2011 YR 8 & 9 Curriculum Handbook FINAL - Indooroopilly State ...

LanguagesCHINESE ACCELERATIONYear 8OverviewWhat is Chinese Acceleration?Learning Chinese through acceleration will enhanceyour proficiency and understanding of Chinesehistory, culture and current developments. It willwiden your horizons and enable you to communicatewith at least one in five persons who speak thelanguage around the world.Why study Chinese Acceleration?Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin,is the most widely spoken language in the world. It isan official language of the People’s Republic ofChina, Taiwan, Hong Kong and used extensively inoverseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia andaround the world.AssessmentAssessment is based on the four macro-skills ofcommunication: listening, speaking, reading andwriting. In addition to these skills, in Year 8 you willbe using Chinese to create a booklet about anendangered animal.Future OptionsLanguage study gives you the opportunity to enhanceyour global career prospects in many areas, forexample: communication and trade consultants,translation, teaching, media correspondents, film andtelevision, multinational corporations, internationalresearch services, tourism marketing and services.Course OutlineThe purpose of learning Chinese is communication.You communicate in a variety of ways, by speaking,listening, reading and writing. In learning Chinese,you engage in all these skills in real-life or life-likesituations for the purpose of enjoyment, socialisingand learning. The acceleration program providesstudents with ample opportunities to use Chinese inkey learning areas such as Maths.Learning ExperiencesMandarin is an exciting language that will challengeall of your skills of learning. It is different from Englishwhich makes it unique. Learning a new language isvery much an adventure. It is an adventure in learningabout other people and other cultures. The objectivesof our Acceleration Program are to introduce theChinese language to you in a fun and non-threateningclassroom environment and to provide you with asolid foundation for learning Chinese in future years.Preferred Pre-RequisitesChinese at Primary level.9