Language Resident/Assistant Name: Feiya Suo
Day and Date: 2021.09.23
Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Advanced
Class theme/topics discussed: 客套和礼节 Courtesy & Manners
Goal of the class:
By the end of this class, students are expected to know more about the cultural differences between Asian countries and western countries, and be able to talk about their own experiences and act three scenarios with their partners in the class.
How did you structure the class?
Warm-up: A short review of the traditional festivals → Introduce the topic of Courtesy & Manners
- Question: 在中国，过春节时人们一般会有哪些习俗呢？What traditions do Chinese people have for Spring Festival in China?
吃饺子 & 年夜饭 & 放鞭炮 & 串门 & 打扫房间…………→ 红包！Red envelopes!
- How about Christmas in your country? What do you say /do when accepting a present?
那在西方国家呢？比如圣诞节的时候，你会收到别人的礼物吗？你会说什么（怎样表示感谢）？
- 但你知道中国人在接受别人礼物时要怎样做吗？要说什么？Do you know what should Chinese people say/do when accepting a present from a family member/friend/colleague/teacher?(There are certain things that you should do and you shouldn’t.)
今天我们就一起来看一看。So today let’s have a look at them.
Presentation:
- While watching the video about Chinese ways of being polite, think about the following questions:
你知道哪些中国人客套的方式？
① 接受赞美 How to accept a compliment?
② 吃饭结账 What do people usually do after a meal? Split the bill v.s. Pay the whole amount?
③ 和陌生人聊天 How to make a small talk with strangers?
④ 怎么说“不”How to say “no” in China?
⑤ 回别人微信时的注意事项 A kind reminder of replying to others’ on social media (How to use 嗯 &嗯嗯 & 嗯嗯嗯；How to use 哈 & 哈哈 & 哈哈哈）
https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ux411V7u5?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0
Activity 1：Guided discussion
Discuss about the questions in groups of 3 and discuss in the whole class
Activity 2:
小故事：文化差异 Act: Your own experiences of cultural difference & act three scenarios with your partners in the class.
Topic: 当你遇见了中国人——在中国 v.s. 在美国 In China v.s. In America(or your home country)
时间、地点、人物
What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
PowerPoint slides (12 in total)
Handouts
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
Things that worked well:
Students were really into the topic as well! Their performances were also really funny. Comparing with the intermediate group, they focus more on the level of social phenomenon. For example, a group of students acted a scene in hospital. An old woman had cancer. Her family members were there with her. Should the doctor tell her or not? In China, there is a high chance that the doctor and family members decide not to tell her, in order to let her have a happy rest of the days. But according to the students, in America, the doctor should tell her because it is her right to know about her health condition. It’s quite interesting to jump into this topic in the class and discover those different perspectives between cultures.
Also there is another thing worth mention. In warm-up session I did a short review of traditional festivals, and asked a question: What traditions do Chinese people have to celebrate Spring Festival?
[potential answers: dumplings & dinner & firework ……→ 红包！Red envelopes! ]It is super important to get THIS feedback(Red envelopes) from the student. I found a picture with a red envelope on it(a clue) and in both classes, my picture trick worked! So we switched the topic from Festivals to Courtesy & Manners smoothly by asking what should you do when accepting a present from someone? And then the class went really well.
Things that did not work:
This time the handout was pretty clear so no one had a problem with what they should do. However, there was a problem with time control. Since I had 3 groups of students, the class was more tight than yesterday’s intermediate group. Also after the 2nd group’s performance, we spent a few minutes on the doctor-patient topic. So after the 3rd group’s performance, we didn’t have much time for feedback and discussions. Next time I’ll probably shorten the 1st discussion session(after video watching discussion ), and pay more attention on time-control.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
I feel that time management is really important in conversation classes. So next time I’ll pay more attention to it and try not to give too much feedback to one certain group, but to each and every group equally.
If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that). Please attach any handouts as well.
| Time/step | Teacher focus | Student focus |
| PresentationWarm-up (10 mins) | A short review of the traditional festivals1)Question: 在中国，过春节时人们一般会有哪些习俗呢？What traditions do Chinese people have for Spring Festival in China? 吃饺子 & 年夜饭 & 放鞭炮 & 串门 & 打扫房间…………→ 红包！Red envelopes! 2)在西方国家呢？比如圣诞节的时候，你会收到别人的礼物吗？你会说什么（怎样表示感谢）？How about Christmas in your country? What do you say /do when accepting a present? 3)但你知道中国人在接受别人礼物时要怎样做吗？要说什么？Do you know what should Chinese people say/do when accepting a present from a family member/friend/colleague/teacher?(There are certain things that you should do and you shouldn’t.) 今天我们就一起来看一看。So today let’s have a look. | – Answer the questions |
| Presentation (8 mins) | 1.While watching the video about Chinese ways of being polite, think about the following questions:你知道哪些中国人客套的方式？① 接受赞美 How to accept a compliment?② 吃饭结账 What do people usually do after a meal? Split the bill v.s. Pay the whole amount?③ 和陌生人聊天 How to make a small talk with strangers?④ 怎么说“不”How to say “no” in China?⑤ 回别人微信时的注意事项 A kind reminder of replying to others’ on social media (How to use 嗯 &嗯嗯 & 嗯嗯嗯；How to use 哈 & 哈哈 & 哈哈哈）https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1Ux411V7u5?spm_id_from=333.999.0.0 | -Think about the questions given while watching the video- Be ready to answer questions and give their own opinions |
| Guided & Communicative practice (12 mins) | Discuss about the questions in groups of 3.Discuss in the whole class.In the mean time, I’ll type them on the slide. | – Answer the questions and give their own opinions |
| Communicative practice (25 mins) | 小故事：文化差异 Act: Your own experiences of cultural difference & act three scenarios with your partners in the class.Topic: 当你遇见了中国人——在中国 v.s. 在美国 In China v.s. In America(or your home country)要求：①写出时间、地点、人物；②简历三个情景③和你的队友一起表演出来 | – Prepare for the show;- Perform 3 scenarios with partners in the class |
| Summary (5 mins) | – Give Feedback – Have a look at the cultural differences mentioned in the performances together |