Chinese 4 UC Accreditation Report
Teacher: Regina Wei
Course Title: Mandarin Chinese 4
Course Description
Chinese 4 is designed for students who have completed Chinese 3 or an equivalent
course (to be determined by the instructor). The class is conducted almost exclusively in
Mandarin Chinese and incorporates TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and
Storytelling) as a means of raising students' speaking, listening, reading and writing
levels to the low-advanced level or higher. Lessons focus on high frequency vocabulary,
grammar, and sentence structures and are presented as Comprehensible Input in order
to maximize student comprehension, retention and ability to communicate in the target
language. Chinese 4 introduces 200-250 new Chinese characters and requires students
to be conversant about various aspects of Chinese culture including current events,
history, literature, folk tales, etc.
Developing appreciation and awareness of Chinese culture is an integral theme
throughout the course. Chinese 4 engages students in an exploration of both
contemporary and historical Chinese culture using a variety of texts chosen from
textbooks, online periodicals, contemporary literature, movies and documentaries,
etc. Course content reflects intellectual interests shared by the students and the
teacher (cultural celebrations, beliefs and attitudes, interests and career, teen life/self
and global community, famous people, social issues and current events, art and music
appreciation, literature and poetry, geography/climate/political divisions, etc.) in order
to encourage active discussion and written discourse on topics relevant to
contemporary China. Scaffolding is provided for more challenging texts and within class
discussions, and students are encouraged to be pro-active in their own learning,
employing language learning strategies when appropriate in order to be more
independent learners.
Formative and summative assessments are given in the form of weekly quizzes, tests,
regular oral presentations, written essays and narratives in a variety of discourse styles,
and a year-end final exam. Students are expected to be proficient in both keyboarding
and handwriting skills. Students may choose to study in either Traditional or Simplified
Chinese (or familiarize themselves with both, with an emphasis on one or the other).
Textbooks/Supplemental Instructional Materials
Primary Textbook:
 Liu, Yuehua et al. Integrated Chinese, Levels 1 & 2. Boston: Cheng & Tsui. 2010.
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Supplemental Instructional Materials:
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Bai, Jianhua et al. Beyond the Basics: Communicative Chinese for IntermediateAdvanced Learners. Boston: Cheng & Tsui. 1996.
Jin, Hong Gang and De Bao Xu. Shifting Tides: Culture in Contemporary China.
Boston: Cheng & Tsui. 2003.
Li, Duanduan and Irene Liu. Reading into a New China. Boston: Cheng & Tsui. 2010.
Teng, Sou-hsin, and Lo Sun Perry. Taiwan Today: An Intermediate Course. Boston:
Cheng & Tsui. 2009.
Xiao, Yun et al. Tales and Traditions: Readings in Chinese Literature, Vol. 2. Cheng &
Tsui. 2008.
Xiao, Yun et all. Tales and Traditions: Readings in Chinese Literature, Vol. 3. Cheng
& Tsui. 2009.
teacher and student-generated stories and texts
Movies, documentaries, contemporary Chinese TV shows, etc.
Online and printed Chinese-English/English-Chinese dictionaries (e.g.
www.dict.cn, www.nciku.com, etc.)
iPads with Chinese learning apps installed (Writer, Hanzi Reader, Pleco, trainChinese,
ChinesePad, GoogleTranslate, etc.)
miscellaneous Chinese language internet resources: networking sites, news sites,
popular culture sites, etc.
Course Purpose
By the end of the course, students will be able to converse comfortably and fluently
about every day topics, current events, and personal interests. In particular, students
will also be able to discuss different life experiences (moving, traveling, meeting new
people, encountering difficulties, etc.) with more detail, nuance and
complexity. Students will feel comfortable reading upper-intermediate to loweradvanced texts in simplified Chinese characters but will have the choice of learning
Traditional characters. Students will be expected to write coherent and correct texts at
the upper-intermediate or higher level using a working vocabulary of about 600
characters.
