Grade 7 Mandarin Chinese FAMILY - WRITING – Guided Writing Notes
Mandarin Chinese — FAMILY (Writing)
Subtopic: Guided Writing (Age: ~12, Kenya)
Learning outcomes
- Use family vocabulary to write short sentences (communicate in writing).
- Write simple, logical and coherent descriptions about family members.
- Enjoy and practise writing Chinese characters (stroke order, neatness).
Quick family vocabulary (characters + pinyin + meaning)
爸爸
bàba — father
妈妈
māma — mother
哥哥
gēge — older brother
姐姐
jiějie — older sister
弟弟
dìdi — younger brother
妹妹
mèimei — younger sister
家
jiā — home / family
我
wǒ — I / me
爱
ài — love
Key grammar for writing about family (focus)
- Possession: 的
Structure: X 的 Y — "Y of X" or "X's Y". Example:这是我的妈妈。
Zhè shì wǒ de māma. — This is my mother. - Existence/Possession: 有
Structure: Subj + 有 + NP. Example:我家有四口人。Note: use numbers + 口(kǒu) for counting family members.
Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén. — My family has four people. - Describing: 很 and adjectives
Structure: Subj + 很 + Adj. Example:我的哥哥很高。To say "also": use 也 — e.g., 他也很高。tā yě hěn gāo.
Wǒ de gēge hěn gāo. — My older brother is tall. - Plural for people: 们
Add 们 after a pronoun or noun when talking about several people: 我们 (wǒmen) — we; 他们 (tāmen) — they.
- Questions
Yes/no: 加 吗 at end: 这是你的爸爸吗？
Who: 谁 — 这是谁？
How many: 几/多少 — 你家有几个人？
Guided sentence frames (use these to write)
- 这是我的____。 Zhè shì wǒ de ____. — This is my ____.
- 我家有____口人。 Wǒ jiā yǒu ____ kǒu rén. — My family has ____ people.
- 我的____很____。 Wǒ de ____ hěn ____. — My ____ is very ____.
- 他/她叫____，他/她是我的____。 Tā/Tā jiào ____, tā shì wǒ de ____. — He/She is my ____.
- 我爱我的家。 Wǒ ài wǒ de jiā. — I love my family.
Small guided writing activity (step-by-step)
- Step 1 — Choose vocabulary: pick 4 family words (e.g., 爸爸、妈妈、妹妹、我).
- Step 2 — Use frames to write 4 sentences. Example:
我家有四口人。
这是我的爸爸。
我的妈妈很友好。
我爱我的家。 - Step 3 — Add short details using 因为...所以... or 也: e.g., 我的妈妈很忙，因为她每天工作。 (optional)
- Step 4 — Check grammar: 的 for possession, 有 for counting, 很 for adjectives, 吗/谁 for questions.
Practice exercises (write answers in Chinese)
- Fill the blanks (use vocabulary): 我家有 ____ 口人。 (Write a number and family words.)
- Make a sentence using 的: (use the words below to make a sentence) — 我 + 妈妈 + 的 → ____________________。
- Answer the question: 这是谁？ (Picture prompt: show 家庭 emoji) — Suggested answer: 这是我的爸爸/妈妈/哥哥。
- Write 3 sentences about your family using at least one adjective (很 + adj).
Answers & sample sentences
- Example for #1: 我家有四口人。Wǒ jiā yǒu sì kǒu rén.
- Example for #2: 这是我的妈妈。Zhè shì wǒ de māma.
- Sample 3-sentence paragraph:
我家有五口人。
我的爸爸是老师，他很认真。
我的妹妹很可爱，我们一起做作业。
Character-writing practice (stroke care & simple grid)
Tips: write slowly, follow top→bottom, left→right. Start with simple characters below.
爸
bà — (part of 爸爸)
妈
mā — (part of 妈妈)
家
jiā — home / family
我
wǒ — I
Practice suggestion: copy each character 10 times, say the pinyin aloud, and check stroke order in a dictionary app or classroom chart.
Teacher / Parent prompts (for guided support)
- Prompt: “你家有谁？” — Help the child write: 我家有... (use 有 + number + 口 + 人).
- Prompt: “请写一段话介绍你的家人。” — Provide the sentence frames above and ask for 3–5 sentences.
- Checkpoints: correct use of 的, 有, 很, and appropriate answer to questions with 谁/吗/几.
Small emoji visual: 👪 = 家庭 (use in questions or prompts to help visual learners).