Chinese in Focus

STUDENT’S BOOK Description 

 

 

 

Story, Content, and Functions 
 

The  essential  feature  in  our  textbook  is  the  storyline  that  unifies  the  learning  experience. All contents are woven into the story.  It makes learning Chinese interesting and effective.

 

 

Unit 1 - Looking at China from the Moon Palace

 

This unit starts Mark’s adventure.  He mysteriously travels  to  the  Moon  Palace  and  meets  Cháng'é, Wú Gāng and Little Rabbit. They tell Mark about China, the Chinese language and characters. Some of  the  topics  discussed  are:  China’s  population, area size, geography, ethnic groups, languages and dialects, important cities, monuments and rivers.
 

• General introduction of China, the Chinese language and characters.
 

 

Unit 2 - Learning Pīnyīn at the Moon Palace
 

Mark  and  his  friends  are  still  at  the  Moon  Palace, where his friends teach him pīnyīn. 
 

• The concept of pīnyīn
• The pronunciation of initials, finals, and tones
• Some common greeting and classroom phrases.
 

 

Unit 3 - Studying Pīnyīn at the Peach Blossom Village
 

After studying pīnyīn, Cháng'é takes Mark to the Peach Blossom Village to meet Cāng Jié, the expert at Chinese characters. Cāng Jié tells Mark how  he  created  the  first  character  and  teaches him  the  four  ways  that  characters  are  formed. He  instructs  him  on  how to write  strokes  and  the importance of stroke order. He also teaches him 52 basic characters.  This unit lays the foundation for learning future characters and dialogues
 

• 52 basic characters
• The 4 formations of characters
• Strokes and stroke order

•  Numbers 1- 99.
 

 

Unit 4 - At the Confucius Temple
 

Before  Mark  can  start  speaking  Chinese,  Cháng'é suggests  that  they  visit  Confucius,  the  famous Chinese  philosopher  and teacher. Confucius  will provide  the  inspiration  and  moral  training  needed for  Mark  to  pursue  his    desire  to  learn  Chinese. They visit Confucius  at  the  Confucius  Temple. Here  your  students  will  learn  that  respect  for education  is  an  important  concept  in Chinese society.
 

• Expressing greetings and introductions
• Expressing gratitude and saying farewell
• Inquiring about people’s occupations and  possessions
• Forming negative sentences
• Forming interrogatives
• Stating similarity
• Using measure words.
 

 

Unit 5 - In Běijīng
 

This unit takes place in Bejing, the capital of China. Mark will visit Tiān’ānmén Square, the Great Wall and  other  interesting  places. He will  also  learn about  the  different  cuisines  of  China  and  some  of its typical dishes.
 

• Identifying objects (demonstrative adjectives)
• Describing people and places
• Telling time
• Making plans
• Ordering food. 
 

 

Unit 6 - In Xī’ān
 

Cháng'é takes Mark to Xī’ān, the Eight Wonder of the World. Mark learns about Qínshĭhuáng and the history of the Terracotta Army. Although it dates back to 200 B.C., he hears how it was recently discovered in the 20th century.
 

• Asking where people live
• Addressing people
• Asking about nationality
• Identifying people and objects
• Establishing possession
• Expressing past, future and present.
 

 

Unit 7- On Changjiang River
 

Mark and his friends are taking a scenic tour down the  Changjiang  River. They  marvel  at  the  natural beauty of the scenery that comes into view.
 

• Expressing measurements (length, height and distance)
• Expressing dates
• Discussing age
• Extending invitations
• Asking about one’s ability to speak a language.
 

 

Unit 8 - In Shànghăi
 

Mark invites Cháng'é, Wú Gāng and Little Rabbit to meet his web-pal in Shànghăi. In Shànghăi Mark is awed by its tall buildings, beautiful  setting  and bustling life. Also in this unit there is an interesting discussion about sports and the martial arts.
 

•  Asking about transportation
• Asking for opinions
• Giving and receiving compliments
• Inquiring about family and pets
• Expressing likes and dislikes.
 

 

Unit 9 - In Hong Kong
 

Mark  ends  his  travels  in  Hong  Kong.  He  learns that  it  is  a  shopper’s  paradise  and  spends  his  last few days in China buying ouvenirs for his family and  friends.  The  units  of  Chinese  currency  are explained.
 

• Making plans for future dates
• Asking about price and learning how to bargain
• Making suggestions
• Making telephone calls.
 

