Comparing Chinese Enrichment (Primary/Preschool)

[tamarind]

smurf:

Hi Tamarind,


Your kids still attending berries? Berries called me to tell me that they have a slot for my boy now for higher Chinese, only 1 seat, but I hesitate to send him coz firstly, the fee is quite expensive and secondly, I dunno how it would help him. I'm using 四五快读 to teach him how to recognize words, and it's has been very effectively so far. I think what he needs is reading and reading. The thing is, he hates to read. He thinks as long as he can recognize the words mean it's enough. But when i ask him to read to me, so as to prepare him for oral exam (he is only in p1), he reads the words in 四五快读 very slowly, coz he did not have enough reading practice.

Do you think I should sign him up for berries? :?:

Hi smurf,
Both my kids have stopped attending Berries after completing K2. 四五快读 worked very well for both of them, my P2 girl is reading independently, and my P1 boy is reading quite fluently.

If he attends Berries, you still need to revise the materials with him daily. Ideally, it will be good to attend a good enrichment class if we can afford it, and at the same time use other good resources to teach our kids at home. I remember Berries teachers telling me that I need to let my kids read as many story books as possible. So even if you send to Berries, you still need to do a lot of work at home

[tamarind]

phankao:

jeanieg:

Hi Tamarind


Thank you for your feedback. I realised that even though my girls (5 & 6 year old) attended Berries for about 2 years now, their Chinese has improved but they keep forgetting the characters and cant write other wordsnexcept for their own name.

As we do not speak Chinese at home, I think even though I revise their homework once a week, unless I consciously read and revise more with them, their Chinese will not improve. My main problem is that my own Chinese is very bad. I can only read simple, common words and I can still manage simple conversations so even some of their books I do not even know how to read unless there is hanyupinyin! So pathetic hor?

Er...my Chinese was like that. I even failed my chinese oral exam last time - lucky doesn't show on my A-level cert.

But, if you start with the young kids, you too can improve. Yes, read, read, read. I usually go thru the book myself first, checking Nciku.com for the words using the handwriting recognition for word dictionary or the iphone app KT-dict which also has handwriting recognition.

If I hadn't made an effort to speak Chinese and read lots of Chinese books with mine, he wouldn't have progressed. Makes me more relaxed now since his reading ability is there.

jeanieg,
I agree with phankao. You can read the story books first, write down the hanyu pinyin of words that you don't know (but not for every word). Your girls need to read as many picture books as possible. Picture books do not have that many words, so it is still manageable.

[phankao]

tamarind:

phankao:

[quote=\"jeanieg\"]Hi Tamarind


Thank you for your feedback. I realised that even though my girls (5 & 6 year old) attended Berries for about 2 years now, their Chinese has improved but they keep forgetting the characters and cant write other wordsnexcept for their own name.

As we do not speak Chinese at home, I think even though I revise their homework once a week, unless I consciously read and revise more with them, their Chinese will not improve. My main problem is that my own Chinese is very bad. I can only read simple, common words and I can still manage simple conversations so even some of their books I do not even know how to read unless there is hanyupinyin! So pathetic hor?

Er...my Chinese was like that. I even failed my chinese oral exam last time - lucky doesn't show on my A-level cert.

But, if you start with the young kids, you too can improve. Yes, read, read, read. I usually go thru the book myself first, checking Nciku.com for the words using the handwriting recognition for word dictionary or the iphone app KT-dict which also has handwriting recognition.

If I hadn't made an effort to speak Chinese and read lots of Chinese books with mine, he wouldn't have progressed. Makes me more relaxed now since his reading ability is there.

jeanieg,
I agree with phankao. You can read the story books first, if there are any words you don't know, write down the hanyu pinyin of that word (but not for every word). You girls need to read as many picture books as possible. Picture books do not have that many words, so it is still manageable.[/quote]I have 2 methods....one is to write the hanyu pinyin in pencil in a corner of the page (not near the word). Another way is to have a card(or slip of paper) with all the words that I don't know, with their hypy, so I can refer as I read.

[jeanieg]

Thank you Tamarind, Phankao and Smurf for your valuable imput. I guess you are right, I just need to be more diligent and read Chinese books with them. I do have a few copies of the TaoShu series and they do like that.


Can I ask what was the Chinese books that you all have mentioned?
Some "si wu …something"? (sorry dont know how to type Chinese!)

[phankao]

jeanieg:

Thank you Tamarind, Phankao and Smurf for your valuable imput. I guess you are right, I just need to be more diligent and read Chinese books with them. I do have a few copies of the TaoShu series and they do like that.

Actually Taoshu and it's new counterpart - SHAPES is good bc the full story with hypy is at the back of the book. I generally do a quick check and memorise the words. Those books, I don't need to check dictionary. ;D

[mummy always]

Hi, anyone has recommendations on useful resources for oral? for p4 & 5 and of course the PSLE. I am now teaching the kids on my own. I mean TRYING to teach them on my own…

[smurf]

Thanks Tamarind!



Hi jeanieg,

Erm, think I haven't help you much leh... :oops:

But I do know this book which phankao and tamarind recommended, it called 四五快读. It is very effectively in teaching your child. But the parent has to understand sufficient Chinese enough to read and teach the child. Note that this is not a story book or anything. It's just a very good teaching method to guide and help your child to know and understand Chinese words. No matter what kind of books I read to my elder boy, he just cannot remember the words until I use this method and it has been effectively so far. Or maybe he is older now.haha... :lol:

I cannot thank tamarind and phankao enough for recommending 四五快读.
:thankyou: VERY MUCH!!

[phankao]

smurf:

I cannot thank tamarind and phankao enough for recommending 四五快读.
:thankyou: VERY MUCH!!

LOL - I've never used 四五快读 in my life! Afterall, Tamarind already said parents like me that are not good in Chinese are not qualified to use 四五快读 .

[smurf]

Is it??? Ithought u recommended this series! Haha...


But I'm very impressed that your 2 yo (now should be 3?) can read Chinese at primary standard though...

[jeanieg]

Hi smurf and tamarind


Can I buy the book from Popular? Wanna go have a look at it.
Ya I agree Tao Shu books are good as they have hanyupinyin as guide.
Any other series to recommend?