a helping hand mandarin - nord anglia education · 5 helping your child with mandarin at bsb,...

MANDARINA HELPING HAND

Some information about our Mandarin curriculum and a few ideas to help you support your child at The British School of Beijing

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HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH MANDARIN

ABOUT

“Learn your language well

and command it well,

and you will have the first

component to life.”

Mandarin Chinese is spoken by 873 million people, making it the most widely spoken first language in the world.

Through studying the Chinese language, you will learn to understand the Chinese people and their culture. Despite the number of Mandarin speakers in the world, you will actually be developing a rare skill as you learn Mandarin, as it is not widely learned as a second language. There is likely to be more and more demand for people who can speak it, particularly as the Chinese economy continues to grow.

Chinese characters are a unique feature of the Chinese language. The characters originated from pictures. The history of their formation is very long, dating back to remote antiquity. Presently, roughly 600 Chinese characters are pictograms, that is stylised drawings, of the objects they represent. These are generally among the oldest characters. The following examples illustrate the evolution of Chinese characters through a long history.

rì日 the sun

yuè月 the moon

A character is an individual written unit separated by a space boundary. Characters are monosyllabic morphemes and represent the smallest meaningful units in a word. Characters are constructed by individual strokes.

The Chinese language comprises of 50,000 characters, or which 5,000-8,000 are in common use. Students with a literacy of 1,000-1,500 characters would belong to the upper intermediate ability group at BSB. Students with a literacy of around 2,500 to 3,000 characters would be considered advanced learners and be able to speak, understand and write for different situations and in a variety of contexts.

At The British School of Beijing, students work to develop a good command of all four language skills: reading; writing; speaking; and, listening. Learning Mandarin will make our students better thinkers and we hope that both parents and students will also see that it is a fun and worthwhile activity.

Edward Roscoe Murrow

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At BSB, Mandarin is taught starting with students from 1 years of age.

Children in our Teddies 1 group have bilingual teaching assistants who communicate with them in Chinese. In Teddies 2, children receive a daily 20 minutes lesson of Mandarin taught by a specialist teacher.

The length of the Mandarin lessons increases up to 3 hours per week in Year 5 and 6.

Children are divided in different levels depending on their language ability and study the same topics at increasing levels of difficulty.

BSB utilises the UK National Curriculum framework for Languages as a reference for teaching Mandarin.

The programme of study for Chinese is designed for students who are learning Mandarin as a foreign language and who are continuing to learn Mandarin as their native

language.

Due to the different backgrounds and different learning strategies employed to help students, classes are split into two sections, for Native speakers and Non-native speakers.

The Native speakers will be split into the groups of:

H1, H2, and H3.

The Non-native speakers will be split into the groups of:

‘First Step’, ‘A1’, ‘A2’, ‘B1’, and ‘B2’.

MANDARIN IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOL

The students will use different learning materials based on the learning levels.

There are 8 language levels ranked for learning Mandarin as a foreign language.

In primary school, all the six year groups cover 18 topics and the program presents approximately 600 characters. Children will be drilled in the aspects from listening, speaking, reading and writing. They will develop confidence in using Chinese to communicate either orally or in written forms.

Every week students will have 3 hours of Chinese lessons and they receive homework once a week. In each class, there are less than 20 students, and the teacher will differentiate the class so that each child will get more attention and proper learning materials to meet the needs of their level.

The ‘First Step’ class helps the new beginners to settle in the groups and teach some basic language points to make communication easier.

The ‘A’ groups mainly focus on listening and speaking exercises to build their confidence by using the language orally. By building the students’ confidence in their ability to use Mandarin, we pave the way for the next step when they progress onto reading and writing.

Students in the ‘B’ groups spend more time learning how to recognize Chinese characters. In these groups we introduce the construction of the characters, the strokes, the radicals and the reasons behind the way the characters are formed.

