Curriculum Design and Special
Features of Chinese For Tomorrow
Computer Chinese
Textbook &
Teacher’s Manual
Wayne He 何文潮
Wenchao_he@hotmail.com
I. Computer Chinese (CC)
“Computer Chinese (CC)” method
starts out by emphasizing the use of
Pinyin to teach students how to
recognize and write Chinese
characters on the computer. This
allows students to use the language in
a practical and engaging way very
early on in their studies.
Computer Chinese (CC) 2
The guiding principal of CC is that students
at the beginning level (Volume 1) use
computer input as the focus of their
learning, supplemented by character
handwriting. At the intermediate stage
(Volume 2), students continue to focus on
computer input, but gradually increase their
handwriting skills; and at the advanced level
(Volume 3), handwriting will become the
focus, supplemented by computer input.
The major difference between
CC and traditional approaches
• The major difference between CC
approach and traditional approaches is
that our course allows students to
more gradually develop their skills at
writing Chinese characters by hand,
rather than requiring them to memorize
how to write large numbers of
characters while they are still
struggling to grasp the basics of the
language.
Why should we use CC? (1)
• Chinese teachers have long realized the high
degree of anxiety that learning Chinese
characters causes for their students, and this
has forced many to de-emphasize literacy skills
for lower level students, and to focus instead
on speaking and listening skills, writing only in
Pinyin. But it does not get around the very real
fact that Chinese books, newspapers,
magazines, and even street signs, are written
in Chinese characters, and that Pinyin is
nothing more than a phonological tool.
Why should we use CC? (2)
Students who used the computer to learn
vocabulary items simply processed them
more quickly and remembered them better.
Through our teaching and testing
experience, we have found that students
using the CC method were able to learn
more new words and their reading and
writing (composition) skills are much
stronger than those with traditional
approach. They can use internet resources
and on-line tools in learning and
communication.
The Advantages Of CC
• Learning to input Pinyin is much like inputting
English; if you can say it, you can write it.
• It integrates reading and writing. The method
saves time, as students only need to recognize
Chinese characters, and do not need to write
them stroke by stroke, and rapidly increases
students’ reading ability.
• Using an online Chinese language dictionary
makes looking up words incredibly easy, giving
even first year students the ability to read a
wide range of materials and even surf the
Internet in Chinese.
The Advantages Of CC (2)
• CC approach increases the students’ ability to
write; even first year students can begin to
write compositions--and what they are writing
is characters, not just Pinyin.
• Students are able to use internet resources and
communicate through email and other echannels.
• The most important advantage of computer
input is that it gets rid of the psychological
barrier that Chinese is difficult to learn and
increases the confidence of students.
Do the students need to write
Chinese characters by hand at all?
 Typing and handwriting can and must complement
one another in the process of learning Chinese.
 Computer typing and handwriting are two distinct
language skills, both of which serve the same written
communication purpose.
 Writing Chinese characters by hand helps students
develop an appreciation for the ways in which
characters are structured and helps many students to
recognize and remember new words.
 Learning how to write a small number of characters by
the beginning students is helpful to build up their
literacy skills. But the number should be strictly limited.
 CC method should be used to deal with majority of the
characters by the beginning students.
II.Textbook
课
本
In
Simplified
Or
Traditional
character
What Made CFT Different from
Other Textbooks on Market
• Designed for Computer Chinese approach
• It is communication based, not grammar
based like most of other textbooks
• Treat grammar in a different way
• Combine language with culture
• Comparison between American and Chinese
campus life
• The series teaches language that is useful,
interesting, natural, and relevant to daily life
Introduction
• 中文介绍 Introduction to the Chinese Language
• 拼音系统 The Chinese Pronunciation System
• Section 1: Introduction to Mandarin Chinese
Pronunciation
• Section 2: Finals, Initials and Tones
• Section 3: Compound Finals and Special Finals
• 汉字系统 The Chinese Writing System
• 电脑输入中文 Computer Input in Chinese
Pinyin Introduction and Practice
• There are two types of practice on sound, 1. with
sound only, 2. selected words from the lessons
with the sound for practice, see below. In addition,
tongue twisters, poem, classroom and daily
expressions are introduced.
• Group 10: s vs. sh
• sā—shā
sè—shè sù—shù sì—shì
• sǎ—shǎ
sū—shū sě—shě sī—shī
• Group 6:
Initials z, c, s
• zài (在, at) zěn (怎, how) zuì (最, best) zuò (坐, sit)
• cái (才, just) cān (餐, food) cóng (从, from) cì (次,
times)
• sàn (散, spread) sān (三, three) suǒ (所, place) suàn
(算, count)
Pinyin Review with Real Life contents
• A. Listen carefully to these names of fast food chains. Put
tone marks over the correct syllables and write their
English meanings.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Characters Pinyin English
1. 麦当劳 Maidanglao _________________
2. 汉堡王 Hanbao Wang _________________
3. 肯德基 Kendeji _________________
4. 比萨屋 Bisawu _________________
5. 塔可钟 Takezhong _________________
6. 赛百味 Saibaiwei _________________
7. 星巴克 Xingbake _________________
8. 扒房 Pa Fang _________________
9. 温蒂 Wendi _________________
10. 星期五 Xingqiwu _________________
Computer
Input
in
Chinese
A. Basic Typing Functions
Function
Example of What
Example of What
Example of Your
You Type
You See on Your
Final Text
Screen
1.
