This class is intended to be a course in Chinese language as part of IES Abroad Shanghai Program for non-Chinese speaking students who have not taken any Chinese classes before. The lessons encompass contents such as greeting, contacting, eating, clothing, living, as well as about 600 new words and many fundamentals of Chinese grammar. It places emphasis on improving the ability of the learner to use Chinese for communication. Class activities include making dialogs, playing language games, performing skits, outdoor activities, etc. Through these exercises, students will master basic conversational sentences, and on that basis, they will acquire the ability to carry on simple conversations with native Chinese speakers.
Research has demonstrated that study abroad can enhance every aspect of language ability. One of the most important general findings of this research is, however, that study abroad is most beneficial for the development of abilities related to social interaction. Students who go abroad can learn to do things with words, such as requesting, apologizing, or offering compliments, and they may also learn to interpret situations calling such speech acts in ways that people do…In short, and logically, study abroad has been show to enhance the aspects of communicative competence that are most difficult to foster in classroom settings (IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, p. 6).
This course is designed for students with little or no prior knowledge of the language.
By the end of the course, the successful student will develop a basic foundation in the five skills: intercultural communication, reading, writing, listening and speaking to accomplish a variety of basic everyday needs in the host culture as described in the learning outcomes below.
Prerequisites:
None
Attendance policy:
Every day you start with 100 points (including fieldtrips and Chinese class activities).
•Late within 10 minutes, no deduction from your score.
•Late between 10 and 30 minutes, 30 points will be deducted.
•Late over 30 minutes, 50 points will be deducted.
•The same rule applies to leaving class early.
•Unexcused absences will result in 0 points, and from the fourth absence onward, every absence will result in degrading the final course grade by one-third, e.g. from B- to C+.
Learning outcomes:
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve the outcomes for the Novice Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
Intercultural Communication
Students will be able to meet basic everyday needs using verbal communication, they will be able to use compensatory strategies when they do not know the word or expression (repetition, body language, etc.), and they will be able to identify some basic non-verbal communication strategies.
Students can recognize basic appropriate and inappropriate expressions and behaviors in the host language.
Students will be able to distinguish between basic representations of formality and informality in the language.
Students will understand that there may be differences between cultural stereotypes and generalizations between the home culture and host culture.
Listening
Students will be able to understand basic statements, requests, descriptions, and questions in specific cultural context relevant to them (hosts’ interactions, Center interactions, studying, shopping, transportation, meals) and given to them in a controlled environment.
Students will be able to use context to understand the gist of some basic spoken language they overhear, including some standard television programs, simple exchanges between others, and basic announcements.
Speaking
Students will be able to use some basic phrases appropriately in some everyday situations (home, the IES Abroad Center, and the local community).
Students will be able to express some basic needs by asking questions, and get what they need in uncomplicated, everyday situations.
Reading
Students will be able to identify and understand basic sentences, as long as they are written in pinyin.
Students will be able to understand a defined set of characters, as long as they are covered in class, and at times deduce others that follow similar patterns.
Writing
With limited accuracy, students will be able to write short sentences and short paragraphs about basic and concrete topics they have studied, such as themselves, their families, their friends, their likes and dislikes, and their daily routines.
Students will be able to send short and basic emails and text messages.
Method of presentation:
Audio-lingual method and communicative approach
Required work and form of assessment:
Mid-term exam (10%)
Final exam (10%)
Bi-weekly quizzes (15%)
Homework (20%)
Attendance (15%)
Participation (15%)
Dictation (15%)
Participation
Every day you start with 100 points (including fieldtrips and other Chinese class activities)
•If you actively participate in the classes and the class-related activities or field trip, you will receive 100 points.
•If you do not participate actively, certain points will be deducted accordingly.
Dictation
A Dictation is worth 100 points
•If you are late or absent, you will probably miss it, and therefore lose the 100 points.
•For an absence(with a doctor’s note or center director’s written approval), you can make up the previous dictation with your instructor or the language coordinator on the same day. However, you will receive, at most, 70 points for a make-up dictation.
•After the third unexcused absence, that day’s dictation will be 0 points.
Homework
Every homework is worth 100 points.
