• Doyouwanttobroadenyourhorizonstoincludeoneofthemostimportantlanguagesofthe21stCentury?

• WouldyouliketotraveltoChinaaspartofyourlearningexperience?

Tel: 020 7228 8501Email: info@dragonsteaching.comOnline: www.dragonsteaching.com

clear,engaginghardcopyandonlineteaching materials

well-structuredpreparationforthenewMandarinChineseGCSElearnwithfirst class,certifiedChineseteachers

includes a study triptoBeijing

an exciting opportunityforKeyStage3pupils

affordabletuition,paidforbytheschoolorparents(orboth)

SilasEdmonds,HeadofSeniorSchool,SurbitonHighSchool

“Thisexcitingnewinitiativehasbeendesignedwithourpupilsinmindandoffersamuch-neededopportunityforthemtogainaGCSEinthisimportantlanguage.ThetriptoChinaoffersanunforgettable,immersivelanguageandculturalexperienceforallparticipants,practisingMandarinskillsandenrichingtheirunderstandingofthewiderworld”.

Is the language difficult to speak?No,butMandarinChineseistonal:themeaningofeachworddependsonthepitchofyourvoice.ThetonalnatureofMandarinwillbenewtomostWesternstudents,butwithgoodinstructionandexposuretomodern,interactiveresources,youwilllearntospeakwithconfidence.

What is pinyin?ForlearningMandarinChinesethereisastandardromanisedtransliterationsystemcalledpinyin. AlthoughitisusedminimallyinChina,pinyinhelpsWesternstudentsaccessthespokenlanguagefasterandremovestheneedtoknowlotsofChinesecharactersfromtheoutset.OurGCSEMandarinChinesecourseusespinyintogetstudentsspeakingfromthefirstclass.

Will I learn to write Chinese characters?Yes.JustlookingatapageofChinesecharacterscanbequitedaunting.However,thelogicandhistorybehindthecharactersmakethemeasytorememberandfuntostudy.Asyoulearnmoreaboutthecharacters,youwillalsogaininsightintoChineseculture.

Takealookatthesethree:

What about the grammar?ManyaspectsofMandarinChineseareeasierthanEuropeanlanguages:• Therearenogendersfornouns• Thereisnoverbconjugationwhenusingtenses• Therearenopluralforms

Chinesegrammariseasytograsp,soyoucanbecreativewiththelanguageearlieroninyourstudies.

About the language

“Chinese is an interesting and challenging addition to my other modern languages. The grammar is surprisingly easy and the stories behind the characters make them fascinating to learn.” Ella, Year11 student.

Why learn Mandarin Chinese?MandarinChineseistheofficiallanguageofmainlandChina,whichhasapopulationofcloseto1.4billionpeople.MandarinisalsospokeninTaiwan,Malaysia,SingaporeandotherChinesecommunitiesallovertheworld;afifthoftheglobalpopulationspeakMandarin!Thelanguageisquicklybecomingahighlysought-afterskilltosetyouapartinbusiness,law,finance,tourism,educationandpublicservicecareers.

Shanghai skyline

‘Hello’= 你好

= ‘nǐ hǎo’(pinyin)

女(woman)+子(child)=好 (good)

木(tree)+木(tree)+木(tree)=森(forest)

田(field)+力(strength)=男(male)

About the GCSE Mandarin Chinese course

Study detailsThecoursewillberunbyDragons Teaching,specialistsinprovidingengagingMandarinChineseteachersandteachingresourcestoUKschools;wewillprovideboth the teacher and the teaching materials.Theaimistotake3rd form pupils - eitheras completebeginnersorwithpreviousexperience-allthewayfrombasicfoundationtohighlevelachievementinGCSE.

Teachingwilltakeplaceat your school.Classeswilltakeplaceafter school throughouttheacademicyear.Groupsizewillbe10-15 pupils andyouwillberequiredtocommittoaminimum of 200 teaching hoursoverthecourseofa3 yearprogramme.

