Elementary Mandarin 2 - 1st year


Provides intermediate Mandarin language skill training in listening, speaking, reading, writing and basic grammar. Students will learn both Chinese language and culture through content-based teaching materials and task-oriented social functions. By the end of the semester, students will be able to comprehend and engage in basic conversations; read simple authentic materials; and write sentences and paragraphs.



Objectives:

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate understanding of sentence-length utterances that consist of recombination of learned words, phrases, and grammatical structures in functional areas such as daily activities, transportation, shopping, eating out, visiting friends, etc;

2. Produce words and sentences appropriate for simple task-oriented and social functions pertaining to topics mentioned above;

3. Ask and answer questions;

4. Initiate and respond to simple statements and maintain conversations;

5. Organize and deliver a 2-3 minute oral presentation;

6. Read simple dialogues, narratives, and texts in traditional Chinese characters and hanyu pinyin Romanization;

7. Write simple/complex sentences, questions, and short paragraphs in formats such as letters, notes, messages, postcards, or journals.

Topics:

Will vary slightly depending on course text, but the basic content will build upon that of the first Chinese class and will include pronunciation and intonation, basic grammar, Hanyu pinyin Romanization and traditional characters, conversation skills for various social situations, and a large repertoire of common phrases and vocabulary.

Method of Instruction:

1. Lectures

2. Group and pair work

3. Role play

4. Real-life problem solving

5. Viewing Chinese language videos

6. Language lab

Types of Assignments:

1. Lab work (drills and exercises)

2. Homework assignments from a workbook

3. Class work

4. Oral presentation

5. Occasional supplemental exercises using the interactive CD-ROM program and/or other computer software or material from the Internet.

6. Journal writing

Sample Text:

1. Integrated Chinese: Traditional Character Edition Level 2, Part 2, Textbook, Character Workbook and Workbook (Tao-chung Yao and Yuehua Liui/Boston: Cheng & Tsui Co., 1997)