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kircharaOur Sagebooks progress used to be super slow, because I was focusing on their pronunciation (reproducing consonants, vowels and tones correctly) instead of comprehension.* I would read to them and have them repeat after me phrase by phrase. They also traced the big characters in front of each Sagebooks chapter with their fingers (pre-writing).
Two years later, after four months of weekly Chinese lessons and near-daily Chinese reinforcement, we follow the Sagebooks suggestion of reading five chapters per session: four review chapters and one new chapter.
The CD has been essential for letting my kids hear native speakers' tone and pacing. My six-year-old rarely makes mistakes with tones, but he's pronouncing the character tones faithfully as if they are in isolation. I tell him that native speakers don't say "I-am-going-to-go-to-the-store," native speakers say "I'm gonna go to the store," and if he reads the tones exactly as they are written, he would sound like a robot.
Initially Brooks inserted pauses at the wrong places for this sentence. I played the CD for him and explained that the sentence is step by step: There's someone/ climbing up the mountain/ and coming to my home.
We've been doing Sagebooks almost everyday** ever since the entire set*** arrived. Brooks passed Book 1.1 assessment**** on July 16th (17/20 characters), and River passed on July 17th (16/20 characters).
~~~
* At 4.5 and 9 years old, their Chinese was near-zero. They would comprehend once they start taking actual Chinese lessons, was my thought at the time. Also, Sagebooks and BetterChinese have English translation right there in the books; I figured they can read it on their own if they're curious.
** We still occasionally read BetterChinese, especially during Chinese playgroups and as the subject comes up (e.g. They needed a refresher on "这是谁?").Odonata is on hold for now; twelve to fourteen new characters at once is a bit too much. (We read Book 1.2 almost two months ago.)
ETA 10/18/19: We're slowly doing Odonata in addition to Sagebooks and Better Chinese; we're currently on Book 1.4.
*** Previously, we only had four random Sagebooks that my mom bought. Thankfully, one of the four books was book 1.1.
****For Book 1.1, their weekly Chinese lessons have covered eight out of twenty characters: 山、人、大、上、下、手、小、五.
Nine, if you include 一, which does not count toward the 500 character count of Sagebooks.
For Book 1.2, their lessons have covered eight out of twenty characters: 两、十、来、马、去、鸟、天、地.
My tentative lesson map:
Book 1.1
Book 1.1 assessment #1
[✔] Brooks, 17/20 characters, 7/16
[✔] River, 16/20 characters, 7/16 and 7/17
Book 1.1 assessment #2:August 12
[✔] Brooks, 20/20 characters, 9/10 and 9/14
[✔] River, 20/20 characters, 9/13
Book 1.1 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.1 flashcards analog Spaced Repetition System with River
[✔] Everyday
[✔] Every other day
[✔] Every week
[✔] Every other week
[✔] Every month/Retired
Cards that you get wrong go all the way back to Box 1 (Review everyday).
The characters that gave River trouble were
[✔] 只 (隻) <-- Misread
[✔] 孩 <-- He didn't remember what the character is. He read it as "子" instead.
[✔] 家 <-- He often mispronounced it as "jie" instead
etc.
Book 1.2
Continue four REVIEW + one NEW (sometimes 5 + 1 instead) until done with the book.
Don't do Book 1.2 assessment until reasonably sure that the kids will pass (at least 16/20 characters).
Book 1.2 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks, 10/16
[✔] River, 10/17 and 10/18
Book 1.2 assessment #1: October, November 1st
[✔] Brooks, 18/20 then 19/20 characters
[✔] River, 17/20 characters
Book 1.3
Book 1.3 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.3 assessment #1: 5/21 & 5/22 and 5/17 & 5/18
[✔] Brooks, 16/20 characters
[✔] River, 15/20 characters
Book 1.3 assessment #2: 7/7 and 7/8 & 7/9
[✔] Brooks, 20/20 characters
[✔] River, 20/20 characters
Book 1.4
Book 1.4 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.4 assessment #1
[✔] Brooks, /20 characters
[✔] River, /20 characters
Book 1.4 assessment #2
[✔] Brooks, /20 characters
[✔] River, /20 characters
Book 1.5
Book 1.5 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.5 assessment #1
[✔] Brooks, /20 characters
[✔] River, /20 characters
Book 1.5 assessment #2
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Composition using 100+ characters + other characters learned from weekly lessons etc.
