Using Skits To Enhance Beginners' Communicative Skill.

This paper discusses the use of skits and dialogues in a first-year Chinese course to help novice learners enhance their communicative skills. Because novice learners of Chinese lack the appropriate vocabulary and grammar knowledge to express themselves freely, skits can help them use their limited knowledge to communicate in an effective manner. Starting from lesson 13, the novice learners present one short skit per lesson, focusing on such topics as making an acquaintance or shopping in a store. Empirical experience based on oral-proficiency orientated teaching has shown that beginning students are able to use their very limited vocabulary and grammar knowledge to make interesting skits that enhance their communicative skill. (MDM)