Chinese–English STEM Vocabulary Cards

My First 100 STEM Words is a set of science picture cards built around four themed labs: space, the ocean, a dinosaur dig and the weather. Each lab holds 25 words, from sun and orbit to paleontologist and drought, and every word comes on three cards that get harder as you go.

Three cards for every word

The Observe & Name card shows the picture and the English word in large letters, nothing more. The Connect & Compare card adds the word in simplified Chinese underneath. The Explain & Investigate card adds a one-line fact and a question to think about: the octopus card says an octopus has eight flexible arms, then asks how many arms you can count.

Each lab has its own color, and the four divider cards list the five small topics inside it, such as Sky Objects, Space Travel and Tools & Tech for the space lab, or Fossil Clues and Dig Tools for the dinosaur camp.

Pages that reuse the words

The mini dictionary gives each word a picture, its Chinese name and a short sentence, five words to a page, with a prompt at the bottom: choose one word, share one fact, ask one new question. Each search page fills a box with small mixed pictures and asks kids to count every rocket, octopus or tornado in it, coloring a circle for each one they find. On the coloring pages the English word is printed in outline letters, the Chinese sits in the corner, and an empty box is left for drawing a favorite.

Using it at home or in class

The parent guide covers ages 4 to 8 in four stages. Four- and five-year-olds name a few cards and sort them by sky, sea, land or air. Seven- and eight-year-olds choose a question, write a prediction and link three cards into a cause-and-effect explanation. The guide also has a six-step routine (wonder, observe, predict, test, explain, reflect), a page of open questions to ask, and instructions for turning a few folded sheets into a science notebook.

Printing

Print at actual size and the cards come out at 4 x 6 inches, which fits a standard photo box or a 1-inch binder ring. The printing guide suggests white cardstock between 65 and 110 lb for the cards and plain paper for the rest. The poster is laid out for 11 x 17 in tabloid paper, so a copy shop can print it full size, or you can scale it down to a single sheet at home.

Questions

Is there pinyin on the cards?

No. The Chinese is printed in simplified characters only. It appears on the second- and third-level cards, in the dictionary, on the poster and on the activity pages. The first-level cards show the English word alone, and the facts and questions are in English.

Are the cards smaller in the A4 files?

No. The cards measure 4 x 6 in on both paper sizes. Only the white margin around each pair of cards changes.