CHN1065 : Level A (HE Entry Level) Chinese I

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 20
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

1. To establish the most basic foundation in the language systems (grammar, orthography and phonetics) of Mandarin Chinese, upon which students can build language competence with a view to further study.
2. To allow students to begin to develop receptive (reading and listening) and productive (writing and speaking) skills.
3. To begin to provide students with skills necessary to become better language learners.

You will learn how to use use the pinyin transliteration system and to recognise and form more than 250 Chinese characters. By the end, you will be communicating orally in very simple 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 1-8 of Integrated Chinese Book 1. The topics include: meeting new people, family, date and time, hobbies, visiting friends, making appointments, studying languages, school life.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion271:0027:00N/A
Guided Independent StudySkills practice221:0022:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching661:0066:00Present in Person: 66 hours
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study185:0085:00N/A
Total200:00
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 Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams
Description Length Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Written Examination801A50Written exam (in Semester 1 assessment period) includes vocabulary, grammar, reading and sentence translations
Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Written exercise1M40In-class assessment (Teaching Week 7) including vocabulary, grammar and sentence translations.
Portfolio1M10Weekly tests
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Regular vocabulary and grammar tests 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. *Alternative: weekly online vocab and grammar tests.

The written examination enables the assessing of the overall performance of the student in each of the knowledge and skill outcomes. *Alternative: 24 hour take-home exam.

Reading Lists

Timetable