MENLO SCHOOL • SINCE 1915

Mandarin 3

Biography

Mandarin 3 is for students who have completed Mandarin 2 and for exceptionally strong students with three years of previous study in middle school. This may also be the appropriate class for students who has some previous study in weekend Chines school. On the placement test, we look for sufficient mastery of pinyin dictation, pronunciation and tones, beginning intermediate vocabulary and expressions taught in Mandarin 1 and 2, and the ability to compose short paragraphs: a minimum of 250 characters handwritten essay on topics such as school, shopping, and transportation. Students also need to be able to communicate orally at the emerging Intermediate-Low level of the ACTFL student performance descriptors. This class and all subsequent levels are conducted mostly in Mandarin. At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

  • Recognize, construct, and formulate questions and answers about more complex everyday situations.
  • Demonstrate the ability to communicate in Mandarin using expanded listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in the Intermediate-Low level of the ACTFL student performance descriptors.
  • Increase the use of complex vocabulary and guess strategies for unknown vocabulary and structure.
  • Identify the importance of cultural and social assumptions revealed in the language (examples: greetings, complements, direction, and flow of descriptions)
  • Identify the cultural, traditional, ethical, and contemporary values of the Mandarin-speaking countries and communities
  • Explore the student’s own values, cultural and social assumptions and contrast them with the traditional and contemporary values of Mandarin-speaking countries