Movie Of The United States Of Chinese Teaching Materials Design

In recent years, more and more institutions teaching Chinese as a foreign language are employ ying movies in the classroom as an important language-teaching medium. Movies distinctively are full of cultural elements, and can greatly increase the interest of a language learner. Films are an art form directly perceived through the audio-visual senses. Through the stimulation of these senses, the viewer can not only better understand the plot development of a film, but also simultaneously gain a better understanding of Mandarin language context, providing a stimulating Chinese language-learning environment.This thesis is focused on designing effective courseware for students to study Chinese through movies, and is revealed through four main points:The first is related to the importance of increasing the interest of Chinese language-learners. It is important when selecting movies for language-learners that they are not only full of rich cultural context, but also that the films may be enjoyed by viewers. Once a learner's attention is aroused, only then can the movie's educational potential reach its maximum. The second focus is on language context. While designing the courseware, the author of this thesis focused on the distinctive character of the movies' dialogues. New vocabulary words and fill-in-the-blank listening exercises, among others were designed with the importance of the dialogue context in mind. Through consulting previous theses and textbooks, the author was able to understand both the positives and negatives of current methods, and how to make it easier for learners to understand the use of new vocabulary words and grammar structures in their natural context. The third focus of the thesis is on cultural elements, and although this is not the most important element in the courseware, it cannot be ignored as culture and language are irrevocably intertwined. Many believe movies are one of the best ways to understand a culture outside of being immersed in the culture, and often a language-learner's success directly depends on the amount of interest he or she has in the respective culture. The fourth main focus of this thesis is how the courseware and classroom activities are directly focused on the U.S.A. education system. The students are given more freedom to focus on the films or dialogues that interest them and in the regulation of time. Acting out the dialogues is also a unique way that will allow students to more fully grasp the life behind the language of Chinese, and thereby achieving the goal of increasing intercultural understanding.This thesis is split into three sections:The first section's contents include analyzing previous related works, as well as the purpose and meaning behind the selection of this thesis's topic. The second section explains the processes undertaken to design this type of courseware, as well as provides examples of the author's work and class management tactics. The third section details and analyzes the author's experiences while using said courseware in the classroom.