Welcome to
 Elementary Mandarin Chinese 101 Home page
Chinese 101 (#17227), Spring 2011

Instructor: Li Bu Larson, M.A. in ESL
Time & Place: TR 5:00 PM – 6:40 PM; JR 202
Tel: Ex. 3467 (message only); Ex. 2019 (office)
Office Hours: TR 4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Office: ST 432
Email: libu.larson@csun.edu
URL: http://www.csun.edu/~ll51106/libu.html

Course Description and Objective:

Chinese 101 is a course of elementary Mandarin for non-native Chinese speakers. The students
with prior knowledge of Chinese are not eligible for taking this course. It aims at developing
students' elementary communicative skills and knowledge of the Chinese language and culture.

In this semester, students will learn the Chinese phonological system, the basic conversational
topics, vocabulary and grammar. They will also learn how to read and write Chinese characters.
The proficiency level that the students will reach by completing this course is Novice Mid based
on the ACTFL's (the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages) proficiency guidelines.

About 5 units will be covered in the first semester. The number of characters students will
learn is approximately 150. The teaching schedule and content may be changed based on students'
learning ability and progress. Any schedule and content changes will be posted on the class web page.

Chinese word processing ability is one of the objectives of this course. Students will learn how to
type Chinese texts using Chinese word processor.

The class time will be used for instructor's lecturing and students' activities including listening,
speaking, reading and writing. Students are expected to complete the assigned homework and study the covered contents after class.

In order to learn how to write characters, students can take advantage of the Workbook, or the computer aided multi-media learning software or Learning Chinese online web page (see below).

Required Textbook:

Recommended Learning Tools:

Homework:

The homework will be assigned and will be checked in class.

Tests:

All tests and examinations are obligatory. The tests will be given on the assigned days only. No requests for taking the tests before or after the set dates will be honored without a valid excuse or documentation.

Students’ Responsibilities:

Chinese 101 Grading System:

Final Presentation: 10 %

Tests (10%*2): 20% 

 Active Participation: 15%

Written Final: 25 %

Oral Presentation: 20%

Written Assignment: 15%

Course Schedule: (The teaching schedule and content may be changed based on students' learning ability and progress.)

Week

Tuesday 5:00PM - 6:40PM

Thursday 5:00PM - 6:40PM

Week 1

1/25 & 1/27

Introduction – Pinyin and Tones (self quiz),

HW Intr. (CWB pgs. 1-3)

Introduction - Initials (self quiz),

Week 2

2/1 & 2/3

Introduction - Finals (self quiz),

HW Intr. (CWB pgs. 13-15)

Introduction – Pinyin (self quiz) and useful expressions, Quiz

Week 3

2/8 & 2/10

Unit 1.1,

HW 1.1 (WB pgs. 15-17, CWB pgs. 17-22)

Unit 1.1

Week 4

2/15 & 2/17

Unit 1.2,

HW 1.2 (WB pg. 19-27, CWB pgs. 23-26)

Unit 1.2, Test 1

Week 5

2/22 & 2/24

Unit 2.1,

HW 2.1 (WB pg. 29-34, CWB  pgs. 27-32)

Unit 2.1

Week 6

3/1 & 3/3

Unit 2.2,

HW 2.2 (WB pg. 35-42, CWB pgs. 33-36)

Unit 2.2

Week 7

3/8 & 3/10

Oral presentation 1

Unit 2.2

Unit 3.1,

HW 3.1 (WB pg. 43–50 , CWB pgs. 37-44)

Week 8

3/15 & 3/17

Unit 3.1

Unit 3.2,

HW 3.2 (WB pg. 51-57, CWB pgs. 45-47)

Week 9

3/22 & 3/24

Unit 3.2

Unit 3.2, Test 2

Week 10

3/29 & 3/31

Unit 4.1,

HW 4.1 (WB pg. 59-65, CWB pgs. 49-55)

Unit 4.1

Week 11

4/4 - 4/8

Spring recess; no instruction

Spring recess; no instruction

Week 12

4/12 & 4/14

Unit 4.2,

HW 4.2 (WB pg. 67-74, CWB pgs. 56-58)

Unit 4.2

Week 13

4/19 & 4/21

Unit 4.2, Oral presentation 2

Unit 5,

HW5 (WB pg. 75-81, CWB pgs. 57-64)

Week 14

4/26 & 4/28

Unit 5

Unit 5

Week 15

5/1 & 5/5

Unit 5.n ,

HW 5.n (WB pg. 83-88, CWB pgs. 65-66)

Unit 5.n

Week 16

5/10 & 5/12

Final Review - That’s How the Chinese Say It, HW R1 (WB pg. 89-91, CWB pgs. 4-11)

Oral Final Presentation

Week 17

5/17

Written Final Exam,

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

 

Online References:

  1. Integrated Chinese Level 1 Lesson 1 to Lesson 22 (Edition 2), Multimedia Exercises by University of California, Berkeley
  2. Integrated Chinese,  online study materials
  3. Pinyin Practice, by University of Iowa
  4. A Brief Introduction to Pinyin, by Dr Xie, CSULB
  5. Pinyin song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSlNwgyFjhY
  6. Online Flashcard for “Integrated Chinese (3rd Ed.), Level 1,Part 1, by Yellow Bridge
  7. Strokes of Chinese Characters, by Li-Bu Larson, CSUN
  8. Basic Radicals, by EALC, USC
  9. Practice Chinese Characters online (traditional characters), by EALC, USC
  10. A is for Love, a set of flash cards for learning Chinese
  11. Some Chinese Characters, a few randomly chosen Chinese words are here just for you to look at.
  12. Top 300 Chinese Characters, by Dr. Xie, CSULB

13.  A set of Power-Point slides for Integrated Chinese, Level I, Part I (3rd edition), by Cheng & Tsui

  1. Vocabulary Index (Chinese-English) for Integrated Chinese, Level 1 Part 1, by  Cheng & Tsui
  2. Supplement 1, by Dr. Xie, CSULB
  3. Chinese Phrases for Travelers
  4. Sexy Beijing, by Anna Sophie Loewenberg
  5. Survival Chinese – Lost Laowai
  6. Video Clips of Survival Chinese
  7. Conversational Mandarin Chinese Online, Level I (Fifteen Units in Pinyin, English, Characters and Exercises with sound), by Tim Xie, CSULB
  8. Real People on Real Topics, by Jianhua Bai

22.  Danwei - Chinese media, advertising, and urban life

  1. China the Beautiful, by Pei Minglong
  2. Chinese History Timeline
  3. A Timeline - The Chinese Dynasties, By Li-Bu Larson, CSUN
  4. Chinese Reading World (simplified characters), by University of Iowa, Chinese Program
  5. Chinese Reading (traditional characters), by EALC, USC
  6. Chinese Festivals
  7. CHINESE NEW YEAR LANTERN FESTIVAL, Online Exercises on Grammar and Vocabulary, by Kylie Hsu, CSULA
  8. Chinese Way to Go, by Emily Yih
  9. Student Work, by EALC, USC
  10.  金山词霸
  11. Purple Culture – free tools
  12. Pinyin Builder: http://www.language-power.cn/pinyin-builder.html
  13. NCIKU: http://www.nciku.com/

Other Policies:

  1. Apart from the guidelines, efforts and progress made will be taken into consideration.
  2. No make-up quiz or test will be given unless the student can give notice beforehand.


Li Bu Larson
January 8, 2011