An Introduction to AP – Chinese Language and Culture

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From this school year, our secondary students from G9-G10 are able to choose from 9 AP courses, containing AP Chemistry, AP Statistics, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science, AP English Language and Composition, AP Physics, AP World History Modern, AP Human Geography and AP Chinese Language and Culture. These advanced courses will provide students an opportunity to really be able to be successful and to push forward and to try their hardest.

To build a clearer view of AP for parents and students, we are going to introduce the courses and exams of different AP subjects. Today, we start from our AP Chinese Language and Culture classes.

Ms. Tan Wei

Mandarin Coordinator

“Offering AP Chinese language and culture course under the framework of IB MYP to G10 students is certainly a great opportunity that expands their learning experience, gives them authentically practice and prepares for further learning.”

Ms. Sunny Pu

AP Chinese Teacher

“The AP Chinese course focused to refine and tweak their interpretive, interpersonal, and presentation skills in the target language as well as their proficiency in the target culture. It is also designed to address multiple goal areas such as communication, cultures, connections, comparisons, and communities as outlines in Standards for Foreign Language and Learning in the 21st Century. An appreciation of the Chinese culture will also be an integral part of the course as students are given opportunities to explore and engage in the dynamic cultural evolution that took place. It is a great opportunity for students to get a deeper understanding of the host country’s culture and be able to practice and use their literature skills in the real-life situation.”

 

AP Chinese Language and Culture

In today’s global community, competence in more than one language is an essential part of communication and cultural understanding. BIS is a multi-culture community that respects the culture and language of our host country, China. Study of Chinese language:

  • gives students access to perspectives and knowledge that are only available through the language and culture.
  • offers students social, cultural, academic, and workplace benefits that will serve students throughout their lives.
  • endows language learners with cognitive, analytical, and communication skills that carry over into many other areas of their academic studies.

 

Course Units

The AP Chinese Language and Culture course contains six units, which are:

  • Families and Communities – this unit talks about Family Structure/Roles within Families, Social Customs, Traditions, Values, Rites of Passage, Urban and Rural Communities and their Development, Relationships, Friendship, and Social Networking, Perspectives of Age, Ethnicity, Class, Religion, Citizenship, Social Welfare, and Social Justice.
  • Personal and Public Identities – this unit talks about National and Ethnic Identities, Heroes and National Figures, Pop Culture Icons, Gender and Gender Roles, Personal Interests, Self-image and the Role of the Individual in Society, Nationalism, Patriotism, Global Identity and Responsibility.
  • Beauty and Aesthetics – this unit talks about Architecture, Defining Beauty: Perspectives of Beauty Chinese Culture, Traditional and Contemporary Arts and Music, Literature, Fashion and Design, Visual and Performing Arts, Film.
  • Science and Technology – this unit talks about Technology and Access to Technology, Health Care and Medicine, Climate and the Physical World, Innovations and Inventions, Effects of Science and Technology on Self and Society, Science and Ethics.
  • Contemporary Life – this unit talks about Education and Careers, Lifestyles and Pop Culture, Entertainment, Sports, and Leisure, Travel, Transportation, and Tourism, Holidays and Celebrations, Food, Nutrition, and Meal-taking Culture.
  • Global Challenges – this unit talks about Population and Demographics, Managing and Protecting Resources, Access to Food and Water, Environmental Issues, Economic Trends and International Trade.

Some of our G10 students are studying the unit of Personal and Public Identities. These students are all non-native speakers. Through this unit, they are looking at how language and culture influence identity in Chinese-speaking societies. This relevant and engaging theme provides a meaningful context for students to acquire and develop a variety of more nuanced linguistic and cultural concepts as well as vocabulary.

During the past week, students were given topics and guided to study, write, and speak the topics in Chinese. Introducing mind map into the class, students first finished their research and writing before they went through an oral sharing session.

One of the mind maps students made before the oral speaking.

 

The next week, students will be given a real-world situation in which they are going to play in different roles. Through this approach, students will understand and apply appropriate expressions in their daily life.

 

Assessment and Exam

The AP Chinese Language and Culture Exam assesses student understanding of the skills and learning objectives outlined in the course framework. The exam is just over 2 hours long and includes 70 multiple choice questions and 4 free-response questions.

AP Program also provides formative assessments—the Personal Progress Checks—that teachers can assign their students at the end of each unit to gauge progress toward success on the AP exam.

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