🀄 Pinyin Adventure — 8-Lesson Syllabus 

Lesson 1: Discovering Chinese Sounds

Objectives:

• Introduce 6 basic vowels: a, o, e, i, u, ü
  
  

• Demonstrate the 4 tones and neutral tone
  
  

• Practice tone differentiation and vowel pronunciation
  
  

Activities:

• Listen and repeat tone drills
  
  

• Imitate teacher’s pronunciation and tone gestures
  
  

• Sing a short “tone song” for memory
  
  

• Pair exercises: identify and pronounce tones correctly
  
  

Lesson 2: Vowel Combinations with Tones

Objectives:

• Practice combining vowels (e.g., ai, ao, ou, ei, ia, ie, uo, üe)
  
  

• Reinforce tone accuracy with combinations
  
  

Activities:

• Tone practice using flashcards
  
  

• Pinyin listening discrimination games
  
  

• Reading aloud simple vowel combinations
  
  

• Mini quiz on vowel + tone pronunciation
  
  

Lesson 3: Initial Consonants (声母 shēngmǔ)

Objectives:

• Introduce all 23 initials (b, p, m, f… zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s)
  
  

• Focus on tongue placement and airflow differences
  
  

Activities:

• Pronunciation drills with mirrors and tongue position diagrams
  
  

• Contrast practice: e.g., zh–z, ch–c, sh–s
  
  

• Sound identification games
  
  

Lesson 4: Combining Consonants & Vowels

Objectives:

• Practice forming complete syllables (e.g., bā, bó, mǎ, fēi)
  
  

• Strengthen tone and pronunciation accuracy
  
  

Activities:

• Build syllables with letter cards
  
  

• Group reading practice
  
  

• Tongue-twister mini challenge
  
  

• Listening and writing pinyin exercises
  
  

Lesson 5: Applying Pinyin in Vocabulary

Objectives:

• Learn 10–15 common words using pinyin (e.g., māma, bàba, xuésheng, lǎoshī)
  
  

• Associate pinyin with meanings and pictures
  
  

Activities:

• Matching games (pinyin ↔ picture)
  
  

• Read and repeat short sentences with new words
  
  

• Write simple vocabulary lists in pinyin
  
  

Lesson 6: Learning Poems with Pinyin

Objectives:

• Use pinyin to read and recite short poems (e.g., 《静夜思》Jìng Yè Sī)
  
  

• Reinforce tone rhythm through poetry
  
  

Activities:

• Group reading and choral recitation
  
  

• Tone rhythm clapping
  
  

• Highlight tones in poem text
  
  

• Practice performance reading
  
  

Lesson 7: Pinyin Practice & Review

Objectives:

• Review all initials, finals, and tones
  
  

• Identify and correct common pronunciation errors
  
  

Activities:

• Pinyin bingo or quiz game
  
  

• “Find the tone” listening challenge
  
  

• Peer pronunciation feedback
  
  

• Oral quiz with random syllables
  
  

Lesson 8: Finalizing the Pinyin Table

Objectives:

• Complete and review the full pinyin chart
  
  

• Demonstrate mastery of tones, initials, and finals
  
  

• Apply pinyin in short self-introductions
  
  

Activities:

• Fill-in-the-blank pinyin table
  
  

• Group competition: recite full chart
  
  

• Students introduce themselves using pinyin sentences
  
  

• Celebration of progress (certificate or small reward)