The nature of the learners
Students whose first language is Chinese learn about being Chinese in Australia and begin to develop their bilingual and bicultural identities as they learn to live and interact with the Australian community.
Chinese language learning and use
Students are immersed in Chinese, with the teacher using Chinese for...
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The nature of the learners
Students whose first language is Chinese learn about being Chinese in Australia and begin to develop their bilingual and bicultural identities as they learn to live and interact with the Australian community.
Chinese language learning and use
Students are immersed in Chinese, with the teacher using Chinese for instruction, explanation and interaction. Learners speak and write in Chinese to express their own interests and describe and discuss their life experiences in diverse contexts. To develop oracy and literacy, learners build metalinguistic awareness across both Chinese and English, identifying similarities and differences in language systems and framing. Given the high value placed on recital in Chinese culture, students are likely to have begun to develop this skill, and it should be further developed as part of their progress towards becoming high-level users of Chinese in a range of contexts. Students consciously apply a working knowledge of Chinese language systems to their language use in order to understand why they make certain choices in interactions and to access a wider range of written texts.
Contexts of interaction
Students use language in a range of contexts across family, school, community and social situations. They actively participate in the wider Chinese community, both locally and globally. They learn to adjust their communication for audience and purpose.
Texts and resources
Students access Chinese texts written in both simplified and traditional characters to obtain information on a range of subjects which support their learning in other areas. They engage with contemporary culture through film, music, and youth magazines, and use online and digital resources. They engage with traditional and contemporary Chinese language literature to enhance their appreciation of literary styles. They read texts in both simplified and traditional characters, comparing forms and identifying how key components are altered or transferred, and use this understanding to make informed predictions of meaning when they read new characters in the form that is less familiar to them.
Features of Chinese language use
Students use Chinese to write and speak with imagination to engage or persuade peers, justifying their perspectives by drawing on ideas or experiences of others. They apply linguistic expressions encountered in contemporary and traditional literature to develop their own ability to write in more expressive and creative ways while increasing accuracy in their use of simplified and traditional characters.
Level of support
First language learners often have limited experience of Pinyin but may use other romanisation systems. First language learners transcribe Pinyin and character texts from the sounds that they hear, with the support of Pinyin tables and component lists as required.
The role of English
Students make comparisons between Chinese and English as they develop their literacy and oracy skills in both languages.
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Interact with peers and exchange opinions and preferences about new social and cultural experiences, adjusting tone, vocabulary and phrasing to influence others
[Key concepts: community, environment, culture shock; Key processes: comparing, exchanging]
(ACLCHC226)
Collaborate with peers to plan and organise multicultural projects and events that would benefit their school and local community
[Key concepts: multiculturalism, community; Key processes: planning, socialising]
(ACLCHC227)
Interpret the stated and implied meanings in authentic informative texts, and use evidence to support or challenge different perspectives
[Key concept: perspective; Key processes: challenging, interpreting, informing]
(ACLCHC228)
Use and analyse a range of sources written in simplified and traditional script to identify relevant information, and use this information to create purposeful public information texts
[Key concepts: relevance, public life; Key processes: analysing, conveying]
(ACLCHC229)
Compare how contemporary Chinese media and literature represent the notion of ‘being Chinese’ or ‘being other’, and use this knowledge to present a point of view for an identified audience
[Key concepts: culture, identity, representations; Key processes: comparing, expressing, responding]
(ACLCHC230)
Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations of classical Chinese literature and famous speeches and discuss how cultural values can be transferred
[Key concepts: 古文, entertainment values; Key processes: planning, rehearsing, delivering, transferring]
(ACLCHC231)
Use particular language features such as dialogue and imagery in short stories, literary essays and plays to create own imaginative representations of experience
[Key concepts: journey, reality and fantasy, interconnectedness; Key processes: expressing, experimenting, analysing]
(ACLCHC232)
Identify challenges in and techniques for mediating between Chinese and English
[Key concepts: equivalence, paralinguistic cues; Key processes: responding, translating, mediating]
(ACLCHC233)
Create bilingual information texts for speakers of Chinese and English in Australia, recognising ‘code-switching’ and how specific vocabulary and terminology from other learning areas can be translated in different settings, such as for an expert or beginner audience
[Key concepts: equivalence, audience, context, bilingualism; Key processes: identifying, translating, interpreting]
(ACLCHC234)
