Lesson 4.2 红帽子: Colors and Clothes, and Joseph’s Coat

Steps

1. Warm-up

   Do this together: Play I Spy with clothes: I spy something blue that someone is wearing!

2. Teach the new idea

   Read aloud: The story. Jacob loved his son Joseph and made him a coat of many colors. His brothers were jealous and sold him, but God was with Joseph and used even that evil for good.

   Read aloud: How Chinese works. Put the color first: 红hóng帽mào子zi (red hat), 蓝lán裤kù子zi (blue pants), 白bái袜wà子zi (white socks). The Chinese Bible calls Joseph’s coat a 彩cǎi衣yī, a colorful garment.

   Read aloud: Say it out loud. Describe what everyone is wearing: 爸爸穿蓝衣服. 我穿白袜子.

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.

   • 袜子 (wàzi) [WAH-dzuh]: socks
   • 外套 (wàitào) [why-TOW]: coat; jacket
   • 戴 (dài) [die (falling)]: to wear (hat, glasses)
   • 彩衣 (cǎiyī) [tsai-EE]: colorful coat
4. Show how

   Show: Say “blue pants.”

   Say this: “Color first: 蓝.”

   Say this: “Pants: 裤子.”

   Answer: 蓝裤子 (lán kùzi).

   Show: Dad wears a black coat. Say it in Chinese.

   Say this: “Dad wears = 爸爸穿.”

   Say this: “Black coat = 黑外套.”

   Answer: 爸爸穿黑外套.

5. Practice together

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

   Ask: Say socks in Chinese.

   Listen for: 袜子 (wàzi).

   Ask: Say “red shoes.”

   Listen for: 红鞋 (hóng xié).

   Ask: What does 彩衣 mean?

   Listen for: A colorful coat (Joseph’s coat).

   1 more on the lesson page.

6. Project: Joseph’s coat collage

   Read aloud: Make Joseph’s coat of many colors.

   Steps:

   1. Glue stripes of many colors on the coat.
   2. Name each color in Chinese as you glue it.
   3. Write 彩衣 at the top.
   4. Tell the story of Joseph to someone.

   Tips for you:

   • Use all six colors you know.

   Done when your child can say:

   • My coat has many colors.
   • I can tell Joseph’s story.
7. Sketchbook

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

   1. Draw Joseph in his colorful coat. Write 彩衣 beside him.
8. From history

   Read aloud: In old China, bright yellow robes were for the emperor alone. Ordinary people wore blue, gray and brown cotton.

9. Watch for
   • Putting the color after: 帽子红. In Chinese the color comes first: 红帽子.
   • Forgetting 穿. Say 我穿红衣服, not just 我红衣服.
10. Game: Color and clothes bingo

    Make a bingo card with pictures like a red hat or blue pants. The parent calls them in Chinese: 红帽子! The child covers the picture.

11. Narration

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

    Listen for: Put a color before a clothing word: 红帽子, 蓝裤子.; Say 袜子 (socks) and 外套 (coat).; Retell the story of Joseph’s coat.

12. Scripture

    Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.

    In the Chinese Bible (Chinese Union Version), this verse reads: <span class="zh-block" lang="zh-Hans">他给约瑟做了一件彩衣</span><span class="py-line">Tā gěi Yuēsè zuò le yí jiàn cǎi yī</span> Jacob made Joseph a coat of many colors. God was with Joseph all through his hard years.

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.