Mission Possible:Mission Possible: Reaching for the As at Chinese A levelReaching for the As at Chinese A level Shawee ZhangShawee Zhang--EvansEvans Pate’s Grammar SchoolPate’s Grammar School

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18th May, 2012

• Why Edexcel A Level? • How is AS being taught at Pate’s? • How is A2 being taught at Pate’s? • Is it possible for non-native speakers to

achieve the top marks!

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Aims

Question: “Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?”

George Mellory: "Because it's there.”

Why A Level/Edexcel A Level?

Why Edexcel AS?

Edexcel GCSE Edexcel AS

New Spec

Edexcel AS

Old Spec

Listening 20% 20% Not assessed

Reading 20% 20% Assessed

Speaking 30% 30% Not assessed

Writing 30% 30% Assessed

February

•A level Topic Areas and Core Vocabulary. •How are students going to be assessed? •How are students going to be taught? •Previous results •Challenges

A-level taster lesson at Yr11

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4th Sept Initial Assessment is vital!

• Is A* in GCSE Mandarin enough? • A Level Golden Rule ☺ Learn characters for 2 X 30 minutes each week, even if it has not been set for homework. ☺ write 500 characters long essay at least once a month ☺ Speak in Chinese at all time in lessons. ☺ Spelling test at the end of each topic. The pass rate is 85%, re-sit the test if your result is below this rate. ☺ Translate a chunk of writing every week ☺ Keep your eyes open on China! Keep a record of any news events and bring it to the lesson to be discussed at the end of the week.

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Unit 1 SpeakingUnit 1 Speaking

Challenges •Monologue - to speak Chinese for 5–6 minutes in response to a short English-language stimulus. •15 minutes to make notes on 1 side of A4 •Students does not know their topic until the day of exam

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To summarise what the article is about? •Students will practise interpreting from English to Chinese and summarisation skills. •Materials: Sample papers Past papers News items or short articles •Key is adapting structures: 这篇文章是关于…

上面这篇文章说的是

文章还说，

Strategy 1: Bullet point 1

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To extract information from the text/stimulus 1 Useful phrases to set the structure which students can adapt:

•根据这篇文章，

•正如文章中所说的…

•像文章所讲的…

Strategy 2: Bullet point 2,3

2 Then draw personal experience starting with •不过，我觉得 •但是 我认为 •虽然我没有

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Students can prepare for this one!!! •For each topic, to choose a mini task to write after each lesson! It must last 3 minutes when talking about it. For example: 1) Where would you like to go in China? Why? 你最想去中国什么地方旅游，为什么？ 2) 说说你的爱好。 3 你将来想做什么工作，为什么？ •Re-write until perfect Drilling/high expectations – come with challenges for non- native •To learn these parts by heart over Easter Holidays

Strategy 3: the last bullet point!

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• Record speaking using Audacity or digital voice recorder during or after the lesson

Start recording as early as possible! Two different ways of marking/assessing: • Feedback from teacher via email or VLE/shared folder

including recording of correct pronunciation • Whole class listen and mark using the mark scheme

Strategy 4: Enjoy talking to the Microphone!

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• Encourage students to talk to native speakers whenever

possible:

Native speakers at school

Friends made on the China trip

In Chinese restaurants

One to one speaking practice

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• A Level students give taster lessons to Yr7.

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Strategy 5:Speaking practice

Unit 2 - Part 1 Listening

Good news:

Listen as many times as they like within the first 45 minutes.

Q1. Multiple choice

Q3. Circle the correct answer

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Edexcel GCSE text book Chinese Made Easy Make your own questions

Strategy: Q 2 Select 4 correct statements:

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• Practise writing characters.

• A topic based vocabulary list.

• Weekly or monthly spelling test (bite-size chunks)

• GCSE past papers 2003 - 2011:

Translate the last questions into Chinese:

2004 年中考听力试题

听录音, 用中文回答问题.

1 金智在台湾上几年级? 1

2 说出两件台湾给她印象很深的事? 2

3 又有哪两件事让她感到很不开心, 为什么? 2

Strategy: Q4 Listen to conversation, read and answer the question in Chinese.

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3 questions:

Answer all questions in English.

Unit 2 - Part 2 Reading

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Expressing two sides of view: •Frozen food VS non frozen food •Discounted food VS full price food •To buy organic food VS non-organic •Uniform VS non-uniform •To host the Olympic VS not •To have homework VS Not to have homework

Have a debate!

Strategy: Question 5

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• GCSE reading paper: the last question in particular

• AS past papers including old spec

• Translation skill:

From Chinese to English

Strategy: Q6 and Q7

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Respond to 4-6 bullet points;

Write 180-200 characters.

Strategy:

Integrate into H/W for practice and use exam criteria in marking.

Unit 2 - Part 3 Writing

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AS Lessons outline

Week A Week B

Monday Speaking – to summarise a passage; to extract information from a passage

Speaking – recording; group marking;

Tues Reading – Character recognition; Translation from Chinese to English

Listening - Translation from Chinese to English

Thur Use of Vocabulary and grammar

Feedback(Speaking tasks and writing tasks),

Photocopy good work and share with everyone.

Fri Listening skill

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A2

• News on China from internet or news paper • Their favourite poems • Their favorite novels • Songs

Q2 Translation practice

ResearchResearch--based Essay: Topicsbased Essay: Topics

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Student is to choose a topic that interests him/herStudent is to choose a topic that interests him/her •Candidate 1 Chinese Literature: he translated most of 故乡 by himself •Candidate 2 Geography of China •Candidate 3 Modern History •Candidate 4 Modern History Teacher is to do his/her own research on students’ topic!

ResearchResearch--based Essay: Reference booksbased Essay: Reference books

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School library Local library Internet

Reference books for the research-based essay: Modern Chinese History Geography of China Chinese Society Lu Xun’s Collection

• Timing • Write drafts either in English or Chinese • Structure of Chinese essay. Does it include an introductory paragraph? Does it include any idioms and phrases? Does it have both positive and negative sides of the debated topic? Does it have a conclusion?

Research-based essay: drafts, timing and structures

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High standard set by Edexcel A* essay samples. •分析端午节的真正由来 •海儿为什么会死? 讨论这不幸事件所说明的一些问题。 •中国传统节日在现代社会是否有保留的价值?

Research-based essay: Structure of Chinese Essay

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Edexcel Chinese for AS Set homework for speaking, writing, general guide

AS Teacher’s Resource Book Standard answers for speaking and grammar points

Edexcel Chinese for A2 Research-based essay

A2 Teacher’s Resource Book General guide and research-based essay

A level for Chinese Reading

Chinese Made Easy Reading and listening

Past Papers Reading

GCSE Past Papers Listening

A level exam feedback Available to book in August!

Chinese Websites Reading

Make your own resources !!

Use of textbooks and other resources

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Chinese at University:

The University of Sheffield

The University of York

The University of Nottingham

SOAS

University of Oxford

China!!

To inspire your students!

Chinese culture activities: SSAT summer camp British Council Chinese Speaking Competition Visit to the British Museum and China town Chinese New Year Meal Paper cutting, calligraphy, dumplings making

Business link: Speaker to lead the Assembly Successful British personalities in China

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Keep Calm and Carry On!Keep Calm and Carry On!

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