Tips on doing well in second-year Chinese


Preparing for class

Your ability to absorb and process what you learn in class is directly related to how prepared you are before you walk in. If you know the lesson's vocabulary, you will do well on the vocabulary quiz. More important, you will not be confused by exercises and conversation using the new vocabulary. Instead of wondering what's being said, you can concentrate on practicing your Chinese. Similarly, the more previewing of grammar you do before class, the better advantage you can take of classroom activities to strengthen and reinforce your knowledge.

Preparation is critically important before we read the text or go over supplementary translation exercises. The more you have worked through on your own before class, the more class time can be spent on going over more difficult aspects. We'll also have more class time for fun activities that let you use what you know.

Memorizing characters

Long-term memorization requires frequent review. Be sure to periodically return to your characters and vocabulary from earlier lessons to refresh your memory. Repeated exposure and usage is the only way to truly memorize something, rather than simply "cramming" it.

Most people find that flashcards are the best way to learn vocabulary and characters. For each new word, write the character on one side of a slip of paper, and write the pinyin and English meaning on the flip side. (Just this process of writing out flash cards is an important first step in helping you memorize the words.) You may find it helpful to divide your stack of flashcards into manageable subsets, say of ten vocabulary items each. Go through a stack of flashcards, character-side-up, to see if you can say the word (and write its pinyin) and identify its meaning. (If this feels too abstract, find the occurrence of the word in the lesson text and see how it is used.) Put those words which you know reliably into Pile 1. If you don't know a word, look at the back side, repeat the pronunciation aloud (this will aid in memorizing), and set the card in Pile 2. Set Pile 1 aside, and go through Pile 2 again. Repeat the process as many times as necessary until all the words are in Pile 1. Then go through Pile 1 again, repeating the process, to be sure you haven't forgotten the words you thought you knew. Take breaks if you get tired.

Once you have learned the vocabulary words, flip your piles over and look at the English meaning and pinyin, and see if you can write the characters. For each character you don't know, write it five or six times. Try to identify the components of a characters. Sometimes you will see that the character is composed of a radical and a phonetic which make it easier to learn and remember.

After you feel confident about having learned the vocabulary, take a break. Go do something completely different, and thirty minutes or an hour later repeat the whole process.

Improving listening comprehension

Aside from class activities and the listening comprehension exercises from the homework, you have one additional resource that will help you improve your listening comprehension: the recordings of the lesson text from the Integrated Chinese textbook.

When you sit down to practice listening, you should have with you your textbook and SMP, as well as a copy of the audio tape and a tape player. (It is easier to work with a Walkman-style tape player with headphones if you own one.) The tapes repeat each section of the lesson text three times, first at a moderate rate, then a slow rate, and finally a rate near that of normal speech. You will want to try to work with the 3rd recitation whenever possible, though the 1st recitation may help with particularly difficult passages.

To make the most effective use of this resource, you must strive to become an active listener. Three stages comprise active listening: 1) preview, 2) analysis, and 3) checking.

Preview

With your textbook closed, listen to a 60- to 90-second section of the lesson text. You may listen to the passage several times through if you wish. When you are finished previewing the segment, you will probably not understand every utterance, but you should have a general idea of what the passage or speaker(s) are attempting to communicate. You can now move on to detailed analysis of the passage.

Analysis

With your textbook still closed, listen again to the section that you just previewed. This time, try to identify:

Try to write out in characters or pinyin the sentences in question as accurately as possible. To do this you will need to make ample use of the pause and rewind buttons on your tape player. When you have finished transcribing you may also wish to attempt a rough translation of the sentences, taking an educated guess about the meaning of phrases that you do not recognize.

Checking

Now you can open up your textbook and begin checking the sentences you just transcribed. This is a good time to review any vocabulary that posed a problem during the two listening phases. If you are unsure of any grammar patterns used in the passage, you should also take the time to review the explanation and examples in the Integrated Chinese textbook and the SMP. Lastly, check the Reading Guidelines in the SMP for additional notes relating to the passage.

When you have finished analyzing the passage, close your book, rewind your tape, and listen to the passage all the way through one more time. Now the entire segment should make sense. If so, it is time to move on to another segment, and repeat the above three steps.

To review, when listening to the lesson text, you should strive to:

One final note: be sure to protect your hearing by setting the volume to the minimum level at which you can comfortably hear.

Preparing for tests

In preparing for a test, you should review (1) vocabulary, (2) grammar, (3) homework, (4) text, (5) supplementary translation exercises. Think about the different grammar structures we have learned. Be sure you can construct a grammatically correct sentence for each of them, and know what it means. Use your homework as a guide to reviewing the grammar. Think about the English-language cues in the translation exercises which tell you what Chinese structures are appropriate for that sentence. Finally, be sure to read and re-read the text. Note where grammar points from the lesson appear in the text. Be sure you understand the content as well as the grammar. Passages and questions on tests are often drawn from the lesson text.

Getting a good grade

Obviously, the best way to get a good grade in the class is to learn the material and perform well on tests and assignments. However, you should also be aware that there are many factors which go into the calculation of your final grade. Many students lose "easy points" by failing to get full credit for homework, quizzes, and class participation. If you put the effort into these aspects of the course, it will not only have a direct effect on your grade, but it will also prepare you better for class and for tests, and so have an indirect effect on your grade as well. In addition, you will find that a little regular time and effort put into review of course material from earlier lessons will pay off in the long run.

Quizzes: The seven vocabulary quizzes together total 70 points, more than a single lesson test and almost as much as the midterm. Doing well on the quizzes is a matter of (1) finding a technique for memorizing vocabulary and characters that works for you and (2) finding the time to implement it. If a single evening is not enough time for you to learn 40 new vocabulary words, consider starting your preparation a day or two in advance -- especially if you have a weekend or other break to make use of.

Homework: If you were to receive a check-minus on all seven homeworks, you would lose 35 points -- the equivalent of a passable test score. If you get a check-minus on a homework, be sure to redo it and hand it in again for upgrade to a check. There is no need to lose these points. On the flip side, if you were to get a check-plus on all seven homeworks you'd have an additional 35 points for the quarter. If you do the homework carefully and neatly, you should be able to get at least a few check-pluses over the quarter.

Participation and attendance: Come to class, and come prepared. Participation and attendance together are worth 150 points, the same as the final exam. This reflects the importance of being in class and being prepared -- the two most important factors in acquiring language skills in this course. Preparation and attendance not only will directly improve your grade, it will enable you to get the most out of class and help you do your best on exams.

Skit and essay: Hand in your drafts, and do them correctly! Whether you make mistakes or not, good solid drafts get full credit. There is no need to lose points here if you make the effort. And it will pay off in improved final versions of your skit and essay.