Syllabus

Chinese Level I

2025-2026

Course Description: 

The World Language program is a proficiency-based program that is aligned with best practices in the field as outlined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Instruction and grading practices promote growth in a second language through the three modes of communication: interpretive skills, interpersonal skills, and presentational skills, with language acquisition as the goal.

Interpretive Mode: comprehension (one-way receptive communication)

Presentational Mode: planned (one-way productive communication)

Interpersonal Mode: spontaneous (two-way exchange)

Each of the modes is practiced through reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities.

Language is taught through thematic units that integrate cultural awareness.

The first level of Chinese is appropriate for those students beginning to learn Chinese. Students will learn the four basic language skills of listening comprehension, speaking, reading, and writing. The emphasis in this class is to develop listening and communication and will include the Pinyin phonetic system and Simplified Chinese characters. At the end of this course, students will acquire vocabulary and sentence structures in daily-life communication. They will be able to identify the sounds and tones of Mandarin in the Pinyin system and will read, and write in Chinese (simplified Chinese characters), and carry out basic conversations on relevant topics studied. Students will also be able to understand and appreciate the Chinese traditional culture. 

Course Content: 

An introduction to Pinyin

• Hello! - greetings

• What Is Your Name? - introduce yourself & ask for names of others

• How Old Are You? - birthdays, expressing age 

• What Is Your Nationality? - nationality 

• I Go To Dahua High School - express which school you attend and grade 

• I Love My Family - family members

• Where Do You Live? - name your home address

• What Date Is It Today? - name dates & months 

• What Day Is it Today? - name days of the week 

• What Is In The Classroom? - name school supplies & describe objects in the classroom 

• I Like Fruits - describe the fruits you like and dislike 

• What Do You Want To Eat? - express what food you want to eat & don’t want to eat

Required Textbooks 

Online textbook: Discovering Chinese Pro, Volume 1

Course Requirements: 

Students are expected to complete all projects, homework, assignments, and assessments. Participation in all communicative class activities is also required. Students are also expected to bring all learning materials to class, as well as record class notes in an organized fashion in a notebook/folder. Good attendance and consistent practice are essential in World Language study. 

Students are expected to： 

• Be familiar with Chinese phonics through pinyin – the Chinese phonetic system

• Acquire about 200 words and recognize about 60 simplified Chinese characters

• Understand and use basic Chinese grammar and sentence structures in speaking 

• Communicate about daily topics in Chinese and give simply related demonstrations 

• Appreciate various aspects of Chinese culture, lifestyles, and social-cultural conventions

• Make comparisons between China and the U.S.A., both language and culture

Grade Components/Assessments:  

Grades will be based on the following categories:

• Assessments 

• Class Activities

- Lateness: Late work will be accepted for partial credit until the teacher's deadline at the end of the quarter.

Each marking period is worth 22.5% of a student’s overall grade. The year-long project grade (YP) is worth 10% of a student’s overall average:

Quarter 1 22.5% 

Quarter 2 22.5% 

Quarter 3 22.5% 

Quarter 4 22.5% 

*YP Project: 10%

*The YP grade comprises an ongoing, year-long Google Sites Final Exam Project.

Required Summer Reading/Assignments:

There are no required summer reading assignments for Chinese Level I.