Parties, Mandarin Chinese, Novice-High

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Amber Hoye, Hannah Steiner, Camille Daw, Mimi Fahnstrom

Please Note: Many of the activities on the Pathways Project OER Repository were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact amberhoye@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner.  — The Pathways Project

Looking for the English Version of this activity to adapt for your language? CLICK HERE

About the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) Language Activity Repository

The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale. Many of these activities offer an English Version that is “language-agnostic” to provide language instructors from around the country a platform to remix these instructional materials, infusing them with their target language and culture! The activities within the Pathways Project OER Repository seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. These activities should be facilitated in the target language for approximately 90% (or more), per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

How to use the WLRC Repository’s Activities:

1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

  • Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
  • Be sure to read through the activity description, and review the list of required materials. You will notice that the activity materials are also highlighted in yellow throughout the activity instructions.

If you have any suggestions about grammar, syntax, and content, please kindly contact amberhoye@boisestate.edu.

2. Remix for Your Language Classroom:

When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for the needs of your language classroom, simply click the blue “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. This will then take you to a screen with a NEW, editable version of this activity. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students in the target language, and may be altered for different levels and age groups. All activities have “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, a main activity, and a wrap-up.

Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials such as Google Slideshows. If you would like to make changes to these materials in Spanish, follow the instructions below:

  • Google Slideshows:
    • To begin, go to File -> Copy to create an editable version of the slideshow.
    • Once finished with your changes, please complete the following steps to share:
    • Click on Share
    • Who Has Access
    • Ensure link sharing is on and allow external access.
  • Materials Saved as PDF: Please email WLRCLAR@gmail.com and we will provide you with an editable copy. Please allow up to two business days for a response. For YouTube videos and other websites, hyperlinks are provided. 

3. Adapt for Another Language:

  • See the linked English Version at the top of the activity (English Version may not be available for all activities

Parties

Description:

In this activity, students will be discussing parties. First, they will use pre-made party invitations to try to convince fellow students to attend their party, and then students will pair up to discover their partner’s ideal party.

Proficiency Level:

Novice-High

Keywords:

Chinese, parties, birthday parties, celebrations

World-Readiness Standards:

Standard 1.1-Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions in Chinese

Standard 1.2- Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics in Chinese

Standard 1.3-Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics

Standard 4.1-Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the Chinese language with their own

Idaho Content Standards for World Languages:

COMM 1.1-Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions

COMM 2.1-Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

I can invite people to an event.

I can elaborate on the details of a specific event.

I can describe my ideal birthday party

Materials Needed:

Google Slides

Invitation cards

Warm Up

Go over the question slide on the Google Slideshow

Main Activity

Part 1 (10-15 minutes)

1. Hold out cards to students upside down, letting them choose a card

2. Give students a minute or two to read the card to themselves silently

3. Students then, without simply reading out the details on the invitation, try to persuade other students that they should attend the party

4. Let students know they can add any information they want to the invitation

5. If they get stuck, the lab assistant an lead them with a few questions

What are you eating?

Who else might be there?

What will you do?

Any other good questions you can think of!

6. After each student has presented their party, the other students will decide which party they would like to go to and why

Part 2

1. In the second part of this lab, students will interview one another to discover what their partners "dream birthday party" is

2. Students will pair up into groups of two, or a group no bigger than 3 depending on how many students are in the lab

3. Project the suggested question slide so it is visible to all groups

4. Starting with Student A, students will ask each other the suggested questions, as well as any other questions they would like and write notes on their partners answers

Time this for  5 minutes and then partners will switch who is asking the questions

5. After both partners have been interviewed, groups will come together as one larger group and students will describe their partner's dream party

Wrap Up

What are the important parts of parties or festivals in China? 

Is it a time for friends, family, both?

What type of food and drinks are common?

End of lab: Can-Do statement check in... "Where are we?"

  • Read can-do statements and have students evaluate their confidence with cards or holding up fingers 1-5
  • Encourage students to be honest in their self evaluation
  • Pay attention and try to use feedback for future labs!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

I can invite people to an event.

I can elaborate on the details of a specific event.

I can describe my ideal birthday party


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