Australian Curriculum

The
Australian
Curriculum
Learning areas Humanities and Social Sciences,The Arts,Technologies,Languages
HASS,History,Geography,Civics and Citizenship,Economics and
Business,Dance,Drama,Media Arts,Music,Visual Arts,Design and
Technologies,Digital Technologies,Arabic,Auslan,Chinese,Framework for
Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages,Framework for
Subjects
Classical
Languages,French,German,Hindi,Indonesian,Italian,Japanese,Korean,Modern
Greek,Spanish,Turkish,Vietnamese,English,Mathematics,Science,Health and
Physical Education,Work Studies
Year levels Foundation Year,Year 1,Year 2,Year 3
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Table of Contents
Humanities and Social Sciences 10

How the Learning Area works 11
Introduction 11
Key ideas 11
Structure 12
HASS 14
How the Subject works 15
Rationale 15
Aims 15
Structure 15
Curriculum F-10 22
Foundation Year 22
Year 1 33
Year 2 44
Year 3 56
Glossary 74
History 101
Rationale 102
Aims 102
Structure 102
Glossary 107
Geography 113
Rationale 114
Aims 114
Structure 114
Glossary 119
Civics and Citizenship 133
Rationale 134
Aims 134
Structure 135
Glossary 137
Economics and Business 145
Rationale 146
Aims 146
Structure 147
Glossary 149
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The Arts 155
Introduction 156
Key ideas 157
Structure 160
Glossary 163
Dance 175
Rationale 176
Aims 176
Structure 176
Example of knowledge and skills 179
Curriculum F-10 180
Foundation to Year 2 180
Years 3 and 4 185
Drama 191
Rationale 192
Aims 192
Structure 192
Curriculum F-10 196
Years 3 and 4 201
Media Arts 207
Rationale 208
Aims 208
Structure 208
Curriculum F-10 212
Years 3 and 4 217
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Music 223
Rationale 224
Aims 224
Structure 224
Curriculum F-10 228
Years 3 and 4 233
Visual Arts 239
Rationale 240
Aims 240
Structure 240
Curriculum F-10 244
Years 3 and 4 249
Technologies 255
Introduction 256
Key ideas 257
Structure 260
Glossary 263
Design and Technologies 303
Rationale 304
Aims 304
Structure 304
Curriculum F-10 310
Years 3 and 4 318
Digital Technologies 328
Rationale 329
Aims 329
Structure 329
Curriculum F-10 335
Years 3 and 4 342
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Languages 350
Introduction 351
Rationale 352
Aims 353
Key ideas 353
Structure 353
Student diversity 356
General capabilities 358
Cross-curriculum priorities 360
Glossary 363
Arabic 384
Context statement 385
Years F–10 Sequence 387
Years 3 and 4 400
Auslan 415
Introduction 416
Rationale 418
Aims 419
Learning Auslan 420
Learner diversity and learner pathways 421
Developing teaching and learning 425
First Language Learner Pathway - Years F–10 Sequence 433
Years 3 and 4 453
Second Language Learner Pathway - Years F–10 Sequence 474
Years 3 and 4 490
Glossary 508
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Chinese 531
Second Language Learner Pathway - Years F–10 Sequence 534
Years 3 and 4 543
Background Language Learner Pathway - Years F–10 Sequence 554
Years 3 and 4 564
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages 576
Rationale 577
Aims 579
What is the Framework? 579
Guiding principles 581
Structure 583
Using the Framework 597
First Language Learner Pathway (L1) - Years F–10 Sequence 600
Years 3 to 6 618
Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) - Years F–10 Sequence 643
Years 3 to 6 660
Second Language Learner Pathway (L2) - Years F–10 Sequence 682
Years 3 to 6 698
Framework for Classical Languages 717
Nature and purpose of the Framework 718
Rationale 718
Aims 719
Structure 719
723
Using the Framework to develop language-specific curricula or programs for Classical languages
Glossary 725
French 731
Years 3 and 4 748
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German 762
Years 3 and 4 777
Hindi 791
Years 3 and 4 809
Indonesian 824
Years 3 and 4 840
Italian 852
Years 3 and 4 867
Japanese 881
Years 3 and 4 898
Korean 912
Years 3 and 4 919
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Modern Greek 932
Years 3 and 4 947
Spanish 960
Years 3 and 4 976
Turkish 990
Years 3 and 4 1006
Vietnamese 1022
Years 3 and 4 1037
English 1050
Rationale 1051
Aims 1051
Key ideas 1051
Structure 1055
Curriculum F-10 1061
Foundation Year 1061
Year 1 1078
Year 2 1095
Year 3 1111
Glossary 1126
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Mathematics 1155
Rationale 1156
Aims 1156
Key ideas 1157
Structure 1158
Year 1 1167
Year 2 1174
Year 3 1184
Glossary 1193
Science 1249
Rationale 1250
Aims 1250
Key ideas 1251
Structure 1253
Year 1 1263
Year 2 1272
Year 3 1280
Glossary 1290
Health and Physical Education 1298
Years 1 and 2 1309
Years 3 and 4 1320
Glossary 1333
Work Studies 1349
Introduction 1350
Rationale 1350
Aims 1351
Nature of work studies 1351
Structure 1352
Glossary 1356
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The Australian Curriculum
Humanities and Social Sciences
Page 10 of 1359
The Australian Curriculum Humanities and Social Sciences
Humanities and Social Sciences How the Learning
Area works
The humanities and social sciences are the study of human behaviour and interaction in social, cultural,
environmental, economic and political contexts. The humanities and social sciences have a historical and
contemporary focus, from personal to global contexts, and consider challenges for the future.
In the Australian Curriculum, the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area includes a study of history,
geography, civics and citizenship and economics and business.
Through studying Humanities and Social Sciences, students will develop the ability to question, think critically,
solve problems, communicate effectively, make decisions and adapt to change. Thinking about and
responding to issues requires an understanding of the key historical, geographical, political, economic and
societal factors involved, and how these different factors interrelate.
The Humanities and Social Science subjects in the Australian Curriculum provide a broad understanding of
the world in which we live, and how people can participate as active and informed citizens with highlevel skills
needed for the 21st century.
Through their learning in each subject or substrand, students develop knowledge and understanding relating
to broader enduring ideas that underpin the Humanities and Social Sciences in the Australian Curriculum,
which are represented in varying ways across the subjects. The key ideas are outlined below:
Who we are, who came before us, and traditions and values that have shaped societies
Students explore their own identity, Australia’s heritage and cultural diversity, and Australia’s identity as a
nation in the world. They examine the significance of traditions and shared values within society.
How societies and economies operate and how they are changing over time
Students learn about Australian society and other societies in the world, both past and present; and how they
function socially, culturally, economically and politically. Students examine developments that have resulted in
or are bringing about change.
The ways people, places, ideas and events are perceived and connected
Students are provided with opportunities to explore different perceptions of people, places, ideas and events.
They develop an understanding of the interdependent nature of the world and the interrelationships within
and between the natural environment, human communities and economies. They explore how people, ideas
and events are connected over time and increasingly interconnected across local, national, regional and
global contexts.
How people exercise their responsibilities, participate in society and make informed decisions
Students examine how individuals and groups have participated in and contributed to society past and
present. They examine the rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups over time and in different
contexts. They develop an understanding of the need to make decisions, the importance of ethical
considerations and being informed when making decisions, the processes for decisionmaking and the
implications of decisions that are made for individuals, society, the economy and the environment.
ACARA | The Australian Curriculum
The Australian Curriculum is licensed under Creative Commons. Page 11 of 1359
Figure 1: Subject or substrandspecific illustrations of the key ideas in the Humanities and Social Sciences
curriculu
In the Australian Curriculum, the Humanities and Social Sciences learning area comprises five subjects: F–6/7
Humanities and Social Sciences, and Years 7–10 History, Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Economics
and Business. In all five subjects, the curriculum is organised into two broad interrelated strands: knowledge
and understanding, and inquiry and skills
In the F–6/7 Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum, history, geography, civics and citizenship and
economics and business are presented as substrands of the knowledge and understanding strand. In these
years, students are introduced to history and geography from Foundation Year, civics and citizenship in Year
3 and economics and business in Year 5. In Years 7–10, the curriculum is organised by subject. In Years 9
and 10, student access to Geography, Civics and Citizenship and Economics and Business will be determined
by school authorities or individual schools.
Table 1: Humanities and Social Sciences in the Years F10 curriculum
The Australian Curriculum is licensed under Creative Commons.
Foundation – Year Years 3–4 Years 5–6/7 Years 7–10

2
History Humanities and Humanities and Humanities and History

Social Sciences Social Sciences Social Sciences
Geography Geography
Civics and N/A Civics and

Citizenship Citizenship
Economics and N/A N/A Economics and

Business Business
HASS
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The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences HASS
HASS How the Subject works
In a world that is increasingly culturally diverse and dynamically interconnected, it is important that students
come to understand their world, past and present, and develop a capacity to respond to challenges, now and
in the future, in innovative, informed, personal and collective ways.
The Australian Curriculum for the Humanities and Social Sciences plays an important role in harnessing
students’ curiosity and imagination about the world they live in and empowers them to actively shape their
lives; make reflective, informed decisions; value their belonging in a diverse and dynamic society; and
positively contribute locally, nationally, regionally and globally.
Thinking about and responding to issues requires an understanding of different perspectives; the key
historical, geographical, political, economic and societal factors involved; and how these different factors
interrelate. The Humanities and Social Sciences in F–6/7, which encompasses the knowledge and
understandings of history, geography, civics and citizenship, and economics and business, gives students a
deep understanding of the world they live in from a range of perspectives, past and present, and encourages
them to develop an appreciation and respect for social, cultural and religious diversity.
The Australian Curriculum for the Humanities and Social Sciences empowers students to shape change by
developing a range of skills to enable them to make informed decisions and solve problems. The subject
provides students with the skills, behaviours and capabilities that will equip them to face challenges in their
lifetime and to participate in and contribute to the wellbeing and sustainability of the environment, the
economy and society. Through studying Humanities and Social Sciences, students are given opportunities to
develop their ability to question, think critically, solve problems, communicate effectively, make decisions and
adapt to change.
Through the Humanities and Social Sciences, students become well placed to contribute to Australia’s ideas
of a cohesive society, sustainable environment, productive economy and stable democracy.
The F–6/7 Australian Curriculum for Humanities and Social Sciences aims to ensure that students develop:
a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures and systems throughout the
world, past and present, and an interest in and enjoyment of the study of these phenomena
key historical, geographical, civic and economic knowledge of people, places, values and systems,
past and present, in local to global contexts
an understanding and appreciation of historical developments, geographic phenomena, civic values
and economic factors that shape society, influence sustainability and create a sense of belonging
the capacity to use inquiry methods and skills, including questioning, researching using reliable
sources, analysing, evaluating and communicating
dispositions required for effective participation in everyday life, now and in the future, including
critical and creative problemsolving, informed decision making, responsible and active citizenship,
enterprising financial behaviour and ethical reflection.
The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences may be implemented as a combined F–6
program or as an F–7 program. The F–6/7 curriculum is organised into two interrelated strands: knowledge
and understanding and inquiry and skills.
Knowledge and understanding strand
Knowledge and understanding strand
The F–6/7 Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum encompasses knowledge and understanding from the
four substrands of history, geography, civics and citizenship, and economics and business. The curriculum
includes the substrands of history and geography in Foundation Year to Year 2, and introduces the sub
strand of civics and citizenship in Year 3, and the substrand of economics and business in Year 5.
Table 1: Organisation of substrands in the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences (F6/7)
Foundation – Year 2 Years 3–4 Years 5–6/7
Geography Geography Geography
History History History
N/A Civics and Citizenship Civics and Citizenship
N/A N/A Economics and Business
Concepts of disciplinary thinking
Each of the four substrands in the Humanities and Social Sciences has its own way of thinking. The
Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences focuses on developing students’ ability to apply
concepts of disciplinary thinking. The concepts of disciplinary thinking for each of the substrands are outlined
below:
History: sources, continuity and change, cause and effect, significance, perspectives, empathy and
contestability (View the concepts for developing historical thinking)
Geography: place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability and change, applying this
understanding to a wide range of places and environments at the full range of scales, from local to global, and
in a range of locations (View the concepts for developing geographical thinking)
Civics and citizenship: government and democracy, laws and citizens, and citizenship, diversity and identity
Economics and business: Resource allocation and making choices, the business environment, and
consumer and financial literacy
Concepts of interdisciplinary thinking
Drawing on these concepts of disciplinary thinking, the Australian Curriculum identifies seven concepts that
underpin Humanities and Social Sciences understanding: significance; continuity and change; cause and
effect; place and space; interconnections; roles, rights and responsibilities; and perspectives and action.
These concepts are outlined below.
Significance
The importance of something such as an issue, event, development, person, place, process, interaction or
system over time and place
Continuity and change
Aspects of society, such as institutions, ideas, values and problems, that have stayed the same and changed
Aspects of society, such as institutions, ideas, values and problems, that have stayed the same and changed
over time (some point in the past and the present) or in the past (two points in the past)
Cause and effect
The long and shortterm causes and the intended and unintended consequences of an event, decision,
process, interaction or development
Place and space
The characteristics of places (spatial, social, economic, physical, environmental) and how these
characteristics are organised spatially (location, distribution, pattern)
Interconnections
The components of various systems such as social systems, resource systems and natural systems, and the
connections within and between them, including how they impact on each other
Roles, rights and responsibilities
The roles, rights and responsibilities of social, economic, civic and environmental participation, including those
of individuals, communities and institutions
Perspectives and action
The ways in which different individuals and/or groups view something such as a past or present issue, idea,
event, development, person, place, process or interaction and how these views influence their actions
Students’ understanding of disciplinary and interdisciplinary concepts can be strengthened as they are
experienced in an integrated way across substrands and other learning areas and through different topics or
contexts.
Figure 1: Substrandspecific illustrations of concepts of interdisciplinary thinking
Although some concepts are related to only one substrand, or more obviously related to some substrands
than others, many apply to more than one substrand. For example, the concept of interconnections is drawn
from interconnection in geography but also relates to social systems and structures in civics and citizenship
and resource systems in economics and business. Similarly, the concept of significance is drawn from history,
but can also apply to geography, civics and citizenship, and economics and business. The concepts are also
interrelated; for example, it is often difficult to consider significance independent of perspectives, or cause and
effect independent of change.
View the sequence of interdisciplinary thinking for the F–6/7 Humanities and Social Sciences.
Inquiry and skills strand
The Humanities and Social Sciences substrands include a range of skills that are represented broadly as
questioning, researching, analysing, evaluating and reflecting, and communicating. Students apply these skills
to investigate events, developments, issues and phenomena, both historical and contemporary.
The inquiry skills in the Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum require explicit teaching, with the type of
questions asked, the information, evidence and/or data gathered, and the analysis applied varying according
to the substrand context.
Questioning
Students develop questions about events, people, places, ideas, developments, issues and/or phenomena –
before, during and after stages of inquiry – to guide their investigations, satisfy curiosity and revisit findings.
Researching
Students identify and collect information, evidence and/or data from primary and secondary sources, including
observations. They organise, sequence, sort and categorise them in a range of disciplineappropriate
formats.
Analysing
Students explore information, evidence and data to identify and interpret features, distributions, patterns,
trends and relationships, key points, fact and opinion, points of view, perceptions and interpretations.
Students also identify the purpose and intent of sources and determine their accuracy and reliability.
Evaluating and reflecting
Students propose explanations for events, developments, issues and/or phenomena, draw evidencebased
conclusions and use criteria and democratic processes to make informed decisions and judgements. They
work with others with respect and reflect on learning to suggest courses of action in response to an issue or
problem and predict possible and preferred effects of actions.
Communicating
Students present ideas, findings, viewpoints, explanations, predictions, decisions, judgements and/or
conclusions in appropriate digital and nondigital forms for different audiences and purposes, using discipline
specific terminology.
Figure 2: Substrandspecific illustrations of skills
The inquiry and skills strand has common content descriptions for Foundation Year – Year 2 and then for
each band of schooling (Years 3–4, Years 5–6 and Year 7), yet with elaborations specific to each year to
support the changing content of the knowledge and understanding strand.
Relationship between the strands
The two strands should be integrated in the development of a teaching and learning program. The knowledge
and understanding strand, through the four substrands, is developed year by year and provides the contexts
through which particular skills are developed.
Year level descriptions
Two year level descriptions are provided for each year level:
A description for the subject at each year level: these descriptions give an overview of learning for
the year level across the substrands and identify connections between the substrands.
A description for each substrand: these descriptions provide the focus of study at each year level
for that substrand. The descriptions identify the key concepts or ideas that are the focus for
understanding and articulate how students’ knowledge and understanding in each substrand will be
developed.
Key inquiry questions
Two sets of inquiry questions are provided for each year level:
Subject inquiry questions provide guidance on how learning in two or more substrands might be
connected.
Substrand inquiry questions provide a framework for developing students’ knowledge and
understanding, and inquiry and skills, in the substrand.
Both sets of inquiry questions are intended as suggestions for teachers. Teachers can choose to use the
inquiry questions that are appropriate for their students, or they may adapt these or develop their own to suit
their local context.
Achievement standards
The achievement standards describe expected learning at each year level. Each achievement standard
describes the depth of conceptual understanding and the sophistication of skills expected of students.
There are two types of achievement standards offered in the F–6/7 Humanities and Social Sciences
curriculum:
An achievement standard at each year level for the F6/7 Humanities and Social Sciences subject.
This achievement standard provides a holistic statement of expected learning across the sub
strands.
An achievement standard at each year level for each of the knowledge and understanding sub
strands.
The ‘understanding’ paragraph in the subject achievement standard (Humanities and Social Sciences
achievement standard) is organised by substrand. The concepts of disciplinary thinking that students are
expected to develop are identified in both the subject achievement standard (Humanities and Social Sciences
achievement standard) and the substrandspecific achievement standards (history, geography, civics and
citizenship, economics and business). For example, concepts of historical thinking that students are expected
to learn are articulated in both the subject achievement standard and the history substrand achievement
standard.
The concepts of disciplinary thinking are introduced to the achievement standards at different year levels,
reflecting a progression of increasing breadth and depth of expected learning. For example, in history, the
concepts of continuity and change, perspectives, empathy and significance are introduced in Foundation
Year. Cause and effect is introduced to achievement standards in Year 2, sources in Year 3, and contestability
in Year 7.
Although the achievement standards articulate the concepts of disciplinary thinking, the concepts of
interdisciplinary thinking are also evident and can be used by teachers when they plan.
View the Sequence of Achievement for F–6/7 Humanities and Social Sciences.
HASS
Curriculum F10
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HASS Curriculum F10
Foundation Year Level Description
My personal world
The Foundation curriculum focuses on developing students’ understanding of their personal worlds, including
their personal and family histories and the places they and their families live in and belong to. The emphasis
is on the student’s own history and their own place. They explore why places are special to them and others.
As students explore the people and features of their social and physical worlds, they examine representations
of place and sources, which may include stories from family members and from different cultures. They may
also study places of similar size that are familiar to them or that they are curious about, coming to see how
people feel about and look after places. Learning about their own heritage and their own place contributes to
students’ sense of identity and belonging, beginning the idea of active citizenship.
The content provides opportunities for students to begin to develop humanities and social sciences
understanding through key concepts including significance, continuity and change, place and space and
perspectives. These concepts may provide a focus for inquiries and be investigated across substrands or
within a particular substrand context.
The content at this year level is organised into two strands: knowledge and understanding, and inquiry and
skills. The knowledge and understanding strand draws from two substrands: history and geography. These
strands (knowledge and understanding, and inquiry and skills) are interrelated and have been developed to
be taught in an integrated way, which may include integrating with content from the substrands and from
other learning areas, and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. The order and detail in which
they are taught are programming decisions.
Inquiry Questions
A framework for developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills is provided by inquiry questions.
The following inquiry questions allow for connections to be made across the substrands and may be used or
adapted to suit local contexts: inquiry questions are also provided for each substrand that may enable
connections within the humanities and social sciences learning area or across other learning areas.
Who am I, where do I live and who came before me?
Why are some places and events special and how do we know?
HASS Curriculum F10
Foundation Year Content Descriptions
Inquiry and skills
Questioning
Pose questions about past and present objects, people, places and events (ACHASSI001 Scootle )

Elaborations
posing questions about family and places having explored sources relating to their own life (for example,
sources such as family interviews, photographs, stories, film, classmates’ paintings, excursions to places)

inquiring about the lives, places and events of family members and inquiring about their own history (for
example, asking the questions ‘How old was I?’ ‘Where was I?’ and ‘What was I doing?’ in response to
family photographs)

posing questions about artefacts of the past (for example, ‘Is it old or new?’, ‘What was it used for?’) and
representations of places (for example, ‘Where is this place?’, ‘What does this show?’ and ‘What is that?’)

asking questions about the place they are in after being encouraged to observe it using different senses
Researching
Collect data and information from observations and identify information and data from sources provided
(ACHASSI002 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring sources (for example, pictures, photographs, story books, artefacts, excursions to places,
family interviews) to gain information about the past

listening to stories from oral, audiovisual and other sources to find information about family, friends,
celebrations, places and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures

HASS Curriculum F10
observing the features of a special place (for example, their bedroom, under a tree) or local place (such
as a beach, farm or ceremony site) and recording these observations
Sort and record information and data, including location, in tables and on plans and labelled maps

Elaborations
displaying sources related to an investigation (for example, historical sources such as pictures,
photographs, family mementoes and geographic sources such as items collected in the field, sketches of
observations, measurements)
contributing information to shared records of places, families and friends (for example, adding personal
details to murals, concept maps, tally charts and pictorial tables)

illustrating on a pictorial map, or by making a model, the location of their home in relation to school or
other features of the local area

creating representations to show the location of features of familiar places (for example, making a map
and illustrating it with pictures; using objects to create bird’s eye view models)

Sequence familiar objects and events (ACHASSI004 Scootle )

Elaborations
ordering images and objects (for example, photographs, drawings or artefacts) to show a sequence of
significant personal events or milestones (such as age when beginning to walk and talk, at the birth of a
sibling, when moving house, when new teeth appear, on the first day at school)

drawing story maps of events described in story books or in stories told by a storyteller

HASS Curriculum F10
Analysing
Explore a point of view (ACHASSI005 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing aspects of the childhood of parents, grandparents, elders or a familiar older person, with
similar aspects of childhood today (for example, the favourite games of a familiar older person with those
of self and class friends)

identifying places in the playground or local area that they like or places they like to avoid, and talking
about the reasons for their feelings

Compare objects from the past with those from the present and consider how places have changed over
time (ACHASSI006 Scootle )
Elaborations
talking about differences between objects from the past and those of the present using comparative
language (for example, 'This toy is older', ‘My new computer game is more fun than the old one', ‘This
tree is older than …’)

distinguishing between older and newer, using such clues as the condition of the object, the width of a
tree, the height of a person

identifying natural and constructed features of a place that have changed over time and those that have
remained relatively unchanged

Interpret data and information displayed in pictures and texts and on maps (ACHASSI007 Scootle )

Elaborations
talking about the relevance of information to a task (for example, how to find treasure on a treasure map,
why a class timetable is helpful, how a weather map can help us decide what clothes to wear)

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
sorting pictures of places and people using criteria such as old/new, younger/older, same/different,
outside/inside, safe/not safe, special/not special

Draw simple conclusions based on discussions, observations and information displayed in pictures and
texts and on maps (ACHASSI008 Scootle )

Elaborations
suggesting ideas about the use of objects from the past and proposing reasons why the objects might
have been important

identifying how a story connects with an aspect of their family history (for example, how a story book
shows how and where their grandparents or a familiar older person once lived)

Reflect on learning to propose how to care for places and sites that are important or significant

Elaborations
talking about what has been learnt about a place or site of significance to themselves or others and if
they would like it to stay the same in the future

describing or drawing special places, telling what they have learnt that makes them special and
suggesting how to behave when there

Communicating
Present narratives, information and findings in oral, graphic and written forms using simple terms to denote
the passing of time and to describe direction and location (ACHASSI010 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing events they have experienced and/or different places they have visited, using different modes
of communication, (for example, orally, through objects, pictures and drawings, roleplay and
HASS Curriculum F10
photographs)

reporting family history by presenting information in talk, drawings and play and by creating imaginative
responses

using simple terms to denote the passage of time (for example, 'then', 'now', 'yesterday', 'today',
'tomorrow') when talking about their experiences

using appropriate terms to describe the direction and location of a place (for example, ‘near and far’,
‘above and below’, ‘beside and opposite’)

Knowledge and Understanding
History
Concepts for developing understanding
The content in the history substrand in this year gives students opportunities to develop historical
understanding through key concepts including continuity and change, perspectives, empathy and
significance. Through studies of their family, familiar people and their own history, students look at
evidence of the past, exposing them to an early understanding that the past is different from the present
(continuity and change). They come to understand why some events are important in their own and others’
lives (significance), and how different people commemorate events that are important to them (empathy,
perspectives).
Inquiry Questions
What is my history and how do I know?
What stories do other people tell about the past?
How can stories of the past be told and shared?
Who the people in their family are, where they were born and raised and how they are related to each
other (ACHASSK011 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying and naming the different members of a family (for example, mother, father, stepparent,
caregiver, sister, brother, grandparent, aunty, uncle, cousin) and creating concept maps of their family
with pictures or photographs to show the relationship between family members

HASS Curriculum F10
finding out where they were born and raised and placing their photographs, drawings and names on a
classroom world map

How they, their family and friends commemorate past events that are important to them
(ACHASSK012 Scootle )

Elaborations
making a calendar of commemorative events that students, their family and friends celebrate (for
example, birthdays, religious festivals such as Easter, Ramadan, Buddha’s Birthday, Feast of Passover;
family reunions and community commemorations such as NAIDOC week and Anzac Day) and discussing
why they are important

recognising ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ and ‘Welcome to Country’ at ceremonies and events to
recognise that the Country/Place and traditional custodians of the land, sea, waterways and sky are
acknowledged

How the stories of families and the past can be communicated, for example, through photographs,
artefacts, books, oral histories, digital media and museums (ACHASSK013 Scootle )

Elaborations
engaging with the oral traditions, painting and music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and
recognising that the past is communicated through stories passed down from generation to generation

sharing the story of an object from their family’s past (for example, a photograph, old toy, statue, medal,
artwork, jewellery, stories), describing its importance to the family and creating a class museum

recognising that stories of the past may differ depending on who is telling them (for example, listening to
stories about the same event related by two different people such as a mother and a grandmother)

using images, students’ stories and stories from other places to explore what families have in common
(for example, people who provide for their needs and wants, love, safety, rituals, celebrations, rules,
change such as new babies and dying)

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
Geography
The content in the geography substrand provides ways of developing students’ understanding of place,
space and environment. Students explore the place they live in and belong to, and learn to observe and
describe its features, and why it is important to them. They explore their own special places, how they feel
about them, what makes them special, and how they can care for them (place, environment). They learn
that their place is also the place of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples (place). The idea of location
is introduced through learning about representations on which places can be located and drawing story
maps and creating models to show where familiar places and features are located (space).
Inquiry Questions
What are places like?
What makes a place special?
How can we look after the places we live in?
The representation of the location of places and their features on simple maps and models (ACHASSK014
Scootle )
Elaborations
creating story maps or models to represent the location of the places and features they pass on their way
to school

identifying the ways Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples represent the location of Country/Place
and their features (for example, by inscriptions on stone, stories, sand drawings, paintings, song, music
and dance)

describing how the globe is a representation of the world and locating Australia and other places on a
globe

The places people live in and belong to, their familiar features and why they are important to people

Elaborations
identifying the places they live in and belong to (for example, a neighbourhood, suburb, town or rural
locality)

HASS Curriculum F10
describing the features of their own place and places they are familiar with or they are aware of (for
example, places they have visited, places family members have come from, imaginary places in stories,
or places featured on television)

identifying how places provide people with their basic needs (for example, water, food and shelter) and
why they should be looked after for the future

The Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Country/Place on which the school is located and why
Country/Place is important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACHASSK016 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying and using the name of the local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language group

identifying how and why the words 'Country/Place' are used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples for the places to which they belong

inviting members of the traditional owner group to talk about Country/Place and places of cultural and
historical significance to the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community in the local neighbourhood,
suburb, town or rural area

identifying local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander landmarks in the local area

The reasons why some places are special to people, and how they can be looked after

Elaborations
identifying places they consider to be ‘special’ (for example, their room, a play area, holiday location or
an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander place of family significance) and explaining why the place is special
to them

describing the features of places that are special to them based on what they see, hear, smell and feel

HASS Curriculum F10

discussing different ways they could contribute to caring for special places including those that are
unique

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
Foundation Year Achievement Standards
By the end of Foundation Year, students identify important events in their own lives and recognise why some
places are special to people. They describe the features of familiar places and recognise that places can be
represented on maps and models. They identify how they, their families and friends know about their past and
commemorate events that are important to them.
Students respond to questions about their own past and places they belong to. They sequence familiar events
in order. They observe the familiar features of places and represent these features and their location on
pictorial maps and models. They reflect on their learning to suggest ways they can care for a familiar place.
Students relate stories about their past and share and compare observations about familiar places.
By the end of the Foundation year, students identify important events in their own lives. They identify how
they, their families and friends know about their past and commemorate events that are important to them.
Students sequence familiar events in order. They respond to questions about their own past. Students relate
a story about their past using a range of texts.
By the end of Foundation Year, students describe the features of familiar places and recognise why some
places are special to people. They recognise that places can be represented on maps and a globe and why
places are important to people.
Students observe the familiar features of places and represent these features and their location on pictorial
maps and models. They share and compare observations in a range of texts and use everyday language to
describe direction and location. Students reflect on their learning to suggest ways they can care for a familiar
place.
HASS Curriculum F10
Year 1 Level Description
How my world is different from the past and can change in the future
The Year 1 curriculum provides a study of the recent past, the present and the near future within the context
of the student’s own world. Students are given opportunities to explore how changes occur over time in
relation to themselves, their own families, and the places they and others belong to. They examine their daily
family life and how it is the same as and different to previous generations. They investigate their place and
other places, their natural, managed and constructed features, and the activities located in them. They
explore daily and seasonal weather patterns and how different groups describe them. They anticipate near
future events such as personal milestones and seasons. The idea of active citizenship is introduced as
students explore family roles and responsibilities and ways people care for places.
The content provides opportunities for students to develop humanities and social sciences understanding
through key concepts including significance; continuity and change; place and space; roles, rights and
responsibilities; and perspectives and action. These concepts may provide a focus for inquiries and be
investigated across substrands or within a particular substrand context.
Inquiry Questions
How has family life and the place we live in changed over time?
What events, activities and places do I care about? Why?
HASS Curriculum F10
Year 1 Content Descriptions
Inquiry and skills
Questioning

Elaborations
posing questions with the stems ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ about families, celebrations, places and
the weather

asking questions before, during and after listening to stories about people and places and about their
past and present

preparing questions for parents and members of older generations about how they lived in the past,
where they lived and the places they value

collecting and displaying everyday objects (for example, toys, telephone, radio, cooking utensils, clothes)
and other sources (for example, photos, found objects, maps, observation sketches) to stimulate
‘Where’, ‘What’, ‘When’, ‘How’ and ‘Why?’ questions

Researching

Elaborations
exploring stories from the past and present about people and families (for example, fiction books, letters,
diaries, songs) and about places (for example, myths, Dreaming and Creation stories, fiction, story maps,
films)

gathering evidence of change in a local place (for example, by comparing current observations of a place
HASS Curriculum F10
with photographs of it taken in the past)

using geographical tools (for example, photographs taken from the air, Google Earth or digital image
searches) to locate and identify the different features of places and how they have changed over time,
including places with largely natural features and those with largely constructed features

gathering information about the weather and seasons from the media, their own observations and from
stories (for example, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories)


Elaborations
creating and sharing concept maps to show personal understanding of their world (for example, a web of
family relationships and connections, or a mental map of their place and its important features or spaces)

making artefact and photo displays to show the features of a place (for example, collections of natural
and constructed things from the environment) or to show the passing of time (for example, collections of
things used when growing older, toys used by different generations) and labelling the display with simple
captions

recording data about the location of places and their features on maps and/or plans (for example,
labelling the location of their home and daily route to school on a map of the local area, drawing a plan of
their classroom and labelling its activity spaces)

developing a pictorial table to categorise information (for example, matching clothes with seasons,
activities with the weather, features and places, places with the work done)


Elaborations
HASS Curriculum F10
using visual representations such as a ‘days of the week’ chart, a class timetable or a calendar to
sequence events or tasks

describing what they see as they move from one point to another (for example, going from home to
school, from the classroom to the library)

Analysing

Elaborations
comparing students’ daily lives and those of their parents, grandparents, elders or familiar older person,
and representing the similarities and differences in graphic form (for example, in a Venn diagram or Y
chart)

sharing personal preferences about their world (for example, their favourite weather, activities, places,
celebrations) and explaining why they are favoured

Elaborations
identifying similarities and differences between activities over time by comparing objects of the past with
those currently used (for example, comparing toys, games, clothes, phones, cooking utensils, tools,
homework books)

using comparative language when describing family life over time and/or comparing features of places,
such as ‘smaller than’, ‘bigger than’, ‘closer’, ‘further’, ‘not as big as’, ‘younger/older than’, ‘more rainy
days’, ‘fewer/less’, ‘hottest/coldest’, ‘sunnier’, ‘windier than’

exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories, traditional and contemporary, about places and
the past and how places have changed

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
categorising objects, drawings or images by their features and explaining their reasoning, for example,
categorising the features of a local place into natural (native forest), constructed (street of houses) and
managed (windbreak of trees)


Elaborations
finding the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary relating to the past (for example, games such as
jacks/knuckles and elastics; technology tools such as floppy discs or USBs, record player, cassette
player)

using information gained from sources (for example, stories, photographs, fieldwork observations,
satellite images, rock art) to answer ‘when’, ‘where’, ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions

finding a hidden item using a map or plan that shows its location


Elaborations
using collected information (for example, from stories told by parents, grandparents, elders or familiar
older people; from geographic pictures) to make conclusions about change over time and place (for
example, how occupations and/or technologies have changed; how places and behaviours change
because of the seasons)

making conclusions after collecting and recording information about events over time (for example, a
birthday chart that shows most class members are the same age; stories and pictures which confirm
continuity of events over time, such as the local show) or about types of homes and locations where
class members live (for example, an illustrated map showing that some students live in town, some live
on a farm, some live in a unit, or some live in a house)

HASS Curriculum F10
imagining what the future may hold based on what they know of the past and present (for example,
envisioning what the town they live in might look like in the near future by comparing photographs of the
past with their observation of the present) or envisaging how an environment might change due to
human activity (such as when a new planting of street trees grow)


Elaborations
recalling information about a place or a site and giving reasons why it should be cared for and
commemorated or celebrated

describing features of a space or place (such as a chicken coop, a play area, their bedroom, the reading
corner, the beach) that is important to them and explaining what they could do to care for it

discussing how their behaviours reflect what they have learnt about caring for important places and
significant sites (for example, taking care around school wildlife, turning off taps and lights, following
etiquettes in special sites)

imagining how a local feature or place might change in the future and proposing action they could take to
improve a place or influence a positive future

Communicating

Elaborations
creating shared texts (for example, pictorial charts, calendars, lists, recounts, wall murals/collages, big
books) to record observations or report findings

retelling stories about life in the past through spoken narratives and the use of pictures, roleplays or
photographs
HASS Curriculum F10

using terms to denote the sequence of time (for example, ‘then’, ‘now’, ‘yesterday’, ‘today’, ‘past’,
‘present’, ‘later on’, ‘before I was born’, ‘in the future’ and ‘generations’)

explaining to classmates where places are, and the directions to be followed when moving from one
place to another, with the use of appropriate terms for direction and location (for example, terms such as
‘beside’, ‘forward’, ‘up’, ‘down’, ‘by’, ‘near’, ‘further’, ‘close to’, ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘here’, ‘there’, ‘at’)

History
The content in the history substrand provides opportunities for students to develop historical
understanding through key concepts including continuity and change, perspectives, empathy and
significance. The content for this year focuses on similarities and differences in family life over recent time
(continuity and change, perspectives) and how people may have lived differently in the past (empathy).
Students’ understanding is further developed as they consider dates and changes that have personal
significance (significance). As students continue to explore the past and the present, they begin to
speculate about the future (continuity and change).
Inquiry Questions
How has family life changed or remained the same over time?
How can we show that the present is different from or similar to the past?
How do we describe the sequence of time?
Differences in family structures and roles today, and how these have changed or remained the same over
time (ACHASSK028 Scootle )

Elaborations
considering a range of family structures (for example, nuclear families, onechild families, large families,
single parent families, extended families, blended (step) families, adoptive parent families and
grandparent families) as well as kinship groups, tribes and villages

comparing families in the present with those from the recent past (the families of parents, grandparents
or familiar older person) in terms of their size and structure (for example, the different types of family
such as nuclear, single parent, blended)

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
examining and commenting on the roles of family members over time (for example, listening to stories
about the roles of mothers, fathers, caregivers and children in the past) and comparing these with family
roles today (for example, work at home, work outside the home, child care, gender roles, children’s
responsibilities, pocket money)

How the present, past and future are signified by terms indicating time, as well as by dates and changes
that may have personal significance, such as birthdays, celebrations and seasons (ACHASSK029 Scootle
)

Elaborations
predicting, using knowledge of the past and present (for example, what happened yesterday, what is
likely to happen tomorrow, upcoming birthdays, celebrations and seasons) and ordering these
references to time in sequence using terms such as ‘before’, ‘after’, ‘next’, ‘then’, ‘a long time ago’, and
‘then and now’

exploring how cultures recognise significant events (for example, the Chinese describe a child as being
one year old on the day he/she is born; some religious groups don’t celebrate birthdays)

identifying dates and changes that have personal significance (for example, birth dates, moving house,
changing schools, religious and school holidays), marking these on a calendar and counting down time,
as well as noting that events of personal significance may differ according to students’ cultural
backgrounds

examining seasonal calendars of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups (for example, the Gagudju
(Kakadu) and the D'harawal (Sydney) calendars, each with six seasons, the Arrernte (central Australia)
with five, the Woiwurrung (Upper Yarra Valley) with seven, and northeast Tasmania with three)

Differences and similarities between students' daily lives and life during their parents’ and grandparents’
childhoods (ACHASSK030 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing and commenting on photographs and oral histories (for example, talking to parents,
grandparents and other elders) to find out how daily lives have changed

HASS Curriculum F10
comparing what has changed over time (for example, homes, family traditions, leisure, communication
technology, rules, how needs were met then and now, wants, and shopping/consumer habits)

Geography
The content in the geography substrand provides opportunities to develop students’ understanding of
place, space, environment and change. Students learn about the natural, managed and constructed
features of places and how these features provide evidence of change (place, environment, change).
Students understand that important activities are located in places and explore where they are located, and
why (space). Students study the daily and seasonal weather patterns of their place and of other places,
including how seasonal change is perceived by different cultures (place, environment). They come to
understand how places are cared for (environment).
Inquiry Questions
What are the different features of places?
How can we care for places?
How have the features of places changed?
The natural, managed and constructed features of places, their location, how they change and how they
can be cared for (ACHASSK031 Scootle )

Elaborations
using observations of the local place to identify and describe natural features (for example, hills, rivers,
native vegetation), managed features (for example, farms, parks, gardens, plantation forests) and
constructed features (for example, roads, buildings) and locating them on a map

recounting Dreaming and Creation stories of Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islander Peoples that
identify the natural features of a place

using observations and/or photographs to identify changes in natural, managed and constructed features
in their place (for example, recent erosion, revegetated areas, planted crops or new buildings)

describing local features people look after (for example, bushland, wetland, park or a heritage building)
and finding out why and how these features need to be cared for, and who provides this care

The weather and seasons of places and the ways in which different cultural groups, including Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, describe them
HASS Curriculum F10
and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, describe them (ACHASSK032 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing the daily and seasonal weather of their place by its rainfall, temperature, sunshine and wind,
and comparing it with the weather of other places that they know or are aware of

comparing the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander People’s seasonal calendar for the local area with one
students are familiar with, such as the fourseasons calendar derived from Europe

Activities in the local place and reasons for their location (ACHASSK033 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying the activities located in their place (for example, retailing, medical, educational, police,
religious, office, recreational, farming, manufacturing, waste management activities), locating them on a
pictorial map, and suggesting why they are located where they are

identifying which resources they can recycle, reduce, reuse or none of these, and what local spaces and
systems (for example, rules, signs, waste collection truck routes) support these activities

exploring activities in the local rivers, lakes and coastal waters and identifying constructed features (for
example, Aboriginal eel traps, jetties, shark nets, fish farms)

describing how they rearrange the space within the classroom for different activities (for example,
reading time or a drama)

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
Year 1 Achievement Standards
By the end of Year 1, students identify and describe important dates and changes in their own lives. They
explain how some aspects of daily life have changed over recent time while others have remained the same.
They identify and describe the features of places and their location at a local scale and identify changes to the
features of places. They recognise that people describe the features of places differently and describe how
places can be cared for.
Students respond to questions about the recent past and familiar and unfamiliar places by collecting and
interpreting information and data from observations and from sources provided. They sequence personal and
family events in order and represent the location of different places and their features on labelled maps. They
reflect on their learning to suggest ways they can care for places. They share stories about the past, and
present observations and findings using everyday terms to denote the passing of time and to describe
direction and location.
By the end of Year 1, students identify and describe important dates and changes in their own lives. They
explain how some aspects of daily life have changed over recent time while others have remained the same.
Students sequence personal and family events in order, using everyday terms about the passing of time.
They respond to questions about the past using sources provided. Students relate stories about life in the
past, using a range of texts.
By the end of Year 1, students identify and describe the natural, managed and constructed features of places
at a local scale and identify where features of places are located. They recognise that people describe the
features of places differently. Students identify changes in features and describe how to care for places.
Students respond to questions about familiar and unfamiliar places by locating and interpreting information
from sources provided. They represent the location of different places and their features on labelled maps
and present findings in a range of texts and use everyday language to describe direction and location. They
reflect on their learning to suggest ways that places can be cared for.
HASS Curriculum F10
Our past and present connections to people and places
The Year 2 curriculum extends contexts for study beyond the personal to the community and to near and
distant places that students are familiar with or aware of, exploring connections between the past and present
and between people and places. Students examine remains of the past in their local area, coming to
understand how connections have changed the lives of people over time and space and how their community
values and preserves connections to the past. They study where they are located in the world and how the
world is represented on maps and through place names that reveal the history and value of these places.
Students explore other cultures’ connections to their local place and their own connections to distant places.
Through a study of technological change, students see how they are both similar and different to people in
the past and how they are connected to places near and far. The idea of citizenship is introduced as students
think about how people are connected.
through key concepts including significance, continuity and change, cause and effect, place and space,
interconnections and perspectives and action. These concepts may provide a focus for inquiries and be
investigated across substrands or within a particular substrand context.
Inquiry Questions
What does my place tell me about the past and present?
How are people connected to their place and other places, past or present?
How has technology affected daily life over time and the connections between people in different
places?
HASS Curriculum F10
Inquiry and skills
Questioning

Elaborations
developing how, when, where, why questions at the start of and during an investigation and then
revisiting the questions to check if they have been answered

developing inquiry questions about a historical site (for example, ‘What does it look like now?’, ‘What
condition is it in?’, ‘What was its purpose?’, ‘How might its use have changed?’, ‘How was it
built/created?’, ‘Who built it?’, ‘How is it now used?’, ‘Why is it important?’)

developing inquiry questions about places (for example, ‘What are the features of the place?’, ‘How far
away is it?’, ‘How easy is it to get to?’, ‘How am I connected to it?’)

posing questions using the stems, ‘How do I feel about …’, ’What would it be like to …’ and ‘What effect
…’

Researching

Elaborations
identifying information in sources relevant to learning about the past (for example, photographs,
interviews, newspapers, stories and maps, including those online) and sources relevant to learning about
places (satellite images, globes, diagrams, measurements, field photographs)

locating historical evidence of the local community’s past (for example, place and street names that
HASS Curriculum F10
commemorate people, monuments, built and nonbuilt historical landmarks, middens, remnants of native
vegetation and old building remains)

surveying peers to discover how they are connected to people in other places in Australia and the world,
or to find out how frequently they visit places and for what purpose

exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ connections to Country/Place through oral
histories Dreaming and Creation stories, dance, art and cultural representations


Elaborations
sorting and recording written or pictorial information or survey results in tables under headings such as
‘then/now’, ‘past/present/future’, ‘places near/far’, ‘places visited’, ‘purpose’, ‘frequency’, ‘distance’

creating pictorial maps with annotations to show familiar local and/or historical sites, their features and
location, and adding further information as extra sites are identified

locating the places they are connected to (such as through family, travel, friends), or the places they visit
for shopping, recreation or other reasons on a print, electronic or wall map

making a map or plan of significant places in the community, incorporating symbols to show location of
objects or significant features


Elaborations
ordering key events in the history of the local community or in its development (for example, the history
of the school; developmental stages of telecommunications technologies)

HASS Curriculum F10
creating a timeline, slideshow or story to show how things develop sequentially (for example, seasonal
change in plants, cycles of the weather, personal growth milestones)

Analysing

Elaborations
discussing why some places are considered special or significant by others (for example, by parents,
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples, their grandparents or familiar elders their friends, returned
soldiers, wildlife workers)

examining the points of view of older generations about changes over time (for example, changes to the
natural or built environment, changes to daily living)

listening to different stories (for example, Dreaming and Creation stories) about reasons for the change
of seasons or about how natural features of Earth were created

Elaborations
comparing places that differ over time or across location (for example, climate, natural environment,
plants, animals, people’s home)

identifying how objects and activities are similar or different depending on conditions in local and distant
places (for example, clothes, transport, technology)

identifying features of a site that reveal its past (such as decorations and plaques on buildings) and
suggesting clues that help understanding of its history (such as dates, ageing, building style)

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
examining a historical site (for example, a home, a school) to explore how technology has changed life
over time (for example, how and where food was obtained and prepared, how people travelled, how
people stayed warm or cool, how sewerage was managed, types of work, the roles of men, women, boys
and girls)


Elaborations
interpreting distance on maps using terms such as ‘metres’, ‘distant’, ‘close’, ‘local’, ‘many hours in a
bus/car/plane’, ‘walking distance’ to decide on the accessibility of different features and places

interpreting flowcharts and geographic and concept maps to explore system connections (for example,
places members of their class are connected to, where some food comes from, how Aboriginal songlines
connect places)

interpreting symbols and codes that provide information (for example, map legends)

explaining what intangible boundaries mean or why they exist (for example, the equator as a division on
a globe, outofbounds areas shown on a plan of the school)


