View of the campus of the University of Rhode Island

THEMATIC UNIT DESIGNS FOR ADVANCED CHINESE

The thematic unit designs shared below, designed for learners of Chinese at Intermediate High or above, were developed by participants in the 2021 Chinese Flagship Pedagogy and Technology Workshop at the University of Rhode Island.

本网站所分享的汉语教学参考资料是由罗德岛大学中文领航项目2021年举办的汉语教学科技工作坊的结项产品,也是全体参训学员的集体与个人实践工作坊学习成果的尝试。 这些教学尝试是基于本工作坊的五个培训主题以及一个有具体程序、体例的主题单元设计蓝图,体现主题单元中主题、子题、子话题、分话题与任务要素、任务框架及真实任务的整合。该蓝图包括主题单元的子题构架、教学目标、达标证据、教学策略(课堂任务活动设计及课堂PPT呈现框架)、科技应用、评估测试等,其目的是探索如何将主题单元与任务教学无缝接轨。

The sample Chinese language teaching materials shared on this site were produced by participants in the one-week Flagship Chinese Pedagogy Workshop at the University of Rhode Island in Summer 2021. These unit design products are a crystallization of the collective and individual experience of the workshop participants in applying the five main themes of the workshop as embodied in the workshop’s unit design blueprint. The blueprint helps instructors scaffold learners’ progress toward the fulfillment of a thematically cohesive and complex authentic task, which serves at once as an embodiment of the unit’s instructional objectives and an assessment instrument for the same objectives. Learners’ progress toward the unit-level authentic task is mediated through the structured exploration of sub-themes (子题). Each sub-theme is further analyzed into topics (子话题) and sub-topics (分话题), facilitating identification of task-essential language forms (任务要素), task frameworks (任务框架), and authentic tasks (真实任务), which in turn inform the design of associated pedagogical interventions (教学策略). The blueprint also addresses strategies for the use of technology and the design of assessments. Ultimately, the blueprint aims to facilitate the seamless integration of the notion of the thematic unit into the practice of task-based language instruction.

以下四个单元的教学资料是参训学员的初步尝试,还有很多地方还不够完善,不宜直接作为现成教学材料使用,而需要教师根据所教的学生情况、语言水平、自己的教学风格、以及教材内容和教学进度进行再加工,整合。我们的学员希望通过分享自己的主题单元的蓝图设计,能够跟同行教师细节切磋,并引起领域内教师对主题与任务教学的注意,抛砖引玉,共同推进汉语为二语的教学。

The four thematic unit designs (“blueprints”) presented below are not fully finalized in a classroom-ready format. Teachers are free to adapt the blueprints to meet their own instructional needs in line with learners’ language level, their own teaching style, and requirements imposed by their textbook and curriculum. The workshop participants hope that their sharing of these blueprints will serve as a springboard to discussion with fellow Chinese teachers, both about particular details of the blueprints and about the use of thematic units and task-based instruction in general, that can advance our praxis as teachers of Chinese language.

在 2021年夏季罗德岛大学为期一周的领航项目汉语教学工作坊期间,参训学员根据个人兴趣自动组成的四个工作组。基于靳洪刚教授提出的主题单元教学大纲的理念下,对不同语言水平的汉语教学进行了初始设计。在 2021 年夏季工作坊之后,工作组成员们以小组为单位继续完成这一设计。由此产生的课程大纲(即“蓝图”)将在本页面上逐组呈现。排名不分先后,每组以特定植物或水果命名。

During the one-week Flagship Chinese Pedagogy Workshop at the University of Rhode Island in Summer 2021, participants formed four work groups to outline designs for thematic instructional units at various levels of Chinese language instruction, using a schematic for materials development, the “thematic approach,” based on the scholarship of Prof. Hong Gang Jin. Following the Summer 2021 workshop, the work groups continued drafting their designs. The resulting curricular outlines (“blueprints”) are presented group by group on this page. As you will note, each group was named for the fruiting body of a particular plant, to avoid any notion of ranking.