•If you do it carefully and hand it in on time, you will receive 100 points.
•If you finish it rashly with a careless attitude, certain points will be deducted accordingly.
•If you forget to do the homework or hand it in, you are required to hand it in the next day, and you will receive at most 70 points.
•If you forget to do the homework or hand it in more than two days late, you will get 0 points.
Grading System
Letter
GPA
Percent
A
4.0
95-100
A-
3.7
90.5-94.5
B+
3.3
87.5-90
B
3.0
84.5-87
B-
2.7
81.5-84
C+
2.3
78.5-81
C
2.0
75.5-78
C-
1.7
70-75
D
1.3
60-69
F
0
content:
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
1.Functional:
How to greet people
How to introduce oneself
How to address family members
How to read numbers
How to ask about one’s family, age, and looks
2.Grammatical:
Phonetic rules, finals and initials,tones,neutral tone,Change of tones of “一” and “不”,retroflexion with-r
Questions with “吗(ma)”
Chinese basic sentence structure
Negative sentence
3.Vocabulary:
Pronouns
Words about countries
Words about family members
Words about identity
4.Culture:
Culture meaning of some Chinese greetings
Different way to address family members between Chinese and American
Role-play
Flash card
matching activities
Sing simple
Chinese children’s song
Tone-twister
Listen to the
recording the teacher gave
Homework
Preview and
prepare for the dictation
I. a, d
II. a
Ⅲ.a
Ⅳ.a
Week 2
1.Functional:
Talk about the hobbies, interests
Talk about the place and participants of some activity
2.Grammatical:
Alternative question with “哪(na)+ measure words”
Comparing sentences with “更(geng)”and “最(zui) ”
Turning sentence with “但是(danshi)”
Express one’s skills with “会(hui)+v.”
The position of the time and place in a Chinese sentence
3.Vocabulary:
Words about hobbies
Words about the time
Some useful prepositions and adverbs
4.Culture:
How to apply to the university club in Shanghai
Different time schedule between American university students and Chinese students
Chinese game:
Radish squatting
Chinese game:
Twister
Role-play
Make a schedule
of one day in Chinese
Seminar on
Chinese characters
Preview and
prepare the dictation every day
Homework every
day
Review for the bi
weekly quiz and prepare the oral test
I. a
II. a
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a, b
Ⅴ.a
Week 3
1.Functional:
Talk about time and time for something
Talk about the date and the date for something
2.Grammatical:
The position of time in a Chinese sentence
Express something is done with “了（le）”
Alternative sentence with “还是(haishi)”
Make a suggestion with “吧(ba)”
3.Vocabulary:
Words about the date
Words about 3 meals and food
Words about the flavors
Words about tableware
Words about ordering in restaurant
4.Culture:
The 8 cuisines in China
Different eating habits between China and America
Chinese game:
Radish squatting
Have lunch in
restaurant to practice how to order and ask for service
Role-play and
teamwork
Preview and
prepare the dictation every day
Homework every
day
I. a, b, d
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a, b
Week 4
1.Functional:
Talk about three meals of the day and food
How to order food, drinks
How to ask for service and pay one’s bill in restaurant
How to ask and tell about one’s experience as well as comments
How to ask the reason
2.Grammatical:
Structures to make requests
The experience sentence with “过(guo)”
Number+ measure words+ Noun structure
Use “为什么(weishenme, why)” to ask reason
3.Vocabulary:
Words of the typical Chinese and Western food
Words about different address unit
Some measure words
4.Culture:
The order of the Chinese address is different from that in America
Words-writing
competition
Radical matching
of Chinese characters
Role-play and
teamwork
Preview and
prepare the dictation every day
Homework every
day
Review for the bi
weekly quiz and prepare the oral test
Go to see Chinese
Lantern Festival
I. a, b, c
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.b
Week 5
1.Functional:
How to ask someone’s Chinese Zodiac
How to order food by phone
How to give one’s address in Chinese
How to ask about the period of time
2.Grammatical:
Question sentence to ask the Chinese Zodiac
Question sentence to ask the period of time
3.Vocabulary:
12 kind of animals
More words about food
4.Culture:
Chinese Zodiac folk
Give the
presentation about their travelling during the National holiday
Call the restaurant
to order some food
Dictation every day
Homework
every day
Week 6
1.Functional:
Talk about different kinds of clothes
Talk about the different size of the clothes
2.Grammatical:
Question sentence to ask the size of the clothes and shoes
3.Vocabulary:
Nouns about the clothes and shoes
Verbs about the clothes and accessories
Measure words for the clothes and shoes
4.Culture:
Different wearing habit between Chinese and western people
Introduce your
clothes in classroom
Review words and
characters for mid-term exam by using game like bingo, characters-writing completion
Review grammar
for mid-term exam by using games like lottery.
