The Routledge Course in Modern Mandarin Chinese: Textbook Level 1: Simplified Characters

The Routledge Course in Modern Mandarin Chinese is a two-year undergraduate course for students with no prior background in Chinese study which takes students from complete beginner to post-intermediate level. Designed to build a strong foundation in both the spoken and written language it develops all the basic skills such as pronunciation, character writing, word use and structures, while placing strong emphasis on the development of communicative skills.

Each level of the course consists of a textbook and workbook, available separately in simplified or traditional character editions. Both workbooks include a free CD with all the dialogues from the textbooks and the necessary audio for the listening for information exercises. A companion website will provide expanded listening files and a broad range of resources for students and teachers.

The benefits of this course include:

• focus on the long-term retention of vocabulary, characters and structures by reiterating structures and vocabulary throughout the book series
• carefully selected and staged introduction of characters with staged removal of pinyin to ensure recognition and use of characters
• clear and jargon-free explanations of use and structures, that are easy for students and teachers to understand
• extensive workbook exercises for homework, independent study, and classroom use focusing on all language skills and modalities including a vast inventory of carefully structured exercises focusing on listening comprehension, reading for information, and writing for communication
• an extensive inventory of classroom activities that guide students to develop
• a list of communication goals and key structures for each lesson allowing the student to assess progress
• cultural notes explaining the context of the dialogues
• language FAQs explaining aspects of Chinese language as they relate to the content and vocabulary in the lesson
• storyline following a group of students studying in China from Europe, North America and East Asia, making the book attractive to a variety of students and facilitating the introduction of Chinese culture
• full-color text design for the textbook and carefully matched designs for the traditional and simplified books, allowing for easy cross-reference.

The course is also fully supported by an interactive Companion Website. The website contains a wealth of additional resources for both teachers and students.

Teachers will find lesson plans in both English and Mandarin, providing a weekly schedule and overall syllabus for fall and spring, as well as activities for each lesson and answer keys.

Students will be able to access downloadable character practice worksheets along with interactive pronunciation, vocabulary and character practice exercises. All the audio material necessary for the course is also available online and conveniently linked on screen to the relevant exercises for ease-of-use.

For further details please visit http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415472517/

For bundle discounts please visit http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415596824/

Claudia Ross is Professor of Chinese at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts.  She has served as President of the Chinese Language Teachers Association and as Director of the CET Chinese Program in Beijing.

Baozhang He is Associate Professor of Chinese at the College of the Holy Cross, Massachusetts. He has served as Director of the Chinese Language Program at Harvard University and as Head Instructor in the Princeton in Beijing language program.

Pei-Chia Chen is a lecturer in Chinese at UC San Diego and has previously taught at Harvard University.

Meng Yeh is Senior Lecturer in Chinese at Rice University. She has served as a Board Member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association and is a founding member of CLTA-TX. She is an AP Chinese consultant for the College Board and a certified Oral Proficiency Interviewer in Chinese for Language Testing International, ACTFL.