Reflect on adjustments they and others make in their everyday language use, and connect these adjustments to aspects of experience, culture and roles in Australian society
[Key concepts: bilingualism, identity, community, belonging, culture shock; Key processes: reflecting, adjusting, analysing]
(ACLCHC235)
Discuss features of Chinese phonology and compare their own pronunciation with that of other speakers of Chinese (ACLCHU236)
Identify and explain the differences between traditional and simplified characters, inferring meaning and sound of unfamiliar characters from knowledge of components and positions (ACLCHU237)
Apply understanding of word morphology and vocabulary choices to interpret and convey meaning (ACLCHU238)
Compare how grammatical features such as tense and passive voice are constructed in English and Chinese, and identify distinctive features of Chinese grammar, for example, in tense marking (了、过), possession, plurality (ACLCHU239)
Compare writing styles between Chinese authors to identify and explore the purposes and features of text structure and organisation of ideas (ACLCHU240)
Explore assumptions and challenges for language use in new environments, identifying and comparing ways in which sensitive topics are introduced and discussed across languages, for example, comparing the Chinese custom of asking direct questions about age, income and other personal matters with the contexts in which these questions are asked in English (ACLCHU241)
Analyse features of classical literature in their original and contemporary forms, and apply features of 文言文 and 古文 in their own language use, identifying rules of intonation in classical poems and the impact of these rules on modern poetry (ACLCHU242)
Identify the features of persuasive language and analyse its use in advertising (ACLCHU243)
Analyse the use of language across genders and generations, within and across language communities (ACLCHU244)
By the end of Year 8, students sustain oral and written interactions with known audiences, making appropriate adjustments to language use for different audiences, contexts and purposes. They access and analyse a range of authentic spoken, written and multimodal sources to support and present ideas and opinions. Students respond to and create spoken, written and multimodal imaginative texts in a range of genres. They translate informative texts from Chinese into English and vice versa for particular audiences. Students reflect on adjustments they make to language use for different audiences.
Students apply knowledge of grammatical and text structures and vocabulary choices to communicate effectively. They identify the main ideas conveyed in texts related to other learning areas or presented in age-appropriate imaginative texts or media. They locate texts within a cultural context, and compare the values and practices encountered in classical Chinese texts with those encountered in their local communities. They identify ways that texts reflect the cultural background and values of the author and how they can be interpreted differently.
The nature of the learners
Students continue to develop their bilingual and bicultural identities. They explore how their identities are changing through their lived experience in Australia, identifying points of difference between their own values and those around them. They engage with the possibilities that being bilingual offers them now and in the future, and reflect...
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The nature of the learners
Students continue to develop their bilingual and bicultural identities. They explore how their identities are changing through their lived experience in Australia, identifying points of difference between their own values and those around them. They engage with the possibilities that being bilingual offers them now and in the future, and reflect on their potential as mediators of language and culture in local and global communities.
Chinese language learning and use
Students are immersed in Chinese. They present, debate and discuss issues, exploring their responses, positioning themselves in relation to events, and recognising and accepting others’ diverse perspectives. They read texts in both simplified and traditional characters, comparing forms and identifying how key components are altered or transferred, and use this understanding to make informed predictions of meaning when they read new characters in the form that is less familiar to them.
Contexts of interaction
Students use language in a range of contexts across family, school, community and social situations to further develop their skills in communicating with range of audiences and contexts. They actively mediate between languages and cultures within their school and local communities.
Texts and resources
Students read, view and listen to a range of print, digital and online text types and resources, including newspaper reports, news websites, magazines, teen fiction, films and documentaries.
Features of Chinese language use
Students learn how to write objectively in simplified and traditional characters and substantiate their ideas and perspectives in appropriate ways. They learn to transcribe complex spoken texts and develop skills in listening to diverse speakers of Chinese who vary in rhythm and pitch. Students experiment with western genre conventions in their Chinese speech and writing and with ways of expressing and developing their ‘Chinese voice’ effectively for diverse audiences.
Level of support
Students develop their understanding of Pinyin. They use Pinyin and characters to transcribe the sounds that they hear in a range of contexts, for example transcribing song lyrics and noting details from spoken texts.
The role of English
Chinese is the language of classroom instruction and interaction. Students make comparisons between Chinese and English language and culture as their sophistication in both languages grows.
