Spoken Chinese

ChineseHomework.ie is a one stop shop for your core Mandarin language lessons. Focusing on communicative language first our students' motivation builds from lesson to lesson. Our approach to Chinese encourages independent learning while creating a teamwork atmosphere during in-class Task Based Language Learning activities.

Transition Year Chinese

Benefits to learning Chinese during TY

Chinese language and culture being so rich and engaging makes for an excellent TY subject. Broadening the mind and developing useful skills.

By acquiring the language with the most efficient method and building a lasting practical ability in Mandarin students can expect to achieve excellent Leaving Cert results without the expected high workload.

Our modular approach means that students are left with a clear path to choosing Mandarin as an enjoyable subject yielding an excellent Leaving Cert outcome.

Two week taster

Our two week taster (for all students) gives a clear taste of our platform and learning method. Our platform tracks effort and outcomes carefully allowing students and teachers to recognise if Chinese is a good fit for each student.

Ten week modules

Our follow up 10 week programs deliver on our promise of an enjoyable, horizon expanding, results based progression through the Leaving Cert curriculum.
Most importantly our students are able to use (speaking, writing) everything they learn, from day 1.
By the end of TY students will have covered 80% of their Leaving Cert requirement with the majority having superceded A1 language proficiency.

Our Pilot Class Experience

Last year we ran our first pilot for TY students. Our goal was to enable students to choose Chinese for their Leaving Certificate without fear of how hard it might be.

To achieve this we ran a serious course of study with a broad window into Chinese society and culture with a language component leading to HSK 3.
We knew from our success with IrishHomework.ie that taking a focus on communicative language, keeping to small vocabulary sets and ensuring every student has sufficient practice time gives a very efficient learning curve.

Our expectations were exceeded despite a three month break in the middle of the year with everyone achieving HSK 3 in 7 months of study.
This equates to completing the Leaving Cert Chinese language component at CEFR A1 which is the expected level according to the Chinese Leaving Certificate Specification.

Culture

Language of course is only part of the picture. We give 40% of our class time to learning about Chinese society and culture.
Aside from the cultural content inherent in our lessons, cultural understanding remains under the guidance of the individual teacher. All our lessons are based on communication and in general deal with daily interactions in modern Chinese society. We also have some graded reading of classic literature such as


The Rise of the Monkey King
Mulan





These are very accessible using our platform. Thus allowing our students to learn classic Chinese literature through Chinese.