Elaborations
drawing conclusions about how traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples were able to
overcome the constraints of distance (for example, trading goods and ideas across the continent and its
islands)

making generalisations from data showing patterns and relationships (for example, the relationship
between the distance of places and the frequency of visits to them; between rubbish in the school and
HASS Curriculum F10
eating areas; between marine animals and where human rubbish may go; between climate zones and
clothing or housing)

discussing the history or value of places in the local community from an exploration of place names (for
example, place names that are linked to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, historical events,
early settlers, and political, religious and social figures)


Elaborations
reflecting on their increasing knowledge of special places and natural systems in their local area and,
whether their ideas about and behaviours have changed as a result of greater understanding

sharing with their teacher, other students and members of their family what they know and have learnt
about connections with other places, and explaining the significance of these connections

using their knowledge about a familiar place or site to imagine how it might change in the future and how
they can influence a positive future for it

Communicating

Elaborations
conveying information about the past and familiar places by representing ideas in written, spoken,
pictorial or performance modes and by creating imaginative responses

composing reports with multimedia to share findings (for example, findings of a comparison of past and
present daily life, a report on how access to and use of a place has changed over time, or
recommendations on a building of significance)

HASS Curriculum F10
describing a significant person from their community’s past in a short report or biography or through a
fictional journal based on facts

using terms in speech and writing to denote the passing of time (for example, ‘in the past’, ‘years ago’,
‘the olden days’, ‘in the future’) and to describe direction and location (for example, north, south,
opposite, near, far)

History
understanding through key concepts including continuity and change, cause and effect, perspectives,
empathy and significance. Through studies of their local area, students explore, recognise and
appreciate the history of their community. Students examine remains of the past and consider why they
should be preserved (significance, cause and effect, perspectives). They examine the impact of technology
of people’s lives (continuity and change, cause and effect), and speculate about people’s lives in the past to
further develop their understanding that people lived differently in the past (continuity and change,
perspectives, empathy).
Inquiry Questions
What aspects of the past can you see today? What do they tell us?
What remains of the past are important to the local community? Why?
How have changes in technology shaped our daily life?
The history of a significant person, building, site and/or part of the natural environment in the local
community and what it reveals about the past (ACHASSK044 Scootle )

Elaborations
using the internet, newspapers, community information guides and local knowledge to identify and list the
people and places promoted as being of historic interest in the local community

suggesting reasons for the location of a local landmark (for example, community building, landmark or
war memorial) before searching for resources that provide an explanation

investigating the history of a chosen person, building, site or landmark in the local community using
sources (for example, books, newspapers, oral histories, audiovisual material, digital sources, letters,
HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
photographs) and relating a story which these reveal about the past

The importance today of a historical site of cultural or spiritual significance in the local area, and why it
should be preserved (ACHASSK045 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing why a particular site has heritage significance/cultural value for present generations (for
example, it provides a record of a significant historical event, has aesthetic value, reflects the
community’s identity)

identifying, in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and visiting (where
appropriate) local sites, places and landscapes of significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples (for example, engraving sites, rock paintings, natural sites or features such as the Birrigai rock
shelter, creeks or mountains)

identifying and designing a local historical tour of a building or site (for example, one related to a
particular cultural group)

How changing technology affected people’s lives (at home and in the ways they worked, travelled,
communicated and played in the past) (ACHASSK046 Scootle )

Elaborations
examining changes in technology over several generations by comparing past and present objects and
photographs, and discussing how these changes have shaped people’s lives (for example, changes to
land, air and sea transport; the move from woodfired stoves to gas/electrical appliances; the introduction
of transistors, television, FM radio and digital technologies; how people shopped and what they liked to
buy, changes in the nature of waste and how waste is managed)

identifying technologies used in the childhoods of their grandparents or familiar elders and in their own
childhood, and finding out where each was produced

examining the traditional toys used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to play and learn (for
example, Arrernte children learn to play string games so they can remember stories they have been told)

HASS Curriculum F10

creating models of toys used by children who lived when electricity was not available

identifying some rules for children of past generations that do not apply in the present, and some rules of
the present that did not exist in the past due to technological changes

Geography
place, space, environment and interconnection. Students develop a mental map of the world by
learning the major geographical divisions on Earth (place, space, environment) and where they are located
in relation to Australia (space). Students learn about the hierarchy of scale by which places are defined –
from the personal scale of their home to the national scale of their country (scale). Students explore how
distance and accessibility influence how often they visit places, and for what purpose (space,
interconnection) and investigate their links with places locally and throughout the world (interconnection).
They see how places have meaning to people and the connection Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples have with Country/Place (place, environment, interconnection).
Inquiry Questions
What is a place?
How are people connected to their place and other places?
What factors affect my connection to places?
The way the world is represented in geographic divisions and the location of Australia in relation to these
divisions (ACHASSK047 Scootle )
Elaborations
investigating the definition of a continent and the sevencontinent and sixcontinent models

using geographical tools (for example, a globe and world map) or digital applications such as Google
Earth to locate and name the continents, oceans, equator, North and South Poles, tropics and
hemispheres and then labelling an outline map

describing the location of continents and oceans relative to Australia, using terms such as north, south,
opposite, near, far

HASS Curriculum F10
The idea that places are parts of Earth’s surface that have been named by people, and how places can be
defined at a variety of scales (ACHASSK048 Scootle )

Elaborations
examining the names of features and places in the local area, the meaning of these names and why they
were chosen

investigating the names and meanings given to local features and places by the local Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander Peoples

describing the scale of places, from the personal (home), the local (their suburb, town or district), the
regional (state) to the national (country)

The ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples maintain special connections to particular
Country/Place (ACHASSK049 Scootle )

Elaborations
explaining that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have special connections to many
Countries/Places (for example, through marriage, birth, residence and chosen or forced movement)

discussing how some people are connected to one Country (for example, because it is “mother’s”
Country or “father’s” Country)

describing the connections of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples with the land, sea,
waterways, sky and animals of their Country/Place, and how this influences their views on the use of
environmental resources

The connections of people in Australia to people in other places in Australia and across the world

Elaborations
HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
examining the ways people are connected to other places (for example, through relatives, friends, things
people buy or obtain, holidays, sport, family origin, beliefs, or through environmental practices such as
where their waste ends up and its effect on people there)

exploring how their place may be connected to events that have happened in other places (for example,
sporting events such as the Olympic Games or natural disasters like the tsunami in Indonesia)

The influence of purpose, distance and accessibility on the frequency with which people visit places

Elaborations
investigating the places they and their families visit for shopping, recreation, religious or ceremonial
activities, or other reasons

suggesting what their pattern of visits to places might have been one or two generations ago and
comparing this to their current pattern

investigating how people's connections with places are affected by transport and information and
telecommunications technologies

HASS Curriculum F10
By the end of Year 2, students describe a person, site and/or event of significance in the local community and
explain why places are important to people. They identify how and why the lives of people have changed over
time while others have remained the same. They recognise that the world is divided into geographic divisions
and that places can be described at different scales. Students describe how people in different places are
connected to each other and identify factors that influence these connections. They recognise that places
have different meaning for different people and why the significant features of places should be preserved.
Students pose questions about the past and familiar and unfamiliar objects and places. They locate
information from observations and from sources provided. They compare objects from the past and present
and interpret information and data to identify a point of view and draw simple conclusions. They sequence
familiar objects and events in order and sort and record data in tables, plans and on labelled maps. They
reflect on their learning to suggest ways to care for places and sites of significance. Students develop
narratives about the past and communicate findings in a range of texts using language to describe direction,
location and the passing of time.
By the end of Year 2, students describe a person, site and/or event of significance in the local community.
They identify how and why the lives of people have changed over time while others have remained the same.
Students sequence events in order, using a range of terms related to time. They pose questions about the
past and use sources provided to answer these questions and to identify a point of view. They compare
objects from the past and present. Students develop a narrative about the past using a range of texts.
By the end of Year 2, students identify the features that define places and recognise that places can be
described at different scales. Students recognise that the world can be divided into major geographical
divisions. They describe how people in different places are connected to each other and identify factors that
influence these connections. They explain why places are important to people, recognising that places have
meaning.
Students pose questions about familiar and unfamiliar places and answer them by locating information from
observations and from sources provided. They represent data and the location of places and their features in
tables, plans and on labelled maps. They interpret geographical information to draw conclusions. Students
present findings in a range of texts and use simple geographical terms to describe the direction and location
of places. They suggest action in response to the findings of their inquiry.
HASS Curriculum F10
Diverse communities and places and the contribution people make
The Year 3 curriculum focuses on the diversity of people and places in their local community and beyond, and
how people participate in their communities. Students study how places are represented geographically and
how communities express themselves culturally and through civic participation. Opportunities are provided to
learn about diversity within their community, including the Country/Place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples, and about other communities in Australia and neighbouring countries. Students compare
the climates, settlement patterns and population characteristics of places, and how these affect communities,
past and present. Students examine how individuals and groups celebrate and contribute to communities in
the past and present, through establishing and following rules, decisionmaking, participation and
commemoration.
through key concepts including significance; continuity and change; cause and effect; place and
space; interconnections; roles, rights and responsibilities; and perspectives and action. These
concepts may provide a focus for inquiries and be investigated across substrands or within a particular sub
strand context.
skills. The knowledge and understanding strand draws from three substrands: history, geography and civics
and citizenship. These strands (knowledge and understanding, and inquiry and skills) are interrelated and
have been developed to be taught in an integrated way, which may include integrating with content from the
substrands and from other learning areas, and in ways that are appropriate to specific local contexts. The
order and detail in which they are taught are programming decisions.
Inquiry Questions
How do symbols, events, individuals and places in my community make it unique?
How do people contribute to their communities, past and present?
What events do different people and groups celebrate and commemorate and what does this tell us
about our communities?
HASS Curriculum F10
Inquiry and skills
Questioning
Pose questions to investigate people, events, places and issues (ACHASSI052 Scootle )

Elaborations
posing relevant questions when investigating the contribution individuals and groups have made to the
development of the local community ('Who?', 'What?', 'When?', 'Where?', 'Why?')

developing inquiring questions as they investigate (for example, ‘Why there?’ questions about location;
‘What might happen?’ questions about future consequences of natural processes or people’s actions in
places; and ‘What ought to happen?’ questions or other questions about ethical behaviour, sustainability
and preferred futures)

asking key questions when investigating a topic (for example, questions such as 'How did people settle?',
'Who were they?', 'Why did they come to the area?' when researching the establishment of a local
community) and probing questions during an investigation (for example, ‘Why is that so?’, ‘What else do
we need to know?’)

posing evaluation questions (for example, ‘Is the process fair?’, ‘Could the process have been managed
better?’)

Researching
Locate and collect information and data from different sources, including observations (ACHASSI053
Scootle )

Elaborations
locating sources suited to learning about the past (for example, photographs, interviews, newspapers,
stories and maps, including those online)

HASS Curriculum F10
collecting information in the field (for example, taking photographs, making sketches, taking water
measurements or collecting natural objects to support the investigation of eocological health, settlement
or demographic details of a place)

collecting data from maps, aerial photographs, satellite images or a digital application (for example,
Google Earth) to identify, locate and describe different types of settlement

collecting information about the changing composition of their community from sources, such as census
data, cemetery observations, interviews with older people or surveys

interviewing people to seek information about feelings, preferences, perspectives and actions (for
example, to find out how people feel about places; how people celebrate and commemorate; how
decisions are made in different situations; how and why people participate in their community)

acquiring geographical information from schools in geographically contrasting parts of Australia and/or
neighbouring countries

Record, sort and represent data and the location of places and their characteristics in different formats,
including simple graphs, tables and maps, using disciplineappropriate conventions (ACHASSI054 Scootle
)

Elaborations
using information technologies to record and organise information in tables, databases and digital
concept maps (for example, creating a consequence chart to show what happens when school rules are
not followed, or when human settlement damages a component of the natural environment)

creating tables or picture and column graphs to show patterns in data collected from observations or
other sources (for example, to show similarities and differences between places; the results of class
votes on issues or decisions, participation in community activities, number of local monuments)

placing graphs and other data on electronic maps to visualise differences between types and patterns of
settlements

HASS Curriculum F10
constructing and annotating maps (for example, to show the natural and human features of Australia)
using the appropriate cartographic conventions including map symbols, title and north point

Sequence information about people’s lives and events (ACHASSI055 Scootle )

Elaborations
developing an annotated timeline (for example, a timeline of celebrations and commemorations)

creating visual representations of a sequence of events or happenings (for example, the stages involved
in making decisions in a familiar context, such as a planning a class activity, the sequence of seasonal
changes in different climates)

Analysing
Examine information to identify different points of view and distinguish facts from opinions

Elaborations
distinguishing fiction and nonfiction texts in relation to representation of places, environments and past
events

identifying statements of fact and statements of opinion in class discussions

identifying differences in the meaning of celebrations when viewed from different perspectives that result
in different actions (for example, the meaning of Australia Day for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples when compared with its meaning for many other Australians)

exploring stories about places and people told by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and by
people from other cultures including people from Asia and the Pacific region

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
sharing points of view and identifying different perspectives and actions relating to issues that affect
themselves and their peers (for example, discussing class rules, the different responses to them by class
members, different perceptions of the value of places and ecosystems in the local area, communicating
across cultures)

Interpret data and information displayed in different formats, to identify and describe distributions and
simple patterns (ACHASSI057 Scootle )

Elaborations
finding the meaning of acronyms/initialisms they encounter (for example, NAIDOC, ANZAC, NZ, USA,
ACT)

interpret data to identify patterns of change over time using graphic organisers (for example, a Venn
diagram using data collected from different times and groups to compare Australia Day celebrations over
time; a scattergram of cemetery headstone information to make inferences about changing life
expectancy)

identifying differences in the representation of a place on a map, in an aerial photo and in a satellite
image and discussing how different methods of representation give different information about
distributions and patterns

interpreting cartographic information such as titles, map symbols, north point, compass direction, grid
references and major lines of latitude

using maps, ground and aerial photographs and satellite images or a digital application (for example,
European Space Agency, NASA World Wind or Google Earth), to identify, locate and describe
geographical patterns and distributions (for example, different types and patterns of settlements in
Australia and Asia)

discussing and comparing how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples may represent places and
their features visually (for example, in paintings and sand drawings) and identify symbols and patterns

HASS Curriculum F10
Draw simple conclusions based on analysis of information and data (ACHASSI058 Scootle )

Elaborations
explaining conclusions about how their place and community have changed and developed (for example,
settlement patterns, local changes in plant and animal species, historic events, cultural celebrations)

drawing conclusions about their community’s heritage based on an evaluation of information provided by
the local council (for example, the development of its multicultural profile; its significant events and how
people have participated in them and contributed to their maintenance; the preservation of unique
features of the natural environment)

examining the meaning of diversity using examples drawn from their community (such as celebrations
and commemorations), drawn from other countries (such as environments, climate, lifestyle, settlement)
and from the experiences of their peers (such as how they participate in their family and community)

Interact with others with respect to share points of view (ACHASSI059 Scootle )

Elaborations
sharing and listening to others’ stories about their community and place (for example, Aboriginal or
Torres Strait Islander oral histories of an area, park ranger recounts, speakers from commemorative
organisations, personal experiences of celebrations)

understanding their roles, rights and responsibilities in group situations

respecting ways to ensure others’ points of view are shared in group situations (for example, adhering to
and defending strategies that enable turntaking and eliminate talking over others)

valuing for and against arguments when making personal and group decisions

Reflect on learning to propose actions in response to an issue or challenge and consider possible effects of
proposed actions
HASS Curriculum F10
proposed actions (ACHASSI060 Scootle )

Elaborations
recalling what they know when contributing ideas to a group response to a community challenge (for
example, planning how to celebrate a unrecognised cultural event; such as how local Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander Peoples celebrate their Country/Place or how to retell a historical event from a silent or
unfamiliar voice)

reflecting on anticipated effects of actions designed to protect and improve places that people perceive
as important (for example, places of environmental value, cultural value or historic significance)

choosing and enacting roles for group work that recognise an awareness of members’ knowledge and
skills and customs

considering the findings of an inquiry when developing a plan of action to achieve a set goal (for
example, to protect a place, to participate in a community festival or commemoration, to raise awareness
about an issue, to raise money for a purpose)

Communicating
Present ideas, findings and conclusions in texts and modes that incorporate digital and nondigital
representations and disciplinespecific terms (ACHASSI061 Scootle )

Elaborations
composing different types of texts to report findings of an investigation (for example, reporting on a
historical investigation and its researched facts and findings by writing a biography about a noteworthy
individual or group, a narrative account of a significant event, a report about a celebration, an
explanation of the multicultural character of the community)

arguing a point of view on a civics and citizenship issue relevant to their lives (for example, the
consequences of breaking school rules, the value of contributing in their community, the need to
preserve an endangered species) and making effective use of persuasive language such as ‘I think’ and
‘I dis/agree that’ to gain the support of others

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
describing the location and direction from a local place in Australia to a local place in at least two
neighbouring countries (for example, New Zealand and Indonesia) using a globe or wall map

selecting and applying appropriate media to communicate their findings, including the use of graphs,
tables, timelines, photographs and pictures

using subjectappropriate terms when speaking, writing and illustrating, for example, historical terms
(such as ‘immigration’, ‘exploration’, ‘development’, ‘settlement’, ‘naming days of commemoration’ and
‘emblems’); geographical terms (such as ‘climate’, ‘settlement’, ‘environment’, ‘natural’ and ‘constructed’);
and civic terms (such as ‘community’, ‘decisionmaking’, ‘participation’)

History
understanding through key concepts including sources, continuity and change, cause and effect,
perspectives, empathy and significance. The Year 3 curriculum provides a study of identity and diversity
in their local community and beyond, past and present. Students develop understandings about the
heritage of their local area (sources, continuity and change), including the importance of Country/Place to
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples (significance, perspectives, empathy), and how and why
their community has changed (continuity and change, cause and effect). Students explore the historical
features and diversity of their community as represented in individuals and their contributions, symbols and
emblems of significance (significance) and the different celebrations and commemorations, locally and in
other places around the world (significance, perspectives, empathy).
Inquiry Questions
Who lived here first and how do we know?
How has our community changed? What features have been lost and what features have been
retained?
What is the nature of the contribution made by different groups and individuals in the community?
How and why do people choose to remember significant events of the past?
The importance of Country/Place to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples who belong to a
local area (ACHASSK062 Scootle )

Elaborations
liasing with Community to identify original language groups of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples
who belong to the local area and exploring the relationship between language, Country/Place and
spirituality. (This is intended to be a local area study with a focus on one language group; however, if
HASS Curriculum F10
information or sources are not readily available, another representative area may be studied.)

listening to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Elders, grandparents and older community members tell
stories associated with the local language groups and the land they belong to

discussing when to use ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ and ‘Welcome to Country’ at ceremonies and
events to respectfully recognise the Country/Place and traditional custodians of the land, sea, waterways
and sky

How the community has changed and remained the same over time and the role that people of diverse
backgrounds have played in the development and character of the local community (ACHASSK063
Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring photographs, newspapers, oral histories, diaries and letters to investigate how an aspect of life
in the local community (for example, transport, entertainment, the natural and built environment,
technology) has changed over time (for example, from the time of European settlement to the present
day)

comparing photographs from the past and present of a specific location to identify the change or
continuity (similarities and differences over time) associated with people, events/developments, places or
ecosystems

identifying individuals and groups from the past of diverse backgrounds (for example, gender, culture,
ability, age, socioeconomic circumstance) who have contributed to the community’s development (for
example, economic, social, cultural, civic or environmental contributions) and character (for example,
culturally diverse, multifaith, prosperous, helpful)

exploring how the contributions of individuals, groups and organisations are recognised (for example,
parades, Australia Day Awards, monuments)

Days and weeks celebrated or commemorated in Australia (including Australia Day, Anzac Day, and
National Sorry Day) and the importance of symbols and emblems (ACHASSK064 Scootle )

HASS Curriculum F10

Elaborations
identifying and discussing the historical origins of an important Australian celebration or commemoration

generating a list of local, state and national symbols and emblems (for example, club emblems, school
logos, flags, floral emblems, the Commonwealth Coat of Arms) and discussing their origins, use and
significance

examining the symbolism of flags (for example, the Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags)
and recognising special occasions when they are flown (for example, all three flags are flown during
NAIDOC Week, National Reconciliation Week, National Sorry Day and Mabo Day) and the roles, rights
and responsibilities the community has when observing protocols around flag flying

recognising the significance of other days or weeks (including the anniversary of the national Apology to
Australia’s Indigenous Peoples of 2008, National Reconciliation Week, International Women’s Day,
Labour Day and Harmony Day)

Celebrations and commemorations in places around the world (for example, Chinese New Year in countries
of the Asia region, Bastille Day in France, Independence Day in the USA), including those that are
observed in Australia (for example, Christmas Day, Diwali, Easter, Hanukkah, the Moon Festival and
Ramadan) (ACHASSK065 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing the significance of national days in different countries, looking at why they developed and
elements they have in common

exploring through secondary sources significant events of cultures or countries around the world,
including national days, and discussing whether they are celebrations or commemorations

investigating the origins and significance of some international celebrations or commemorations (for
example, the International Day of Peace)

HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
investigating the origins and significance of celebrations important to particular cultural groups in
Australia and in other places of the world

Geography
place, space, environment and interconnection. Students develop an understanding of the similarities
and differences between places within and outside Australia through a study of their environmental and
human characteristics (place). They examine climate (environment) and the types of settlements (space) in
Australia, the Country/Place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and Australia's neighbouring
countries (place). Students come to understand how people feel about and care for places (place,
environment, interconnection). Students’ mental maps further develop through learning about the
representation of Australia and the location of Australia’s neighbouring countries (place).
Inquiry Questions
What are the main natural and human features of Australia?
How and why are places similar and different?
What would it be like to live in a neighbouring country?
The representation of Australia as states and territories and as Countries/Places of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples; and major places in Australia, both natural and human (ACHASSK066 Scootle )

Elaborations
using geographical tools (for example, a globe, wall map or digital application such as Google Earth) to
locate and name significant places such as the states, territories, major cities and regional centres in
Australia

identifying and describing the major natural features of Australia (for example, rivers, deserts, rainforests,
the Great Dividing Range, the Great Barrier Reef and islands of the Torres Strait) and describing them
with annotations on a map

comparing the boundaries of Aboriginal Countries with the surveyed boundaries between Australian
states and territories to gain an appreciation about the different ways Australia can be represented

describing how the territory of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples contains the Country/Places
of many individuals and language groups

HASS Curriculum F10
exploring how oral traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples were used to map
landscapes

The location of Australia’s neighbouring countries and the diverse characteristics of their places
Elaborations
using a globe to locate the Pacific Island nations, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, TimorLeste and
Indonesia and countries relevant to students, labelling them on a map, and identifying the direction of
each country from Australia

describing the similarities and differences between their local place and places in neighbouring countries
(for example, Indonesia, Pacific Island nations) in their natural and human characteristics

The main climate types of the world and the similarities and differences between the climates of different
places (ACHASSK068 Scootle )
Elaborations
examining how weather contributes to a climate type

identifying the hot, temperate and polar zones of the world and the difference between climate and
weather

identifying and locating examples of the main climatic types in Australia and the world (for example,
equatorial, tropical arid, semiarid, temperate and Mediterranean)

investigating and comparing what it would be like to live in a place with a different climate to their own
place

The similarities and differences between places in terms of their type of settlement, demographic
characteristics and the lives of the people who live there, and people’s perceptions of these places
HASS Curriculum F10

Elaborations
exploring people’s feelings for place and the factors that influence people’s attachment to place, through
reading and viewing poems, songs, paintings and stories

discussing why it is important to protect places that have special significance for people (for example, a
wetland, a sacred site, a national park or a World Heritage site)

exploring different types of settlement, and classifying them into hierarchical categories (for example,
isolated dwellings, outstations, villages, towns, regional centres and large cities)

investigating the diversity of people who live in their place (for example, surveying the school community
about age, birthplace and ancestry) and comparing them with a school in another place in Australia or
neighbouring country

examining the similarities and differences between their daily lives and those of people in another place
in Australia or neighbouring country, and inferring what it would be like to live in these places

Civics and citizenship
The content in the civics and citizenship substrand provides opportunities for students to develop
understanding about democracy, laws and citizens and citizenship, diversity and identity. Drawing on
familiar contexts and personal experiences of fair play, different points of view, rules and consequences,
and decisionmaking, students begin to develop an understanding of democracy as rule by the people
(democracy, laws and citizens). Students explore how individuals, including themselves, participate in and
contribute to their community (citizenship, diversity and identity).
Inquiry Questions
How are decisions made democratically?
Why do we make rules?
How can I participate in my community?
The importance of making decisions democratically (ACHASSK070 Scootle )

Elaborations
HASS Curriculum F10
HASS Curriculum F10
making a decision as a class by allowing everyone to have a say and a vote

building empathy by reflecting on how it feels to be included or excluded from making decisions and
identifying situations when it is fair for decisions to be made without taking a majority vote (for example,
by teachers or parents)

identifying places and situations in communities where decisions are made democratically

Who makes rules, why rules are important and the consequences of rules not being followed

Elaborations
developing and justifying a set of fair rules and consequences for the class

identifying familiar rules, how rules protect the rights of others, what their responsibilities are to others,
and the consequences when rules are not followed

considering why rules differ across contexts (for example, a library, the playground, in class, at home, in
games and in cultural groups)

discussing situations where it is not fair to have one rule that treats everyone the same, if some people
(for example, students with a disability) have different needs or would be unable to follow the rules

exploring cultural norms behind some rulemaking (for example, removing shoes before entering places
of cultural significance)

identifying who has the authority to make rules (for example, at school or in a sporting club)

Why people participate within communities and how students can actively participate and contribute
HASS Curriculum F10

Elaborations
identifying groups in the local community or through a virtual community and exploring their purpose

exploring how they could participate in a school or community project (for example, raising money for a
relevant aid project such as sponsorship of a sports team; working to protect a bird habitat)

investigating an individual’s contribution and why it was recognised (for example, an individual who was
awarded an Order of Australia)

exploring the motivations of people who have contributed to communities (for example, local community
volunteers, leaders and Elders)