Dictation everyday
Homework
every day
I. a
II. a
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a
Ⅴ.a
Week 7
1.Functional:
How to comment on articles
How to ask price and bargain
How to request and consent
How to ask ways of paying
How to ask for or give advice on dressing
How to describe new conditions and changes
How to ask for and express causes of new condition
Ask for opinions on dealing with an object
2.Grammatical:
The reduplication form of verbs to express a short and quick action or an attempt
Use “可不可以（kebukeyi）” to ask for permission
Use “不如(buru)” to express the comparison
Some structures to make suggestions
Use “如果（ruguo）” to express hypothetical relation
The second grammatical meaning of “了（le）”,which means something is changed
The structure with”因为(yinwei)” to express causal relation
3.Vocabulary:
Some adjectives about the fitness of the clothes
More kinds of clothes
Different colors
Words about washing clothes
4.Culture:
Chinese consumption custom
Clothing habits on different occasions
Fashion show in
Classroom
Sing a Chinese
song called “friends”
Dictation every day
Homework
Every day
I. a, c,d
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a
Ⅴ.a
Week 8
1.Functional:
Exchange money
Deposit and withdraw money
Apply for a bank card
Ask for directions
Describe a location
2.Grammatical:
Grammar to express the exchange rate
Questions to ask how to get to a place
3.Vocabulary:
Different foreign currency
Different words to open a new account
Words about directions
4.Culture:
Chinese KTV
Fill in an
application form
Play games: stand
army postures
Play games: a
blind person finds direction
Sing songs in KTV
Dictation every day
Homework
every day
Review for bi-
weekly quiz
I. a, c
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a
Week 9
1.Functional:
Ask which bus to take
Ask how long it takes to get to a place by bus
Ask how many stops left until your destination
Tell the driver your destination
2.Grammatical:
Use “把(ba)” to express deal with something
Question to ask how to take public transportation
Use”…的话(dehua)” to express hypothetical relation
3.Vocabulary:
Words about different vehicles
Measure words about bus and subway
More words about direction
4.Culture:
Chinese traditional medicine
Public communication in Shanghai
Go to experience
Chinese traditional medicine
Go outside to ask
for directions
Go to find the
things on the shopping list the teacher gives in supermarket
Dictation every day
Homework
Every day
I. a, b, d
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a, b
Ⅴ.a
Week 10
1.Functional:
How to say something about our body
How to describe someone’s appearance
How to book and choose the right type of train and flight ticket
How to ask about and describe weather
2.Grammatical:
The reduplication of one-character adjective plus “的（de）” structure to describe one’s appearance
Use “不用（buyong）+V.” to express that someone doesn’t need to do something
The measure words for different degrees of temperature and wind
3.Vocabulary:
Words about different parts of our body
Words about the feeling of our body
Words about train and flight
Words about the weather
4.Culture:
Different train in China
The Chinese “New Year Rush”
The ways of Chinese local people greeting
Touch different
part of the body according to the teacher’s command
Play “Simon says”
Role-play to
practice how to book train and flight ticket
Watch a short
movie and tell the teacher what kind of transportation the actors use and what kind of ticket they buy
Listen to a short
weather forecast audio and tell the teacher what the weather is in some areas
Dictation almost
every day and homework every day
I. a, b, d
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Ⅴ.a
Week 11
1.Functional:
Describe weather in different seasons
How to cook Chinese food
2.Grammatical:
Structure to express “A is similar to B”
Structure to express an appropriate state
3.Vocabulary:
Words about the seasons
Words about Chinese cooking method
4.Culture:
Cook Chinese food
Use the learned
words and structures to describe four seasons in your hometown and the teacher records it
Cook Chinese food
Review for the bi
weekly quiz
Dictation and
homework almost every day
Bi-weekly quiz
I. a,
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Week 12
1.Functional:
Make contact by phone
