Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

This module is a continuation from CHN1065 (HE Entry Level) Chinese I, and students are expected to have the basic understanding and knowledge of Chinese. Students with a GCSE or equivalent in Chinese could take this module.
Students whose first language is Mandarin or Cantonese, and received secondary education taught in Mandarin or Cantonese, cannot take this module.

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

1. To build upon the basic foundation in the language systems provided in CHN1065 with a view to
further study.

2. To allow students to continue to develop receptive (reading and listening) and productive (writing
and speaking) skills.

3. To continue to provide students with skills necessary to become better language learners.

You will recognise and write a further 220-250 Chinese characters, making a total of well over 400! By the end, you will be communicating orally in simple everyday situations.

Outline Of Syllabus

Every week you will have 6 contact hours which are divided as follows:

Vocabulary, Grammar, Speaking, Listening and Writing. All the classes are delivered in-person.
We shall cover the grammatical points and items of vocabulary relating to the Lessons 9-15 of Integrated Chinese Book 1&2. The topics include: Shopping for clothes; Talking about the weather; Dining out; Taking public transport; Getting a lift; Seeing a doctor.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

By the end of the module, students will have built upon the linguistic foundation provided in CHN1065 and will have further increased their knowledge of basic grammatical structures and vocabulary and of the orthographic and phonological systems of the language. In addition to the 250 Chinese characters introduced in CHN1065, students will have learned a further 200-230 characters for both productive and recognition purposes.

Intended Skill Outcomes

1. Listening: the ability to understand basic conversational Chinese spoken clearly
2. Speaking: the ability to communicate in a simple manner in everyday situations
3. Reading: the ability to understand simple descriptions, instructions and narrations
4. Writing: the ability to write connected sentences relating to everyday situations and personal experiences
5. Language learning: the ability to employ basic self-study skills

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Key grammatical structures and vocabulary are introduced and practised using an integrated communicative
approach. Oral and aural skills (i.e. speaking and listening) as well as reading and writing skills are practised throughout the course in task-based activities.

In order to ensure that 85 hours of independent guided study takes place, each contact hour is followed by
homework assignments (many derive from the workbook and character workbook accompanying the core textbook). There is a minimum homework submission requirement of 70%, with this percentage being calculated every 6 weeks. Where appropriate, individualised formative feedback is provided (e.g. for writing assignments involving a creative element).

THIS MODULE IS TAUGHT AND ASSESSED IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE (SIMPLIFIED CHARACTERS).

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Writing assignment and vocab tests (25%) are necessary in order to allow students to acquire competence steadily. It also provides students with the opportunity to have constant feedback on their performance.

Listening skills are assessed as part of oral examination. This exam will test the students' ability to listen and understand audio sources and to respond appropriately in oral form. This test provides summative information to staff and student on student's achievement in listening in the module.

One oral examination in Semester 2 (30%). This assessment will test students’ ability to produce and present their own output orally and to discuss with a target language speaker directly and spontaneously.

One 90-minute written exam in Semester 2 assessment period (45%) on Vocabulary / Grammar / Reading / Writing/ Sentence translations. Students will be expected to hand-write in the target language, as handwriting skills of Chinese characters are deemed essential at this stage of learning. If students have physical disability and it is supported by a SSP, students may be allowed to type their own answers. The written examination enables the assessing of the overall performance of the student in each of the knowledge and skill outcomes.

General Notes

N/A