HASS Curriculum F10
By the end of Year 3, students identify individuals, events and aspects of the past that have significance in the
present. They identify and describe aspects of their community that have changed and remained the same
over time. They describe the diverse characteristics of different places at the local scale and identify and
describe similarities and differences between the characteristics of these places. They identify connections
between people and the characteristics of places. Students explain the role of rules in their community and
the importance of making decisions democratically. They identify the importance of different celebrations and
commemorations for different groups. They explain how and why people participate in and contribute to their
communities.
Students pose questions and locate and collect information from sources, including observations, to answer
these questions. They examine information to identify a point of view and interpret data to identify and
describe simple distributions. They draw simple conclusions and share their views on an issue. They
sequence information about events and the lives of individuals in chronological order. They record and
represent data in different formats, including labelled maps using basic cartographic conventions. They reflect
on their learning to suggest individual action in response to an issue or challenge. Students communicate
their ideas, findings and conclusions in oral, visual and written forms using simple disciplinespecific terms.
By the end of Year 3, students identify individuals, events and aspects of the past that have significance in the
present. They identify and describe aspects of their community that have changed and remained the same
over time. They identify the importance of different celebrations and commemorations for different groups.
Students sequence information about events and the lives of individuals in chronological order. They pose
questions about the past and locate and collect information from sources (written, physical, visual, oral) to
answer these questions. They analyse information to identify a point of view. Students develop texts, including
narrative accounts, using terms denoting time.
By the end of Year 3, students describe the location of the states and territories of Australia, the location of
selected Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Countries/Places and selected countries neighbouring Australia.
They describe the characteristics of different places at local scales and identify and describe similarities and
differences between the characteristics of these places. They identify connections between people and the
characteristics of places and recognise that people have different perceptions of places.
Students pose geographical questions and locate and collect information from different sources to answer
these questions. They record and represent data in tables and simple graphs and the location of places and
their characteristics on labelled maps that use the cartographic conventions of legend, title and north point.
They describe the location of places and their features using simple grid references and cardinal compass
points. Students interpret geographical data to identify and describe distributions and draw conclusions. They
present findings using simple geographical terminology in a range of texts. They reflect on their learning to
suggest individual action in response to a geographical challenge.
By the end of Year 3, students explain the role of rules in their community and the importance of making
decisions democratically. They describe how people participate in their community as active citizens.
HASS Curriculum F10
Students pose simple questions about the society in which they live. They collect information from sources to
answer these questions. They examine information to identify a point of view and draw simple conclusions.
Students share their views on an issue and describe how they participate in a group. They present their ideas
and conclusions in oral, visual and written forms using civics and citizenship terms.
Glossary
absolute location
Location measured by the coordinates of latitude and longitude. Also see relative location.
absolute majority
The minimum number of votes required, which is more than half of all votes, that is, 50 per cent plus one, to
make a democratic decision by a group.
active citizenship
Involvement and informed participation in the civic and political activities of society at local, state, national,
regional and global levels. It contrasts with ‘passive citizenship’ where citizens participate only minimally to
meet their basic individual responsibilities including voting and paying taxes.
AD
A part of a dating system, an abbreviation of ‘anno Domini’, meaning ‘in the year of our Lord’; the years
after the birth of Christ.
aerial photograph
A photograph taken from the air, which can be oblique (taken at an angle) or vertical (taken from straight
above the ground); the former being easier for young students to interpret.
ancient
As defined in the Australian Curriculum: History, the ancient period covers history from the development of
early human communities (from 60 000 BCE) to the end of late antiquity (around 650 CE).
Anzac Day
A national remembrance in Australia for the troops that fought at Gallipoli in Turkey (April–December 1915)
during World War I, and for Australians who have fought in subsequent conflicts. The acronym ANZAC
refers to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
artefact
Something made or shaped by humans for their use, such as a stone tool, a metal sword, a letter, a plastic
toy, usually of historical interest.
Asia
As defined in the Australian Curriculum: History, Asia refers to the territorial area that extends from the
western border of Pakistan, to the northern border of Mongolia, the eastern border of Japan, and to the
southern border of Indonesia.
attachment to place
People’s emotional feelings about and identification with places, which can contribute to their personal
wellbeing and sense of identity.
Australian democracy
A system of government grounded in liberal democratic values and a belief in civic engagement. It includes
a written constitution, a wellestablished representative parliamentary process based on the Westminster
system, and a constitutional monarch.
Australian Government, the
The national government of the Commonwealth of Australia, which is also known as the federal government
or the Commonwealth Government. It was established by the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act
at the time of Federation.
basic standard of living
A standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of a person and his/her family, including food,
clothing, housing, medical care, necessary social services, the right to security in the event of
unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond
his/her control, special care for mothers and children, and social protection for all children.
BCE
An abbreviation of ‘before the Common Era’. It is the same dating system as the traditionally used BC,
meaning ‘before Christ’. Historical dates before the birth of Christ are classified as BCE. There is no year
zero in this dating system, so the year CE 1 immediately follows the year 1 BCE. Also see the CE.
biodiversity
A variety of living organisms and ecosystems they form. Biodiversity has direct value as consumable or
useful commodities, indirect value through the provision of ecosystem services, and intrinsic value
independent of its utility to humans.
blue water
In geography, fresh water in rivers, lakes and dams.
burden of proof
In law, an obligation to prove what is alleged. In criminal cases, this obligation rests on prosecution, which
must prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. In civil cases, it rests on a plaintiff, who must prove his or her
case on the balance of probabilities. Sometimes, however, this burden shifts, for example, where a
defendant raises particular defences.
business
An organisation, enterprise or business engaged in the production and trade of goods or services, usually
for profit.
business environment
Contemporary events or trends that influence a business, industry or market.
Cabinet, the
The Cabinet consists of the most senior ministers, including the Prime Minister. The Cabinet's role is to
make major policy decisions, including decisions about spending, appointments and introducing legislation.
capital
In economics and business, all physical equipment (machinery, buildings, infrastructure) used by human
labour in a process of production, for example, a secretary uses a computer; a farmer uses a mechanical
plough. In modern economies, intellectual property and knowledge are types of human capital – necessary
resources in the production of goods and services.
A study of and practice of map making, including construction of projections, design, compilation, drafting
and reproduction, which aims to model reality in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.
cause and effect
Used by historians to identify chains of events and developments over time, shortterm and longterm.
CE
An abbreviation of `Common Era’. It is the same dating system as the traditionally used AD, short for the
Latin phrase anno Domini, ‘in the year of our Lord’. Historical dates after the birth of Christ are classified as
CE. There is no year zero in this dating system, so the year CE 1 immediately follows the year 1 BCE. Also
see BCE.
characteristics of places
Geographical characteristics of places include people, climate, production, landforms, built elements of the
environment, soils, vegetation, communities, water resources, cultures, mineral resources and landscape.
Some characteristics are tangible, for example, rivers and buildings. Others are intangible, for example,
scenic quality and socioeconomic status.
choropleth map
A thematic map in which areas are shaded to show higher and lower values of the variable, for example,
population density.
chronology
A study of time. In history, chronology involves an arrangement of events in order, as in a timeline.
circular flow of income
An economic model that provides a theoretical and simplified representation of operations of an economy,
depicting interactions between various sectors of the economy (household, business, finance, government
and foreign sectors) and the flows of resources and income between them.
citizen
A person who holds citizenship of a polity, such as a country, and who is a member of a political community
that grants certain rights and privileges to its citizens, and in return expects them to act responsibly such as
to obey their country's laws. Also see global citizen.
citizenship
In the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences, there are two uses of the term:
A legal status granted by birth or naturalisation to citizens involving certain rights (for example,
protection, passport, voting) and responsibilities (for example, obey the law, vote, defend
country). A modern sense incorporates three components: civil (rights and responsibilities),
political (participation and representation), and social (social virtues and community involvement).
An identifiable body of knowledge, understanding and skills relating to the organisation and
working of society, including a country's political and social heritage, democratic processes,
government, public administration and judicial systems.
civic life
A participation one has within a community or communities as distinct from private and family life.
civics
An identifiable body of knowledge, skills and understandings relating to the organisation and working of
society. It refers to a nation’s political and social heritage, democratic processes, government, public
administration and legal system.
civility
Habits of people that display courtesy, politeness and formal regard for others. These behaviours contribute
to society’s effective functioning.
climate
A longterm average (minimum 30 years) of weather conditions at a place. For example, some climates are
hot and wet all year (Singapore); some have hot, wet summers and warm, dry winters (Darwin); and some
have warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters (Adelaide and Perth). Climates can be classified into
distinctive types, such as equatorial, tropical, temperate, Mediterranean, semiarid and arid. These types
are found in similar locations around the world.
climate graph
A graph showing average monthly temperature (by a line) and rainfall (by columns) for a location.
climatic zones
Areas of the earth that have similar climatic conditions. The major zones are hot, temperate and polar and
are roughly demarcated by lines of latitude.
common good
A term that is popularly understood as sharing of resources among a community for the benefit of that
community as a whole. The common good is often seen as a utilitarian ideal representing the greatest
possible good for the greatest possible number of individuals as opposed to the private good for individuals
or sections of society.
common law
A body of English law traditionally based on custom and court decisions. Also known as case law or
precedent, it is law developed by judges through decisions of earlier courts and an understanding of current
context. Also see statute (statutory law).
comparative advantage
According to comparative advantage, all countries can gain from trade with each other, regardless of their
factor endowments (land, labour, capital and entrepreneurship). Given a choice of producing two products,
a country is said to have a comparative advantage when it specialises in the production and export of
particular goods and services that it can produce more efficiently; that is, at a lower opportunity cost than
competitors.
competitive advantage
An advantage that a business holds over others in its industry, sector or location. The advantage means
that a business is able to sell more of a product, or operate at a lower cost, or better meet the needs of
consumers. Competitive advantage usually implies that a business is more profitable than its competitors.
concept
Any general notion or idea that is used to develop an understanding of the past, such as concepts related
to the process of historical inquiry (for example, evidence, continuity and change, perspectives,
significance) and concepts that are culturally significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,
such as Country/Place.
conservation and preservation
Conservation is careful management of the environment and natural resources, acknowledging that they
may be changed in order to affect a better future for humankind, but not if the impacts on them are too
great. Alternatively, preservation is an act of maintaining the existing condition of environmental areas as
yet untouched by humans.
consumer
A person or a group that is the final user of goods and services produced within an economy.
constitution
Fundamental principles on which a state or other organisation (such as a club) is governed. Usually, this
takes the form of a legal document setting out specific powers for a government or governing of that entity.
contestability
An inescapable characteristic of history that occurs when particular interpretations about the past are open
to debate, for example, as a result of a lack of evidence or different perspectives.
continuity and change
Are both evident in any given period of time and apply to the material and immaterial world, continuities
being aspects of the past that remain(ed) the same over certain periods of time.
continuous resources
Those resources, such as solar or wind energy, whose availability is unaffected by their use by humans.
Also see environmental resources.
constitutional monarchy
A form of monarchy in which a monarch acts as a country’s head of state according to law as required by
the constitution and that in exercising his or her discretionary powers, the monarch as head of state acts on
advice of responsible ministers, excluding exceptional circumstances.
conventions
In Civics and Citizenship, unwritten rules of political procedure based on traditional, established practices
that are widely accepted. Australia’s political system has adopted many of the unwritten conventions of the
British Westminster system. Conventions may defy the Constitution; for example, the procedure for the
appointment of Australia’s GovernorGeneral.
costbenefit analysis
Determination and evaluation of benefits and costs of a project or decision. The evaluation includes
monetary and nonmonetary effects.
Country/Place
In the Australian Curriculum, Country in this instance refers to a space mapped out by physical or intangible
boundaries that individuals or groups of Aboriginal Peoples occupy and regard as their own. It is a space
with varying degrees of spirituality.
Place (as it pertains in Country/Place) is a space mapped out by physical or intangible boundaries that
individuals or groups of Torres Strait Islander Peoples occupy and regard as their own. It is a space with
varying degrees of spirituality.
culture
A body of beliefs, attitudes, skills and tools by which communities structure their lives and interact with their
environments.
custodial responsibility
An obligation that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have to care for the Country/Place on which
they live, even if they are not traditional owners of that Country/Place. Traditional owners have primary
responsibility for Country/Place.
customary law
Acknowledged behaviour by individuals and groups, which recognise benefits of behaving in accordance
with other individuals' expectations and customs. In the Australian Curriculum, this refers to the
customarylaw of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; however, in Australia, customary law is
subject to constitutional and common law. Also see common law and statute (statutory law).
data
Information that is directly recorded, which can be quantitative or qualitative.
demand
In economics and business, an amount of a good or service that consumers are willing and able to
purchase at a particular point in time.
democracy
A system of government where power is vested in the people, who may exercise it directly or through
elected representatives, and who may remove and replace their political leaders and government in free
and fair regular elections.
depth study
As described in the Australian Curriculum: History, a detailed study of specific aspects of a historical period,
for example, a particular society, event, movement or development. It gives students an opportunity to
develop and apply concepts and skills of historical inquiry. A depth study commonly employs investigation of
a range of sources, and may include site and museum visits.
development
Economic, social and political changes that improve the wellbeing of people.
digital mapping tools
Software programs that draw maps.
digital media
Data generated in a computer, that is, digital audio, digital video, the World Wide Web and other
technologies.
direct action
People participating in person and directly on issues they seek to change, within the bounds of the law.
distribution
In social sciences, arrangements of data or items, for example, in geography, arrangements of items in
particular places (distribution of population in a country, distribution of forests across the world).
division of powers
Vesting of powers within different levels of government. Under the Australian Constitution, the
Commonwealth Government was vested with specific powers while the states retained general powers. In
practice, the distribution of powers has become increasingly centralised over time.
economics
A social science (study of human behaviour) that studies decisions made by individuals, households,
businesses, governments and other groups about how scarce resources are allocated in attempting to
satisfy needs and unlimited wants.
economic development
A quantitative (output and value) and qualitative (wellbeing) improvement in the standard of living.
economic growth
An increase in the quantity of goods and services produced in an economy over a period of time; an
increasing ability of society to satisfy the needs and wants of its people.
economic sustainability
Economic activity that supports the economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.
economic system
A system that coordinates production and distribution of goods and services.
economy
All activities undertaken for the purpose of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
in a region or country.
ecosystem
A functioning unit of nature defined by a complex set of relationships among its living organisms (such as
microorganisms, plants, animals, humans) and its nonliving components (such as water, minerals, soil,
air), where all organisms and components are interdependent through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
Every unit can be explored at macro levels (such as the planet) or as specific limited areas.
ecosystembased management
Management based on improving health of an ecosystem producing commodities rather than on
maximising production of individual commodities, for example, by increasing biodiversity, restoring
hydrological systems, protecting marine breeding areas or rebuilding soil structure and fertility.
electors
People who have the right to participate in an election and chose to do so.
empathy
As defined in the Australian Curriculum: History, engaging with past thought and feelings through a
historical inquiry.
empire
An extensive group of states or countries ruled over by a single monarch, or a sovereign state, which
exercises political, economic and cultural rule or control over the people within, such as the Roman Empire
and the British Empire.
energy flow
A flow of energy through a biological food chain; a movement of energy around an ecosystem through
biotic (living) and abiotic (nonliving) means. Also referred to as ecology.
entrepreneur
A person who sets out to build a successful business in a new field. Entrepreneur’s methods are sometimes
regarded as ‘groundbreaking’ or innovative.
enterprise
A business unit, company or project that is profitoriented, nonprofit, privately owned or government
controlled, and that combines scarce resources for a production and supply of goods and services, and
especially may require boldness or effort. Alternatively, the term may refer to an undertaking of a project or
business.
environment
A setting and conditions of an area in which activity occurs, and where features may be natural, managed
or constructed.
environmental functions
Functions of an environment that support human life and economic activity are:
production of raw materials from the natural resources of soil, water, forests, minerals and marine
life (the earth’s source function)
safe absorption (through breakdown, recycling or storage) of wastes and pollution produced by
production and human life (the earth’s sink function)
provision of environmental or ecosystem services that support life without requiring human action,
for example, climatic stability, biodiversity, ecosystem integrity and protection from ultraviolet
radiation (the earth’s service function)
intrinsic recreational, psychological, aesthetic and spiritual value of environments (the earth’s
spiritual function).
environmental quality
Characteristics of a local environment that affect human physical and mental health and quality of life, for
example, an extent of air and water pollution, noise, access to open space, traffic volumes, and visual
effects of buildings and roads.
Resources sourced from an environment, which can be classified as renewable, nonrenewable and
continuous.
environmental world view
A person’s view of the relationship between humans and nature. This ranges from humancentred (in which
humans are separate from nature, and any environmental problems can be solved by technology) to earth
centred (in which humans are a part of and dependent on nature and have to work with nature).
equity
A perceived fairness of the way scarce resources are used and the way benefits of production are
distributed.
ethical protocols
Involves an application of fundamental ethical principles when undertaking research and collecting
information from primarysources and secondarysources, for example, confidentiality, informed consent,
citation and integrity of data.
evidence
What can be learnt from a historical source to help construct a historical narrative. Also see primary source
and secondary source.
executive
Also known as the Crown or the government. An institution that develops and implements policies and
administers the law in Australia. It comprises the GovernorGeneral (or Governor at the state level), the
ministry and the public service.
Executive Council
A constitutional mechanism for providing ministerial advice to the GovernorGeneral. The Executive
Council, which is comprised of ministers and presided over by the GovernorGeneral (or Governor, at the
state level) meets to advise the GovernorGeneral or Governor to approve decisions that have been made
by the Cabinet. Once approved, decisions are given effect by the public service.
export industries
Industries that sell a service to customers who come from other places to obtain the service, as in tourism
and education of students from overseas. Both industries bring income into a place.
factors of production
Resources used in the production of goods and services classified as land, labour, capital and enterprise.
features of places
In geography, visible elements of a place or landscape, classified as natural, managed and constructed.
This term is used in early primary education, but is later replaced by the term ‘characteristics’, which
includes both visible and invisible elements of a place.
federalism
A principle of government, which defines a relationship between the central government at the national level
and its constituent units at the regional, state or local levels. In Australia, federalism is the division of powers
between the federal government and the states and territories.
fieldwork
Any activity involving observation and recording of information outside a classroom. It could be within the
school grounds, around neighbouring areas or in more distant locations.
geographical inquiry methodology
A process of gathering information from primary sources and secondary sources as part of the
geographical inquiry process. Geographical inquirymethodologies involve skills needed to formulate
questions, and initiating, planning and implementing an inquiry relevant to a geographical issue, process or
phenomenon.
geomorphic
Relating to a form, shape, structure or surface of the earth or its topography.
geographical significance
Why a question is worth investigating.
geomorphic hazard
A hazard originating from the lithosphere, including volcanic eruption, earthquake, tsunami and mass
movement (landslides or avalanches).
geomorphic landscape
An area defined by a distinctive set of landforms produced by a distinctive set of geomorphic processes, for
example, a riverine, arid or coastal landscape.
geographical processes
Physical and human forces that work in combination to form and transform the world, for example, erosion,
hydrological (water) cycle, migration or urbanisation. Geographical processes can operate within and
between places.
global citizen
A person who understands their rights and responsibilities at a global level; that is, one’s identity transcends
geography or political borders, and rights and responsibilities are derived from being human. However,
these rights and responsibilities do not have legal authority or sanctions that those conferred by a nation
have.
goods
Tangible items that satisfy needs and wants, and that can be seen and touched.
GovernorGeneral
A representative of a monarch at the federal level in Australia. The GovernorGeneral exercises most of the
monarch’s powers in relation to Australia at the federal level, while state governors exercise those powers
with respect to the Australian states. Other powers are conferred upon the GovernorGeneral by the
Constitution and statutes. In exercising his or her powers, the GovernorGeneral is bound by convention to
act on an advice of his or her responsible ministers, except in relation to matters such as appointment and
dismissal of a Prime Minister.
green water
In geography, water available for plant growth as soil moisture. Almost all of the world’s natural vegetation,
and most of its agriculture, depend on soil moisture.
Harmony Day
A national day, held in Australia, which celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and promotes intercultural
understanding and peace.
hazards
In geography, when forces of nature combine to become destructive and have potential to damage the
environment and endanger communities.
historical inquiry
In history, a process of investigation undertaken in order to understand the past. Steps in the inquiry
process include posing questions, locating and analysing sources and using evidence from sources to
develop an informed explanation about the past.
housing density
The number of dwellings per hectare. Data required to calculate this measure can be obtained from
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011 Census QuickStats and community profiles.
human–environment systems thinking
A method of analysing complex interactions between an environment and people, which is able to integrate
environmental with attitudinal, demographic, social, economic, technological and political factors. Systems
thinking seeks to understand the whole rather than its parts, and see patterns of change over time rather
than just as a snapshot in time. The drivers–pressures–state–impact–response (DPSIR) model used in the
Australian State of the Environment report (SoE 2011) is an example of a human–environment system.
Systems can be extended to include elements, for example, values and beliefs.
human rights
Rights that come from being human. That is, the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are
entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality
before the law.
human wellbeing
Quality of life of a population. This can be measured by objective indicators, for example, life expectancy,
educational attainment and income, or by subjective measures of how people perceive the quality of their
life, as revealed by surveys of happiness.
hydrological systems
Systems of water movement on, above and below the surface of the earth.
identity
A person’s conception and expression of their individuality or association with a group. In this curriculum,
identity refers to a person's sense of belonging to a group, culture or to a state or nation, a region or the
world. It is a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status.
industrialism
An introduction of machinery to produce large quantities of goods using fuelbased technology.
Industrialisation involves a division of labour and a development of factories and cities.
industry sector
An area of a business operation. Businesses operate in the primary, secondary and tertiary industry
sectors. The primary industry produces goods through the use and extraction of natural resources (for
example, agriculture and mining). The secondary industry is concerned with converting primary industry
materials into finished goods (for example, manufacturing, textiles and food). The tertiary industry provides
services (for example, information, tourism and telecommunications).
interdependence
A joint dependence between participants in an economy; that is, the reliance of consumers, workers,
businesses and governments on each other. In modern economies, people tend to specialise in the
production of a good or service, and trade that item for another that they could not provide or produce for
themselves.
internal migration
Movement of people from living in one defined area to living in another within a country, for example,
movement from cities to nonmetropolitan coastal locations, or between states and territories.
interpretation
In history, an explanation of the past, for example, about a specific person, event or development. There
may be more than one interpretation of a particular aspect of the past because historians may have used
different sources, asked different questions and held different points of view about the topic.
interregional transfer of water
A transfer of water from one river basin to another, for example, the transfer of water from the Snowy River
to the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers in the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
land and water degradation
Degradation of the health of land and water resources through human actions in ways that threaten ability
of these resources to maintain their environmental functions. Degradation includes salinity, accelerated soil
erosion, soil fertility decline, soil acidification, spread of weeds, loss of biodiversity and habitats, and water
pollution.
landform
Individual surface features of the earth identified by their shape, for example, dunes, plateaus, canyons,
beaches, plains, hills, rivers and valleys.
landscape
A visible appearance of an area, created by a combination of geological, geomorphological, biological and
cultural layers that have evolved over time, and as perceived, portrayed and valued by people. A
geomorphic landscape is the landscape without the biological and cultural layers.
law
A system of rules that a particular country or community recognises as regulating the actions of its
members and which it may enforce by an imposition of penalties and sanctions.
liberal democracy
An approach to political arrangements that takes the view that the ideal political system should combine
majority rule by the people with the protection of the political, legal and social rights of individuals and
minority groups.
lithosphere
The solid portion or crust and upper mantle of the earth, also called the geosphere, which is distinguished
from atmosphere and hydrosphere.
liveability
An assessment of what a place is like to live in, using particular criteria, for example, environmental quality,
crime and safety, education and health provision, access to shops and services, recreational facilities and
cultural activities.
local area
An area around a student’s home or school that can be explored in a few hours. The local level of scale
refers to all areas of similar size.
market
An exchange of goods, services or resources between buyers and sellers.
media
Forms of communication between a source and receivers including television, radio, print media and the
internet, as well as forms of social media. The term usually refers to mass media and the ability of media to
inform and influence people. Media are key players in democracies where citizens need to be informed,
influenced and open to a diversity of views.
modern
As defined in the Australian Curriculum: History, the modern period covers history from the beginning of the
Industrial Revolution around 1750 CE to the present.
multicultural
A preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society such as a state or nation.
multifaith
A society characterised by support for, or free activity of, religions within the bounds of the law.
narrative
In history, a way of making sense of the past based on a selection of events. There are different types of
narrative such as accounts of the past that relate a story (for example, personal, fictitious) and historical
recounts (for example, the course of events during the Second World War).
native title
The name given by the High Court of Australia to Indigenous property rights recognised by the court in the
Mabo judgement (3 June 1992). The Mabo judgement overthrew the concept of terra nullius – that the land
of Australia had belonged to noone when the British arrived in 1788.
natural vegetation
Vegetation that has evolved in an area over time.
needs
In economics and business, a good or service that consumers consider necessary to maintain their
standard of living.
nongovernment organisation (NGO)
A group that is organised at a local, national or international level around a common interest and on a non
profit, voluntary basis. NGOs mostly operate independently of a government, but when funded by a
government, still maintain their independence.
nonprofit
A business that uses surplus funds to achieve its goals rather than distribute these funds to the owners.
These often exist in the form of charities, service organisations and clubs.
nonrenewable resources
In geography, those resources that cannot be renewed, for example, minerals. Soils that have been
degraded can only be renewed over long timescales. Also see environmental resources.
opportunity cost
What you have to forgo if you choose to do A rather than B; the value of the next best alternative that is
foregone whenever a choice is made.
oral histories
People’s spoken recollections of the past, sometimes recorded through an audio or video interview.
outline map
A map that only gives very basic information so that more detail can be added, for example, a map showing
borders of a country.
overview
As described in the Australian Curriculum: History, an overview provides a conceptual and chronological
framework for understanding a particular historical period. It can consist of key features, events,
developments and broad patterns of historical change. An overview provides a context for a depth study.
parliamentary democracy
A system of government in which executive is formed from, and responsible to, a parliament, and a head of
government (for example, the Prime Minister) is different from a head of state (for example, the Queen).
pattern
In social sciences, a regularity in data portrayed in graphs or maps, for example, a decline in population
density or rainfall in Australia with increasing distance from the coast.
perception
In geography, people’s subjective assessment of places and environments.
perspective
In humanities and social sciences, a world view or a set of ideas or beliefs that guide actions. Perspectives
draw on a person’s or group’s age, gender experiences, cultural or religious background, ideologies and/or
intellectual contexts, which influence their world view and inform their opinions, values, and actions. Two
types of perspective can be considered: those ‘of’ people, and perspectives ‘on’ events and phenomena of
the past and present. Also see point of view.
place
In geography, parts of the earth’s surface that are identified and given meaning by people, which may be
perceived, experienced, understood and valued differently.
point of view
Looking at someone or something from a location or position. In the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and
Social Sciences, an individual’s view about a particular person, event or phenomena, which may be
irrational and/or immediately sensed, or deeply considered and reflective. Also see perspective.
population pyramid/profile
A graph showing the age and sex composition of a population.
preferential voting
A system of voting to rank candidates in order of preference. It is necessary for a winning candidate to
achieve an absolute majority (50 per cent plus one). If no candidate achieves an absolute majority, a
candidate with the fewest number of first preferences is excluded from the count, and his or her votes are
distributed among the remaining candidates according to second preferences. This process is continued
until one candidate achieves an absolute majority. It is the dominant form of voting in Australian politics (as
compared with simple majority systems of voting).
preservation and conservation
Preservation is an act of maintaining the existing condition of environmental areas as yet untouched by
humans. Alternatively, conservation is a careful management of an environment and natural resources,
acknowledging that they may be changed in order to affect a better future for humankind, but not if the
impacts on them are too great.
prevention, mitigation and preparedness
In geography, prevention and mitigation are actions taken in advance to decrease or eliminate an impact of
a hazardous event on people, communities and the environment, by actions including, for example,
lessening a hazard and reducing a vulnerability of a community. Preparedness refers to actions taken to
create and maintain a capacity of communities to respond to, and recover from, natural disasters, through
measures like planning, community education, information management, communications and warning
systems.
primary sources
In history, objects and documents created or written during the time being investigated, for example, during
an event or very soon after. Examples of primary sources include official documents, such as laws and
treaties; personal documents, such as diaries and letters, photographs, film and documentaries. These
original, firsthand accounts are analysed by a historian to answer questions about the past.
In geography, unprocessed, original materials collected by a student, for example, field notes from
observations, measurements taken from experiments, or responses received from a survey or
questionnaire.
producer
In economics and business, individuals and/or business involved in a production of goods and services.
proportional representation
A representation of parties, groups or individuals in a legislature in proportion to the number of votes they
receive in an election. In Australia, proportional representation describes the way candidates are elected in
multimember electorates such as the Senate.
referendum
A principle or practice of referring measures proposed or passed by a legislative body to a vote of an
electorate for approval or rejection. In Australia, a referendum is a vote of the Australian electors on a
proposed change to the Constitution by the Commonwealth Parliament that must be approved by a majority
of the aggregate of all voters from each state and territory, and also by a majority of voters in a majority
(four) of the six states.
region
An area in which various parts have something in common, which distinguishes them from neighbouring
regions. Regions can be divisions of a nation, for example, the Wheatbelt of Western Australia; or larger
than a nation, for example, SouthEast Asia or a climatic zone. The latter are called ‘world regions’ in the
Australian Curriculum.
remote
Distant, far away, for example, a place distant from major population and economic centres.
relative location
A location relative to other places, for example, a distance to a town from other towns. Relative location has
a stronger influence on human characteristics of places than absolute location, as demonstrated by
advantages of closeness to suppliers, finance, information and markets for businesses, and to education
and employment opportunities for individuals. Also see absolute location.
religion
An organised system of human values, which recognises spiritual or transcendent dimensions in life.
renewable resources
Resources that are or can be renewed within a relatively short time, for example, water through a
hydrological (water) cycle; and plants, animals and marine life through reproduction. However, overuse of a
renewable resource can lead to its disappearance, as with an overexploitation of a fishery or an over
extraction of groundwater. Also see environmental resources.
representation
In geography, demonstrating geographical information in a visual form, for example, a graph, map, image,
field sketch or a multilayered map.
representative democracy
A system of government in which electors choose representatives to a parliament to make laws on their
behalf.
resource allocation
The assigning of limited resources to produce goods and services to meet society’s needs and unlimited
wants.
resources
A means to produce goods and services that satisfy needs and wants. The four economic resources
(factors of production) are land, labour, capital and enterprise. Production usually requires a combination of
resources.
rights and responsibilities
Entitlements and obligations that are associated with living in Australia. Rights and responsibilities are a
cornerstone of modern democracies. While all people in Australia enjoy certain rights (for example, freedom
of speech), there are also responsibilities (for example, paying taxes, jury service). Citizens also have the
right to vote and the responsibility of voting at elections.
rule
A requirement to behave in a particular way; a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles
governing conduct or procedure within a particular area of activity, for example, school rules, rules of
cricket. Rules are usually developed and set by people who have the power and authority to create and
enforce them.
rule of law
A legal principle that decisions by government are made according to established principles and that all
citizens are subject to the law and equal before the law. Embedded within the rule oflaw is the idea that
people accept and follow, but also change as needed, laws as agreed by a political process and upheld by
independent courts.
satellite image
A digital image captured by a satellite above the earth’s surface, for example, those combined in Google
Earth. They can be processed to measure specific aspects of the land surface, for example, areas of water
or cropland.
scale
In geography, there are two uses of the term ‘scale’:
A way that geographical phenomena and problems can be examined at different spatial levels,
such as local scale and global scale (spatial scale)
A relationship between a distance on a ground and a corresponding distance on a map, with the
scale coded on the map as a ratio, for example, ‘1 cm:100 km’ (map scale).
scarcity
An economic problem of having needs and unlimited wants, but limited resources that can be used to
achieve those needs and wants.
scattergram graphic organiser
A graphic organiser to record collected data to reveal correlations, for example, dates and ages of death
collected from a scan of a cemetery.
seasonal calendar
A classification of weeks or months of a year into seasons. The standard classification is spring, summer,
autumn and winter, but this is a temperate zone concept imported from Europe. In northern Australia, the
seasons are commonly described as the wet and the dry. Aboriginal cultures have much more complex
classifications, and these vary considerably from region to region across Australia because they are finely
tuned to local climates and changing availability of food and other resources.
secondary sources
In history, accounts about the past that were created after the time being investigated, and which often use
or refer to primary sources and present a particular interpretation. Examples of secondary sources include
writings of historians, encyclopaedia, documentaries, history textbooks and websites.
In geography, sources of information that have been collected, processed, interpreted and published by
others, for example, census data, newspaper articles, and images or information in a published report.
secular
Relating to worldly rather than religion; things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual or sacred. For
example, a secular society is one governed by people’s laws through parliament rather than by religious
laws.
separation of powers
A doctrine that the three arms of government – the executive, the legislature (parliament) and the judiciary
– are separate and independent, with powers that act as a check and balance on each other. In Australia,
the separation between the executive and the legislature is weak because the executive is drawn from the
legislature, but the separation between the judiciary and the other two arms of government is strong and is
enforced by courts.
settlement pattern
A spatial distribution of different types of human settlement, from isolated dwellings to villages and
outstations, towns, regional centres and large cities. Smaller settlements typically form spatial patterns
around larger settlements.
significance
Pertaining to events, periods, developments, perspectives and ideas of the past, which are regarded as
having important consequences, duration and relevance to the present, from the point of view of society or
ordinary people when contextualised to larger events.
social connectedness
A measure of a number and strength of people’s social relationships with other people. These relationships
or connections may be with people in the same place or in other places, and they can be facetoface
connections or electronic. The opposite of good social connections is social isolation or loneliness.
social justice
A concept that all people have the right to fair treatment and equal access to the benefits of society.
social sustainability
An idea that current generations promote social inclusion, cohesion and accountability so that future
generations should be able to have the same or greater access to social resources as the current
generations.
source
Any written or nonwritten material that can be used to investigate the past, for example, coins,
photographs, letters, gravestones, buildings, transcript. A source becomes ‘evidence’ if it is of value to a
particular inquiry.
space
In geography, a threedimensional surface of the earth on which everything is located and across which
people, goods and information move.
spatial association
In geography, similarity in spatial distributions of two or more phenomena. A spatial association suggests
that there may be a relationship between the phenomena, which can then be explained through an
operation of atmospheric, hydrologic, geomorphic, biological, socioeconomic or political processes.
spatial distribution
An arrangement of particular phenomena or activities across the surface of the earth.
spatial technologies
Any software or hardware that interacts with realworld locations. A use of spatial technologies forms the
basis of many geographers’ work practice. The Global Positioning System (GPS), Google Earth, geographic
information systems (GIS) and satellite images are the most commonly used spatial technologies to
visualise, manipulate, analyse, display and record spatial data.
spatial variations
A difference or variation (in terms of population, population density, gross domestic product (GDP), life
expectancy) over an area of the earth’s surface.
standard of living
A level of wealth and consumption of a population (such as a nation or socioeconomic group), measured by
using factors such as gross domestic product (GDP), inflation, income, employment, poverty rate, housing,
access to and standard of health care and education, safety, and environmental quality.
statute (statutory law)
In Australia, a statute is a written law, also known as an act of parliament or legislation, which commences
as a bill, is passed by the parliament and has received royal assent (by the GovernorGeneral or a
governor, or, in very rare cases, directly by the monarch). A statute may commence upon royal assent, or a
specified date, or upon a date declared in a proclamation. Also see common law.
stewardship
One of many world views that informs ways of achieving sustainability. When applied to the environment,
stewardship is an ethical position that supports careful management of environmental resources for the
benefit of present and future generations. Stewards do not own resources; they only manage them.
supply
An amount of goods and services that are available; an amount of goods that producers are willing to offer
for sale.
sustainability
An ongoing capacity of an environment to maintain all life, whereby the needs of the present are met
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
sustainable development
A development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs. Sustainable development values resources for their future as well as current uses.
system
A group of interacting objects, materials or processes that form an integrated whole. In geography,
biophysical systems include humans and their activities and impacts.
term
In the Australian Curriculum: History, a word or phrase used to describe an abstract aspect or feature of the
past (for example, colonisation, revolution, imperialism, democracy) and more specific features (for
example, pyramid, gladiator, temple, rock shelter).
terra nullius
A concept in international law meaning 'a territory belonging to noone' or 'over which noone claims
ownership'. The concept has been used to justify the colonisation of Australia. Also see native title.
thematic map
A map that portrays a specific type of information, for example, rainfall, transport routes, climatic zones or
population distribution.
topographic map
A detailed, largescale map of a part of the earth’s surface, which illustrates the shape of a land and
selected natural and human features from the surrounding environment.
tradeoff
A sacrifice that must be made when choosing how to use resources. The preferred (next best) alternative is
known as the opportunity cost.
trend
A pattern in change over time in a set of data.
urbanisation
A process of economic and social change in which an increasing proportion of the population of a country
or region live in urban areas.
vegetation corridor
Strips of vegetation that connect larger but isolated vegetated areas. They enable movement of animals
and plants between places, reduce ecological effects of habitat fragmentation and help protect biodiversity.
voting
A means of formally expressing opinion or choice on an issue or electing a representative. The term is
frequently understood in relation to government as a formal expression of preference for a candidate for
office or for a proposed resolution of an issue within a parliament.
wants
A good or service that is desired in order to provide satisfaction to a user, but which is not necessary for
survival or to meet the basic standard of living in a community.
water scarcity
A lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of water usage within a place. It can
result from an absolute shortage of water (physical water scarcity), lack of money to utilise an adequate
source of water (economic water scarcity) or the unequal distribution of water resources due to political or
ethnic conflict.
wellbeing
An overall measure of quality of life for individuals and society.
West Asia (Middle East)
The countries of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Jordan,
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Iran. Afghanistan is
sometimes included in the region, or in Central Asia. ‘West Asia’ is also known as the ‘Middle East’.
Westminster system
A system of parliamentary government, also known as responsible government, which evolved in England
and was adopted in its colonies, including Australia. It is based on the principle that the executive
government is responsible to the people through the parliament. The executive government is formed by
those who command the support of the lower House of Parliament. Ministers, including the Prime Minister,
are members of a House of Parliament and are accountable to it. There is a separate, largely ceremonial,
head of state, an independent public service and an independent judiciary that applies the rule oflaw.
world region
Biophysical, geographical, economic or political regions larger than a nation, for example, the Sahara
Desert, SubSaharan Africa, the Global North and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
History
Page 101 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences History
History How the Subject works
History is a disciplined process of inquiry into the
past that develops students’ curiosity and curriculum introduction hist…
imagination. Awareness of history is an essential
characteristic of any society, and historical
knowledge is fundamental to understanding
ourselves and others. History promotes the
understanding of societies, events, movements
and developments that have shaped humanity
from earliest times. It helps students appreciate
how the world and its people have changed, as
well as the significant continuities that exist to the
present day. History, as a discipline, has its own
methods and procedures which make it different from other ways of understanding human experience. The
study of history is based on evidence derived from remains of the past. It is interpretative by nature, promotes
debate and encourages thinking about human values, including present and future challenges. The process
of historical inquiry develops transferable skills such as the ability to ask relevant questions; critically analyse
and interpret sources; consider context; respect and explain different perspectives; develop and substantiate
interpretations, and communicate effectively.
The 7–10 curriculum generally takes a world history approach within which the history of Australia is taught. It
does this to equip students for the world (local, regional and global) in which they live. An understanding of
world history enhances students’ appreciation of Australian history. It enables them to develop an
understanding of the past and present experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, their
identities and the continuing value of their cultures. It also helps students to appreciate Australia’s distinctive
path of social, economic and political development, its position in the Asia and Pacific regions, and its global
interrelationships. This knowledge and understanding is essential for informed and active participation in
Australia’s diverse society and in creating rewarding personal and collective futures.
The Australian Curriculum: History aims to ensure that students develop:
interest in, and enjoyment of, historical study for lifelong learning and work, including their capacity
and willingness to be informed and active citizens
knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the past and the forces that shape societies,
including Australian society
understanding and use of historical concepts such as evidence, continuity and change, cause and
effect, significance, perspectives, empathy and contestability
capacity to undertake historical inquiry, including skills in the analysis and use of sources, and in
explanation and communication.
The Australian Curriculum: History is organised into two interrelated strands: historical knowledge and
understanding and historical inquiry and skills.
Historical knowledge and understanding strand
This strand includes personal, family, local, state or territory, national, regional and world history. The strand
This strand includes personal, family, local, state or territory, national, regional and world history. The strand
includes a study of societies, events, movements and developments that have shaped world history from the
time of the earliest human communities to the present day.
Concepts for developing historical understanding
The Australian Curriculum: History identifies the concepts of evidence, continuity and change, cause and
effect, significance, perspectives, empathy and contestability as integral to the development of historical
understanding. These concepts are the key ideas involved in teaching students to think historically in the
Australian Curriculum: History and are developed in the following ways:
Evidence
Evidence is what can be learnt from a historical source to help construct a historical narrative, to support a
hypothesis or to prove or disprove a conclusion. Historical sources do not ‘speak for themselves’. While a
source can offer information, it yields evidence only when relevant and probing questions are asked about it;
for example, the relative size of historical figures in an ancient painting may provide clues for an inquiry into
the social structure of a society. To find evidence in a source, a number of processes can be used, beginning
simply and becoming more sophisticated. They include comprehending explicit information, interpreting any
implied meaning, analysing patterns and themes, evaluating the usefulness of the source, and weighing up if
and how the source’s evidence helps answer the inquiry/research question being pursued. Evaluating
involves probing the ‘problematic’ aspects of a source, particularly its authenticity, accuracy and
representativeness. Evaluating those qualities can involve ‘corroboration’ – deciding whether other sources
provide evidence that complements and supports it.
Continuity and change
Continuity and change are not only key concepts in history, but ones that challenge students to move from
simplistic notions of history as a series of events, to powerfully complex understandings about change and
continuity. Change occurs at different rates simultaneously, linking forward and backward in time, while
continuities define aspects of the past that remain/ed the same over certain periods of time. Elements of
change and continuity exist simultaneously in the material and immaterial world. The complex mix of change
and continuity is readily evident in human affairs. for example, in the lives of individuals, families and
communities; the appearance and uses of places; the structure and purposes of institutions; the beliefs and
values underpinning forms of cultural and artistic practice; and the design, accessibility and use of
technologies.
Cause and effect
The concepts of cause and effect invoke the most vital question in history: ‘why?’ The term ‘cause and effect’
is used by historians to identify chains of events and developments over time, short term and long term. This
suggests that there can be multiple causes and effects of an event, that they are related, and that they can be
variously immediate or longstanding. Causes imply motive – the question of why significant players in the
unfolding events acted as they did. In establishing motive, historical study involves a reenactment of past
thinking, an elusive process fraught with challenge and inevitably ending in tentative explanations. The
challenge for students to understand the concepts of cause and effect is complex. From young students’ early
notion that things simply happen randomly, and what did happen was inevitable, the study of contextual and
causal factors in history can enable eventual understanding of the complex interrelationship of multiple,
shifting causes.
Significance
There is too much history to remember all of it. In historical studies, the selection of what should be
investigated and remembered is assisted by examining the significance of particular aspects of the past,
investigated and remembered is assisted by examining the significance of particular aspects of the past,
considering questions such as: How did people in the past view the significance of an event? How important
were the consequences of an event? What was the duration of the event? And how relevant is it to the
contemporary world? Significant events include those resulting in great change over long time periods, as well
as the history of ordinary people made significant when contextualised to larger events and of relevance to us
today. In recent decades, some historians have explored new areas of significance or have brought fresh
perspectives to traditional areas. Increasingly, there are histories of the oppressed, the marginalised and the
‘ordinary’ people of ‘ordinary’ communities, including people who were relatively powerless due to race,
religion, gender or class. Students could be engaged in historical inquiry by debating whether a particular
event is ‘historically significant’.
Perspectives
In historical study, a perspective is a person’s point of view, the position from which they see and understand
events going on around them. In studying history, two types of perspective are important. First, there are the
perspectives of people in the past and the social, cultural, intellectual, and emotional contexts that shaped
their lives and actions. Students will encounter some people from the past who had unusual and unexpected
ideas and attitudes, which can prompt students to think deeply about those ‘strange’ ideas, and also – by
comparison and contrast – about the takenforgranted assumptions of their own society. However, not all
people in any particular society in the past always had the same perspectives. As today, there could be
dramatic differences in values, attitudes and practices among people in societies long ago – producing
instability, conflict and upheaval. Studying historical differences in perspective, and consequent conflict, can
help students understand the roots of conflict in their own world and offer signposts towards possible
resolution of that conflict. At the same time, it should be remembered that a person’s point of view on a
particular issue can be affected by simple selfinterest, rather than by deeply held values and attitudes.
Second, there are the perspectives on the past. People, particularly historians, can disagree markedly about
past events, their causes and effects. There are various reasons for these differences among historians,
including which historical sources they studied, how they interpreted those sources, and the historian’s
background, knowledge, expertise and values.
Empathy
In historical inquiry, the term ‘empathy’ is used to describe engagement with past thought. The reenactment
of past thought and feeling is a greater challenge than constructing descriptions and explanations of the past.
It requires an understanding of the past from the point of view of a particular individual or group, including an
appreciation of the circumstances they faced and the motivations, values and attitudes behind their actions.
Empathy encourages students to overcome the common tendency to see people of the past as strange and
incomprehensible. Student empathy is encouraged when a teacher sets the scene in a particular historical
setting and asks the students to describe a memorable episode and to express their thoughts and feelings. It
is an imaginative activity, but unlike creative fiction, it relies on a disciplined imagination. The aim is for
students to respond in ways that are true to the time and the situation – plausible and convincing in the
activities described, words spoken, attitudes expressed and values implied. However, empathy is not
authentically achieved if later standards, customs, values and truths are used to judge other times, potentially
creating wild and unhistorical imaginings. Empathy promotes deeper understanding of ‘difference’ in the past
and – where appropriate –tolerance and acceptance in the present.
Contestability
Contestability is an inescapable characteristic of history, emerging from the essential nature of the discipline.
History is the study and description of something (‘the past’) that no longer exists. Reconstructing the past
depends on the surviving fragments of the past – themselves ‘problematic’; involves processes of
interpretation; disciplined imagination; and judgement by historians who bring to the task their various abilities,
experiences, perspectives, foibles and fallibilities. Contestability occurs when particular interpretations about
the past are open to debate, for example as a result of a lack of evidence or different perspectives, with
the past are open to debate, for example as a result of a lack of evidence or different perspectives, with
debate often remaining intractable. Some students might question the value of a discipline that seems
incapable of producing ‘the truth’. But contestability gives history a distinctive strength and value. In history, as
in life, certainty remains elusive – but nonetheless worth the pursuit.
Historical inquiry and skills strand
This strand promotes skills used in the process of historical inquiry: chronology, terms and concepts; historical
questions and research; the analysis and use of sources; perspectives and interpretations; explanation and
communication. Within this strand there is an increasing emphasis on historical interpretation and the use of
evidence.
Historical inquiry processes and skills are described in bands of schooling at twoyear intervals.
The two strands are integrated in the development of a teaching and learning program. The historical
knowledge and understanding strand provides the contexts through which particular skills are to be
developed. In each year of 7–10, the skills are applied to increasingly complex concepts.
Each year level in Years 7–10 includes key inquiry questions that provide a framework for developing
students’ historical knowledge, understanding and skills.
Overviews
Historical knowledge and understanding includes an overview of the historical period to be covered in each
year level 7–10. The overview is not intended to be taught in depth. The overview content identifies important
features of the historical period at the relevant year level and provides an expansive chronology that helps
students understand broad patterns of historical change.
Depth studies
In addition to the overview, historical knowledge and understanding includes three depth studies for the
historical period at each year level 7–10. For each depth study, there are up to three electives that focus on a
particular society, event, movement or development. It is expected that ONE elective is studied in detail. The
content in each elective is designed to allow detailed study of specific aspects of the historical period. The
order and detail in which content is taught is a programming decision. Content may be integrated in ways
appropriate to the specific local context; and it may be integrated with the content of other depthstudy
electives.
Relationship between overviews and depth studies
As part of a teaching and learning program, the depthstudy content at each year level 7–10 may be
integrated with the overview content. The overview provides the broader context for the teaching of depth
integrated with the overview content. The overview provides the broader context for the teaching of depth
study content. This means that the overview content can provide students with an introduction to the historical
period, it can make the links to and between the depth studies, and it can consolidate understanding through
a review of the period.
Glossary
AD
A part of a dating system, an abbreviation of ‘anno Domini’, meaning ‘in the year of our Lord’; the years
after the birth of Christ.
ancient
As defined in the Australian Curriculum: History, the ancient period covers history from the development of
early human communities (from 60 000 BCE) to the end of late antiquity (around 650 CE).
Anzac Day
A national remembrance in Australia for the troops that fought at Gallipoli in Turkey (April–December 1915)
during World War I, and for Australians who have fought in subsequent conflicts. The acronym ANZAC
refers to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
artefact
Something made or shaped by humans for their use, such as a stone tool, a metal sword, a letter, a plastic
toy, usually of historical interest.
Asia
As defined in the Australian Curriculum: History, Asia refers to the territorial area that extends from the
western border of Pakistan, to the northern border of Mongolia, the eastern border of Japan, and to the
southern border of Indonesia.
BCE
An abbreviation of ‘before the Common Era’. It is the same dating system as the traditionally used BC,
meaning ‘before Christ’. Historical dates before the birth of Christ are classified as BCE. There is no year
zero in this dating system, so the year CE 1 immediately follows the year 1 BCE. Also see CE.
cause and effect
Used by historians to identify chains of events and developments over time, shortterm and longterm.
CE
An abbreviation of `Common Era’. It is the same dating system as the traditionally used AD, short for the
Latin phrase anno Domini, ‘in the year of our Lord’. Historical dates after the birth of Christ are classified as
CE. There is no year zero in this dating system, so the year CE 1 immediately follows the year 1 BCE. Also
see BCE.
citizenship
An identifiable body of knowledge, understanding and skills relating to the organisation and working of
society, including a country's political and social heritage, democratic processes, government, public
administration and judicial systems.
concept
Any general notion or idea that is used to develop an understanding of the past, such as concepts related
to the process of historical inquiry (for example, evidence, continuity and change, perspectives,
significance) and concepts that are culturally significant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,
such as Country/Place.
contestability
An inescapable characteristic of history that occurs when particular interpretations about the past are open
to debate, for example, as a result of a lack of evidence or different perspectives.
continuity and change
Are both evident in any given period of time and apply to the material and immaterial world, continuities
being aspects of the past that remain(ed) the same over certain periods of time.
Country/Place
chronology
A study of time. In history, chronology involves an arrangement of events in order, as in a timeline.
culture
environments.
democracy
A form of government where a decisionmaking power is vested in the people. In a democracy, the people
or their elected representatives determine policy and/or laws. Equality of rights is a principle of democracy.
demography
A study of characteristics of human populations, such as size, age profile and life expectancy.
depth study
As described in the Australian Curriculum: History, a detailed study of specific aspects of a historical period,
for example, a particular society, event, movement or development. It gives students an opportunity to
develop and apply concepts and skills of historical inquiry. A depth study commonly employs investigation of
a range of sources, and may include site and museum visits.
development
digital media
Data generated in a computer, that is, digital audio, digital video, the World Wide Web and other
technologies.
empathy
As defined in the Australian Curriculum: History, engaging with past thought and feelings through a
historical inquiry.
empire
An extensive group of states or countries ruled over by a single monarch, or a sovereign state, which
exercises political, economic and cultural rule or control over the people within, such as the Roman Empire
and the British Empire.
ethical protocols
evidence
What can be learnt from a historical source to help construct a historical narrative. Also see primary source
and secondary source.
Harmony Day
A national day, held in Australia, which celebrates Australia’s cultural diversity and promotes intercultural
understanding and peace.
historical inquiry
A process of investigation undertaken in order to understand the past. Steps in the inquiry process include
posing questions, locating and analysing sources and using evidence from sources to develop an informed
explanation about the past.
imperialism
A process whereby rule or control is established and maintained over other peoples and nations.
industrialism
An introduction of machinery to produce large quantities of goods using fuelbased technology.
Industrialisation involves a division of labour and a development of factories and cities.
interpretation
An explanation of the past, for example, about a specific person, event or development. There may be
more than one interpretation of a particular aspect of the past because historians may have used different
sources, asked different questions and held different points of view about the topic.
liberalism
A political philosophy or world view founded on ideas of liberty and equality.
medieval
A term used to describe the period of history between the end of the Roman Empire in the West in the fifth
century CE to the end of the Renaissance around 1500 CE.
modern
A term used to describe the period of history from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution around 1750
CE to the present.
narrative
In history, a way of making sense of the past based on a selection of events. There are different types of
narrative such as accounts of the past that relate a story (for example, personal, fictitious) and historical
recounts (for example, the course of events during the Second World War).
nationalism
Loyalty and devotion of a person to their nation and culture.
native title
The name given by the High Court of Australia to Indigenous property rights recognised by the court in the
Mabo judgement (3 June 1992). The Mabo judgement overthrew the concept of terra nullius – that the land
of Australia had belonged to noone when the British arrived in 1788.
oral histories
People’s spoken recollections of the past, sometimes recorded through an audio or video interviews.
overview
As described in the Australian Curriculum: History, a conceptual and chronological framework for
understanding a particular historical period. It can consist of key features, events, developments and broad
patterns of historical change. An overview provides a context for a depth study.
perspective
In humanities and social sciences, a world view or a set of ideas or beliefs that guide actions. Perspectives
draw on a person’s or group’s age, gender experiences, cultural or religious background, ideologies and/or
intellectual contexts, which influence their world view and inform their opinions, values, and actions. Two
types of perspective can be considered: those ‘of’ people, and perspectives ‘on’ events and phenomena of
the past and present. Also see point of view.
point of view
Looking at someone or something from a location or position. In the Australian Curriculum: Humanities and
Social Sciences, an individual’s view about a particular person, event or phenomena, which may be
irrational and/or immediately sensed, or deeply considered and reflective. Also see perspective.
primary sources
In history, objects and documents created or written during the time being investigated, for example, during
an event or very soon after. Examples of primary sources include official documents, such as laws and
treaties; personal documents, such as diaries and letters; photographs; film, documentaries, artefacts, and
oral histories. These original, firsthand accounts are analysed by a historian to answer questions about the
past.
quantitative
Measuring or being measured and expressed in numerical terms, for example, the number of women who
arrived on the First Fleet; the proportion of Australian soldiers who died in World War I; radiocarbon dating
of an ancient site.
religion
An organised system of human values, which recognises spiritual or transcendent dimensions in life.
secondary sources
In history, accounts about the past that were created after the time being investigated, and which often use
or refer to primary sources and present a particular interpretation. Examples of secondary sources include
writings of historians, encyclopaedia, documentaries, history textbooks and websites.
significance
Pertaining to events, periods, developments, perspectives and ideas of the past, which are regarded as
having important consequences, duration and relevance to the present, from the point of view of society or
ordinary people when contextualised to larger events.
significant past
Those aspects of history that are of importance or significance for a nation or group when considering such
issues as curricula, or research funding, or what should be emphasised in museums.
source
Any written or nonwritten material that can be used to investigate the past, for example, coins,
photographs, letters, gravestones, buildings, transcripts. A source becomes ‘evidence’ if it is of value to a
particular inquiry.
sustainability
term
In the Australian Curriculum: History, a word or phrase used to describe an abstract aspect or feature of the
past (for example, colonisation, revolution, imperialism, democracy) and more specific features (for
example, pyramid, gladiator, temple, rock shelter).
terra nullius
A concept in international law meaning 'a territory belonging to noone' or 'over which noone claims
ownership'. The concept has been used to justify the colonisation of Australia. Also see native title.
Geography
Page 113 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences Geography
Geography How the Subject works
Rationale
In a world of increasing global integration and
international mobility, it is critical to the wellbeing and geography f10 video
sustainability of the environment and society that young
Australians develop a holistic understanding of the
world. This requires deep knowledge and
understanding of why the world is the way it is and the
interconnections between people, places and
environments over place and time.
The Australian Curriculum: Geography empowers
students to shape change for a socially just and
sustainable future. Geography inspires curiosity and
wonder about the diversity of the world’s places,
peoples, cultures and environments. Through a
structured way of exploring, analysing and understanding the characteristics of the places that make up our
world, Geography enables students to question why the world is the way it is, and reflect on their relationships
with and responsibilities for that world.
Geography teaches students to respond to questions in a geographically distinctive way; plan inquiries;
collect, evaluate, analyse and interpret information; and suggest responses to what they have learnt.
Geography provides students with opportunities to develop a wide range of general skills, capabilities and
dispositions that can be applied in everyday life and at work. The subject helps students to develop
information and communication technology skills; an appreciation and respect for social, cultural and religious
diversity and different perspectives; an understanding of ethical research principles; a capacity for teamwork;
and an ability to solve problems and to think critically and creatively.
Geography helps students to be regional and global citizens capable of active and ethical participation.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Geography aims to ensure that students develop:
a sense of wonder, curiosity and respect about places, people, cultures and environments
throughout the world
a deep geographical knowledge of their own locality, Australia, the Asia region and the world
the ability to think geographically, using geographical concepts
the capacity to be competent, critical and creative users of geographical inquiry methods and skills
as informed, responsible and active citizens who can contribute to the development of an
environmentally and economically sustainable, and socially just world.
Structure
The Australian Curriculum: Geography is organised in two related strands: geographical knowledge and
understanding, and geographical inquiry and skills.
Geographical knowledge and understanding strand
Geographical knowledge refers to the facts, generalisations, principles, theories and models developed in
Geography. This knowledge is dynamic and its interpretation can be contested, with opinions and conclusions
supported by evidence and logical argument.
Geographical understanding is the ability to see the relationships between aspects of knowledge and
construct explanatory frameworks to illustrate these relationships. It is also the ability to apply this knowledge
to new situations or to solve new problems.
Concepts for developing geographical understanding
The Australian Curriculum: Geography identifies the concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection,
sustainability, scale and change, as integral to the development of geographical understanding. These are
highlevel ideas or ways of thinking that can be applied across the subject to identify a question, guide an
investigation, organise information, suggest an explanation or assist decisionmaking.
In Years 7–10, students build on their understanding of place, space, environment, interconnection,
sustainability and change and apply this understanding to a wide range of places and environments at the full
range of scales, from local to global, and in a range of locations. These concepts are the key ideas involved in
teaching students to think geographically in the Australian Curriculum: Geography and are developed in the
following ways:
Place
The concept of place is about the significance of places and what they are like:
Places are parts of Earth’s surface that are identified and given meaning by people. They may be
perceived, experienced, understood and valued differently. They range in size from a part of a room
or garden to a major world region. They can be described by their location, shape, boundaries,
features and environmental and human characteristics. Some characteristics are tangible, for
example landforms and people, while others are intangible, for example scenic quality and culture.
Places are important to our security, identity and sense of belonging, and they provide us with the
services and facilities needed to support and enhance our lives. Where people live can influence
their wellbeing and opportunities.
The environmental characteristics of a place are influenced by human actions and the actions of
environmental processes over short to long time periods.
The human characteristics of a place are influenced by its environmental characteristics and
resources, relative location, connections with other places, the culture of its population, the
economy of a country, and the decisions and actions of people and organisations over time and at
different scales.
The places in which we live are created, changed and managed by people.
Each place is unique in its characteristics. As a consequence, the outcomes of similar
environmental and socioeconomic processes vary in different places, and similar problems may
require different strategies in different places.
The sustainability of places may be threatened by a range of factors, for example natural hazards;
climate change; economic, social and technological change; government decisions; conflict;
exhaustion of a resource and environmental degradation.
Space
The concept of space is about the significance of location and spatial distribution, and ways people organise
The concept of space is about the significance of location and spatial distribution, and ways people organise
and manage the spaces that we live in:
The environmental and human characteristics of places are influenced by their location, but the
effects of location and distance from other places on people are being reduced, though unequally,
by improvements in transport and communication technologies.
The individual characteristics of places form spatial distributions, and the analysis of these
distributions contributes to geographical understanding. The distributions also have environmental,
economic, social and political consequences.
Spaces are perceived, structured, organised and managed by people, and can be designed and
redesigned, to achieve particular purposes.
Environment
The concept of environment is about the significance of the environment in human life, and the important
interrelationships between humans and the environment:
The environment is the product of geological, atmospheric, hydrological, geomorphic, edaphic (soil),
biotic and human processes.
The environment supports and enriches human and other life by providing raw materials and food,
absorbing and recycling wastes, maintaining a safe habitat and being a source of enjoyment and
inspiration. It presents both opportunities for, and constraints on, human settlement and economic
development. The constraints can be reduced but not eliminated by technology and human
organisation.
Culture, population density, type of economy, level of technology, values and environmental world
views influence the different ways in which people perceive, adapt to and use similar environments.
Management of humaninduced environmental change requires an understanding of the causes
and consequences of change, and involves the application of geographical concepts and
techniques to identify appropriate strategies.
Each type of environment has its specific hazards. The impact of these hazards on people is
determined by both natural and human factors, and can be reduced but not eliminated by
prevention, mitigation and preparedness.
Interconnection
The concept of interconnection emphasises that no object of geographical study can be viewed in isolation:
Places and the people and organisations in them are interconnected with other places in a variety of
ways. These interconnections have significant influences on the characteristics of places and on
changes in these characteristics.
Environmental and human processes, for example, the water cycle, urbanisation or humaninduced
environmental change, are sets of causeandeffect interconnections that can operate between and
within places. They can sometimes be organised as systems involving networks of interconnections
through flows of matter, energy, information and actions.
Holistic thinking is about seeing the interconnections between phenomena and processes within
and between places.
Sustainability
The concept of sustainability is about the capacity of the environment to continue to support our lives and the
lives of other living creatures into the future:
Sustainability is both a goal and a way of thinking about how to progress towards that goal.
Progress towards environmental sustainability depends on the maintenance or restoration of the
environmental functions that sustain all life and human wellbeing (economic and social).
environmental functions that sustain all life and human wellbeing (economic and social).
An understanding of the causes of unsustainability requires a study of the environmental processes
producing the degradation of an environmental function; the human actions that have initiated these
processes; and the attitudinal, demographic, social, economic and political causes of these human
actions. These can be analysed through the framework of human–environment systems.
There are a variety of contested views on how progress towards sustainability should be achieved
and these are often informed by world views such as stewardship.
Scale
The concept of scale is about the way that geographical phenomena and problems can be examined at
different spatial levels:
Generalisations made and relationships found at one level of scale may be different at a higher or
lower level. For example, in studies of vegetation, climate is the main factor at the global scale but
soil and drainage may be the main factors at the local scale.
Causeandeffect relationships cross scales from the local to the global and from the global to the
local. For example, local events can have global outcomes, such as the effects of local vegetation
removal on global climate.
Change
The concept of change is about explaining geographical phenomena by investigating how they have
developed over time:
Environmental change can occur over both short and long time frames, and both timescales have
interrelationships with human activities.
Environmental, economic, social and technological change is spatially uneven, and affects places
differently.
An understanding of the current processes of change can be used to predict change in the future
and to identify what would be needed to achieve preferred and more sustainable futures.
Geographical inquiry and skills strand
Geographical inquiry is a process by which students learn about and deepen their holistic understanding of
their world. It involves individual or group investigations that start with geographical questions and proceed
through the collection, evaluation, analysis and interpretation of information to the development of conclusions
and proposals for actions. Inquiries may vary in scale and geographical context.
Geographical skills are the techniques that geographers use in their investigations, both in fieldwork and in
the classroom. Students learn to think critically about the methods used to obtain, represent, analyse and
interpret information and communicate findings. Key skills developed through Geography in the Australian
Curriculum include formulating a question and research plan, recording and data representation skills, using a
variety of spatial technologies and communicating using appropriate geographical vocabulary and texts.
Geographical skills are described in the curriculum under five subheadings representing the stages of a
complete investigation. Over each twoyear stage, students should learn the methods and skills specified for
that stage, but it is not intended that they should always be learnt in the context of a complete inquiry.
Teachers could, for example, provide students with data to represent or analyse rather than have them collect
the information themselves. Inquiry does not always require the collection and processing of information: the
starting point could be a concept or an ethical or aesthetic issue that can be explored orally. Many inquiries
should start from the observations, questions and curiosity of students. Inquiry will progressively move from
more teachercentred to more studentcentred as students develop cognitive abilities and gain experience
with the process and methods across the years of schooling.
The stages of an investigation are:
Observing, questioning and planning: Identifying an issue or problem and developing geographical questions
to investigate the issue or find an answer to the problem.
Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing: Collecting information from primary and/or secondary
sources, recording the information, evaluating it for reliability and bias, and representing it in a variety of
forms.
Interpreting analysing and concluding: Making sense of information gathered by identifying order, diversity,
patterns, distributions, trends, anomalies, generalisations and causeandeffect relationships, using
quantitative and qualitative methods appropriate to the type of inquiry and developing conclusions. It also
involves interpreting the results of this analysis and developing conclusions.
Communicating: Communicating the results of investigations using combinations of methods (written, oral,
audio, physical, graphical, visual and mapping) appropriate to the subject matter, purpose and audience.
Reflecting and responding: Evaluating findings of an investigation to reflect on what has been learnt and the
process and effectiveness of the inquiry; to propose actions that consider environmental, economic and social
factors; and to reflect on implications of proposed or realised actions.
The two strands are integrated in the development of a teaching and learning program. The geographical
knowledge and understanding strand is developed year by year and provides the contexts through which
particular skills are developed. The geographical inquiry and skills strand has common content descriptions
for each twoyear band of schooling, but with elaborations specific to each year to support the changing
content of the geographical knowledge and understanding strand.
Each year level includes key inquiry questions that provide a framework for developing students’ geographical
knowledge and understanding, and inquiry and skills.
Glossary
absolute location
Location measured by the coordinates of latitude and longitude. Also see relative location.
aerial photograph
A photograph taken from the air, which can be oblique (taken at an angle) or vertical (taken from straight
above the ground); the former being easier for young students to interpret.
anomaly
(Termed outlier in mathematics). A data value that appears to stand out from other members of the data set
by being unusually high or low. The most effective way of identifying an anomaly in a data set is to graph
the data. In geographical data, classified by place, anomalies will identify places that do not fit a general
pattern, which make them of particular interest to study.
attachment to place
People’s emotional feelings about and identification with places, which can contribute to their personal
wellbeing and sense of identity.
biodiversity
A variety of living organisms and ecosystems they form. Biodiversity has direct value as consumable or
useful commodities, indirect value through the provision of ecosystem services, and intrinsic value
independent of its utility to humans.
biomass
Total mass of living organic matter in a particular area.
biome
A major terrestrial vegetation community, for example, a tropical forest, a temperate grassland or a desert.
Similar biomes are found around the world in similar climatic zones, but may have different species of
plants and animals.
biophysical process
Interconnected sequence of causeandeffect relationships within environments, for example, a hydrological
(water) cycle; geomorphic processes of weathering, erosion, transportation and deposition; soilforming
processes; land degradation; fluvial processes; and nutrient cycling.
blue water
In geography, fresh water in rivers, lakes and dams.
cartography
A study of and a practice of mapmaking, including construction of projections, design, compilation, drafting
and reproduction, which aims to model reality in ways that communicate spatial information effectively.
characteristics of places
Include people, climate, production, landforms, built elements of the environment, soils, vegetation,
communities, water resources, cultures, mineral resources and landscape. Some characteristics are
tangible, for example, rivers and buildings. Others are intangible, for example, scenic quality and
socioeconomic status.
choropleth map
A thematic map in which areas are shaded to show higher and lower values.
climate
A longterm average (minimum 30 years) of weather conditions at a place. For example, some climates are
hot and wet all year (Singapore); some have hot, wet summers and warm, dry winters (Darwin); and some
have warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters (Adelaide and Perth). Climates can be classified into
distinctive types, such as equatorial, tropical, temperate, Mediterranean, semiarid and arid. These types
are found in similar locations around the world.
climate graph
A graph showing average monthly temperature (by a line) and rainfall (by columns) for a location.
climatic zones
Areas of the earth that have similar climatic conditions. The major zones are hot, temperate and polar and
are roughly demarcated by lines of latitude.
comparative place analysis
A comparison of places. It may be used to identify the effects of factors such as climate, relative location,
technology, culture and government on the characteristics of a place.
conservation and preservation
Conservation is careful management of the environment and natural resources, acknowledging that they
may be changed in order to affect a better future for humankind, but not if the impacts on them are too
great. Alternatively, preservation is an act of maintaining the existing condition of environmental areas as
yet untouched by humans.
continuous resources
Those resources, such as solar or wind energy, whose availability is unaffected by their use by humans.
Also see environmental resources.
Country/Place
culture
environments.custodial responsibility
An obligation that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have to care for the Country/Place on which
they live, even if they are not traditional owners of that Country/Place. Traditional owners have primary
responsibility for Country/Place.
data
Information that is directly recorded, which can be quantitative or qualitative.
development
digital mapping tools
Software programs that create maps.
digital terrain model
A digital model of a land surface in which vegetation, buildings and other objects have been removed.
distribution
Natural arrangement of items in a particular place, for example, distribution of population in a country,
distribution of forests across the world.
ecosystembased management
Management based on improving health of an ecosystem producing commodities rather than on
maximising production of individual commodities, for example, by increasing biodiversity, restoring
hydrological systems, protecting marine breeding areas or rebuilding soil structure and fertility.
ecosystem
A functioning unit of nature defined by a complex set of relationships among its living organisms (such as
microorganisms, plants, animals, humans) and its nonliving components (such as water, minerals, soil,
air), where all organisms and components are interdependent through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
Every unit can be explored at macro levels (such as the planet) or as specific limited areas.
ecosystem services
Services provided by ecosystems, which support life without requiring human action or payment, for
example, climatic stability, hydrological regulation, nutrient cycling, pollination, pest control, soil formation
and protection from ultraviolet radiation.
energy flow
A flow of energy through a biological food chain; a movement of energy around an ecosystem through
biotic and abiotic means. Also referred to as ecology.
environment
A setting and conditions of an area in which activity occurs, and where features may be natural, managed
or constructed.
environmental functions
Functions of the environment that support human life and economic activity, which are:
production of raw materials from the natural resources of soil, water, forests, minerals and marine
life (the earth’s source function).
safe absorption (through breakdown, recycling or storage) of wastes and pollution produced by
production and human life (the earth’s sink function).
provision of environmental or ecosystem services that support life without requiring human action,
for example, climatic stability, biodiversity, ecosystem integrity and protection from ultraviolet
radiation (the earth’s service function).
intrinsic recreational, psychological, aesthetic and spiritual value of environments (the earth’s
spiritual function).
environmental quality
Characteristics of a local environment that affect human physical and mental health and quality of life, for
example, an extent of air and water pollution, noise, access to open space, traffic volumes, and visual
effects of buildings and roads.
Resources sourced from an environment, which can be classified as renewable, nonrenewable and
continuous.
environmental world view
A person’s view of the relationship between humans and nature. This ranges from humancentred (in which
humans are separate from nature, and any environmental problems can be solved by technology) to earth
centred (in which humans are a part of and dependent on nature and have to work with nature).
ethical protocols
export industries
Industries that sell a service to customers who come from other places to obtain the service, as in tourism
and education of students from overseas. Both industries bring income into a place.
features of places
Visible elements of a place or landscape, classified as natural, managed and constructed. This term is used
in early primary education, but is later replaced by the term ‘characteristics’, which includes both visible and
invisible elements of a place.
fieldwork
Any activity involving observation and recording of information outside a classroom. It could be within the
school grounds, around neighbouring areas or in more distant locations.
geographical concentration
Advantages people and businesses gain from clustering together, for example, greater access to
information, greater variety of goods and services, better transport and communication services, and more
varied employment opportunities. These advantages help to explain continuing growth of cities.
geographical inquiry methodology
A process of gathering information from primary sources and secondary sources as part of the
geographical inquiry process. Geographical inquiry methodologies involve skills needed to formulate
questions and initiating, planning and implementing an inquiry relevant to a geographical issue, process or
phenomenon.
geographical processes
Physical and human forces that work in combination to form and transform the world, for example, erosion,
hydrological (water) cycle, migration or urbanisation. Geographical processes can operate within and
between places.
geographical significance
Why a question is worth investigating.
geographic information system (GIS)
A system for storing, managing, analysing and portraying spatial data. It has been described as a
combination of database management, cartography and statistical analysis.
geomorphic
Relating to a form, shape, structure or surface of the earth or its topography.
geomorphic hazard
A hazard originating from the lithosphere, including volcanic eruption, earthquake, tsunami and mass
movement (landslide or avalanche).
geomorphic landscape
An area defined by a distinctive set of landforms produced by a distinctive set of geomorphic processes, for
example, a riverine, arid or coastal landscape.
green water
Water available for plant growth as soil moisture. Almost all of the world’s natural vegetation, and most of its
agriculture, depends on soil moisture.
hazard
When forces of nature combine to become destructive and have potential to damage the environment and
endanger communities.
housing density
A number of dwellings per hectare. Data required to calculate this measure can be obtained from Australian
Bureau of Statistics 2011 Census QuickStats and community profiles.
human–environment systems thinking
A method of analysing complex interactions between an environment and people, which is able to integrate
environmental with attitudinal, demographic, social, economic, technological and political factors. Systems
thinking seeks to understand the whole rather than its parts, and see patterns of change over time rather
than just as a snapshot in time. The drivers–pressures–state–impact–response (DPSIR) model used in the
Australian State of the Environment report (SoE 2011) is an example of a human–environment system.
Systems can be extended to include elements, for example, values and beliefs.
human wellbeing
Quality of life of a population. This can be measured by objective indicators, for example, life expectancy,
educational attainment and income, or by subjective measures of how people perceive the quality of their
life, as revealed by surveys of happiness.
hydrological system
Systems of water movement on, above and below the surface of the earth.
immediate and underlying causes
Immediatecauses of environmental change are biophysical processes such as vegetation clearance,
cropping and urban development, while underlying causes are influences such as population growth,
government policies, market demand, economic growth, technology, values and attitudes. These causes
can be combined in a human–environment system.
internal migration
Movement of people from living in one defined area to living in another within a country, for example,
movement from cities to nonmetropolitan coastal locations, or between states and territories.
interregional transfer of water
Transfer of water from one river basin to another, for example, the transfer of water from the Snowy River
to the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers in the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
isoline/isopleth map
A map of a geographical variable showing its spatial distribution by lines joining places with the same value,
for example, a rainfall map.
land and water degradation
Degradation of the health of land and water resources through human actions in ways that threaten an
ability of the resources to maintain their environmental functions. Degradation includes salinity, accelerated
soil erosion, soil fertility decline, soil acidification, spread of weeds, loss of biodiversity and habitats, and
water pollution.
landform
Individual surface features of the earth identified by their shape, for example, dunes, plateaus, canyons,
beaches, plains, hills, rivers and valleys.
landscape
Visible appearance of an area, created by a combination of geological, geomorphological, biological and
cultural layers that have evolved over time, and as perceived, portrayed and valued by people. A
geomorphic landscape is the landscape without the biological and cultural layers.
lithosphere
The solid portion or crust and upper mantle of the earth, also called the geosphere, which is distinguished
from atmosphere and hydrosphere.
liveability
An assessment of what a place is like to live in, using particular criteria, for example, environmental quality,
crime and safety, education and health provision, access to shops and services, recreational facilities and
cultural activities.
local area
An area around a student’s home or school that can be explored in a few hours. The local level of scale
refers to all areas of similar size.
natural vegetation
Vegetation that has evolved in an area over time.
net primary productivity (NPP)
Plant biomass gain measured in tonnes of carbon per hectare per year, as a product of the energy gained
through photosynthesis minus the energy lost through respiration. It is an indicator of the natural
agricultural productivity of an area, based on its climate.
nonrenewable resources
Resources that cannot be renewed, for example, minerals. Soils that have been degraded can only be
renewed over long timescales. Also see environmental resources.
nutrient cycle
Recycling of plant nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen, whether by natural means or human intervention.
outline map
A map that only gives very basic information so that more detail can be added, for example, a map showing
the borders of a country.
pattern
A regularity in data portrayed in graphs or maps, for example, a decline in population density or rainfall in
Australia with increasing distance from the coast.
perception
People’s subjective assessment of places and environments.
place
A part of the earth’s surface that is identified and given meaning by people, which may be perceived,
experienced, understood and valued differently.
population pyramid/profile
A graph showing age and sex composition of a population.
preservation and conservation
Preservation is an act of maintaining the existing condition of environmental areas as yet untouched by
humans. Alternatively, conservation is a careful management of an environment and natural resources,
acknowledging that they may be changed in order to affect a better future for humankind, but not if the
impacts on them are too great.
prevention, mitigation and preparedness
Actions taken in advance to decrease or eliminate the impact of a hazardous event on people, communities
and the environment, by actions including, for example, lessening the hazard and reducing the vulnerability
of a community. Preparedness refers to actions taken to create and maintain a capacity of communities to
respond to, and recover from, natural disasters, through measures like planning, community education,
information management, communications and warning systems.
primary sources
Unprocessed, original materials collected by a student, for example, field notes from observations,
measurements taken from experiments, or responses received from a survey or questionnaire.
qualitative methods
Explanatory and interpretive methods, for example, participant observation, focus group discussion or
interviews, which are used to gather qualitative data (that is, information that can only be described, such
as people’s perceptions of environmental quality).
quantitative methods
Statistical and other methods used to analyse quantitative data (that is, information that can be expressed
in numbers, for example, crime rates for local government areas).
region
An area in which various parts have something in common, which distinguishes them from neighbouring
regions. Regions can be divisions of a nation, for example, the Wheatbelt of Western Australia; or larger
than a nation, for example, SouthEast Asia or a climatic zone. The latter are called ‘world regions’ in the
Australian Curriculum.
relative location
A location relative to other places, for example, the distance to a town from other towns. Relative location
has a stronger influence on human characteristics of places than absolute location, as demonstrated by
advantages of closeness to suppliers, finance, information and markets for businesses, and to education
and employment opportunities for individuals. Also see absolute location.
remote
Distant, far away, for example, a place distant from major population and economic centres.
renewable resources
Resources that are or can be renewed within a relatively short time, for example, water through a
hydrological (water) cycle; and plants, animals and marine life through reproduction. However, overuse of a
renewable resource can lead to its disappearance, as with overexploitation of a fishery or overextraction of
groundwater. Also see environmental resources.
representation
Demonstrating geographical information in a visual form, for example, a graph, map, image, field sketch or
a multilayered map.
satellite image
A digital image captured by satellites above the earth’s surface, for example, those combined in Google
Earth. It can be processed to measurespecific aspects of the land surface, for example, areas of water or
farmland.
scale
A way that geographical phenomena and problems can be examined at different spatial levels,
such as local scale, and global scale (spatial scale)
A relationship between a distance on the ground and a corresponding distance on a map, with
the scale coded on the map as a ratio, for example ‘1 cm : 1 km’ (map scale).
scattergram graphic organiser
A graphic organiser to ecord collected data to reveal correlations, for example, dates and ages of death
collected from a scan of a cemetery.
scatter plots / scatter graphs
Graphs that plot a relationship between two variables, for example, population density and distance of a
place from the centre of a city, or rainfall and height above sea level. The method can be used to identify
anomalies for closer study.
seasonal calendar
A classification of weeks or months of a year into seasons. The standard classification is spring, summer,
autumn and winter, but this is a temperate zone concept imported from Europe. In northern Australia, the
seasons are commonly described as the wet and the dry. Aboriginal cultures have much more complex
classifications, and these vary considerably from region to region across Australia because they are finely
tuned to local climates and changing availability of food and other resources.
secondary sources
Sources of information that have been collected, processed, interpreted and published by others, for
example, census data, newspaper articles, and images or information in a published report.
settlement pattern
A spatial distribution of different types of human settlement, from isolated dwellings to villages and
outstations, towns, regional centres and large cities. Smaller settlements typically form spatial patterns
around larger settlements.
social connectedness
A measure of a number and strength of people’s social relationships with other people. These relationships
or connections may be with people in the same place or in other places, and they can be facetoface
connections or electronic. An opposite of good social connections is social isolation or loneliness.
social justice
A concept that all people have the right to fair treatment and equal access to the benefits of society.
space
A threedimensional surface of the earth on which everything is located and across which people, goods
and information move.
spatial association
Similarity in spatial distributions of two or more phenomena. A spatial association suggests that there may
be a relationship between the phenomena, which can then be explained through an operation of
atmospheric, hydrologic, geomorphic, biological, socioeconomic or political processes.
spatial distribution
An arrangement of particular phenomena or activities across the surface of the earth.
spatial technologies
Any software or hardware that interacts with realworld locations. A use of spatial technologies forms the
basis of many geographers’ work practice. The Global Positioning System (GPS), Google Earth, geographic
information systems (GIS) and satellite images are the most commonly used spatial technologies to
visualise, manipulate, analyse, display and record spatial data.
spatial variations
A difference or variation (in terms of population, population density, gross domestic product (GDP), life
expectancy) over an area of the earth’s surface.
stewardship
One of the many world views that informs ways of achieving sustainability. When applied to the
environment, stewardship is an ethical position that supports careful management of environmental
resources for the benefit of present and future generations. Stewards do not own resources; they only
manage them.
sustainability
system
A group of interacting objects, materials or processes that form an integrated whole. Biophysical systems
include humans and their activities and impacts.
topographic map
A detailed, largescale map of part of the earth’s surface, which illustrates the shape of the land and
selected natural and human features from the surrounding environment.
trend
A pattern in change over time in a set of data.
thematic map
A map that portrays a specific type of information, for example, rainfall, transport routes, climatic zones or
population distribution.
urban concentration
A percentage of the urban population of a country or region living in the largest city.
urbanisation
A process of economic and social change in which an increasing proportion of the population of a country
or region live in urban areas.
vegetation corridor
Strips of vegetation that connect larger but isolated vegetated areas. They enable movement of animals
and plants between places, reduce ecological effects of habitat fragmentation and help protect biodiversity.
water scarcity
A lack of sufficient available water resources to meet the demands of water usage within a place. It can
result from an absolute shortage of water (physical water scarcity), lack of money to utilise an adequate
source of water (economic water scarcity) or the unequal distribution of water resources due to political or
ethnic conflict.
West Asia (Middle East)
The countries of Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Palestine, Jordan,
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq and Iran. Afghanistan is
sometimes included in the region or in Central Asia. ‘West Asia’ is also known as the ‘Middle East’.
world region
Biophysical, geographical, economic or political regions larger than a nation, for example, the Sahara
Desert, SubSaharan Africa, the Global North and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Civics and Citizenship
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The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences Civics and Citizenship
Civics and Citizenship How the Subject works
A deep understanding of Australia's federal
system of government and the liberal ACARA Civics and Citizensh…
democratic values that underpin it is
essential in enabling students to become
active and informed citizens who participate
in and sustain Australia’s democracy.
The Australian Curriculum: Civics and
Citizenship provides students with
opportunities to investigate political and legal
systems, and explore the nature of
citizenship, diversity and identity in
contemporary society. Emphasis is placed
on the federal system of government, derived from the Westminster system, and the liberal democratic values
that underpin it such as freedom, equality and the rule of law. The curriculum explores how the people, as
citizens, choose their governments; how the system safeguards democracy by vesting people with civic rights
and responsibilities; how laws and the legal system protect people’s rights; and how individuals and groups
can influence civic life.
The curriculum recognises that Australia is a secular nation with a multicultural, multifaith society and a
Christian heritage, and promotes the development of inclusivity by developing students’ understanding of
broader values such as respect, civility, equity, justice and responsibility. It acknowledges the experiences and
contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their identities within contemporary
Australia. While the curriculum strongly focuses on the Australian context, students also reflect on Australia’s
position and international obligations and the role of citizens today, both within Australian and in an
interconnected world.
Through the study of civics and citizenship, students can develop skills of inquiry, values and dispositions that
enable them to be active and informed citizens; to question, understand and contribute to the world in which
they live. The curriculum also offers opportunities for students to develop a wide range of general skills and
capabilities, including an appreciation of diverse perspectives, empathy, collaboration, negotiation, self
awareness and intercultural understanding.
The Civics and Citizenship curriculum aims to reinforce students’ appreciation and understanding of what it
means to be a citizen. It explores ways in which students can actively shape their lives, value their belonging
in a diverse and dynamic society, and positively contribute locally, nationally, regionally and globally. As
reflective, active and informed decisionmakers, students will be well placed to contribute to an evolving and
healthy democracy that fosters the wellbeing of Australia as a democratic nation.
The Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship aims to ensure students develop:
a lifelong sense of belonging to and engagement with civic life as an active and informed citizen in
the context of Australia as a secular democratic nation with a dynamic, multicultural, multifaith
society and a Christian heritage
knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the values, principles, institutions and practices of
Australia’s system of democratic government and law, and the role of the citizen in Australian
government and society
skills, including questioning and research; analysis, synthesis and interpretation; problemsolving
and decisionmaking; communication and reflection, to investigate contemporary civics and
citizenship issues and foster responsible participation in Australia’s democracy
the capacities and dispositions to participate in the civic life of their nation at a local, regional and
global level and as individuals in a globalised world.
The Years 7–10 Australian Curriculum: Civics and Citizenship is organised into two interrelated strands: civics
and citizenship knowledge and understanding, and civics and citizenship inquiry and skills.
Civics and citizenship knowledge and understanding
strand
The civics and citizenship knowledge and understanding strand comprises three key focus areas or sub
strands at each year level: government and democracy; laws and citizens; and citizenship, diversity and
identity.
Government and democracy involves a study of Australian democracy and the key institutions, processes and
roles that people play in Australia’s system of government. Laws and citizens examines Australia’s legal
system, the creation of laws and the rights and legal obligations of Australian citizens. Citizenship, diversity
and identity explores the shared values of Australian citizenship, Christian traditions, the diversity of Australia
as a multicultural and multifaith society, what shapes identity, and obligations as citizens in a globalised world.
Civics and citizenship inquiry and skills strand
The civics and citizenship inquiry and skills strand focuses on the skills of questioning and research; analysis,
synthesis and interpretation; problemsolving and decisionmaking; and communication and reflection.
Questioning and research involves students asking questions about the society in which they live. Students
identify, locate and research a range of sources of information to investigate Australia’s political and legal
systems. Analysis, synthesis and interpretation engages students in applying critical thinking skills and
developing and accounting for different points of view. Problemsolving and decisionmaking involves students
working collaboratively, negotiating and developing strategies to resolve issues, and planning for action. In
communication and reflection, students present ideas, viewpoints and arguments based on evidence about
civics and citizenship topics and issues using subjectspecific language, and reflect on their cultural identity,
motivations, values and behaviours.
Civics and citizenship skills are described in bands of schooling at twoyear intervals.
The two strands are to be integrated in the development of a teaching and learning program. The knowledge
and understanding strand provides the content focus through which particular skills are to be developed.
Each year level includes key questions which provide a guiding framework for developing students’ civics and
citizenship knowledge, understanding and skills of inquiry.
Glossary
absolute majority
The minimum number of votes required, which is more than half of all votes, that is, 50 per cent plus one, to
make a democratic decision by a group.
active citizenship
Engagement and informed participation in the civic and political activities of society at local, state, national,
regional and global levels. It contrasts with ‘passive citizenship’ where citizens participate only minimally to
meet their basic individual responsibilities including voting and paying taxes.
Australian democracy
A system of government grounded in liberal democratic values and a belief in civic engagement. It includes
a written constitution, a wellestablished representative parliamentary process based on the Westminster
system, and a constitutional monarch.
Australian Government, the
The national government of the Commonwealth of Australia, which is also known as the federal government
or the Commonwealth Government. It was established by the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act
at the time of Federation.
burden of proof
An obligation to prove what is alleged. In criminal cases, this obligation rests on prosecution, which must
prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. In civil cases, it rests on a plaintiff, who must prove his or her case
on the balance of probabilities. Sometimes, however, this burden shifts, for example, where a defendant
raises particular defences.
Cabinet, the
The Cabinet consists of the most senior ministers, including the Prime Minister. The Cabinet's role is to
make major policy decisions, including decisions about spending, appointments and introducing legislation.
citizen
A person who holds citizenship of a polity, such as a country, and who is a member of a political community
that grants certain rights and privileges to its citizens, and in return expects them to act responsibly such as
to obey their country's laws. Also see global citizens.
citizenship
A legal status granted by birth or naturalisation to citizens involving certain rights (for example, protection;
passport; voting) and responsibilities (for example, obey the law, vote, defend the country). A modern
sense incorporates three components: civil (rights and responsibilities); political (participation and
representation); and social (social virtues and community involvement).
civic life
A participation one has within a community or communities as distinct from private and family life.
civics
A identifiable body of knowledge, skills and understandings relating to the organisation and working of
society. It refers to a nation’s political and social heritage, democratic processes, government, public
administration and legal system.
civility
Habits of people that display courtesy, politeness and formal regard for others. These behaviours contribute
to society’s effective functioning.
civil society organisation
A nongovernment organisation (NGO) in public life, which expresses interests and values of its members.
NGOs or civil society organisations are considered important to sustaining healthy democracies as they
build social capital.
‘Civil society’ is also frequently used to refer to a society where civility is common in citizen behaviour and
public discourse.
common good
A term that is popularly understood as sharing of resources among a community for the benefit of that
community as a whole. The common good is often seen as a utilitarian ideal representing the greatest
possible good for the greatest possible number of individuals as opposed to the private good for individuals
or sections of society.
common law
A body of English law traditionally based on custom and court decisions. Also known as case law or
precedent, it is law developed by judges through decisions of earlier courts and an understanding of current
context. Also see statute (statutory law).
constitution
A set of fundamental principles on which a state or other organisation (such as a club) is governed. Usually,
this takes the form of a written legal document setting out specific powers for a government or governing of
that entity.
constitutional monarchy
A form of monarchy in which a monarch acts as a country’s head of state according to law as required by
the constitution and that in exercising his or her discretionary powers, the monarch as head of state acts on
advice of responsible ministers, excluding exceptional circumstances.
conventions
Unwritten rules of political procedure based on traditional, established practices that are widely accepted.
Australia’s political system has adopted many of the unwritten conventions of the British Westminster
system. Conventions may defy the Constitution; for example, the procedure for the appointment of
Australia’s GovernorGeneral.
customary law
Acknowledged behaviour by individuals and groups, which recognise benefits of behaving in accordance
with other individuals' expectations and customs. In the Australian Curriculum, this refers to the customary
law of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples; however, in Australia, customary law is subject to
constitutional and common law. Also see common law and statute (statutory law).
democracy
A system of government where power is vested in the people, who may exercise it directly or through
elected representatives, and who may remove and replace their political leaders and government in free
and fair regular elections.
direct action
People participating in person and directly on issues they seek to change, within the bounds of the law.
disposition
An intention to act or behave in a way that is influenced by knowledge, skills and values acquired as a
citizen.
division of powers
Vesting of powers within different levels of government. Under the Australian Constitution, the
Commonwealth Government was vested with specific powers while the states retained general powers. In
practice, the distribution of powers has become increasingly centralised over time.
electors
People who have the right to participate in an election and chose to do so.
executive
Also known as the Crown or the government. An institution that develops and implements policies and
administers the law in Australia. It comprises the GovernorGeneral (or Governor at the state level), the
ministry and the public service.
Executive Council
A constitutional mechanism for providing ministerial advice to the GovernorGeneral. The Executive
Council, which is comprised of ministers and presided over by the GovernorGeneral (or Governor, at the
state level) meets to advise the GovernorGeneral or Governor to approve decisions that have been made
by Cabinet. Once approved, decisions are given effect by the public service.
federalism
A principle of government, which defines a relationship between the central government at the national level
and its constituent units at the regional, state or local levels. In Australia, federalism is the division of powers
between the federal government and the states and territories.
global citizen
A person who understands their rights and responsibilities at a global level; that is, one’s identity transcends
geography or political borders, and rights and responsibilities are derived from being human. However,
these rights and responsibilities do not have legal authority or sanctions of those conferred by a nation.
governance
A process and rules by which decisions are made and implemented within entities such as national and
state governments, corporations and other organisations.
GovernorGeneral
A representative of a monarch at the federal level in Australia. The GovernorGeneral exercises most of the
monarch’s powers in relation to Australia at the federal level, while state governors exercise those powers
with respect to the Australian states. Other powers are conferred upon the GovernorGeneral by the
Constitution and statutes. In exercising his or her powers, the GovernorGeneral is bound by convention to
act on an advice of his or her responsible ministers, except in relation to matters such as appointment and
dismissal of the Prime Minister.
human rights
Rights that come from being human. That is, the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are
entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality
before the law.
identity
A person’s conception and expression of their individuality or association with a group. In this curriculum,
identity refers to a person's sense of belonging to a group, culture or to a state or nation, a region or the
world. It is a feeling one shares with a group of people, regardless of one's citizenship status.
law
A system of rules that a particular country or community recognises as regulating the actions of its
members and which it may enforce by an imposition of penalties and sanctions.
liberal democracy
An approach to political arrangements and a set of values that a political system should combine majority
rule by the people with the protection of the political, legal and social rights of individuals and minority
groups.
mandate
A political doctrine that derives its meaning from political philosophy, political behaviour and political
morality, not from constitutions or other laws. It concerns the implied approval to act in a particular way on a
public issue given by the electorate to its representative or government.
media
Forms of communication between a source and receivers including television, radio, print media and the
internet, as well as forms of social media. The term usually refers to mass media and the ability of media to
inform and influence people. Media are key players in democracies where citizens need to be informed,
influenced and open to a diversity of views.
ministry
A ministry consists of all those members of parliament chosen by the Prime Minister to serve as members
of the executive arm of government and to administer government departments.
multicultural
A preservation of different cultures or cultural identities within a unified society such as a state or nation.
multifaith
A society or organisation characterised by support for, or free activity of, religions, within the bounds of the
law.
nongovernment organisation (NGO)
A group that is organised at a local, national or international level around a common interest and on a non
profit, voluntary basis. NGOs mostly operate independently of a government, but may be funded by a
government and still maintain their independence.
parliamentary democracy
A system of government in which executive is formed from, and responsible to, a parliament, and a head of
government (for example, the Prime Minister) is different from a head of state (for example, the Queen).
preferential voting
A system of voting to rank candidates in order of preference. It is necessary for a winning candidate to
achieve an absolute majority (50 per cent plus one). If no candidate achieves an absolute majority, a
candidate with the fewest number of first preferences is excluded from the count, and his or her votes are
distributed among the remaining candidates according to second preferences. This process is continued
until one candidate achieves an absolute majority. It is the dominant form of voting in Australian politics (as
compared with simple majority systems of voting).
proportional representation
A representation of parties, groups or individuals in a legislature in proportion to a number of votes they
receive in an election. In Australia, proportional representation describes the way candidates are elected in
multimember electorates such as the Senate.
referendum
A principle or practice of referring measures proposed or passed by a legislative body to a vote of
electorate for approval or rejection. In Australia, a referendum is a vote of the Australian electors on a
proposed change to the Constitution by the Commonwealth Parliament that must be approved by a majority
of the aggregate of all voters from each state and territory, and also by a majority of voters in a majority
(four) of the six states.
representative democracy
A system of government in which electors choose representatives to a parliament to make laws on their
behalf.
rights and responsibilities
Entitlements and obligations that are associated with living in Australia. Rights and responsibilities are a
cornerstone of modern democracies. While all people in Australia enjoy certain rights (for example, freedom
of speech), there are also responsibilities (for example, paying taxes, jury service). Citizens also have the
right to vote and the responsibility of voting at elections.
rule
A requirement to behave in a particular way; a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles
governing conduct or procedure within a particular area of activity, for example, school rules, rules of
cricket. Rules are usually developed and set by people who have the power and authority to create and
enforce them.
rule of law
A legal principle that decisions by government are made according to established principles and that all
citizens are subject to the law and equal before the law. Embedded within the rule of law is the idea that
people accept and follow, but also change as needed, laws as agreed by a political process and upheld by
independent courts.
secular
Relating to worldly rather than religion; things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual or sacred. For
example, a secular society is one governed by people’s laws through parliament rather than by religious
laws.
separation of powers
A doctrine that the three arms of government – the executive, the legislature (parliament) and the judiciary
– are separate and independent, with powers that act as a check and balance on each other. In Australia,
the separation between the executive and the legislature is weak because the executive is drawn from the
legislature, but the separation between the judiciary and the other two arms of government is strong and is
enforced by courts.
An idea that current generations promote social inclusion, cohesion and accountability so that future
generations should be able to have the same or greater access to social resources as the current
generations.
statute (statutory law)
In Australia, a statute is a written law, also known as an act of parliament or legislation, which commences
as a bill, is passed by the parliament and has received royal assent (by the GovernorGeneral or a
governor, or, in very rare cases, directly by the monarch). A statute may commence upon royal assent, or a
specified date, or upon a date declared in a proclamation. Also see common law.
voting
A means of formally expressing opinion or choice on an issue or electing a representative. The term is
frequently understood in relation to government as a formal expression of preference for a candidate for
office or for a proposed resolution of an issue within a parliament.
Westminster system
A system of parliamentary government, also known as responsible government, which evolved in England
and was adopted in its colonies, including Australia. It is based on the principle that the executive
government is responsible to the people through the parliament. The executive government is formed by
those who command the support of the lower House of Parliament. Ministers, including the Prime Minister,
are members of a House of Parliament and are accountable to it. There is a separate, largely ceremonial,
head of state, an independent public service and an independent judiciary that applies the rule of law.
Economics and Business
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The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences Economics and Business
Economics and Business How the Subject works
As mass global flows of people, resources,
finances and information produce social, ACARA Business and Econo…
economic, political and environmental
complexities and challenges, Australia needs
enterprising individuals who can make
informed decisions and actively participate in
society and the economy as individuals and
more broadly as global citizens. Young
Australians will also face a number of social,
economic and moral challenges in their
lifetimes that will impact on their lives and
choices. It is critical that students are
equipped with the knowledge, understanding and skills that will empower them in the face of such challenges.
The Australian Curriculum: Economics and Business empowers students to shape their social and economic
futures and to contribute to the development of prosperous, sustainable and equitable Australian and global
economies. The study of economics and business develops the knowledge, understanding and skills that will
equip students to secure their financial futures and to participate in and contribute to the wellbeing and
sustainability of the economy, the environment and society. Through studying economics and business,
students learn to make informed decisions and to appreciate the interdependence of decisions made within
economic systems, including the effects of these decisions on consumers, businesses, governments and
other economies, and on environmental and social systems.
Economics and business provides students with opportunities to develop enterprising behaviours and
capabilities that will equip them to face challenges in their lifetime. Through authentic learning opportunities,
the economics and business curriculum fosters enterprising individuals who are able to effectively embrace
change; seek innovation; work with others; show initiative, flexibility and leadership; use new technologies;
plan, organise and manage risk; and use resources efficiently. Economics and business will better place
students now and in their adult lives to actively and effectively participate in economic and business activities,
while reflecting on the effects of their decisions on themselves, other people and places, now and in the
future.
The Australian Curriculum: Economics and Business aims to ensure students develop:
enterprising behaviours and capabilities that can be transferable into life, work and business
opportunities and will contribute to the development and prosperity of individuals and society
understanding of the ways society allocates limited resources to satisfy needs and wants, and how
they participate in the economy as consumers, workers and producers
understanding of the work and business environments within the Australian economy and its
interactions and relationships with the global economy, in particular the Asia region
reasoning and interpretation skills to apply economics and business concepts to make informed
decisions
understanding of economics and business decisionmaking and its role in creating a prosperous,
sustainable and equitable economy for all Australians
understandings that will enable them to actively and ethically participate in the local, national,
regional and global economy as economically, financially and businessliterate citizens.
The Australian Curriculum: Economics and Business is organised in two related strands: economics and
business knowledge and understanding, and economics and business inquiry and skills.
In both these strands, the study of economics and business issues, events and business case studies form an
integral component of the curriculum. A focus on contemporary issues, events and business case studies
stimulates student interest and curiosity. The content is intended to be taught through a relevant context,
which will help students make the connections between what they are learning in class and events or issues
that are happening in their local area, Australia and the world.
Both strands also focus on developing enterprising behaviours and capabilities. Through the study of
economics and business, students will develop their understanding of the importance and role of enterprising
behaviours and capabilities at an individual and business level. Enterprising behaviours and capabilities refer
to the suite of skills, attributes and behaviours that allow individuals to engage in and contribute to the
economic wellbeing of society. Broadly, they encourage students to be adaptable, demonstrate initiative, solve
problems and take on leadership roles in all aspects of life.
Economics and business knowledge and understanding
strand
Economics and business knowledge refers to the facts, principles, theories and models developed in
economics and business. Economics and business understanding is the ability to see the relationships
between concepts and the interdependence of sectors of the economy.
The economics and business knowledge and understanding strand comprises four key organising ideas:
resource allocation and making choices; the business environment; consumer and financial literacy; and work
and work futures.
Resource allocation and making choices focuses on the process of using available, limited resources for
competing alternative uses that satisfy society’s increasing needs and wants. As every need and want cannot
be satisfied with available resources, choices must be made about how resources are allocated most
effectively, based on the actions of consumers, producers and governments.
The business environment examines the ways businesses operate at many levels, and the ways they respond
to opportunities and changing circumstances and conditions. As businesses operate in markets, the decisions
they make have social, economic and environmental consequences.
Consumer and financial literacy explores the role of making responsible and informed decisions about
consumer issues and managing money and assets, and how these decisions affect the individual’s and the
community’s quality of life, sense of security and awareness of future options.
Work and work futures focuses on work, definitions of work, the work environment and the contribution of
work to individual and collective wellbeing. It explores the factors that influence the work environment now and
into the future and the rights and responsibilities of participants in the work environment.
Economics and business inquiry and skills strand
The economics and business inquiry and skills strand focuses on the skills of questioning and research;
interpretation and analysis; economic reasoning, decisionmaking and application; and communication and
reflection.
Questioning and research involves students asking questions about a contemporary issue or event and
planning and conducting investigations. Students gather information and data from a range of sources to
investigate the issue or event.
Interpretation and analysis engages students in transforming and critically examining information and data
and accounting for different perspectives.
Economic reasoning, decisionmaking and application involves students making informed decisions using
economic reasoning and applying economics and business knowledge, skills and concepts to familiar and
new situations.
In communication and reflection, students present findings, arguments and evidencebased conclusions using
subjectspecific language, concepts and conventions and reflect on the intended and unintended
consequences of decisions.
Economics and business inquiry and skills are described in bands of schooling at twoyear intervals.
The two strands are integral to the development of a teaching and learning program. The economics and
business knowledge and understanding strand provides the content focus through which particular skills are
to be developed. It is developed year by year.
Contemporary economic and/or business events, issues and case studies are used to provide the context for
learning knowledge and understanding and the development of skills.
Each year level includes key questions which provide a guiding framework for developing students’ economics
and business knowledge, understanding and skills of inquiry.
Glossary
absolute advantage
A country is said to have an absolute advantage when it can produce goods and services more efficiently
than another country with the same set of resources.
basic standard of living
A standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of a person and his/her family, including food,
clothing, housing, medical care, necessary social services, the right to security in the event of
unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond
his/her control, special care for mothers and children, and social protection for all children.
business
An organisation, enterprise or business engaged in production and trade of goods or services, usually for
profit.
business activity
All activity associated with production and trade of goods and services by a business.
business cycle
Alternate but irregular periods of prosperity and recession in an economy.
business environment
Contemporary events or trends that influence a business, industry or market.
capital
All physical equipment (machinery, buildings, infrastructure) used by people in a process of production, for
example, a secretary uses a computer; a bricklayer uses a trowel; a farmer uses a plough. In modern
economies, intellectual property and knowledge are types of human capital – necessary resources in the
production of goods and services.
circular flow of income
An economic model that provides a theoretical and simplified representation of operations of an economy,
depicting interactions between various sectors of the economy (household, business, finance, government
and foreign sectors), and flows of resources and income between them.
comparative advantage
An ability of a countries/economies to gain from trade with each other, regardless of their factor
endowments. Given a choice of producing two products, a country is said to have a comparative advantage
when it specialises in the production and export of particular goods and services that it can produce more
efficiently; that is, at a lower opportunity cost than competitors.
competitive advantage
An advantage that a business holds over others in its industry, sector or location. The advantage means
that the business is able to sell more of a product, or operate at a lower cost, or better meet the needs of
consumers. Competitive advantage usually implies that a business is more profitable than its competitors.
consumer
A person or a group that is the final user of goods and services produced within an economy.
corporate social responsibility
When businesses consider the interests of stakeholders, society and the environment when making
economic and business decisions.
costbenefit analysis
Determination and evaluation of benefits and costs of a project or decision. The evaluation includes
monetary and nonmonetary effects.
demand
An amount of goods or services that consumers are willing and able to purchase at a particular point in
time.
economic development
A quantitative (output and value) and qualitative (wellbeing) improvement in the standard of living.
economic growth
An increase in the quantity of goods and services produced in an economy over a period of time; an
increasing ability of society to satisfy the needs and wants of its people.
economic reasoning
Applying the principles of economics to understand possible causes and effects of economic events and
changes; that is, using economic and business ideas to explain and analyse economic and business events
and issues.
Economic activity that supports economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
economic system
A system that coordinates the production and distribution of goods and services.
economics
A social science (study of human behaviour) that studies decisions made by individuals, households,
businesses, governments and other groups about how scarce resources are allocated in attempting to
satisfy needs and unlimited wants.
economy
All activities undertaken for the purpose of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services
in a region or country.
efficiency
Producing goods and services using the minimum amount of resources; obtaining the greatest amount of
goods and services from limited resources; avoiding wastage of resources.
enterprise
A business unit, company or project that is profitoriented, nonprofit, privately owned or government
controlled and that combines scarce resources for the production and supply of goods and services, and
especially may require boldness or effort. Alternatively, the term may refer to the undertaking of a project or
business.
entrepreneur
A person who sets out to build a successful business in a new field. An entrepreneur’s methods are
sometimes regarded as ‘groundbreaking’ or innovative.
equity
A perceived fairness of the way scarce resources are used and the way benefits of production are
distributed.
externality
Uncompensated cost or benefit associated with a production or consumption of goods and services that
affects the wellbeing of third parties or society more generally.
factors of production
Resources used in a production of goods and services classified as land, labour, capital and enterprise.
goods
Tangible items that satisfy needs and wants; they can be seen and touched.
gross domestic product (GDP)
A total value of final goods and services produced in a country in a period of time.
industry sector
An area of a business operation. Businesses operate in the primary, secondary and tertiary industry
sectors. The primary industry produces goods through the use and extraction of natural resources (for
example, agriculture and mining). The secondary industry is concerned with converting primary industry
materials into finished goods (for example, manufacturing, textiles and food). The tertiary industry provides
services (for example, information, tourism and telecommunications).
interdependence
A joint dependence between participants in an economy; that is, the reliance of consumers, workers,
businesses and governments on each other. In modern economies, people tend to specialise in the
production of a good or service, and trade that item for another that they could not provide or produce for
themselves.
living standards
An amount of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities that a particular individual, society or country
has.
market
An exchange of goods, services or resources between buyers and sellers.
market economy
A system that coordinates the production and distribution of goods and services using markets.
needs
In economics, a good or service that consumers consider necessary to maintain their standard of living.
nonprofit
A business that uses surplus funds to achieve its goals rather than distribute these funds to the owners.
These often exist in the form of charities, service organisations and clubs.
offshoring
Business processes that were originally performed inhouse now moved overseas.
opportunity cost
What you have to forgo if you choose to do A rather than B; the value of the next best alternative that is
foregone whenever a choice is made.
organisational structure
A structure put in place by a businesses to organise how tasks are divided and how resources are used to
achieve the business’s goals and objectives. Tall (vertical) organisational structures exist in businesses with
many levels of authority between senior management and workers, for example, in larger corporations. Flat
(horizontal) organisational structures, common in small–medium enterprises, are those with fewer levels
between management and workers.
outsourcing
Any task that could be performed by employees within an organisation being contracted out to a third party.
producer
An individual and/or business involved in a production of goods and services.
productivity
A measure of how efficiently an economy uses resources such as labour and capital to produce goods and
services. One of the most common measures of an economy’s productivity is gross domestic product
(GDP).
scarcity
An economic problem of having needs and unlimited wants, but limited resources that can be used to
achieve those needs and wants.
standard of living
A level of wealth and consumption of a population (such as a nation or socioeconomic group), measured by
factors such as gross domestic product, inflation, income, employment, poverty rate, housing, access to
and standard of health care and education, safety, and environmental quality.
supply
An amount of goods and services that are available; an amount of goods that producers are willing to offer
for sale.
sustainable development
A development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs. Sustainable development values resources for their future as well as current uses.
resource
A means to produce goods and services that satisfy needs and wants. The four economic resources
(factors of production) are land, labour, capital and enterprise. Production usually requires a combination of
resources.
resource allocation
Assigning of limited resources to produce goods and services to meet society’s needs and unlimited wants.
tradeoff
A sacrifice that must be made when choosing how to use resources. The preferred (next best) alternative is
known as the opportunity cost.
wants
A good or service that is desired in order to provide satisfaction to a user, but which is not necessary for
survival or to meet the basicstandard of living in a community.
wellbeing
An overall measure of quality of life for individuals and society.
The Arts
Page 155 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum The Arts
The Arts How the Learning Area works
In the Australian Curriculum, The Arts is a learning area
that draws together related but distinct art forms. While learning area video art…
these art forms have close relationships and are often
used in interrelated ways, each involves different
approaches to arts practices and critical and creative
thinking that reflect distinct bodies of knowledge,
understanding and skills. The curriculum examines
past, current and emerging arts practices in each art
form across a range of cultures and places.
The Australian Curriculum: The Arts comprises five
subjects:
Dance
Drama
Media Arts
Music
Visual Arts.
Rationale
The arts have the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and
encouraging them to reach their creative and expressive potential. The five arts subjects in the Australian
Curriculum provide opportunities for students to learn how to create, design, represent, communicate and
share their imagined and conceptual ideas, emotions, observations and experiences.
Rich in tradition, the arts play a major role in the development and expression of cultures and communities,
locally, nationally and globally. Students communicate ideas in current, traditional and emerging forms and
use arts knowledge and understanding to make sense of their world. The Australian Curriculum: The Arts
values, respects and explores the significant contributions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to
Australia’s arts heritage and contemporary arts practices through their distinctive ways of representing and
communicating knowledge, traditions and experience. In The Arts, students learn as artists and audience
through the intellectual, emotional and sensory experiences of the arts. They acquire knowledge, skills and
understanding specific to The Arts subjects and develop critical understanding that informs decisionmaking
and aesthetic choices. Through The Arts, students learn to express their ideas, thoughts and opinions as they
discover and interpret the world. They learn that designing, producing and resolving their work is as essential
to learning in the arts as is creating a finished artwork. Students develop their arts knowledge and aesthetic
understanding through a growing comprehension of the distinct and related languages, symbols, techniques,
processes and skills of the arts subjects. Arts learning provides students with opportunities to engage with
creative industries and arts professionals.
The arts entertain, challenge, provoke responses and enrich our knowledge of self, communities, world
cultures and histories. The Arts contribute to the development of confident and creative individuals, nurturing
and challenging active and informed citizens. Learning in The Arts is based on cognitive, affective and
sensory/kinaesthetic response to arts practices as students revisit increasingly complex content, skills and
processes with developing confidence and sophistication across their years of learning.
This rationale is extended and complemented by the specific rationale for each arts subject.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: The Arts aims to develop students’:
creativity, critical thinking, aesthetic knowledge and understanding about arts practices, through
making and responding to artworks with increasing selfconfidence
arts knowledge and skills to communicate ideas; they value and share their arts and life
experiences by representing, expressing and communicating ideas, imagination and observations
about their individual and collective worlds to others in meaningful ways
use of innovative arts practices with available and emerging technologies, to express and represent
ideas, while displaying empathy for multiple viewpoints
understanding of Australia’s histories and traditions through the arts, engaging with the artworks
and practices, both traditional and contemporary, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
understanding of local, regional and global cultures, and their arts histories and traditions, through
engaging with the worlds of artists, artworks, audiences and arts professions.
These aims are extended and complemented by specific aims for each arts subject.
Strands
Content descriptions in each arts subject reflect the interrelated strands of making and responding.
making includes learning about and using knowledge, skills, techniques, processes, materials and
technologies to explore arts practices and make artworks that communicate ideas and intentions.
responding includes exploring, responding to, analysing and interpreting artworks.
Making
Making in each arts subject engages students’ cognition, imagination, senses and emotions in conceptual and
practical ways and involves them thinking kinaesthetically, critically and creatively. Students develop
knowledge, understanding and skills to design, produce, present and perform artworks. To make an artwork,
students work from an idea, an intention, particular resources, an expressive or imaginative impulse, or an
external stimulus.
Students learn, develop and refine skills as the artist and as audience for their own work, and as audience for
the works of others. Making involves practical actions informed by critical thought to design and produce
artworks. Students independently and collaboratively experiment, conceptualise, reflect on, refine, present,
perform, communicate and evaluate. They learn to explore possibilities across diverse art forms, solve
problems, experiment with techniques, materials and technologies, and ask probing questions when making
decisions and interpreting meaning.
Part of making involves students considering their artworks from a range of viewpoints, including that of the
audience. Students consider their own responses as artists to interpretations of the artwork as it is developed
or in its completed form.
Responding
Responding in each arts subject involves students, as artists and audiences, exploring, responding to,
analysing, interpreting and critically evaluating artworks they experience. Students learn to understand,
appreciate and critique the arts through the critical and contextual study of artworks and by making their own
artworks. Learning through making is interrelated with and dependent on responding. Students learn by
reflecting on their making and critically responding to the making of others.
When responding, students learn to critically evaluate the presentation, production and/or performance of
artworks through an exploration of the practices involved in making an artwork and the relationship between
artist, audience and artwork. Students learn that meanings can be interpreted and represented according to
different viewpoints, and that the viewpoints they and others hold shift according to different experiences.
Students consider the artist’s relationship with an audience. They reflect on their own experiences as
audience members and begin to understand how artworks represent ideas through expression, symbolic
communication and cultural traditions and rituals. Students think about how audiences consume, debate and
interpret the meanings of artworks. They recognise that in communities many people are interested in looking
at, interpreting, explaining, experiencing and talking about the arts.
Viewpoints
In making and responding to artworks, students consider a range of viewpoints or perspectives through which
artworks can be explored and interpreted. These include the contexts in which the artworks are made by
artists and experienced by audiences. The world can be interpreted through different contexts, including
social, cultural and historical contexts. Based on this curriculum, key questions are provided as a framework
for developing students’ knowledge, understanding and inquiry skills.
Table 1: Examples of viewpoints and questions through which artworks can be explored and interpreted
Examples of As the artist: As the audience:

