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Mandarin Family — 家人

Third graders learn family words in Mandarin — 爸爸 (bàba), 妈妈 (māma), 哥哥 (gēge), 姐姐 (jiějie) — and sort them into male and female family members. In Chinese, older and younger siblings have different words!

Grade 3Jiārén40 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name family members.
  • ✓Tell male from female.
  • ✓Sort the words.
  • ✓Talk about family.
Essential Question

Everyone has a 家人 (jiārén — family)! What are the words for family members in Mandarin?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Sort It · Interactive

Nán or Nǜ? (Male or Female?)

Project this and sort each family member into 男 (nán - male) or 女 (nǜ - female).

👪 Sort each — male or female family member?Try it
👨 男 Nán (male)
👩 女 Nǜ (female)
Tap a word, then tap a box.
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — 你的家人

4 min

Everyone has a family — what are the words for family in Mandarin?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Ask about their family.
  • Ask how to say it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Jiārén

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present family words.
  • Say the pinyin.
  • Note older vs younger siblings.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Sort Them

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Nán or Nǜ?
  • Sort each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

10 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a family member.
  • Say “我的爸爸” (my dad).
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a family word.
  • Say what it means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand family words.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore family across cultures.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare family words.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: describe family.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Family picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “我的 ___.”
  • Use a family tree.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with 爸爸 and 妈妈.
  • Sort one at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add 阿姨 (aunt).
  • Draw a family tree.
  • Describe your family.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 👪Family cards
  • 💻Nán or Nǜ?
  • 🗣️Audio
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

家人 (jiārén)family爸爸 (bàba)dad妈妈 (māma)mom哥哥 (gēge)older brother姐姐 (jiějie)older sister弟弟 (dìdi)younger brother妹妹 (mèimei)younger sister家 (jiā)home/family
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “爸爸 (bàba)” mean?
Dad.
QUESTION 2
What does “姐姐 (jiějie)” mean?
Older sister.
QUESTION 3
Is “妈妈 (māma)” a male or female family member?
Female.

Reflect: 家人.

Have students name two family members in Mandarin (like 爸爸 bàba and 妈妈 māma). A printable family sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Mandarin Family (Jiārén)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Mandarin Family (Jiārén)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Mandarin Family (Jiārén)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 哥哥 (gēge), 妈妈 (māma), 妹妹 (mèimei), 姐姐 (jiějie), 家 (jiā), 家人 (jiārén), 弟弟 (dìdi), 爸爸 (bàba)
  1. younger brother
  2. older brother
  3. older sister
  4. dad
  5. younger sister
  6. mom
  7. family
  8. home/family

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “爸爸 (bàba)” mean?
  2. What does “姐姐 (jiějie)” mean?
  3. Is “妈妈 (māma)” a male or female family member?
Answer key — Part A: 1) 弟弟 (dìdi) · 2) 哥哥 (gēge) · 3) 姐姐 (jiějie) · 4) 爸爸 (bàba) · 5) 妹妹 (mèimei) · 6) 妈妈 (māma) · 7) 家人 (jiārén) · 8) 家 (jiā)
Part B: 1) Dad. 2) Older sister. 3) Female.