Unit 4: How do We Go to Places?

In this unit of study, students learn about various types of transportation in China and common places to visit. Students practice inquiry by answering questions about how to get to places using different types of transportation. Additionally, students will learn about the significance of Chunyun, the Spring Festival travel rush, for people in China and compare Chunyun with similar events in their own culture. Finally, they will compare the use of transportation during important events in China and in the United States.

Recommended Can-Do Statements:

*I-Can Statement worded specifically for this unit and based on NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

(Novice)

• I can ask and respond to question about common transportation type.
• I can ask and respond to question about the color and quantity of various types of vehicle and a plane.
• I can ask and share preferences on transportation type.
• I can recognize the transportation and places when listening to a paragraph or conversation

（IL）

• I can exchange information to decide which type of transportation is best to utilize.

INTERPRETIVE COMMUNICATION

(Novice)

• I can understand the main idea of a video about how people return home.
• I can identify some places by their names in Chinese characters.
• I can identify the transportation that someone takes to travel to places.

PRESENTATIONAL COMMUNICATION

(Novice)

• I can state my preference on transportation in a story or poem.
• I can list places I like to go with the transportation I take.
• I can write about my choice of transportation when going to a place.

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

• I can discuss about the common public transportation is utilized in China during their most important holiday.
• I can talk about the important role of Chinese public transportation play in their most important holiday.
• I can compare the current public transportation in China and the U.S. in terms of their roles in important holidays.
• In my own and other cultures I can identify how people celebrate local and national holidays or festivals.
• In my own and other cultures I can identify how people travel from one place to another, such as driving, taking the train or riding a bike, and why they choose to travel this way

1. How is public transportation evolving over time in China?

2. What places do I visit?

3. How do I travel from one point to another?

4. How do Chinese people travel to their hometown during the Spring Festival?

Click here to access Learning Activities and Assessments for this unit.

WEEKS 1 AND 2

Presentation of new materials

• Introduce the vocabulary for types of transportation using authentic materials
• Introduce vocabulary of vehicle 车 using authentic material (a video of how character 车 from creation to its current form)
• Introduce additional types of public transportation: 公共汽车、校车、船、地铁，using teacher made Quizlet vocabulary set.
• Demonstrate how to ask and answer questions about types of transportation: 这是什么交通工具? 这是......；using teacher made presentation.
• Introduce matching measure word （辆）for ...车， using teacher made presentation or Quizlet vocabulary card.
• Demonstrate how to ask how many…(vehicle) are there 有几辆....车，using prepared pictures, and answer to the questions accordingly 有...(quantity)辆....(type)车.
• Explain the differences (concept, speed and usage) between 高铁 and 动车， using authentic material (an online article).

Scaffolded practice

• Students watch the first video again, record what types of transportation in the video containing 车, and write those vocabulary with combination of pinyin and the character 车.
• Teacher asks students what 自行车，汽车 and 火车 share in common besides sharing the same character; and then gives the answer: wheels.
• Students write down the characters or pinyin of the various types of transportation in chronological order while watching the video of 1978-2018: The changes in China's transportation and then share verbally in class.
• Students play "Self-study activity" of vocabulary on Quizlet. For example, matching the characters of various transportation with their pinyin and English meanings.
• Students work in pairs to draw/create 6 pictures of various transportation and take turns describing the pictures.
• Students find new partners, use their previously prepared pictures, and take turns asking and answering the following questions: 1. what type of transportation is this? 2. What color is this ....? 3. How many.... are there?
• Teacher plays a video explaining the differences between 高铁 and 动车 and pauses for 5 to 10 seconds at 0:54 and 0:59. Students answer the following questions: What does Letter G stand for on a Chinese train ticket? What does D stand for on a Chinese train ticket? What are the speed range for 高铁 and 动车 respectively?

Formative Assessment

• Teacher provides students with pictures of different types of transportation and describes the pictures orally. While listening, students find the matching pictures.
• Students orally describe the color and quantity of transportation on teacher prepared pictures.
• Teacher randomly selects 4 out of 10 pictures of various types of transportation. In pairs, students ask each other questions and answer according to the pictures: 1. What is this transportation mean? 2.What color is this.....? 3. How many....are there?
• Students report how much they like certain types of public transportation with teacher selected picture representation.

Summative Assessments

• Interpersonal Speaking: In pairs, students take turns identifying modes of transportation they see in pictures supplied by the teacher. Students then discuss (inquire and answer to) their preference of those modes of transportation. (1.1.N.SL.g; 1.1.N.SL.j)
• Presentational Writing/Speaking: Students create and present a brief story or poem about their preferences on modes of transportation, including four different types. Within the story or poem, each mode of transportation needs to be described in terms of color and how s/he likes it. When presenting the story, students can use physical poster, Google Slides, or PowerPoint Presentation, only pictures allowed. (1.3.N.W.a, 1.3.N.S.a )