viewpoints
Contexts, including:
What does this artwork How does the artwork relate to its
societal tell us about the social context?
cultural cultural context in How would different audiences
historical which it was made? respond to this artwork?
How does this artwork What is the cultural context in which
relate to my culture? it was developed, or in which it is
What social or viewed, and what does this context
historical forces and signify?
influences have What historical forces and
shaped my artwork? influences are evident in the
What ideas am I artwork?
expressing about the What are the implications of this
future? work for future artworks?
Knowledge
How is the work Why did the artist select particular
elements structured/ content?
materials organised/arranged?
skills, How have materials
techniques, been used to make the
processes work?
forms and How have skills and
styles processes been
content selected and used?
What forms and styles
are being used and
why?
Evaluations
(judgements) How effective is the How does the artwork
artwork in meeting the communicate meaning to an
artist’s intentions? audience?
How are concepts and What interpretations will audiences
contexts interpreted by have?
the artist?
Evaluations
What philosophical, What philosophical, ideological
philosophical ideological and/or and/or political perspectives evident
and political perspectives in the artwork affect the audience’s
ideological does the artwork interpretation of it?
theoretical represent? How do philosophies, ideologies
institutional How do philosophies, and/or scientific knowledge impact
psychological ideologies and/or on artworks?
scientific scientific knowledge What important theories does this
impact on artworks? artwork explore?
What important How have established behaviours
theories does this or conventions influenced its
artwork explore? creation?
How have established What processes of the mind and
behaviours or emotions are involved in
conventions influenced interpreting the artwork?
its creation?
The Australian Curriculum: The Arts covers each of the five arts subjects – Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music,
and Visual Arts – across bands of year levels:
Foundation to Year 2
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10.
The curriculum is based on the assumption that all students will study the five arts subjects from Foundation
to the end of primary school. Schools will be best placed to determine how this will occur. From the first year
of secondary school (Year 7 or 8), students will have the opportunity to experience one or more arts subjects
in depth. In Years 9 and 10, students will be able to specialise in one or more arts subject. Subjects offered
will be determined by state and territory school authorities or individual schools.
Teachers in schools are the key to providing students with rich, sustained, rigorous learning in each of the
subjects in the arts. The arts industry complements the provision of the Arts curriculum in schools through
programs and partnerships. The industry increasingly provides specialist services for schools, as appropriate,
through experiences such as visiting performances, demonstrations and exhibitions, artists in residence,
teacher professional development and access for students and teachers to specialised facilities in galleries,
concert halls, theatres and other arts venues.
The curriculum for each arts subject includes:
a rationale and aims
the structure for learning
band descriptions
content descriptions
content elaborations
links to statements about student diversity, general capabilities and crosscurriculum priorities
sequence of achievement
glossary.
In the Australian Curriculum, The Arts is a learning area that draws together related but distinct art forms.
While these art forms have close relationships and are often used in interrelated ways, each involves different
approaches to arts practices and critical and creative thinking that reflect distinct bodies of knowledge,
understanding and skills. The curriculum examines past, current and emerging arts practices in each art form
across a range of cultures and places.
Each subject focuses on its own practices, terminology and unique ways of looking at the world.
In Dance, students use the body to communicate and express meaning through purposeful movement. Dance
practice integrates choreography, performance, and appreciation of and responses to dance and dance
making.
In Drama, students explore and depict real and fictional worlds through use of body language, gesture and
space to make meaning as performers and audience. They create, rehearse, perform and respond to drama.
In Media Arts, students use communications technologies to creatively explore, make and interpret stories
about people, ideas and the world around them. They engage their senses, imagination and intellect through
media artworks that respond to diverse cultural, social and organisational influences on communications
practices today.
In Music, students listen to, compose and perform music from a diverse range of styles, traditions and
contexts. They create, shape and share sounds in time and space and critically analyse music. Music practice
is aurally based and focuses on acquiring and using knowledge, understanding and skills about music and
musicians.
In Visual Arts, students experience and explore the concepts of artists, artworks, world and audience.
Students learn in, through and about visual arts practices, including the fields of art, craft and design.
Students develop practical skills and critical thinking which inform their work as artists and audience.
The Australian Curriculum: The Arts Foundation – Year 10 enables exploration of the dynamic relationships
between arts subjects. This can involve students making and responding to artworks in traditional,
contemporary and emerging forms, using materials, techniques and technologies from one arts subject to
support learning in another. In this twentyfirst century arts curriculum, students explore innovative and hybrid
art forms which extend and challenge art making and combine practices of two or more art forms.
Within all arts subjects, design facilitates the creative and practical realisation of ideas. Design thinking is a
fundamental strategy in the experimentation, refinement and resolution of an artwork and takes into account
logical, critical and aesthetic considerations. Many different words describe design within the arts, such as
choreographing, narrating, devising, constructing, composing and sculpting. Design connects the different art
forms so that they inform each other, providing possibilities for students to create innovative and hybrid forms
of art.
Although Dance, Drama, Media Arts, Music, and Visual Arts are described individually in The Arts, students
need opportunities to study and make artworks that feature fusion of traditional art forms and practices to
create hybrid artworks. This learning involves exploration of traditional and contemporary arts practices from
different cultures, including works from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as suitable to community
and cultural protocols. Such works might:
combine performance, audio and/or visual aspects
combine processes typical of the different arts subjects
involve other learning areas
exist in physical, digital or virtual spaces
combine traditional, contemporary and emerging media and materials
be created individually or collaboratively.
Relationship between the strands of making and
responding
Making and responding are intrinsically connected. Together they provide students with knowledge,
understanding and skills as artists, performers and audience and develop students’ skills in critical and
creative thinking. As students make artworks they actively respond to their developing artwork and the
artworks of others; as students respond to artworks they draw on the knowledge, understanding and skills
artworks of others; as students respond to artworks they draw on the knowledge, understanding and skills
acquired through their experiences in making artworks.
The strands inform and support each other. When developing teaching and learning programs, teachers
combine aspects of the strands in different ways to provide students with learning experiences that meet their
needs and interests. The curriculum provides many opportunities for integration of learning between arts
subjects and with other learning areas.
Content descriptions
The focus of each content description in Foundation – Year 6 expands into more specific content descriptions
for Years 7–10 as presented in table 2 below.
Table 2: Content descriptions for F–6 and 7–10 in the Australian Curriculum: The Arts
Content Foundation – Year 6 Content Years 7–10

