NPCR Questions

[戴 睿]

大家好。那我有一个很大的担心。这些课本太贵！

Hello all!

I have a question about the NPCR series of textbooks.

A while back, I asked in a separate thread which volume to start with. I was told the first one, and to work my way up, because it would be good review anyway.

Unfortunately, I've found that the books + audio are around $30 a pop, and that money adds up when buying books which I may be only skimming through for review.

I am not quite sure where to go with this - I would assume my speaking ability is at least on par with volume 3, (assuming that's about intermediate/upper-intermediate), but playing the guessing game sort of sits uncomfortably with my wallet.

That being said, obviously Chinese is an investment, and I consider the return on such am expense to be quite high. Still, if I'm going to bite the bullet, I'd at least like to make it softer.

Is there a cheaper way of getting these texts? In electronic format or otherwise? I'd very much prefer a printed version - with the workbooks - but I'm just exploring my options at the moment.

Any advice?

Cheers,

戴睿

[roddy]

Get the textbooks second hand off Amazon or Ebay. Have a look. If they suit get the audio and workbook. If they don't, sell them on Amazon or Ebay. 

 

"Is there a cheaper way of getting these texts? In electronic format or otherwise?"

That's compatible with forums policy on pirated Chinese learning material, as detailed here? Doubt it. 

[xuexiansheng]

I've also had good experiences with abebooks.com . They seem to have a lot of the NPCR for under US$5. The series is a good reference for grammar, I still look at mine from time to time. Good luck!

[戴 睿]

“That's compatible with forums policy on pirated Chinese learning material, as detailed here? Doubt it. ”

By cheaper, I was thinking more along the lines of China based distributors vs. UK based distributors, websites that seemed to sell for cheaper than Amazon, etc.

Again, I have no qualms with spending money on learning the language (says my $100 Pleco bill, monthly skritter and Chinesepod subscriptions, Matthews book, etc.) I view it as investment with high return. Just would like to minimize the damage.

Thank you for your advice. Is there maybe a curriculum posted somewhere, that could give me a more accurate idea of what material is covered in what book, or is this also against some sort of disclosure policy?

[Ania]

You can see the contents for each volume of NPCR along with some sample pages here: http://www.purpleculture.net/

[Bigdumogre]

Gonna add a question here instead of starting a new thread.

Is it worth it to get the workbook, instructors book n text book?

[戴 睿]

I don't have an instructors book, but I've found the workbook to be very helpful and generally comprehensive. I highly recommend getting one, and completing every exercise in each chapter.

[Ania]

I agree, I found the workbook very useful and I highly recommend getting it. As for the instructor's book, I don't think it's of much use unless you're actually an instructor. It gives teachers advice on how to approach different subjects, how to conduct classes, what techniques can be used etc. It might have some additional activities and exercises, but I don't thing getting the book is essential for the learning process. 

[Bigdumogre]

Thanks for the quick responses. I have gift cards and was gonna order them all. Now I'll just get the text book and workbook. And spend the money on something else

[murrayjames]

戴睿长老，

 

Coming to China anytime soon? I bought Vol 5 and 6 from the publisher (BLCUP) in Beijing. That is, I physically went to Beijing Language and Culture University and bought the books. About 30 RMB each. They had the entire series there--all volumes, workbooks, textbooks, teacher's supplements and audio CDs--plus versions in Russian/Thai/German/Spanish, etc.

 

I liked volumes 1-4. They share a common cast of characters and the chapters build on what came before. The audio CDs were helpful, especially early on; I never found much use for the workbooks though. Volume 5 and 6 are structured very different. In the edition I used, it's a series of disconnected essays and short stories. There is no connection to the plot or characters from vol. 1-4. Each essay is followed by new word lists--that get longer and longer--and grammar explanations entirely in Chinese. I struggled through volume 5 (for the challenge) but quit volume 6 halfway through (out of boredom).

 

My advice is to start with vol. 1. Work through it with the audio CDs. If you like it, then follow through with vol. 2-4 (or 5). If you can get to volume 6, you're ready to get online and read stuff in Chinese that actually interests you.

[dnevets]

Book 3 is not upper-intermediate. If you want that level, then you can probably skip book 3 and maybe 4, perhaps starting from book 5.

 

I strongly recommend getting the workbooks too, they're really useful.