Chinese Intermediate B-Yu

^{Syllabus for Chinese IB（2025-2026）}

Teacher: Ma Yu

 

Required Materials:

We will use Integrated Chinese 1 textbook and workbook. 

Each go to school day students will need to bring:

• Pens or pencils
• A spiral notebook for note taking  
• A 3-ring binder with a pocket and dividers for homework and handouts plus loose-leaf paper for assignments.

Unit Themes:

We’ll study the following:

       1 Greetings

       2 Family

       3 Time and Date

       4 Hobbies

       5 Visiting Friends

       6 Making Appointments

       7 Studying Chinese

       8 School Life

       9 Shopping

       10 Transportation

 

By the end of these units, you will be able to do the following:

• Describe a family photo
• Ask about someone’s profession
• Name some common professions
• Discuss times and dates
• Talk about ages and birthdays
• Arrange a dinner date with someone
• Express sympathy to someone who has experienced a natural disaster
• Ask about someone’s hobbies
• Make plans for the weekend with friends
• Welcome a visitor
• Introduce one person to another 
• Be a gracious guest
• Briefly describe a visit to a friend’s place
• Answer a phone call and initiate a phone conversation 
• Set up an appointment with a teacher on the phone
• Ask a favor 
• Discuss your exam performance
• Discuss your experience learning Chinese
• Talk about your study habits 
• Describe a student’s daily routine
• Write a simple diary entry or blog post
• Write a brief letter or formal email applying appropriate conventions
• Update a friend on recent activities
• Express hope that a friend will accept your invitation
• Describe the color, size, and price of a purchase
• Pay in cash or with a credit card 
• Determine the proper change you should receive
• Exchange merchandise
• Describe typical classroom situations
• Discuss different means of transportation
• Navigate public transit
• Express gratitude after receiving a favor 
• Offer New Year wishes
• Describe various environmental issues and ways to address them

Homework and makeup regulations:

Late homework will only be accepted for full credit if you missed school the day it was due. I will accept a late assignment from the unit for half credit on/by the day of the unit exam.

When absent for one day, I encourage you to check the Canvas page or contact a classmate to ask about the day’s lesson/assignment(s). You may also email me directly with your question(s).  

Grading:

Your grade will be based on total points accumulated and then weighed, according to the following areas: 

• Proficiency-based/summative assessments (skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking) and projects/compositions: 40%
• Quizzes (isolated concepts such as vocabulary /grammar): 40%

(Quiz scores below 85% may be retaken prior to chapter exam, but will not average to be more than 90%)

• Homework and Participation: 20%

In short, to earn a good grade and get a lot out of class, you should:

• Complete homework on time and review work often.
• Come to class on time and prepared (pen, note, etc).
• Participate and work well in group/partner settings.
• Have a great attitude! 
• Speak Chinese!!

Behavioral expectations:

• Be honest.
• Be accepting of others.
• Be respectful.
• Be responsible.
• Be trustworthy.

Also, be cooperative in all aspects of the learning process, ask questions when in doubt, try your best and have fun in Chinese!

Group work:

We will often work in groups during class in order to maximize each student’s opportunities to practice speaking and listening.  Please remember to do the following:

• Speak in Chinese!
• Work until I direct the class to switch into a different activity.  If your group finishes before others, practice some more.  Repetition is an important part of internalizing/acquiring the language. Help your partner!

 

Policy on use of dictionaries, translators, tutors and artificial intelligence (AI)

 

When any or all of the following occur, assignments will be reviewed for possible plagiarism or inappropriate use of resources.

 

• The language sample does not favorably compare to the student’s prior work. 
• Prior student work will be reviewed to see the degree to which the assignment contains the student’s “voice” or shares a similar language style such as use of vocabulary, control, command  of grammatical structures, and background knowledge.
• Student cannot explain or interpret adequately the idea(s) expressed in the passage in question. 
• Student cannot explain the grammatical structures or vocabulary words utilized in the passage.
• The language sample in question is not cited properly.

 

Students may use AI as a tool to support their learning in this Chinese language class, but its use is subject to specific rules to ensure academic integrity and genuine skill development. The goal is to leverage AI for practice and feedback, not to bypass the learning process. In fact, it is exactly at those learning edges where we grow and improve as language learners.

Permitted Uses

• Dictionary/thesaurus. You can even ask for regional specificity, like “What are some words for “children” in China?” It is important that you can explain the words when you use them in your work
• Linguistic/grammatical explanations. You can use AI to provide explanations of grammatical concepts, idiomatic expressions and proper accentuation. However, you must be able to explain and demonstrate that you understand the use and formation of the concept.
• Generating example sentences: If you are unsure how to use a specific word or grammatical structure, you may use AI to generate a few example sentences to help you understand its usage in context.
• Vocabulary expansion: You can use AI to ask for synonyms or alternative phrasings for words you already know, helping you expand your vocabulary beyond simple translations.
• Practicing conversational skills: Some AI tools can simulate conversations, providing a low-stakes environment for you to practice speaking and listening.

Prohibited Uses

• Completing assignments: You may not use AI to generate entire written assignments, including essays, short stories, or paragraphs. Submitting AI-generated work as your own will be treated as plagiarism.
• Direct translation: Using AI to translate entire sentences or paragraphs from English to Chinese is prohibited. This practice prevents you from engaging with the language's grammar and syntax, which is crucial for building your own proficiency.
• Cheating on assessments: Using AI during quizzes, exams, or any form of graded assessment is strictly forbidden. This includes using AI to formulate answers, brainstorm ideas, or correct work in real-time.

Consequences for Misuse

Any violation of this policy will be handled according to the school's academic integrity policy. Ultimately, the misuse of AI is a disservice to your own education and an unfair advantage over your classmates.

Teacher Discretion

I reserve the right to question any work that appears to be AI-generated. If your work includes complex vocabulary or grammatical structures that you are unable to explain, it will raise concerns. This policy is designed in support of your growth as a proficient and confident Chinese learner. Please use these tools responsibly to enhance your learning.

 

I am looking forward to working with you and getting to know you.

For further information, now and throughout the year, you can email me at yma@blakeschool.org or call me at 952-486-9035.