After learning how to write basic Chinese sentences in P1, children will move on to Chinese picture composition in Primary 2.
This is also one of the more challenging tasks that your P2 child will face in their Primary 2 Chinese class.
Unlike Chinese composition writing (看图作文 kan tu zuo wen) in Primary 3 and 4 where your child will be given 4 pictures and they need to write a composition that’s based on them, composition writing in Primary 2 involves putting sentences together to form a simple story. This is known as 看图写话 (kan tu xie hua).
How does Primary 2 Chinese composition look like?
Here’s a Primary 2 Chinese composition sample to help you see what’s expected.
As you can see, your Primary 2 child will be given a picture and they’ll be required to write about a minimum of 5 sentences to describe what they see and turn the picture into a short story.
This will act as an introduction to Chinese composition in Primary 3 where they’ll need to write a more completed version of a story using paragraphs.
(If you’re curious to know more about P3 picture compositions 看图作文 (kan tu zuo wen), you can check out this blog post.)
How to write Chinese compositions in P2?
When it comes to writing Chinese compos, many children in P2 have problems knowing what to write.
For example, they might not know how to start a Chinese composition, how to write sentences that are grammatically correct or how to end their compositions. These are important skills that should be taught early so that they have the right foundation in their Chinese writing early on in their primary school years.
Here’s your friendly P2 Chinese composition guide
If you need help teaching your child the basics of Chinese picture composition in Primary 2, check out this Chinese compo video guide for P2.
I’ll take you through everything you need to know about Primary 2 Chinese compo writing step-by-step and we’ll cover things like:
- What Chinese picture composition is all about
- What’s the ideal structure of a good Chinese composition
- How to manage your time while writing
- How do we start writing a good Chinese composition
What about grading? How are Chinese Compositions graded in P2?
If you are worried about the P2 holistic assessment on compo writing, here’s what you need to know about how your child will be graded.
For P2 Chinese compos, teachers will usually look out for 2 things – whether a child can write a grammatically correct sentence and how well they can put the sentences together to describe the given picture.
These 2 parts will usually contribute 5 marks each and the total marks for the composition will be 10.
Gauging the standard of your child’s Chinese Composition
Many parents find it hard to mark Chinese compositions themselves and turn to model composition answers instead.
Although model compositions serves as a good guide for writing inspiration, they can’t really tell how much progress your child is making on their Chinese creative writing journey.
If you want to understand your child’s Chinese writing skills in Primary 2 better, free feel to send me a copy of your child’s composition practice along with the picture and I’ll gladly provide some free feedback to help your child improve their writing skills.
Additional tips on Primary 2 Chinese composition
Here are 3 tips that you can do with your child to help them improve their Chinese Composition writing skills. Doing these activities on a regular basis will not only expand their vocabulary, but get them used to the sequencing of sentences.
- Read Chinese storybooks that appeals to your child’s interest together. This exposes them to new words and they’ll learn how to use them over time.
- Watch Chinese cartoons with your child. As your child listens to how Chinese is spoken, they’ll develop a natural “language sense” to the Chinese language
- Create opportunities for your kid to practise speaking in Chinese and learn how to express themselves better.