- Have character list printed out (alphabetically by pinyin) for reference on how to write them.
- Edit/rewrite composition
- Final draft with best handwriting
- Draw illustration/find pictures online
- Scan, print, bind
- Four copies: (us, both grandparents, 老师, cousin)
~~~
Book 2.1
Book 2.1 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.1 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 2.2
Book 2.2 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.2 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 1.2 and 1.3 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 2.3
Book 2.3 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.3 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 1.4 and 1.5 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 2.4
Book 2.4 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.4 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 2.5
Book 2.5 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.5 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Composition using 200 characters + other characters learned from weekly lessons etc.
- Have character list printed out (alphabetically by pinyin) for reference on how to write them.
- Edit/rewrite composition
- Final draft with best handwriting
- Draw illustration/find pictures online
- Scan, print, bind
- Four copies: (us, both grandparents, 老师, cousin)
~~~
Book 3.1
Book 3.1 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.1 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 3.2
Book 3.2 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.2 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 3.3
Book 3.3 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.3 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 2.4 and 2.5 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 3.4
Book 3.4 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.4 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 4.5
Book 4.5 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 4.5 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Composition using 300 characters + other characters learned from weekly lessons etc.
- Have character list printed out (alphabetically by pinyin) for reference on how to write them.
- Edit/rewrite composition
- Final draft with best handwriting
- Draw illustration/find pictures online
- Scan, print, bind
- Four copies: (us, both grandparents, 老师, cousin)
~~~
Two years later, after four months of weekly Chinese lessons and near-daily Chinese reinforcement, we follow the Sagebooks suggestion of reading five chapters per session: four review chapters and one new chapter.
e.g. REVIEW the last four chapters in Book 1.1 (也、我、指、五) + LEARN the first chapter in Book 1.2 (两).
The CD has been essential for letting my kids hear native speakers' tone and pacing. My six-year-old rarely makes mistakes with tones, but he's pronouncing the character tones faithfully as if they are in isolation. I tell him that native speakers don't say "I-am-going-to-go-to-the-store," native speakers say "I'm gonna go to the store," and if he reads the tones exactly as they are written, he would sound like a robot.
有人/上山/来我的家.
Initially Brooks inserted pauses at the wrong places for this sentence. I played the CD for him and explained that the sentence is step by step: There's someone/ climbing up the mountain/ and coming to my home.
We've been doing Sagebooks almost everyday** ever since the entire set*** arrived. Brooks passed Book 1.1 assessment**** on July 16th (17/20 characters), and River passed on July 17th (16/20 characters).
~~~
* At 4.5 and 9 years old, their Chinese was near-zero. They would comprehend once they start taking actual Chinese lessons, was my thought at the time. Also, Sagebooks and BetterChinese have English translation right there in the books; I figured they can read it on their own if they're curious.
** We still occasionally read BetterChinese, especially during Chinese playgroups and as the subject comes up (e.g. They needed a refresher on "这是谁?").
ETA 10/18/19: We're slowly doing Odonata in addition to Sagebooks and Better Chinese; we're currently on Book 1.4.
*** Previously, we only had four random Sagebooks that my mom bought. Thankfully, one of the four books was book 1.1.
****For Book 1.1, their weekly Chinese lessons have covered eight out of twenty characters: 山、人、大、上、下、手、小、五.
Nine, if you include 一, which does not count toward the 500 character count of Sagebooks.
