Lesson 1.2 早上好 and 晚安: Morning, Night and Please

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Pretend to wake up: stretch and yawn. What is the first thing you say to your family? Then pretend it is bedtime. What do you say?

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. The Bible says God’s mercies are “new every morning.” Each morning is a gift from God. Chinese families greet each other in the morning, and children greet their teacher at school by saying 老师好, “teacher, hello!”

   Read aloud: How Chinese works. Add 好 (good) to a word to make a greeting: 早zǎo上shang (morning) + 好 = good morning; 老lǎo师shī + 好 = hello, teacher. 请qǐng means please, or here you are when you hand something over.

   Read aloud: Say it out loud. zǎoshang hǎo (dzao-shahng HOW), wǎn’ān (wahn-AHN), lǎoshī hǎo (lao-shr HOW), qǐng (ching).

3. New words

   Do this: Say each word clearly; your child says it back twice. Point to a picture or the real thing when you can.

   • 早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo) [dzao-shahng HOW]: good morning
   • 晚安 (wǎn’ān) [wahn-AHN]: good night
   • 老师 (lǎoshī) [lao-SHR]: teacher
   • 请 (qǐng) [ching (dipping)]: please; here you are
4. Show how

   Show: You wake up and see Mom. What do you say?

   Say this: “It is morning.”

   Say this: “Good morning is 早上好.”

   Answer: 早上好! (zǎoshang hǎo)

   Show: You come into class. How do you greet your teacher?

   Say this: “Teacher is 老师.”

   Say this: “Add 好.”

   Answer: 老师好! (lǎoshī hǎo)

5. Practice together

   Do this: Ask out loud. Let your child try first; help only after a real try.

   Ask: Say good night in Chinese.

   Listen for: 晚安 (wǎn’ān).

   Ask: Say good morning in Chinese.

   Listen for: 早上好 (zǎoshang hǎo).

   Ask: Hand someone a cookie politely in Chinese.

   Listen for: 请! (qǐng)

   1 more on the lesson page.

6. Project: Morning and night door hanger

   Read aloud: Make a two-sided door hanger.

   Steps:

   1. On one side draw a sun and write 早上好.
   2. On the other side draw a moon and write 晚安.
   3. Hang it on your door; turn it over each morning and night.
   4. Greet your family with the side that shows.

   Tips for you:

   • A parent writes the characters; the child traces them.

   Done when your child can say:

   • My hanger has a morning side and a night side.
   • I greet my family in Chinese.
7. Sketchbook

   Do this: Your child picks one or more; you write the date.

   1. Draw a sun and a moon. Write 早上好 under the sun and 晚安 under the moon.
8. From history

   Read aloud: Chinese schoolchildren often stand up together when the teacher comes in and say 老师好! The teacher answers 同学们好 (tóngxuémen hǎo), “hello, students!”

9. Watch for
   • Saying 晚安 as one blurred word. There are two parts: wǎn-ān.
   • Saying 老师 lǎoshī as lao-see. The shī has an sh sound.
10. Game: Sun and moon

    The parent holds up a sun picture or a moon picture. The child says 早上好 for the sun and 晚安 for the moon, and acts it out (stretching or sleeping).

11. Narration

    Say this: “Tell me what you learned today.”

    Listen for: Say 早上好 (good morning) and 晚安 (good night).; Greet a teacher: 老师好.; Say 请 (please).

12. Scripture

    They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

    In the Chinese Bible (Chinese Union Version), this verse reads: <span class="zh-block" lang="zh-Hans">每早晨，这都是新的；你的诚实极其广大！</span><span class="py-line">Měi zǎo chén, zhè dōu shì xīn de; nǐ de chéng shí jí qí guǎng dà!</span> God’s mercies are new every morning. Begin each day with thanks to Him.

Spread over the week

3 sessions of 15–20 minutes. Stop while it is still going well.

1. Session 1. Warm-up, then read and teach the new idea and the new words. Show how.
2. Session 2. Practice together, then start the project. Finish the project, then the sketchbook.
3. Session 3. Narration, the game and the Scripture.