Is your child in lower primary? Do you know enough about writing Chinese compositions to help your child build a strong foundation and score as he or she moves up higher levels?
Fret not, we have a lot of useful information and tips for you!
School Writing Formats for Primary 1 and 2
At Primary 1:
Your child is often required to write a sentence based on a given picture 看图写句.
In order to prepare children for 看图写句, schools may expose them to the following types of practice:
- rearranging words to form a sentence 组词成句
- sentence expansion 扩展句子
- completing a sentence 完成句子
At Primary 2:
Your child is required to write at least 5 sentences based on a given picture看图写话. Helping words are provided.
Marking Criteria
What do teachers look out for when marking and grading Chinese compositions?
At Primary 1:
- Sentences are grammatically correct and coherent
- Correct use of punctuation
- Words are written correctly (At Primary 1, pinyin is often acceptable if the child does not know how to write the word 汉字)
At Primary 2:
1. Content
- Ideas are relevant and well developed
- Ideas are linked and presented in a coherent manner
2. Language
- Sentences are grammatically correct and coherent
- Good and appropriate use of vocabulary
- Correct use of punctuation
- Words are written correctly
(At Primary 2, your child risks losing marks if pinyin is used for words that he or she has already been taught)
How to Improve Your Child’s Chinese Writing Skills
Writing skills can be improved. The key is to start early!
- Read Chinese story books regularly. This helps children expand their knowledge, gain vocabulary and trains them to use correct sentence patterns.
- Acquire vocabulary through books that use a thematic, pictorial approach
- Practise common sentence patterns.
Refer to Learn to Write Exciting Compositions 1 for sentence patterns children should learn. - Talk about the details of pictures with your child. This trains them to interpret and analyse the picture for their composition topic. Ask your child what’s happening in the picture, what will happen next etc. 看图写话 pictures in Learn to Write Exciting Compositions 2 are accompanied by oral questions. These practices are also useful for Oral examinations.
How to Mark Chinese Compositions?
Parents often find the task of marking compositions difficult. Many books in the market provide model compositions in the answers. However, they may suggest ideas on the way to write but how can you gauge your child’s progress? Let Acel Learning do this for you!
Acel Learning is offering marking services for the exercises in Learn to Write Exciting Compositions 1 and 2. The marking criteria is in accordance with MOE’s requirements.
In addition to following the above marking criteria, valuable comments are provided to help your child improve on his or her writing.
Remember …
The younger the child, the more adult guidance is needed.
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Read regularly. Read with your child
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Give your child bite-sized practice instead of stacks of exercises each time.
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Give your child enough time to complete each exercise. Don’t rush through them.
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Be patient, give encouragement and motivate your child. They can do it!
Mastering a language is more than achieving good grades … it is a lifelong asset. Don’t kill off your child’s interest in the language.
Have fun in Chinese Language!
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