Course Outline
Unit
Unit 1
Teenage Life
Content/Topic(s)
Getting around
town
Instructional Objectives
Be able to navigate off-campus
activities in Chinese (shopping,
ordering at a restaurant,
expressing dietary preferences)
Talk about class selections for
Resources/
Supplementary
Integrated Chinese
Level 2, Lessons 3, 4 & 5
Beyond the Basics,
Lesson 6
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Unit 1 cont.
Navigating
School Life
Romance
Teenage Life,
cont.
the semester/year (Lesson 5)
Taiwan Today, Lesson
2, 3
State if you share the same
interest, hobbies or personality
traits as others
Integrated Chinese,
Level 2, Lessons 6, 7
Inquire if everything is OK and
find out what happened
Give a simple description of
what one is looking for in a
romantic partner
Tell what makes one anxious or
angry
Compare and contrast dating in
China and the West, in
contemporary vs. traditional
China
Dating then and
now
Unit 2
Health and
Wellness
Staying Healthy
Taiwan Today, Lessons
5
Beyond the Basics,
Lesson 9
Tales and Traditions,
Vol. 2: Classic Tales of
Love and Romance
Tales and Traditions,
Vol. 3: Love Stories
Watch episodes of 非诚
勿扰 (contemporary
Chinese dating show)
Discuss the role that technology
plays in teenage life today and
how that may be different from
in years past
Talk about one's own exercise
routine (time, place, exercise,
benefits, etc.)
Integrated Chinese,
Level 2, Lessons 14 &
16
Outline healthy eating habits
Taiwan Today, Lesson 1
Describe habits that could make
one age prematurely (smoking,
inadequate sleep, poor diet,
etc.)
Shifting Tides, Lesson
12
Compare and contrast typical
American lifestyle with typical
urban Chinese lifestyle (smoking
in China, air pollution, influence
of TCM, etc.)
Talk about environmental issues
in China and their impact on
health
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Unit 3
Health and the
Environment
Chinese holidays
Traditional
Chinese
Culture
Make connections between a
healthy lifestyle and a healthy
planet
Name major traditional Chinese
holidays and explain when they
occur
Name the foods most
associated with each of the
major traditional Chinese
holidays
Integrated Chinese
Level 2, Lesson 11
Tales and Traditions,
Vol. 2: Tales of
Traditional Chinese
Festivals
Taiwan Today, Lesson 9
Compare and contrast Chinese
holidays and US holidays in
target language
Holidays and
Cultural changes
Unit 3 cont.
Confucius
Traditional
Chinese
Culture cont.
(Understanding
Traditional
China)
The Analects
Draw conclusions about the
cultural significance of the
major Chinese holidays (what
can each holiday tell us about
traditional Chinese culture)
Infer how changes in
contemporary society affect
how people celebrate or value
holidays
Name some of the most
important dynasties in Chinese
history
Watch "Eat, Drink, Man,
Woman" (significance
of food within Chinese
culture and its central
role in holiday
celebrations)
Visit a local Chinese
grocery store around
the holiday time.