description description
1st Exploring ideas and improvising with 1st Exploring ideas and improvising with

ways to represent ideas ways to represent ideas
2nd Manipulating and applying the
elements/concepts with intent
2nd Developing understanding of 3rd Developing and refining

practices understanding of skills and
techniques
4th Structuring and organising ideas into
form
3rd Sharing artworks through 5th Sharing artworks through

performance, presentation or display performance, presentation or display
4th Responding to and interpreting 6th Analysing and reflecting upon

artworks intentions
7th Responding to and interpreting
artworks
Glossary
2d
Artworks that exist on a flat surface, that have height and width, such as paintings and drawings.
3d
Artworks that have depth as well as height and width, such as sculpture and installation.
4d
Artworks that have depth, height, width and added temporal and spatial dimensions. For example, artworks
that incorporate time, such as timebased installations, or artworks that incorporate performance on a
moving image.
aesthetic
Specific artistic awareness, or a deep appreciation of the meaning of an artistic experience through
intellectual, emotional and sensual response to a work of art.
In Dance, standards of appropriateness and competency relevant to the genre/style/time/place.
In Drama, involves subjective responses to nonverbal, affective and verbal devices which can be
representative of genre/style/time/place.
In Media Arts, involves engagement with and increasing understanding of how images, sounds and texts
can be used to provoke responses.
In Music, involves the subjective responses by which music is perceived and judged, which can be relevant
to genre/style/time/place.
In Visual Arts, the philosophical theory or set of principles governing the idea of beauty at a given time and
place.
art form
Specific shape or quality an artistic expression takes, such as dance, drama, media arts, music and visual
artworks.
articulation
In Dance, the manner in which movement of the body is clearly coordinated and differentiated. For
example, lifting the arm with the elbow initiating the movement.
In Drama, voice: to form clear, distinct and accurate sounds for dramatic purpose; movement: to isolate and
move specific parts of the body for dramatic purpose.
In Music, the way a note is sung or played, such as short and detached (staccato), smooth (legato) or
accented, which contributes to the overall style and interpretation.
artists
Generic term for the maker of an artwork in each of the five arts subjects.
artwork
Generic term for a performance or an artwork in each of the five arts subjects. When referred to generically
this curriculum uses the term ‘artwork’. Within each arts subject, the subjectspecific terms are used.
Artworks are also frequently described with reference to forms or styles.
atmosphere
The established mood or feeling conveyed in an artwork or performance.
audience
Individuals or groups of people who experience the arts in a range of settings and contexts (formal,
informal, virtual or interactive) through intellectual, emotional and social engagement. The artist is audience
to their own artwork.
aural skills
Particular listening skills students develop to identify and discriminate between sounds in Music. Also
referred to as ear training which involves focused listening activities through with students identify sounds
such as rhythm, pitch and timbre.
body awareness
Focuses on the individual’s own body shapes, body bases, body parts, locomotor and nonlocomotor
movements.
body bases
Body parts that support the rest of the body. For example, when standing, the feet are the body base; when
kneeling, the knees are the body base.
body language
Nonverbal communications through movement, gesture, facial expression, posture and proxemics (non
verbal communication).
body parts
Isolated parts or sections of the body; for example, arms, legs, head, torso, feet or hands.
body zones
Body areas of right side, left side, front, back, upper half and lower half.
character
Identification and portrayal of a person’s values, attitudes, intentions and actions as imagined relationships,
situations and ideas in dramatic action.
choreographic devices
The tools a choreographer selects and uses to communicate ideas, including: abstraction, sequence,
repetition, transition, contrast, variation and canon.
choreographic form
The arrangement of movement within the structure of a dance.
codes
In Media Arts, codes can be further broken down into technical codes (such as camera angles, brush
strokes, body movement) and symbolic codes (such as the language, dress, actions of characters, visual
symbols).
In Visual Arts, accepted ways of arranging materials into familiar forms, such as print, painting, moving
image or sculpture.
composition
In Visual Arts, the placement or arrangement of elements or parts in artworks.
In Media Arts, the arrangement and sequence of images and text to support the purpose of communicating
ideas or stories from different points of view using framing, editing and layout.
conventions
Traditional or culturally accepted ways of doing things based on audience expectations. Each art form has
hundreds of conventions built up over time and widely accepted by audiences.
craft
An intellectual and physical activity where artists explore the materials and processes to produce unique
objects for the purposes of: experimentation with form or function; exhibition; production; and personal or
community need. Indigenous cultures draw no distinction between art and craft and, similarly, contemporary
culture values the interplay between the art/craft, design/craft, the art/designer or the design/maker. The
crafted and handmade sit alongside the manufactured design object as part of historical, national and
cultural identities.
design elements
Include line, colour, shape, texture, space and form found in artworks, and incorporated in the design of
performance spaces (including sets) for dance and drama.
design principles
Accepted conventions associated with organising design elements and can include unity, balance,
hierarchy, scale, proportion, emphasis, similarity and contrast.
dramatic action
The driving force and forward motion of drama to create dramatic meaning, tension, belief and audience
engagement. The movement of the drama from the introduction, exposition of ideas and conflict to a
resolution.
dramatic meaning
A signified, intended purpose or effect interpreted from the communication of expressive dramatic action.
dynamics
In Dance, refers to how movement is performed, and includes the weight, force, and/or energy that are
applied to movement over time. For example, heavy to light weight, strong to gentle force, or fast to slow
release of energy.
In Music, dynamics and expression refers to how the sound is performed, including sound qualities. For
example, the relative volume and intensity of sound.
elements of dance
Space, time, dynamics and relationships.
elements of drama
Role and character, relationships, situation, voice, movement, focus, tension, space, time, language,
symbol, audience, mood and atmosphere.
elements of media arts
Composition, time, space, sound, movement and lighting. Also known as technical and symbolic elements.
elements of music
Rhythm, pitch, dynamics and expression, form and structure, timbre, and texture.
expressive skills
In Dance, the use of facial expression to communicate in performance.
In Drama, the use of facial and vocal expression to communicate in performance.
In Music, the use of elements such as dynamics combined with technical skills to enhance performance.
focus
To concentrate the attention on a spatial direction or a point in space to intensify attention or increase the
projection of intent. For example:
In Dance, to concentrate on the dancer’s line of sight or dramatic action.
In Drama, to direct and intensify attention and frame moments of dramatic action or to identify the main
idea of the drama.
In Visual Arts, to draw the audience’s attention to a particular point in the artwork.
form and structure
In Music, the plan or design of a piece of music described by identifying what is the same and what is
different and the ordering of ideas in the piece.
forms
In each arts subject, form is the whole of an artwork created by the elements and the way they are
structured:
In Dance, form is the shape or structure of a dance according to a preconceived plan. For example, AB,
ABA, rondo, narrative, chance.
In Drama, form is the way drama is structured. Drama forms are shaped by the application of the elements
of drama within particular social, cultural and historical contexts.
In Music, form is the sections within a piece of music, for example, binary form (AB) contains section A, then
section B; ternary form (ABA) contains section A, section B, then return to section A; rondo form (ABACA)
contains section A, section B, section C, then return to section A.
In Visual Arts, twodimensional form (see 2D), threedimensional form (see 3D) and fourdimensional form
(see 4D).
found sound sources
Natural and manufactured objects including stones and household objects.
hybrid art form
The combination of more than one art form within an artwork.
institutions
In Media Arts, organisations that enable and constrain media production and use.
improvisation
Spontaneous, creative activity applying the elements of an art form:
In Dance, movement that is created spontaneously, either freeform or highly structured.
In Drama, a spontaneous enactment taking on roles and situations to create dramatic action and extend an
idea; usually short and are structured into a complete little play.
In Music, spontaneously extending and varying music ideas in response to initial material or responses
invented by other performers in an ensemble.
key concepts of media arts
Media languages, media technologies, media institutions, media audiences and media representation.
kinaesthetic intelligence
Involves how well an individual perceives and controls their body in terms of physical activity and/or fine
motor skills within the space of a dance.
language
In Drama, ideas and dramatic meaning: the choice of linguistic expression and ideas in drama used to
create dramatic action.
lighting
In Media Arts, light, shade and colour for effect.
locomotor movement
Travelling movements, movement from one space to another such as walking, running, hopping, skipping,
leaping or crawling.
materials
Physical resources, equipment including technologies, and information used to make artworks. For
example, paint, digital camera, pencil, drum and/or clarinet.
media audiences
The individuals or groups for whom media artworks are made and who respond as consumers, citizens and
creative individuals. Audiences engage and interact based on expectation and experience.
media institutions
The individuals, communities and organisations that influence, enable and constrain media production and
use. Institutions are framed by the social, historical and cultural context.
media languages
Refers to the system of signs or symbols that media artworks use to communicate ideas and stories. The
language system is a combination of symbolic codes and the technical form of media arts technologies. The
language systems of media artworks use and control technical and symbolic elements to communicate
meaning.
media representation
The act of representing people, places and times, shared social values and beliefs through images, sounds
and text, or a combination of these. The representations are a constructed reality.
media technologies
The tools and processes which are essential for producing, accessing and distributing media.
medium
The material used in making an artwork.
mood and atmosphere
In Drama, the feeling or tone of both the physical space and the dramatic action created by or emerging
from the performance.
movement
In Drama, using facial expression, posture and action expressively in space and time to create roles,
situations, relationships, atmosphere and symbols.
In Media Arts, the way the eye discovers images or text; the suggestion of movement through sound.
movement vocabulary
The accumulation of movement, steps, gestures that make up a repertoire for physical expression of
feelings or ideas.
multimedia
Artworks that incorporate a broad range of media including graphics, text, digital media, audio or video.
nonlocomotor movement
Movement of the body occurring above a stationary base, on the spot movements. Also called axial
movement. For example, bending, stretching, twisting, shaking, bouncing, rising, sinking, pushing, pulling,
or swinging and swaying.
notation
Written symbols that represent and communicate sound. Notation can be invented, recognisable to a
traditional style or culture, or digitally created.
pathways
In Dance, patterns created in the air or on the floor by the body or body parts as a dancer moves in and
through space.
performance style
A type of dramatic expression communicated for a particular effect with distinguishing features and
appearance.
pitch
In Music, the relative highness or lowness of sound.
playbuilding
Creating a play through improvisation or devising.
practices
The application of arts skills and knowledge to create, represent, communicate and respond in a specific art
form.
practise
Regularly revising, developing and consolidating skills, techniques and repertoire as a class or as an
individual.
process drama
A method of teaching and learning drama where both the students and teacher are working in and out of
role.
projection
In Dance, the communication of meaning through extension and focus of the body.
In Drama, the loudness of the voice of an actor, and how it is carried to the audience.
purposeful play
Is a context for learning through which children organise and make sense of their social worlds, as they
engage actively with people, objects and representations (Early Years Learning Framework).
relationships
In Dance, relationships refer to associations or connections occurring when the body dances.
Relationships might occur between body parts (for example, right arm to left arm, hand to face); the body
and the floor (for example, close to, away from); the body and objects (for example, a chair, fan, stick,
scarf); the body and space (for example, an expansive or limited relationship); and the body and others (for
example, dance to one or more dancers).
In Drama, the connections and interactions between people that affect the dramatic action.
representation
The expression or designation of a character, place, idea, image or information by some other term,
character, symbol, diagram, image, sound or combination of visual and aural expression, based on shared
social values and beliefs:
In Media Arts, one of the five key concepts.
A concept in visual arts.
rhythm
In Dance, combination of long and short movements.
In Music, combinations of long and short sounds that convey a sense of movement subdivision of sound
within a beat.
In Media Arts, a technique or effect achieved in editing.
role and character
In Drama, the identification and portrayal of a person’s values, attitudes, intentions and actions as imagined
relationships, situations and ideas in dramatic action; role focus on type and stereotype; characters are
detailed and specific.
roleplay
To pretend to be someone else.
safe dance practices
Can be defined as the practice of selecting and executing safe movement. The focus is on providing dance
activities and exercises which allow students to participate without risk of injury. All dance movement should
be performed relevant to an individual’s body type and capabilities.
scene
The dramatic action that occurs in a particular time and place; a section of a play.
score
A collection of notated representations of sound used to communicate musical information. Scores can use
graphic, traditional, invented or stylistically specific symbols.
sequence
The linking together of series of ideas, much like words are linked together to form sentences and
paragraphs:
In Dance, a choreographic device where movements are linked together to form a series of
movements/phrases.
In Media Arts, a series of still and/or moving images with or without sound are intentionally put into an
order.
In Music, a melodic, rhythmic or harmonic pattern. It can also describe the process or product of arranging
blocks of music using ‘sequencing’ software.
situation
In Drama, the setting and circumstances of the dramatic action – the who, what, where, when and what is
at stake of the roles/characters.
sound
In Media Arts, aural effects e.g. Loudness, softness, ambient noise or music.
space
In Dance, where the body moves, including level, dimension, direction, shape, active space, positive space,
negative space, planes, pathways, general space, personal space and performance space.
In Drama, the space of the performance and audience, fictional space of the dramatic action and the
emotional space between characters.
In Media Arts, the distance and relationship between objects, sounds or text or the depiction of place.
story principles
In Media Arts, selecting and organising the elements of structure, intent, characters, settings and points of
view within the conventions of a genre, such as a Hollywood love story that follows a pattern of boy meets
girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl.
style
the influencing context of an artwork, such as Impressionist in Visual Arts; ballet or hip hop in Dance;
Romanticism in Music; or postmodern, twentyfirst century or contemporary, among many others.
symbol
In Drama, associations that occur when something is used to represent something else to reinforce or
extend dramatic meaning.
technical skills
Combination of proficiencies in control, accuracy, alignment, strength, balance and coordination in an art
form that develop with practice:
In Dance, proficiencies developed through the acquisition of appropriate strength, flexibility, coordination
and endurance in the performance of body actions, locomotor and nonlocomotor movements, and
developed with practice to perform in specific dance styles.
In Music, proficiencies developed with practice in order to sing or play instruments.
technique
In Dance, the acquisition and execution of dance skills within a given dance style or genre.
In Drama, techniques include ways of using voice and movement to create role and dramatic action; also
techniques in lighting, sound, set building and painting, costume making, and makeup.
In Music, the capacity to control a voice or instrument in order to produce a desired sound.
In Visual Arts, the manner of making or skills used in making an artwork.
technologies
The tools and equipment that can be materials for making and responding. One of the five key concepts in
Media Arts.
In Music, the particular characteristics of a sound.
In Visual Arts, the lightness or darkness of a colour (value).
tension
In Drama, a sense of anticipation or conflict within characters or character relationships, or problems,
surprise and mystery in stories and ideas to propel dramatic action and create audience engagement.
texture
In Music, The layers of sound in a musical work and the relationship between them.
time
In Dance, time refers to how long a dance takes, including metre, tempo, momentum, accent, duration,
phrasing, rhythmic patterns, stillness and beat.
In Drama, the fictional time in the narrative or setting; timing of one moment to the next contributing to the
tension and rhythm of dramatic action.
In Media Arts, the order, duration and depiction of ideas and events.
timbre
In Music, the particular tone, colour or quality that distinguishes a sound or combinations of sounds.
tone
In Drama, tone of voice.
viewpoints
A collection of perspectives, lenses or frames through which artworks can be explored and interpreted.
visual conventions
Combinations of components and approaches, such as combinations of elements, design principles,
composition and style.
visual devices
Combinations of approaches or techniques in compositions and representations.
visual elements (design elements)
Include line, colour, shape, texture, space and form found in artworks, and incorporated in the design of
performance spaces (including sets) for dance and drama.
voice
In Drama, using voice expressively to create roles, situations, relationships, atmosphere and symbols.
Fundamental movement
Fundamental movement in dance include locomotor movements such as walking or running, and non
locomotor movements such as bending and stretching. Fundamental movements can also incorporate
spatial and dynamic changes such as jumping, spinning or exploding, reflect conventions and vocabulary of
selected dance styles.
The Arts Dance
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The Australian Curriculum: The Arts Dance
Dance How the Subject works
This rationale complements and extends the rationale
for The Arts learning area. dance video nal for esa
Dance is expressive movement with purpose and form.
Through dance, students represent, question and
celebrate human experience, using the body as the
instrument and movement as the medium for personal,
social, emotional, spiritual and physical communication.
Like all art forms, dance has the capacity to engage,
inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination
and encouraging students to reach their creative and
expressive potential.
Dance enables students to develop a movement
vocabulary with which to explore and refine imaginative
ways of moving individually and collaboratively. Students choreograph, rehearse, perform and respond as
they engage with dance practice and practitioners in their own and others’ cultures and communities.
Students use the elements of dance to explore choreography and performance and to practise
choreographic, technical and expressive skills. They respond to their own and others’ dances using physical
and verbal communication.
Active participation as dancers, choreographers and audiences promotes students’ wellbeing and social
inclusion. Learning in and through dance enhances students’ knowledge and understanding of diverse
cultures and contexts and develops their personal, social and cultural identity.
In addition to the overarching aims of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts, dance knowledge, understanding
and skills ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students develop:
body awareness and technical and expressive skills to communicate through movement confidently,
creatively and intelligently
choreographic and performance skills and appreciation of their own and others’ dances
aesthetic, artistic and cultural understanding of dance in past and contemporary contexts as
choreographers, performers and audiences
respect for and knowledge of the diverse purposes, traditions, histories and cultures of dance by
making and responding as active participants and informed audiences.
Learning in Dance
Learning in Dance involves students exploring elements, skills and processes through the integrated practices
of choreography, performance and appreciation. The body is the instrument of expression and uses
combinations of the elements of dance (space, time, dynamics and relationships) to communicate and
express meaning through expressive and purposeful movement.
Making in Dance involves improvising, choreographing, comparing and contrasting, refining, interpreting,
practising, rehearsing and performing.
practising, rehearsing and performing.
Responding in Dance involves students appreciating their own and others’ dance works by viewing,
describing, reflecting on, analysing, appreciating and evaluating.
In both strands, students engage with the elements of dance by learning the processes of choreography,
performance and appreciation. They also learn to use safe dance practices. With an understanding of the
body’s capabilities applied to their own body, students develop kinaesthetic intelligence, critical thinking and
awareness of how the body moves in dance. The elements of dance work together and underpin all dance
activity as students learn to make dance using their developing movement vocabulary with the body. With
increasing experience of making and responding, students develop analytical skills and aesthetic
understanding. They engage with different types of dance and examine dance from diverse viewpoints to
build their knowledge and understanding. Dance skills, techniques and processes are developed through
students’ engagement with dance practices that use the body and movement as the materials of dance with,
in later bands, the addition of production components.
Knowledge and skills of dance
In Dance, students develop kinaesthetic knowledge through the development of dance knowledge and skills
and their engagement with the materials of dance. Early sensory experience using the body as the instrument
of expression and movement as the medium is fundamental to the development of this kinaesthetic
knowledge in dance and contributes to students’ overall aesthetic understanding.
Dances may have a particular ‘look’, ‘sound’ and ‘feel’ that students respond to positively, negatively or with
indifference according to the engagement of their senses, emotions and cognition. Students consider their
perceptions of different dances and their notions of what is appealing or not appealing in the bodies,
movement, sounds, aural and visual settings of dances they participate in or view.
Through Dance, students learn to reflect critically on their own aesthetic preferences by considering social,
historical and cultural influences, and the effects of local and global cultures on their tastes and decision
making. From early family experiences, students’ aesthetic preferences are nurtured by an increasing range
of cultural influences. The wider social, historical and cultural contexts for dance present students with
differing aesthetic preferences, tastes and viewpoints determined by people and their cultures.
The information below outlines the knowledge and skills that students need to develop in dance. Terms
specific to this curriculum are defined in the glossary and a hyperlink to examples of bandappropriate
knowledge and skills is provided with the content descriptions.
Knowledge
Students choreograph, perform and appreciate dances from a range of contexts, demonstrating an increasing
range of movement skills and stylespecific techniques. They learn how choreographic devices are used in
the structure and form of dances. Students use the elements of dance with appropriate expressive qualities
for choreographic intent.
The elements of dance
Students work safely with the elements of dance (space, time, dynamics and relationships), in combination, to
create and communicate meaning through dance.
Viewpoints
In making and responding, students learn that meanings can be generated from different viewpoints and that
these shift according to different world encounters. As students make, investigate or critique dances as
choreographers, dancers and audiences, they may ask and answer questions to consider the
choreographers’ and dancers’ meanings and the audiences’ interpretations. Meanings and interpretations are
informed by an understanding of how the elements of dance, materials, skills and processes are used in
differing social, cultural and historical contexts. These questions provide the basis for making informed critical
judgements about their own dance and the dance they see as audiences. The complexity and sophistication
of such questions will develop across Foundation – Year 10. In the later years, students will consider the
interests and concerns of choreographers, dancers and audiences regarding philosophies and ideologies,
critical theories, institutions and psychology.
Types of dance
Learning in dance involves students engaging in dance experiences which explore different types of dance.
These may be drawn from a variety of genres and styles including theatrical, traditional, social, ritual and
other current dance styles and the forms within them.
In Dance, form is the shape or structure of a dance according to a preconceived plan. For example, binary
form is an A section followed by a B section; ternary form is an A section followed by a B section followed by a
repeat of the A section; rondo is an expansion of the ternary form into ABACADA; narrative form is a dance
that tells a story.
In all bands, students explore dance from a range of historical and cultural contexts. They begin with their
experiences of dance from their immediate lives and community and identify the reasons why people dance.
They draw on the histories, traditions and styles of dance from a range of places and times including dance
from Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, the Asia region, and other world cultures.
As students learn about dance, from the primary to secondary years, they broaden their experiences of dance
genres and particular styles and use these as a springboard for their making and responding in Dance. They
also consider how dance can communicate and challenge ideas about issues and concepts such as
sustainability.
In their dance making, students use a variety of stimuli to create and communicate meaning through
movement. They also draw on their experiences in other arts subjects and learning areas.
Skills, techniques and processes
Through making and responding, students develop skills in and understanding of their dance making by
becoming increasingly proficient in using choreographic, performance and appreciating practices. As they
progress in Dance, students develop their capacity to use skills that enable them to perform safe and
meaningful movement. In Dance, students combine and apply technical and expressive skills. As they
progress, they build on fundamental movement skills to acquire increasingly complex skills and, particularly in
the secondary bands, learn stylebased techniques to build their movement vocabulary.
Teachers will select styles and techniques that are appropriate to the students’ experience, their own
experience and the school context. Techniques in dance develop from the acquisition of fundamental
movement skills to intentional use of more sophisticated technical and expressive skills with the use of style
specific techniques.
When making and responding, students’ dance skills are best developed through activities which integrate the
techniques and processes involved in the dance practices: choreographing, performing and appreciating.
Choreographing includes students drawing on their developing movement vocabulary as they
engage in the creative process of making dance. As they explore and shape their ideas they will be
engage in the creative process of making dance. As they explore and shape their ideas they will be
involved in processes such as improvising, exploring, selecting, creating and structuring movement
to communicate their intentions.
Performing includes students acquiring skills by practising, rehearsing, refining and applying
physical and expressive techniques.
Appreciating includes students describing, explaining, evaluating and critically analysing their own
dances and other dances viewed.
Materials
The materials for dance begin with the body, including body awareness, body bases, body parts and body
zones. The body uses movement vocabulary developed from using the elements of dance to express and
give form to feelings and ideas in choreography and performance. Production components such as
performance spaces, costumes, props, lighting, sets, sound and multimedia elements may be incorporated in
dance.
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10
The Arts Dance
Curriculum F10
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Dance Curriculum F10
Foundation to Year 2 Level Description
In Foundation to Year 2, learning in The Arts builds on the Early Years Learning Framework. Students are
engaged through purposeful and creative play in structured activities, fostering a strong sense of wellbeing
and developing their connection with and contribution to the world.
In the Foundation Year, students undertake The Arts appropriate for their level of development.
They explore the arts and learn how artworks can represent the world and that they can make artworks to
represent their ideas about the world. They share their artworks with peers and experience being an audience
to respond to others’ art making.
As they experience the arts, students draw on artworks from a range of cultures, times and locations. They
explore the arts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and of the Asia region and learn that they are
used for different purposes. While the arts in the local community should be the initial focus for learning,
students are also aware of and interested in the arts from more distant locations and the curriculum provides
opportunities to build on this curiosity.
As they make and respond to artworks, students explore meaning and interpretation, forms and processes,
and social and cultural contexts of the arts. They make early evaluations of artworks expressing what they like
and why.
Students learn about safe practices in the arts through making and responding safely in the different arts
subjects.
They experience the role of artist and they respond to feedback in their art making. As an audience, they
learn to focus their attention on artworks presented and to respond to artworks appropriately. In Foundation to
Year 2, students learn to be an audience for different arts experiences within the classroom.
In Dance, students:
become aware of their bodies and learn about the body bases, parts and zones used in dance
explore space, time, dynamics and relationships as they make and observe dances
explore locomotor and nonlocomotor movements and use these fundamental movement skills in
their own dance
experiment with simple technical and expressive skills and begin to learn about choreographic
devices through selecting and organising movements in their own dances.
Foundation to Year 2 Content Descriptions
Explore, improvise and organise ideas to make dance sequences using the elements of dance (ACADAM001
Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring fundamental movements safely to improvise dance ideas, for example, running in a race, jumping
like a frog, stomping like a giant, rolling like a log, falling like an autumn leaf, floating like a cloud, gliding like
a bird

Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – Which levels are you using in your dance?
What sort of movements did the dancers perform? What are they wearing? What kind of music are they
dancing to?
exploring movement possibilities in response to a stimulus, such as imagery, music and shared stories

experimenting with the elements of space, time, dynamics and relationships through movement, for
example, considering levels, tempo and dynamics

taking photos or videoing dance sequences to view and extend their dance ideas

Use fundamental movement skills to develop technical skills when practising dance sequences (ACADAM002
Scootle )
Elaborations
practising and responding to a range of fundamental movements to music, for example, walking, running,
marching, galloping, skipping, crawling (locomotor); bending, stretching, twisting, turning (nonlocomotor)

practising fundamental movements to begin to develop technical skills of body control, posture, strength,
balance and coordination, and responding to teacher’s feedback

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – How are you communicating the
ideas or intention in this dance? forms and elements: Which levels are you using in your dance?
developing awareness of and taking responsibility for safe dance practices, for example, being aware of self
and others in the dance space, moving with care, respecting others dancing in the space; awareness of the
boundaries of the dance space; awareness of their bodies’ needs, for example, getting a drink after dance
activities for hydration

recognising and accepting a teacher’s or classmates’ constructive feedback

Present dance that communicates ideas to an audience, including dance used by cultural groups in the
community (ACADAM003 Scootle )
Elaborations
presenting a learned sequence of movements or performing simple dances, individually or as a group, to
classmates, teachers and parents

expressing ideas to an audience through movement, for example, showing contrasting dynamics by
stamping heavily and tiptoeing lightly, or using movement qualities such as slow controlled sinking to the
floor to express melting ice and sharp jerky movement to express a robot
Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What did this dance make you think
about? Did the dance movements remind you of anything? How are you communicating the ideas or
intention in this dance?
exploring the movements in dances with representatives of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
community, for example, creating movements that represent animals from their region

using expressive skills to engage the audience, for example, looking out to audience and using facial
expression

presenting their dance in a digital format

Respond to dance and consider where and why people dance, starting with dances from Australia including
dances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACADAR004 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying where they might experience dance in their lives and communities, for example, considering how
dance sustains and communicates cultural knowledge

Considering viewpoints – evaluations: For example – Why are these people dancing? Where are they
dancing? Where is this dance from?
recognising that dance can show that people have different feelings about the world based on their
experiences of the environment and other people

exploring and responding to dances they make and view, for example, considering what the dance made
them think about or how the dance made them feel

recognising patterns of movement in dances they make, perform and view using their own words and learnt
dance terminology

Considering viewpoints – What sort of movements did the dancers perform? What are they wearing? What
kind of music are they dancing to?
Foundation to Year 2 Achievement Standards
By the end of Year 2, students describe artworks they make and those to which they respond. They consider
where and why people make artworks.
Students use the elements and processes of arts subjects to make and share artworks that represent ideas.
By the end of Year 2, students describe the effect of the elements in dance they make, perform and view and
where and why people dance.
Students use the elements of dance to make and perform dance sequences that demonstrate
fundamental movement skills to represent ideas. Students demonstrate safe practice.
Years 3 and 4 Level Description
In Years 3 and 4, learning in The Arts builds on the experience of the previous band. It involves students
making and responding to artworks independently and collaboratively with their classmates and teachers.
As they experience The Arts, students draw on artworks from a range of cultures, times and locations. They
As they make and respond to artworks, students explore meaning and interpretation, elements and forms,
and social and cultural contexts of the arts. They make personal evaluations of their own and others’
artworks, making connections between their own artistic intentions and those of other artists.
Students continue to learn about safe practices in the arts and in their interactions with other artists. Their
understanding of the role of the artist and the audience builds on their experience from the previous band. As
an audience, students focus their attention on the artwork and respond to it. They consider why and how
audiences respond to artworks.
In Years 3 and 4, students’ awareness of themselves and others as audiences is extended beyond the
classroom to the broader school context.
In Dance, students:
extend their awareness of the body as they incorporate actions using different body parts, body
zones and bases
explore and experiment with directions, time, dynamics and relationships using groupings, objects
and props
extend their fundamental movement skills by adding and combining more complex movements
use technical skills including accuracy and awareness of body alignment
explore meaning and interpretation, elements and forms including shapes and sequences of
dances as they make and respond to dance
use expressive skills including projection and focus when performing dance for themselves and
others.
Years 3 and 4 Content Descriptions
Improvise and structure movement ideas for dance sequences using the elements of dance and
choreographic devices (ACADAM005 Scootle )
Elaborations
using contrast and repetition to explore and generate new movement in response to stimuli such as stories,
memories and the environment

exploring known movements to find alternative ways of performing them, for example, waving hello or
shaking hands and then doing the same action at a different level, in a different direction, bigger/smaller,
using a different body part
altering movements in a set, teacherdirected or studentdevised dance using the elements of space, time,
dynamics and relationships to express ideas, for example, increasing the size of a movement to represent
growth

selecting and combining movements using choreographic devices such as contrast and repetition, for
example, combining movements learned in a dance from Asia with other dance movements, or repeating
movement to show emphasis

Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – How did the/does your dance begin? Was/is
there a middle part? How did/does the dance end? What shapes did you see/make? (individual and group)
Practise technical skills safely in fundamental movements (ACADAM006 Scootle )
Elaborations
practising combinations of fundamental locomotor and nonlocomotor movements to a range of musical
accompaniment, for example, running and sliding; bending and stretching; running, swinging, walking and
stretching

developing body awareness and refining technical skills of body control, accuracy, alignment, strength,
balance and coordination in fundamental movements in response to teacher’s feedback and observation of
other dancers’ technical skills
demonstrating safe dance practices, for example, warming up their bodies before executing more complex
movement patterns in dance sequences and cooling/calming down afterwards; removing socks if the floor
surface is slippery (and clean)
building confidence and resilience through practising technical skills
Perform dances using expressive skills to communicate ideas, including telling cultural or community stories
(ACADAM007 Scootle )
Elaborations
using expressive skills of projection and focus to communicate dance ideas to an audience (school
assembly, community festival, etc.); for example, looking out and up to the ceiling and extending
movements outwards to express a feeling of joy
exploring the elements of dance to communicate ideas clearly, such as telling cultural stories in a dance
with or without music; for example, travelling lightly using hands and feet to represent a bilby, or skipping
vigorously and at a high level to express joy, or rolling softly on the floor using different body shapes to
represent shells washed by the sea

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – Is there a story in the dance? How
are you using grouping or pathways to communicate ideas or intentions in your dance?
rehearsing and presenting an appropriate dance to celebrate and appreciate diversity of cultures, based on
research into dance tradition, in the school or at a local community event

presenting their dance using internetbased technologies

respecting other students’ dancing when dancing and being an attentive audience member
Identify how the elements of dance and production elements express ideas in dance they make, perform and
experience as audience, including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance (ACADAR008
Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying meaning and describing purposes in dances from different social, cultural or historical contexts
such as dances that include digital, visual or theatrical elements

comparing the expectations and requirements of performers and audience in different cultural settings

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – Do you recognise new movements in the
dance? Why do you think people from different cultures dance? Where are these dances performed?
examining dances in their community and comparing them to other dances of different peoples, times and
cultures

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – Is there a story in the dance? How
are you using grouping or pathways to communicate ideas or intentions in your dance?
writing about and discussing with others the meaning and intended purposes of their own dance using
dance terminology

Years 3 and 4 Achievement Standards
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between artworks they make
and those to which they respond. They discuss how they and others organise the elements and processes in
artworks.
Students collaborate to plan and make artworks that communicate ideas.
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between dances they make,
perform and view. They discuss how they and others organise the elements of dance in dances depending on
the purpose.
Students structure movements into dance sequences and use the elements of dance and
choreographic devices to represent a story or mood. They collaborate to make dances and perform with
control, accuracy, projection and focus.
The Arts Drama
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The Australian Curriculum: The Arts Drama
Drama How the Subject works
for The Arts learning area. drama nal video for esa
Drama is the expression and exploration of personal,
cultural and social worlds through role and situation that
engages, entertains and challenges. Students create
meaning as drama makers, performers and audiences
as they enjoy and analyse their own and others’ stories
and points of view. Like all art forms, drama has the
capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students,
excite the imagination and encourage students to reach
their creative and expressive potential.
Drama enables students to imagine and participate in
exploration of their worlds, individually and
collaboratively. Students actively use body, gesture, movement, voice and language, taking on roles to
explore and depict real and imagined worlds. They create, rehearse, perform and respond using the elements
and conventions of drama and emerging and existing technologies available to them.
Students learn to think, move, speak and act with confidence. In making and staging drama they learn how to
be focused, innovative and resourceful, and collaborate and take on responsibilities for drama presentations.
They are excited by exploring their imagination and taking risks in storytelling through role and dramatic
action.
Students develop a sense of inquiry and empathy by exploring the diversity of drama in the contemporary
world and in other times, traditions, places and cultures.
In addition to the overarching aims of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts, drama knowledge, understanding
confidence and selfesteem to explore, depict and celebrate human experience, take risks and
challenge their own creativity through drama
knowledge and understanding in controlling, applying and analysing the elements, skills, processes,
forms, styles and techniques of drama to engage audiences and create meaning
a sense of curiosity, aesthetic knowledge, enjoyment and achievement through exploring and
playing roles, and imagining situations, actions and ideas as drama makers and audiences
knowledge and understanding of traditional and contemporary drama as critical and active
participants and audiences.
Learning in Drama
Learning in Drama involves students making, performing, analysing and responding to drama, drawing on
human experience as a source of ideas. Students engage with the knowledge of drama, develop skills,
techniques and processes, and use materials as they explore a range of forms, styles and contexts.
Through Drama, students learn to reflect critically on their own experiences and responses and further their
Through Drama, students learn to reflect critically on their own experiences and responses and further their
own aesthetic knowledge and preferences. They learn with growing sophistication to express and
communicate experiences through and about drama.
Making in Drama involves improvising, devising, playing, acting, directing, comparing and contrasting,
refining, interpreting, scripting, practising, rehearsing, presenting and performing. Students use movement
and voice along with language and ideas to explore roles, characters, relationships and situations. They learn
to shape and structure drama including use of contrast, juxtaposition, dramatic symbol, cause and effect, and
linear and episodic plot forms.
Responding in Drama involves students being audience members and listening to, enjoying, reflecting on,
analysing, appreciating and evaluating their own and others’ drama works.
Both making and responding involve developing practical and critical understanding of how the elements of
drama can be used to shape and structure drama that engages audiences and communicates meaning.
Learning in Drama is based on two fundamental building blocks: the elements of drama and the ways that
narrative shapes and structures dramatic action. The elements of drama work dynamically together to create
and focus dramatic action and dramatic meaning. Dramatic action is shaped by dramatic tension, space and
time, and mood and atmosphere to symbolically present and share human experiences for audiences.
Knowledge and skills of Drama
In Drama, students physically inhabit an imagined role in a situation. By being in role and responding to role,
students explore behaviour in the symbolic form of dramatic storytelling and dramatic action. In purposeful
play, students’ exploration of role sharpens their perceptions and enables personal expression and response.
Their intellectual and emotional capacity grows, specifically the capacity to feel and manage empathy. As
audiences, students learn to critically respond to and contextualise the dramatic action and stories they view
and perceive.
Creating, performing and viewing drama enables the exploration of ideas and feelings. The exploration of
dramatic forms and styles, and associated cultural, social and historical contexts, diversifies students’
expression, understanding and experience of their world.
Students discover and explore the elements of drama, applying principles and making and responding to
drama in various forms.
The information below outlines the knowledge and skills that students need to develop in drama. Terms
Knowledge
The elements of drama
The elements of drama work dynamically together to create and focus dramatic action and dramatic meaning.
Drama is conceived, organised, and shaped by aspects of and combinations of role, character and
relationships, situation, voice and movement, space and time, focus, tension, language, ideas and dramatic
meaning, mood and atmosphere and symbol.
Principles of narrative (story)
The elements of drama are combined to shape narrative (story) through using contrast, juxtaposition,
dramatic symbol and other devices of story.
dramatic symbol and other devices of story.
Viewpoints
these shift according to different world encounters. As students make, investigate or critique drama as actors,
directors and audiences, they may ask and answer questions to interrogate the playwrights’ and actors’
meanings and the audiences’ interpretations. Meanings and interpretations are informed by social, cultural
and historical contexts, and an understanding of how elements, materials, skills and processes are used.
These questions provide the basis for making informed critical judgements about their own drama and the
drama they see as audiences. The complexity and sophistication of such questions will change across
Foundation to Year 10. In the later years, students will consider the interests and concerns of artists and
audiences regarding philosophies and ideologies, critical theories, institutions and psychology.
Forms
In Drama, form is the way drama is structured and students are taught the forms of devised and scripted
drama. Drama forms are shaped by the application of the elements of drama within particular social, cultural
and historical contexts.
In all years, students draw on, use and analyse drama genres, forms and styles from a range of historical and
cultural contexts. They begin with the drama in their immediate lives and community and identify the purposes
of drama. They draw on the histories, traditions and conventions of drama from other places and times
including drama from Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, Asia and other world cultures.
As students learn drama, particularly in secondary schools, they broaden their experiences of particular
places and times, forms and representational and presentational styles as a springboard for their making and
responding.
In their drama, students use a variety of sources including stories, personal experiences and historical and
current events to create meaning through situations and characters. They also draw on their experiences in
other arts subjects and learning areas.
Through making and responding, students develop knowledge, skills and understanding of their drama
making, developing the capacity to use proficiently the techniques of voice and movement to make drama.
Students learn the skills of working collaboratively, recognising that imaginative, creative and critically analytic
teamwork is central to drama. They apply the elements of drama and principles of story. They interpret and
perform texts, devise drama and develop scripts and scriptwriting skills. They apply design elements and
production components.
In their drama, students develop their understanding of the processes of dramatic playing, roleplaying,
improvising, process drama, playbuilding, interpreting scripts, rehearsing and directing, and responding to
drama as audience. As students progress, particularly in secondary school, they add specific skills and
processes of drama practice: acting, directing, scriptwriting, dramaturgy, designing, producing, managing and
critical analysis.
Materials
In developing knowledge and skills of drama, students use the materials of their voices and bodies
(movement, facial expression, gesture, posture). They also use the production components of props,
costumes, lighting, sound and staging equipment and performance spaces.
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10
The Arts Drama
Curriculum F10
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Drama Curriculum F10
and why.
subjects.
In Drama, students:
become aware of role and situation as they listen and respond as fictional characters
explore voice and movement to create role
learn about focus and identifying the main idea of the drama
learn how their ideas can be expressed through role and story.
Explore role and dramatic action in dramatic play, improvisation and process drama (ACADRM027 Scootle
)
Elaborations
taking part in purposeful dramatic play focusing on experiencing the roles and situations they create

taking turns in offering and accepting ideas, and staying in role in short improvisations

exploring possibilities for role and situation when participating in whole group teacherled process drama
and roleplay

taking photos or videoing drama they devise to view and extend their drama ideas

Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – How did the performers use their voices?
What sort of movements did the performers use? What voice and movement have you noticed in others’
performances that you might consider in making your own drama and why?
Use voice, facial expression, movement and space to imagine and establish role and situation (ACADRM028
Scootle )
Elaborations
communicating verbally by using the voice to explore and show role and situation

communicating nonverbally by using facial expression and movement to explore and show role and
situation

practising movement within a space to create the difference between their performance space and the
audience space


manipulating objects, puppets, 2D images and available technologies to create stories