In lessons for native speakers, students learn the language as mother tongue, in much the same way as Literacy in British curriculum. Students spend most of their time learning how to write. They learn about poetry, non-fiction, fiction and play scripts. We encourage the children to borrow library books and change them weekly so that they have more chance to practise reading after school.

To aid their recognition of characters and help their writing, each student receives a set of flash cards bound to a ring to take home and practise.

They will be assessed on their recognition of characters and will have the chance to change their set of flash cards to another set when the they can remember the characters. They will also be assessed through weekly dictations to gauge how many characters the students can write.

At the end of the academic year, the students sit an end of year exam to assess their speaking, listening and writing skills.

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MANDARIN IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLChinese Proficiency Tests at The British School of Beijing are:• the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi) • the YCT (Youth Chinese Test).

In the Mandarin Department at BSB, we use the HSK standards to assess the students’ level of Mandarin and to provide them with a certificate recognised worldwide, useful for their academic and professional future.

The HSK and YCT tests were launched by the Confucius Institute and designed by a panel of educationalists to better serve the learners of Mandarin Chinese.

The new HSK consists of a writing test and a speaking test, which are independent of each other.

There are six levels of writing tests: • HSK level I, • HSK level II, • HSK level III, • HSK level IV, • HSK level V, and • HSK level VI.

There are three levels of speaking tests:• HSK beginner level, • HSK intermediate level, and • HSK advanced level.

The YCT suits younger learners of Chinese (KS2 and Year 7 students) and consists of a writing test and a speaking test, which are independent of each other.

The writing test is divided into four levels:• YCT level I, • YCT level II, • YCT level III, and • YCT level IV.

The speaking test is divided into the YCT Beginner Level and YCT Intermediate Level.

The table below compares the HSK levels to the Common European Language Framework.

New HSK Vocabulary Chinese

Characters

Study time (average)

IGCSE CEF Common European

FrameworkHSK Level VI(L,R,W,S)

Over 5,000 IGCSE CIE First Language/ AS and A level

C2

HSK Level V(L,R,W,S)

2500 Over 2.5 years; 3-4 hrs/week

C1

HSK Level IV(L,R,W,S)

1200 2 years; 3-4 hrs/week

IGCSE Edexcel Second Language

B2

HSK Level III(L,R,W,S)

600 3-4 semesters; 3hrs/week

B1

HSK Level II(L,R,S)

300 1 year; 3hrs/week

A2

HSK Level I (L,R,S)

150 6 months; 3hrs/week

A1

80 Less than 6 months

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Students in Years 7, 8 and 9 are divided into ability groups depending on their language level.

Students who have never learned Mandarin before joining BSB will join our Beginners programme. This equips children with basic spoken expressions and minimum characters recognition, to allow them to function immediately in the new environment.

Students starting with a basic knowledge of Mandarin will join the advanced beginner group. Students with a more extensive previous knowledge of Mandarin will either join the intermediate or advanced groups.

The beginners and intermediate groups will follow a variety of textbooks and will learn vocabulary and new expressions through topics such as self, family, colours, occupation, transportation, school, education and more.

Students in the advanced group follow the textbook Yu Wen. Lessons consist of intensive and extensive reading of descriptive articles, Chinese historical stories, Chinese fable stories, classical Chinese poetry, narrative articles, fiction and non fiction and writing activities.

The curriculum in Key Stage 3 is aimed at developing the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Cultural programs and festivals and extra provision during

the after school activities engage students on a deeper level and allow them to appreciate and understand Chinese

culture to make the most out of their time in Beijing.