For Book 1.2, their lessons have covered eight out of twenty characters: 两、十、来、马、去、鸟、天、地.
My tentative lesson map:
Book 1.1
Book 1.1 assessment #1
[✔] Brooks, 17/20 characters, 7/16
[✔] River, 16/20 characters, 7/16 and 7/17
Book 1.1 assessment #2:
[✔] Brooks, 20/20 characters, 9/10 and 9/14
[✔] River, 20/20 characters, 9/13
Book 1.1 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.1 flashcards analog Spaced Repetition System with River
[✔] Everyday
[✔] Every other day
[✔] Every week
[✔] Every other week
[✔] Every month/Retired
Cards that you get wrong go all the way back to Box 1 (Review everyday).
The characters that gave River trouble were
[✔] 只 (隻) <-- Misread
[✔] 孩 <-- He didn't remember what the character is. He read it as "子" instead.
[✔] 家 <-- He often mispronounced it as "jie" instead
etc.
Book 1.2
Continue four REVIEW + one NEW (sometimes 5 + 1 instead) until done with the book.
Don't do Book 1.2 assessment until reasonably sure that the kids will pass (at least 16/20 characters).
Book 1.2 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks, 10/16
[✔] River, 10/17 and 10/18
Book 1.2 assessment #1: October, November 1st
[✔] Brooks, 18/20 then 19/20 characters
[✔] River, 17/20 characters
Book 1.3
Book 1.3 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.3 assessment #1: 5/21 & 5/22 and 5/17 & 5/18
[✔] Brooks, 16/20 characters
[✔] River, 15/20 characters
Book 1.3 assessment #2: 7/7 and 7/8 & 7/9
[✔] Brooks, 20/20 characters
[✔] River, 20/20 characters
Book 1.4
Book 1.4 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.4 assessment #1
[✔] Brooks, /20 characters
[✔] River, /20 characters
Book 1.4 assessment #2
[✔] Brooks, /20 characters
[✔] River, /20 characters
Book 1.5
Book 1.5 read fluently from beginning to end
[✔] Brooks
[✔] River
Book 1.5 assessment #1
[✔] Brooks, /20 characters
[✔] River, /20 characters
Book 1.5 assessment #2
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Composition using 100+ characters + other characters learned from weekly lessons etc.
- Have character list printed out (alphabetically by pinyin) for reference on how to write them.
- Edit/rewrite composition
- Final draft with best handwriting
- Draw illustration/find pictures online
- Scan, print, bind
- Four copies: (us, both grandparents, 老师, cousin)
~~~
Book 2.1
Book 2.1 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.1 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 2.2
Book 2.2 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.2 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 1.2 and 1.3 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 2.3
Book 2.3 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.3 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 1.4 and 1.5 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 2.4
Book 2.4 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.4 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 2.5
Book 2.5 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 2.5 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Composition using 200 characters + other characters learned from weekly lessons etc.
- Have character list printed out (alphabetically by pinyin) for reference on how to write them.
- Edit/rewrite composition
- Final draft with best handwriting
- Draw illustration/find pictures online
- Scan, print, bind
- Four copies: (us, both grandparents, 老师, cousin)
~~~
Book 3.1
Book 3.1 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.1 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 3.2
Book 3.2 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.2 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 3.3
Book 3.3 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.3 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Review Book 2.4 and 2.5 together (each kid take turns reading one page)
Book 3.4
Book 3.4 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 3.4 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Book 4.5
Book 4.5 read fluently from beginning to end
[] Brooks
[] River
Book 4.5 assessment
[] Brooks, /20 characters
[] River, /20 characters
Composition using 300 characters + other characters learned from weekly lessons etc.
- Have character list printed out (alphabetically by pinyin) for reference on how to write them.
- Edit/rewrite composition
- Final draft with best handwriting
- Draw illustration/find pictures online
- Scan, print, bind
- Four copies: (us, both grandparents, 老师, cousin)
~~~
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