Level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

This beginner's course covers Integrated Chinese, Volume 1, Lessons 1 to 2, and is taught over ten weekly sessions of two hours per week.

This course aims to:

• introduce the first year of study and 70 vocabulary items
• cover the basics with simple, graded activities on essential topics such as greetings, family etc.
• introduce basic grammatical structures
• position pinyin close to characters so you can focus on speaking and pronunciation
• introduce the system of character writing---hanzi, as a guide to literacy.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• master the Chinese phonetic system and read Chinese pinyin with correct pronunciation and tone
• discuss 70 vocabulary items and recognise around 80 Chinese characters
• exchange basic greetings in Chinese, introduce yourself and others, and ask and answer questions about personal details such as name, surname, nationality, family members, etc.
• introduce your profession and ask about other's professions in Chinese
• employ basic Chinese kinship terms and describe a family photo in Chinese
• deliver a presentation introducing yourself and your family in Chinese, both orally and in written form
• gain insight into the Chinese writing system and skills in writing characters in correct stroke order.

• General introduction to Mandarin and Chinese dialects
• Chinese Pinyin system — 21 consonants, 6 major vowels and 29 compound vowels, 4 tones
• Practice of pronunciation and tones
• Review of over 70 Vocabulary items — nouns related to greetings, self-introduction, name, nationality, family, siblings, photo, professions, identities; basic verbs, adverbs, particles
• Basic grammar — basic sentence structure of declarative sentences, Yes or No questions, special questions, use of adverbs, measure words, particles
• Basic greetings, self-introduction, asking and introducing name, nationality and family members, describing a photo
• Chinese writing system — Chinese character categories, basic Chinese radicals, character writing rules, basic stroke order
• Practice writing 30 characters
• Introduction to Chinese culture — names and kinship relations etc

Suitable for beginner A1 level students. No prior knowledge of the language is required.

None

Delivered in the form of an interactive workshop where active participation is encouraged.

Both simplified and traditional character versions of the textbook and the two workbooks are available, however the simplified version will be taught in the classroom. You can also opt for the electronic version of materials.

While the textbook is required, the workbook and character workbook are optional.

All books are available in 3rd and 4th editions. If you already own a 3rd edition copy, you're welcome to use it. If not, please purchase the 4th edition.

Level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)

This course covers Integrated Chinese, Volume 1, Lessons 3 to 5, and is taught over ten weekly sessions of two hours per week.

This course aims to:

• introduce 108 vocabulary items
• cover the basics with simple, graded activities on essential topics such as dates and time, hobbies and visiting friends
• introduce essential grammatical structures
• concentrate on the four skills of language: listening, speaking, reading and writing.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• discuss 108 vocabulary items and recognise around 145 Chinese characters
• tell and speak about time and dates, talk about their age and birthday
• invite someone to dinner and arrange a dinner date
• say and write the terms for basic personal hobbies, ask about someone’s hobbies
• ask friends out to see a movie, set up plans for the weekend
• introduce one person to another
• compliment someone on their house
• ask for beverages as a guest at someone else’s place, offer beverages to a visitor
• briefly describe a visit to a friends' place
• deliver a presentation introducing yourself - date of birth, family members, hobbies, and favourite food and drinks in Chinese, both orally and in written form.

• Dates and times – taking someone out to eat on his/her birthday and inviting someone to dinner
• Discussing hobbies, eg would you like to play ball?
• Visiting friends – visiting a friend’s home and at a friend’s house
• The adverbs还 (hái) and 才 (cái)
• The particles吧 (ba) and 了 (le)
• The conjunction 那么 (nàme)
• The modal verb 想 (xiǎng)
• The preposition 在 (zài)
• Numbers (0, 1–100)
• Dates and time
• Word order
• Alternative questions, affirmative + negative (A-not-A) questions, questions with 好吗 (hǎo ma)
• 去 (qù) + action
• Verb + object as a detachable compound
• 一下 (yí xià) and 一点儿 (yì diǎnr) moderating the tone of voice
• Adjectives as predicates

Suitable for A1 level students, those who have completed Chinese Mandarin 101 or who have completed 20 hours of recent tuition.

Delivered in the form of an interactive workshop where active participation is encouraged.

Both simplified and traditional character versions of the textbook and the two workbooks are available, however the simplified version will be taught in the classroom. You can also opt for the electronic version of materials.

While the textbook is required, the workbook and character workbook are optional.

All books are available in 3rd and 4th editions. If you already own a 3rd edition copy, you're welcome to use it. If not, please purchase the 4th edition.