The Mandarin department at BSB compares the HSK standard to the National curriculum levels according to the following table:

KS3 KS4 KS5 IBN.C. Levels HSK/YCT

correspondenceN.C. Levels

HSK/YCT correspondence

Mandarin Ab ini

HSK-3/4

Level 1 HSK/YCT 1 Mandarin B SL

HSK-4/5

Level 2 HSK/YCT 1/2 GCSE YCT-3; HSK-2/3

Mandarin B HL

HSK-5/6

Level 3 HSK/YCT 2/3 GCSE low set

HSK-2/3

Level 4 HSK/YCT 3/4 GCSE high set

HSK-4 KS5 ALevels

Level 5 As A-A* HSK 4/5Level 6 HSK 4 As B-C HSK 3/4Level 7 HSK 4/5 A2 A-A* HSK 5/6Level 8-Exceptional performance

HSK 5/6 A2 B-C HSK 4/5

Students at BSB will have the opportunity at the end of each school year to sit an HSK or YCT test and to acquire a certificate that will assess their Mandarin level against international standards.

For more information, please contact BSB’s Chinese Department.

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IGCSE Second Language Chinese

Course ContentThe curriculum develops the four skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing in a range of familiar and practical contexts, and for a variety of purposes using a range of vocabulary and structures.

The content relates to four common topic areas: out and about; customer service and transactions; personal information; future plans, education and work. All questions will have English language titles and rubrics. The course is designed for students with a minimum of 2 or 3 years prior knowledge of Chinese. Students with a prior knowledge of 1 year can still sit the IGCSE Second Language Chinese.

Course AssessmentIGCSE Second language comprises of two single-tier papers which cover written assessment in listening, reading and writing skills.

All candidates are eligible for the award of grades A* to G. A separately endorsed examination of spoken language with rubrics in English and the target language is also available.

Spoken Examination: An oral examination of approximately 8-12 minutes conducted by the student’s teacher, marked by the centre, but with representative samples externally moderated by Edexcel. Topics for the spoken examination are; media and culture, sport and leisure, travel and tourism, business, work and employment.

Listening: 30 minutes with 5 minutes for reading time. The candidate must answer to questions in Chinese, rubrics in English are provided.

Reading and Writing: 1 hour and 30 minutes. Candidates are required to answer a series of comprehension questions and to write a passage between 100-200 characters.

Please ask your teacher for more information and visit the Examination Board website www.edexcel.com

IGCSE MANDARINYears 10 & 11

At BSB, Mandarin is one of the core subjects of the two year IGCSE program. Depending on a student’s level when they start the course, they will study for a different exam, either IGCSE Mandarin First Language or IGCSE Mandarin Second Language.

Top set students studying Chinese will take the IGCSE examinations at the end of Year 10 thus providing them with the opportunity to take the AS Levels at the end of Year 11.

IGCSE First Language Chinese

Course ContentDesigned for students whose level of Chinese is native, close to native or advanced, the curriculum is based on texts and sources used in Mainland China and Hong Kong. It aims at developing the ability to communicate and write clearly, accurately and effectively. Students learn how to employ a wide range of vocabulary, use correct grammar and punctuation. Students are encouraged to read a variety of styles and keep their knowledge up-to-date through other medium, such as novels, plays, television, radio and newspapers.

Course AssessmentIGCSE First Language Chinese comprises of two papers, Reading and Writing. All candidates take Papers 1 and 2 and are eligible for the award of grades A* to G.

The Reading Paper (2 hours) weights 60% of the total marks; candidates are required to answer a series of comprehension questions and write a summary based on a text.

The Writing Paper (1 hour 15 minutes) weights 40% of the total marks and candidates are required to write one composition of 400–600 characters.

Please ask your teacher for more information and visit the Examination Board website www.cie.org.uk

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Understanding and written response in Chinese (2 hours 30 minutes). The assessment for this unit is divided into three sections.

• Section A: students are required to listen to a range of recorded Chinese-language material and to retrieve and convey information given in the recording by responding to Chinese-language questions. Students will need to show understanding of both the general sense and specific details conveyed.

• Section B: students are required to read Chinese-language printed materials and to retrieve and convey information by responding to a range of mainly target-language test-types.

• Section C: students are required to write 180–200 characters of Chinese in the form of a letter, report or article based on a short printed Chinese-language stimulus. Students must respond to four to six bullet points based on the stimulus text and demonstrate their ability to communicate accurately in Chinese using correct grammar and syntax.

