Read Chinese! -

Simplified (novice-mid)

A Chinese Poem 0/0+
This text is a poem by the famous poet Li Bo (701-762), and is arguably the most famous poem in Chinese history. Through it, students can get an introduction as to how the classical language and this specific genre of poetry work while not being overwhelmed. The poem is very short, yet, it is crafted within a specific rhyme and tonal scheme which uniquely express themes of separation and longing.

A Magazine Survey 0/0+
This is an extract from a survey created on the basis of similar surveys distributed by magazines. The categories listed for fill-in-blanks are commonly used terms, and include useful vocabulary for learners at the beginner's level.

Asian Country Capitals 0/0+
Students in high schools know very little about Asian geography. This text not only gives them an opportunity to learn the names of selected Asian countries and their capitals, but it also shows them how they are written in Chinese characters.

Beverage Menu 0/0+
Different drinks are offered in a typical Chinese restaurant. You will learn to identify the names of some of the alcohol and non-alcohol beverages in Chinese.

Bookstore Sale Items 0/0+
This is a fictitious list of titles of books that include terms for commonly used categories, including "handbook," "a guide to...," etc. Students will learn to identify different book titles in a Chinese book store.

Business Cards 0/0+
This text presents two name (business) cards and discusses the format and cultural importance of name cards in the Chinese society. This text also gives an introduction to how Chinese names are configured, as well as giving information on how a name card is printed, and what information can usually be found on it.

Chinese Historical Chronology Chart 0/0+
This is an introduction to the names of the Chinese dynasties. To show how they look written in characters is an excellent first step in engaging the long and complex history of China. Dates are also supplied so that learners can begin to get a feel of when these dynasties occurred in history, and the lesson's content itself should tell the learners what was happening in European countries during these dynasties so that comparisons between known and unknown events can be highlighted.

Chinese Historical Chronology Chart, Part 2 0/0+
This Chinese Historical Chronology Chart provides the names of the dynasties in Chinese as well as some historical events and cultural characteristics of the dynasties. In order to better understand the Chinese culture and language, it is important to understand its history as well. This Learning Object also provides some historical events that happened in European history so that the learners can understand what was happening in China at the same time.

Chinese Names 0/0+
This is a highly-contextualized short text on how Chinese names are formed and arrived at. It contains certain common discourse structures, plus high-frequency characters, while teaching a brief historical and cultural lesson about Chinese names.

Famous Chinese Idioms 0/0+
This text consists of four-character sayings (chéngyǔ), which are used extensively in Chinese to make a point, or to sum up a complicated situation in a precise and apropos way. They are used in everyday speech by Chinese people, and when used by foreigners, convey to their Chinese audience the speaker's understanding of cultural nuances and culturally authentic language use.

Field Trip Roster 0/0+
This roster of male and female Chinese names was developed to include common first and last names, as well as frequently used Chinese characters. This lesson will help learners to understand and identify some typical Chinese names for males and females.

Friendship Songs 0/0+
These lyrics are widely sung among elementary school children, and help with the socializing process. Simple, useful phrases are repeated often. Students will become familiar with some of the basic vocabulary and values of the "getting to know each other" process for Chinese children when they start school.

More Famous Chinese Idioms 0/0+
This text consists of four-character sayings (chéngyǔ), which use the classical language, and therefore are culturally loaded and rich in tradition since the chéngyǔ itself is generally derived from a longer story or parable that makes it more historically resonant. An understanding of their importance in speaking Chinese cannot be underestimated.

Movie Theater Advertisement 0/0+
Following is an advertisement (fictitious, but based on real ads) from a movie theater. Students will learn vocabulary linked to special discount offers and key Chinese holidays.

NBA Draft Picks 0/0+
This report on draft picks for the NBA includes some useful sports-related terminology. It provides training in transliterating English names into Chinese.

NetEase Homepage 0/0+
The homepage for NetEase includes terms useful for online reading, and names of categories often found in Chinese websites.

Report Card 0/0+
This is a fictitious report card of a high school student, that includes phrases linked to school lifeâ€â€�names of subjects, etc. It also includes cultural information (grading systems).

Song Lyrics Dedicated to a Friend 0/0+
These are the lyrics to a childrenâ€â"¢s song dedicated to a friend. Useful phrases are repeated many times, and the sentiments expressed are hopeful for building friendships.

U.S. Baseball Teams: American League 0/0+
This text is a list of U.S. American League Baseball teams, and it teaches the learners that American sports are enjoyed and followed by Chinese readers both inside and outside of the U.S. It also teaches the learners how the words for U.S. cities and states are constructed (generally phonetically) and how baseball team names are constructed (generally semantically). A second lesson in this series will feature National League Baseball team names. This lesson will progress with the first few activities employing pinyin, and the last few activities only employing Chinese characters.

BONUS ACTIVITY: This lesson features an extra bonus activity, which will give students an opportunity to read about baseball team names in an extended text format.

U.S. Baseball Teams: National League 0/0+
This text is a list of U.S. National League Baseball teams, and it teaches the learners that American sports are enjoyed and followed by Chinese readers both inside and outside of the U.S. It also teaches the learners how the names of U.S. cities and states are constructed (generally phonetically) and how the names of baseball teams are constructed (generally semantically). A second lesson in this series will feature the names of American League Baseball teams. This lesson will progress with the first few activities employing pinyin, and the last few activities only employing Chinese characters.

BONUS ACTIVITY: This lesson features an extra bonus activity, which will give students an opportunity to read about the names of baseball team names in an extended text format.