Greeting and farewell between the host and guest
Ask about where someone lives and a distance
2.Grammatical:
Structure “快(kuai)…了(le)” to express something will soon happen
Use “吧(ba)” to express a guess
Questions ask about the distance
Structure to express concession
“Verb+ adjective” structure to express the result of an action
The usage of two different verbs are put together
3.Vocabulary:
Words about the communication method
Words to show hospitality
4.Culture:
What do the foreigners need to pay attention to when they visit a Chinese family
Use Chinese QQ to
chat with each other and answer the teacher’s questions in Chinese
Dictation and
homework every day
Writing characters
competition
I. a, c
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Ⅴ.b
Week 13
1.Functional:
Ask about a general description
of a room
Ask about the size and layout
Ask about the number of people living in the room
2.Grammatical:
Structure “挺(ting)…的(de)” to express a fairly high degree of certain state
Use “看起来(kanqilai)” to draw a conclusion through brief observation
Question ask about the size of a space
Structure “除了(chule)…以外(yiwai)” to express “besides”
3.Vocabulary:
Words about the layout of a room
4.Culture:
Chinese housing condition
Students need to
show and describe their dormitories
Review for the
final exam
Dictation and
homework
Finish the Chinese
final project
I. a,
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Ⅴ. a, b
Required readings:
Approach: Introductory Chinese——Listening and speaking and its workbook (走进汉语——初级听说及练习册)
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Zhou haiyan obtained the master’s degree from East China Normal University in Shanghai with the major Teaching Chinese as a Second language, has taught Chinese in UVA Chinese Shanghai Program, Chinese school of ECNU, Global Alliance Shanghai Center, and International Department of YangPu High School in Shanghai. She has a lot of experience in Chinese instruction and classroom management. She is very easygoing and always teaches Chinese with great enthusiasm.
This class is intended to be a course in Chinese language as part of IES Abroad Shanghai Program for non-Chinese speaking students who have not taken any Chinese classes before. The lessons encompass contents such as greeting, contacting, eating, clothing, living, as well as about 600 new words and many fundamentals of Chinese grammar. It places emphasis on improving the ability of the learner to use Chinese for communication. Class activities include making dialogs, playing language games, performing skits, outdoor activities, etc. Through these exercises, students will master basic conversational sentences, and on that basis, they will acquire the ability to carry on simple conversations with native Chinese speakers.
Research has demonstrated that study abroad can enhance every aspect of language ability. One of the most important general findings of this research is, however, that study abroad is most beneficial for the development of abilities related to social interaction. Students who go abroad can learn to do things with words, such as requesting, apologizing, or offering compliments, and they may also learn to interpret situations calling such speech acts in ways that people do…In short, and logically, study abroad has been show to enhance the aspects of communicative competence that are most difficult to foster in classroom settings (IES Abroad MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication, p. 6).
This course is designed for students with little or no prior knowledge of the language.
By the end of the course, the successful student will develop a basic foundation in the five skills: intercultural communication, reading, writing, listening and speaking to accomplish a variety of basic everyday needs in the host culture as described in the learning outcomes below.
None
Every day you start with 100 points (including fieldtrips and Chinese class activities).
•Late within 10 minutes, no deduction from your score.
•Late between 10 and 30 minutes, 30 points will be deducted.
•Late over 30 minutes, 50 points will be deducted.
•The same rule applies to leaving class early.
•Unexcused absences will result in 0 points, and from the fourth absence onward, every absence will result in degrading the final course grade by one-third, e.g. from B- to C+.
