GRADE 8 Mandarin Chinese My Surroundings- LISTENING AND SPEAKING – Interactive Speaking Notes
Mandarin Chinese — My Surroundings: Interactive Speaking (Age 13, Kenya)
- (a) Restate key words and phrases in varied listening contexts (e.g., classroom, playground, market).
- (b) Use grammar and sentence-final particles that act like non-verbal cues to enhance communication.
- (c) Use clear, short spoken sentences and confirmation forms while interacting with others.
- (d) Understand and practice the key grammatical category: interactive speaking (questions, responses, requests, suggestions, confirmation).
- 教室 — jiàoshì — classroom
- 操场 — cāochǎng — playground
- 图书馆 — túshūguǎn — library
- 校门 — xiàomén — school gate
- 公园 — gōngyuán — park
- 商店 — shāngdiàn — shop
- 街道 — jiēdào — street
- 花园 — huāyuán — garden
- 旁边/前面/后面/左边/右边 — pángbiān/qiánmiàn/hòumiàn/zuǒbiān/yòubiān — next to/front/back/left/right
- 有 — yǒu — there is/there are
- 在 — zài — to be at / located at
- 哪里/哪儿 — nǎlǐ / nǎr — where
- 请 — qǐng — please
- 可以/能 — kěyǐ / néng — can / may
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Existence / location
- 这里/那里 + 有 + Noun: 这里有一个公园。 (Zhè lǐ yǒu yí gè gōngyuán.) — "There is a park here."
- Subject + 在 + place: 图书馆在学校的左边。 (Túshūguǎn zài xuéxiào de zuǒbiān.) — "The library is on the left of the school." -
Asking location / existence (interactive question forms)
- Yes/no question with 吗: 这里有图书馆吗？ (Zhè lǐ yǒu túshūguǎn ma?) — "Is there a library here?"
- Question word 哪里 / 哪儿: 图书馆在哪里？ (Túshūguǎn zài nǎlǐ?) — "Where is the library?"
- Clarifying question with 呢: 你呢？ (Nǐ ne?) — "And you?" -
Requests, permission and polite interactions
- 请 + verb: 请告诉我图书馆在哪里。 (Qǐng gàosu wǒ túshūguǎn zài nǎlǐ.) — "Please tell me where the library is."
- 可以...吗？/能...吗？: 我可以去图书馆吗？ (Wǒ kěyǐ qù túshūguǎn ma?) — "May I go to the library?"
- 请再说一遍 / 你能慢一点吗？ — useful for interactive repair when not heard. -
Confirmation and short responses (showing understanding/interest)
- 是...的吗？ / 是不是...？: 图书馆是在学校左边，是吗？ (Túshūguǎn shì zài xuéxiào zuǒbiān, shì ma?) — "The library is on the left of the school, right?"
- Short confirmations: 是。 (Shì.) — "Yes." / 不是。 (Bú shì.) — "No." / 对。 (Duì.) — "Correct."
- Use 因为... (yīnwèi...) to give a brief reason: 我喜欢公园，因为那里安静。 -
Suggestions and invitations (seek agreement)
- Verb + 吧 to suggest: 我们去操场吧。 (Wǒmen qù cāochǎng ba.) — "Let's go to the playground."
- Ask for agreement: 好吗？ (Hǎo ma?) — "Okay?" -
Conversation fillers and particles (act like non-verbal cues)
- 啊/呀/哦: soften tone or show surprise — e.g. 在学校旁边哦。 (shows new info).
- 嗯: thinking/confirming, used while listening. These particles help manage turns like nodding.
Dialogue 1 — Asking location
A: 请问，图书馆在哪里？
(Qǐngwèn, túshūguǎn zài nǎlǐ?) — "Excuse me, where is the library?"
B: 在学校的右边，超市旁边。
(Zài xuéxiào de yòubiān, chāoshì pángbiān.) — "On the right of the school, next to the supermarket."
A: 好的，谢谢！
(Hǎo de, xièxie!) — "Okay, thanks!"
Dialogue 2 — Suggest & confirm
A: 我们去公园吧，好吗？
(Wǒmen qù gōngyuán ba, hǎo ma?) — "Let's go to the park, okay?"
B: 好，我听说那里有大花园。
(Hǎo, wǒ tīngshuō nàlǐ yǒu dà huāyuán.) — "Okay, I heard there is a big garden there."
Dialogue 3 — Clarify / repair
A: 图书馆在前面吗？
(Túshūguǎn zài qiánmiàn ma?) — "Is the library in front?"
B: 不是。图书馆在前面左边，不是正前方。
(Bú shì. Túshūguǎn zài qiánmiàn zuǒbiān, bú shì zhèng qiánfāng.) — "No. The library is in front on the left, not straight ahead."
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Listening + restating drill (outcome a)
- Teacher plays/reads a short description of a place (10–20 s). Students restate key words and the main sentence: 这里有..., 图书馆在...，using full sentence form. Repeat with different recordings.
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Pair role-play (outcome c & d)
- Student A asks location or permission: "请问，_____在哪里？" / "我可以...吗？" Student B answers, then students swap roles. Encourage use of 请, 吗, 在, 有, and location phrases.
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Confirmation & repair practice (outcome b)
- Give students short statements and ask partners to confirm or correct using 是...吗？/ 不是 / 对 / 请再说一遍 / 你能慢一点吗？ Practice with intentionally unclear speech so learners use repair phrases.
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Suggestion chain (outcome d)
- In groups, one student suggests an activity using ...吧, others respond with agreement or disagreement and a reason (因为...). Focus on short clear sentences and particles.
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Fillers and particles activity (outcome b)
- Practice small turns using 啊/哦/嗯 and short confirmations to manage conversation turns (e.g., A gives info, B says 哦 and repeats key phrase).
- Oral test: student listens to a short description and must restate two key sentences correctly (use correct 在 / 有 and location words).
- Role-play assessment: student asks for and gives location, uses at least one polite form (请/可以) and one confirmation particle (吗/吧/对).
- Peer checklist: during pair work mark if student used clear sentences, a repair phrase when needed, and a suggestion or confirmation.
- Use familiar surroundings (school gate, classroom, market near school) in examples so learners can relate vocabulary to real places.
- Model clear pronunciation and short sentences; have students repeat exact target sentences (focus on 在, 有, 哪儿, 吗).
- Encourage use of sentence-final particles (吧, 吗, 呢) — explain their interactive function (soften, ask, check).
- Include quick pair checks (30–60 s) so all students speak frequently; monitor for correct grammar rather than long answers.
有 = existence: 这里有一间商店。
在 + place = location: 学校在那儿／在右边。
吗 = yes/no question: 这里有公园吗？
哪里/哪儿 = where: 公园在哪里？
请/可以...吗 = polite request: 我可以去图书馆吗？
...吧 / 好吗 = suggestion + check: 我们去操场吧，好吗？
Particles (啊/哦/嗯) for turn-taking and attitude.
Emoji cues: 🏫 classroom, 🏞️ park, 📚 library — use real objects around the school to practice.