???? Developing Advanced Proficiency in Chinese through Debate

The lesson plans in this textbook were created based on the standards of the Oral Proficiency Interview held by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The debate topics of each lesson plan emphasize areas that are familiar to the lives and interests of Western students while still allowing them to engage with differences between Chinese and Western culture. Teachers will also be able to use the structure of the lesson plans in this textbook to assist them as they design assessments for their students. This textbook and its lesson plans will help students to present their arguments not just as spoken ideas, but with the inclusion of examples, definitions, facts, and data. This textbook will help students to familiarize themselves with the expressions and words of Chinese debate and teach them how to organize and express their own arguments in Chinese. In addition, as students engage in debate, they will also learn how to use pace, volume, facial expression, gestures, and body language to make their arguments more persuasive. This textbook also works side by side with short audio clips that succinctly introduce the debate topic to students prior to in-class debates. These clips will be available on a user-friendly website with links to other authentic materials that give students opportunities to listen to audio files about the debate topic and its history.