Changing States: Open and Closed
Changing States: Open and Closed
Look at two side-by-side pictures and hear words for different states.
Today's Approach
Amara is about 2 years and 1–2 months old. Keep each activity to 3–8 minutes. Looking, pointing, making a movement or sound, saying one word, staying quiet, pausing, or declining all count. Use only the poster and audio; do not require repetition, performance, touch, or eye contact.
A4 Teaching Picture
Open the teaching poster to download or print
Goals
- Chinese: hear “窗户打开了” and “门关上了” during shared picture talk.
- English: understand
The window is open.andThe door is closed.with picture support. - Early maths: point one-to-one to one box, two books, and three gates in the bottom strip.
- Relationship: the adult follows Amara's attention without turning shared observation into a test.
Materials
- Only the A4 teaching picture above, printed or displayed full-screen.
- The English audio below.
- No cards, toys, food, containers, or other real objects are needed.
1. Chinese Picture Talk
Time: 5–8 minutes.
Say, “窗户打开了。”“门关上了。” Model each sentence naturally once, then leave quiet looking time. Amara may look anywhere, point, make a related movement, vocalise, or say one word. Quiet, pausing, and declining are equally valid.
Do not ask a chain of questions, correct pronunciation, request a whole-sentence repetition, or direct where she must look.
2. English Time
Time: 3–5 minutes.
Download today's English audio
Transcript: English time. Listen, look, or point. The window is open. The door is closed. One box. Two books. Three gates. All done.
Play it once. The adult may point gently with the audio. Repeating, memorising words, and memory checks are not tasks.
| English | Chinese | Possible response |
|---|---|---|
The window is open. | 窗户打开了。 | Look, point, move, vocalise, or say one word |
The door is closed. | 门关上了。 | Listen quietly, pause, or decline |
3. Early Maths: 1, 2, 3
Time: 3–5 minutes.
Use only the separate bottom counting strip: one box, two books, and three gates. Move one fingertip once while saying, “One, two, three.” Do not count the main picture, text, or decoration, and do not require number words or numeral recognition.
4. Shared Attention and Language Expansion
Time: 3–5 minutes.
If Amara offers one word, receive it and naturally add one or two words. For example, when she names something in the picture, say, “I heard you,” then model the related short sentence. Expansion is not correction, and she does not need to repeat it.
5. Choice and Safety Boundaries
Time: 3–5 minutes.
If Amara turns away, pushes the screen aside, stays quiet, or says no, respond, “You want to stop. We will stop.” Do not use scores, rewards, comparison, or repeated drills. When the picture involves weather, plants, animals, roads, water, hot items, or body care, use it only for talk; an adult remains responsible for real-world safety decisions and necessary care.
Development Note
Two-year-olds learn mainly through shared attention, movement, sounds, and a small number of words. The adult offers stable, short, meaningful language without bringing forward print drills, KET preparation, memorisation, or question practice.
Gentle Bedtime Recall
Time: 3–5 minutes.
- Say once, “窗户打开了。”
- Then say once,
The window is open. - Accept looking, pointing, moving, one word, quiet, pausing, or finishing.