Specialized Textbooks Geared Toward K12 Students

It’s quite unusual for specialized textbooks to be used in primary and junior high schools in the United States. In fact, the majority of schools do not have uniform textbooks. And, some teachers will download their materials from the Internet, combining that information with other bits of information. The teachers will teach what they must in the classroom.

5 Popular Books To Help Students Learn Chinese

1 – My First Chinese Words（快乐幼儿华语）- This book is geared toward preschoolers all the way up to third-graders. There are 36 books that may be used in any order based upon the lesson plans of the teachers and/or parents. The recommendation is to teach one book for each school week.

The series is suitable for about 32 weeks (one academic year). In the majority of learning environments, students are given no more than two sessions every week. Therefore, teachers are encouraged to finish one storybook within three weeks along with some cultural learning and activities. The learning objectives and goals will dictate how long teachers and parents should use the series. However, it’s recommended to be used at least two academic years.

2 – My First Chinese Reader（快乐儿童华语) – This is the best available curriculum for elementary students to learn the Chinese language. It’s especially designed for children who live in non-Chinese speaking communities.

The books have an ascending lesson structure that uses the previous material so children can naturally learn the Chinese language – similar to what they’d see and experience in a native setting. The book includes easy-to-read Chinese characters – Pinyin – colorful pictures and a wide array of sentence patterns. Youngsters can learn basic Chinese sentences for their everyday environment.

3 – Discovering Chinese（奇妙中文) – This book is geared toward those students in the sixth to 12th grade, helping them to attain the SAT II Chinese level.

With it, students attain the fundamentals of Chinese in a cultural perspective. Using an organized methodology with a strict foreign language teaching, the book ensures there are positive results in an enjoyable, interactive learning atmosphere.

4 – Magic Tour of China（奇妙中国游）- This book is geared toward students in the sixth to 12th grades, ensuring they reach their AP requirement.

This also uses an ascending approach so students can look over previous lessons while they continue to go through series’ volumes. (Students who have mastered the Discovering Chinese and/or My First Chinese Reader series can transition smoothly into this book.

Along with every story lesson, students can continue to advance their communication skills and cultural awareness through historical and literary comparisons using:

• Chinese classics excerpts
• Poems
• Newspapers
• Road signs
• Radio clippings

The textbooks can be found in over 200 American schools and used in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Idaho.

5 – <实用华语>（shí yóng huá yǔ) – Wuyun Zang, a Chinese teacher originally from Taiwan, edited the textbook series geared toward preschoolers to 12th grade. Although written by the Taiwan native, it includes pinyun, simplified version and conventional version. Mainland China uses simplified characters and, in Taiwan, traditional characters are used.

The majority of the above textbooks were developed by Better Chinese, which also supplies a number of Internet resources. If you want to fluently learn the Chinese language, download the materials and locate a tutor who can help you master the language.