Chinese in Focus

 

STUDENT’S BOOK Description 
 

 

Story, Content, and Functions 
 

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

Unit 1 - My Chinese Home
 

In level 1 Traveling in China Mark visited the Moon Palace and traveled throughout China to learn Chinese. In Living in China, Mark returns as an exchange student to live at Lín Xiǎomù's home in Guangzhou.  Here he learns about Guangzhou and becomes part of a Chinese family.

• Asking if someone knows something
• Asking where someone lives
• Asking about and stating one's profession
• Describing the layout of a house
• Stating the exact location
 

 

Unit 2 - The Confucius School
 

It's early September and Mark attends the Confucius  School  where  he  makes  new  friends and  classmates.  He  will  learn  about school  life  in China.

• Asking what grade and class someone is in at school
• Expressing that someone is in the same class
• Expressing that someone should do something
• Describing people/things with more than one adjective
• Stating the location of something
 

 

Unit 3 - Delicious Chinese Food
 

It's  October  and  Mark  visits  a  restaurant  with  his Chinese  family.  He  learns  about  traditional  food from  Guangdong,  and  about table  manners  in China. Later he tries some famous regional dishes.
 

• Offering a choice
• Ordering food at a restaurant
• Expressing a request
• Expressing table manners
• Describing simultaneous activities
• Reciting something
 

 

Unit 4 - On the Way to Grandma's House
 

It's January, winter vacation, so Mark and Xiǎomù travel to her grandma's house for a visit. They will travel  by  different  means  of transportation,  from taking the high-speed train to riding a donkey. They finally arrive at a village and Mark thinks this place looks familiar!

• Asking if someone has experience doing something
• Asking how to get somewhere
• Explaining reasons
• Describing the completion of an action
• Expressing opposite ideas
 

 

Unit 5 - Spring Festival at Grandma's Home
 

February  has  arrived  and  it  is  time  to  celebrate Chinese  New Year. At  the  Peach  Blossom Village Mark  learns  about  the  tradition of  celebrating Spring Festival.

• Asking the price
• Bargaining
• Asking what someone is doing
• Asking for help
• Spring Festival greetings
• Stating similarity
 

 

Unit 6 - Spring Is Here
 

March  is  here  and  so  is  spring.  The  weather  is getting warmer. Mark learns about the weather and climate. He also learns about the lunar calendar and the kite culture in China.
 

• Describing different kinds of weather
• Inquiring about the weather
• Weather forecast terms 

 

 

Unit 7 - I Am Sick
 

Unfortunately,  Mark  gets  sick  in April, but he thinks it is a great opportunity to try Chinese medicine. He goes to the doctor and learns about it.

• Asking about and stating one's health information
• Asking whether someone is afraid of doing something
• Asking about and stating one's body temperature
• Asking about and describing the taste of something
• Expressing concern

Unit 8 - My Idol
 

May comes with an unexpected and fabulous visit. Here Mark learns about Chinese movies and kung fu.
 

• Asking if someone is free
• Asking about and stating one's intention
• Asking the length of time
• Asking about possibility or capability
• Describing events that have occurred
• Describing the sequence of events
 

 

Unit 9 - The Costume Party
 

It is June and the school holds a costume party. Mark  has  a  great  time  and  learns  about  the importance  of  colors  in  Chinese culture and clothing.

• Asking for someone's opinion about clothes
• Expressing resemblance between things
• Comparing two things
• Making a guess at something
• Describing what one is wearing
 

 

Unit 10 - Goodbye, China!
 

It's time to go back home. Mark gets ready as he reviews everything he learned during the school year.
 

• The story and culture review
• Vocabulary review
• Functional sentences review
 

 

 

Introduction to the Sections

Unit title page
The title page is the first page of each unit. It tells students about Mark's adventures in each episode. It introduces the linguistic objectives of the unit. This page is visual and colorful, with the intention of stirring the imagination of the readers.
 

Dialogue/text
This page appears at the beginning of each lesson. It is a dialogue or a short text (i.e. a letter, a page of a diary, etc.), cartoon style, and focuses on daily needs. Through the dialogues/texts, we get to share Mark's experiences and meet his friends. Students will listen to the audio recording and hear the dialogue/text for the first time. Because 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 still an introductory level and we are not expecting proficiency yet.

Follow me to learn words and expressions
This is the vocabulary page following the dialogue/text pages. As an essential section of the unit, you will notice that we teach words by breaking them down to make it easier for students to remember both their parts and the whole word. Teachers must take time for the students to accomplish the objectives of this section. Students will practice the pronunciation, learn the meaning and write the characters for each new vocabulary word. After they practice the pronunciation with both the recording and the teacher, they will learn how to write each character.  Much time must be spent to accomplish the appropriate result.
 

Language notes
In this section, we introduce some grammatical structures followed by examples extracted from the dialogue/text. Word order and grammatical usage are color coded to help students “see” the comparisons between Chinese and English.
 

Let's say it
These are structured communicative activities that provide the opportunity for students to practice the new 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 section that combines the written format, vocabulary and functional structures. It assumes a sufficient level of proficiency of the elements introduced in the unit.
 

The voice of Cháng’é
In this section students have several opportunities to hear and practice the new words, sentences and dialogues. The nature of the exercises varies depending on the functional structures of the lesson.
 

Just for fun
This section provides extended practice for the different skills in a way that consolidates the lesson in a fun and entertaining activity. There is no better way to learn than by having fun.
 

Cultural note
In this section students are introduced to different aspects of China and its culture. This section is presented in English so that the students will easily understand the concepts and topics being discussed. At this time we encourage teachers to expand the cultural lessons by sharing personal experiences or stories with the students; by leading discussions, using the students' knowledge and experiences; by displaying realia that support the cultural lessons; by assigning research topics as homework.
 

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 unit. 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.