By the end of the course, students will be able to achieve the outcomes for the Novice Abroad level as defined by the MAP for Language and Intercultural Communication. The key learning outcomes from the MAP are summarized below:
Audio-lingual method and communicative approach
Every day you start with 100 points (including fieldtrips and other Chinese class activities)
•If you actively participate in the classes and the class-related activities or field trip, you will receive 100 points.
•If you do not participate actively, certain points will be deducted accordingly.
A Dictation is worth 100 points
•If you are late or absent, you will probably miss it, and therefore lose the 100 points.
•For an absence(with a doctor’s note or center director’s written approval), you can make up the previous dictation with your instructor or the language coordinator on the same day. However, you will receive, at most, 70 points for a make-up dictation.
•After the third unexcused absence, that day’s dictation will be 0 points.
Every homework is worth 100 points.
•If you do it carefully and hand it in on time, you will receive 100 points.
•If you finish it rashly with a careless attitude, certain points will be deducted accordingly.
•If you forget to do the homework or hand it in, you are required to hand it in the next day, and you will receive at most 70 points.
•If you forget to do the homework or hand it in more than two days late, you will get 0 points.
Letter
GPA
Percent
A
4.0
95-100
A-
3.7
90.5-94.5
B+
3.3
87.5-90
B
3.0
84.5-87
B-
2.7
81.5-84
C+
2.3
78.5-81
C
2.0
75.5-78
C-
1.7
70-75
D
1.3
60-69
F
0
Week
Content
Assignments
Corresponding Learning Outcome(s)
Week 1
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
matching activities
Chinese children’s song
recording the teacher gave
prepare for the dictation
I. a, d
II. a
Ⅲ.a
Ⅳ.a
Week 2
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
Radish squatting
Twister
of one day in Chinese
Chinese characters
prepare the dictation every day
day
weekly quiz and prepare the oral test
I. a
II. a
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a, b
Ⅴ.a
Week 3
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
Radish squatting
restaurant to practice how to order and ask for service
teamwork
prepare the dictation every day
day
I. a, b, d
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a, b
Week 4
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
competition
of Chinese characters
teamwork
prepare the dictation every day
day
weekly quiz and prepare the oral test
Lantern Festival
I. a, b, c
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.b
Week 5
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
presentation about their travelling during the National holiday
to order some food
every day
Week 6
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
clothes in classroom
characters for mid-term exam by using game like bingo, characters-writing completion
for mid-term exam by using games like lottery.
every day
I. a
II. a
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a
Ⅴ.a
Week 7
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
Classroom
song called “friends”
Every day
I. a, c,d
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a
Ⅴ.a
Week 8
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
application form
army postures
blind person finds direction
every day
weekly quiz
I. a, c
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a
Week 9
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
Chinese traditional medicine
for directions
things on the shopping list the teacher gives in supermarket
Every day
I. a, b, d
II. a, b
Ⅲ.a, b
Ⅳ.a, b
Ⅴ.a
Week 10
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
part of the body according to the teacher’s command
practice how to book train and flight ticket
movie and tell the teacher what kind of transportation the actors use and what kind of ticket they buy
weather forecast audio and tell the teacher what the weather is in some areas
every day and homework every day
I. a, b, d
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Ⅴ.a
Week 11
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
words and structures to describe four seasons in your hometown and the teacher records it
weekly quiz
homework almost every day
I. a,
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Week 12
1.Functional:
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
chat with each other and answer the teacher’s questions in Chinese
homework every day
competition
I. a, c
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Ⅴ.b
Week 13
1.Functional:
of a room
2.Grammatical:
3.Vocabulary:
4.Culture:
show and describe their dormitories
final exam
homework
final project
I. a,
II. a, b
Ⅲ. a, b
Ⅳ. a, b
Ⅴ. a, b
Approach: Introductory Chinese——Listening and speaking and its workbook (走进汉语——初级听说及练习册)
Zhou haiyan obtained the master’s degree from East China Normal University in Shanghai with the major Teaching Chinese as a Second language, has taught Chinese in UVA Chinese Shanghai Program, Chinese school of ECNU, Global Alliance Shanghai Center, and International Department of YangPu High School in Shanghai. She has a lot of experience in Chinese instruction and classroom management. She is very easygoing and always teaches Chinese with great enthusiasm.