CAAP Common Core: Chinese - Listening

The CAAP Common Core for Chinese remains textbook neutral and serves only as guidance for Chinese teachers in Ohio. Each level subsumes the previous level descriptors.

In Chinese, adding new vocabulary and more complex structures is the logical progression, as opposed to adding new topics and new tenses as in other languages.

  • ASSUMPTIONS: speakers, native where possible, who adjust their speech for nonnative listeners; clearly audible speech (no ambient sound); and strong, contextual support to facilitate understanding (e.g., visuals, gestures, videos).
  • FUNCTIONS: greeting, telling, listing, stating likes and dislikes, and describing.
  • FORMATS: conversations, dialogues, short narratives and descriptions, audio files, and videos.
  • EXERCISES: matching visuals with narratives, answering information questions (true/false, etc.), reacting to narratives (charades, etc.), etc.
  • STRATEGIES: general understanding of the main point with heavy reliance on contextualization (images, realia, etc.), key words and simple structure recognition.
  1. I can understand classroom commands and etiquette.
  2. I can understand native speakers greet each other, ask how their friends are doing, introduce new friends to the group, and say good-bye.
  3. I can understand a description of a friend's family (e.g., number of brothers, sisters, pets, etc.) and understand the relationships among them (e.g., Wang Ming is Wang Ling's brother.).
  4. I can understand people tell what countries, major cities (or regions) they are from and their nationalities (e.g., I am American; I'm from China; I’m from Beijing.).
  5. I can understand people talk about their ages, occupations, hobbies, etc.
  6. I can understand people talk about the activities they have planned for the week (e.g., places to go, what day, and at what time).
  7. I can understand a conversation about basic food and beverages, preferences and ordering (e.g., at a friend’s house, at a café or restaurant, etc.).
  • ASSUMPTIONS: speakers, native where possible, who adjust their speech for nonnative listeners; audible speech (no ambient sound); and contextual support to facilitate understanding (e.g.,visuals, gestures, videos).
  • FUNCTIONS: explaining, narrating, comparing and contrasting, selecting, bargaining.
  • FORMATS: conversations, narratives and descriptions, audio and video.
  • EXERCISES : following directions or commands, answering information questions, choosing among alternatives, etc.
  • STRATEGIES: deriving meaning from contextualization, understanding the main points and salient details on familiar topics, and general understanding of the speaker's intent.
  1. I can understand people talk about hobbies and interests (e.g., sports, music, media, etc.).
  2. I can understand people talk about personal possessions (e.g., price, size, color), including comparisons and contrasts.
  3. I can understand the basic idea of selected clips from TV programs or movies and make basic assumptions about them (e.g., This clip is about a Chinese student’s daily schedule and life in high school.).
  4. I can understand simple directions to places, including means of transportation, landmarks and relative distance (e.g., The book store is next to the restaurant.).
  5. I can understand people talk about a restaurant (e.g., quality of food, service and atmosphere).
  6. I can understand people talk about their daily routines and sequence of activities (e.g., time markers such as before/after/first...then..., etc., when they get up, go to school, go to class, take tests, do homework, have meals, and go to bed, etc.).
  7. I can understand people talk about events in various time frames (e.g. weekend activities, past, present and future activities, etc.).
  8. I can understand basic information about weather (e.g., general weather conditions, comments about the weather).
  9. I can understand conversations about buying and selling in various settings (e.g., conversations in markets and department stores.).
  • ASSUMPTIONS: speakers, native where possible, who adjust their speech for nonnative listeners; audible speech (no ambient sound); and contextual support to facilitate understanding (e.g.,visuals, gestures, videos).
  • FUNCTIONS: comprehending explanations, negotiations, narrations and comparisons and contrasts, selecting, making excuses, etc.
  • FORMATS: conversations, narratives and descriptions, audios, videos, etc.
  • EXERCISES: following directions, responding, explaining, answering questions written in English and/or Chinese, choosing among alternatives, drawing, etc.
  • STRATEGIES: deriving detailed meaning from contextualization, understanding the main points and many details, deeper understanding of the speaker's' intent.
  1. I can understand people describe their homes and surroundings (e.g., house or apartment, location, types of rooms, what is in their room, etc.).
  2. I can understand people describe physical features (e.g., tall, short, thin, dark-skinned, straight hair, blue eyes, double eyelids, etc.).
  3. I can understand simple descriptions, comparisons and contrasts of media (e.g., television programs, shows, movies, program schedules, etc.).
  4. I can understand people discuss vacations and travel (e.g., famous tourist sites, activities, prices, reservations, including comparisons and contrasts of various locations).
  5. I can understand people explain their health and physical well-being (e.g., body parts, symptoms, treatments, etc.).
  6. I can understand detailed information about weather conditions and forecast (e.g., temperature change during the day or week, seasons, cities and regions).
  7. I can understand a description of the school environment (e.g., a school schedule, courses, class periods, teachers, school supplies, etc.).
  8. I can understand detailed discussions of people planning social events (e.g., birthday and holiday parties, after-school activities, time, attendees, location, etc.).
  9. I can understand conversations about shopping (e.g., bargaining, discounts, weights and measures, high denominations of different currencies, etc.).
  • ASSUMPTIONS: speakers, native where possible, audible speech (no ambient sound) and contextual support to facilitate understanding (e.g., gestures, authentic media).
  • FUNCTIONS: understanding analyses, arguments, details, critiques, etc.
  • FORMATS: conversations, interviews, presentations, online media (e.g. videos, podcasts, etc.)
  • EXERCISES: outlining, providing plot and character traits, taking notes, providing summaries, critiquing, etc.
  • STRATEGIES: deriving more detailed meaning from contextualization, understanding of detailed oral texts in order to use the information for accomplishing other tasks (e.g., summarizing a movie and convincing a friend to see it).
  1. I can understand selected video clips and demonstrate comprehension of plot and character traits (e.g., current events, TV talk shows, talent shows, reality shows, etc.).
  2. I can understand simple descriptions and preparations of regional cuisines (e.g. Si Da or Ba Da Cai Xi).
  3. I can understand conversations about job interviews (e.g. inquiries of workplace location, salary, requirements, work schedule and experiences).
  4. I can understand basic stories about famous idioms and proverbs (e.g. shou zhu dai tu, zi xiang mao dun, ya miao zhu zhang, san ge he shang mei shui he, ru xiang sui su, etc.).
  5. I can understand discussions about some provinces and major cities, regional climates, geographic variations, famous landmarks (e.g. The Great Wall, The Terracotta Warriors, etc.).
  6. I can understand basic descriptions and discussions about holiday customs and activities (e.g. Spring Festival, red envelopes, New Year’s Eve meal, etc.).