Present drama that communicates ideas, including stories from their community, to an audience
(ACADRM029 Scootle )

Elaborations
presenting scenes in which they apply story structures to set the scene, link action and create an ending,
such as a cultural or community story with the assistance of representatives from the community

following cues and using voice and movement to link action, ideas and stories in their drama
rehearsing and performing sequences of ideas to communicate stories through drama

enhancing ideas and stories in their drama by using available software and technologies, for example,
using a mobile device to add sound effects to a performance

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What do you want your audience to
think about your drama? What did this drama make you think about? How did you feel when
making/watching the drama? evaluations: What did you like best in the drama? Why?
Respond to drama and consider where and why people make drama, starting with Australian drama including
drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACADRR030 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying where they might see and hear drama in their lives and community, for example, sharing
experiences of attending drama performances or taking part in drama in their community, and considering
how drama sustains and communicates cultural knowledge

talking about how voices, movement and space are used in drama they make and see

connecting to and sharing drama experiences through available digital access

recognising that drama can show that people have different feelings about the world based on their
experiences of the environment and other people

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – Why are these people making drama?
Where are they making drama?
By the end of Year 2, students describe what happens in drama they make, perform and view. They identify
some elements in drama and describe where and why there is drama.
Students make and present drama using the elements of role, situation and focus in dramatic play and
improvisation.
In Drama, students:
extend their understanding of role and situation as they offer, accept and extend their ideas in
improvisation
vary voice and movement to create role when devising drama
learn about focus, tension, space and time in their own and others’ drama
explore meaning and interpretation, forms and elements including voice, movement, situation, time
and place, and tension as they make and respond to drama
use language and ideas to shape dramatic action
use story structures to shape drama for audiences.
Explore ideas and narrative structures through roles and situations and use empathy in their own
improvisations and devised drama (ACADRM031 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring and experiencing a range of roles and situations that they initiate and develop

making improvisations that explore issues and ideas using empathy

using elements of drama and the principles of stories to shape improvisations to communicate their
intentions as drama makers, for example, establishing time and place and the roles and characters in the
drama

experimenting with tension, and creating dramatic meaning to sustain improvisations and process dramas

Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – How did the drama begin? Develop?
Conclude? How did the performers vary their voices, movement and gestures to create and share
believable characters? How are elements of drama such as role, situation, time and place part of the
action? How is the dramatic tension developed in the drama?
Use voice, body, movement and language to sustain role and relationships and create dramatic action with a
sense of time and place (ACADRM032 Scootle )
Elaborations
experimenting with the loudness/softness, pace and pitch of their voices to create roles and situations, time
and place

varying their facial expressions and movements to create roles and situations
exploring roles and situations by trialling the use of language, such as choice of words, expressions and
tone

developing sensory and spatial awareness when creating dramatic action
experimenting with body language and gesture from different cultures and times

Shape and perform dramatic action using narrative structures and tension in devised and scripted drama,
including exploration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander drama (ACADRM033 Scootle )

Elaborations
applying story structures in their drama, including roles and events linked through cause and effect and
dramatic tension

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What are the stories and the ideas
in the drama you watch and listen to? Which of the characters do you identify with? What relationships and
situations do you recognise (or not recognise) in the drama you watch and listen to?
performing their improvised sections of process drama and playbuilding
sharing with others dramatic action that is structured through dramatic tension, in real or virtual spaces

performing short scripted drama with a sense of role, situation and dramatic tension

Considering viewpoints – evaluations: For example – How well did you collaborate to make drama? What
worked best in the drama?
planning and rehearsing their drama for a live or virtual performance

exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories and how they are dramatically portrayed as a
reference for shaping their own drama

exploring dramatic traditions and practices from one or more Asian societies in their drama

Identify intended purposes and meaning of drama, starting with Australian drama, including drama of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, using the elements of drama to make comparisons
(ACADRR034 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying meaning and describing purposes in drama from different social, cultural or historical contexts

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – What features and ideas in the drama come
from other cultures, times and places? How have you used these ideas and features in your own drama?
Why do you think people from all different cultures make and respond to drama?
comparing the expectations and requirements of performers and audience in different cultural settings and
applying learning in their own performances

examining drama in their community and comparing it to other drama of different people, times and cultures

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What are the stories and the ideas
in the drama you watch and listen to? Which of the characters do you identify with? What relationships and
situations do you recognise (or not recognise) in the drama you watch and listen to?
writing about and discussing with others the meaning and intended purposes of their own drama using
drama terminology

artworks.
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between drama they make,
perform and view. They discuss how they and others organise the elements of drama in their drama.
Students use relationships, tension, time and place and narrative structure when improvising and performing
devised and scripted drama. They collaborate to plan, make and perform drama that communicates ideas.
The Arts Media Arts
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The Australian Curriculum: The Arts Media Arts
Media Arts How the Subject works
for The Arts learning area. media arts nal for esa
Media arts involves creating representations of the
world and telling stories through communications
technologies such as television, film, video,
newspapers, radio, video games, the internet and
mobile media. Media arts connects audiences,
purposes and ideas, exploring concepts and viewpoints
through the creative use of materials and technologies.
Like all art forms, media arts has the capacity to
engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the
imagination and encouraging students to reach their
creative and expressive potential.
Media Arts enables students to create and communicate representations of diverse worlds and investigate the
impact and influence of media artworks on those worlds, individually and collaboratively. As an art form
evolving in the twentyfirst century, media arts enables students to use existing and emerging technologies as
they explore imagery, text and sound and create meaning as they participate in, experiment with and interpret
diverse cultures and communications practices.
Students learn to be critically aware of ways that the media are culturally used and negotiated, and are
dynamic and central to the way they make sense of the world and of themselves. They learn to interpret,
analyse and develop media practices through their media arts making experiences. They are inspired to
imagine, collaborate and take on responsibilities in planning, designing and producing media artworks.
Students explore and interpret diverse and dynamic cultural, social, historical and institutional factors that
shape contemporary communication through media technologies and globally networked communications.
In addition to the overarching aims for the Australian Curriculum: The Arts, media arts knowledge,
understanding and skills ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students develop:
enjoyment and confidence to participate in, experiment with and interpret the mediarich culture and
communications practices that surround them
creative and critical thinking, and exploring perspectives in media as producers and consumers
aesthetic knowledge and a sense of curiosity and discovery as they explore imagery, text and sound
to express ideas, concepts and stories for different audiences
knowledge and understanding of their active participation in existing and evolving local and global
media cultures.
Learning in Media Arts
Learning in Media Arts involves students learning to engage with communications technologies and cross
disciplinary art forms to design, produce, distribute and interact with a range of print, audio, screenbased or
disciplinary art forms to design, produce, distribute and interact with a range of print, audio, screenbased or
hybrid artworks. Students explore, view, analyse and participate in media culture from a range of viewpoints
and contexts. They acquire skills and processes to work in a range of forms and styles. Students learn to
reflect critically on their own and others’ media arts experiences and evaluate media artworks, cultures and
contexts. They express, conceptualise and communicate through their media artworks with increasing
complexity and aesthetic understanding.
Making in Media Arts involves using communications technologies to design, produce and distribute media
artworks.
Responding in Media Arts involves students learning to explore, view, analyse and participate in media
culture.
In making and responding students engage with the key concepts, story principles and elements of media
(technical and symbolic). The five interrelated key concepts provide a framework for students to create and
analyse media artworks. They develop understanding of how the five key concepts explore media artworks
representations – that is, constructed realities – of the world, communicated through languages and
technology for an audience in community and institutional contexts.
Knowledge and skills of Media Arts
In Media Arts, students learn to clarify, intensify and interpret human experience through representations in
images, sounds and text. By creating media artworks they engage the senses, the imagination and the
intellect, and they learn to express and challenge constructs of the world. Through creative and critical use of
language and technology, students develop aesthetic control that allows them to communicate with clarity and
impact through the media they create and consume.
In Media Arts, technical and symbolic elements work together within established and emerging media
conventions and technologies to inform, persuade, entertain and educate through story structures and ideas.
In the experience of making and responding to media artworks, students develop identity and learn to
understand themselves and others through aesthetic processes that promote critical perception, personal
expression and collaboration. Designing and creating media artworks involves the development of technical,
physical and communication skills.
The development of aesthetic knowledge in Media Arts rewards students’ curiosity and creative exploits. This
development increases their engagement with and understanding of how images, sounds and text create
experiences consumers recognise and respond to physically, emotionally and intellectually.
The information below outlines the knowledge and skills that students need to develop in Media Arts. Terms
Knowledge
Students discover and explore the key concepts and elements of media arts, applying story principles and
making and responding to media arts in various forms.
Key concepts
Students develop knowledge and understanding of five key concepts: the media languages used to tell
stories; the technologies which are essential for producing, accessing and distributing media; the various
institutions that enable and constrain media production and use; the audiences for whom media arts products
are made and who respond as consumers, citizens and creative individuals; and the constructed
representations of the world, which rely on shared social values and beliefs.
The elements of media arts (technical and symbolic elements)
The technical and symbolic elements of media arts, including composition, space, time, movement, sound
and lighting, work together to create meaning in different contexts and forms for different purposes.
Story principles
The elements of media arts are combined and shaped using story principles of structure, intent, characters,
settings, points of view and genre conventions.
Viewpoints
these shift according to different world encounters. As students make, investigate or critique media artworks
as producers and consumers of media arts, they may ask and answer questions to interrogate the producers’
meanings and the consumers’ interpretations. Meanings and interpretations are informed by contexts of
societies, cultures and histories, and an understanding of how elements, materials, skills and processes are
used. These questions provide the basis for making informed critical judgements about their own media
artworks and the media artworks they see, hear, interact with and consume as audiences. The complexity
and sophistication of such questions will change across Foundation to Year 10. In the later years, students will
consider the interests and concerns of artists and audiences regarding philosophies and ideologies, critical
theories, institutions and psychology.
Forms
As they learn in Media Arts, students create and analyse forms such as film, news report, documentary,
advertisement, music video, animation, video games and/or a combination of these. From contemporary and
personal experiences of media culture they learn how forms, styles and contexts of media artworks are
shaped by histories, purpose, traditions and communications technologies. Students explore stylistic forms
from local and global contexts including those from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Asian cultures.
They produce artworks in narrative and nonnarrative forms that reach audiences through specific media
contexts that include radio, print, cinema, television, internet, mobile devices or new and emerging contexts.
The skills, techniques and processes to create media artworks are developed through the three stages of
production: preproduction (including scriptwriting, storyboarding, sketching designs, planning, research);
production (including capturing, recording, directing); and postproduction (including mixing, editing,
assembling, laying out, distributing). Students learn through critical thinking and creative processes in media
arts practice. They learn to collaborate in creative teams and analytically respond to, and interact with, context
and audience. Students learn to apply key concepts, story principles, and elements of media (symbolic and
technical) as they design, produce, distribute and analyse media artworks. Students learn and use the
established and emerging techniques and practices (media conventions) for creating within different media
forms.
As students’ learning progresses, they learn about safe practice in media arts and develop digital citizenship
through processes that respect rights, responsibilities and protocols in the creating of their media artworks.
Materials
In developing knowledge and skills in media arts, students use images, sounds and text and the technologies
used to create them. Students may also use equipment, props, costumes and sets during production,
depending on what is suitable to the form of the media artwork and the intention of the artist.
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10
The Arts Media Arts
Curriculum F10
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Media Arts Curriculum F10
and why.
subjects.
In Media Arts, students:
become aware of structure, intent, character and settings in ideas and stories
explore ideas and learn about composition, sound and technologies to construct stories
learn how their ideas can be communicated through selecting and organising the elements of media
arts.
Explore ideas, characters and settings in the community through stories in images, sounds and text
(ACAMAM054 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring sound to communicate ideas, for example, creating sound effects to enhance the mood or main
idea of a story
experimenting with image, for example, retelling a story of the school day in a series of captioned images

Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – What images will represent my story or the
ideas in the song?
experimenting with technologies to capture images, sounds and text

exploring composition by selecting and editing images and/or sounds to create the characters in wellknown
stories or songs

Use media technologies to capture and edit images, sounds and text for a purpose (ACAMAM055 Scootle
)
Elaborations
experimenting with and managing a digital camera to capture still or moving images, for example, reviewing
captured images, zooming in and out and deleting unwanted images
experimenting with sound recording technology and found objects to create and record sound effects to
support a story
Considering viewpoints – elements, content: For example – What images will I keep or delete? Which
image interests me and why?
practising using computer software to add captions to images to enhance meaning in a photo story

trialling the selection and arrangement of images, sounds and text to organise important features of an idea
or story

Create and present media artworks that communicate ideas and stories to an audience (ACAMAM056
Scootle )

Elaborations
capturing and sequencing images and text to create comic books that retell familiar and traditional stories to
share with the class

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – What images will I use to tell my traditional
story?
collecting and sharing, with permission of the people involved, class stories and presenting them in the form
of a class news bulletin.

creating, rehearsing and recording a radio play and seeking permission to share it with another class

producing and presenting a media artwork for a particular purpose, for example, creating an advertisement
that recommends appropriate behaviour when using cameras in the room

Respond to media artworks and consider where and why people make media artworks, starting with media
from Australia including media artworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMAR057
Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying where they might experience media artworks in their lives and communities, for example,
considering how media artworks sustain and communicate cultural knowledge

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – What story is this media artwork telling?
Who made this media artwork? Where is this media artwork from?
identifying interests and preferences in media artworks they make and view

identifying features in media artworks, such as shot types, for example, long shot, mid shot and closeup,
and discussing what the shots tell the audience about the story

discussing the roles of media artists and what permission means, for example, deciding on a class set of
rules for using and creating images, sounds and text in media artworks

By the end of Year 2, students communicate about media artworks they make and view, and where and why
media artworks are made.
Students make and share media artworks using story principles, composition, sound and technologies.
In Media Arts, students:
extend their understanding of structure, intent, character and settings
use composition, sound and technologies
consider themselves as audiences and explore other audience groups
explore institutions (individuals, communities and organisations) to understand purpose and
process when producing media artworks
explore meaning and interpretation, and forms and elements including structure, intent, character,
settings, composition, time, space and sound as they make and respond to media artworks
discuss the ethical behaviour of individuals when producing media artworks for a variety of
audiences
recognise appropriate and inappropriate use of other people’s images and work in the making of
media artworks.
Investigate and devise representations of people in their community, including themselves, through settings,
ideas and story structure in images, sounds and text (ACAMAM058 Scootle )

Elaborations
creating a sequence of images, sounds and text or a combination of these to clearly establish the
beginning, middle and end of a story or event

taking a series of photographs that show themselves and their friends as comic superheroes and villains
through setting, costume and body language

constructing realistic representations of the classroom or other community locations and then constructing
fictional versions of the same space

experimenting with tension to create meaning and sustain representations

Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – What images will I use and in what order?
Use media technologies to create time and space through the manipulation of images, sounds and text to tell
stories (ACAMAM059 Scootle )
Elaborations
experimenting with the camera and framing the subject, using basic shot types, angles and lighting to
control picture space

experimenting with applying text to accompany still or moving images, such as credits in a title sequence,
and selecting appropriate fonts, colour and length of time for display suitable to the purpose of the artwork

practising recording sound on a variety of devices to explore volume, layering and the use of voice to create
a sense of environment
experimenting with ways of formatting and laying out a story using available software and appropriate text
conventions for a front page news story

Plan, create and present media artworks for specific purposes with awareness of responsible media practice
(ACAMAM060 Scootle )

Elaborations
storyboarding and filming a short sequence showing a conflict, selecting camera angles, lighting and
costume to convey meaning without dialogue

planning and scripting a radio advertisement for a school event with respect for the rules and image the
school seeks to promote

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – What school event could I make an
advertisement for?
seeking permission to take photos of class members, to document a school excursion, for publication on
the school intranet

Identify intended purposes and meanings of media artworks, using media arts key concepts, starting with
media artworks in Australia including media artworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
(ACAMAR061 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying meaning and describing representations in media artworks from different social, cultural or
historical contexts, for example, different ways traditional stories are retold using media technologies

comparing media artworks made for different purposes using appropriate language, and identifying
possible differences in audiences’ interpretations

Considering viewpoints – evaluations: For example – What is similar or different to my school/home in a
television representation of school/home?
examining media artworks in their community and comparing these to other media artworks
commemorating different people, times and cultures

writing about and discussing with others the meaning of their own media artworks using appropriate
language

artworks.
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between media artworks they
make and view. They discuss how and why they and others use images, sound and text to make and present
media artworks.
Students collaborate to use story principles, time, space and technologies to make and share media artworks
that communicate ideas to an audience.
The Arts Music
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The Australian Curriculum: The Arts Music
Music How the Subject works
for The Arts learning area. music nal for esa
Music is uniquely an aural art form. The essential
nature of music is abstract. Music encompasses
existing sounds that are selected and shaped, new
sounds created by composers and performers, and the
placement of sounds in time and space. Composers,
performers and listeners perceive and define these
sounds as music.
Music exists distinctively in every culture and is a basic
expression of human experience. Students’ active
participation in Music fosters understanding of other
times, places, cultures and contexts. Through
continuous and sequential music learning, students listen to, compose and perform with increasing depth and
complexity. Through performing, composing and listening with intent to music, students have access to
knowledge, skills and understanding which can be gained in no other way. Learning in Music is aurally based
and can be understood without any recourse to notation. Learning to read and write music in traditional and
graphic forms enables students to access a wide range of music as independent learners.
Music has the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich all students, exciting the imagination and encouraging
students to reach their creative and expressive potential. Skills and techniques developed through
participation in music learning allow students to manipulate, express and share sound as listeners, composers
and performers. Music learning has a significant impact on the cognitive, affective, motor, social and personal
competencies of students.
As independent learners, students integrate listening, performing and composing activities. These activities,
developed sequentially, enhance their capacity to perceive and understand music. As students’ progress
through studying Music, they learn to value and appreciate the power of music to transform the heart, soul,
mind and spirit of the individual. In this way, students develop an aesthetic appreciation and enjoyment of
music.
In addition to the overarching aims of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts, music knowledge, understanding
the confidence to be creative, innovative, thoughtful, skilful and informed musicians
skills to compose, perform, improvise, respond and listen with intent and purpose
aesthetic knowledge and respect for music and music practices across global communities, cultures
and musical traditions
an understanding of music as an aural art form as they acquire skills to become independent music
learners.
Learning in Music
Students learning Music listen, perform and compose. They learn about the elements of music comprising
rhythm, pitch, dynamics and expression, form and structure, timbre and texture. Aural skills, or ear training,
are the particular listening skills students develop to identify and interpret the elements of music. Aural skills
development is essential for making and responding to a range of music while listening, composing, and
performing. Learning through music is a continuous and sequential process, enabling the acquisition,
development and revisiting of skills and knowledge with increasing depth and complexity.
Making in Music involves active listening, imitating, improvising, composing, arranging, conducting, singing,
playing, comparing and contrasting, refining, interpreting, recording and notating, practising, rehearsing,
presenting and performing.
Responding in Music involves students being audience members listening to, enjoying, reflecting on,
analysing, appreciating and evaluating their own and others’ musical works.
Both making and responding involve developing aural understanding of the elements of music through
experiences in listening, performing and composing. The elements of music work together and underpin all
musical activity. Students learn to make music using the voice, body, instruments, found sound sources, and
information and communication technology. Music is recorded and communicated as notation by a unique
system of symbols and terminology, and as audio recordings using technology. With increasing experience of
the elements of music, students develop analytical skills and aesthetic understanding.
Knowledge and skills of Music
In Music, students’ exploration and understanding of the elements of music, musical conventions, styles and
forms expands with their continued active engagement with music.
In listening to, performing and composing music from a broad range of styles, practices, traditions and
contexts, students learn to recognise their subjective preferences and consider diverse perspectives of music.
This, in turn, informs the way in which they interpret music as performers and how they respond to the music
they listen to. Additionally, students develop their own musical voice as composers and their own style as
musicians.
The information below outlines the knowledge and skills that students need to develop in music. Terms
Knowledge
The elements of music
Music is learnt through developing skills and knowledge associated with the elements of music. Musical ideas
are conceived, organised and shaped by aspects and combinations of rhythm, pitch, dynamics and
expression, form and structure, timbre and texture.
Viewpoints
these shift according to different world encounters. As students make, investigate or critique music as
composers, performers and audiences, they may ask and answer questions to interrogate, explore and
investigate the composers’ and performers’ meanings, and the audiences’ interpretations. Meanings and
interpretations are informed by contexts of societies, cultures and histories, and an understanding of how
elements, materials, skills and processes are used. These questions provide the basis for making informed
critical judgements about their own music and the music they interpret as musicians and listen to as
audiences. The complexity and sophistication of such questions will change across Foundation to Year 10. In
the later years, students will consider the interests and concerns of composers, performers and audiences
regarding philosophies and ideologies, critical theories, institutions and psychology.
Types of music
In each band, students learn about increasingly complex forms of music as they make and respond to
different musical styles and genres, from a range of historical and cultural contexts. These may include
different types of songs and instrumental genres, music in film and media, contemporary and new music
trends, and folk and art music from varied cultures, traditions and times.
Students begin with music experienced in their own lives and community, and identify the purposes of music.
They draw on the histories, traditions and conventions of music from other places and times including
Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, Asia and other world cultures.
When making and responding, students’ musical skills are best developed through activities which integrate
the techniques and processes of music: listening, composing and performing.
Listening is the process through which music is experienced and learnt. This includes listening to, analysing
and comparing a range of repertoire. Developing aural skills (ear training) as the technique for discriminating,
identifying, interpreting and applying musical concepts is essential for all listening, composition and
performing activities.
Composing is a broad term for creating original music. In the classroom, this involves improvising, organising
musical ideas, creating accompaniment patterns, and arranging and writing original works, either individually
or collaboratively.
Performing involves playing instruments, singing or manipulating sound using technology, either as an
individual or ensemble member. This includes learning songs, instrumental pieces, accompaniments, and
works composed by self and others. Audiences can include the teacher, peers in class, the wider school
community and public audiences.
These learning experiences are supported by extra activities including learning and creating notation to
record and communicate musical ideas; reading, writing and interpreting a range of terminology, notation and
scores; making audio recordings of compositions and performances using technology; and developing skills
and techniques to discuss their own music and the music of others.
Materials
The initial materials of music are the voice and body, instruments and other sound sources. Additional
materials include recorded music and scores, technologies such as recording and playback equipment and
software, and spaces for creating, practising and performing.
Years 3 and 4
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10
The Arts Music
Curriculum F10
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Music Curriculum F10
and why.
subjects.
In Music, students:
become aware of rhythm, pitch, dynamics and expression, form and structure, timbre and texture
explore sounds as they learn to listen to and make music
learn to discriminate between sounds and silence, and loud and soft sounds
learn to move and perform with beat and tempo
learn to listen as performers and as audience.
Develop aural skills by exploring and imitating sounds, pitch and rhythm patterns using voice, movement and
body percussion (ACAMUM080 Scootle )
Elaborations
matching pitch to sing in tune and experimenting with speaking and singing voice to recognise the
differences

imitating pitch and rhythm patterns to develop aural recognition skills, for example, echo clapping and call
and response singing

using voices and body percussion to experiment with the elements of music to identify same and different,
for example, sound and silence, fast and slow, long and short, high and low, loud and soft, happy and sad

recording music ideas using technologies and graphic notation

Sing and play instruments to improvise, practise a repertoire of chants, songs and rhymes, including songs
used by cultural groups in the community (ACAMUM081 Scootle )
Elaborations
practising and performing music, reading from notation (invented and learnt symbols)

practising techniques for singing songs and playing classroom instruments

singing and playing music to explore the expressive possibilities of their voices and instruments

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What did this music make you think
about and why?
practising and performing music using accessible technologies

learning a song used by groups in the local community, such as Aboriginal songs or Torres Strait Islander
songs from their community, respecting cultural protocols

Create compositions and perform music to communicate ideas to an audience (ACAMUM082 Scootle )
Elaborations
choosing and combining sounds to create compositions, for example, combining pitch and rhythm patterns
Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – What sounds or musical phrases are in my
composition? What instruments were used in the music and how was their sound different? How was their
sound made?
improvising patterns of body movement, such as clapping or stamping, and creating accompaniments to
familiar music

improvising with voices and sound sources to express actions, thoughts and feelings

recording music using notation and technologies so others can read the notation and listen to the recording

creating and improvising music using technologies

Respond to music and consider where and why people make music, starting with Australian music, including
music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (ACAMUR083 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying where they might experience music in their lives and communities, for example, considering how
music sustains and communicates cultural knowledge

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – Where is this music from and why was it
made?
identifying the roles of an active performer and a reflective listener

sharing constructive observations about music from a range of cultures as a performer and audience
member

describing shapes, patterns, form or mood of pieces of music using their own words and learnt music
terminology

listening to and talking about music and musical instruments from different contexts and cultures

By the end of Year 2, students communicate about the music they listen to, make and perform and where and
why people make music.
Students improvise, compose, arrange and perform music. They demonstrate aural skills by staying in tune
and keeping in time when they sing and play.
In Music, students:
extend their understanding of the elements of music as they develop their aural skills
match pitch and show the direction of a tune with gesture or drawings
recognise difference between notes moving by step and by leap
recognise and discriminate between rhythm and beat
explore meaning and interpretation, forms, and elements including rhythm, pitch, dynamics and
expression, form and structure, timbre and texture as they make and respond to music
learn to listen as performers and as audience, extending their awareness of themselves and others
as performers and as audience.
Develop aural skills by exploring, imitating and recognising elements of music including dynamics, pitch and
rhythm patterns (ACAMUM084 Scootle )
Elaborations
singing learnt pitch and rhythm patterns and varying elements of music within them to create different
effects, for example, singing softer or louder, faster or slower, repeating phrases

exploring and varying instrumental timbres in isolation and combination, for example, playing softer or
louder, faster or slower, repeating phrases

identifying and explaining features in music using terminology and a range of notation

Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – How did the music change? How many
different sections are there in the music?
using movement to demonstrate an understanding of musical form, changing actions as the music changes

Practise singing, playing instruments and improvising music, using elements of music including rhythm, pitch,
dynamics and form in a range of pieces, including in music from the local community (ACAMUM085 Scootle
)
Elaborations
practising singing and playing a range of music from different cultures, including various cultures within their
local community

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – Why was this music written?
rehearsing and performing music in unison and with accompaniment patterns

experimenting with ways of singing and playing expressively, such as learning and practising a song with
different dynamics and tempo

practising reading traditional and invented notation in music as they rehearse and perform
rehearsing and performing music using a range of technologies

Create, perform and record compositions by selecting and organising sounds, silence, tempo and volume
(ACAMUM086 Scootle )

Elaborations
experimenting with ways of using voices and instruments, combining sounds, silence, tempo and volume to
create and perform music

exploring given rhythm and pitch patterns, structures or timbres to improvise and create music

using notation to represent sound and record ideas, such as inventing a graphic score to represent sounds
of the environment

improvising and trialling ideas to create compositions for specific audiences and purposes

Considering viewpoints – evaluations: For example – How did the music make you feel and why?
creating, sourcing and organising music using a range of accessible technologies

Identify intended purposes and meanings as they listen to music using the elements of music to make
comparisons, starting with Australian music, including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
(ACAMUR087 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying meaning and describing purposes in music from different social, cultural or historical contexts

comparing the expectations and requirements of performers and audiences in different cultural settings

examining music in their community and comparing it to other music of different people, times and cultures

writing about how they have used the elements of music when composing and performing and discussing
with others the meaning and intended purposes of their compositions

Considering viewpoints – evaluations: For example – How did the music make you feel and why?
artworks.
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between music they listen to,
compose and perform. They discuss how they and others use the elements of music in performance and
composition.
Students collaborate to improvise, compose and arrange sound, silence, tempo and volume in music that
communicates ideas. They demonstrate aural skills by singing and playing instruments with accurate pitch,
rhythm and expression.
The Arts Visual Arts
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The Australian Curriculum: The Arts Visual Arts
Visual Arts How the Subject works
for The Arts learning area. visual arts nal for esa
Visual arts includes the fields of art, craft and design.
Learning in and through these fields, students create
visual representations that communicate, challenge and
express their own and others’ ideas as artist and
audience. They develop perceptual and conceptual
understanding, critical reasoning and practical skills
through exploring and expanding their understanding of
their world and other worlds. They learn about the role
of the artist, craftsperson and designer, their
contribution to society, and the significance of the
creative industries. Similarly with the other art forms,
the visual arts has the capacity to engage, inspire and enrich the lives of students, encouraging them to reach
their creative and intellectual potential by igniting informed, imaginative and innovative thinking.
Through Visual Arts, students make and respond using visual arts knowledge, understanding and skills to
represent meaning associated with personal and global views, and intrinsic and extrinsic worlds. Visual Arts
engages students in a journey of discovery, experimentation and problemsolving relevant to visual perception
and visual language. Students undertake this journey by using visual techniques, technologies, practices and
processes. Learning in the Visual Arts, students become increasingly confident and proficient in achieving
their personal visual aesthetic, and appreciate and value that of others.
Visual Arts supports students to view the world through various lenses and contexts. Students recognise the
significance of visual arts histories, theories and practices, exploring and responding to artists, craftspeople
and designers and their artworks. They apply visual arts knowledge to make critical judgements about their
own importance as artists and audiences. Learning in the Visual Arts helps students to develop understanding
of world culture and their responsibilities as global citizens.
In addition to the overarching aims of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts, visual arts knowledge,
understanding and skills ensure that, individually and collaboratively, students develop:
conceptual and perceptual ideas and representations through design and inquiry processes
visual arts techniques, materials, processes and technologies
critical and creative thinking, using visual arts languages, theories and practices to apply aesthetic
judgement
respect for and acknowledgement of the diverse roles, innovations, traditions, histories and cultures
of artists, craftspeople and designers; visual arts as social and cultural practices; and industry as
artists and audiences
confidence, curiosity, imagination and enjoyment
a personal aesthetic through engagement with visual arts making and ways of representing and
communicating.
Learning in Visual Arts
Learning in Visual Arts
Learning in Visual Arts involves students making and responding to artworks, drawing on the world as a
source of ideas. Students engage with the knowledge of visual arts, develop skills, techniques and processes,
and use materials as they explore a range of forms, styles and contexts.
Through Visual Arts, students learn to reflect critically on their own experiences and responses to the work of
artists, craftspeople and designers and to develop their own arts knowledge and preferences. They learn with
growing sophistication to express and communicate experiences through and about visual arts.
Making in Visual Arts involves students making representations of their ideas and intended meanings in
different forms. Students select the visual effects they want to create through problemsolving and making
decisions. They develop knowledge, understanding and skills as they learn and apply techniques and
processes using materials to achieve their intentions in twodimensional (2D), threedimensional (3D) and
fourdimensional (4D) forms.
Responding in Visual Arts involves students responding to their own artworks and being audience members
as they view, manipulate, reflect on, analyse, enjoy, appreciate and evaluate their own and others’ visual
artworks.
Both making and responding involve developing practical and critical understanding of how the artist uses an
artwork to engage audiences and communicate meaning.
Knowledge and skills of Visual Arts
Students make new knowledge and develop their skills, techniques and processes as they explore a diversity
of artists, visual imagery, representations, designed objects and environments, and viewpoints and practices.
Knowledge, understanding and skills are intrinsically linked and interact with each other constantly through
and between making and responding. The following information serves to articulate the main parts of the
broader conceptual areas of knowledge and skills. These are not an exclusive, exhaustive list, but an
indication of the breadth of study within Visual Arts.
Terms specific to this curriculum are defined in the glossary and a hyperlink to examples of bandappropriate
Knowledge
Students apply their knowledge and understanding though appropriate and skilful use of visual arts practices
as artists and audiences. As students’ progress through the band levels of visual arts, their knowledge and
understanding as artists and audiences increase through experiencing a breadth of artists, craftspeople and
designers and by engaging with their artworks, ideas, practices, viewpoints, histories and theories. Students
discover new ways of representing and expressing their ideas, observations and imagination.
They select the knowledge and skills to realise their ideas, observations and imagination. As they make and
investigate artworks, students consider the critical and affective potential of artworks. Students use this
analysis to refine their own artistic endeavours, developing increasing expertise and aesthetic expression.
Through learning in Visual Arts, students consider how cultures and societies shape visual arts practice; how
artists and audiences contribute to a creative society; and how historical forces and critical commentators
recount the contribution of artistic ideas to society and culture. Students learn how formative contexts such as
personal experience, family, education system, culture, class and society shape visual arts practices of artists
and audiences.
Practices (as artist and audience)
Visual arts practices involve students making, critically thinking and responding as informed participants. The
practices include representation, visual conventions and viewpoints; that is, how the artist achieves the
intended meaning of the work. Students’ work is informed by the study of other artworks from a variety of
contexts.
Through Visual Arts, students develop critical and creative thinking and proficiency in selecting, manipulating
and adapting materials and techniques to support their conceptual and perceptual understandings.
Learning in Visual Arts results in the combination of representation, visual conventions and viewpoints by
students to make an artwork. Through these practices, students develop critical and creative thinking that
supports their analysis and critique of others’ artworks.
Representation
Students make artworks that represent their ideas and intended meanings about subject matter. They use a
range of materials to make artworks in twodimensional (2D), threedimensional (3D) and fourdimensional
(4D) forms.
Visual conventions
Students learn about and explore traditional, contemporary and evolving visual conventions used in artworks
of diverse styles and composition. These may include combinations of conventions such as visual elements,
design principles, composition and style.
Viewpoints
these shift according to different world encounters. As students make, investigate or critique artworks as
artists and audiences, they may ask and answer questions to interrogate the artists’ meanings and the
audiences’ interpretations. Meanings and interpretations are informed by contexts of societies, cultures and
histories, and an understanding of visual arts practices. These questions provide the basis for making
informed critical judgements about their own art and design works and other artworks they see, hear and
interact with as audiences.
The complexity and sophistication of such questions will change across Foundation to Year 10. In the later
years, students will consider the interests and concerns of artists and audiences regarding time, place,
philosophies and ideologies, critical theories, institutions and psychology.
Through making and responding, students develop knowledge, skills and understanding of their art making by
becoming increasingly proficient with art, craft and design techniques, processes, and ways of perceiving
worlds. As they progress in Visual Arts, students develop perceptual skills – in particular, observation and the
ability to notice – and learn to respond and view critically. Students develop the conceptual capacity to
develop a thought or an idea and represent it visually. They identify and analyse meaning in artworks from
diverse contexts. They develop communication skills as they intentionally plan, design and make artworks for
various audiences. As they progress through the bands, students develop technical proficiency and expertise
with materials and techniques and become skilful practitioners.
Materials
Materials
In developing knowledge and skills in Visual Arts, students learn to manipulate and adapt a wide range of
physical materials and technologies. These may include traditional materials from different contexts such as
paint, dyes, charcoal and ink, and contemporary or emerging materials such as digital media, the body,
sound, objects, sites and audience.
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10
The Arts Visual Arts
Curriculum F10
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Visual Arts Curriculum F10
and why.
subjects.
In Visual Arts, students:
become aware of visual conventions and learn to notice visual detail
explore how and why artworks are created and ways to use and apply visual conventions, such as
line, shape, colour and texture
learn how their ideas or subject matter can be developed through different forms, styles,
techniques, materials and technologies
learn about how and why artists, craftspeople and designers present their ideas through different
visual representations, practices, processes and viewpoints.
Explore ideas, experiences, observations and imagination to create visual artworks and design, including
considering ideas in artworks by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists (ACAVAM106 Scootle )
Elaborations
trialling different options for designing representation by looking at artworks about a theme or subject
matter, such as a ‘circus’, and make their own interpretation based on their ideas, experiences,
observations and/or imagination

observing and recording the shapes, colours and textures of people, objects and concepts they experience
in their daily lives, for example, drawing faces, insects, plants, food
Considering viewpoints – forms and elements: For example – What colours were used? What is it made of?
How is the colour used, and why is it used in this way?
practising drawing images and making objects related to self, others and personal environments in different
forms, for example, painting, sculpture, photography

identifying and using visual conventions in their artworks after investigating different art, craft and design
styles from other cultures and times, for example, Expressionism, Fauvism, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples, and Asia

Use and experiment with different materials, techniques, technologies and processes to make artworks
(ACAVAM107 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring a range of natural and manmade materials and technologies to visually express their
experiences, for example, paint, pencils, ink, sand, photography and graphically

comparing the qualities and properties of materials such as paint, crayons, clay and found objects and
select appropriate applications to represent something or someone they like

using techniques to demonstrate various compositional effects, for example, overlapping or crosshatching
following technical processes and safe practices to make artworks, for example, drawing onto Styrofoam to
print on paper
Create and display artworks to communicate ideas to an audience (ACAVAM108 Scootle )
Elaborations
sharing ideas with their classmates about the representational choices they made in their artwork

talking about ideas such as themes when displaying artworks, for example, at the local gallery or in their
classroom

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What did this artwork or design
make you think about and why? What figures/shapes can you see in the artwork? How has the artist treated
the figures/shapes to convey their idea or meaning?
making a decision about how to display their artwork to share their ideas

Respond to visual artworks and consider where and why people make visual artworks, starting with visual
artworks from Australia, including visual artworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
(ACAVAR109 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying where they might experience art in their lives and communities, for example, keeping a diary of
‘art experiences’ and combining to create a class list and then discussing how visual artworks sustain and
communicate cultural knowledge

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – Where is this artwork from and why was it
made? Who made the artworks? Where and how are they displayed?
identifying how design elements, such as line, shape, colour or texture, are used in their artworks and in the
artwork of others
describing and interpreting representations in a selection of artworks, for example, considering the subject
matter, styles and techniques of a selection of artworks, and how the artworks make them think and feel in
response to the artists’ intentions

acknowledging the role of artist and audience as they start to interpret meaning in artworks

By the end of Year 2, students describe artworks they make and view and where and why artworks are made
and presented.
Students make artworks in different forms to express their ideas, observations and imagination, using
different techniques and processes.
In Visual Arts, students:
extend their awareness of visual conventions, and observe closely visual detail as they use
materials, techniques and technologies and processes in visual arts forms
explore and experiment with visual conventions such as line, shape, colour and texture to develop
an individual approach to a theme or subject matter
explore, observe and identify ideas and symbols used and adapted by artists in their artworks as
they make and respond to visual arts
consider how and why artists, craftspeople and designers realise their ideas through different visual
representations, practices, processes and viewpoints.
Explore ideas and artworks from different cultures and times, including artwork by Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander artists, to use as inspiration for their own representations (ACAVAM110 Scootle )

Elaborations
researching artworks of different styles and artists from different times and cultures to inspire their own
representations in forms such as printmaking and drawing, and styles such as realistic or expressive

Considering viewpoints – meanings and interpretations: For example – What is this painting telling us about
the past? How does the artwork use visual conventions to convey meaning? How did the artist work within a
space, and at this time? How and why did they innovate their practice?
exploring ways to represent their ideas using visual conventions from different historical, social or cultural
contexts

experimenting with visual conventions to create particular visual effects in representations
identifying and explaining choices in art making, including forms, styles and visual conventions in their
artworks, and influences of other artists on their artworks

Use materials, techniques and processes to explore visual conventions when making artworks (ACAVAM111
Scootle )
Elaborations
selecting and experimenting with forms, styles, materials and technologies to explore symbolic use of visual
conventions used by various cultures and times, for example, how colour and pattern are perceived as
symbolic in different cultures

Considering viewpoints – societies and cultures: For example – What clues in the artwork tell you where it
was made, who made it, and why? What artworks are you familiar with? Which style of artworks represents
your community?
experimenting with alternative styles of representation from different cultures and times in their artworks, for
example, realistic, symbolic, narrative, abstract

Considering viewpoints – materials and technologies: For example – What is the artwork made of? How
does the choice of material enhance the audience’s understanding of the artist’s intention? Can you
develop your ideas using different materials?
practising a variety of techniques and use various technologies to find different ways of interpreting a theme
and/or subject matter, for example, making a simple animation or storybook

manipulating and experimenting with combinations of various materials and technologies to create
predictable effects, for example, using crosshatching to create tone or design elements to focus attention in
a composition

applying art and design techniques effectively and safely, such as modelling and joining clay, marbling on
paper, designing and printing a pattern
Present artworks and describe how they have used visual conventions to represent their ideas (ACAVAM112
Scootle )

Elaborations
making decisions about how their artwork could be displayed, for example, mounted and framed, in public
spaces, on the internet, and in the media

Considering viewpoints – materials and technologies: For example – What is the artwork made of? How
does the choice of material enhance the audience’s understanding of the artist’s intention? Can you
develop your ideas using different materials?
exploring different ways of presenting artworks in different locations, for example, in folios, digitally, in a
public space in the school


comparing the visual conventions in artworks made for specific purposes, for example, how the artist
represents an idea to show the audience a particular viewpoint

Identify intended purposes and meanings of artworks using visual arts terminology to compare artworks,
starting with visual artworks in Australia including visual artworks of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples (ACAVAR113 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying meaning and describing subject matter and form in artworks from different social, cultural or
historical contexts

Considering viewpoints – societies, cultures and histories: For example – What clues in the artwork tell us
where it was made, who made it, and why? What artworks are you familiar with? Which style of artwork
represents your community? What are the people in the painting doing? Can you draw what you did on
Australia Day?
comparing artworks made for different reasons, using appropriate visual conventions, and identifying
possible differences in interpretations, for example, comparing contemporary representations of locations in
their community with representations by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists

examining public art in their community and comparing it to other artwork commemorating different people,
times and cultures

writing about and discussing with others the meaning of their own artworks

Considering viewpoints – evaluations: For example – Did you enjoy looking at the artwork? Why? Which
artwork do you like the most? Explain why you like it. What artworks do you like to make, and why?
Compare these buildings and their relationship with the environment, e.g. the UluruKata Tjuta Cultural
Centre and the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kyoto

artworks.
By the end of Year 4, students describe and discuss similarities and differences between artworks they make,
present and view. They discuss how they and others use visual conventions in artworks.
Students collaborate to plan and make artworks that are inspired by artworks they experience. They use
visual conventions, techniques and processes to communicate their ideas.
Technologies
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The Australian Curriculum Technologies
Technologies How the Learning Area works
The Australian Curriculum: Technologies describes two distinct but related subjects:
Design and Technologies, in which students use design thinking and technologies to generate and
produce designed solutions for authentic needs and opportunities
Digital Technologies, in which students use computational thinking and information systems to
define, design and implement digital solutions.
Design and Technologies: A…

