Biography

The second-year Mandarin course has a dual goal of developing students’ language skills in Mandarin and deepening their understanding of and appreciation for Chinese culture. Students will grow more confident in their speaking and writing, and learn to handle a wider variety of conversational situations. The themes of the units will include talking about different countries and languages, discussing food and cuisines, conversing about sports and hobbies, celebrating a friend’s birthday, and describing your daily life. While the focus is on overall communication skills and cultural competency, fundamentals of the Chinese language including proper pronunciation and character writing will continue to be emphasized. Lessons will be taught in a gradually immersive approach in order to increase learners’ exposure to authentic language input and prepare them for real life interactions with native speakers. Discussions of traditional values and practices, historical and current events, and contemporary Chinese culture will be integrated into all aspects of the class and deepened through experiential learning activities like a cooking project and an annual field trip.