Easy Steps to Chinese

Easy Steps to Chinese takes a new approach to teaching Chinese as a foreign language. It is designed for both elementary school students and secondary school students taking Chinese exams such as GCSE/IGCSE/AS (U.K.), SAT II/AP (U.S.A.), IB Chinese Language B Standard Level, or for students starting to learn Chinese on their own. Easy Steps to Chinese consists of three phases: Stage 1 - Books 1 and 2; Stage 2 - Books 3, 4, 5 and 6; and Stage 3 - Books 7 and 8. After completing this series, students will have a vocabulary of approximately 1,600 Chinese characters and develop confidence in using Chinese to communicate orally or in writing.
 The series consists of: -Textbook -Workbook -Teacher's Book -Flashcards -Word Cards 
The topics for each phase are: 
Phase 1: Books 1-2-Numbers-Personal identification-Body parts-Colors and clothing-Eating and drinking-Daily routines-Schools-Hobbies-Living at home-Means of transportation-Daily items-Weather 
Phase 2: Books 3-6-Exteriors-People and occupations-School facilities-Weather and vacations-Animal subjects-Personality-School events-Nutrition and illness-Accidents-Shopping and travel-Neighborhood Festivals and celebrations 
Phase 3: Book 7-8-Community-Work experience-Environment-Customs and traditions-Technology and communication-Diet and healthy lifestyle-Special occasions-Leisure and travel-Education and work-Law and order-Current issues-World issues 

The features of this series:

★task-based learning

★a wide variety of texts

★practical tasks and activities

★up-to-date topics relevant to young people

★careful pacing for gradual progress

★clearly focused goals

★regular consolidation

★simplified as well as traditional writing in the vocabulary list

★a fun and effective approach

★attractive page designs.

The stories of TianTian

The Stories of Tiantian is a series of read-aloud books to match Textbooks 1-4 of Simple Steps to Chinese. There are five read-alouds for each of the four levels, each telling three stories appropriate to the three lessons in each unit ofEasy Steps to Chinese. The readers describe the adventures of a high school student named Tiantian.
The read-alouds are designed to create a motivating environment in which students can repeat, practice and consolidate the vocabulary, sentence structures and language points learned from the textbook.
Features:
1. Language use is strongly focused on progression and continuity.
Story length is as follows:

• Level 1 stories have 100-200 characters each;
• Level 2 stories have 300-500 characters each;
• Level 3 stories have 600-800 characters each;
• Level 4 stories have 1200-1600 characters each.

2. The stories, which are humorous and entertaining, connect closely to the lives of the target audience in a coherent and consistent way.
3. The stories are written in simple language, allowing the target audience to understand Chinese culture.
4. Teachers can use the stories to design classroom activities.