This paper weights 70% of the total AS mark and 35% of the total GCE mark. Please ask your teacher for more information and visit the Examination Board website, www.edexcel.com

A2 Chinese (Advanced GCE in Chinese)

Course ContentAdvanced GCE specification requires students to use written Chinese language to present viewpoints, develop arguments, analyse and evaluate facts and understand and apply the grammatical system and a range of structures. They will study aspects of the contemporary society, cultural background and heritage of one or more of the Chinese-language countries or communities and learn to transfer meaning from English into Chinese, and/or vice versa.

Course Assessment

Understanding, Written Response and Research in Chinese (2 hours 45 minutes).The assessment for this unit is divided into four sections.• Section A: Reading: Students will be required to read a piece of authentic Chinese

text and to retrieve and convey information from it. To demonstrate that they can do this, they will need to answer a series of questions in Chinese.

• Section B: Translation: Students will be assessed on their ability to transfer meaning from a short passage written in English into Chinese.

• Section C: Essay writing: Students must write an essay in Chinese (250–500 characters) • Section D: Research-based essay: Students will write in Chinese (250–500

characters) about an area of interest to them and which they have researched in advance. Students will be free to set their own titles for this activity. All research must link to Chinese culture and/or society and to a specific topic area, film or book chosen from a prescribed list.

This paper weights 100% of the total A2 marks and 50% of the total GCE marks Please ask your teacher for more information and visit the Examination Board website, www.edexcel.com

A-LEVEL MANDARINYears 12 & 13Edexcel’s GCE in Chinese comprises three units and contains an Advanced Subsidiary subset of two AS units.

The Advanced Subsidiary GCE, known as a AS-level is the first half of the GCE course. It may be awarded as a distinct qualification or contribute 50 per cent of the total Advanced GCE marks.

The full Advanced GCE award consists of the two AS units, plus one A2 unit which makes up the other 50 per cent of the Advanced GCE.

AS Chinese (Advanced Subsidiary GCE in Chinese)

Course ContentThe curriculum is designed to prepare students to listen and respond to a variety of spoken Chinese-language sources, including authentic sources; to read and respond to a variety of Chinese-language written texts, covering different contexts, registers, styles and genres; to adapt their spoken and written Chinese language appropriately for different situations and purposes; to use the Chinese language accurately to express facts and ideas, and to present opinions and information in both speech and writing; to apply accurate grammatical structures.

Candidates with a minimum of 2 or 3 years prior knowledge of Chinese will sit the AS GCE in Chinese. Top set students can still sit the A level with less than 2 year prior knowledge of Chinese.

Course AssessmentAS GCE in Chinese comprises of two papers.

Spoken examination: 5–6 minutes (15 minutes preparation time). This unit requires students to speak in Chinese on a theme that links to an English-language stimulus allocated to them shortly before their assessment on the day of the examination.

They will be expected to provide relevant information and expand on this by expressing their views and opinions on the subject matter. This paper weights 30% of the total AS mark and 15% of the total GCE mark.

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Here are some practical tips to make the most out of your time in China.

• Encourage your child to take part in at least one of the activities offered by the Mandarin Department throughout the year. These activities help children to build links with the wider local community. Check the school calendar and newsletters or ask your child’s teacher for dates of these events. More information will be sent in the daily email.

• Ask to look at your child’s Mandarin workbooks and take an interest in what your child has been learning.

• Let your child watch local TV channels. In addition to the satellite, try to have a local cable connected. ICS, CCTV- 4 and CCTV-9 are English channels broadcasting Chinese news and culture items. OTV-children (哈哈少儿), CCTV-children (中央少儿) and OTV-cartoon (炫动卡通) broadcast cartoons and programmes for the little ones in Mandarin.

• Challenge your child to surf online to find more information about the topics they have learned in class. www.youku.com is also a useful website to find videos and news in Chinese.