为更深入地了解“蓝图”的设计理念,请参考以下资源:

For a deeper understanding of the curricular model undergirding these four blueprints, readers are directed to the following resources:

(1) 主题单元设计蓝图背后的主要设计特点、教学设计流程及理论背景介绍(PPT) • PowerPoint slide set with fundamental design features of the Thematic Unit Design Blueprint, associated pedagogical sequences, and theoretical grounding of the model 

(2) 主题单元设计蓝图涉及到的术语Guide to understanding key terms in thematic unit development

(3) 主题单元设计模版(供参考) • Design template for thematic development (for your reference)

(4) 有关学术出版物 • Related scholarly publications

Jin, H. G. (2016). “从语言组块研究谈语言定式教学法” (Teaching in chunks: An approach from the perspective formulaic sequences).  International Journal of Chinese Language Education(国际汉语教育), 1, 22-36.

Jin, H. G. (2017). “主题导入教学法的理论基础、设计原则及其呈现方式”(A thematic approach to CFL: Theories, design principles and Presentation scheme). International Journal of Chinese Language Education (国际中文教育), 2, 1-27.

 Jin, H. G. (2018) “提问互动法续论:语言课堂教师提问的实施程序、策略及应用技巧” (Teacher’s questions: Procedures, strategies, and techniques). Journal of CFL Research in Taiwan (台湾华语教学研究) 16, 3-20.

本页面包含四个主题单元设计蓝图,可用于大学中级及更高级别的汉语课程。这些蓝图在知识共享许可Creative Commons licenses)的条件下作为开放教育资源提供给各位教师,务请按照合适的方式进行使用和调整——即使用时应引用来源。向下滚动页面可浏览四组的成果以及各组的引用格式。

Four thematic unit designs (blueprints) are shared lower down on this page. These blueprints, which target Intermediate and higher level instruction at the postsecondary level, are offered as open educational resources under Creative Commons licenses for teachers to use and adapt as they see fit — provided that the user follows the requisite citation practices. Scroll down the page to access the work of each of the four groups, along with the proper citation form for each.

1. College Students & Social Media
大学生与社交媒体

本单元的主题是“大学生与社交媒体”。众所周知,社交媒体是一种人们生活中不可缺少的交流工具。那么大学生的社交媒体使用会呈现一种什么样的态势?他们所遇到的困惑与挑战是什么?他们采用什么策略应对社交媒体带来的挑战?围绕这三个问题,本单元有三个子题及其相关的三篇网络文章,供ACTFL中级高以上学习者学习、讨论并回答以上三个问题。一、通过描述、分析统计数字、总结规律来了解全球大学生使用社交媒体的趋势;二、通过对比使用社交媒体频率,分析使用结果(身体、心理、学习、健康等方面)来讨论社交媒体对大学生的身心的影响和挑战;三、探索、归纳、推荐一种应对过度使用社交媒体的策略:数字极简主义。

The theme of the Artichoke Group’s unit is “College Students and Social Media.” As we can all observe, social media has become an indispensable part of modern life. This unit explores the landscape of social media use among postsecondary students: What are their patterns of usage? What issues and problems does social media present for them? What strategies do they use to respond to the challenges presented by social media? This unit explores these three questions via three subtopics, each matched to an online text suitable for learners at ACTFL Intermediate-High or above to interpret and discuss with a view to answering the relevant question. In Subtopic 1, students explore the use of social media by college students at the global level through description, the citation of statistical data, and the identification of trends. In Subtopic 2, students examine the impact of social media use and the challenges it poses for students’ bodies and minds by comparing frequency of usage in different groups along with associated physical, psychological, and academic impacts. In Subtopic 3, students probe, analyze, and make strategic recommendations based on “digital minimalism” to ameliorate the negative impacts of overuse.

有意使用洋蓟组主题单元的教师,请务必按照以下格式进行引用:

Teachers who use and/or adapt material from the Artichoke Group should use the following citation format to credit the authors: 

大学生与社交媒体 (Students and Social Media) by Josephine TSAO, Yingxin LU, and Shasha YANG is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (中文版点这里)

Thematic Unit Design (by sub-theme) • 按子题排列的单元设计

College Students & Social Media 大学生与社交媒体

子题1:全球学生最爱的社交媒体薛筱莹
子题3:数字极简主义杨莎莎

The Artichoke Group
洋蓟组

Josephine TSAO • 薛筱莹

Josephine TSAO • 薛筱莹

San Francisco State U.

Yingxin LU • 鹿楹鑫

Yingxin LU • 鹿楹鑫

DLI

Shasha YANG • 杨莎莎

Shasha YANG • 杨莎莎

Brigham Young U.

