REQUIRED: Phase 4 Intro

Has the download been removed now? I've got traverse set up now (I think) but do we still get the files?

Whew! it has been quite a six week stretch!

I decided against using an Anki Deck to supplement for HSK level 3 testing. However, I did use the microphone on Google translate to record and translate some material from the Listening section of an HSK 3 test and found it to align rather well with the totality of combined MB core, top-down, and incidental vocabulary so far.

Similarly, I recognize that - I estimate - better than 95% of the vocabulary on the reading sections have also been given some degree of exposure on MB to this point.

Passing the HSK 3 is now really just a matter of a tad more targeted vocab and a little boost in listening ability.

As it stands, I had been going through MB material so fast that I had to stop new material for a few days and set my ANKI to 400 new cards per day just catch up to myself. Worth it.

Very happy with this, should be in the bag by or before the end of Phase 4. The HSK practice tests are a nice resource for developing skill IMO.

But I do not want to stray too far from the MB methods and sequencing. I can tell that passing HSK will be a natural side-effect even without venturing to other materials.

At this stage, I cannot yet quite enjoy Doraemon or Bonnie Bears cartoons, although I can pause and read captions and msucle through it a bit.

There are some good cartoons at a slightly lower level, still requiring pausing captions yet closer to the range of vocabulary thus far.

I never before thought that memorizing an entire cartoon by watching and studying it over and over again would find it's way to my sense of practical self-assignment, but there you have it.

On a side-note, in keeping with a sense of MB direction as regards sensible sequencing of characters, I've discovered a resource which presents the 'characters' needed for HSK levels apart from the 'words'. Other HSK level lists contain many multi-character words, yet without knowing about the individual characters, it seems obviously counterproductive.

Similarly, I've discovered that there are both 'character-frequency' and 'word-frequency' lists available on the internet and will - eventually - be focusing on studying characters first and words second as a matter of course in extending my vocabulary.

It remains as to how I might see fit to cluster new characters in an emulation of how MB clusters characters.

I see that a couple of my earlier comments were addressed in a recent Podcast. Thank you!

It seems quite clear that you strongly de-emphasize any importance upon learning radicals as a bit of an obsolete methodology...perhaps useful only to those - such as myself - interested in the trivia of it or in using paper dictionaries at some stage.

And - besides - MB props incidentally cover the majority of radicals anyway as befits the sequence of character presentation; going well beyond radicals as a matter of practicality to acquiring characters.

Also emphasized was to not worry about memorizing sentences. Whereas my own intention was to go back and memorize more top-down and other vocab presented through to phase 3, you've given assurance that that stuff was pretty much chosen on the basis that it was taken from what will be up-and-coming Hanzi Method core vocabulary in future lessons.

So I will perhaps only casually review my written notes a few times here or there and leave it to future lessons. Nevertheless, There is certainly a cumulative effect from having given a little more attention to writing down all new words at least once, as when they are presented in new lessons, they are already a bit more familiar. I like that. But I will stop writing new words out as well now too.

I look forward to making progress through phase 4 as close to your advices as I can with a minimum of extracurricular whatnots and see.what.happens.

Thank you again for your responses!