• Listen to Chinese radio stations and music.

• Ask your child to teach you what they have learnt in class; this is a great revision exercise. Use flash cards to help revise characters.

• If you or another family member can speak Mandarin, encourage your child to talk to you in Mandarin at home.

How can you as a parent, especially if you are new to the language yourself, help your children to make the most of their Mandarin lessons?

There are various ways for parents to help their children in their studies, whether it is at the first stages of learning or encouraging them to further their knowledge with the study of Chinese literature.

Being in China does not automatically mean that you are immersed in Chinese culture, especially if you live in a compound where everything is on your doorstep and your friends are expatriates. Under these circumstances, your children, particularly in the younger age

groups, will rely on your awareness of the potential opportunities and your consistent encouragement to put them into situations where they speak

and use Mandarin in a variety of different scenarios.

HOW CAN YOU HELP AT HOME

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HELPING OUTSIDE THE HOMEThere is much you can explore outside the home environment to encourage your child to speak and use Mandarin.

• Take advantage of any opportunity to encourage your child to take part in dialogues in situations like shopping, eating in restaurants or taking a taxi.

• Check to see if Mandarin language and cultural courses are offered in your community centre. Even if you are not keen to learn the language, it is always fun to try Chinese cuisine or to learn some form of Chinese art. This signals to your child that you are enthusiastic about learning new things and can be a strong motivator to encourage your child to learn Mandarin.

• Ask your child to read any characters they recognise on public signs. Learn characters with your child. Take photos of signs and check with Chinese locals or the Mandarin teacher that you have both properly understood these. Label your home furniture and objects in Chinese.

• Special events like festivals provide excellent opportunities to learn about Chinese culture and language in a relaxed and informal setting. Has a colleague at your workplace ever invited you to a Chinese wedding? Accept the invitation. Take your child with you and don’t forget also to take a red envelope!

• Travel, travel and travel. Travel to a more remote area in China, to smaller towns where you have access to a lot more of the authentic language and traditional heritage. Your child’s experiences will eventually help them to better understand the culture embedded in the texts they read in class.

• You can encourage your child to write for a variety of purposes such as emails to a Chinese pen-pal, postcards when on holiday and notes to teachers. They can help mum to write notes for the ayi, write fun short stories or make a decorative Chinese vocabulary book.

• Buy one or two good dictionaries and leave them in easy reach. Contact your child’s Mandarin teacher if you need a recommendation. An electronic dictionary is also very helpful and easy to carry in a school bag. Install a Chinese dictionary on the home computer that offers the “Chinese Reading” function. This function will allow you to read Chinese websites with instant characters translation and this is a great way to learn new words.

• Set up a Chinese corner on your book shelf and fill this with anything Chinese: school books, Chinese readings, Chinese magazines and books on the language and culture.

• Initiate a daily routine for reading a Chinese book together. Ask your child to read aloud

to you and explain to you the content of what she has read in your native language or in Chinese. Say, read, watch or listen to anything in Chinese for 15 minutes daily.

• You may wish to hire a private tutor for extra lessons. This can be an academic tutor or take the form of a babysitter who encourages interaction in Mandarin on a more informal basis. If you have academic expectations of this tutor time, make sure you know what is covered in the lessons and encourage your tutor to remain in close contact

with your child’s Mandarin teacher so we can coordinate learning across home and in school.

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In our experience, the most successful Mandarin students usually have parents who show a keen interest in and a positive attitude towards their new surroundings, the culture and the language and who maintain close contact with the Mandarin teacher.

If you are such a parent, you will see dramatic improvements in your child’s progress.

FINAL WORD

There are very few aspects of a parent’s responsibility that are more important to the growth and development of their children than the school that they choose.

The British School of Beijing offers a superb, forward looking education featuring the very best of the British educational system.

a helping hand mandarin - nord anglia education · 5 helping your child with mandarin at bsb,...

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