Aims

(1) To consolidate the linguistic foundation provided in CHN1065 and CHN1066 with a view to further study.
(2) To provide students with sufficient target language competence and inter-cultural sensitivity for communicative interaction with native speakers and to enable them to cope with typical situations met during a potential period of study abroad.
(3) To continue to provide students with skills necessary to become better language learners.

This module builds upon the foundation in language systems provided in CHN1065 and CHN1066, while continuing to develop reading, listening, writing and speaking skills. You will learn more grammatical structures and vocabulary, and will be able to write a further 800 Chinese characters, making a total of well over 1000! By the end, you will be able to communicate effectively enough to cope successfully during your Year Abroad in China.

We use a task-based, communicative approach, and encourage peer learning through pair and group work. Assessment is by portfolio of written coursework, aural exam, oral exam, and written exam. Building a portfolio of assessed coursework helps you to monitor your progress and stimulates independent learning and learner autonomy. Formal exams provide a summary assessment before continuing on to your Year Abroad.

Outline Of Syllabus

Basic grammatical structures and items of vocabulary relating to the list below will be covered (corresponding to Lessons 16-20 of Integrated Chinese of Textbook 2 and Lessons 1-2 in Textbook 3). The following topics and learning objectives will be included:

Dating (ask someone out on a date, make arrangements to go out with friends);
Renting an apartment (describe tour current and ideal dwellings, discuss and negotiate rent, utilities and security deposits);
Sports (name and discuss some popular sports, talk about your exercise habits)
Travel (talk about your plans for holidays, describe your travel itinerary)
At the airport (check in at the airport, wish departing fiends a safe journey and greet guests at the airport)
Starting a new semester (discuss the pros and cons of living on and off campus, express a dissenting opinion politely);
Dorm life (describe your living quarters, comment on someone’s living quarters);

Every week you will have six scheduled teaching hours which are divided as follows:

1.       Grammar & Speaking (4 hours): 4 hours in-class seminars.
We shall cover all the grammatical points listed in the syllabus as above.

2.       Reading & Writing (1 hour): 1-hour in-class seminar.
One hour will be devoted to developing skills in reading and writing, using the grammatical points, sentences patterns and vocabulary studied from our core textbook earlier on each week. Translation (English into Chinese and Chinese into English) will also be practised.

3.       Listening (1 hour): 1-hour in-lab seminar.
We shall provide you with listening task sheets to enable you to practice the grammatical points and sentence patterns through listening exercises. You are expected to complete the task sheets, check the answers, and conduct reflective learning.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Key grammatical structures and vocabulary are introduced and practised using an integrated communicative approach in 6 hours of practical classes (6 hours present in person) delivered in seminar style. Oral and aural skills (speaking and listening) as well as reading and writing are practised throughout the course in task-based activities. Students are required to spend at least one hour a week in the Language Resource Centre, working on listening work prescribed by the teacher.

Weekly vocabulary, grammar and reading tests will take place online with provision of immediate feedback to help students grasp the grammar points in an effective way.

In order to make sure that 112 hours of private guided study does take place, each contact hour is followed up by homework assignments. Many derive from the compulsory workbooks accompanying the core textbook. Additional materials may be distributed in class or published online and are considered an integral part of the homework assignments. There is a minimum homework submission requirement of 70%, with this percentage being calculated every 4 weeks. Individualised formative feedback is then provided as an integral part of the teaching programme.

This module is taught and assessment in English and Chinese. English will be applied for two activities, 1. Explanation of grammatical structure; 2. Translation from English to Chinese and from Chinese to English.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

-       One 60-minute written exam in Semester 1 (50%) on Reading / Grammar / Writing. This exam will test students’ ability to write Chinese characters, to grasp the grammar points and be able to understand the authentic sources. This formal examination provides summative information to staff and student on student's achievement in reading / grammar/ writing in the module.

-       Written Coursework / portfolio (30%+20%): The one handwritten writing assignment task will test students’ ability to write a given topic in the target language. Continuous assessment in Weekly online regular Vocabulary and Grammar encourages regular work on productive skills and enables students to receive regular formative feedback. This portfolio helps students assess their progress and identify their strengths and areas for improvement in writing thus stimulating their independent and reflective learning skills throughout the Semester 1.

Alternative method to all the assessments is online synchronous exam.