Integrated Chinese,
Level 2, Lesson 18
Taiwan Today, Lesson 8
Major religions
in China
Describe briefly the historical
significance of some major
Chinese dynasties
The Silk Road
Sun Yat-sen
The Revolution
of 1911
China's Four
Great Inventions
The Terracotta
Army
Table of Chinese
Dynasties
Talk in basic terms about some
of China's important historical
figures
Describe historically important
major religions in China
Identify major, canonical works
in classical Chinese literature
Shifting Tides, Lesson 9
Tales and Traditions,
Vol. 3: Classical
Chinese Poems; Cities
of reputation and sites
of historical interest;
Knight-Errant Stories;
Myths and Fantasies
Tales and Traditions,
Vol. 4: Excerpts from
Journey to the West
and from Water Margin
(for more advanced
students)
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Watch "The Last
Emperor"
Unit 4
Changes in
Chinese
Society
Gender equality
Talk about how couples treat
each other as equals
Discuss gender equality in the
school or workplace
Summarize briefly the changes
in Chinese women's social
status in the 20th Century
Evaluate the effects of
traditional Chinese preference
for boys over girls and the
effects of the one child policy
Rural/Urban
divide (and
poverty)
Discuss the rural/urban divide
and how this has affected
people's lives in China
Identify the causes of the
growing gap between rich and
poor in China
"Farewell My
Concubine"
Integrated Chinese,
Level 2, Lesson 15
Reading Into a New
China, Lessons 1, 2, 8,
10, 12, 15, 18
Taiwan Today, Lesson
10
Beyond the Basics,
Lesson 10, 11, 12
Shifting Tides, Lesson 2,
5, 6, 7, 11
National Geographic
documentary: "China's
Lost Girls"
Movie: "Together"
Movie: "Not One Less"
Documentary: "The
Blood of Yingzhou
District"
Unit descriptions:
Unit 1: Teenage Life
In this unit, students acquire and practice the language skills they need for moving
about their daily lives in a Chinese speaking environment. In addition to reading
dialogues between friends who are ordering in a restaurant, shopping, and selecting
courses (Integrated Chinese and Beyond Basics), students also read a short essay about
the nature of high-stakes testing in China and Taiwan (Taiwan Today). Students apply
what they learn about dining out and discussing their coursework through the stories
they write and perform (see Key Assignment 1). Students also reflect on the differences
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or similarities that may exist between the Western educational system and the Chinese
educational system through a short, reflective piece (see Key Assignment 2). In addition,
students will pair up with Chinese international students in the school for an email
exchange discussing issues related to teenage life, the differences between being a
teenager in the US vs. in China, etc. (see Key Assignment 3).
In the second half of the unit, students discuss romance and dating. They read realistic
dialogues between people who are experiencing different challenges in relationships
(Integrated Chinese and Beyond Basics), read a short article that discusses the way the
idea of "romance" has evolved in Chinese society (Taiwan Today), as well as read
traditional Chinese tales dealing with love and romance (Tales and Traditions). Students
write short responses (400-450 words) after reading the Chinese folktales detailing their
observations about traditional Chinese concepts about love (see Key Assignment 5).
Students also write a reflection paper that deals with the different challenges that come
up between people in romantic relationships (see Key Assignment 6). Finally, students
write and perform a skit/story that illustrates and finds resolution to some sort of
romantic problem (see Key Assignment 1).
Unit 2: Health and Wellness
Students read realistic dialogues between students who discuss issues related both to
their own health as well as the health of the planet (Integrated Chinese), read a short
article about how Chinese people traditionally maintain their health (Taiwan Today),
and read a short article as well as transcript from a TV show about air pollution in Beijing
(Shifting Tides). Students do research in Chinese on either a topic related to health and
wellness or to an environmental problem that is specific to China (see Key Assignment 4).
Students also create and present an "info-mercial" on as aspect of health of their choice
that uses a story-telling structure (see Key Assignment 1).
Unit 3: Traditional Chinese Culture
In the first part of this unit, students deepen their knowledge about Chinese holidays by
reflecting on the cultural significance and societal implications of major Chinese holidays.
Students read a short vignette about how a modern Chinese family prepares for the
Spring Festival (Integrated Chinese), read four folktales surrounding major holidays
(Tales and Traditions, Vol. 2), as well as read about a regional holiday specific to
southern Taiwan (Taiwan Today). Students think about how holidays are a reflection of
culture (see Key Assignment 2) and engage in email letter exchanges with Chinese
classmates (see Key Assignment 3). In the email exchanges, students ask their native
Chinese classmates about their opinions about Chinese holidays: how important are
these traditional holidays in their lives? Which holiday is their favorite and why? How
have celebrations of these holidays changed since over time?, etc.