 

Unit 10 - Back Home
 

Back  in  the  United  States  Mark  shares his adventures  and  travels  with  his American  friends. Although  this  unit  reviews  the previous  lessons,  it is treated as a continuation of the storyline in order to maintain the interest of the students. 
 

• The storyline, the cultural notes, the pīnyīn, the characters and vocabulary,  the sentence functions – all are here for a consolidated  
  review. Self-tests, in blog format, are included at the end of the unit.

 

 

 

Introduction to the Sections

 

To successfully accomplish the functions in the textbook, we have carefully designed a pattern that is developed in each section of the lessons and units. They are as follow.

Unit Title Page
The Title Page is the first page of each unit.  It reminds students  of  Mark’s  journey:  how  the  journey  began; where  he  was  in  the previous  unit  and  where  the  next adventure will take place, and with whom. It introduces the  cultural  and  linguistic  objectives  of the  unit. This page is visual and colorful, with the intention of stirring the imagination of the readers. 

Dialogue
This page appears at the beginning of each lesson. It is in dialogue format, cartoon style, and focuses on daily needs. Through the dialogues  we  get  to  share  Mark’s travels and meet his friends. Students will listen to the CD recording and hear the new sounds for the first time. We  are  stressing  oral  communication  in  our  teaching technique. We  advise  teachers  to  take  time  to  practice the new language structures with the students, building interactive  dialogues  and  communicative  activities  to provide  additional practice. Remember that  this  is  an introduction  of  the  new  sounds;  we  are  not  expecting proficiency yet.

Cultural Note
The  Dialogue  Page  is  always  followed  by  the  Cultural Note.  In  this  section  students  are  introduced  to varying  aspects  of  China and  its  culture. This  section is  presented  in  English  so  that  the  students  will  easily understand the concepts and lessons being discussed. At this time we encourage teachers to expand the cultural lessons  by  sharing  personal  experiences  or  histories with  the students;  by  leading  discussions,  using  the students’  knowledge  and  experiences;  by  displaying realia  that  supports  the cultural lessons;  by  assigning research topics as homework.

Follow Me to Learn Characters and Words
This is an essential section of each unit.  You will notice our  unique  approach  to  learning  the  characters:  visual clues are given to bridge the meaning to the character. Teachers  must  take  extensive  time  for  the  students  to accomplish the objectives of this section. Students will practice the ronunciation, learn the meanings and write the characters for each new vocabulary word. First they will  hear the  voice  of  Cháng'é  in the  CD  recording. After  they  practice  the  pronunciation  with  both  the recording  and  the  teacher,  they will  learn  the  stroke order for each haracter. The teacher needs to model the strokes and instruct the appropriate stroke order. Much time must be spent to accomplish the appropriate result. In  our  “Class Activities  Suggestions’  we  make several recommendations for  writing  practice. There  are  also many suggestions for facilitating learning the meanings of the characters.
 

The Voice of Cháng’é
In  this  section  the  students  have  several  opportunities to  hear  and  practice  the  new  sounds. After  repeating the  sounds  with Cháng'é,  there  are  multiple  oral/aural exercises that serve to re-enforce their pronunciation. 

Let’s Say It
These  are  structured  communicative  activities  that provide  the  opportunity  for  students  to  practice  the new  sounds,  vocabulary and  functional  structures  as they practice with their classmates. These exercises are designed  for  paired  activities,  cooperative exercises  or group interactions.

Read and Write
This  is  a  consolidating  activity  that  combines  the written format, vocabulary and functional structures. It assumes a sufficient level of proficiency of the elements introduced in the unit.

Just for Fun
This  section  provides  extended  oral  practice  but  with the  opportunity  to  be  more  creative. The  exercises  are less  structured  than the  activities  in  the  “Let’s  Say  It” section.    Students  are  invited  to  be  participatory  and imaginative.  Generally  these  activities are centered  on personalities  and  subjects  that  are  appealing  to  young people.

Mark’s Blog
Mark's  Blog  appears  at  the  end  of  each  unit.  Its  goal is to provide an opportunity for teachers to summarize the  unit  and  for students  to  review  the  new  material. Students  are  encouraged  to  use  the  blog  to  express their  ideas,  questions  and  comments on our  website. They  can  communicate  with  other  students  or  with native  speakers  in  China.  It  is  an  exciting  and unique concept. We ask you to encourage your students to take advantage of this learning tool.