future expression
- Use aspect particles and time phrases.
- Tell short stories and describe plans.
Practice: Narrate yesterday, today, and tomorrow with time markers.
Original practice checks
Answer in PeerTutor, then use the explanation or bring the miss to a tutor.
2 checked answers
Unit readiness
Which target best matches the Mandarin unit "Past and future expression"?
Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.Use tone pairs and basic greetings.Use aspect particles and time phrases.
Practice artifact
Which practice artifact should you produce for "Past and future expression" before asking a tutor for help?
Narrate yesterday, today, and tomorrow with time markers.Memorize vocabulary without checking any examples.Skip the unit and start a new subject.Watch videos without writing or solving anything.
06
Listening and reading
- Identify key information from short audio.
- Read graded passages using context.
Practice: Listen to a short dialogue and produce a pinyin/character vocabulary list.
Original practice checks
Answer in PeerTutor, then use the explanation or bring the miss to a tutor.
2 checked answers
Unit readiness
Which target best matches the Mandarin unit "Listening and reading"?
Read graded passages using context.Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.Use tone pairs and basic greetings.Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.
Practice artifact
Which practice artifact should you produce for "Listening and reading" before asking a tutor for help?
Skip the unit and start a new subject.Listen to a short dialogue and produce a pinyin/character vocabulary list.Watch videos without writing or solving anything.Memorize vocabulary without checking any examples.
07
Conversation capstone
- Sustain practical conversation.
- Use repair strategies when vocabulary is missing.
Practice: Complete a 10-minute tutor exchange across introductions, food, plans, and opinions.
Original practice checks
Answer in PeerTutor, then use the explanation or bring the miss to a tutor.
2 checked answers
Unit readiness
Which target best matches the Mandarin unit "Conversation capstone"?
Distinguish initials, finals, and four tones.Use word order, questions, negation, and measure words.Use tone pairs and basic greetings.Sustain practical conversation.
Practice artifact
Which practice artifact should you produce for "Conversation capstone" before asking a tutor for help?
Skip the unit and start a new subject.Watch videos without writing or solving anything.Complete a 10-minute tutor exchange across introductions, food, plans, and opinions.Memorize vocabulary without checking any examples.