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This web site is a reading module that presents four levels of reading. It addresses reading comprehension skills at various levels of proficiency. Users can choose any level based on their proficiency. The texts are in traditional Chinese characters. A browser with encoding such as Internet Explorer 5+ is needed to read the Chinese characters.
Learning Goals:
To improve reading comprehension
Target Student Population:
All levels of Chinese
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Some basic level of Chinese reading proficiency.
Type of Material:
Reading module
Recommended Uses:
Independent or classroom use
Technical Requirements:
A browser with encoding such as Internet Explorer 5+ is needed to read the Chinese characters.
Evaluation and Observation
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This reading module allows both beginning and advanced students of Chinese to practice reading at their proficiency level. There are various types of stories, e.g., humor, idioms, Chinese myths, and poetry. There is an impressive collection of Chinese idioms. There are also external links to some useful reading sites such as the poetry collection of the University of Virginia.
Concerns:
It is visually difficult to read the instructions on the main page of the module. There should be more space between words. Also, there is a grammatical error (a missing verb) in the instructions.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The module has a clear purpose. It also incorporates culture into the reading materials in the form of interesting stories.
Concerns:
Users could benefit from instruction and explanation on some pages. For example, the set of links in the left margin of the reading pages should have a heading to explain that these are links to subsequent pages. Hyperlinked glosses would significantly increase the usefulness of the readings as teaching-learning tools, especially for independent study.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Attractive and relevant images and animation are present in selected pages. The page format for the most part is relatively consistent throughout the site, and navigation is simple without extensive instruction.
Concerns:
Some links are not working. Examples include the "English Translations of Famous Chinese Poems" link and a few links in the left margin of some level 1 reading pages.