2. Preparing for Study Abroad
留学准备

Graphic table showing bibliographic information

本单元的主题是“留学准备”,是针对ACTFL中高级以上学习者出国留学时可能遇到的各种实际生活、旅行、文化问题而设计的主题单元。其目的是围绕在留学的不同阶段(如留学前、留学途中、留学中等),通过讨论网络文章及真实录像来帮助学习者获得以下两个方面的交际能力:1、描述、比较、归纳留学不同阶段可能遇到的问题和解决办法;2、分析、比较中美文化中生活方式的相同与不同,整合文化应对策略及解决不同留学问题。这一主题包括四个相关子题:一、比较、选择留学地点;二、描述、分析、讨论留学前需要做的准备;三、应对、化解留学途中的突发事件,如行李丢失等;四、分析、对比留学所在地和美国在生活方式上的细微文化差别 (到当地人家做客、吃饭的礼节、进门脱鞋等)。

This thematic unit designed for learners at ACTFL Intermediate-High or above centers around preparation for study abroad, touching on various topics connected with daily life, travel, and cultural issues. Using articles and authentic videos from the Web, and focusing on various stages in the study abroad experience, such as pre-departure, en route, and in-country, the unit targets the development of communicative competence in two areas: (1) description, comparison, and categorization of problems that can arise at each stage, along with possible solutions; and (2) comparative analysis and systematic presentation of differences and similarities in lifestyles, along with strategies for cultural engagement and solutions for problems encountered during study abroad. The unit comprises four subtopics. Subtopic 1 concerns the comparison and selection of study abroad locations. Subtopic 2 focuses on analysis and discussion of pre-departure preparations. Subtopic 3 deals with responses and solutions for potential problems en route, such as lost luggage. Subtopic 4 addresses the analysis and comparison of subtle cultural differences between American lifestyles and lifestyles found in various study abroad locations, with examples drawn from such scenarios as visiting a home, observing cultural protocols for dining, taking one’s shoes off at the door, etc.

有意使用石榴组主题单元的教师,请务必按照以下格式进行引用:

Teachers who use and/or adapt material from the Pomegranate Group should use the following citation format to credit the authors:

留学准备 (Preparing for Study Abroad) by Yueru NI, Tianyu QIN, Yandan WANG, Grainger LANNEAU, and Steffi HUNG is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (中文版点这里)

Thematic Unit Design (by sub-theme) • 按子题排列的单元设计

Preparing for Study Abroad 留学准备

子题1:留学地点的选择倪月如
子题2:行前准备秦天玉
子题3:突发情况及应对方法王妍丹
子题4:中美生活方式差异高览杰、洪孝瑄

The Pomegranate Group
石榴组

Yueru NI • 倪月如

Yueru NI • 倪月如

Arizona State U.

Tianyu QIN • 秦天玉

Tianyu QIN • 秦天玉

U. of North Georgia

Yandan WANG • 王妍丹

Yandan WANG • 王妍丹

U. of North Georgia

Steffi HUNG • 洪孝瑄

Steffi HUNG • 洪孝瑄

U. of Oregon

Grainger LANNEAU • 高览杰

Grainger LANNEAU • 高览杰

U. of Washington

3. Views on Love & Marriage
婚恋观

A table with bibliographic information

本单元的主题是 “婚恋”,是一个专为ACTFL中高级以上学习者设计的有关中国社会文化专题的主题单元,其目的是通过网络多媒体真实语料,学习、了解中国现当代社会“婚恋”的方方面面,帮助学习者发展两个方面的语言交际能力:1、描述、叙述、说明与婚恋相关的中国社会现象、人际关系等;2、从“婚恋”主题的学习中获得分析、解释中国的社会结构及家庭关系的能力。本单元的四个相关子题分别是:一、描述、介绍、比较中国当代年轻人的婚恋择偶观点和态度;二、描述、叙述当代人相亲的方式及不同年龄的人对相亲的态度及看法;三、描述中国的“剩女”现象,即婚姻超龄人,分析、归纳剩女阶层所面临的家庭、社会及工作压力并解释形成剩女阶层的原因;四、分析、解释中国当代婚恋中的性别角色。

This unit, for learners at ACTFL Intermediate-High or above, centers around perspectives on love and marriage in China. Through the study and analysis of authentic Web-based materials on this sociocultural topic, students are supported in the development of related communicative competence in two major areas: (1) description, narration, and explication of social phenomena in China related to love, marriage, and interpersonal relationships; and (2) analysis and explanation of Chinese social structures and family relationships, based on material studied as part of the thematic unit. Subunit topics include (1) description and comparison of views on mate selection, love and marriage in contemporary China; (2) description and narration of contemporary matchmaking customs and the views and opinions of different generations regarding matchmaking; (3) description of the “leftover women” phenomenon — i.e., the phenomenon of large numbers of women aging out of marriageability in China — and analysis and summation of its origins and of family, social, and work pressures brought to bear on women in this group; (4) analysis and explanation of gender roles in love and marriage in contemporary China.

