1. I took Mandarin during all four years of high school. My first two years were mostly focused on speaking and listening, pin yin, traditional characters, and Chinese culture. My third and fourth years were mostly about expanding my vocabulary, learning to read simplified characters, and learning the basic sentence structures. I was never taught anything using a textbook, so my education has been mostly immersive and has included whatever my teachers thought was important.
2. My main goals for this semester are to improve my pronunciation and my tones. I also want to get better at recognizing which tones are being used when someone else is speaking. Additionally, I would like to expand my vocabulary, my understanding of grammar, and my ability to carry out conversations fluidly and comfortably. I will work on these goals by speaking aloud regularly, paying extra attention to tone marks, paying attention to any grammar lessons, and by speaking with my friend who is fluent.