Inadditiontothetaughtclasses,therewillberegularhomeworkassignments,justlikewhenstudyingforotherGCSEs.Seebelowforthecoursestructure.

Study trip to ChinaOurnon-compulsorytriptoBeijinghasthreemainaims:

• safe travel• inspiring&memorable

learningopportunities• fun!

WefirmlybelievethatlearningChineseshouldnotbeanexperienceconfinedtoaclassroomintheUK.Therefore,thestudytripincludedintheGCSEcourseisintegral totheprogramme.

The Great Wall of China, Beijing

Year 3 (2020-2021): • Oneweekly2hourclassthroughouttheschoolyear(minimum60hoursstudy)

GCSE Exam - May/June 2021

Year 1 (2018-2019): • Oneweekly2hourclassthroughouttheschoolyear(minimum60hoursstudy)

Year 2 (2019-2020): • Oneweekly2hourclassthroughouttheschoolyear(minimum60hoursstudy)

• 6-daystudytriptoBeijingduringSpringbreak(includes20hoursofstudy)

Course structure – GCSE Mandarin Chinese over 3 years

The Exam

Next steps and registering interest

GCSEMandarinChineseisnodifferenttootherGCSEsinModernLanguages–youwillbeexaminedonyourskillsinspeaking, listening, reading and writing.Youwillbeworkingtowardsanofficialcertificationbasedonthenationalcurriculumguidelines.

Youwillhaveachancetopractisemockexamsandtheteacherwillgiveyouplentyofsupportduringyourpreparation.However,it’snotallabouttheexam!Wewantyoutobecomeconfident using your ChineseandtoenjoylearningaboutChinaandits fascinating culture.HopefullyyouwillbeinspiredtospendmoretimeinChinaortocontinueyourMandarinstudiespasttheGCSE!

ToregisteryourinterestinstartingtheGCSEMandarinChinesecourseinSeptember 2018,pleaseeitherspeaktoyourschooloralternativelyyoucanringtheDragonsinEuropecoursecoordinatoron 020 7228 8501.Youcanalsoemailusatinfo@dragonsineurope.com.Wewillalsoberunninganinformation evening in June 2018 whereyouandyourparentscancomeandaskquestions,seetheresourcesandmeetsomeoftheteachers.Welookforwardtohearingfromyou!

Resources

High quality teaching team

DragonsTeachinghasateamofaround50teachersmanyofwhomarecurrentlyworkinginthesomeoftheUK’sforemostsecondaryandpreparatoryschools.Withfull DBS checks andacompletesetofcommendablereferences,ourteachersareallhugelyexperiencedatteachinginawesternenvironment.Teachershavebeenselectedbothbasedontheiravailability(over2or3years)andtheirexperienceinteachingYears8-11atGCSElevel.PleasenotethataDragonsteacherwillflyouttoBeijingwithpupilstocontinuethecourseduringthestudytripabroad.

TextbooksDragonsTeachinghavewrittentheirowntextbookswhicharefun,appropriatelystructuredandpackedfullofinterestingfacts.Thebooks,Secondary School Chinese, focusonteachingpracticallanguagefromthebeginning,sothatyoucancommunicateinChineseevenafterthefirstclass.Chinesecharactersaregraduallyintroducedalongsidethespokenlanguage.Thereafter,youwillstudytheGSCEcontent(inYears2and3).

OnlineInadditiontothetextbooks,youwillalsobegivenaccesstoourextensive,onlinelearningportalwhichyoucanfindatwww.secondaryschoolchinese.com.Hereyoucanusegamesandexercisestohelpyoupractiseandreinforcewhatyouhavecoveredduringclass.

Costs

Ifpaidforbytheschool:£85/hr+VAT perteachinghour(2hoursperweek)Maximum15studentsperclass

Ifpaidforbytheparents:£15/hr+VAT / perstudent/perteachinghour(2hoursperweek)Maximum15studentsperclass

TotalcostforYear2triptoChina,paidforbytheparents:approx£1900 (subject to change)

6-daystudytripcostsinclude:• returnflights,visa,insuranceandalllocal

transport• accommodation