Modern Chinese for Heritage Beginners: Stories about Us

The textbook "Chinese for Travelers" is designed for beginner-level Chinese students who want to learn Chinese for travel purposes. It incorporates both Chinese traditional culture and the history of Chinese Americans,and the content is humorous and engaging. Each lesson contains one dialogue and one text,with the dialogues written in spoken language and the texts written in a more formal register. The activities in each lesson are designed with students' strengths in mind,and the learning objectives of each lesson are based on Blooms Taxonomy.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 21 April 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The textbook's theme spans from individuals and families to the Chinese and Asian American communities in the United States, eventually encompassing the entire American society. Instead of focusing solely on Chinese people, it adopts a perspective of Chinese American students, setting it apart from other textbooks. This unique approach incorporates both Chinese traditional culture and the history of Chinese Americans. The discussion questions and interpersonal and presentational tasks are thoughtfully designed to enhance and further students' content and language learning.

Each lesson comprises one dialogue and one text. The dialogues, written in spoken language, are based on real-life experiences, instantly engaging students. In contrast, the short texts are written in a more formal register, aligning with the dialogue's theme and promoting a deeper understanding across cultures. This design allows students to observe a range of writing styles and grasp the distinctions between spoken and written Chinese. To facilitate accessibility for beginner-level students, each text is accompanied by an English translation, ensuring that the content is accessible even if they may not be familiar with every Chinese character. Characters should not serve as a barrier to reading, and learning Chinese characters after understanding the content can further motivate students to acquire these skills.

The activities in each lesson are meticulously crafted with students' strengths in mind. This macro-approach employs students' existing speaking and listening skills to enhance their reading and writing abilities. Within each lesson, there are listening comprehension exercises to strengthen students' listening comprehension and vocabulary acquisition. Additionally, writing tasks are incorporated to encourage students to practice their writing skills and apply the knowledge gained from the dialogue and text. By incorporating a variety of activities, the textbook aims to provide a well-rounded learning experience that caters to different learning styles and promotes comprehensive language development.

Weight: 392g
Dimension: 154 x 234 x 16 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032399775