In the second part of the unit, students gain a deeper understanding of traditional
Chinese history and culture through the study of original (abridged when appropriate)
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works of Chinese literature. Students are introduced to major milestones and key
figures in Chinese history (Integrated Chinese), are introduced to traditional religious
practice in China or Taiwan (Taiwan Today), and are asked to reflect on the more
traditional Chinese group mentality vs. the Western idea of individuality through a
thought piece written on the concept of "privacy" (Shifting Tides). Students also gain an
understanding of traditional Chinese thought through reading Chinese poetry, reading
about historically significant cities, reading folktales and myths, and, for higher level
students excerpts from Chinese classics such as the Flowers in the Mirror, Water Margin,
and Journey to the West. (Tales and Traditions, Vol. 3 and 4). In addition to
demonstrating their insights on traditional Chinese culture through class discussions,
students also engage in reflective pieces (see Key Assignments 2 and 6) and respond to
the poetry and literature read (see Key Assignment 5).
Unit 4: Modern China; Changes in Chinese Society
In the final unit of the year, students discuss issues that are highly relevant to
contemporary China and look at how China is changing rapidly in response to
modernization trends. In particular, students read short essays and dialogues that deal
with gender equality issues (Integrated Chinese, Reading Into a New China, Taiwan
Today) as well as contemporary problems such as the growing gap between rich and
poor in China, urban-rural divide, etc. (Reading Into a New China, Beyond the Basics,
Shifting Tides). As in previous units, students engage in class discussions and write
reflective pieces on the readings (see Key Assignments 2 and 6). Students also engage in
a research project on an issue that is pertinent to contemporary China today (see Key
Assignment 4).
Sample target grammar skills taught throughout the year:
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complement words (e.g. 在, 到, 给, etc.)
time-when and time-duration expressions compared
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directional complements (e.g. 上，下，进，出，回，etc.)
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potential complements (e.g. 得／不， V 不下)
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expressing the idea of "even" (e.g. 连…都/也)
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expressing exceptions (e.g. 除了…以外，…还／都)
passive voice: 被
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existential sentences (e.g. 比较，得很，那么，恐怕)
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differentiating between "also" words: 再，又，还
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also, in addition: 又…又…
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expressing more or less: 多／少 + V (+NU +M +N)
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expressing conditions: 无论…都…
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rhetorical phrases (e.g. 难道)
reduplication of verbs
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"as for…" (至于)
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Key Assignments
1. Writing, illustrating and presenting stories that employ target grammar structures.
Stories need to be at least 350 characters long and must include introductions to the
main character(s), a problem, and a resolution to the problem. Stories are written in
the third or first person and must incorporate past, present and future tenses.
Presentation of stories may take the form of story-telling (with visual aids) or may
involve skit performances. Students increase their oral fluency and facility with new
grammar structures through the telling of stories and/or through skit performances.
2. Short essay responses in Chinese (about 300-400 words). Students learn to make
succinct arguments and incorporate evidence to support their opinions. Sample
writing prompts:
a. What majors are you considering for college and why?
b. Describe a major environmental issue facing China today and explain possible
solutions to the issue.
c. Describe a major social issue facing China today and explain possible
solutions to the issue.
3. Emails and letter-writing. Students pair up with Chinese international students in
our school and are asked to keep up an email correspondence with these native
speakers of Chinese. (at least 3 emails, with one being letter-length dealing with a
topic of mutual interest, asking for advice/information, inviting someone to an event,
etc.) Students learn to write paragraph-length discourse in a more casual register.
4. Research project: Students present their findings on a cross-cultural or
contemporary Chinese issue of their choice in Chinese (5 min.) and then guide a
discussion in Chinese on their chosen topic. They may use newspaper articles,
classroom texts on folktales and legends (see the supplementary materials list), and
other appropriate materials found on the internet (including networking sites, news
sites, popular culture sites, etc.) In this assignment, students conduct research in
Chinese (supplementing their research with materials in English if necessary), and
work on their oral and written presentational skills.
