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Mandarin Chinese
Mandarin Chinese
A collaboration Digital Textbook Online at www.learnnc.org
between NC DPI ,
Sharing resources for Mandarin Chinese courses
LEARN NC, & NCVPS North Carolina students have had the Skype to communicate, record their
opportunity to participate in Mandarin speaking, and download videos and audio
Chinese courses online since August 2007, to mp3 players. Progress is charted using
thanks to the combination of two grants: LinguaFolio, a document in which those
Foreign Language Assistance Program who are learning or have learned a
(FLAP) and Advanced Placement (AP). For language can record and reflect on their
2008-2009, Mandarin Chinese 1-3 is being language learning and cultural
offered through the North Carolina Virtual experiences.
Public School (NCVPS), and Mandarin 4 and
Course Overview
AP will be available in the coming semesters.
Unlike other online Chinese courses, these The complete courses are licensed through
courses focus on the spoken language so Creative Commons and can be requested
students are communicating as soon as by any educational organization for
possible in the language. Students hear and noncommercial use.
see Chinese through video vignettes that
To see a video about the courses, visit:
follow two teenagers through their daily lives.
http://www.marinegrafics.com/chinese/promo.htm
Each lesson also contains listening exercises
and weekly practice with conversation
coaches and the instructor – all online!
Students use various technologies like
What learning materials are available for FREE?
Written exercises for students to practice
A goal of the FLAP grant is to create and •
character writing
share language-teaching materials. The
following learning objects are freely available Level 1 material is currently available at
at http://www.learnnc.org/ for use in any www.learnnc.org, with Level 2 appearing in
Chinese course: May-June 2009. To access these resources,
visit the LEARN NC website and use the
Video vignettes, including scripts in
•
search term ‘Mandarin’
pinyin, simplified and traditional
characters, and English For more information, please contact:
Audio and video recordings of all
•
Ann Marie Gunter
material done at a slower pace and
Second Language Consultant
concentrating on the movements of the
North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)
mouth to focus on pronunciation
Phone: 919-807-3865
Cultural materials used in the course, Skype: annmarie.gunter
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with Internet links to information, music, Email: agunter@dpi.state.nc.us
art and other items
Bobby Hobgood, Ed.D.
Listening exercises, practice activities,
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Director of Research and Development in Online C and I
and resources related to learning
LEARN NC – School of Education
Chinese that have been tested during
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
the piloting of the courses
bhobgood@learnnc.org