Thursday, February 24, 2011

Tiger Moms--A Lesson on Lessonwriter.com

As recommended by the TCET office, here's my first foray into lessonwriter.com! Try it, and post your comments below!

Why Chinese Moms are Superior


     By: Amy Chua
     Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704111504576059713528698754.html

1 Pronunciation

The sound of AE as in bAt, crAb

Pronounce these words in pairs:
bat-bet, cat-pet, sad-said, rack-wreck, mat-met
That cat spat at Matt.

2 Vocabulary

1. academic-(adj) - Related to school.*
2. excellence-(n) - Having very good qualities.*
3. mastery-(n) - The complete learning of something.
4. qualify-(v) - To be good enough.
5. regimen-(n) - A system for doing something, including food, clothing and personal habits.
6. successful-(adj) - Accomplished at what one set out to do.*
7. practice-(n) - Usual ways of doing things.
8. raise-(v) - To be looked after while growing up.
9. qualify -(v) - To have what is needed.
10. instrument-(n) - An object used to make music; an object used in the production or achievement of something.

3 Reading

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior

Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? And what happens when they fight back?

A lot of people wonder how Chinese parents raise such stereotypically successful kids. They wonder what these parents do to produce so many math whizzes and music prodigies, what it is like inside the family, and whether they could do it too. Well, I can tell them, because I have done it. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do: View Full Image

CAU cover

• attend a sleepover

• have a playdate

• be in a school play

• complain about not being in a school play

• watch TV or play computer games

• choose their own extracurricular activities

• get any grade less than an A

• not be the No. 1 student in every subject except gym and drama

• play any instrument other than the piano or violin

• not play the piano or violin.

I'm using the term "Chinese mother" loosely. I know some Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian parents who qualify too. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise. I'm also using the term "Western parents" loosely. Western parents come in all varieties.
Ms. Chua answers questions from Journal readers who wrote in to the Ideas Market blog.
All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers. For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day. An hour at most. For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It is hours two and three that get tough.


When it comes to parenting, the Chinese seem to produce children who display academic excellence, musical mastery and professional success - or so the stereotype goes. WSJ's Christina Tsuei speaks to two moms raised by Chinese immigrants who share what it was like growing up and how they hope to raise their children.

4 Comprehension Questions


1. Do you think sacrificing some fun as a child is a good or a bad thing?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Name three things her daughters were not allowed to do.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How many children does the author have?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Judge the value of obedience by children to their parents.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 Vocabulary

1. It is the company's _______________________ to hire local workers.
2. Robert Louis Stevenson's most _______________________ story was The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
3. After my parents died, I was _______________________ by my uncle and aunt.
4. The bread was an _______________________ in the making of the sandwich.
5. The hotel does not have enough rooms so it does not _______________________for our meeting.
6. The company's _______________________ can be seen in their products and the happiness of their workers.
7. She loved school and wanted an _______________________ job.
8. Playing golf is easy but _______________________ is difficult.
9. He runs five miles a day as part of his health _______________________.
10. The hotel is not enough to _______________________ for our meeting.

6 Focus on Grammar

A Identify


We use adverbs of frequency to show how often something happens or it is done. The sentence "Bob always eats eggs for breakfast." describes how often Bob eats eggs. What words show how often something happens in the sentence(s) below?

1. Here are some things my daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to do:
2. All the same, even when Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers.
3. Conversely, I know some mothers of Chinese heritage, almost always born in the West, who are not Chinese mothers, by choice or otherwise.

B Practice - Sentence Writing


Write original sentences using the grammar in this exercise.


1. ________________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________________________________

adverbs_of_frequency

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