None. Students who already speak Chinese (Putonghua and/or dialects) are not eligible for this course.
Entry Proficiency Level: None
End of Course Targeting Proficiency Level: Novice Mid
In Novice 1, students will explore elements of identity and personal interests to make connections to the Chinese language and culture. The emphasis in this course will be on developing the competency to meet basic communication needs (e.g., extending greetings, giving biographical information, extending invitations, and making introductions). Novice 1 provides students an opportunity to fully develop their communication skills to the level of Novice Mid according to ACTFL standards in a year. They will be awarded 1 credit for the successful completion of a one-year study.
At the conclusion of Novice 1, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate solid mastery of the pinyin system.
- Discern and model proper Mandarin pronunciation.
- Learn a limited inventory of classroom language for clarifying meaning.
- Ask and give answers to questions relating to personal background information.
- Greet and address people appropriately.
- Give a simple presentation about themselves and their family.
- Discuss and make arrangement for common activities and interests.
- Play host to a house guest, using culturally appropriate language.
- Demonstrate understanding of the rules governing proper Chinese character writing.