Home›Lesson Plans›World Languages›Mandarin Chinese · Grade 3

Mandarin Greetings — 你好

Third graders take their first steps in Mandarin Chinese — the world’s most-spoken language — with everyday greetings: 你好 (nǐ hǎo), 再见 (zàijiàn), 谢谢 (xièxie). They learn characters (汉字) and pinyin together.

Grade 3Nǐ hǎo!40 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Say hello & goodbye.
  • ✓Say thank you.
  • ✓Match greetings to meanings.
  • ✓Greet in Mandarin.
Essential Question

你好! (Nǐ hǎo — Hello!) Let’s start Mandarin — how do you say hello, thank you, and goodbye?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Greeting

Project this and match each Mandarin greeting to its English meaning — tap the Mandarin, then tap the English.

👋 Match each greeting to its meaningTry it
中文 Mandarin
English
Now tap the English!
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 — 你好!

4 min

Let’s start Mandarin — how do you say hello and goodbye?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say “你好!”
  • Ask how to greet.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Wave.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Nǐ hǎo!

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present each greeting.
  • Say the pinyin aloud.
  • Show the characters.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Look.
3

Practice — Match Them

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Greeting.
  • Match each one.
  • Say them aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

10 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Greet a partner: “你好!”
  • Say 谢谢 (xièxie).
  • Say 再见 (zàijiàn).

🎒 Student Actions

  • Greet.
  • Thank.
  • Bye.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say a greeting.
  • Say what it means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say 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 1.1

Interpersonal: greet others.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand greetings.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore Chinese greetings.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare greetings across languages.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Greeting picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ means ___.”
  • Model the tones.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with 你好 and 再见.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add 早上好 (good morning).
  • Role-play a greeting.
  • Trace a character.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 👋Greeting cards
  • 💻Match the Greeting
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

你好 (nǐ hǎo)hello再见 (zàijiàn)goodbye谢谢 (xièxie)thank you是 (shì)yes/is不是 (bù shì)no你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma)how are you?很好 (hěn hǎo)very good朋友 (péngyou)friend
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
How do you say “hello” in Mandarin?
你好 (Nǐ hǎo).
QUESTION 2
What does “谢谢 (Xièxie)” mean?
Thank you.
QUESTION 3
What does “再见 (Zàijiàn)” mean?
Goodbye.

Reflect: 你好!

Have students greet a family member in Mandarin with “你好” (nǐ hǎo) and “再见” (zàijiàn). A printable greetings 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 Greetings (Nǐ hǎo)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Mandarin Greetings (Nǐ hǎo)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

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 Greetings (Nǐ hǎo)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: 不是 (bù shì), 你好 (nǐ hǎo), 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma), 再见 (zàijiàn), 很好 (hěn hǎo), 是 (shì), 朋友 (péngyou), 谢谢 (xièxie)
  1. thank you
  2. very good
  3. hello
  4. how are you?
  5. no
  6. friend
  7. goodbye
  8. yes/is

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “hello” in Mandarin?
  2. What does “谢谢 (Xièxie)” mean?
  3. What does “再见 (Zàijiàn)” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) 谢谢 (xièxie) · 2) 很好 (hěn hǎo) · 3) 你好 (nǐ hǎo) · 4) 你好吗 (nǐ hǎo ma) · 5) 不是 (bù shì) · 6) 朋友 (péngyou) · 7) 再见 (zàijiàn) · 8) 是 (shì)
Part B: 1) 你好 (Nǐ hǎo). 2) Thank you. 3) Goodbye.