1st Edition
Action! China A Field Guide to Using Chinese in the Community
Winner of the Chinese Language Teachers Association’s 2014 Cengage Learning Excellence and Innovation in Teaching Chinese Award.
Action! China is a practical guide for intermediate to advanced students of Chinese wanting to maximize their study abroad experience and enhance their language skills.
This handy guide contains over 90 Field Performance tasks which prompt real-life interactions with native speakers. By carrying out these real-life tasks students refine and solidify existing communication skills and gain a fuller understanding of and participation in the target culture.
The guide also provides over 60 Performance Watch tasks which help students understand how native speakers accomplish communicative goals through guided observation and analysis of naturally occurring interactions.
Action! China helps students understand and participate socially in Chinese, guiding them through skill-getting and skill-using processes and enabling them to form meaningful connections with Chinese people in the community.
Topic 1 Getting Settled
Task 1.1 Getting Acquainted with a Language Partner
Task 1.2 Establishing Cell Phone Service
Task 1.3 Exploring the Local Neighborhood
Performance Watch 1
Topic 2 Eating
Task 2.1 Exploring the Campus Cafeteria
Task 2.2 Learning about Chinese Food
Task 2.3 Exploring Local Restaurants
Performance Watch 2
Topic 3 Taking Transportation
Task 3.1 Taking a Bus
Task 3.2 Taking the Subway
Task 3.3 Taking a Taxi
Performance Watch 3
Topic 4 Shopping
Task 4.1 Exploring Retail Stores
Task 4.2 Shopping for Clothes
Task 4.3 Interacting with Street Vendors
Performance Watch 4
Topic 5 Exploring Campus Culture
Task 5.1 Understanding Teacher-Student Relations
Task 5.2 Apologizing and Repairing Relationships
Task 5.3 Exploring Student Organizations
Performance Watch 5
Topic 6 Socializing
Task 6.1 Getting Together with Friends
Task 6.2 Being a Good Guest
Task 6.3 Being a Good Host
Performance Watch 6
Topic 7 Solving Problems
Task 7.1 Reporting and Recovering Lost Items
Task 7.2 Communicating by Phone
Task 7.3 Discussing Problems
Performance Watch 7
Topic 8 Protecting Health
Task 8.1 Exercising
Task 8.2 Taking Medicine
Task 8.3 Going to the Hospital
Performance Watch 8
Topic 9 Volunteering in the Community
Task 9.1 Introducing Yourself Formally
Task 9.2 Comparing Volunteer Experience
Task 9.3 Organizing Volunteer Activities
Performance Watch 9
Topic 10 Participating in Formal Events
Task 10.1 Understanding Dress Codes
Task 10.2 Learning Banquet Etiquette
Task 10.3 Making a Toast
Performance Watch 10
Topic 11 Planning a Trip
Task 11 Planning a Trip (Group Project)
Performance Watch 11
Topic 12 Talking about the City
Task 12.1 What People Love about a City (Group Project)
Task 12.2 Creating Promotional Materials (Group Project)
Performance Watch 12
Topic 13 Preparing Presentations
Task 13.1 Conducting an Interview
Task 13.2 Giving an Oral Presentation
Task 13.3 Improving Q&A Skills
Performance Watch 13
Topic 14 Taking Leave
Task 14.1 Preparing a Farewell Gift
Task 14.2 Preparing a Farewell Speech
Task 14.3 Saying Farewell upon Departure
Performance Watch 14
Biography
Donglin Chai has been teaching Chinese as a foreign language since 2006 and is currently a visiting affiliate assistant professor of Chinese at Loyola University Maryland, USA. She has directed intensive Chinese study abroad programs for the US Department of State Critical Language Scholarship program and The Ohio State University.
Crista Cornelius is Director of the Xijin Chinese Language Program at Shaanxi Normal University in Xi’an, China, a new program integrating short-term Chinese study abroad with teacher training for novice Chinese language teachers.
Bing Mu is currently a PhD candidate in Chinese Language Pedagogy at The Ohio State University, USA. She has taught Chinese language courses of all levels in both regular academic and summer intensive programs at The Ohio State University. She has also served as a mentor for advanced American learners of Chinese in The Ohio State University’s Chinese Flagship Program in Qingdao, China.