5. Short response papers (400-450 words) are students' reflections on works of
Chinese literature (folk tales, short stories and poetry) they read and discuss in class.
Students engage in higher level thinking skills in Chinese in their responses to
traditional Chinese literature.
6. Reflection papers (400-450 words) require students to read two or more short
articles on the same topic, analyze the articles for similarities and differences, then
synthesize what they have read about social issues within contemporary China (e.g.
gender equality, urban-rural divide, population control, etc.). Students employ
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rhetorical writing techniques in Chinese found in more literary writing (newspaper,
articles, op-ed pieces, broadcasted news reports etc.)
7. Oral and written practice of each unit's target structures by answering questions in
complete sentences during class discussions or in homework (recurring).
8. Oral and written translation of each unit's target structures from English into
Chinese (recurring).
9. Students display mastery of target structures through their ability to produce sample
sentences both during class discussions as well as in their in-class assignments.
(recurring)
10. Keep a log of all new vocabulary and structures studied (recurring). Students may
use appropriate iPad apps (Pleco, Evernote Peek, trainChinese, ChinesePad, etc.) to
learn, record and practice their newly acquired vocabulary.
11. Practice writing new characters (recurring). The iPad app "Writer" is a good tool for
helping students learn new characters.
Instructional Methods and/or Strategies
The class is conducted exclusively in Mandarin Chinese and incorporates the TPRS
(Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) method as the main
presentational method in order to raise students' Speaking, Listening, Reading and
Writing levels to the upper-intermediate level.
The TPRS Method contains the following 3 steps:
Step 1: new vocabulary structures are taught using a combination of translation,
gesture and personalized questions.
Step 2: The target structures are used in a spoken class story.
Step 3: The target structures are used in a class reading.
Throughout the three steps, a number of techniques are used to help make the target
language comprehensible to the students, including careful selection of vocabulary,
constant question and answer tasks, frequent comprehension checks, and quick
grammar explanations known as "pop-up grammar".
Other Instructional Strategies:
o Socratic questioning/Circling questions using higher-level thinking questions
As students respond to the teacher's higher level thinking questions (which involve
comparing/contrasting, analyzing, evaluating and synthesizing information in
Chinese), they cultivate the ability to understand and answer higher level thinking
questions in Chinese.
o Class Discussions
Students refine their interpersonal communication skills during class discussions.
o TPR (Total Physical Response) games and activities such as commands, charades,
pictionary, etc.
o Research Projects
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Students broaden their knowledge of Chinese contemporary issues or of Chinese
culture through research. Though for more difficult topics students may conduct
research in English, they present their findings in Chinese either orally (as in a
presentation) or in the form of a response essay.
o Reflective essays in Chinese that require the use of higher level thinking and writing
skills such as summarization, comparing and contrasting, evaluation, analysis, and
synthesis.
o Group and Partner practice
o Reading Assignments
Chinese 4 puts a greater focus on reading than previous courses. All the texts used
in this course are in the upper-intermediate to low-advanced range. In reading a
wide variety of genres and texts on a diverse number of topics, students are exposed
to a wide range of vocabulary, styles, and registers.
Assessment Methods and/or Tools
Speaking 30%:
Weekly quizzes
Class presentations
Quarterly tests (5 per year)
Final Exam (1 per year)
Listening 15%:
Quizzes (formative)
In class-discussions--ability to answer questions correctly (formative)
Quarterly tests (5 per year)
Final Exam (1 per year)
Reading 15%:
In-class assignments
Homework
Quarterly tests (5 per year)
Final Exam (1 per year)
Writing 30%:
Stories
short reflective and analytical essays
Homework
Quarterly tests (5 per year)
Final exam (1 per year)
Cultural Knowledge 10%:
Research projects with oral presentations
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Quarterly tests (5 per year)
Final exam (1 per year)
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