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Mandarin Colors — 颜色

Third graders learn colors in Mandarin — 红 (hóng), 蓝 (lán), 黄 (huáng), 绿 (lǜ), 黑 (hēi) — and discover that red (红) is the lucky color in Chinese culture.

Grade 3Yánsè40 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name the colors.
  • ✓Say each color.
  • ✓Learn 红 is lucky.
  • ✓Use colors in Mandarin.
Essential Question

The world is full of 颜色 (yánsè — colors)! What are the colors in Mandarin?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Yánsè Explorer

Project this and tap each color. Have students learn the colors in Mandarin.

🎨 Explore colors — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — A World of 颜色

4 min

The world is full of colors — what are they in Mandarin?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Point to colors.
  • Ask how to say them.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Yánsè

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Yánsè Explorer.
  • Present each color.
  • Note 红 is lucky.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a color you see.
  • Match colors to objects.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Match.
  • Say.
4

Speak — Speak

10 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say your favorite color.
  • Name a red thing.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Name it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a color.
  • Say what it means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand color words.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore color symbolism.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to art and the world.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: describe colors.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Color picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is ___.”
  • Use color objects.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with 红 and 蓝.
  • Use color chips.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add 白 (white) and 橙 (orange).
  • Describe your clothes.
  • Color a picture.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🎨Color chips
  • 💻The Yánsè Explorer
  • 🗣️Audio
  • 🖍️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

颜色 (yánsè)color红 (hóng)red蓝 (lán)blue黄 (huáng)yellow绿 (lǜ)green黑 (hēi)black白 (bái)white橙 (chéng)orange
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “红 (hóng)” mean?
Red — the lucky color in Chinese culture.
QUESTION 2
What does “蓝 (lán)” mean?
Blue.
QUESTION 3
What does “绿 (lǜ)” mean?
Green.

Reflect: 颜色.

Have students find something red (红) and something blue (蓝) and name the colors in Mandarin. A printable colors sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Mandarin Colors (Yánsè)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Mandarin Colors (Yánsè)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Mandarin Colors (Yánsè)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 橙 (chéng), 白 (bái), 红 (hóng), 绿 (lǜ), 蓝 (lán), 颜色 (yánsè), 黄 (huáng), 黑 (hēi)
  1. yellow
  2. green
  3. orange
  4. color
  5. blue
  6. red
  7. white
  8. black

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “红 (hóng)” mean?
  2. What does “蓝 (lán)” mean?
  3. What does “绿 (lǜ)” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) 黄 (huáng) · 2) 绿 (lǜ) · 3) 橙 (chéng) · 4) 颜色 (yánsè) · 5) 蓝 (lán) · 6) 红 (hóng) · 7) 白 (bái) · 8) 黑 (hēi)
Part B: 1) Red — the lucky color in Chinese culture. 2) Blue. 3) Green.