Chinese Course Progression

Prerequisite: None

Suggested Course Preparation/Critical Skills: Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills

Course Description: Chinese (Mandarin) 1 College Preparation (Priority is given to 9, 10; upperclassmen on space available basis).  Chinese (Mandarin) 1 is designed for students with no background in the language. This course helps students develop the basic communicative skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students also learn cultural knowledge such as traditional festivals, the origin of Chinese characters and etiquette of greetings. Considerable amount of time in the first semester will be spent on Pinyin learning. Students will start to learn Chinese typing. By the end of the year students should be able to read and write about 250 commonly used characters. They can carry on basic conversational topics including greetings, nationalities, ages, grades, family, dates and time, hobbies, making appointments, and making phone calls. This course helps students lay solid foundation for the higher level studies.

Major Projects/Assignments:  Students’ development of proficiency will be assessed in a variety of ways during and at the end of each unit.  Forms of assessment will include quizzes and tests, projects, short compositions, and presentations.

Approximate homework assigned daily: 15 to 20 minutes, 4 to 5 days per week

Prerequisite: Chinese 1 or equivalent

Suggested Course Preparation/Critical Skills: Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills

Course Description: Chinese (Mandarin) 2 is designed to continue to develop student’s ability in basic language skills. Students continue to gain knowledge and understanding of Chinese culture. The amount of time devoted to reading, writing and grammar learning will increase.  Students will also sharpen their typing skills.  By the end of the year students should be able to read and write about 600 characters. The topics covered at this level include study Chinese, school life, shopping, transportation, weather and food. Lots of communicative activities and short essays will be assigned throughout the year. A range of communicative activities will be conducted throughout the year.  Non-native speakers with some basic language skills as well as native speakers of other Chinese dialects can start at this level of Chinese course upon passing the placement test.

Major Projects/Assignments: Students’ development of proficiency will be assessed in a variety of ways during and at the end of each unit.  Forms of assessment will include quizzes and tests, projects, and presentations.

Approximate homework assigned daily: 15 to 20 minutes, 4 to 5 days per week

Prerequisite: Chinese 2 or equivalent

Suggested Course Preparation/Critical Skills: Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills

Course Description: Chinese 3 is designed to continue to develop student’s ability in basic language skills. The emphasis will be placed on students’ speaking and writing skills.  The culture learning experience will be broadened.  Rigorous practice of spoken and written Chinese will be conducted.  By the end of the year students should be able to read and write about 850 high frequency characters.  Students can dialogue on topics such as weather, dining, asking for directions, birthday party, and seeing a doctor.  The instruction will be conducted primarily in Chinese.  This course is intended for non-native speakers who have completed Chinese 3 to 4.  Students with sufficient knowledge of Chinese language and pass the placement test may also enter this level.

Major Projects/Assignments: Students’ development of proficiency will be assessed in a variety of ways during and at the end of each unit.  Forms of assessment will include quizzes and tests, projects, short compositions, and presentations.

Approximate homework assigned daily: 20 to 25 minutes, 4 to 5 days per week

Prerequisite: Chinese 3 or equivalent

Suggested Course Preparation/Critical Skills: Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills

Course Description: Chinese 4 Honors is a preparation course for the Advanced Placement Chinese and Culture. Students are required to communicate with more complex sentence structures. The emphasis will be placed on students’ interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills with authentic materials. The course provides opportunities for cultural enrichment as well. By the end of the year, students should be able to read and write about 1200 high frequency characters.  Students can converse on topics such as dating, renting an apartment, sports, travel, and checking in at the airport.  Different types of writing will be assigned throughout the year. This course is intended for non-native speakers who have completed Chinese 5– 6.  Students with sufficient knowledge of Chinese language and pass the placement test may also enter this level.

Major Projects/Assignments: Students’ development of proficiency will be assessed in a variety of ways during and at the end of each unit.  Forms of assessment will include quizzes and tests, projects, short compositions, and presentations.

Approximate homework assigned daily: 20 to 25 minutes, 4 to 5 days per week

Prerequisite: Chinese 1 or equivalent

Suggested Course Preparation/Critical Skills: Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills

Course Description: Chinese (Mandarin) 2 is designed to continue to develop student’s ability in basic language skills. Students continue to gain knowledge and understanding of Chinese culture. The amount of time devoted to reading, writing and grammar learning will increase.  Students will also sharpen their typing skills.  By the end of the year students should be able to read and write about 600 characters. The topics covered at this level include study Chinese, school life, shopping, transportation, weather and food. Lots of communicative activities and short essays will be assigned throughout the year. A range of communicative activities will be conducted throughout the year.  Non-native speakers with some basic language skills as well as native speakers of other Chinese dialects can start at this level of Chinese course upon passing the placement test.

Major Projects/Assignments: Students’ development of proficiency will be assessed in a variety of ways during and at the end of each unit.  Forms of assessment will include quizzes and tests, projects, and presentations.

Approximate homework assigned daily: 15 to 20 minutes, 4 to 5 days per week

Prerequisite: Chinese 2 or equivalent

Suggested Course Preparation/Critical Skills: Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills

Course Description: Chinese 3 is designed to continue to develop student’s ability in basic language skills. The emphasis will be placed on students’ speaking and writing skills.  The culture learning experience will be broadened.  Rigorous practice of spoken and written Chinese will be conducted.  By the end of the year students should be able to read and write about 850 high frequency characters.  Students can dialogue on topics such as weather, dining, asking for directions, birthday party, and seeing a doctor.  The instruction will be conducted primarily in Chinese.  This course is intended for non-native speakers who have completed Chinese 3 to 4.  Students with sufficient knowledge of Chinese language and pass the placement test may also enter this level.

Major Projects/Assignments: Students’ development of proficiency will be assessed in a variety of ways during and at the end of each unit.  Forms of assessment will include quizzes and tests, projects, short compositions, and presentations.

Approximate homework assigned daily: 20 to 25 minutes, 4 to 5 days per week

Prerequisite: Chinese 3 or equivalent

Suggested Course Preparation/Critical Skills: Reading, writing, listening, speaking skills

Course Description: Chinese 4 Honors is a preparation course for the Advanced Placement Chinese and Culture. Students are required to communicate with more complex sentence structures. The emphasis will be placed on students’ interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational skills with authentic materials. The course provides opportunities for cultural enrichment as well. By the end of the year, students should be able to read and write about 1200 high frequency characters.  Students can converse on topics such as dating, renting an apartment, sports, travel, and checking in at the airport.  Different types of writing will be assigned throughout the year. This course is intended for non-native speakers who have completed Chinese 5– 6.  Students with sufficient knowledge of Chinese language and pass the placement test may also enter this level.

Major Projects/Assignments: Students’ development of proficiency will be assessed in a variety of ways during and at the end of each unit.  Forms of assessment will include quizzes and tests, projects, short compositions, and presentations.

Approximate homework assigned daily: 20 to 25 minutes, 4 to 5 days per week