Years 7 and 8
Years 7 and 8 Band Description
The nature of the learners
Students understand the ways in which they use more than one language in their daily lives. They understand the differences between the Chinese and English oral and written language systems and begin to extend their knowledge of language structures and texts.
Chinese language learning and use
Students are immersed in Chinese and begin to explore social issues, including environmental sustainability and family structure. Students explore the world of Chinese language with a focus on extending their contexts and purposes of use and refining their skills in using language that is appropriate to purpose and audience.
Contexts of interaction
Students interact using Chinese in the classroom and wider school environment, and with family and the local community, exploring the place of Chinese-speaking communities and the relevance of the experiences of past communities to the modern world.
Texts and resources
Students engage with language through visual media, poetry, drama, music, TV series and documentaries. They correspond with others by text message and email and through class-based social networking sites.
Features of Chinese language use
Written language use includes learning to read extracts from both Chinese and English literature to compare features of individual works. Students read nonfiction texts that are often glossed in Pinyin or supported with vocabulary lists. They learn to analyse new characters encountered in texts with a focus on mapping these character forms to their known spoken language. Oral language use includes participating in discussions and presentations on topics of interest and on life experiences in different contexts and cultures. Students participate in activities that focus on pronunciation, tone and rhythm, and learn to appreciate how their own language use compares to modern standard forms.
Level of support
Correct Chinese language use is modelled by the teacher to support students' Chinese oracy and literacy development. Vocabulary lists and model texts support literacy development.
The role of English
Classroom interaction is predominantly conducted in Chinese, with English being used to compare languages and explore complex ideas related to language, culture, learning and concepts from other learning areas.
Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions
Communicating
Socialising
[Key concepts: context, choice; Key processes: responding, transacting, exchanging] (ACLCHC194 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: leisure, education, relationships; Key processes: transacting, exchanging] (ACLCHC195 - Scootle )
Informing
[Key concept: information; Key processes: collating, analysing] (ACLCHC196 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: information, data, significance, legacy; Key processes: locating, analysing] (ACLCHC197 - Scootle )
Creating
[Key concepts: imagination, attitude, beliefs; Key processes: analysing, creating] (ACLCHC198 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: sequence, story; Key processes: adapting, creating] (ACLCHC199 - Scootle )
Translating
[Key concept: equivalence; Key processes: comparing, translating] (ACLCHC200 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: audience, context, bilingualism; Key processes: translating, interpreting] (ACLCHC201 - Scootle )
Reflecting
[Key concepts: reflection, place; Key processes: reflecting, observing, noticing] (ACLCHC202 - Scootle )
Understanding
Systems of language
Language variation and change
Role of language and culture
Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 8, students use spoken and written Chinese to sustain interactions in their personal and social worlds (for example, 你叫什么名字？你多大了？你住在哪个城市？,不对，我是说… and 老师，我可以用电脑吗？), making appropriate language choices for different roles, relationships and situations, for example, 你的那个，那个 assignment 做完了吗？ They access and analyse information （for example, 排版结构，表格，图标）from a range of sources which include familiar characters and use this information for a range of purposes. Students interpret, translate and create a range of spoken, written and multimodal Chinese texts for imaginative, informative and persuasive purposes and for different audiences. Sentences generally contain two or more ideas connected by cohesive devices (for example, 如果…就…), and use a range of time phrases （for example, 然后；就）to sequence events and ideas. Students make comparisons (比;跟…一), and provide reasons to explain their opinions or actions, using conjunctions (因为、所以、因此).
Students explain the diversity in speaking and writing systems across languages, including regional variations within Chinese, and how these differences impact on their own understanding and communicative practices. They identify familiar characters in their simplified and traditional forms, and explain the differences between standard Chinese and dialects that may be spoken in their family. Their written literacy is still developing and they produce longer and more complex texts through the use of digital resources than in handwriting. They describe how the distinctive features of Chinese grammar and texts can be used to achieve particular effects and purposes. They explain how ideas are mediated across languages and cultures in their local communities. They express their own understandings of the Chinese cultural values that influence their own communicative practices.
Years 9 and 10
Years 9 and 10 Band Description
The nature of the learners
Students extend their knowledge of language structures and text organisation through reading and viewing authentic material and discussing how to apply new learning to their own communication. They explore the nature of their dual identities and bilingual capabilities.
