Bright Future Academy 4433 Sheppard Avenue East, 2nd Floor, Room 202 Toronto, Ontario M1S 1V3 LKADU – Mandarin COURSE OUTLINE Course Title: Mandarin Text: Handouts Department: Languages Course Description: This course prepares students for university studies in the international language. Students will enhance their ability to use the language with clarity and precision, and will develop the language skills needed to engage in sustained conversations and discussions, understand and evaluate information, read diverse materials for both study and pleasure, and write clearly and effectively. Students will also have opportunities to add to their knowledge of the culture of countries where the language is spoken through the use of community resources and computer technology. Overall Expectations: LKADU By the end of this course, students will: Oral Communication: Listening Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of oral messages, communicated in various situations and for a variety of purpose;
Oral Communication: Speaking Communicate orally in various situations and for a variety of purposes, using language appropriate to the level.
Reading Read age- and language-appropriate passages from various sources for a variety of purposes
Writing Write for a variety of purposes and audiences, using increasingly broad vocabulary and sophisticated language structures;
Unit details:
Teaching / Learning Strategies: Students learn best when they are engaged in a variety of ways of learning. The Mandarin course provides opportunities for students to discuss issues, understand them, and propose solutions. The course also allows students opportunities to understand and appreciate cultural differences. Active and experiential learning strategies also enable students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-life issues and situations. Such approaches promote the acquisition of knowledge, foster positive attitudes towards learning, and encourage students to become lifelong learners. Since the aim of this course is to develop students’ ability to use the language with clarity and precision, and will develop the language skills needed to engage in sustained conversations and discussions, understand and evaluate information, read diverse materials for both study and pleasure, and write clearly and effectively, these approach include:
Assessment and Evaluation Strategies of Student Performance: Assessment is the process of gathering information that accurately reflects how well a student is achieving the curriculum expectations in a subject or course. The primary purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning”. As part of assessment for learning, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement. Teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who are able to set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning.
Teachers will obtain assessment information through a variety of means, which may include formal and informal observations, discussions, learning conversations, questioning, conferences, homework, tasks done in groups, demonstrations, projects, portfolios, developmental continua, performances, peer and self-assessments, self-reflections, essays, and tests.
As essential steps in assessment for learning and as learning, teachers need to: • plan assessment concurrently and integrate it seamlessly with instruction; • share learning goals and success criteria with students at the outset of learning to ensure that students and teachers have a common and shared understanding of these goals and criteria as learning progresses; • gather information about student learning before, during, and at or near the end of a period of instruction, using a variety of assessment strategies and tools; • use assessment to inform instruction, guide next steps, and help students monitor their progress towards achieving their learning goals; • analyse and interpret evidence of learning; • give and receive specific and timely descriptive feedback about student learning; • help students to develop skills of peer and self-assessment.
Teachers will also ensure that they assess students’ development of learning skills and work habits, using the assessment approaches described above to gather information and provide feedback to students.
The Final Grade: The evaluation for this course is based on the student's achievement of curriculum expectations and the demonstrated skills required for effective learning. The percentage grade represents the quality of the student's overall achievement of the expectations for the course and reflects the corresponding level of achievement as described in the achievement chart for the discipline. A credit is granted and recorded for this course if the student's grade is 50% or higher. The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:
Evaluation: Assessment of Learning through the course: Unit tests 40% + Assignments/Projects 30% = 70 % Final Evaluation: Final examination 15% + final assignment/project 15% = 30%
The Report Card: The report card will focus on two distinct but related aspects of student achievement; the achievement of curriculum expectations and the development of learning skills. The report card will contain separate sections for the reporting of these two aspects.
Program Planning Considerations for Classical Studies and International Languages: Teachers who are planning a program in classical studies or international languages must take into account considerations in a number of important areas. The areas of concern to all teachers include the following: • the role of technology in the curriculum • English as a second language (ESL) and English literacy development (ELD) • career education
Considerations relating to the areas listed above that have particular relevance for program planning in classical studies and international languages are noted here.
The Role of Technology in the Curriculum. Information technology provides a variety of resources that both facilitate and enrich language learning in unique and important ways. These resources include language programs that support specific learning styles as well as programs that enable teachers to design individualized courses or courses for learners with similar needs. Technology also offers students a rich variety of experiences – both linguistic and cultural– to which they might otherwise not have access. For example, the Internet allows students to visit museums and cultural sites or to read the day’s news in the language under study. Students also have access to a wealth of information and literary texts, all of which can enrich their projects and presentations, and give depth and context to their learning. In addition, students can contribute to electronic discussion sites and communicate with speakers of various languages from around the world by e-mail.
ESL/ELD. Because classical and international language courses focus on the development of essential language and communication skills, they can be of considerable benefit to ESL/ELD students who are engaged in the task of developing these skills in the English language. In addition to supporting ESL/ELD students in their efforts to develop communication skills, classical and international language courses also provide them with language knowledge that can be of great assistance to them in understanding the fundamental principles that are operative in the English language. Teachers of classical studies and international languages should work closely with parents, fellow teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators, and community support networks to ensure that ESL/ELD students derive maximum benefit from classical studies and international language courses.
Career Education. The skills and knowledge that students acquire through classical studies and international language courses are not only relevant but essential for a wide range of careers. Classical studies and international language programs prepare students for careers not only in such language-related fields as translation and language instruction, but also in fields such as international banking and finance, multilingual computer software development, global trade, industry, travel, and government and international affairs. In addition, graduates of classical studies and international language programs are well-equipped for the many careers that require well-developed thinking, analytical, and communication skills.
Resources: · Class Handouts · Beijing Language University Publishing House 2013, New Practical Chinese Reader 4, ISBN-13: 978-7561934319 · Materials available at Chinese Traditional Culture Library
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