This is the second semester of the two-semester course for beginners or a refresher course for non-native speakers. In this course, you will be introduced to basic standard Chinese, Mandarin, spoken by over a billion people in mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore, and other parts of the world. You will learn to comprehend, speak, read, and write topics related to making appointments, studying Chinese and school life, shopping, talking about the weather, transportation and so on. The course will also introduce you to some essential aspects of Chinese culture.

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:

• Understand short conversations and responses to your questions of familiar topics;
• Use Chinese for real life purposes such as making an appointment, negotiating prices talking about one's Chinese learning experience, school life, weather & transportation;
• Recognize about 500 characters and their new combinations;
• Read short narratives and dialogues about making appointments, school life, Chinese learning experience, shopping, weather and transportation;
• Write diary, letter, narrative and dialogue of familiar topics; and,
• Acquire a high level of cultural awareness and sensitivity.

The required textbook for this course are:

• Integrated Chinese, Tao-chung Yao and Yuehua Liu, et al., Cheng & Tsui Company, 2005., including:

  
  1. Textbook (Simplified Character Ed.) –Level 1 Part 1 (required)
  2. Workbook (Simplified Character Ed.) –Level 1 Part 1 (optional)
  3. Character Workbook –Level 1 Part 1 (optional )

  The two optional books are recommended for your own interest and use only. No assignments will be given based upon those two books (as all of them will be available online), but some of you may want to have exercise books in hand for practice. So make your own decision regarding whether or not to purchase those two books.

   

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books/

Your final grade will be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass at least 3 of the quizzes in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are 2 exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

We arehere to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact us when they do:

E-mail : liwang@nvcc.edu
Telephone : 703-731-9950
You may also call me to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or my campus office in Woodbridge. 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://learn.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.