WEEKS 3 AND 4

Review of previously learned material

• review 学校，家，饭馆，商店
• review 去，走路
• review 每天

Presentation of new materials

• introduce verb 坐：to sit. Use the same character to introduce its second meaning: travel by
• Introduce verbs 开 and 骑 with Quizlet
• Introduce the different verb + transportation combination to express taking different transportation, such as 坐公共汽车， 坐船，开车，骑自行车
• Introduce places students often go to such as 公园、医院、邮局、图书馆、电影院 with Quizlet
• Introduce the sentence structure used to describe how students get to places such as : 我走路去学校. Subject + verb + transportation + places using the worksheet - see attachment
• Introduce sentence questions used to ask how students get to places, such as 你怎么去公园？with the question word 怎么
• Introduce adding 每天 into statement to show a habitual occurrence. 我每天坐车去学校。我每天骑自行车去公园

Scaffolded practice

• Review related words learned in previous units with flashcards 学校，家，饭馆，商店，走路，每天
• Review verbs 去 in phrase like 去商店， 去朋友的家，
• Students identify what verb to use with different types of transportation using images. Students choose from 坐，开 and 骑
• Students use Quizlet to study the vocabulary for places 公园、医院、邮局、图书馆、电影院
• Students quiz each other or teacher quizzes students on the vocabulary for places
• Students use the sentence structure: Subject + verb + transportation + places after teacher demonstration to describe a few images, such as 我骑自行车去朋友的家
• Students use the question word 怎么 after teacher demonstration to ask about how their peers get to places, such as 你怎么去医院？
• Students add 每天 to their questions to describe how they go to a place daily, such as 我每天开车去图书馆

Formative Assessment

• Students match the transportation with the correct verb and images
• Students create sentences to describe how they go to 公园、医院、邮局、图书馆、电影院，学校，饭馆，商店， and 朋友的家 using the sentence structure
• Students work in pairs to ask and answer how they go to a place. Teacher can give them a list of places we have learned including cities in China
• Ask students what are the places they go almost everyday. Students use the sentence structure with 每天 and give a statement

Summative Assessments

• Interpretive Listening and Presentational Speaking/Writing: Teacher reads a paragraph of a student talking about how he goes to a few different places and asks students to retell the paragraph (1.2.N.L.d, 1.3.N.S.a/1.3.N.W.a)
• Presentational Speaking: Using a teacher-provided list of places and distrances from their location, students choose the best mode of transportation and support their choice. (1.3.N.S.a )

WEEKS 5 AND 6

Review of previously learned material

• 回家、中国人、美国人
• 会

Presentation of new materials

• Introduce vocabulary 送 with the Quizlet
• Introduce the sentence structure to describe someone can ride a bike/drive a car: 我会骑自行车
• Introduce the question to ask if someone can ride a bike or drive a car: 你会骑自行车吗？
• Introduce the vocabulary of the Spring Festival 春节 with a video clip (from the beginning to 1:18).
• Introduce the concept of Spring Festival travel rush with a video clip (from the 0:19 to 0:57)
• Introduce vocabulary of 春运, using teacher made Quizlet vocabulary card.
• Introduce vocabulary of "...时" with its usage combining with other time phrases using teacher made Quizlet vocabulary card.
• Demonstrate how to ask and respond to how someone goes home with student volunteers. 你怎么回家？
• Demonstrate how to inquire about how Chinese people return home during the Spring Festival travel rush: 春运时中国人怎么回家, using teacher made presentation.

Scaffolded practice

• Teacher reviews previously learner vocabulary 回家、中国人、美国人, 会 using images
• Teacher asks students question "你每天怎么去学校" and models the answer using the new vocab 送：我爸爸开车送我去学校。
• Students use the new vocabulary 送 to make similar sentences to answer questions like 你怎么去图书馆？
• Students view Chunyun, another name of the Spring Festival travel rush, on Wikipedia and then answer the following questions, using Chinese as much as they can:

1. Where does the word Chunyun come from?

2. What does Chunyun mean to Chinese people?

3. When does Chunyun begin and how long does it last?

4. What is the most common transportation during Chunyun?

5. Have you experienced or heard of an event similar to Chunyun in your life?

• In pairs, students ask and respond to each other about how they get home every day.
• Teacher asks how Chinese people return home: 春运时中国人怎么回家, students answer in small groups in complete sentences according to a Documentary About "Chunyun”: Go Home.

Formative Assessment

• Students work in pairs to ask and answer how they go to the places discussed in the unit with the verb 送
• Students use 会 or 不会 to describe if they know how to drive a car or ride a bike by themselves.
• Students ask and respond to each other about how they go to school every day and how they go to the park on the weekend.
• Students write a short paragraph about Chunyun in characters, describing when Chunyn takes place every year, how Chinese people travel home, and why Chinese people travel home during Chunyun.

Summative Assessments

• Interpersonal Speaking: In a small group, students discuss whether they know how to drive a car or ride a bike. If students know how to drive a car or ride a bike, they should share where they go. If students don't know how to drive a car or ride a bike, they need to talk about what they do instead (e.g. ask someone to drop them off) (1.1.N.SL.i)
• Interpretive Viewing and Presentational Speaking: Students watch a video clip of Chinese Chunyun, and then write down how Chinese in the video go home before the arrival of the Spring Festival. Students compare Chunyun with a similar event in their own culture and include the similarities and differences in terms of the time and background of both events, as well as the transportation people take to return home. (1.2.N.L.c; 1.3.N.S.a; 2.2.N.E.b; 4.2.N.a)