Digital Technologies: An Intr…
Rationale
Technologies enrich and impact on the lives of people and societies globally. Australia needs enterprising
individuals who can make discerning decisions about the development and use of technologies and who can
independently and collaboratively develop solutions to complex challenges and contribute to sustainable
patterns of living. Technologies can play an important role in transforming, restoring and sustaining societies
and natural, managed and constructed environments.
The Australian Curriculum: Technologies ensures that all students benefit from learning about and working
with traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies that shape the world in which we live. By applying
their knowledge and practical skills and processes when using technologies and other resources to create
innovative solutions, independently and collaboratively, they develop knowledge, understanding and skills to
respond creatively to current and future needs.
The practical nature of the Technologies learning area engages students in critical and creative thinking,
including understanding interrelationships in systems when solving complex problems. A systematic approach
to experimentation, problemsolving, prototyping and evaluation instils in students the value of planning and
reviewing processes to realise ideas.
reviewing processes to realise ideas.
All young Australians should develop capacity for action and a critical appreciation of the processes through
which technologies are developed and how technologies can contribute to societies. Students need
opportunities to consider the use and impact of technological solutions on equity, ethics, and personal and
social values. In creating solutions, as well as responding to the designed world, students consider desirable
sustainable patterns of living, and contribute to preferred futures for themselves and others.
This rationale is extended and complemented by specific rationales for each Technologies subject.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Technologies aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure
that, individually and collaboratively, students:
investigate, design, plan, manage, create and evaluate solutions
are creative, innovative and enterprising when using traditional, contemporary and emerging
technologies, and understand how technologies have developed over time
make informed and ethical decisions about the role, impact and use of technologies in the economy,
environment and society for a sustainable future
engage confidently with and responsibly select and manipulate appropriate technologies −
materials, data, systems, components, tools and equipment − when designing and creating
solutions
critique, analyse and evaluate problems, needs or opportunities to identify and create solutions.
These aims are extended and complemented by specific aims for each Technologies subject.
Overarching idea: Creating preferred futures
The Technologies curriculum provides students with opportunities to consider how solutions that are created
now will be used in the future. Students will identify the possible benefits and risks of creating solutions. They
will use critical and creative thinking to weigh up possible short and longterm impacts.
As students progress through the Technologies curriculum, they will begin to identify possible and probable
futures, and their preferences for the future. They develop solutions to meet needs considering impacts on
liveability, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. Students will learn to recognise that views
about the priority of the benefits and risks will vary and that preferred futures are contested.
Project management
Students will develop skills to manage projects to successful completion through planning, organising and
monitoring timelines, activities and the use of resources. This includes considering resources and constraints
to develop resource, finance, work and time plans; assessing and managing risks; making decisions;
controlling quality; evaluating processes and collaborating and communicating with others at different stages
of the process.
Students are taught to plan for sustainable use of resources when managing projects and take into account
ethical, health and safety considerations and personal and social beliefs and values.
Thinking in Technologies
Systems thinking
A system is an organised group of related objects or components that form a whole. Systems thinking is a
holistic approach to the identification and solving of problems where the focal points are treated as
components of a system, and their interactions and interrelationships are analysed individually to see how
they influence the functioning of the entire system.
In Design and Technologies, the success of designed solutions includes the generation of ideas and decisions
made throughout design processes. It requires students to understand systems and work with complexity,
uncertainty and risk. Students recognise the connectedness of and interactions between people, places and
events in local and wider world contexts and consider the impact their designs and actions have in a
connected world.
Participating in and shaping the future of information and digital systems is an integral part of learning in
Digital Technologies. Understanding the complexity of systems and the interdependence of components is
necessary to create timely solutions to technical, economic and social problems. Implementation of digital
solutions often has consequences for the people who use and engage with the system, and may introduce
unintended costs or benefits that impact the present or future society.
Design thinking
Design thinking involves the use of strategies for understanding design needs and opportunities, visualising
and generating creative and innovative ideas, planning, and analysing and evaluating those ideas that best
meet the criteria for success.
Design thinking underpins learning in Design and Technologies. Design processes require students to identify
and investigate a need or opportunity; generate, plan and realise designed solutions; and evaluate products
and processes. Consideration of economic, environmental and social impacts that result from designed
solutions are core to design thinking, design processes and Design and Technologies.
When developing solutions in Digital Technologies, students explore, analyse and develop ideas based on
data, inputs and human interactions. When students design a solution to a problem they consider how users
will be presented with data, the degree of interaction with that data and the various types of computational
processing. For example, designing a maze; writing precise and accurate sequences of instructions to move a
robot through the maze or testing the program and modifying the solution.
Computational thinking
Computational thinking is a problemsolving method that is applied to create solutions that can be
implemented using digital technologies. It involves integrating strategies, such as organising data logically,
breaking down problems into parts, interpreting patterns and models and designing and implementing
algorithms.
Computational thinking is used when specifying and implementing algorithmic solutions to problems in Digital
Technologies. For a computer to be able to process data through a series of logical and ordered steps,
students must be able to take an abstract idea and break it down into defined, simple tasks that produce an
outcome. This may include analysing trends in data, responding to user input under certain preconditions or
predicting the outcome of a simulation.
This type of thinking is used in Design and Technologies during different phases of a design process when
computation is needed to quantify data and solve problems. Examples include when calculating costs, testing
materials and components, comparing performance or modelling trends.
Information and communication technology in the
Australian Curriculum
In the Australian Curriculum, there are opportunities in all learning areas to develop information and
communication technology (ICT) capability. These are described in the ICT general capability learning
continuum, which is a statement about learning opportunities in the Australian Curriculum for students to
develop their ICT capability.
In Digital Technologies the ICT capability is more explicit and foregrounded. Students develop explicit
knowledge, understanding and skills relating to operating and managing ICT and applying social and ethical
protocols while investigating, creating and communicating. The study of Digital Technologies will ensure that
ICT capability is developed systematically. While specific elements are likely to be addressed within Digital
Technologies learning programs, key concepts and skills are strengthened, complemented and extended
across all subjects, including in Design and Technologies. This occurs as students engage in a range of
learning activities with digital technologies requirements.
The clear difference between the Digital Technologies curriculum and the ICT general capability is that the
capability helps students to become effective users of digital technologies while the Digital Technologies
curriculum helps students to become confident developers of digital solutions.
Safety
Identifying and managing risk in Technologies learning addresses the safe use of technologies as well as risks
that can impact on project timelines. It covers all necessary aspects of health, safety and injury prevention
and, in any technologies context, the use of potentially dangerous materials, tools and equipment. It includes
ergonomics, safety including cyber safety, data security, and ethical and legal considerations when
communicating and collaborating online.
Technologies learning experiences may involve the use of potentially hazardous substances and/or
hazardous equipment. It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that duty of care is exercised in relation to
the health and safety of all students and that school practices meet the requirements of the Work Health and
Safety Act 2011, in addition to relevant state or territory health and safety guidelines.
In implementing projects with a focus on food, care must be taken with regard to food safety and specific food
allergies that may result in anaphylactic reactions. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and
Allergy has published guidelines for prevention of anaphylaxis in schools, preschools and childcare. Some
states and territories have their own specific guidelines that should be followed.
When state and territory curriculum authorities integrate the Australian Curriculum into local courses, they will
include more specific advice on safety.
For further information about relevant guidelines, contact your state or territory curriculum authority.
Animal ethics
Any teaching activities that involve caring, using, or interacting with animals must comply with the Australian
code of practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes in addition to relevant state or territory
guidelines.
When state and territory curriculum authorities integrate the Australian Curriculum into local courses, they will
include more specific advice on the care and use of, or interaction with, animals.
For further information about relevant guidelines or to access your local animal ethics committee, contact your
state or territory curriculum authority.
The Australian Curriculum: Technologies Foundation – Year 10 comprises two subjects:
Design and Technologies
Digital Technologies.
The Australian Curriculum: Technologies is written on the basis that all students will study the two subjects
from Foundation to the end of Year 8.
In Year 9 and 10, student access to technologies subjects will be determined by school authorities. These
could include Design and Technologies and/or Digital Technologies as outlined in the Australian Curriculum:
Technologies and/or subjects relating to specific technologies contexts, determined by state and territory
school authorities or individual schools.
The curriculum for each of Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies describes the distinct
knowledge, understanding and skills of the subject and, where appropriate, highlights their similarities and
complementary learning. This approach allows students to develop a comprehensive understanding of
traditional, contemporary and emerging technologies. It also provides the flexibility – especially in the primary
years of schooling – for developing integrated teaching programs that focus on both Technologies subjects
and other learning areas. Figure 1 shows the relationship between the overarching idea, key ideas and
subjects of the Technologies learning area.
Figure 1: Relationship between key ideas and Technologies subjects
The curriculum for each Technologies subject is written in bands of year levels:
Foundation – Year 2
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Years 7 and 8
Years 9 and 10.
Strands
Knowledge, understanding and skills in each subject are presented through two related strands:
Knowledge and understanding
Processes and production skills.
Table 1 outlines the focus of knowledge, understanding and skills across the Technologies learning area
Foundation – Year 10.
Table 1: Design and Technologies and Digital Technologies content structure
Design and Technologies Digital Technologies
Knowledge and understanding Knowledge and understanding
Technologies and society Digital systems
the use, development and impact of the components of digital systems:
technologies in people’s lives hardware, software and networks and
their use
Technologies contexts
Representation of data
technologies and design across a range of
technologies contexts how data are represented and structured
symbolically
Processes and production skills Processes and production skills
Creating designed solutions by:
Collecting, managing and analysing data
investigating and defining
generating and designing Creating digital solutions by:
producing and implementing
evaluating
generating and designing
collaborating and managing
evaluating
Teachers can select technologiesspecific content from the Knowledge and understanding strand and
students can apply skills from the Processes and production skills strand to that content.
The common strand structure provides an opportunity to highlight similarities across the two subjects that will
facilitate integrated approaches to teaching.
Glossary
absorbency
Power, capacity or tendency of a material to absorb or soak up another substance, usually a liquid.
abstraction
A process of reducing complexity to formulate generalised fundamental ideas or concepts removed from
specific details or situation. For example, the idea that a cricket ball is a sphere in the same way that a
soccer ball is, or the concept that data can be organised in records made up of fields irrespective of
whether the data are numbers, text, images or something else.
accessibility
The extent to which a system, environment or object may be used irrespective of a user’s capabilities or
disabilities. For example, the use of assistive technologies to allow people with physical disabilities to use
computer systems, or the use of icons in place of words to allow young children to use a system.
aerial view
A drawing from above (in the air) to show features of a building, landscape or environment. An aerial view is
used, for example, in wholefarm plans to show the location of fences and gates, dams, waterways, specific
vegetation, sheds and other buildings on a property so plans for changes can be made.
aerial view of garden
aesthetics
A branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of art, beauty and taste. It is more scientifically defined as
the study of sensoryemotional values, sometimes called judgements of sentiment and taste. Aesthetic
judgement is concerned with the visual impact or appeal of a product or environment and is influenced by
social, emotional and demographic factors.
algorithm
Stepbystep procedures required to solve a problem. For example, to find the largest number in a list of
positive numbers:
Note the first number as the largest.
Look through the remaining numbers, in turn, and if a number is larger than the number found in
1, note it as the largest.
Repeat this process until complete. The last noted number is the largest in the list.
An algorithm may be described in many ways. Flowcharts are often useful in visualising an algorithm.
algorithmic logic
A logic behind breaking down computing problems and information systems into stepbystep processes in
order to solve problems or achieve specified outcomes. It involves sequencing and abstraction and leads to
algorithmic statements.
app
A software application with a very specific or narrow purpose designed to run on mobile devices (such as
smartphones or tablets) through a web browser or on a personal computer. The feature set of an app is
limited when compared with a fullfeatured desktop application for a similar purpose. For example, a photo
editing app has a smaller set of features than an industrystandard photographic suite.
augmented reality (AR)
A technology that replicates, enhances or overlays extra information about the realworld environment,
using computergenerated data such as global positioning systems (GPS), sound, videos and images.
Examples include a car windshield with a headsup display (HUD) that projects threedimensional
navigation information and virtual lanes; and a swimming telecast using a line to indicate the position of the
record holder in relation to the actual swimmers in the race.
automate
In Digital Technologies, any process of transforming and manipulating data that does not require user
intervention. For example, through the use of formulas in a spreadsheet, new sets of data can be
processed and the results recalculated automatically, or a webcam can be turned on as a result of
movement sensor input.
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)
An early numeric code, later extended, used to represent 128 specific characters, including 0–9 and a–z, in
computer systems. For example, capital A is represented by the binary code 100 0001.
back casting
A process that starts with defining a desirable future and then working backwards to identify policies and
programs that will connect the future to the present.
binary
A use of two states or permissible values to represent data, such as ON and OFF positions of a light switch
or transistors in a computer silicon chip that can be in either the electrical state of ON or OFF.
Binary data are typically represented as a series of single digits referred to as binary digits (or bits) due to
each taking on the value of either 0 or 1. The image below shows how a dashed line might be represented
in binary.
biomimicry
An inspiration of functions found in nature for use and adaptation in the design of a product, service or
environment or to solve human problems. For example, velcro fastening was inspired by small hooks on the
end of burr needles. Termite mounds that maintain a constant temperature through air vents inspired
architects to design cooling for buildings.
bitmap
Mapping something to bits (binary digits 0 and 1). It is most often used in reference to graphics or images
(but can be other forms of media). For a bitmapped graphic, each ‘dot’, or pixel, of the graphic is
represented by a number giving the colour of the pixel. .bmp, .gif or .jpeg files are graphics represented as
bitmaps (as opposed to vector graphics). If a graphic were stored or displayed using only 1 bit per pixel, it
would be purely black and white (1 for black and 0 for white). If it were 2 bits per pixel, it could represent
four ‘colours’ (typically greyscale colours). Using 24 bits per pixel gives over 16 million (224) different
colours.
branching
Making a decision between one of two or more actions depending on sets of conditions and the data
provided. For example, in testing whether a light works, the following algorithm uses branching:
diagram illustrating branching
bunraku puppet
A traditional Japanese form of puppet theatre in which half lifesized dolls act out a chanted dramatic
narrative using force and motion.
CAPTCHA™
A graphic image (and audio for vision impaired) recognition test to confirm a human, rather than a
computerautomated response to a request. It is an acronym for Completely Automated Public Turing test
to tell Computers and Humans Apart. It is commonly used with online forms over the internet to reduce the
chance of hackers using computer programs to automatically fill in multiple bogus online forms.
an example of CAPTCHA
carbon footprint
The environmental impact of an individual or organisation’s operation, measured in units of carbon dioxide.
It includes primary emissions (the sum of the direct carbon dioxide emissions of fossil fuel burning and
transportation such as cars and planes) and secondary, or indirect, emissions associated with the
manufacture and breakdown of all products, services and food an individual or organisation consumes.
cascading style sheets (CSS)
A set of instructions to describe the formatting (for example, layout, font, size) of a document written in a
markup language such as HTML for web pages. It is a special case of a style sheet that is a set of
instructions to define the formatting of a structured document (for example, a word processed document
could have a style sheet). For example, CSS for a website may define the font, colour and size of each type
of text such as headings, body text, hyperlinks and captions for pictures.
categorical data
Data that are represented in discrete categories such as gender, eye colour or type of animal. For example,
if age was represented as age groups (for example,. 0–5, 6–18, 19–60, 61+), then the data would be
categorical rather than numerical.
characteristics
A set of distinguishing aspects (including attributes and behaviours) of an object, material, living thing,
system or event.
In Design and Technologies, the qualities of a material or object usually detected and recognised by human
senses such as its colour, taste, texture, sound (for example, crunch of bread) and smell. The term also
may relate to the form of a material, for example, ‘corrugated’ cardboard. These qualities are used by
humans to select suitable materials for specific uses, for example, because they are appealing or suitable
for their purpose. The characteristics of materials usually determine the way people work with the materials.
Also see properties.
In Digital Technologies, for example, the characteristics of a stored digital graphic may be the colour depth
(maximum number of colours represented), the resolution (number of pixels per area, or height and width)
and the compression used.
cloud computing
Distributing computing over a network where storage of files, processing of data and/or access to software
occurs automatically on interconnected server computers to which the user’s device is connected. Typically,
people use the term to refer to accessing files and software over the internet. For example, photo files may
be stored in the ‘cloud’ from a smartphone to be accessed later from a different location; where they are
actually stored can be anywhere in the world on a server computer used by the cloudservice.
codec
A piece of software that encodes or decodes digital audiovisual material, usually to allow it to be stored or
transmitted in a compressed format. For example, the MP3 format compresses audio data and requires an
MP3 codec (usually available by default in audio programs) to be read and played by a computer. Codecs
can be downloaded or purchased and installed as plugins to most applications to extend the media
capabilities of software. Also see compression.
collaborative document
A document that is created by more than one person, with authors working together to create a single
document. This is readily achieved using digital technologies by having the document in an online
environment so that many authors can access and edit the document at the same time.
components
Parts or elements that make up a system or whole object and perform specific functions. For example, the
major components of a car include: a chassis (holds everything on it); an engine (to convert energy to make
a car move); a transmission (including controlling the speed and output from the engine and to rotate the
wheels); a steering system (to control the direction of movement); a brake system (to slow down or stop); a
fuel delivery system (to supply fuel to the cylinders); an exhaust system (to get rid of gases) and an
electrical system (for operating wipers, air conditioning, etc.).
Similarly, the components of a computer system may be a central processing unit (chips that follow
instructions to control other components and move data); memory chips and a hard disk (for storing data
and instructions); a keyboard, a mouse, a camera and a microphone (to input instructions and data for the
central processing unit); a screen, a printer and speakers (to output data); USB and ethernet cards (to
communicate with other systems or components). Also see digital systems.
diagram showing components of an electronic system
compression
A process of encoding information using fewer bits, that is, 0 or 1, than an original representation, to reduce
file size – typically using mathematical formulas to remove repeated data, combine related data or simplify
data (for example, a line segment can be represented by the position of the end points instead of every dot
on it). Common examples include:
.zip files, which can contain one or more files or folders that have been compressed
.jpg files in digital photography are produced by processing complete (lossless) data from a
camera’s sensor through compressing (looking for redundant/unnecessary data) into a smaller
file size
.mp3 files for audio, which compress an original audio source to reduce the file size significantly
but still sound like an exact copy of the original.
compression scheme
a method of compressing data. Also see compression.
computational thinking
A problemsolving method that involves various techniques and strategies that can be implemented by
digital systems. Techniques and strategies may include organising data logically, breaking down problems
into parts, defining abstract concepts and designing and using algorithms, patterns and models.
computeraided drawing
Software used by designers, architects and engineers to create lines, shapes and planes that can be
combined, moved, rotated, adjusted and rendered. Measurements and calculations can be included.
Computeraided drawing can be used to create two and threedimensional models and drawings such as
floor plans, interior and garden designs, and to represent objects and structures. Also known as computer
assisted design or CAD.
computeraided manufacturing (CAM)
A use of geometric design data (coordinates) to control and monitor specially designed automated
machines with onboard computers to produce objects. Numerical control (NC) computer software
applications create detailed instructions, known as Gcode, that drive the computer numeric control (CNC)
machine tools for manufacturing components and objects.
constructed environment
An environment developed, built and/or made by people for human and animal activity, including buildings,
streets, gardens, bridges and parks. It includes naturalenvironments after they have been changed by
people for a purpose.
construction relationship
A relationship between materials and suitable methods of joining them, based on their characteristics and
properties. For example, certain adhesives can be used to join specific materials. If an incorrect adhesive is
chosen, the materials will not bond, or will be weak.
criteria for success
A descriptive list of essential features against which success can be measured. The compilation of criteria
involves literacy skills to select and use appropriate terminology.
critiquing
A careful judgement in which opinions are given about positive and negative aspects of something.
Critiquing considers good as well as bad performances, individual parts, relationships of individual parts and
overall performance. Also see evaluating.
crop sensor
An advanced sensor to measure and record data about food or fibre crops and give realtime
measurements of physiological factors such as nutrient status and moisture. It can be physically placed in
the crop or remotely sensed from a satellite or aircraft.
cultivating gardens
Preparing and improving soil by digging and fertilising to promote the growth of crop plants.
danger zone temperatures
Temperature range between 5º Celsius and 60º Celsius. In this zone, bacteria that cause food poisoning
can multiply quickly to unsafe levels. Highrisk foods should be stored properly to avoid the danger zone
temperatures.
data
In Digital Technologies, discrete representation of information using number codes. Data may include
characters (for example, alphabetic letters, numbers and symbols), images, sounds and/or instructions that,
when represented by number codes, can be manipulated, stored and communicated by digital systems. For
example, characters may be represented using ASCII code or images may be represented by a bitmap of
numbers representing each ‘dot’ or pixel.
database
A collection of data organised by records and fields that can be easily stored, accessed, managed and
updated. Each discrete piece of data to be stored is represented by a field (for example, song title, song
artist or bank account number, date of transaction); and values in the fields that are associated with an
entity (for example, a song, a bank transaction) are a record. Interaction with a database usually takes
place through a user interface designed specifically for the structure and use of the data stored in it.
data repository
A central place where data are stored and maintained. For example, a database on a server computer for
the Australian Bureau of Statistics, a weather bureau or a bank.
dataset
A collection of data combined for a specific purpose. All data should be interconnected either by being in
the same file or in files related to each other so they can be viewed together, and are usually collected
together. Examples include data collected from a survey entered into a single spreadsheet, or a library of
clip art.
decompose
To separate a complex problem into parts to allow a problem to be more easily understood. For example, to
create an interactive story, one can decompose the problem to a list of characters and their characteristics
(for example, clothing), the actions of the characters, the backdrops and the sequence of scenes with
reference to which characters, actions and backdrops are involved in each scene. Decomposition may be
represented in diagrams.
design process
A process that typically involves investigating and defining; generating and designing; producing and
implementing; evaluating; and collaborating and managing to create a designed solution that considers
social, cultural and environmental factors. In Design and Technologies, technologies processes include
design processes and production processes.
desk checking
A method used by a human to check the logic of a computer program's algorithm to reduce the likelihood of
errors occurring. This may be done on paper, using a diagram, or mentally trying a sample of typical inputs
to see what the outputs would be. For example, to desk check a branching statement {IF age >65 THEN
‘retire’ ELSE ‘keep working’}, the values for age of 64, 65 and 66 could be tried to show that 64 and 65
would result in ‘keep working’ and 66 in ‘retire’ so that it could be decided if the statement worked as
intended.
designed solution
In Design and Technologies, a product, service or environment that has been created for a specific purpose
or intention as a result of design thinking, design processes and production processes.
digital citizenship
An acceptance and upholding of the norms of appropriate, responsible behaviour with regard to the use of
digital technologies. This involves using digital technologies effectively and not misusing them to
disadvantage others. Digital citizenship includes appropriate online etiquette, literacy in how digital
technologies work and how to use them, an understanding of ethics and related law, knowing how to stay
safe online, and advice on related health and safety issues such as predators and the permanence of data.
digital footprint
A total set of data left behind by a person using a digital system. A person’s digital footprint includes all
information actively provided by that person such as interactions on social networks (for example,
comments, photographs), online purchases, website logons, emails and instant messages. It also includes
passive information such as logs of software installed and used on a computer, metadata associated with
files, a user’s IP address, a device being used to access a web page, and a user’s browsing history stored
as cookies or by internet service providers.
digital information
The nature and forms of information stored digitally, and processes that transform digital data into
information for various purposes and meanings, including structures, properties, features and conventions
of particular forms of digital information and appropriate methods of storage, transmission and presentation
of each form.
digital system
Digital hardware and software components (internal and external) used to transform data into a digital
solution. When digital systems are connected, they form a network. For example:
a smartphone is a digital system that has software (apps, an operating system), input
components (for example, touch screen, keyboard, camera and microphone), output components
(for example, screen and speakers), memory components (for example, silicon chips, solid state
drives), communication components (for example, SIM card, wifi, bluetooth or mobile network
antennas), and a processor made up of one or more silicon chips.
a desktop computer with specific software and hardware components for dairy farming. The
computer is connected via cables to milking equipment and via wifi to sensors that read tags on
the cows. Through these hardware components the software records how much milk each cow
provides. Such systems can also algorithmically control attaching milking equipment to each cow,
providing feed and opening gates.
drawing standards
Australian standards for engineering and technical drawing. Identified as Australian Standard AS 1100, the
standards include a number of parts that describe the conventions for Australian engineers, designers,
architects and associated tradespeople such as builders and plumbers to follow. AS 1100 incorporates
general principles for technical drawing, including dimensioning, types of lines and layouts to use, scales,
symbols, abbreviations and their meanings. It also includes mechanical engineering drawing, including
information for surface texture, welding, centre holes, gears, etc.
deconstructing
A process of dismantling or pulling a product or system apart to systematically identify and analyse
components and their relationships. Also see components.
design brief
A concise statement clarifying a project task and defining a need or opportunity to be resolved after some
analysis, investigation and research. It usually identifies users, criteria for success, constraints, available
resources and timeframe for a project and may include possible consequences and impacts.
designing
In Design and Technologies, a process that typically involves investigating and defining; generating;
producing and implementing; evaluating; and collaborating and managing to create a designed solution.
In Digital Technologies, one step in a fourstage process of defining, designing, implementing and
evaluating to create a digital solution.
design thinking
Use of strategies for understanding design problems and opportunities, visualising and generating creative
and innovative ideas, and analysing and evaluating those ideas that best meet the criteria for success and
planning.
digital environment
A situation, or sphere of activity, or simulated ‘place’ that is entirely presented or experienced with digital
technologies. For example, a social network that provides a digital environment for communicating with
friends, or software that provides a digital environment for editing photographs.
digitally signed data
Data that have information added (for example, a digital signature) before these data are sent over a
network so that a receiving digital device knows what computer has sent the data and that the data have
not been changed along the way. A digital signature is mathematically created using cryptography
(hashed). For example, a digital signature may be added to a PDF document in Acrobat as a digital ID (or
private key) that includes a name and email address in the added information.
digital solution
A result (or output) of transforming data into information or action using digital systems, skills, techniques
and processes to meet a need or opportunity.
digital technology
Any technology controlled using digital instructions, including computer hardware and software, digital
media and media devices, digital toys and accessories, and contemporary and emerging communication
technologies. These technologies are based on instructions given, using binary (0 or 1) code, that invariably
mean one or more processors are present to respond to these instructions. Computers, smartphones,
digital cameras, printers and robots are all examples of digital technologies.
durability
An ability of an object or system to withstand or resist wear, pressure or damage over a long period of time
and remain in good condition. For example, longlasting outdoor furniture made of suitable materials and
construction methods to withstand rain, heat and light from the sun; a sports uniform made of suitable
materials to withstand frequent washing and wear and tear from the movement of the sportsperson. Also
see properties.
ecommerce
The electronic (e) selling of a product or service online or through other electronic means, with an online
mechanism for payment. Examples include online shopping sites and travel websites where hotel
accommodation and airline tickets can be purchased.
A set of practices that do not reduce economic opportunities of future economies, while recognising the
finite nature of resources, and use resources optimally over a longer term without resulting in economic
loss.
electronic planting calendar
An online or softwarebased monthbymonth guide of suitable crops to plant, as well as typical garden
maintenance tasks, which need to be performed. An electronic planting calendar may take a form of a
database or simple table of information.
encryption of data
A process in cryptography of encoding (converting) data, using mathematical formulas, into a form that only
an intended recipient can decode, often including a personal digital signature (see digitally signed data).
For example, when connecting to an online banking or shopping website, typically on login a secure
communication is set up based on encryption provided at the website, and this will be represented by a
https://URL and a lock symbol on the user’s internet browser.
energyefficient cooking
Energy efficiency is the use of less energy to provide the same service. Examples of energyefficient
cooking include microwave cooking; using energyefficient cookware such as copperbottom pans and
woks; matching pan size to the cooking element; reducing cooking time by defrosting frozen food first; using
a single hotplate with a saucepan and stacked steamer.
engineering
A practical application of scientific and mathematical understanding and principles as a part of the process
of developing and maintaining solutions for an identified need or opportunity.
engineering principles and systems
A technologies context in Design and Technologies focused on how forces and energy can be used to
create light, sound, heat, movement, control or support in systems. It involves manipulating and arranging
systems and their components, often using modelling or simulation, so they work together (or interact) to
meet required needs and functions or purposes. Systems have inputs, processes and outputs. For
example, a torch as shown below. Scientific laws or theories can often be used to work out the necessary
inputs, processes or outputs to support the development or operation of a system. These are known as
engineering principles. An example of an engineering principle is Ohm’s Law (a statement about the
relationship between voltage, current and resistance in an electrical circuit).
inputs, processes and outputs of a torch, which is a simple system
enterprise
A project or activity that may be challenging, requires effort and initiative and may have risks.
enterprising
Showing initiative and willingness to take action and commitment to follow through on initiatives.
environment
One of the outputs of technologies processes and/or a place or space in which technologies processes
operate. An environment may be natural, managed, constructed or digital.
environmental sustainability
Practices that have minimal impact on ecosystem's health, allow renewal of natural systems and value
environmental qualities that support life.
equipment
Items needed for carrying out specific jobs, activities, functions or processes. For example, a bench hook is
used to hold a piece of wood when making a straight cut across it; a tailor’s chalk is used to make marks on
fabric to show details of the location and type of construction; a soldering iron is used to solder components
to a printed circuit board; scales are used to accurately weigh ingredients for a cake or feed for domestic
animals.
ergonomics
Understanding of the activity of humans within systems or in an environment to maximise the wellbeing of
humans and their productive use of those systems or environments. In Digital Technologies,ergonomics is
concerned with physical, mental and emotional impacts on users of the technologies. For example, it is
understood that many people may get sore eyes if they look at screens for too long, and that if computer
keyboard users do not sit up straight with arms at right angles to the body, they may get repetitive strain
injury in their forearms.
evaluating
Measuring performance against established criteria. Estimating nature, quality, ability, extent or significance
to make a judgement determining a value. Also see critiquing.
exclusive or (XOR)
An ‘exclusive or’ (XOR) is a logical operator that is TRUE if both inputs to it are different, in the same way
that AND is a logical operator that is TRUE only if both of the inputs are TRUE. For example, ‘person is
male’ XOR ‘person has blonde hair’ results in all females with blonde hair and males without blonde hair.
(Using AND here would result in only including males with blonde hair.)
the Venn diagram represents the XOR operator
exploded view
A drawing or photograph of an object with individual parts shown separately but arranged to show the
relationship and position of the parts for assembly. For example, instructions that come with furniture sold in
a flat pack that has parts and fittings, or a diagram of parts of a bicycle, to be assembled in a particular way
and/or order by a purchaser.
exploded view of a chair
features
In Design and Technologies, distinctive attributes, characteristics, properties and qualities of an object,
material, living thing, system or event.
fibre
In food and fibre production, plant or animalbased materials that can be used for clothing or construction.
Fibre includes materials from forestry. Animalbased (protein) fibres include wool and silk. Plantbased
(cellulosic) fibres include cotton, bamboo, hemp, timber and wood chip.
file transfer protocol (FTP)
A set of rules or standards for transmitting files between digital systems on the internet. Also see hypertext
transfer protocol.
food and fibre production
A process of producing food or fibre as natural materials for the design and development of a range of
products.
food guides
The National Health and Medical Research Council and Australian government departments of health and
nutrition publish guides that provide information on food consumption patterns to promote maximum health.
These include the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating poster, which visually represents the proportion of the
five food groups recommended, in a circular plate format; the Australian Dietary Guidelines(2013 revision),
which has five principal recommendations, and the Healthy Living Pyramid, which recommends food from
the core food groups and encourages food variety balanced with physical activity.
food specialisations
Application of nutrition principles and knowledge about the characteristics and properties of food to food
selection and preparation; and contemporary technologyrelated food issues.
forecasting
A process of predicting the future based on current trend analysis. It uses historical data to determine a
direction of future trends.
flameretardant fabrics
1. Inherently flameresistant fibres that have flame resistance built into their chemical structure.
2. Flameretardant treated (FRT) fabrics that are made flameresistant by the application of flameretardant
chemicals.
functionality
Design of products, services or environments to ensure they are fit for purpose and meet the intended need
or market opportunity and identified criteria for success. Criteria for success in relation to functionality are
likely to include such things as operation, performance, safety, reliability and quality. That is, does the
product, service or environment do what it was meant to do, or provide what it was meant to provide? (For
example, does the torch provide light, is it easy to hold, and is it safe to use?)
futures thinking
Strategic thinking that envisages what can be, given existing knowledge, to propose scenarios for probable,
possible and preferred futures. For example, making wellinformed predictions or extrapolating using
current economic, environmental, social and technological trends; using divergent thinking (‘What if …’
explorations) about a given futures scenario; hypothesis; or systemsdriven thinking.
generalpurpose programming languages
Programming languages in common use designed to solve a wide range of problems. They include
procedural, functional and objectoriented programming languages, including scripting and/or dynamically
typed languages. Examples of generalpurpose programming languages include C#, C++, Java, JavaScript,
Python, Ruby and Visual Basic. They do not include declarative programming languages such as Prolog or
structured query language (SQL), or languages designed for solving domainspecific problems or for
pedagogical reasons.
graphic organiser
A communication tool that uses visual symbols to represent structured thinking. Graphic organiser makes
thinking processes visible by showing connections between ideas and data. Examples include concept
maps, flowcharts and causeandeffect patterns. The use of graphic organisers has become more popular
with the availability of software to create, edit and display them.
graphics technologies
Visual images, pictorial representations or designs produced on a surface such as paper, canvas or a
screen. Images generated by a computer are known as computer graphics. The purpose of these images,
representations or designs is to inform, illustrate or entertain.
graphical representation technique
A technique used to communicate ideas and plans, for example, sketching, drawing, modelling, making
patterns, technical drawing, computeraided drawing. (The graphical representation techniques for each
band are included in the band description.)
hardwood
Wood from broadleaved or angiosperm trees such as oak, ash, gum, jarrah.
hashing algorithm
A method of generating output of a fixed length that is used as a shorthand reference to larger amounts of
data. Used extensively to speed up searching, or when a size of data being used becomes cumbersome.
Hashing is especially useful in cryptography as a means of reliably and securely obscuring input for
communication. A hashing algorithm is deterministic – it always produces the same output for any given
input – ensuring that data retrieval and use are reliable.
health
A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
(World Health Organization 1948).
healthy eating
Dietary patterns that aim to promote health and wellbeing, including types and amounts of foods and food
groups that reduce the risk of dietrelated conditions and chronic disease (National Health and Medical
Research Council 2013).
hypertext markup language (HTML)
One of the first coding systems (or languages) designed to be used for webpage files so that an internet
browser can efficiently display a page and elements for that page such as text, links and media in the
intended position. There are newer versions of this language and alternative markup languages.
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)
A set of rules or standards for transferring files and messages on the World Wide Web, specifically to allow
linking of files and text (see file transfer protocol). It provides a standard for web browsers to render pages
(that is, to present them in an intended form) and servers to communicate.
IF statement
A conditional decision statement used to control the flow of a program (see branching). The structure of an
IF statement evaluates an expression (for example, hour < 12) and performs a specified code block only if
the condition is true. An example in Python would look like the following:
if hour < 12:
print(“Good morning!”)
Here, the program would only print the words 'Good morning!' if the hour of the day is less than 12.
information system
A combination of digital hardware and software components (digital systems), data, processes and people
that interact to create, control and communicate information.
input
Something put into a system to activate or modify a process, for example, people, raw materials, power,
energy, data. Also see engineering principles and systems.
intellectual property
A legal concept that refers to creations of a mind for which exclusive rights are recognised. Common types
of intellectual property include copyright, trademarks, patents, designs and plant breeder’s rights.
intitle
A prefix indicating a strategy to limit searches to the title field of a web page. It indicates that a word or
phrase is included in the title.
inurl
A prefix indicating a strategy to limit searches to particular words in a URL.
irrigation methods
Different ways of applying supplementary water to crops, for example, spray, flood and drip irrigation.
iteration
A repetition of a process or set of instructions in computer programming where each repeated cycle builds
on a previous (see repeatstatement). Typically this uses a FOR loop command with a counter such as the
example below to add the numbers from 1 to 9.
for number = 1 to 9
sum = sum + number
jig
A custommade tool or piece of equipment used to control a positioning and or motion of another tool to go
into a work piece. Jigs are used when manufacturing products to ensure accuracy, alignment, repeatability
and interchangeability. Some jigs are also called templates or guides. Examples are machining jigs,
woodworking jigs such as a dowelling jig, jewellers’ jigs and welders’ jigs.
diagram of a jig
joining processes
Methods of bringing together and permanently holding materials or components, for example, using joints
such as a dowel joint to join legs and rails for a table frame; fasteners such as nails, rivets, bolts and
screws; glues or adhesives; welding; sewing and binding; rubbing in or mixing food ingredients. Also see
components.
examples of processes to join metal
example of processes to join fabric
examples of processes to join timber
land management
A process of developing land and monitoring its use in a sustainable way, usually for purposes of producing
food and providing fibre for clothing and housing. Includes providing protection for flora and fauna, and
preventing and controlling weeds. Also see water management.
life cycle thinking
A strategy to identify possible improvements to products, services and environments to reduce
environmental impact and resource consumption while considering social and economic impacts. The cycle
goes from the acquisition of materials through to disposal or recycling. Life cycle thinking in food and fibre
production would consider nutrition, health and wellbeing, cultural identity and lifestyle as well as
environmental impacts. When products and services are marketed or integrated together, customers may
be more satisfied because the service supports the product’s use through its life, and could lead to less
consumption. Examples of how life cycle thinking can be demonstrated include product road maps and
more complex life cycle analysis and assessment diagrams used by industry.
lossless compression
A type of compression algorithm that retains sufficient information to allow the original data to be perfectly
reconstructed from the compressed data. It is used when it is important for the original data to be perfectly
preserved, for example, in text documents, programming source code, application files or for archival
purposes.
lossy compression
A type of compression algorithm that compresses data by discarding information that is not necessary to
reproduce the original data with sufficient detail for the user not to notice the difference. It is used primarily
for reducing the size of multimedia assets such as video, audio and photos, especially when streaming or
transmitting the data over the internet. The original data cannot be restored from the compressed version,
as is noticeable when attempting to increase the size of a compressed jpeg file.
low compression (41KB)
medium compression (24KB)
high compression (6KB)
lowinput sustainable agriculture (LISA)
A way of thinking about food and fibre production that focuses on reducing purchased inputs (such as
fertilisers and pesticides) and uses onfarm and environmental resources effectively. Concepts include crop
rotations and soil and water conservation.
malware
Malicious software designed to interfere with the regular operation of a computer system. Often used to
gain access to other people’s computers or to gather sensitive information, it is usually hidden in other
software to avoid user detection. Examples can include viruses, Trojan horses, key loggers and spyware.
Antimalware software is often relied on to help users detect and remove malware from their computers.
mammandur
A spinning top traditionally made from beeswax and a stick. It is spun by rubbing the stick between two
palms or by using the thumbs and middle finger to twist it.
managed environment
In Design and Technologies, an environment coordinated by humans, for example, a farm, forest, marine
park, waterway, wetland and storage facility.
materials and technologies specialisations
A technologies context in Design and Technologies focuses on a broad range of traditional, contemporary
and emerging materials and specialist areas that typically involve extensive use and deep knowledge of
specific technologies.
mass production
Making many standardised products very quickly, using assembly line techniques. Components or partially
completed products are sent to workers, who each work on an individual step, rather than one worker
working on a whole product from start to finish. Mass produced products are manufactured to attain a
standardised and consistent quality.
material
A substance from which a thing is or can be made. Natural (e.g. animals, food, fibre, timber, mineral) and
fabricated (e.g. metal alloys, plastics, textiles, composites) materials. Materials are used to create products
or environments and their structure can be manipulated by applying knowledge of their origins, structure,
characteristics, properties and uses.
meat tenderness
How easily meat is cut or chewed. Meat tenderness is influenced by age of the animal, breed, level of
activity, fat content and cooking method.
minimumtillage cropping
Methods of ploughing that provide minimum disruption to the soil, thus allowing soil to maintain its natural
structure. Minimumtillagecropping requires the use of specially designed machinery and control of weeds
by the use of herbicides.
model
A representation that describes, simplifies, clarifies or provides an explanation of the workings, structure or
relationships within an object, system or idea.
This can be either a physical model, such as in a scalemodel of a car or house, to show the form of a final
production design, and is made with tools, jigs and fixtures; or virtual, such as a simulator program that
demonstrates the capabilities of a vending machine through interaction with a computer user.
multimedia
The use of digital technologies to present combinations of text, graphics, video, animation and/or sound in
an integrated way. Where there is facility for a user to interact with multimedia, the term ‘interactive
multimedia’ may be used. Examples include interactive games, mediarich websites, electronic books
(ebooks) and animated short films.
natural environment
In Design and Technologies, an environment in which humans do not make significant interventions, for
example, ocean environments, natural woodlands, national parks.
nutritious foods
Foods that supply the nutrients needed by a body to grow, develop and maintain health. As the type and
quantity of nutrients found in foods varies, a body needs a variety of foods to be eaten each day to ensure
optimum levels of health and wellbeing are achieved.
nutrition panel
Under the food standards code, all manufactured packaged foods must carry a nutrition panel. Only very
small packages are exempt. The nutrition panel states the amount of energy (kilojoules), protein, fat
(saturated and total), sodium and carbohydrate in a food. Figures are shown in two columns: per serve and
per 100 grams or millilitres.
objectbased coding application
An application that uses the objectoriented programming paradigm to represent attributes and actions of a
realworld object. An example is the use of Lego Mindstorms to provide instructions to determine the
movement of a robot.
objectoriented programming language (OOP)
A programming language that supports the objectoriented programming paradigm. In objectoriented
programming, objects represent a combination of data (the attributes of an object) and actions that can be
performed on or with those data (the methods of the object). An example might be a declaration of a ‘car’,
which has attributes that describe its physical nature (such as the number of doors, its colour, the size of
the engine) and the actions it can perform (such as accelerating, braking and turning).
The valid attributes and methods of an object are defined by its class, and these attributes and methods
can be inherited from the definition of another class. Examples of OOP languages include C++, Eiffel, Java,
Python and Scala.
online query interface
A simple online interface, such as a form on a website, that provides a way for a user to query a specified
dataset. This could include a catalogue for a local library, or a website that allows searching of Creative
Commons images.
organic fertiliser
A mixture of extra nutrients that are derived from sources which are or were living, to be added to crops
and pastures. Examples include seaweed, blood and bone, manure and compost.
orthogonal drawing
A scaled multiview drawing of a threedimensional object to show each view separately, in a series of two
dimensional drawings, for example, top or bottom, front, back and sides. In Australia, orthogonal drawings
use thirdangle projection for layout of the views. Orthogonal drawings may also include measurements on
each view and are used to develop lists of material requirements. In these drawings each edge is
represented by a connected line, each segment of which is parallel to a coordinate axis. Also see
production drawing.
orthogonal drawing of a chair
output
A result of something (physical or virtual) such as power, energy, action, material or information produced
by a person, machine or a system. Also see engineering principles and systems.
paddock to plate
All steps in the growing, processing and preparation of food.
palatability
An impression made by foods. The foods may be acceptable or agreeable to the palate or taste.
passive design
A design approach that uses natural elements – often sunlight – to heat, cool or light a building. Systems
that employ passive design require very little maintenance and reduce a building’s energy consumption by
minimising or eliminating mechanical systems used to regulate indoor temperature and lighting.
peripheral device
A digital component that can be connected to a digital system but are not essential to the system, for
example, printer, scanner, digital camera.
personal protective equipment (PPE)
Equipment used or worn by a person to minimise risk to the person’s health or safety, for example, goggles,
ear muffs, face shield, hard hat, apron, gloves.
perspective drawing
A drawing that represents the way objects appear to be smaller and closer together, the further away they
are. Perspective drawings may be one, two or threepoint perspective and have the corresponding
number of vanishing points. A onepoint perspective drawing has a single vanishing point (VP). Perspective
drawings are often used in building, interior and architectural design.
perspective drawings
pictorial map
A map that shows illustrated (rather than technical style) cartography. The area shown may be the
representation of a view of a landscape from above on an oblique angle. Pictorial maps are not drawn to
scale.
pictorial map of a landscape
pixel
A physical point in a bitmap image or on a display device that corresponds to the smallest amount of
information that can be stored and accessed. Also see bitmap.
play
An imaginary situation and the exploration of objects and actions for a specific purpose, where meaning
and sense of objects, actions and social situation can change for individual and collective needs to create
something new.
preferred futures
Preferences for the future identified by a student to inform the creation and evaluation of solutions.
preparing soil
The processes of tillage, addition of organic matter and fertilisers, and drainage prior to establishing a food
or fibre crop.
producing
Actively realising (making) designed solutions, using appropriate resources and means of production.
product
One of the outputs of technologies processes, the end result of processes and production. Products are the
tangible end results of natural, human, mechanical, manufacturing, electronic or digital processes to meet a
need or want.
product demonstration screencast
A presentation of a product’s features and interface generated by capturing the screen of a computer while
the product is in use. Usually recorded using video, then annotated using text or voice to provide
explanatory notes about the actions occurring on screen.
production drawing
A working drawing that details requirements for the manufacture and assembly of a product and
environment.
production drawings for a chair
production process
In Design and Technologies, a technologies contextspecific process used to transform technologies into a
product, service or environment, for example, the steps used for producing a product.
project
A set of activities undertaken by students to address specified content, involving understanding the nature
of a problem, situation or need; creating, designing and producing a solution to the project task; and
documenting the process. Project work has a benefit, purpose and use; a user or audience, which can
provide feedback on the success of the solution; limitations to work within; and a realworld technologies
context influenced by social, ethical and environmental issues. Criteria for success are used to judge a
project’s success.
project management
A responsibility for planning, organising, controlling resources, monitoring timelines and activities, and
completing a project to achieve a goal that meets identified criteria for judging success.
property
A distinctive quality of a material that can be tested and used to help people select the most suitable one for
a particular use.
Mechanical properties are determined when a force is applied to a material, for example, to test its
strength, hardness, wear resistance, machinability/workability, stretch and elasticity.
Thermal properties are determined when varying temperatures (for example, cold or heat) are applied to
test whether a material expands, melts, conducts or absorbs heat (warms up), find its boiling point, and
whether its colour changes.
Chemical properties relate to the chemicals a material is made of (its composition) and how it may change
because of its surrounding environment, for example, how it ages or taints; develops an odour;
deteriorates; resists stains, corrosion or cracks due to heat; or is flammable.
Electrical properties relate to the way a material responds if a current is passed through it or if it is placed in
an electrical field, for example, whether the material conducts or resists electricity or acts as an insulator.
Optical properties relate to how light reacts with a material, for example, opaqueness, transparency and
reflectiveness.
protocol
A set of generally accepted standards or 'rules' that govern relationships and interactions between and
within information systems. Also see file transfer protocol and hypertext transfer protocol.
prototype
A trial product or model built to test an idea or process to inform further design development. A prototype
can be developed in the fields of service, design, electronics or software programming. Its purpose is to see
if and how well the design works and is tested by users and systems analysts. It can be used to provide
specifications for a real, working product or system rather than a virtual or theoretical one. Prototype is
derived from Greek terms that, when translated, mean ‘primitive form’, ‘first’ and ‘impression’. Also see
working models.
radiofrequency identification device (RFID)
A small electronic device, consisting of a small chip and antenna, used for identifying and tracking products,
animals and people.
rapid prototyping
A range of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scalemodel of a physical part or assembly using three
dimensional computerassisted design (CAD). Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using
3D printing or additive layer manufacturing technology.
recirculation technologies
Technologies associated with reusing water or air after it has been treated to remove particles, gases
and/or dissolved chemicals.
red, green and blue (RGB) colours
Digital representation of colour, displayed on pixels, through the use of varying amounts of red, green and
blue light. By combining different amounts of each colour, many of the colours of the visible spectrum can
be represented on screen.
rendered drawing
A drawing that shows a relative relationship of elements or a form of objects using texture, colour, light,
shade and tone (lightness or darkness of a colour). Rendered drawings are used, for example, in
architecture to show what a building will look like or to show the form and shape of the body of a proposed
car design. Rendering can be done by hand, or using computer software such as computeraided drawing.
rendered computeraided drawing
REPEAT statement
A statement used for declaring iteration and repetition in programming code. Usually a REPEAT statement
continues to execute until some specified condition has been met, at which point the repetition ceases. Also
known as a loop and implemented in many programming languages by terms such as ‘for’ or ‘while’. An
example in Pascal may look like this:
repeat
a := a + 1
until a = 10;
where the code will repeatedly print out a number and increase its value by 1 until the number reaches 10.
resistant material
A material such as metals, plastics and timber that is usually firm and not easily bent or curved unless heat,
pressure or force is applied.
resources
In Design and Technologies, this includes technologies, energy, time, finance and human input.
risk management
A practice of identifying potential risks in advance, analysing them and taking precautionary steps to
reduce/curb the risk. Risk management involves risk identification, analysis, response planning, monitoring,
controlling and reporting.
scale
A relationship between the actual size of an object and its representation on a drawing, map or model;
proportional ratio (reduction or enlargement) of the actual size of an object so it will fit on a page or be more
manageable to draw or represent. For example, a house plan uses scale. A scale of 1:20 means that each
centimetre on the house plan equals 20 centimetres on the actual floor. So the actual room measurements
would be divided by 20 to get the floor plan measurements. Ratios may be, for example, 1:5, 1:10, 1:50,
1:100, 1:200, 1:500, 1:1000.
secret key
A piece of information that determines the output of a cryptographic cipher and is kept hidden from
unintended recipients. The key is required to decrypt information received to restore it to the original
message, thus its secrecy is important for ensuring secure transmission of data. Also see cryptography.
SELECT statement
A statement in structured query language (SQL) that retrieves information from a database. The structure
of a SELECT statement provides for optional clauses that allow for the filtering, grouping and sorting of data
on retrieval. A simple SELECT statement may look like the following:
> SELECT * FROM People;
where the resulting set would be all of the records in the People table. Following is an example of a more
complicated SELECT statement:
> SELECT * FROM People WHERE gender=‘m’;
This uses the optional WHERE clause to retrieve only the males (that is, that have a gender of ‘m’) from the
database table.
sensory properties
Properties that can be identified by organs of sense. Used to evaluate and describe foods in terms of the
senses. The taste (sweet, sour, salty); texture or mouth feel (smooth, moist, lumpy); aroma (spicy, sweet,
pungent); appearance (light, dark, golden, glossy); and noise (crunchy, fizzy, crackly) are parts of this
analysis.
service
One of the outputs of technologies processes, the end result of processes and production. Services are a
less tangible outcome (compared to products) of technologies processes to meet a need or want. They
may involve development or maintenance of a system and include, for example, catering, cloud computing
(software as a service), communication, transportation and water management. Services can be
communicated by charts, diagrams, models, posters and procedures.
service design
A design of a service and service concept. A service concept aims to meet the needs of an end user, client
or customer. A service design includes physical, organisational, aesthetic, functional and psychological
benefits of a service and requires systems thinking.
side view
Drawing of an object to show what the object looks like when viewed from its side. Also see orthogonal
drawing.
smart material
A material that has extra functions designed into it, so it has extra properties that can be controlled by
external stimuli or react to an environment all by themselves. These stimuli can include such things as
stress, temperature, moisture, pH, electric or magnetic fields. Examples of smartmaterials include those
that selfheal if scratched or that can detect if the foods they contain are past their ‘best by’ use date. These
materials have been developed following extensive research and development (R&D) and manufactured to
include extra ‘smart behaviour’ functions.
social network
A structure that describes the relationships that exist between individuals and/or organisations. Social
networking services and tools provide a mechanism for people who share common interests or personal
ties to communicate, share and interact using a range of media such as text, images and video.
social protocols
Generally accepted 'rules' or behaviours for when people interact in online environments, for example,
using language that is not rude or offensive to particular cultures, and not divulging personal details about
people without their permission.
Practices that maintain quality of life for people, societies and cultures in a changing world for a long period
of time, ensuring health and wellbeing without disproportionate costs or side effects.
softwood
Wood from gymnosperm trees such as conifers. Examples of softwood include pine, spruce and cedar.
strength
The state, property or quality of a material or object being physically strong and able to withstand or resist a
significant amount of force or pressure without breaking. This includes when a material or object is put
under compression (compressive strength) or under tension (tensile strength). Compressive strength is
measured by the material’s capacity to withstand loads that are intended to reduce its size (forcing its
atoms together) and to see how much it deforms or cracks. Tensile strength is measured by the material’s
capacity to withstand loads to extend it (forcing its atoms to be pulled apart). Also see properties.
structured English
The use of the English language to describe the steps of an algorithm in clear, unambiguous statements
that can be read from start to finish. The use of keywords such as START, END, IF and UNTIL provides a
syntax similar to that of a programming language to assist with identifying logical steps necessary to
properly describe the algorithm.
An example of the use of structured language can be demonstrated using the following problem:
Description of the problem: Describing the decision a person makes about how to get to a destination
based on the weather and the distance from their current location to their destination.
Structured English example:
START
IF it is raining outside THEN
Catch the bus
ELSE
IF it is less than 2km to the destination THEN
Walk
ELSE IF it is less than 10km to the destination THEN
Ride a bicycle
ELSE
Catch the bus
ENDIF
ENDIF
END
The Structured English description can easily be translated into code using a programming language and
accurately captures logical elements that must be followed to answer the question posed.
structured query language (SQL)
Specialist programming language used to manage data and access data in relational database
management systems.
supplementary feeding
The supply of animal feed by a farmer in addition to what a grazing animal can obtain from pasture.
sustainability factors
Economic, environmental and social sustainability issues that impact on design decisions.
sustainable
Supporting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to support their
needs.
system
A structure, properties, behaviour and interactivity of people and components (inputs, processes and
outputs) within and between natural, managed, constructed and digital environments.
systems thinking
A holistic approach to the identification and solving of problems, where parts and components of a system,
their interactions and interrelationships are analysed individually to see how they influence the functioning
of the whole system. This approach enables students to understand systems and work with complexity,
uncertainty and risk.
technologies
Materials, data, systems, components, tools and equipment used to create solutions for identified needs
and opportunities, and the knowledge, understanding and skills used by people involved in the selection
and use of these.
technologies contexts
A focus and opportunities for students in Design and Technologies to use processes and production skills to
design and produce products, services and environments. The prescribed technologies contexts for
Foundation – Year 8 are: engineering principles and systems; food and fibre production; food
specialisations; and materials and technologiesspecialisations.
technologies processes
Processes that allow the creation of a solution for an audience (end user, client or consumer). The
processes involve the purposeful use of technologies and other resources and appropriate consideration of
impact when creating and using solutions. The processes typically require critical and creative thinking such
as: computational, design or systems thinking. The processes involve: investigating and defining;
generating and designing; producing and implementing; evaluating; and collaborating and managing
(design processes) and technologiesspecific production processes.
technologies specialisations
Areas of specialisation that typically involve extensive use of technologies (for example, architecture,
electronics, graphics technologies, fashion).
thumbnail drawing
A small drawing usually done quickly by designers, architects and engineering designers to indicate roughly
what an object, system or environment could look like. Thumbnail drawings are a method of visualising
thinking and show main features rather than minor details. They may include annotations.
tool
An implement and machine to carry out specific processes when working with materials. For example, a
saw is an example of a tool used to cut timber; scissors are used to cut fabric, paper and cardboard; a tape
measure is used to measure lengths and widths of wood and fabric; a blender is used to mix and blend
food ingredients; secateurs are used to prune plants. Also see equipment.
top view
Drawing of an object to show what it looks like when viewed from above. Also see orthogonaldrawing.
transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP/IP)
A set of rules or standards for organising how messages are transmitted over the internet. Also see file
transfer protocol and hypertext transfer protocol.
Unicode
A standard for consistent encoding and representation of text from most of the world’s writing systems. Like
ASCII, characters are mapped to unique numerical values; however, Unicode contains more than 100,000
characters from more than 100 different types of script.
user interface
Characteristics of the boundary between users and a computer system, or the manner in which users
interact with computer hardware or software. In software, this usually comprises of fields for text and
number entry, mouse pointers, buttons and other graphical elements. In hardware, switches, dials and light
emitting diodes (LEDs) provide information about the interactions between a user and a machine.
vector graphics
Images that are represented and stored on computers using geometric elements such as points, lines,
curves and shapes. Unlike bitmap images, vector graphics can be easily scaled without loss of clarity due to
all points used in the reproduction of the graphic having a clearly defined location and shape in two
dimensional space.
For example, if a line is drawn using vector graphics, only the two end points and the fact that it is a straight
line need to be stored. To double the length of the line only needs information about one end point changed
so that the software can fill in all the dots between. As a bitmap, each pixel would have to be doubled in
size, making a more ‘blurry’ image. (The software doesn’t ‘know’ it is a line and stores information about all
the pixels that made up the line separately.)
bitmap graphic
vector graphic
vertical farming
Cultivation of plants or animals on or in a vertical space associated with a multistorey building or vertical, or
nearvertical surfaces.
virtual object
A representation of an object, real or imagined, in a digital form. Examples might include a reproduction of a
landmark such as the Eiffel Tower in a virtual world tour, or of a constructed spaceship in an environment
designed to simulate changes in gravitational force or air density that would not be possible in realworld
experiments.
visualisation software tools
Software to help in the recording of ideas as visual representations. Examples in are computeraided
drawing (or computerassisted design – CAD) and computer simulation. Graphic organisers are
visualisation tools as are software that display graphs of data.
visual programming
A programming language or environment where a program is represented and manipulated graphically
rather than as text. A common visual metaphor represents statements and control structures as graphic
blocks that can be composed to form programs, allowing programming without having to deal with textual
syntax. Examples of visual programming languages include: Alice, GameMaker, Kodu, Lego Mindstorms,
MIT App Inventor, Scratch (Build Your Own Blocks and Snap).
Note: A visual programming language should not be confused with programming languages for creating
visualisations or programs with user interfaces, for example, Processing or Visual Basic.
warmth
The sensation of being warm. Warmth of a fabric is determined by the arrangement of fibres, fibre size,
shape and structure and thermal conductive properties of the fibres. Generally speaking, the smaller and
finer the fibres, the more insulating the garment, because more air is trapped between the fibres. Protein
based fibres (wool, fur) and polypropylene and polyester are the least thermally conductive materials.
water management
A way water resources are monitored and used by humans. This can include the use of dams, irrigation
systems, bores, windmills and testing the quality of water and levels of pollution.
webauthoring software
A computer program designed to assist in the creation of web pages. Simple webauthoring software may
take a form of a basic text editor, or may contain more advanced features that allow for editing the content
and layout of a web page.
waterefficient irrigation
Systems that supply water in a manner that maximises the plant growth associated with each unit of applied
water. Irrigation systems may use targeted delivery into the root zone of plants or may apply water to
minimise losses through evaporation or soil infiltration.
while loop
A set of instructions in a loop with a test at the top – a programmatic implementation of iteration or repeat.
The beginning and ending of the loop may be indicated by key words ‘while’ and ‘endwhile’; however, this
will vary depending on the syntax of the programming language used. Sometimes it is referred to as a ‘do
while’ loop and in some languages a ‘do’ loop is used instead.
wireless device
A device that transmits and receives data from other sources, using electromagnetic radiation (for example,
radio waves) rather than being connected by electrical conductors such as wires. A common example of a
wireless device is a mobile phone, which uses radio waves of a specific frequency to connect to
telecommunications towers for the purpose of communication.
wool fibre diameter
The thickness of a wool fibre measured in microns (the millionth part of a metre). The smaller the measure,
the finer the fibre.
working model
Engineering simulation software product that, when run, can be used to test how virtual components
interact. A program can simulate various interactions of the parts (components) and graph the movement
and force on any element in a system. These working models are also known as prototypes and can be
used to evaluate performance, and make alterations and improvements if necessary.
Technologies Design and
Technologies
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The Australian Curriculum: Technologies Design and Technologies
Design and Technologies How the Subject works
This rationale complements and extends the rationale for the Technologies learning area.
In an increasingly technological and complex world, it is important to develop knowledge and confidence to
critically analyse and creatively respond to design challenges. Knowledge, understanding and skills involved in
the design, development and use of technologies are influenced by and can play a role in enriching and
transforming societies and our natural, managed and constructed environments.
The Australian Curriculum: Design and Technologies enables students to become creative and responsive
designers. When they consider ethical, legal, aesthetic and functional factors and the economic,
environmental and social impacts of technological change, and how the choice and use of technologies
contributes to a sustainable future, they are developing the knowledge, understanding and skills to become
discerning decisionmakers.
Design and Technologies actively engages students in creating quality designed solutions for identified needs
and opportunities across a range of technologies contexts. Students manage projects independently and
collaboratively from conception to realisation. They apply design and systems thinking and design processes
to investigate ideas, generate and refine ideas, plan, produce and evaluate designed solutions. They develop
a sense of pride, satisfaction and enjoyment from their ability to develop innovative designed products,
services and environments.
Through the practical application of technologies including digital technologies, students develop dexterity and
coordination through experiential activities. Design and Technologies motivates young people and engages
them in a range of learning experiences that are transferable to family and home, constructive leisure
activities, community contribution and the world of work.
In addition to the overarching aims for the Australian Curriculum: Technologies, Design and Technologies
more specifically aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that, individually and
collaboratively, students:
develop confidence as critical users of technologies and designers and producers of designed
solutions
investigate, generate and critique innovative and ethical designed solutions for sustainable futures
use design and systems thinking to generate design ideas and communicate these to a range of
audiences
produce designed solutions suitable for a range of technologies contexts by selecting and
manipulating a range of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment creatively,
competently and safely; and managing processes
evaluate processes and designed solutions and transfer knowledge and skills to new situations
understand the roles and responsibilities of people in design and technologies occupations and how
they contribute to society.
The Australian Curriculum: Design and Technologies (F–10) comprises two related strands:
Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding – the use, development and impact of
technologies and design ideas across a range of technologies contexts
Design and Technologies processes and production skills – the skills needed to create designed
solutions.
In Design and Technologies, creating designed solutions is also expressed as ‘designing and producing’ or
‘design and produce’ as a means of abbreviating the skills needed to create designed solutions by
investigating and defining, designing, producing and implementing, evaluating, and collaborating and
managing.
Table 2 outlines the focus of expected knowledge, understanding and skills in Design and Technologies F–10
and Figure 2 illustrates the relationship between the Design and Technologies strands.
Table 2: Design and Technologies content structure
Knowledge and understanding Processes and production skills
Technologies and society Creating designed solutions by:
the use, development and impact of investigating and defining
technologies in people’s lives generating and designing
Technologies contexts evaluating
technologies and design across a range of
technologies contexts
Figure 2: Relationship between the Design and Technologies strands
Together, the two strands provide students with knowledge, understanding and skills through which they can
safely and ethically design, plan, manage, produce and evaluate products, services and environments.
Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate both strands. Students learn about
technologies and society through different technologies contexts (knowledge and understanding) as they
create designed solutions (processes and production skills).
Design and Technologies knowledge and understanding
This strand focuses on developing the underpinning knowledge and understanding of technologies (materials,
systems, components, tools and equipment) across technologies contexts and developing understanding of
the relationship between technologies and society.
Technologies and society
The technologies and society content descriptions focus on how people use and develop technologies taking
into account social, economic, environmental, ethical, legal, aesthetic and functional factors and the impact of
technologies on individuals; families; local, regional and global communities; the economy; and the
environment − now and into the future.
Technologies contexts
The technologies contexts content descriptions provide a framework within which students can gain
knowledge and understanding about technologies and design across a range of technologies contexts. These
content descriptions focus on the characteristics and properties of technologies and how they can be used to
create innovative designed solutions.
The technologies contexts provide a progression of learning from Foundation to Year 8 and optionally to Year
9–10 or lead to more specialised Technologies subjects in Year 9 and 10. They also reflect national priorities
including workforce needs, food security and sustainable food and fibre production and health and wellbeing
priorities.
The prescribed technologies contexts for Foundation – Year 8 are described below. The band descriptions
show how many times each technologies context is addressed in a band.
Engineering principles and systems
Engineering principles and systems is focused on how forces can be used to create light, sound, heat,
movement, control or support in systems. Knowledge of these principles and systems enables the design and
production of sustainable, engineered solutions. Students need to understand how sustainable engineered
products, services and environments can be designed and produced as resources diminish. Students will
progressively develop knowledge and understanding of how forces and the properties of materials affect the
behaviour and performance of designed engineering solutions.
Food and fibre production
Food and fibre are the humanproduced or harvested resources used to directly sustain human life and are
produced in managed environments such as farms and plantations or harvested from wild stocks. Challenges
for world food and fibre production include an increasing world population, an uncertain climate and
competition for resources such as land and water. Students need to engage in these challenges by
understanding the processes of food and fibre production and by investigating innovative and sustainable
ways of supplying agriculturally produced raw materials. Students will progressively develop knowledge and
understanding about the managed systems that produce food and fibre through creating designed solutions.
(Food and fibre production includes food specialisations from Foundation to Year 6.)
Food specialisations
Food specialisations includes the application of nutrition principles (as described in Health and Physical
Education) and knowledge about the characteristics and properties of food to food selection and preparation;
and contemporary technologyrelated food issues. There are increasing community concerns about food
issues, including the nutritional quality of food and the environmental impact of food manufacturing processes.
Students need to understand the importance of a variety of foods, sound nutrition principles and food
preparation skills when making food decisions to help better prepare them for their future lives. Students will
progressively develop knowledge and understanding about the nature of food and food safety, and how to
make informed and appropriate food preparation choices when experimenting with and preparing food in a
sustainable manner.
Materials and technologies specialisations
Materials and technologies specialisations is focused on a broad range of traditional, contemporary and
emerging materials and specialist areas that typically involve extensive use of technologies. We live in and
depend on the humanmade environment for communication, housing, employment, medicine, recreation and
transport; however, we also face increasing concerns related to sustainability. Students need to develop the
confidence to make ethical and sustainable decisions about solutions and the processes used to make them.
They can do this by learning about and working with materials and production processes. Students will
progressively develop knowledge and understanding of the characteristics and properties of a range of
materials either discretely in the development of products or through producing designed solutions for a
technologies specialisation; for example, architecture, electronics, graphics technologies or fashion.
Types of designed solutions
Across each band from Foundation to Year 8, students will have the opportunity to produce at least three
types of designed solutions (product, service and environment) through the technologies contexts identified
for a band.
These different designed solutions have been specified to give students opportunities to engage with a broad
range of design thinking and production skills. For example, in Year 5−6 students may design and produce an
engineered product, a food and fibre production/food specialisations environment and a materials or
technologies specialisations service. Whereas in another school students may design and produce an
engineered environment, a food and fibre production/food specialisations service, and a materials and
technologies specialisation product. The combination of contexts and types of designed solutions is a school
decision.
Figure 3 outlines the relationship between technologies contexts and types of designed solutions.
Figure 3: Relationship between technologies contexts and types of designed solutions
Design and Technologies processes and production
skills
The Design and Technologies processes and production skills strand is based on the major aspects of design
thinking, design processes and production processes. The content descriptions in this strand reflect a design
process and would typically be addressed through a design brief.
The Design and Technologies processes and production skills strand focuses on creating designed solutions
by:
generating and designing
evaluating
collaborating and managing.
The processes and production skills that students will use throughout a design project are described below.
Investigating and defining
Investigating and defining involves students critiquing, exploring and investigating needs, opportunities and
information. As creators and consumers they will critically reflect on the intention, purpose and operation of
technologies and designed solutions. Critiquing encourages students to examine values, analyse, question
and review processes and systems. Students reflect on how decisions they make may have implications for
the individual, society and the local and global environment, now and in the future. Students explore and
investigate technologies, systems, products, services and environments as they consider the needs of society.
They progressively develop effective investigation strategies and consider the contribution of technologies to
their lives and make judgements about them. Students may respond to design briefs or develop design briefs
in response to needs and opportunities.
Generating and designing
Generating and designing involves students in developing and communicating ideas for a range of audiences.
Students create change, make choices, weigh up options, consider alternatives and document various design
ideas and possibilities. They use critical and creative thinking strategies to generate, evaluate and document
ideas to meet needs or opportunities that have been identified by an individual, group or wider community.
Generating creative and innovative ideas involves thinking differently; it entails proposing new approaches to
existing problems and identifying new design opportunities considering preferred futures. Generating and
developing ideas involves identifying various competing factors that may influence and dictate the focus of the
idea. Students will evaluate, justify and synthesise what they learn and discover. They will use graphical
representation techniques when they draw, sketch, model and create innovative ideas that focus on high
quality designed solutions.
Producing and implementing
Students learn and apply a variety of skills and techniques to make products, services or environments
designed to meet specific purposes and user needs. They apply knowledge about components, materials and
their characteristics and properties to ensure their suitability for use. They learn about the importance of
adopting safe work practices. They develop accurate production skills to achieve quality designed solutions.
Students develop the capacity to select and use appropriate materials, systems, components, tools and
equipment; and use work practices that respect the need for sustainability. The use of modelling and
prototyping to accurately develop simple and complex physical models supports the production of successful
designed solutions.
Evaluating
Students evaluate and make judgements throughout a design process and about the quality and
effectiveness of their designed solutions and those of others. They identify criteria for success. In the early
years, the teacher may guide the development of these criteria. Progressively, students develop criteria which
become increasingly more comprehensive. Students consider the implications and consequences of actions
and decisionmaking. They determine effective ways to test and judge their designed solutions. They reflect
on processes and transfer their learning to other design opportunities.
Collaborating and managing
Students learn to work collaboratively and to manage time and other resources to effectively create designed
solutions. Progressively, students develop the ability to communicate and share ideas throughout the process,
negotiate roles and responsibilities and make compromises to work effectively as a team.
Students work individually and in groups to plan, organise and monitor timelines, activities and the use of
resources. Students progress from planning steps in a project through to more complex project management
activities that consider various factors such as time, cost, risk and quality control.
Technologies Design and
Technologies
Curriculum F10
Page 310 of 1359

