Welcome to the Middle School Chinese page
Mrs. Liu
Brunswick School added this progressive modern language option for fifth graders in the 2006-2007 school year. Currently, Chinese is offered at an introductory level in the 5th and 7th grades. The 6th grade students have had one year of instruction. All Middle School students will have the option of taking Chinese in the 2008-2009 academic year. The middle school Chinese teacher is Mrs. Hongbing Liu.
5th grade Chinese: This course is the introduction beginning Chinese. Mastery of the Pin Yin pronunciation system and the four tones are the primary goal. It is communication-based; therefore, speaking, listening, writing and reading are equally emphasized. Writing the basic strokes and characters are a fun experience for students. The vocabulary revolves around daily life: greetings, names, numbers, age, nationalities, family members, friends and school. The grammar includes subject pronouns, question words, question formation and the sentence structure. Cultural content includes Chinese character formation, Chinese traditional festival and family. Methodology includes repetition, role-playing in pairs and writing activities. We use Discovering Chinese 1, which includes a text, workbook, the material of Pin Yin (pronunciation system) and a homework page is maintained. In the fifth grade, we cover 6 lessons of the first level.
6th grade Chinese: This is a continuation of the foundation course begun in the 5th grade. This course is communication-based; writing, speaking, listening and reading are emphasized in equal measure. Constant repetition of material is a characteristic of foreign language instruction; vocabulary and grammar concepts will be reviewed. This course continues to develop students’ listening, oral and writing skills they gained the previous year. The vocabulary centers on daily activities, personal adjectives, possessions, transportation, time, occupation and expressions. In grammar, we will review and broaden the study of question construction, sentence structure and how to indicate the tense. Cultural content reinforces the vocabulary. Methodology includes repetition, performing in pairs, writing activities and competitions. We use Chinese Made Easy, which includes a text, workbook; there is also a homework page. In the sixth grade, we cover units 9 lessons to finish the level one textbook.
7th grade Chinese: This course is the foundation course. It is communication-based; therefore, writing, speaking, listening and reading are emphasized in equal measure. Mastery of the Pin Yin pronunciation system and the four tones are the primary goal. Writing characters in right stroke order is required. The vocabulary revolves around daily life: greetings, names, numbers, age, nationalities, family members, friends, school, dates, birthday, personal identity and food. The grammar covers subject pronouns, the use of “no”, “to be”, verbs, question words, question formation, the sentence structure, possessions, and expressions. Cultural content reinforces the vocabulary, Chinese character formation and Chinese traditional festival, Chinese food and family. Methodology includes repetition, performing in pairs and writing activities. Constant repetition of material a characteristic of foreign language instruction; vocabulary and grammar concepts will be reviewed when new material is introduced. We use Discovering Chinese, which includes a text, workbook, the material of Pin Yin pronunciation and a homework web-page is maintained. In the seventh grade, we cover 12 lessons to finish the level one textbook.
Mrs. Liu's homework page Upper School modern language MS modern language homepage
Contact info: Hongbing_Liu@brunswickschool.org