Typing Chinese
xue [“to study”]
characters
1學
學
2雪
3血
4…
2.
Typing Chinese words
xuexi yingwen
1 學習 2 血洗
[“to study
3 英文
學習英文
English”]
3.
Mixing Chinese with
My Chinese
English
name is Zhang
Xuewen.
My Chinese name
is 張學文.
Sample Content: Lesson 5
第五课 Lesson 5 去买东西 Going Shopping
• 对话一 Dialogue 1: 去超市 Going to the Supermarket
• 对话二 Dialogue 2: 退衣服 Returning Clothes
• 敘述 Narration
• 课文英文翻译 English Translations of the Texts
• 听说练习 Exercises for Listening and Speaking
• 电脑与汉字练习 Exercises for Computing and
Learning Characters
• 课文练习 Exercises for Understanding the Texts
• 补充阅读练习 Supplementary Reading Exercises
• 中国文化习俗 Chinese Customs and Culture: 中国的货
币与购物 Chinese Moneyand Shopping
听说练习
Exercises for Listening and Speaking
• 四、角色表演 (4. Role Play)
• 1. A: You are a supermarket cashier and are helping a
customer to check out.
• B: You are a customer at a supermarket. You are
checking out and asking the different prices of the
things you buy.
• 2. A: You are working at a small clothing store. A
customer is returning a shirt. You are trying to
persuade her/him not to return it, but instead to
exchange it for something else.
• B: You are returning a shirt you bought yesterday. You
are trying to exchange it for another one.You bargain
the price of the new shirt down from the original price.
电 脑 与 汉 字 练 习 Exercises for
Computing and Learning Characters
• 三、圈出正确的汉字
• 1. 学校的 ____ (牛、车、东、莗、冻)边是电影院吗？
• 2. 我昨天没买牛奶，买了五 ____ (抱、色、名、句、
包)饼干。
• 四、读生字, 找出偏旁部首
• 1. 级 纸 shared radical:_______________
• 2. 退 运 适 shared radical:_______________
• 五、把汉字分成部件
• 1. 奶 —>______________ 2. 肥 —>______________
六﹑学生字
(6. Learning New Characters)
• Study the following characters selected from the New
Word lists: 加 分* 所 子 毛*
• 1. Copy each character by hand using the character
writing demonstration sheet.
• 2. For each character marked with an asterisk, find the
compounds in which the characters are used in
• the text, and write the compound words next to the
characters.
• 3. With the assistance of a dictionary or an online
dictionary, write down three more compounds in which
these single-character words appear.
• 4. For each character marked with an asterisk, make a
sentence with one of the three new compounds.
Character Writing Demonstration Sheet
第六課 姓名_____________
Pinyin
Strokes
Structure
English
Radical
Simplified
Form
dì
6
left-right
Earth, land
土
地
Pinyin
Strokes
Structure
English
Radical
Simplified
Form
zhèng
5
single-body
straight
止
正
补充阅读练习
Supplementary Reading Exercises
(2) Open Vocabulary
只有一根不好使
A. 冬冬，火柴买回来了吗？
B. 爸爸，买回来了。
A. 火柴好使吗？
B. 我已经一根一根试过了，只有一根不好。
Questions
• 1. 孩子刚才去做什么了？Where did the son just come
back from?
• 2. 他买到了吗？Did the boy get what he wanted?
• 3. 火柴怎么了？What do you think happened to the
matches?
