Student Report Card Comments

Lachlan has enjoyed his Chinese lessons this semester. He particularly enjoyed the excursion to Northbridge where the students learned a lot more about Chinese cuisine. This semester he gave a very interesting PowerPoint presentation about himself and his family in Chinese in which he displayed quite a good level of confidence and fluency in the language. Lachlan is capable of achieving higher marks if he pays attention to correct use of vocabulary and grammar concepts. He sometimes chooses characters incorrectly because the pinyin is the same but the tone, character and meaning are different. I hope that he may aspire to build on this basic exposure to the language to continue his interest in Chinese at some stage in the future. Thomas has achieved very well in listening and reading this term. However, he could improve his written work considerably by taking much more care with the correct use of characters and grammar. During class he tends to be distracted too easily from the task at hand. He has the potential to improve his marks through paying more careful attention to the correct use of characters and grammar concepts in his written work. He needs to focus when new characters and concepts are introduced in class and take notes so that he can revise and consolidate these for use in written work and tests. On the whole he has achieved a good level of competency and I hope that he will continue to develop his skills and interest in Chinese in the future. Alexander is a very serious and conscientious learner who always completes his work with great care and attention to detail. He has shown consistent interest in both the Chinese language and culture and his results this term have been commendable. Next year he will continue to make excellent progress providing that he regularly revises and consolidates new vocabulary and grammar concepts and applies these in his written work and speaking both at home and with his teacher. I have been very pleased to have a student of his calibre in my class and I hope that he will continue to maintain his interest and application as he moves through higher levels. I am sure that he has the ability to do very well in this subject. Hudson is a competent student and a fast learner whose results have unfortunately been affected by some absences from school. He missed some vital concepts which are required for PowerPoint presentations, written work and tests. During the first semester he demonstrated an excellent and quick understanding of the grammar concepts and the correct application of new vocabulary. Learning Chinese requires regular revision and consolidation particularly in mastering the complexities of a large number of characters. I have very much enjoyed teaching him this year and I hope that he will continue to develop this interest in the future. Nephi has found aspects of Chinese challenging but he has impressed me a great deal through his determination to try and his willingness to seek assistance in understanding new concepts and vocabulary. He has improved a lot through a greater participation in class and asking relevant questions when he needs clarification. Nephi could have achieved higher marks through more disciplined, daily revision in preparation for tests. Chinese characters are complex and require regular practice and consolidation if fluency is to be achieved. Ten concentrated minutes per day on practising writing out five characters would soon build an adequate vocabulary bank. I hope that he has enjoyed his basic introduction to Chinese language and culture and that he will continue to develop this interest in the future. Angus is a very able student with a natural aptitude for language. He has been a very rewarding student to teach and has been quick to grasp new material and apply it correctly. I have been particularly impressed with his ability and willingness to master work he may have missed with minimal assistance. Next year he should spend at least 15 minutes daily revising and consolidating material introduced in class and writing out 10 characters to reinforce recognition skills. This will ensure that his reading and writing skills continue to greatly improve. Angus should also take every opportunity to converse with the teacher in Chinese to develop fluency and confidence. I have no doubt that his intelligence and interest in Chinese will enable him to develop his skills very well in the future.