Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) Resources for Chinese

[jefferson6134]

Hi all,

 

I think we are advanced enough as humans to realise learning foreign language will need the learner to undergo challenges greater than translating word by word. Duh, right.? Well what I'm getting at problem-wise is that I've got the Hanban textbooks for HSK study, and they're kinda great, except that the work (asides from composing occasional sentences incorporating a newly learned term/structure) it gets you to do is highly *funnel down to a multiple choice answer* which doesn't exactly foster my creative ability. And, because I'm understimulated, I go about thinking about all the words I don't know, and either fall into the translation trap or just get unhappy.

 

It essentially means I feel sick of opening my textbooks. I want something that requires me to make maybe a dozen or so two-sentence answers, having reflected on/understood a passage.

 

So, I want to know what exists in the way of CLIL for a Chinese learner? English is full of CLIL. Like, in an English learning book, there might be a dialogue about someone cooking something, then there's an ingredients problem, or argument, then there's a resolution. Or there might be a piece on the gold seekers in San Fran in 1949 and the people who screwed them over by charging the thirsty miners $100 for water.

 

TLDR: Do you know any good CLIL books for a Chinese learner of approx HSK4 level?

[markhavemann]

On 12/13/2024 at 6:26 AM, jefferson6134 said:

TLDR: Do you know any good CLIL books for a Chinese learner of approx HSK4 level?

I think the clue to your answer is here. At HSK 4 you really just don't have the language ability to be doing all that much to foster your creative ability, and what you mostly need to be doing is building up the vocabulary and skills to do so. HSK 4 is only 1200 words, which is barely scratching the surface of basic understanding, never mind meaningful output.

 

It's hard to play beautiful creative music if you're still learning the basics on a guitar or any other instrument, and the same goes with language learning. I would doubt that these kinds of materials are available for English at a level that's equivalent to HSK 4 either.

 

I think what you're looking for might become more available halfway between HSK 5 and 6.

 

Based one what you're saying, you might want to change your approach a bit. Going through graded readers and adapted interesting reading materials might suit you a lot better because you can engage in things that interest you much sooner this way (even though you won't be able to output in a meaningful and interesting way just yet)

 

You might also want to look at the Michel Thomas Mandarin course, which teaches in a way that might scratch the itch of what you're looking for. But it might be a little low level if you're already HSK 3-4. 

 

Or you could grab the old ChinesePod's that are available for free on the internet, they don't have questions set out for you but you could listen, pause the audio, and try to take part in their discussions mentally.

 

TLDR: Power through to HSK 5/6 for this kind of content. Also, try graded readers, Michel Thomas Mandarin or ChinesePod (the old ones that are free now).