游戏和歌曲 yóuxì hé gēqǔ (Games and Songs)
4. Measure words and characters
Prior Knowledge: Counting songs and measure words from session 1
Framework
Objectives
O 3.1 To
listen and
respond to
simple
rhymes,
stories and
songs.
L 3.1
Recognise
some familiar
words in
written form.
KAL
Recognise
that
languages
describe
familiar
things
differently.
Support
Main
Reinforce the notion
that whereas in
English we can have
groups of things
without a group
name, in Chinese
groups of things
must always have a
name
Oracy
Extension
Give children a
measure word and
objects that go with it
including one that
does not use that
measure word. Ask
which one is the odd
one out. Note a
measure word will
cover more than one
noun.

Pronunciation warm up – practise the finals in random order.

Revise the counting songs/rhymes from Section 1 with actions. Note there
is a second rhyme in the extension part of Section 1 that you could
introduce here and/ or practice the rhyme the children invented in section 3.

Highlight the numbers with their measure words.

Ask children what they remember about measure words either in English or
Chinese and reinforce previous learning.

Highlight some of the categories in the rhymes e.g. animals and birds, flat
things, straight thin things and try to invent measure words in English for
these things e.g. three furs of rabbits, seven sticks of daffodils, eight flats of
table.

Model these in Chinese first with the rhymes and then chose some other
simple examples for each measure word to demonstrate the concept of
each measure . The children will begin to appreciate which measure word is
associated with which objects.
Literacy

Reinforce Chinese writing system made of drawings where as English uses
letters.

Ask children for examples of how words change in other languages they
know (singular, plural, tenses, masculine & feminine).

On whiteboard draw character 家 jiā from the second rhyme - also use
character animation if possible

Explain the history of characters is 4000 years old and has changed over
time. Characters started as pictures. The usually have two parts that must
be drawn the right way.

Use example of 家 jiā– household, family, home; divide home into two
parts – roof and pig (character derived from picture of sow feeding her
young) . Why does pig under roof = home?

Show development of character 马 mǎ (horse) from earliest logogram to
modern simplified character.

Give children large squared paper to practise writing 家 jiā and 马 mǎ
ICT opportunities
(levels of difficulty 1= easier, 3= more
complex)
Search the internet for sources of
character animation (1)
Search for measure word games on the
Internet (1) or create your own multimedia
presentations of pictures of things that use
the same measure word (2)
游戏和歌曲 yóuxì hé gēqǔ (Games and Songs)
4. Measure words and characters
Throughout the week:
Place the development of the character 马 mǎ on the
wall and work through it with the children asking them to
make the strokes in the air, on their forearm or on a
partner’s back.
Main Follow up Activities
Make classroom displays of words that share the same
measure word. Children will enjoy devising their own
words in English.
ICT Follow up Activities
Use the multimedia presentation of measure words
and pictures of things that use that measure word to
help children learn which measure word works with
which noun (1)
Remind the children of the measure words within the
classroom display.
Learning Outcomes
Children:

understand the concept of measure words and its importance in Chinese.

know at least two measure words.

are able to write two simple characters.
Teaching Tips





Note how English inserts “of” when using measure words but Chinese does
not.
Giving examples of the different measure words in Chinese is an opportunity to
emphasize the difference between Chinese and English where Chinese
ALWAYS uses a measure e.g.. 三张纸sān zhāng zhǐ， 三张桌子 sān zhāng
zhuō zi 3 sheets of paper but 3 tables etc.
Emphasis here should not be on a full and detailed introduction to characters,
radicals and stroke order, but just a broad outline of the concept that Chinese
writing is not made up of sounds but pictures that represent meaning
Ensure the children understand that characters must be square and balanced
There is no need to use Chinese ink and brushes, you can start with felt-tips or
mini white boards but remember these are not square! Chinese characters
should be square hence squared paper can be useful.
National Curriculum Links
PSHCE
4b Think about the lives of people living in other places and people with
different customs.
ICT
3b Be sensitive to the needs of the audience and think carefully about content
and quality when communicating information.
Resources
Optional: Chinese ink and brushes for literacy work can be used
Squared paper (see teaching tips), mini white boards squared off or magic
squared paper that can be used with paint brushes
Rhymes/rhyme from section 1
Pictures of words associated with chosen measure words
ICT Resources
Pictures of words that are associated with various measure words
Podcasting suite
游戏和歌曲 yóuxì hé gēqǔ (Games and Songs)
4. Measure words and characters
老师的词汇
Teacher Language
学生的词汇
Children’s Language
马 mǎ
Horse
家 jiā
Household, family, home, measure word
一张纸 yì zhāng zhǐ
A sheet of paper
马 mǎ
Horse
一张桌子 yì zhāng zhuō zi
A table
两只狗 liǎng zhī gǒu
Two dogs
两只鸟 liǎng zhī niǎo
Two birds
三个人 sān gè rén
Three people
三个苹果 sān gè píng guǒ
Three apples
四枝花 sì zhī huā
Four stems of flowers
五家商店 wǔ jiā shāng diàn
Five shops