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Influence and engage others, debating ideas and opinions, selecting language, tone, culturally expected stylised gestures, pitch and pace for different audiences
[Key concepts: perspective, conflict, difference; Key processes: persuading, influencing]
(ACLCHC245)
Plan and negotiate actions to contribute to their local and global community, and suggest alternatives when planning and negotiating
[Key concepts: politeness, proactivity/initiative; Key processes: planning, contributing, negotiating]
(ACLCHC246)
Identify and analyse the effects of how information is organised in authentic texts, and apply this knowledge to create purposeful texts that persuade and inform
[Key concepts: local, global, diversity, information; Key processes: transcribing, analysing, informing, persuading]
(ACLCHC247)
Evaluate the utility and reliability of sources when accessing information, and use this knowledge to present a point of view for different audiences
[Key concepts: bias, authorship; Key processes: conveying, evaluating]
(ACLCHC248)
Recognise and explain differing viewpoints on the world, cultures, individuals and issues as represented in major forms of literature such as 散文，小品，小说, and use this knowledge to create analytical and imaginative responses for identified audiences
[Key concepts: difference, culture, viewpoint; Key processes: recognising, representing]
(ACLCHC249)
Compare performance features of major forms of classical literature, such as in 诗, 词, making thematic and intertextual connections
[Key concepts: culture, values; Key processes: connecting, performing, responding]
(ACLCHC250)
Create imaginative texts experimenting with genre, textual features and stylistic devices
[Key concepts: ancestry, culture, love, fear, inner world; Key processes: creating, expressing, experimenting]
(ACLCHC251)
Interpret culture-specific concepts
[Key concepts: humour, equivalence, cultural assumptions, wordplay; Key processes: interpreting, translating, mediating]
(ACLCHC252)
Create bilingual texts for a range of audiences, contexts and purposes
[Key concepts: audience, context, social distance; Key processes: identifying, translating, interpreting]
(ACLCHC253)
Reflect on the language choices they make when expressing their points of view to others and connect these choices to their identities in Chinese and Australian communities
[Key concepts: individual identity and collective identity, community, dynamism; Key process: reflecting]
(ACLCHC254)
Compare features of prosody across languages and explore how they contribute to expression of meaning (ACLCHU255)
Identify and explain how Chinese orthography enables access to technical and unusual vocabulary, including specialised abstract nouns, and a wider range of texts, using orthographic knowledge to identify characters related to topics studied in other learning areas, such as chemical elements (periodic table) and mathematical terms (ACLCHU256)
Compare the nature of word formation, including subtle forms of adjectives such as 特有的 and 明朗, in the development of new words in Chinese and English, and evaluate their effectiveness in conveying new concepts (ACLCHU257)
Analyse and experiment with the use and effect of figurative and evaluative expressions, colloquial forms, and other language features in texts (ACLCHU258)
Discuss key stylistic features of different text types, including classical literature (ACLCHU259)
Explain how changes in context impact on how language is adapted to convey meaning within and across languages (ACLCHU260)
Research the phenomenon of language change in Chinese-speaking communities and monitor language use in a range of contemporary contexts (ACLCHU261)
Analyse the language of different media and examine the ways in which media use language to persuade and influence others (ACLCHU262)
Analyse and discuss the ways in which language is used to position authors, readers and participants in texts (ACLCHU263)
By the end of Year 10, students sustain extended interactions with diverse individuals and groups, selecting spoken and written language for precision and for effect on participants. Students collate and evaluate a range of spoken, written and multimodal sources to convey different perspectives to different audiences. They select and organise ideas, adapting language, style, register and textual features to mediate these ideas for a range of audiences who speak Chinese or English or both. They respond to authentic texts and create a range of persuasive, informative and imaginative texts. Students apply features of prosody in their own speech. They apply understanding of character components and morphemes to their own writing. They reflect on their own experiences of interacting across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts, and move readily between languages and cultures.
Students demonstrate metalinguistic awareness across Chinese and English and identify similarities and differences in the structure and framing of both languages. They make and justify choices on how they present themselves and their ideas to audiences who speak either language. They analyse how language features and devices are used to achieve different purposes. Students explain how language and languages vary with time and according to situation and context. They identify evidence showing how texts reflect the cultural background and values of the author and different perspectives.