Grade 11: Communicating

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• describe or narrate, with some supporting detail, events, situations, or experiences
• exchange opinions on topics of interest
• apply idiomatic expressions with some fluency
• interact with increased independence in familiar life situations

To view the prescribed learning outcomes for Communicating in other grades click on an icon below.

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Have students interview classmates about their opinions on different types of movies, actors, and so on, then choose movies to attend. In groups, students use the information to role-play making arrangements to meet.
• Invite students in groups to create posters or flyers in Chinese to advertise school or community events.
• Encourage spontaneous storytelling in Chinese to build confidence in using the language and idiomatic expressions. Suitable topics could be prepared by the teacher on strips of paper that students then draw at random from a hat or box.
• Conduct a miming session in which students express emotions in different situations. Have the rest of the class describe the emotions or situations in Chinese.
• As a class project, create a Chinese newsletter. Students could write reports and letters and submit them to the newsletter.
• Invite students to use a Chinese word processor to practise composing informal notes and formal and informal letters, using appropriate salutations and formats. Encourage students to use mostly Chinese characters, although they may use Pinyin for less familiar words where necessary. Students could send their letters to local Chinese newspapers.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• When students describe or narrate events, situations, or experiences orally or in writing, assess the extent to which their presentations:
  • include relevant details
  • convey the sequence or relationship of events clearly
  • are easy to understand
  • reflect an appropriate level of formality
  • feature a range of vocabulary and idioms
  • begin to show some sophistication or complexity of language and ideas
• Ask students to create and perform short skits. Look for evidence that:
  • plots are clear and include some detail
  • characters are clearly identified and described
  • scripts are written in accurate Pinyin or Chinese characters
  • vocabulary and sentence structure are appropriate and include some complexity
  • speeches are comprehensible to the audience
  • oral delivery shows confidence and fluency
  • speech and actions convey the appropriate moods and expressions
• Work with students to develop a rating scale or checklist they can use for peer and self-evaluation during activities such as role-playing. Criteria might include:
  • main points are clear
  • includes relevant and appropriate detail
  • uses simple, related statements and a range of useful vocabulary and expressions
  • orders events or actions logically
  • responds appropriately to information offered by other speakers
  • takes risks by using new language or adapting known patterns
  • shows some flow, speaking in phrases rather than hesitating after every word
  • pronunciation of most words, including tones, is accurate or approximate

• Chinese Unmasked - Volumes 1 & 2
• Concise English-Chinese/Chinese-English Dictionary (Oxford)
• Let's Play Games In Chinese

• The Dragon's Tongue Series
• Tadpole and the Whale

• Chinese Mandarin Resource Book - Volumes 1, 2, and 3
• Hanyu (Revised Edition)
• Zhongguotong

• Chinese and Characters
• The Rosetta Stone Language Library - Chinese Mandarin I

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