Chinese Course Book 1 (Part 1)

Author: Yang Jizhou (Editor-in-Chief) / Qiu Jun et al. (Editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The format of this textbook is as follows:
1. Text;
2. Vocabulary;
3. Notes;
4. Grammar;
5. Pronunciation;
6. Exercises.
1. Text
The text is a crucial part of the textbook. The first 60 lessons in this book feature practical dialogues. Due to the strict constraints of grammar and vocabulary in beginner-level Chinese teaching, dialogues can rely on the "proxy" role of context to reduce unnecessary background explanations. These dialogues integrate the structure, meaning, and communicative functions of grammar into specific scenarios. The dialogues are designed with the characteristics of the target learners in mind, avoiding simplicity and striving for practicality. Lessons 61–100 feature short essays. The content is mostly narrative texts that depict contemporary Chinese social life. The selection of these texts pays attention to the standardization, elegance, and fluency of language, with a focus on storytelling and plot, making them easier for students to understand, memorize, and retell. Whether it is dialogues or short essays, we advocate that learners should not only be able to read them fluently but also memorize them.
2. Vocabulary
This textbook contains a total of 3,300 vocabulary items. These words are carefully considered in accordance with the vocabulary grading regulations in the vocabulary outline. Each lesson has a controlled number of new words:
- Phase 1 (Lessons 1–30): Approximately 20 words per lesson;
- Phase 2 (Lessons 31–60): Approximately 30 words per lesson;
- Phase 3 (Lessons 61–100): 40–50 words per lesson.
3. Notes
Notes provide explanations of certain linguistic points and cultural background knowledge.
4. Grammar
The grammar in this textbook does not aim for systematic coverage. The explanations are designed to be simple and clear, focusing on structure while emphasizing the explanation of meaning and pragmatic functions. We recommend that during classroom teaching, grammar should be demonstrated through various intuitive means such as pictures, actions, and videos, closely linking language with communicative contexts. This helps students immerse themselves in real-life communicative scenarios rather than getting lost in grammatical terms and concepts.
5. Pronunciation
This textbook dedicates 10 lessons to intensive pronunciation teaching. The training of pronunciation and intonation runs throughout the entire book. In the entire process of teaching Chinese as a second language, the importance of pronunciation training cannot be overstated.
6. Exercises
The design of exercises in this textbook follows the process of understanding, imitation, memorization, mastery, and application in language acquisition. The exercise sections include comprehension exercises, imitation exercises, and communicative exercises, among others. Due to time constraints, some exercise sections are mandatory.