Chinese language learning and use
Students are immersed in Chinese language, exploring issues related to youth culture and topics of educational and social relevance. They begin to make connections and comparisons with the experiences of other young Chinese speakers and with those of other cultural groups in Australia. They also consider their own place in Australia and the nature of the relationship between Australia and the Chinese-speaking world.
Contexts of interaction
Contexts for interaction extend beyond the school and home environments to include increased engagement with students' local communities, in particular with older generations.
Texts and resources
Students engage with a variety of texts, including dictionaries and online translation tools, local print and digital media, and abridged bilingual versions of classic and contemporary literature and their film and TV adaptations.
Features of Chinese language use
Students participate in discussions, debates and presentations on local and global issues and initiate inquiry into topics of interest. They extend their writing skills to include more informative and objective language and write in more formal genres, such as articles and reports. They develop their skills in analysing characters and recognising word and clause boundaries in extended text. Students explore the influence of English on their own communication in Chinese, both in pronunciation and in linguistic structures, and the role of code-switching in their daily language use. They share ideas about how they can contribute to Australian society through maintaining their bilingualism and through establishing a more stable identity where they are interculturally and intraculturally aware.
Level of support
Correct Chinese language use continues to be modelled by the teacher to support students' Chinese oracy and literacy development. Glossaries, vocabulary lists, dictionaries and online translation tools are used to support comprehension.
The r ole of English
Classroom interaction occurs in Chinese. English is used when required for comparison or to explore complex ideas related to language, culture and concepts from other learning areas.
Years 9 and 10 Content Descriptions
Communicating
Socialising
[Key concepts: ritual, relationships, generations, values, identity, ancestry; Key processes: negotiating, participating] (ACLCHC210 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: community, emotion, multiplicity, power Key concepts: participating, negotiating] (ACLCHC211 - Scootle )
Informing
[Key concepts: information, values, judgment, bias; Key processes: selecting, comparing] (ACLCHC212 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: information, advice, media,; Key processes: classifying, evaluating, advising, guiding] (ACLCHC213 - Scootle )
Creating
[Key concepts: classical, contemporary, literature; Key processes: evaluating, expressing] (ACLCHC214 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: fact and fiction, challenge, morality, human experience; Key processes: adapting, creating, imagining] (ACLCHC215 - Scootle )
Translating
[Key concept: equivalence; Key processes: comparing, translating, explaining] (ACLCHC216 - Scootle )
[Key concepts: audience, context, social distance, bilingualism; Key processes: identifying, translating, interpreting] (ACLCHC217 - Scootle )
Reflecting
[Key concepts: face, public, private; Key processes: adjusting, analysing] (ACLCHC218 - Scootle )
Understanding
Systems of language
Language variation and change
Role of language and culture
Years 9 and 10 Achievement Standards
Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 10, students use spoken and written Chinese to initiate and sustain extended interactions with others in their social world and in the Chinese-speaking community, for example, 我的学校生活，澳大利亚的运动，我最喜欢的春节活动. They ask questions (for example, 你真的认为…吗？请想一想…) and adapt language use for a range of contexts and roles. They identify and evaluate key points of information from different spoken, written and multimodal authentic sources and use this information to develop a position and to inform and convince others. They move between Chinese and English to create simple bilingual texts. Students interpret, interact with and create a range of texts for imaginative, informative and persuasive purposes and for different audiences. Sentences include a range of structures, including formal expressions to connect ideas, for example, 除此之外, 尽管这样, 因此，无论…都… They also use relative and attributive clauses, conditionality and indefinite pronouns. Students compare information and ideas, and explain or justify opinions, for example, 有人说… 还有人认为… 所以…而且… 因此… They apply knowledge of metaphor and 成语 in their own writing.
Students map characters against familiar sounds and apply their knowledge of character form and function to predict the meaning and sound of unfamiliar characters. They independently use digital resources to communicate with others, and utilise online and print dictionaries to assist in reading Chinese texts. They explain how the purpose and use of stylistic devices, textual features and language features change across contexts, genres and traditions. Students explain the cultural assumptions that influence participants' responses and identify ways in which understanding could be enhanced in communication. They reflect on the roles both Chinese and Australian cultures play in their own communicative practices and use these reflections to improve their Chinese language use.
- Last updated:
- 8 August 2019
