This course is designed according to the language proficiency of the leaner. The learning topics will differ for each person. Our focus for this class will be pronunciation and recognition of simple Chinese characters. This class will cover basic knowledge of pinyin, basic understanding of strokes and stroke order in writing, listening and speaking skills in tones, and recognizing Chinese characters through practice, lesson plans, and activities. 

In addition, if the learner is brand new to Mandarin, we will start with teaching Pinyin and tones. Pinyin is an international system to express the sounds of Chinese language. Modern Chinese has 430 sounds, far less than the number of characters. Therefore, many characters share the same sound. The use of tone (pitch) is an important way to tell the difference in meaning of the same sound. There are four tones in the Chinese language.

The learners will learn:
-to recognize and write common Mandarin Chinese characters
-to understand Chinese grammatical constructions
-to pronounce Chinese characters with proper tones
-to use common language expressions & phrases
-to use vocabulary for everyday situations

Week 1 (Dec 14): Numbers and Dates
Week 2 (Dec 21): Shapes and Colors
Week 3 (Dec 28): Basic Greetings
Week 4 (Jan 4): Animals
Week 5 (Jan 11): Family Members
Week 6 (Jan 18): Basic Human Body Parts
Week 7 (Jan 25): Food

*The curriculum is subject to change based on the needs of the class.