Introductory Mandarin Chinese Grade 11: Experiencing Creative Works

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• view, listen to, and to some extent read creative works with visual and contextual support, and respond to them in various ways

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Read to students picture books that have familiar words and Chinese characters. Invite students to make their own Chinese storybooks and illustrate them with the aid of multimedia tools (e.g., computers). These could be shared with an elementary Chinese class.
• Teach the class some folk songs (e.g., "Long de Chuan ren") and contemporary songs. Have students sing along while reading lyrics in Pinyin.
• Introduce some key words, then show video segments of a Chinese animated cartoon. As a class, discuss the content of the video and ask students to create posters to promote it.
• Invite Chinese artists to demonstrate calligraphy painting, then have students use brushes to write or paint their own names.
• Ask students to research traditional Chinese clothing and produce posters comparing them with contemporary Chinese fashions.
• Ask students to view several Chinese comic strips. Then have them draw their own comic strips, providing dialogue or descriptions in Pinyin or Chinese characters.
• Show the class a music video and introduce vocabulary for understanding and singing the song. Working in pairs, students then write their own versions of the song and sing them to the class.
• Encourage students to use a wide variety of resources (e.g., videos, CD-ROMs, the Internet) to locate various types of Chinese entertainment.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• When students write and draw in response to stories, drama, or music they hear or view, look for evidence that they:
  • recognize the main ideas or topics
  • try to take original twists or perspectives
  • include main characters (where appropriate)
  • show the moods, viewpoints, or themes of the stories (e.g., humour, tragedy, satire, moral lesson)
  • sequence key events (where appropriate)
• When students respond to creative works, look for evidence that they are:
  • willing to risk putting forward their ideas
  • focussing on and responding to key features of the works
  • open to considering a variety of views and interpretations
  • using appropriate vocabulary and structures
  • able to interpret traditional symbols
  • aware of some of the conventions of interpreting art
• When students listen to and sing Chinese songs, note the extent to which they:
  • are focussed and attentive
  • anticipate words and melodies
  • make connections with other music in Chinese or other languages
  • ask questions that indicate interest and curiosity

• Favourite Folktales of China
• A Little Tiger in the Chinese Night
• Long is a Dragon
• Old Tales of China

• Chinese Folk Songs
• Chinese Mandarin Resource Book - Volumes 1, 2, and 3
• The Chinese People
• Hanyu (Revised Edition)
• Out of the East Horizon
• Zhongguotong

• Chinese and Characters