Online Resources Recommended by AP Teachers
We surveyed AP Chinese Language and Culture teachers about what online resources they recommend, and the list below comes directly from their responses. The list also includes teacher descriptions of the resources. This is not a comprehensive list, nor is it an endorsement of any of these resources by the College Board.
- Self-directed student practice; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
- Provides comprehensive, news-based, graded reading resources with audio. The Word Status in TCB hub helps students expand vocabulary banks efficiently, and the comprehension exercises and key grammar learning enhance language use.
- Instructional videos for students
- Provides videos from a variety of resources focusing on Chinese culture in contemporary life. The content of cultural comparison and cultural significance of most videos are “especially helpful for students to prepare for a cultural presentation.”
- Instructional videos for students
- A series of short videos comparing the differences between Chinese culture and American culture ranging a variety of topics. “Very funny, but teachers should watch first and pick the ones that are appropriate for their class. Teachers also need to avoid stereotyping when teaching culture.”
- Online resources for teachers and students
- Different tools which demonstrate the trends of historical changes in different aspects of a society. Can compare different countries at the same time. Topics include population, income, child mortality, life expectancy, etc.
Gimkit $
- Self-directed student practice
- Provides an interactive gamified platform for both synchronous teaching and asynchronous self-paced learning. The ability to add audio and share formative data is especially helpful for AP listening practice and diagnostic learning.
- Instructional videos for students; instructional videos for teachers
- Series of Chinese learning videos with instructions. Videos of the texts were filmed in real-life situations and topics are close to high school students’ life. Rich culture. Videos are organized by topics “so it’s easy to find a video related to the topic being taught and use it to supplement teaching.”
- Self-directed student practice; instructional videos for students
- Provides an AP section of 250 books in the leveled reading resources covering the six AP themes. The post- reading quizzes are helpful to check for understanding, and it has the option of adding/hiding Pinyin and recording.
- Self-directed student practice; online resources for teachers
- Easy to sing Chinese songs with videos, lyrics, vocabulary list, and practices. Videos also include karaoke versions of how to play the song. It can be used as a resource for classroom instruction and can also be used for students to practice singing at home.
Learning Chinese Through Stories
- Online podcast; online resources for teachers and students
- Provide podcast audios, podcast transcripts, scripts of stories/texts, and vocabulary lists. Organized by proficiency levels. “A good resource for students to listen by themselves at home and keep a listening log or for use in the classroom.”
- Online resources for teachers
- Words and images from Beijing youth. Images, audio, and slideshows from students in Beijing talking about different aspects of school.
- Online instructions tutorials/resources pages for teachers
- Provides a thorough collection of classroom activities based on the three modes of communication: Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational. The step-by-step instructions and tips for differentiation are “especially useful to enhance the effectiveness of teaching.”
- Self-directed student practice; online instructions tutorials/resources pages for teachers
- Provides more than 400 photos of authentic materials taken from the Chinese-speaking world, including signs, posters, forms, charts, flyers, advertisements, etc. “The self-check unit questions and clear organization are especially helpful for both students and teachers.”
- Self-directed student practice
- Provides rich resources of animated popular idiom stories, proverbs, rhymes, tongue twisters, instructions, songs, etc. for students, as well as instructional materials for teachers. Language use is authentic, fun, and especially helpful to practice AP note-taking skills.
- Instructional videos for students
- Provides video that showcases repackaging rural skills for urban fantasies. The most popular Chinese YouTube channel, it covers a wide variety of Chinese elements with the identical beauty of Chinese culture for six AP themes.
- Self-directed student practice; online instructions tutorials/resources pages for teachers
- Provides rich resources of videos, pictures, and texts along with a powerful search engine. Language use is authentic and easy to understand. “It is especially helpful to practice the AP task models of listening instructions and cultural presentations.”
Chinese Extensive Listening 汉语泛听
- Self-directed student practice; instructional videos for students
- Provides rich video resources with texts in Chinese characters, Pinyin, and English. The scaffolded instruction includes a slow version and a normal version, and provides a lot of flexibility for both heritage and non- heritage students to enhance note-taking skills.
Overseas Chinese Language and Culture Education Online 中国华文教育网
- Instructional videos for students; online instruction tutorials/resource pages for teachers
- Provides a variety of resources of Chinese culture and literature in texts and videos, as well as instructional videos. The content can be adapted for AP learning, and “the riddles, jokes, rhymes, tongue twisters, games, etc., are helpful for student engagement during distance learning.”
$ = May require a fee = Account creation needed