有意使用榛子组主题单元的教师,请务必按照以下格式进行引用:

Teachers who use and/or adapt material from the Hazelnut Group should use the following citation format to credit the authors:

婚恋观 (Perspectives on Marriage) by Xiao DONG, Pei PEI, Jun LANG, and Han LI is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (中文版点这里)

Thematic Unit Design (by sub-theme) • 按子题排列的单元设计

Views on Love & Marriage 婚恋观

子题1:当代年轻人的婚恋观董潇
子题2:相亲裴佩
子题3:剩女郎珺
子题4:婚恋中的性别角色李涵

The Hazelnut Group
榛子组

Xiao DONG • 董潇

Xiao DONG • 董潇

Indiana U.

Pei PEI • 裴佩

Pei PEI • 裴佩

U. of Montana

Jun LANG • 郎珺

Jun LANG • 郎珺

U. of Oregon

Gloria LEE • 李涵

Gloria LEE • 李涵

U. of Washington

4. History and Identity
历史与身份认同

Table with bibliographic information

本单元的主题是“历史与身份认同”,其目的是帮助ACTFL高级高以上的二语学习者获得描述历史是如何影响及形成政治文化和民族意识的能力。本单元有四个相关子题,子题一通过观赏史学专家讲座录像,学习历史评述,帮助学生发展复杂的立论能力以及利用实例进行比较,逻辑论证的能力。子题二通过观赏史学专家讲座录像让学习者赏析中国正式发布的历史、文化价值和政治权力是如何阐述的。子题三通过阅读网络资料,让学习者比较相应的美国历史上的政治文化。最富挑战的是子题四,即围绕历史的产生与发展,系统比较中国与美国的文化价值的异同。

This thematic unit, “History and Identity,” aims to help learners at ACTFL Advanced level develop the ability to describe how history is crafted and used in political culture and in the creation of national consciousness. Introductory material in the unit develops learners’ awareness of the formation of complex arguments and the ways an argument can be supported through exemplification, comparison, logic, etc.. Moving into the main body of the unit, learners watch material from videotaped lectures that explore the interaction between official history, cultural values, and political power in China. In the next part of the unit, learners examine corresponding phenomena in American political culture. Finally, learners are challenged to make a systematic comparison between Chinese and American cultural values surrounding the creation and development of history.

有意使用香蕉组主题单元的教师,请务必按照以下格式进行引用:

Teachers who use and/or adapt material from the Banana Group should use the following citation format to credit the authors:

历史与认同 (History and Identity) by Song JIANG, Yao HUANG, Jia LIU, and CeCe GAO is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (中文版点这里)

Thematic Unit Design (by sub-theme) • 按子题排列的单元设计

History and Identity 历史与身份认同

子题3:美国的历史观高汐汐
子题4:中美历史观的异同姜松

The Banana Group
香蕉组

Yao HUANG • 黄窈

Yao HUANG • 黄窈

U. of Hawaii

Jia LIU • 刘佳

Jia LIU • 刘佳

U. of Hawaii

CeCe HIER • 高汐汐

CeCe HIER • 高汐汐

Concordia College • LTC for ISO

Song JIANG • 姜松

Song JIANG • 姜松

U. of Hawaii

每个小组的主题单元设计中都会提及下列教学术语。

The terms below are used in the unit designs. The definitions may aid your understanding of the thematic units.

主题 THEME

是每个小组针对其教学单元设计的一个中心议题,其中包括该主题涉及的不同方面、角度。如:健身。

The overarching topic within which each team has targeted real-life tasks, communicative and pragmatic functions, and language forms for their instructional unit. Example: Personal fitness.

子题 SUB-THEME

从主题延伸、发展出的数个相关论题。每个子题反映特定人物、地方和事物与主题的关系,并与现实世界的交际功能、语言使用、真实任务相关。如:健身与身份认同;与健身有关的心理状态;比较健身在中美文化中的相同或不同作用。

Any of several aspects of the theme that represent an application of the theme to specific people, places, and things and associated with sets of real-world communicative tasks. Examples: Personal fitness and personal identity; the psychology of personal fitness; comparing the role of personal fitness in Chinese and American culture.

