Chinese
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Course Overview
Stage 5
In 2007, for the first time The Open High High School is offering Mandarin Chinese as an elective language to Stage 5 students (Years Nine and Ten). Course delivery is through a CD ROM called 'Zou Ba' (Let's Go!) which is at the 'cutting edge' of language learning. The CD provides an interactive, fun way to learn the language though a scenario and a number of related tasks. Support material is provided by printed course material and an additional CD ROM, 'China Album' which reinforces and extends what students have learnt in 'Zou Ba.' At the completion of each unit students send in a worksheet to be marked by the teacher and have regular phone lessons to practise the language learned.
Stage 6
Chinese Beginners (Preliminary Course)
In 2009, Open High School is offering the Preliminary Course in Chinese Beginners. The students will be accelerated through the 'Zou Ba' CD Rom. Students will then progress on with the appropriate units in 'Ni Hao' 2-4 (which students are required to purchase). All courses are interactive and students will have support from their teacher in the form of printed worksheets and phone lessons.
Chinese Continuers (Preliminary Course)
There are altogether 8 modules for the course to be used in conjunction with the course 'Ni Hao 3' (which students are required to purchase). CDs are available to accompany the modules. A variety of exercises are produced for students to practise their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Phone lessons are conducted on a weekly basis for students to seek feedback on their work, to get advice on examination techniques and to develop their overall conversational skills. There are a lot of self-correcting exercises for students to get immediate feedback. There are also tasks that students need to send back to their teachers for comments.
Chinese Extension
The organisational focus of the Chinese Extension Course is the theme: the individual and contemporary society. Three contemporary issues that exemplify aspects of the theme are prescribed for study. Students engage with these issues through the in- depth study of a prescribed text which is a movie, 'He ni zai yiqi' ('Together'). Students will be provided with a wealth of support material to help them develop their skills in understanding the film and to manipulate language so that they write texts related to the issues. The course program includes weekly phone contact with their teacher during which time students can develop the skills necessary to present a point of view in Chinese related to the issues in the course. All students join the cyber classroom where they can easily contact their teacher as well as one another, exchange opinions and access support documents, class schedules etc.
Course Materials
Textbooks
The following is a list of course materials which need to be purchased for the specified course. All prices are approximate. If a course is not listed, the materials are provided by Open High School.
Stage 6 - Preliminary Courses
Beginners
- NiHao 1 (你好1) - Introductory level Student Textbook and Student Workbook
- NiHao 2 (你好2) 3rd Edition- Elementary level Student Textbook and Student Workbook
Continuers
- NiHao 3 (你好3) 3rd Edition - Intermediate level Student Textbook and Student Workbook
Stage 6 - HSC Courses
Beginners
- NiHao 3 (你好3) 3rd Edition - Intermediate level Student Textbook and Student Workbook
Continuers
- NiHao 4 (你好4) - Advanced level Student Textbook only.
Prices (approximate only)
| Level | Textbook | Workbook |
|---|---|---|
| NiHao 1- Introductory | $42.90 | $24.20 |
| NiHao 2 - Elementary | $48.40 | $26.40 |
| NiHao 3 - Intermediate level | $53.90 | $28.60 |
| NiHao 4 - Advanced | $59.40 |
The textbooks are available from:
Language Book Centre
131 York St. Sydney 2000
Phone: 02 9267 1397
Fax: 02 9264 8993
Dictionaries
All students should have a comprehensive language dictionary. Please consult the Chinese faculty for advice re dictionaries.
Stage 6 Syllabuses (From Board of Studies)
Click here to go to our Syllabus Downloads page - choose your language and then download the relevant syllabus.
National Anthem
National Emblem
Country Map
Country Overview
China is the world's largest country by population and one of the largest by area, measuring about the same size as the United States. The Chinese call their country Zhongguo, which means 'Central Country' or 'Middle Kingdom'. The name China was given to it by foreigners and is probably based on a corruption of Qin (pronounced 'chin'), a Chinese dynasty that ruled during the 3rd century BC.
Official Language Of
People's Republic of China; Hong Kong; Taiwan; Singapore; Macau
Total Number of Speakers
More than 1.3 billion
Language Family
Sino-Tibetan
Writing System
Chinese Characters
Language Overview
There are between six and twelve main regional groups of Chinese, of which the most populous is Mandarin, followed by Wu, and Cantonese. The standardised form of spoken Chinese is based on the Beijing dialect, a member of the Mandarin group. About one-fifth of the people in the world speak some form of Chinese as their native language. In general, all varieties of Chinese are tonal and analytic. However, Chinese is also distinguished by a high level of internal diversity.
