七楼 · 第二十一天
The Seventh Floor, Episode 21: The Granddaughter's Secret
Name: ________________ Date: ________
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to give way; to let (someone have) |
| 帮 | bāng | to help; to assist |
| 别 | bié | don’t (do something) |
| 告诉 | gàosu | to tell; to inform |
| 爷爷 | yéye | grandpa; paternal grandfather |
| 等 | děng | to wait |
| 刚才 | gāngcái | just now; a moment ago |
| 哭 | kū | to cry; to weep |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however |
| 先 | xiān | first; in advance |
| 楼梯 | lóutī | stairs; staircase |
| 一直 | yìzhí | all along; continuously; straight (ahead) |
Lesson plan: 45 minutes (for the teacher)
HSK 3 · The Seventh Floor, Episode 21: The Granddaughter's Secret. By the end, students can read it aloud, say what it is about and use 刚才 and 哭 in sentences of their own.
Warm-up 5 min
Write 七楼 · 第二十一天 on the board. Ask what the class thinks it is about, then give the English: “The Seventh Floor, Episode 21: The Granddaughter's Secret”.
Key words 10 min
Teach 刚才 (gāngcái, just now; a moment ago), 哭 (kū, to cry; to weep), 可是 (kěshì, but; however), 先 (xiān, first; in advance), 楼梯 (lóutī, stairs; staircase), 一直 (yìzhí, all along; continuously; straight (ahead)). Say each one, the class says it back, then ask for its meaning with the word covered. The rest are in the handout’s table.
Listen 10 min
Play it read aloud from mandarinthewild.com/library/read/the-seventh-floor-episode-21-the-granddaughters-secret: once with the text face down, once reading along. Students tap any word there for its meaning.
Read and check 10 min
Students read it alone, then tell a partner in two sentences of Chinese what it says.
Use it 10 min
In pairs, each student writes two sentences of their own, one with 刚才 and one with 哭, and reads one to the class.
Homework. Students read it again at home and Review its words. Put it in a free class (mandarinthewild.com/teachers/class) and you see who read it.
English (for the teacher)
A moment ago, Grandma Zou's granddaughter cried on the phone. She said she was the one who sent the parcels. She wanted Qiao An to do her a favour, but not to tell her grandpa yet. Just then, Grandpa Zou asked from the little staircase, “Is it her?”
Qiao An nodded. “It's her. Grandpa, wait for me a moment.”
She took the phone and went down, all the way to the fifth floor. Here, the people upstairs couldn't hear her.
“All right,” she said quietly. “What do you need me to help with?”
The woman had stopped crying. “Next month is Grandma's birthday. Every year on her birthday, our whole family used to eat together on the seventh floor.”
“That day, I want to come back. I don't want to say sorry over the phone; I want to go back to the seventh floor and say it looking at Grandpa. I also want to try and see if I can get my dad to come back with me.”
“Then why can't Grandpa know?”
“I'm scared. If he finds out first, he might say, ‘No, don't come back.’ Then I really wouldn't know what to do.”
Qiao An remembered Grandpa Zou's reddened eyes. She didn't like keeping things unsaid. But this time, she felt it was best not to say anything yet.
“All right, I won't tell him you're coming back. But today, could you let me take him one sentence from you? Just one is enough.”
The other end was quiet for a long time. “I don't know what to say first.”
Qiao An laughed as soon as she heard it. “You two really are the same.”
The voice on the phone said a quiet “thank you”, and then there was no sound.
When she got back to the iron door, Grandpa Zou was still standing on the little staircase; he hadn't moved. “What did she say?”
“She said she's fine.” Qiao An paused. “She also said that after five years, she doesn't know what to say first either.”
Grandpa Zou turned around, looked up at the light on the seventh floor, and only after a long while did he say, “Then let her take her time thinking. I'll wait.”
Just then, Ningning came running down the little staircase with his phone, his face red. “Oh no! Just now I called Mum and told her I was on the seventh floor.”
“What did she say?”
“She said, where is there a seventh floor in our compound? She's bringing the neighbours up to have a look.”
Before he had even finished, they heard lots of people climbing the stairs below, getting closer and closer.