Lesson 5.1 太阳 月亮 星星: Sun, Moon and Stars

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Go outside or look out the window. Is the sun out? At bedtime, look for the moon and stars. Who made them all?

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. On the fourth day of creation God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. Psalm 148 calls the sun, moon and stars to praise Him!

   Read aloud: How Chinese works. The characters 日 (sun, day) and 月 (moon, month) began as pictures: a round sun and a crescent moon. 星xīng星xing says star twice, like many little stars.

   Read aloud: Say it out loud. tàiyáng (tie-YAHNG), yuèliang (yweh-lyahng), xīngxing (shing-shing). Sing: 一闪一闪亮晶晶 (yì shǎn yì shǎn liàng jīngjīng), “twinkle, twinkle, shining bright.”

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.

   • 太阳 (tàiyáng) [tie-YAHNG]: sun
   • 月亮 (yuèliang) [YWEH-lyahng]: moon
   • 星星 (xīngxing) [SHING-shing]: star(s)
   • 天 (tiān) [tyen (high)]: sky; day
4. Picture study: Early Spring

   

   Do this: Look at the picture together for a quiet minute before anyone talks.

   Read aloud: Guo Xi was a great landscape painter almost a thousand years ago. He painted the mountains on a misty spring morning, when the snow is melting and the trees are just waking up. Chinese painters loved to show how small people are beside the great works of nature, which we know God made.

   Point and find:

   • Find the waterfall.
   • Find the tiny people. What are they doing?
   • Where is the mist?
   • Can you see the sun? What time of day do you think it is?

   Ask:

   • “How does this picture make you feel?”
   • “If you climbed this mountain, what would you see at the top?”
5. Show how

   Show: What shines in the day? Say it in Chinese.

   Say this: “The sun shines by day.”

   Say this: “Sun = 太阳.”

   Answer: 太阳 (tàiyáng).

   Show: What twinkles at night?

   Say this: “Stars twinkle.”

   Say this: “Stars = 星星.”

   Answer: 星星 (xīngxing).

6. Practice together

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

   Ask: Say moon in Chinese.

   Listen for: 月亮 (yuèliang).

   Ask: Say sun in Chinese.

   Listen for: 太阳 (tàiyáng).

   Ask: Which character is a picture of the sun: 日 or 月?

   Listen for: 日.

   1 more on the lesson page.

7. Project: Day-and-night plate

   Read aloud: Make a plate with the day sky on one side and the night sky on the other.

   Steps:

   1. Color one side blue with a big yellow 太阳.
   2. Color the other side dark with a 月亮 and 星星.
   3. Write the Chinese words on each side.
   4. Flip it and say 太阳! or 月亮! 星星!

   Tips for you:

   • Count the stars in Chinese.

   Done when your child can say:

   • My plate shows day and night.
   • I can name the sun, moon and stars.
8. Sketchbook

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

   1. Draw the day sky and the night sky. Label 太阳, 月亮, 星星.
9. From history

   Read aloud: Long ago, Chinese astronomers watched the sky carefully and wrote down eclipses and comets. Some of their records are among the oldest in the world.

10. Watch for
    • Mixing 日 (sun) and 月 (moon). 日 is a box with a line; 月 has two lines and a curved side.
    • Saying 月亮 with two strong beats. The liang is light.
11. Game: Day and night

    When the parent says 太阳! the child stands up and stretches. When the parent says 月亮! the child lies down and sleeps. 星星! means twinkle your fingers.

12. Narration

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

    Listen for: Say 太阳 (sun), 月亮 (moon), 星星 (stars) and 天 (sky).; Sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star in Chinese.; Praise God, who made the lights in the sky.

13. Scripture

    Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

    In the Chinese Bible (Chinese Union Version), this verse reads: <span class="zh-block" lang="zh-Hans">日头月亮，你们要赞美他！放光的星宿，你们都要赞美他！</span><span class="py-line">Rì tou yuè liang, nǐ men yào zàn měi tā! Fàng guāng de xīng xiù, nǐ men dōu yào zàn měi tā!</span> The sun, moon and stars praise God by shining as He made them to. We praise Him with our voices.

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. Picture study and 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.