子话题 SUB-TOPIC

是从子题的任何一个角度进行描述、表达、说明的事件、看法或论点。如:健身和长寿的关系;健身与生活质量;健身与个人信心。

Any of several aspects of a sub-theme on which one might “take sides” or express a particular view and that would represent a typical related topic, utilizing specific communicative functions. Examples: Personal fitness and longevity; personal fitness and quality of life; personal fitness and personal confidence.

分话题 TOPICAL ELEMENT

是构成子话题论点的任何一个元素、侧面或论据。如:分析与身份认同相关的健身选择原因。

Any of several aspects of a sub-topic that constitute elements of, or supporting evidence for, a point of view or stance regarding a sub-topic. Example:  Identity-related reasons people do or do not cultivate personal fitness.

真实任务 AUTHENTIC TASK

是一系列具有交际语境、功能的真实活动、事件、经验。例如,生活中的找工作、买东西、艺术创作等。 如:以记者的身份采访并收集有关新婚人士对健身的态度。

A sequence of communicative events that allow the speaker to fulfill functions associated with various life contexts such as professional career, service encounters, artistic creation, etc. Example: In the role of a reporter, conduct a series of interviews to gather information for an article on attitudes to personal fitness among newly married individuals. 

任务框架 TASK FRAMEWORK

是从真实任务中提练出、与子题相关的、带有目标交际功能和语言形式的教学活动。如:同学之间根据虚拟的个人资料进行互相采访,了解对方对健身的态度,重点集中在健康对生活质量和个人信心的影响。

An instructional sequence based on targeted communicative functions drawn from an authentic task, but adapted for pedagogical purposes using a controlled catalogue of topically relevant language forms. Example: Each of your classmates has been assigned a fictitious personal profile. Interview one another to identify patterns and trends in individual attitudes toward personal fitness, focusing on impacts on health, quality of life, and confidence. 

任务要素 TASK ESSENTIALS

是真实任务和任务框架的语言基本组成部分,包括组块表达、句式、程式等,用来辅助学习者完成相关的交际需求。如:为了采访不同人对健身的态度,需要使用得体、适度的语言形成一系列问题:“在你看来,生活方式对健康有什么影响?” “气功算不算是一种健身运动?为什么?” 等等。

A catalogue of targeted culture knowledge, communicative functions, and language forms (formulaic expressions, communicative patterns and routines, etc.), defined for a specific instructional context, allowing learners to fulfill communicative needs associated with a given task. Example: In order to conduct interviews on attitudes toward personal fitness, one needs to be able to make use of relevant and appropriate language forms to form a series of questions relevant to the task, such as “In your opinion, how does lifestyle impact one’s health?” “Does qigong count as a form of exercise?” etc.

The thematic unit plans linked above were developed by teams of participants in the 2021 URI Chinese Flagship Program Pedagogical Workshop on Chinese Language Instruction and Technology Integration at the University of Rhode Island. As instructors of students reaching for professional-level proficiency in Chinese — that is, students in Chinese Language Flagship programs — all the participant teams chose to focus on unit design at level Intermediate High and above. The workshp was conducted on the URI Kingston campus in conjunction with the Chinese Language Flagship Program’s intensive summer program (CFIP). The program was led by Dr. Honggang Jin,  Dr. Wayne He, Stephen Tschudi, Dr. Julio Rodriguez, and the URI teaching team. Unit designs were iterated in AY 2021-2022 and are publicly available as of Spring 2022.

WORKSHOP FACULTY • 工作坊指导团队

Dr Wayne Wenchao HE  •   何文潮

Dr Wayne Wenchao HE • 何文潮

Workshop Director

University of Rhode Island

Dr Hong Gang JIN  •  靳洪刚

Dr Hong Gang JIN • 靳洪刚

Workshop Co-Leader

Hamilton College

Yiping ZHANG  •  张一平

Yiping ZHANG • 张一平

Workshop Facilitator

University of Rhode Island

Dr Julio RODRÍGUEZ

Dr Julio RODRÍGUEZ

Tech Strand

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Stephen TSCHUDI • 唐润

Stephen TSCHUDI • 唐润

Tech Strand

University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Contact Information

TECH CENTER

1890 East West Road

Moore Hall 256

Honolulu, HI 96822

(808) 956-5121

tech.center@hawaii.edu

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