Homeschool Chinese: Going to the Zoo
Some time ago, I shared with you a writing activity whereby my kids applied their Chinese writing skills in a personal journal activity. I also described a project whereby my son learned the cardinal directions. Today, I would like to share a more in-depth project that my daughter enjoyed that incorporated all of these skills and also integrated technology. In My First Chinese Reader (Volume 3), Lesson 34 focuses on the zoo or 动物园 (dòngwùyuán). It was serendipitous that we had just returned from a visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom when she started this lesson. Utilizing her journal entry and the photographs we had collected at Disney's Animal Kingdom, she created a brochure for an imaginary zoo. Using a template in our word processing program, she included a park map, schedule of special programs, and an excerpt from her journal as a sample itinerary. 
She loves projects that allow her to express her creativity and this one certainly fit the bill. She had a great time and worked on her brochure for hours. Here are a few animals that are commonly found in a zoo. These words are just a few of the vocabulary words that are used in the My First Chinese Reader lesson. You may wish to use these words to make a vocabulary matching activity or word search.
有老虎 yǒu lǎohǔ - tigers
狮子shīzi - lions
大象 dà xiàng - elephants
长颈鹿 chángjǐnglù - giraffes
蛇 shé - snakes
袋鼠 dàishǔ - kangaroos
斑马 bānmǎ - zebras
猴子 hóuzi - monkeys
大熊猫 dàxióngmāo - giant panda
If you are interested in seeing Meili's final product, you can take a peak here, Zoo Brochure.
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