Grade 7 Mandarin Chinese MY BODY - Writing – Guided Writing Notes
Mandarin Chinese — MY BODY (Writing) : Guided Writing (Age 12, Kenya)
Specific learning outcomes
- Identify descriptive words (adjectives) in written texts.
- Apply correct rules when writing Chinese texts (sentence patterns, 的, classifiers, punctuation).
- Appreciate the importance of correct stroke order when writing characters.
1. Key grammar points (focus on describing the body)
Basic sentence parts
- Possession: 我 + 的 + 身体部位
Examples: 我 的 头 / 我 的 手 / 我 的 眼睛
- Predicative adjective (description)
Pattern: Subject + 很 + adjectiveExample: 我的眼睛很大。 (My eyes are big.)Note: 很 here often links the subject and adjective and does not always mean "very".
- Attributive adjective (adjective before noun)
Pattern: adjective + 的 + nounExample: 黑色的头发 (black hair), 白色的牙齿 (white teeth)
- Classifiers for body parts
Use ～只 for paired parts like eyes and ears: 我有两只眼睛。/ 我有两只耳朵。 For whole people use 个.
- Comparatives
Pattern: A 比 B + adjectiveExample: 我的手比他的手大。 (My hand is bigger than his.)
2. Common descriptive words for the body (adjectives)
Size/shape
大 (dà) — big
小 (xiǎo) — small
高 (gāo) — tall
矮 (ǎi) — short
Color/appearance
黑 (hēi) — black
白 (bái) — white
长 (cháng) — long
短 (duǎn) — short
Other
漂亮 (piàoliang) — pretty
丑 (chǒu) — ugly
胖 (pàng) — fat
瘦 (shòu) — thin
3. Writing rules and conventions (important for correct Chinese writing)
- No spaces between Chinese characters — characters are written continuously.
- Use 的 to connect adjectives before nouns (adjective + 的 + noun).
- Use proper classifiers (只，个) when counting body parts: 一只眼睛，两只耳朵。
- Use Chinese punctuation: ， 。 ？ ！ — not English commas and periods when writing correct Chinese text.
- Sentence order for description: Subject → (时间/地点) → 很/比/是/有 → adjective/noun. (Example: 我有两只眼睛。/ 我的头发是黑色的。)
4. Stroke order: why it matters and simple rules
Why stroke order matters
Correct stroke order gives clearer characters, faster writing, and helps you learn characters and recognize them easier (important for exams and reading).
Basic stroke order rules
- From top to bottom (上→下).
- From left to right (左→右).
- Horizontal before vertical when they cross (横先竖后).
- Outside frames before inside (外先内后)，close the frame last (最后封口).
- Central strokes before sides in some symmetrical characters (中间先写).
5. Stroke-order examples (simple characters related to the body)
口
口 (kǒu) — mouth
Stroke order: 1) 一 (top) → 2) 丨 (left) → 3) 一 (bottom) → 4) 丨 (right)
人
人 (rén) — person (used in many body characters)
Stroke order: 1) 丿 (left-falling) → 2) ㇏ (right-falling)
大
大 (dà) — big
Stroke order: 1) 一 (horizontal) → 2) 丿 (left-falling) → 3) ㇏ (right-falling)
6. Short reading + grammar-identification exercise
Text (short):
我有两只眼睛。我的头发是黑色的。我的手很大。
Tasks:
- Underline or list the descriptive words (adjectives) in the text.
- Write one sentence changing the adjective: change 黑色的 to 白色的, and change 很大 to 很小.
- Count the classifier and noun in the first sentence; explain why 只 is used.
Sample answers
1) Descriptive words: 黑色的, 大。
2) 我 的 头发 是 白色的。 / 我的手很小。
3) 两只眼睛 — 只 is the classifier for paired body parts like eyes and ears.
2) 我 的 头发 是 白色的。 / 我的手很小。
3) 两只眼睛 — 只 is the classifier for paired body parts like eyes and ears.
7. Suggested classroom activities / learning experiences (age 12, Kenya)
- Identify adjectives: Give learners a short paragraph (like the text above). They underline adjectives and say whether each adjective is predicative or attributive (does it use 很 or 的?).
- Rewrite using 的: Take simple descriptive sentences and convert predicative descriptions into attributive adjective + 的 + noun. Example: 我的脸很圆。→ 圆的脸。
- Classifier practice: Provide pictures of body parts and ask learners to write sentences with correct classifier: 一只手、两只眼睛、一个鼻子 (note: 鼻子 often uses 个).
- Stroke order practice: Give tracing sheets for characters: 口，目，手，头，写 each character 10 times following the stroke-order rules. Pair learners to correct each other’s stroke order.
- Guided writing: Write 5 sentences describing yourself (height, eye color, number of eyes/ears, hair color, hand size). Check peers for: correct 的, classifiers, punctuation, and stroke order when writing characters.
- Mini-assessment: Provide a short cloze: 我有 ___ 眼睛。我的头发是 ___ 的。Learners fill with classifiers and adjectives.
8. Short checklist for learners (self-evaluation)
- Do I use 的 when an adjective describes a noun before it? (e.g., 黑色的头发)
- Do I use 很 to link subject and adjective in descriptions? (e.g., 我的手很大)
- Do I use the correct classifier for body parts (只, 个)?
- Is my stroke order correct for the characters I write? (follow top→bottom, left→right, frames last)
- Do I use Chinese punctuation marks in my writing?
Quick practice sentences to copy and learn stroke order + grammar:
我有两只眼睛。
我的头发是黑色的。
我的手很大。
我的身高比弟弟高。
我的头发是黑色的。
我的手很大。
我的身高比弟弟高。