Chinese 001 Elementary Mandarin Chinese Summer 09 Westmont College Instructor Qu Melody Chen Contact hours per week Office hours Email melody chenqu gmail com Course Description In this course you will learn Mandarin pronunciation system the Chinese writing system conversation skills and the essentials of grammar and composition in the Mandarin Chinese language Meanwhile you will build an understanding of Chinese speaking people and their societies Course Goals by the end of the course you will be able to Participate in social conversations in Mandarin Successfully apply some form focused instruction to speech Be familiar with Mandarin pronunciation system and Chinese writing system Use the essentials of grammar and composition in Mandarin Appreciate the diversity of culture and have a mutual understanding of the Chinese speaking people and their societies Course Materials Required Integrated Chinese 3rd edition Simplified Characters Level 1 Part 1 This is the new edition of the most widely used Chinese textbook among American universities and colleges It focuses on the development and integration of the four language skills listening speaking reading and writing with current vocabulary and contextualized grammar guided by a learner centered and interactive approach If also offers useful cultural features and topics Recommended Beginner s Chinese Script 2003 This book is divided into three main parts Units 1 4 introduce the origins of the Chinese script and explain how characters and words are formed and the basic rules in writing them Units 5 9 introduce you to real life situations such as reading menus Unit 10 explains how to use a Chinese English dictionary Other materials will be distributed in the form of handouts Classroom Policies Regular class attendance is required In case of excused absences illness or other extenuating circumstance a message must reach me before class via email Four unexcused absences result in the lowering of the final grade by one whole grade No late assignments are accepted No tests are rescheduled Grading Policies 1 Class participation 15 2 Midterm exam 20 1 3 Final exam 25 4 Quizzes and homework 40 Class participation includes a completing homework thoroughly before coming to class b volunteering asking questions responding to the teacher and classmates participating in pair group work and whole class discussions Course Outline Weeks Themes Week 1 6 22 6 26 Introducti on Greetings Week 2 6 29 7 3 Family Dates time Learning Objectives functions Forms accuracy 1 Learn about the Chinese language 2 Become familiar with basic Chinese pronunciation 3 Know basic information about the Chinese writing system 4 Use common expressions in the classroom and daily life 5 Exchange basic greetings 6 Request a person s last name and full name and provide your own 7 Determine whether someone is a teacher or a student 8 Ascertain someone s nationality The verb 1 Employ basic kinship terms 2 Describe a family photo 3 Ask about someone s profession 4 Say some common professions 1 Tell and speak about time and dates 2 Talk about someone s age and birthday 3 Arrange a dinner date The particle Measure words Q pronouns Qs ending w The verb The verb Culture highlights brief geography and history of China Chinese names Qs ending w The negative adverb The adverb in the sense of to have or to possess or to exist The usage of and The adverb Numbers 0 100 Dates and time Pronouns as modifiers and the usage of the particle The sentence structure of Chinese kinship terms Chinese education system Chinese calendar Chinese manner of counting age Chinese food symbolizing longevity alternative Qs Affirmative negative Anot A Qs I The adverb 2 Comment T1 Goal 3 Learning the structure of Mandarin will not only help students experiment with new thought processes it will also help them better appreciate the grammar of the English language Comment T2 Goal 1 Building on the foundation of language acquisition students will also learn the norms of conversation and common cultural activities of Chinese speaking peoples Language acquisition through the study of culture broadens students holistic understanding of people groups 1 Say and write the terms for basic personal hobbies 2 Ask about someone s hobbies 7 6 7 10 3 Ask friends out to see a movie 4 Set up plans for the weekend Hobbies 5 Welcome a visitor Visiting 6 Introduce one person to another friends 7 Compliment someone on his her house 8 Ask for beverages as a guest at someone else s place 9 Offer beverages to a visitor 10 Briefly describe a visit to a friend s place Week 3 Word order in Chinese Affirmative negative Anot A Qs II The conjunction action Qs w The modal verb verb object as a detachable compound Chinese way of splitting the check Chinese pastimes Chinese civilities upon meeting for the 1st time Chinese tea and moderating the tone of voice adjectives as predicates the preposition the particle the particle the adverb Week 4 7 13 7 17 Making appointme nts Midterm Review 1 Answer a phone call and initiate a phone conversation 2 Set up an appointment w a teacher one the phone 3 Ask for a favor 4 Ask someone to return your call 5 Review Week 1 4 6 Midterm exam the preposition 1 Comment on one s performance on an exam 2 Comment on one s character writing 3 Talk about one s experience in learning Chinese vocabulary and grammar 4 Talk about one s study habits 5 Remark on typical scenes from one s language class descriptive complements the modal verb the adverb time expressions the modal verb directional complements Chinese phone etiquette Chinese phone numbers Chinese names for the Chinese language Week 5 7 20 7 24 Studying Chinese the adverb and the adverb double objects ordinal numbers in questions the structure the use of nouns and Chinese characters Chinese character writing Chinese writing brushes and other stationary 3 Comment T3 Goal 2 Students will experience new thought processes as they learn a speech pattern that is very different than their own pronouns in continuous discourse Week 6 7 27 7 31 School Life 1 Describe the routine of a student s life on campus 2 Write a simple diary entry 3 Write a brief letter in the proper format 4 Express your modesty in terms of your foreign language ability 5 Invite your friends to go on an outing the position of time when expressions the adverb Chinese letter format Chinese school year series of verbs verb phrases the particle the particle to or not to the adverb and compared the