Easy Steps to Chinese adopts a new approach to teaching Chinese as a foreign language. It is designed for both primary and secondary school students who are taking Chinese exams, such as GCSE/IGCSE/AS (U.K.), SAT II/AP (U.S.A.), IB Chinese Language B Standard Level, or for those students who are starting to learn Chinese on their own. After completing this series, the students will acquire a vocabulary of approximately 1,600 Chinese characters, and develop confidence in using Chinese to communicate either orally or in written forms.

This book series starts from “0” proficiency and begins with teaching pinyin. With three class hours devoted each week,all the eight volumes can be finished during the period of middle school. Particularly directed at AP test and the IB Chinese test, the series of textbooks is most suitable for middle school Chinese teaching in foreign countries.

Easy Steps to Chinese has three stages, the topics for each stage are:

• Stage 1 (Books 1 and 2):
Pinyin; strokes and stroke order; the structures of Chinese characters; tracing of characters; radicals and simple characters; dictionary skills; typing skills; listening skills; speaking skills; reading skills; writing skills: guided written assignments around 100 characters.
• Stage 2 (Books 3, 4, 5 and 6):
Radicals and simple characters; formation of phrases; expansion of vocabulary; simple grammar and sentence structures; dictionary skills; typing skills; classroom instruction in Chinese; listening skills; speaking skills; reading skills; writing skills: guided written assignments between 100 and 300 characters; exposure to modern China and Chinese culture.
• Stage 3 (Books 7 and 8):
Classroom instruction in Chinese; expansion of vocabulary; grammar and sentence structures; dictionary skills; typing skills; listening skills; speaking skills; reading skills; writing skills: independent written assignments between 300 and 500 characters; current issues around the world.

The whole series includes:
· Textbooks with a CD (vol. 1 – vol. 8)
· Workbooks (vol. 1 – vol. 5)
· Teacher’s Book with a CD (vol. 1 – vol. 8)
· Picture flashcards (vol. 1 – vol. 3)
· Word cards (vol. 1 – vol. 3
· Posters (vol. 1 – vol. 3)

About the author
Ms. Yamin Ma has a B.A. in British Language and Literature from China and an M.Ed. in Curriculum Design and Development from Queen’s University, Canada. She has been a teacher of English as a second language in both China and Canada, and is currently teaching Chinese in an international school in Hong Kong.

About the publisher
Established in 1985, Beijing Language and Culture University Press is the only publishing house in China dedicated to the publication of materials for the teaching and research of Chinese as a foreign language (TCFL).