Teacher’s Manual
教
师
手
册
In Simplified
character
CONTENTS
• 中文语音系统介绍 Introduction to the Chinese
Pronunciation System
• 课堂活动
• 小考试题
•
•
•
•
•
•
第一课 Lesson 1 打招呼Greetings
课程表 Sample Teaching Schedule
课堂活动 Classroom Activities
练习答案 Answer Keys
小考试题 Sample Quiz
口试试题 Sample Oral Test
去 购 物 Going Shopping
One. Sample Teaching Schedule 课程表
Class Session
课程
Session 1
第一节
Teaching Content (unless otherwise specified, all content is found in the
Textbook) 教学内容（如果没加注明，这些内容都是课本的内容）
- Dialogue One: New Words, Text, Notes on Language Usage (introduce
the materials, practice reading the text aloud, and correct pronunciation)
-对话一：生词、课文、语言应用注释（介绍课文和生词，练习朗
读课文和纠正发音）
Session 2
第二节
-Dialogue Two and Narration: New Words, Text, Notes on Language
Usage (introduce the materials, practice reading the text aloud, and
correct pronunciations)
-对话二和叙述：生词、课文、语言应用注释（介绍课文和生词，
练习朗读课文和纠正发音）
Session 3
第三节
-Listening & Speaking Exercises
-Grammar book, (First half of Chapter 5: I. The Particle 得,
II.Auxiliary Verbs 能,会, and 可以; Exercises I, II and III )
-听说练习
语法分册：（第五课前半：一.助词“得”、二.助动词“能”、
“会”和“可以”；练习一、二、三）
- Exercises for Understanding the Texts
-Grammar book, (Second half of Chapter 5: III.Auxiliary Verbs 要 and
想, IV. Auxiliary Verbs 得 and 应该, V. Imperative Sentences;
Exercises IV, V, VI and VII)
-课文练习
-语法分册：（第五课后半：三. 助动词“要”和“想”，四.助动
词“得”和“应该”，五.祈使句用；练习四、五、六和七
Reading Comprehension
Lesson 1 Review
Quiz
-阅读理解
-复习第五课（包括课本和语法分册的内容）
-测验
Session 4
第四节
Session 5
第五节
Lab Session & Homework
Lab Session
电脑室
1. Exercises for Computing and Learning Characters
2. Listening to the sound files of the texts
1． 电脑与汉字练习
2 ．听课文录音
Homework
作业
1.Typing and copying the new words for Dialogue One, Two & Narration
sections twice
2.Composition (Textbook Page188, Exercise 4)
3.Selected translation exercises (Textbook Page188, Exercise 5)
1． 对话一、二和叙述的生词各用电脑打两遍
2．作文（课本 188 页练习四）
3．翻译句子（课本 188 页练习五）
Classroom Activities
• 1. 谁会花钱？ Who Got the Best Value for
Their Money?
• 老师准备两套卡：钱卡和物品卡。钱卡可以从
下面的网址下载：物品卡包括下列物品：牛奶
、面包、奶酪、可乐、洗衣粉、纸巾、刀、
• 叉、杯子、餐巾纸、衣服、毛衣、运动衣、西
装、酒。
• 在每个物品的下面标上价格。你可以复印下一
页的物品卡。根据参加活动的买东西组和卖东
西组有多少准备物品卡。
Money Cards and Item Cards
牛奶
￥3.74
面包
￥1.34
奶酪
￥5.67
可乐
￥1.55
洗衣粉
￥3.24
纸巾
￥0.65
练习答案 Answer Keys
听说练习 Exercises for Listening and Speaking
一﹑完成对话。 (1. Work in pairs to complete the
dialogue.)
• 对话样例 Reference Sample Dialogue
• 甲：你去哪儿了？
• 乙： 我去超市了。
• 甲：你买了什么好吃的？
• 乙： 我买了牛奶和可乐。
• 甲：你还买了什么？
• 乙： 面包。
• 甲：面包多少钱？
• 乙： 一块钱一个。
• 甲：那可乐呢？
Four. 小考试题Sample Quiz
• I. Character recognition:
• A. Circle the right character to fill in the blanks. 10%
• 1. 你从这个校门出去﹐往________ (车﹐栋﹐童﹐东)一转就到
电影院了。
• B: Put Pinyin and English meaning next to the Chinese
expressions
12%
• 1. 东西_____
2. 奶酪_______
• II. Answer the following questions15%
• 1. 请问您为什么要退这件运动服﹖
• III. Choose the correct words from the list to fill in the blanks.
8%
• IV. Translate the following sentences into Chinese 25%
• V. Answer the questions based on the paragraph below 12%
• VI. Writing: Write a paragraph about your experience of a
shopping trip by using the words and expressions you learned
in this lesson.
18%
• Bonus point: Handwriting each character according to the
pinyin 3-5%
Five. 口试试题Sample Oral Test
• I. Answer Questions 回答问题:（The teacher
chooses 5 questions to ask.老师选5题。）
• 1.你常常去超市吗？
• 2.你在超市可以买什么？
• II. Speak in passage based on the situation 成段表
达： (The teacher asks the student to do one
situation. 老师选一个情景让学生做。)
• 1. You just came back from a supermarket. Tell
your friend what you bought (at least five items),
how much is each of the items, which item is on
sale, what’s the price before and what’s the price
now, and how did you pay.
• III. Read aloud 朗读：
Availability of Chinese for Tomorrow Series
• Volume 1 Textbook, Grammar Book and
Teacher’s Manual were published by
Cheng & Tsui Company in August, 2007
• Volume 2 Textbook, Grammar Book and
Teacher’s Manual are in production and
will be on market in August, 2008
• Volume 3 will be published in summer
2009
• Check http://www.cheng-tsui.com
for purchasing, preview, desk copy and
other information
THANK YOU!