Design and Technologies Curriculum F10
Learning in Design and Technologies builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in the Early Years
Learning Framework, revisiting, strengthening and extending these as needed.
By the end of Year 2 students will have had the opportunity to create designed solutions at least once in each
of the following technologies contexts: Engineering principles and systems; Food and fibre production and
Food specialisations; and Materials and technologies specialisations. Students should have opportunities to
experience designing and producing products, services and environments. This may occur through integrated
learning.
In Foundation to Year 2 students explore and investigate technologies − materials, systems, components,
tools and equipment − including their purpose and how they meet personal and social needs within local
settings. Students develop an understanding of how society and environmental sustainability factors influence
design and technologies decisions. Students evaluate designed solutions using questions such as ‘How does
it work?’, ‘What purpose does it meet?’, ‘Who will use it?’, ‘What do I like about it?’ or ‘How can it be
improved?’ They begin to consider the impact of their decisions and of technologies on others and the
environment including in relation to preferred futures. They reflect on their participation in a design process.
This involves students developing new perspectives, and engaging in different forms of evaluating and
critiquing products, services and environments based on personal preferences.
Using a range of technologies including a variety of graphical representation techniques to communicate,
students draw, model and explain design ideas; label drawings; draw objects as twodimensional images from
different views; draw products and simple environments and verbalise design ideas.
They plan (with teacher support) simple steps and follow directions to complete their own or group design
ideas or projects, and manage their own role within team projects. Students are aware of others around them
and the need to work safely and collaboratively when making designed solutions
Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Identify how people design and produce familiar products, services and environments and consider
sustainability to meet personal and local community needs (ACTDEK001 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring how local products, services and environments are designed by people for a purpose and meet
social needs, for example the range of shelters provided for the public in a local community; graphical
displays to market school and community events

asking questions about natural and managed environments and impacts on them when selecting
materials, tools and equipment when designing and making products, for example harvesting products
from the school garden and using recycled clothing

making design decisions based on personal and family needs, for example downloading and comparing
recipes to suit available cooking facilities such as cooking in the bush compared to cooking in a kitchen

exploring and critiquing products, services and environments for their impact on sustainability, for
example the environmental risks and benefits of a system for organically or hydroponically growing a
vegetable crop from seed or seedling to harvest

Explore how technologies use forces to create movement in products (ACTDEK002 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring how the principles of push and pull are used in the design of toys, for example in a spinning toy
such as an Aboriginal mammandur

identifying, and playing and experimenting with, components such as wheels, balls, slides, springs and
available local materials, tools and equipment to solve problems requiring movement

selecting materials to demonstrate how material properties are appropriate for particular designed
solutions, for example materials that enable sliding or floating
exploring a system such as a marionette or Indonesian wayang kulit shadow puppet to see that by
combining materials with forces movement can be created

combining materials and using forces in design, for example designing the door on a cage or a simple
conveyor belt to move materials short distances

exploring how to manipulate materials using a range of tools, equipment and techniques to create
movement, for example when constructing a toy boat that floats and moves

Explore how plants and animals are grown for food, clothing and shelter and how food is selected and
prepared for healthy eating (ACTDEK003 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring which plants and animals can provide food or materials for clothing and shelter and what basic
needs those plants and animals have

identifying products that can be designed and produced from plants and animals, for example food
products, paper and wood products, fabrics and yarns, and fertilisers

considering the suitability of a range of tools when cultivating gardens, mulching and building garden
structures and preparing and cooking food from recipes

identifying and categorising a wide range of foods, including Aboriginal bush foods, into food groups and
describing tools and equipment needed to prepare these for healthy eating

exploring how people from different cultures including those of Asia design and produce different cuisines
based on the plants and animals in their region and available tools and equipment


exploring the tools, equipment and techniques used to prepare food safely and hygienically for healthy
eating

Explore the characteristics and properties of materials and components that are used to produce designed
solutions (ACTDEK004 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring designed solutions to meet individual, family and community needs with a focus on materials,
for example fabrics used for sports clothing, soft fall for play spaces

developing new meanings for objects and action during play, for example exploring how household
packaging can be used to represent other objects

exploring systems used in the classroom or community for creatively dealing with problems and needs,
for example storage systems for equipment, traffic system flow for drop and go zones, the use of hoists
and ramps to facilitate access

exploring facilities in local environments for accessibility and environmental impact, for example location
of bike tracks and sporting fields using digital maps to view local area

exploring materials, components, tools and equipment through play to discover potential uses when
making products or modelling services and environments, for example when designing and making
clothes, toys and shelters
experimenting with techniques to combine or alter materials to satisfy a function
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Explore needs or opportunities for , and the needed to realise designed solutions

Explore needs or opportunities for designing, and the technologies needed to realise designed solutions
(ACTDEP005 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying, gathering and playing with materials, components, tools and equipment to generate personal
design ideas, for example designing a greeting card for a friend

exploring opportunities around the school for designing solutions, for example how school play areas
could be improved; how the school removes classroom waste and identifying opportunities to reduce,
recycle and reuse materials; reviewing the school canteen menu to identify healthy food options and
suggesting changes to promote future good health

discussing possible designed solutions based on experience and some research, for example asking
adults for advice

considering the importance of sustainability in designed solutions, for example comparing the durability of
materials for a selected solution

exploring which tools, equipment and techniques to use with selected materials

Generate, develop and record design ideas through describing, drawing and modelling

Elaborations
comparing and contrasting features of existing products to provide new ideas, for example exploring toys
with several movable parts with the view to designing and making a simple puppet with one movable part

communicating design ideas by modelling, and producing and labelling twodimensional drawings using a
range of technologies to show different views (top view and side view), for example a new environment
such as a cubby house or animal shelter

recording a judgement about design ideas with teacher guidance, for example expressing own likes and
dislikes about a design idea

identifying one common testing method, and recording results, for example tastetesting comparisons of
a food product and recording results in a digital form

describing how design ideas meet the needs of those who will use the solution

Use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to safely make designed solutions
Elaborations
using and playing with everyday materials in new ways or reusing discarded materials, for example
using discarded materials to design, make and model a constructed environment

learning and safely practising a range of technical skills using tools and equipment, for example joining
techniques when making products, watering and mulching gardens, preparing food, using software to
design an environment

assembling components of systems and checking they function as planned, for example when making a
musical instrument

Use personal preferences to evaluate the success of design ideas, processes and solutions including their
care for environment (ACTDEP008 Scootle )

Elaborations
developing criteria for success with teacher guidance including consideration of impact on environment

recording a judgement about design ideas with teacher guidance, for example expressing own likes and
dislikes about a design idea

reflecting on the processes and challenges of designing and producing a solution and sharing these
reflections using digital technologies, for example when growing a food product, designing a structure to
take a load or making a nutritious snack

suggesting areas for design improvement

Sequence steps for making designed solutions and working collaboratively (ACTDEP009 Scootle )

Elaborations
checking that planned features have been included in design plans and drawings by referring to identified
criteria for success including care for the environment

using lists or storyboarding when planning and making, for example when planning an electronic planting
calendar

recording the procedure for making a product, for example a recipe or instructions for making a container

identifying roles for each member of a group when working collaboratively

By the end of Year 2, students describe the purpose of familiar products, services and environments and how
they meet a range of present needs. They list the features of technologies that influence design decisions and
identify how digital systems are used.
Students identify needs, opportunities or problems and describe them. They collect, sort and display familiar
data from a range of sources and recognise patterns in data. Students record design ideas using techniques
including labelled drawings, lists and sequenced instructions. They design solutions to simple problems using
a sequence of steps and decisions. With guidance, students produce designed solutions for each of the
prescribed technologies contexts. Students evaluate their ideas, information and solutions on the basis of
personal preferences and provided criteria including care for the environment. They safely create solutions
and communicate ideas and information facetoface and online.
they meet the needs of users and affect others and environments. They identify the features and uses of
technologies for each of the prescribed technologies contexts.
With guidance, students create designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts. They
describe given needs or opportunities. Students create and evaluate their ideas and designed solutions based
on personal preferences. They communicate design ideas for their designed products, services and
environments using modelling and simple drawings. Following sequenced steps, students demonstrate safe
use of tools and equipment when producing designed solutions.
Learning in Design and Technologies builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and
teachers will revisit, strengthen and extend these as needed.
By the end of Year 4 students will have had the opportunity to create designed solutions at least once in the
following technologies contexts: Engineering principles and systems; Food and fibre production and Food
specialisations; and Materials and technologies specialisations. Students should have opportunities to
experience designing and producing products, services and environments.
In Year 3 and 4 students develop a sense of self and ownership of their ideas and thinking about their peers
and communities and as consumers. Students explore and learn to harness their creative, innovative and
imaginative ideas and approaches to achieve designed products, services and environments. They do this
through planning and awareness of the characteristics and properties of materials and the use of tools and
equipment. They learn to reflect on their actions to refine their working and develop their decisionmaking
skills. Students examine social and environmental sustainability implications of existing products and
processes to raise awareness of their place in the world. They compare their predicted implications with real
world case studies including those from the Asia region, and recognise that designs and technologies can
affect people and their environments. They become aware of the role of those working in design and
technologies occupations and how they think about the way a product might change in the future.
Using a range of technologies including a variety of graphical representation techniques to communicate,
students clarify and present ideas, for example by drawing annotated diagrams; modelling objects as three
dimensional images from different views by visualising rotating images and using materials. Students
recognise techniques for documenting design and production ideas such as basic drawing symbols, and use
simple flow diagrams.
Students become aware of the appropriate ways to manage their time and focus. With teacher guidance, they
identify and list criteria for success including in relation to preferred futures and the major steps needed to
complete a design task. They show an understanding of the importance of planning when designing solutions,
in particular when collaborating. Students identify safety issues and learn to follow simple safety rules when
producing designed solutions.
Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Recognise the role of people in design and technologies occupations and explore factors, including
sustainability that impact on the design of products, services and environments to meet community needs
(ACTDEK010 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring, playing with and testing materials for their appropriateness, for example materials for a new
sunshade product

examining the suitability of a service or everyday system and proposing improvements, for example a
water saving system for a bathroom at home

investigating materials, components, tools and equipment, including by using digital technologies, to
discover their characteristics and properties, how they can be used more sustainably and their impact in
the future

considering the impact of environments on users, for example a school vegetable garden, a protected
outdoor play area

exploring and testing factors that impact on design decisions, for example considering the demographics
of an area or the impact of natural disasters on design of constructed environments such as the
structural design of buildings in Japan to withstand earthquakes

critiquing designed products, services and environments to establish the factors that influence the design
and use of common technologies, for example the characteristics that contribute to energyefficient
cooking such as wok cooking; the suitability and sustainable use of particular timbers

Investigate how forces and the properties of materials affect the behaviour of a product or system

Elaborations
examining models to identify how forces and materials are used in the design of a toy

exploring through play how movement can be initiated by combining materials and using forces, for
example releasing a wound rubber band to propel a model boat

conducting investigations to understand the characteristics and properties of materials and forces that
may affect the behaviour and performance of a product or system, for example woomera design

deconstructing a product or system to identify how motion and forces affect behaviour, for example in a
puppet such as a Japanese bunraku puppet or a model windmill with moving sails

identifying and exploring properties and construction relationships of an engineered product or system,
for example a structure that floats; a bridge to carry a load

experimenting with available local materials, tools and equipment to solve problems requiring forces
including identifying inputs (what goes in to the system), processes (what happens within the system)
and outputs (what comes out of the system), for example designing and testing a container or parachute
that will keep an egg intact when dropped from a height

Investigate food and fibre production and food technologies used in modern and traditional societies

Elaborations
exploring tools, equipment and procedures to improve plant and animal production, for example when
growing vegetables in the school garden and producing plant and animal environments such as a
greenhouse, animal housing, safe bird shelters

identifying the areas in Australia and Asia where major food or fibre plants and animals are grown or
bred, for example the wheat and sheep belts, areas where sugar cane or rice are grown, northern
Australia’s beef industry, plantation and native forest areas


describing ideal conditions for successful plant and animal production including how climate and soils
affect production and availability of foods, for example Aboriginal seasons and food availability

recognising the benefits food technologies provide for health and food safety and ensuring that a wide
variety of food is available and can be prepared for healthy eating

investigating the labels on food products to determine how the information provided contributes to
healthy eating, for example ingredients and nutrition panels

Investigate the suitability of materials, systems, components, tools and equipment for a range of purposes

Elaborations
conducting experiments and tests to understand the properties of materials, for example strength,
durability, warmth, elasticity

investigating the mass production of products to ensure standardisation, for example students setting up
a production line to produce a product for a school fete

investigating the suitability of technologies − materials, systems, components, tools and equipment −
when designing and making a product, service or environment, for example a toy for a young child, a
composting system for household waste management, raised garden beds for improved access, weaving
nets, bags or baskets

comparing how different components interrelate and complement each other in a finished designed
solution, for example investigating and playing with joining processes for a variety of materials in the
production of common products

investigating local constructed environments to compare how buildings were constructed in the past and
in the present and noting innovations


analysing products, services and constructed environments from a range of technologies contexts with
consideration of possible innovative solutions and impacts on the local community and the sustainability
of its environment

Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Critique needs or opportunities for designing and explore and test a variety of materials, components, tools
and equipment and the techniques needed to produce designed solutions (ACTDEP014 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring the different uses of materials in a range of products, including those from Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander communities and countries of Asia

critiquing and selecting appropriate joining techniques for materials to produce working models

exploring and testing a range of materials under different conditions for suitability including sustainability
considerations and identifying appropriate tools, equipment and techniques

examining the structure and production of everyday products, services and environments to enhance
their own design ideas

exploring the properties of materials to determine suitability, for example the absorbency of different
fabrics or the strength of different resistant materials

Generate, develop, and communicate design ideas and decisions using appropriate technical terms and
graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP015 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring ways of joining, connecting and assembling components that ensure success

generating a range of design ideas for intended products, services, environments

identifying the properties of materials needed for the designed solution

visualising and exploring innovative design ideas by producing thumbnail drawings, models and labelled
drawings to explain features and modifications

planning, sharing and documenting creative ideas and processes using digital tools such as a class blog
or collaborative document

Select and use materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and use safe work practices to
make designed solutions (ACTDEP016 Scootle )

Elaborations
using appropriate technologies terms to confidently describe and share with others procedures and
techniques for making, for example cutting and joining materials

exploring ways of joining, connecting and assembling components that ensure success, and the impact
digital technologies have had on these processes

using tools and equipment accurately when measuring, marking and cutting; and explaining the
importance of accuracy when designing and making, for example creating a template, measuring
ingredients in a recipe, sowing seeds

selecting and using materials, components, tools, equipment and processes with consideration of the
environmental impact at each stage of the production process

demonstrating safe, responsible and cooperative work practices when making designed solutions

Evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions based on criteria for success developed with guidance and
including care for the environment (ACTDEP017 Scootle )

Elaborations
negotiating criteria for success with class or group members

evaluating, revising and selecting design ideas, based on criteria for success and including consideration
of ethics, social values and sustainability

evaluating the functional and aesthetic qualities of a designed solution

reflecting on the sustainability implications of selected designed solutions

comparing the amount of waste that would be produced from different design and development options
and the potential for recycling waste

reflecting on designed solutions to critique and assess suitability, sustainability and enterprise
opportunities and determine how well they meet success criteria

Plan a sequence of production steps when making designed solutions individually and collaboratively

Elaborations
determining planning processes as a class, for example recording a procedure or creating time plans

managing time and resource allocation throughout production, for example materials, tools, equipment
and people


identifying the steps in a mass production process

sequencing steps to collaboratively produce a designed solution

By the end of Year 4, students describe how social, technical and sustainability factors influence the design of
solutions to meet present and future needs. They describe features of technologies that influence design
decisions and how a range of digital systems can be used.
Students outline and define needs, opportunities or problems. They collect, manipulate and interpret data
from a range of sources to support decisions. Students generate and record design ideas for an audience
using technical terms and graphical and nongraphical representation techniques including algorithms. They
plan a sequence of steps (algorithms) to create solutions, including visual programs. Students plan and safely
produce designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts. They use identified
criteria for success, including sustainability considerations, to judge the suitability of their ideas, solutions and
processes. Students use agreed protocols when collaborating, and creating and communicating ideas,
information and solutions facetoface and online.
By the end of Year 4, students explain how products, services and environments are designed to best meet
needs of communities and their environments. They describe contributions of people in design and
technologies occupations. Students describe how the features of technologies can be used to produce
designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts.
Students create designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts. They explain needs or
opportunities and evaluate ideas and designed solutions against identified criteria for success, including
environmental sustainability considerations. They develop and expand design ideas and communicate these
using models and drawings including annotations and symbols. Students plan and sequence major steps in
design and production. They identify appropriate technologies and techniques and demonstrate safe work
practices when producing designed solutions.
Technologies Digital Technologies
Page 328 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Technologies Digital Technologies
Digital Technologies How the Subject works
This rationale complements and extends the rationale for the Technologies learning area.
In a world that is increasingly digitised and automated, it is critical to the wellbeing and sustainability of the
economy, the environment and society, that the benefits of information systems are exploited ethically. This
requires deep knowledge and understanding of digital systems (a component of an information system) and
how to manage risks. Ubiquitous digital systems such as mobile and desktop devices and networks are
transforming learning, recreational activities, home life and work. Digital systems support new ways of
collaborating and communicating, and require new skills such as computational and systems thinking. These
technologies are an essential problemsolving toolset in our knowledgebased society.
The Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies empowers students to shape change by influencing how
contemporary and emerging information systems and practices are applied to meet current and future needs.
A deep knowledge and understanding of information systems enables students to be creative and discerning
decisionmakers when they select, use and manage data, information, processes and digital systems to meet
needs and shape preferred futures.
Digital Technologies provides students with practical opportunities to use design thinking and to be innovative
developers of digital solutions and knowledge. The subject helps students to become innovative creators of
digital solutions, effective users of digital systems and critical consumers of information conveyed by digital
systems.
Digital Technologies provides students with authentic learning challenges that foster curiosity, confidence,
persistence, innovation, creativity, respect and cooperation. These are all necessary when using and
developing information systems to make sense of complex ideas and relationships in all areas of learning.
Digital Technologies helps students to be regional and global citizens capable of actively and ethically
communicating and collaborating.
In addition to the overarching aims for the Australian Curriculum: Technologies, Digital Technologies more
specifically aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure that, individually and
collaboratively, students:
design, create, manage and evaluate sustainable and innovative digital solutions to meet and
redefine current and future needs
use computational thinking and the key concepts of abstraction; data collection, representation and
interpretation; specification, algorithms and implementation to create digital solutions
confidently use digital systems to efficiently and effectively automate the transformation of data into
information and to creatively communicate ideas in a range of settings
apply protocols and legal practices that support safe, ethical and respectful communications and
collaboration with known and unknown audiences
apply systems thinking to monitor, analyse, predict and shape the interactions within and between
information systems and the impact of these systems on individuals, societies, economies and
environments.
The Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies (F–10) comprises two related strands:
Digital Technologies knowledge and understanding – the information system components of data,
and digital systems (hardware, software and networks)
Digital Technologies processes and production skills – using digital systems to create ideas and
information, and to define, design and implement digital solutions, and evaluate these solutions and
existing information systems against specified criteria.
Table 3 outlines the focus of expected knowledge, understanding and skills in Digital Technologies F–10 and
Figure 4 illustrates the relationship between the Digital Technologies strands.
Table 3: Digital Technologies content structure
Knowledge and understanding Processes and production skills
Digital systems Collecting, managing and analysing data
Creating digital solutions by:
the components of digital systems:
hardware, software and networks and investigating and defining
their use generating and designing
Representation of data evaluating
how data are represented and structured
symbolically
Figure 4: Relationship between the Digital Technologies strands
Together, the two strands provide students with knowledge, understanding and skills through which they can
safely and ethically exploit the capacity of information systems (people, data, processes, digital systems and
their interactions) to systematically transform data into solutions that respond to the needs of individuals,
society, the economy and the environment. Teaching and learning programs will typically integrate these, as
content in processes and production skills frequently draws on understanding of concepts in the knowledge
and understanding strand.
The strands are based on key concepts that provide a framework for knowledge and practice in Digital
Technologies. For more information see Key concepts below.
Digital Technologies knowledge and understanding
This strand focuses on developing the underpinning knowledge and understanding of information systems:
digital systems and representation of data.
Digital systems
The digital systems content descriptions focus on the components of digital systems: hardware, software and
networks. In the early years, students learn about a range of hardware and software and progress to an
understanding of how data are transmitted between components within a system, and how the hardware and
software interact to form networks.
Representation of data
The representation of data content descriptions focus on how data are represented and structured
symbolically for use by digital systems. Different types of data are studied in the bands including text, numeric,
images (still and moving) and sound from Foundation to Year 8 and then categorical and relational data in
Year 9 and 10.
Digital Technologies processes and production skills
This strand focuses on developing skills to create digital solutions to problems and opportunities. The Digital
Technologies processes and production skills strand focuses on:
collecting, managing and analysing data, which involves the nature and properties of data, how they
are collected and interpreted using a range of digital systems and peripheral devices and
interpreting data when creating information
defining problems and designing digital solutions (Foundation – Year 2), which develops into
defining problems and designing, implementing and evaluating solutions that have been developed
by students, and evaluating how well existing information systems meet different needs (Year 3–10)
communicating ideas and information (Foundation – Year 4), which develops into managing,
creating and communicating ideas and information (Year 5–6) through to independently and
collaboratively managing projects to create interactive solutions (Year 7–10). This involves creating
and communicating information, especially online by creating websites, and interacting safely using
appropriate technical and social protocols.
These require skills in using digital systems; and critical and creative thinking including systems, design and
These require skills in using digital systems; and critical and creative thinking including systems, design and
computational thinking.
Computational thinking
The curriculum is designed so that students will develop and use increasingly sophisticated computational
thinking skills, and processes, techniques and digital systems to create solutions to address specific problems,
opportunities or needs. Computational thinking is a process of recognising aspects of computation in the
world and being able to think logically, algorithmically, recursively and abstractly. Students will also apply
procedural techniques and processing skills when creating, communicating and sharing ideas and
information, and managing projects.
Key concepts
A number of key concepts underpin the Digital Technologies curriculum. These establish a way of thinking
about problems, opportunities and information systems and provide a framework for knowledge and practice.
The key concepts are:
abstraction, which underpins all content, particularly the content descriptions relating to the
concepts of data representation, and specification, algorithms and implementation
data collection (properties, sources and collection of data), data representation (symbolism and
separation) and data interpretation (patterns and contexts)
specification (descriptions and techniques), algorithms (following and describing) and
implementation (translating and programming)
digital systems (hardware, software, and networks and the internet)
Interactions (people and digital systems, data and processes) and impacts (sustainability and
empowerment).
The concepts of abstraction, data collection, representation and interpretation, specification, algorithms and
implementation correspond to the key elements of computational thinking. Collectively, these concepts span
the key ideas about the organisation, representation and automation of digital solutions and information. They
can be explored in nondigital or digital contexts and are likely to underpin future digital systems. They provide
a language and perspective that students and teachers can use when discussing digital technologies.
Abstraction
Abstraction involves hiding details of an idea, problem or solution that are not relevant, to focus on a
manageable number of aspects. Abstraction is a natural part of communication: people rarely communicate
every detail, because many details are not relevant in a given context. The idea of abstraction can be
acquired from an early age. For example, when students are asked how to make toast for breakfast, they do
not mention all steps explicitly, assuming that the listener is an intelligent implementer of the abstract
instructions.
Central to managing the complexity of information systems is the ability to ‘temporarily ignore’ the internal
details of the subcomponents of larger specifications, algorithms, systems or interactions. In digital systems,
everything must be broken down into simple instructions.
Data collection, representation and interpretation
The concepts that are about data focus on the properties of data, how they are collected and represented,
and how they are interpreted in context to produce information. These concepts in Digital Technologies build
on a corresponding statistics and probability strand in the Mathematics curriculum. The Digital Technologies
curriculum provides a deeper understanding of the nature of data and their representation, and computational
skills for interpreting data. The data concepts provide rich opportunities for authentic data exploration in other
learning areas while developing data processing and visualisation skills.
Data collection describes the numerical, categorical and textual facts measured, collected or calculated as the
basis for creating information and its binary representation in digital systems. Data collection is addressed in
the processes and production skills strand. Data representation describes how data are represented and
structured symbolically for storage and communication, by people and in digital systems, and is addressed in
the knowledge and understanding strand. Data interpretation describes the processes of extracting meaning
from data and is addressed in the processes and production strand.
Specification, algorithms and implementation
The concepts specification, algorithms and implementation focus on the precise definition and communication
of problems and their solutions. This begins with the description of tasks and concludes in the accurate
definition of computational problems and their algorithmic solutions. This concept draws from logic, algebra
and the language of mathematics, and can be related to the scientific method of recording experiments in
science.
Specification describes the process of defining and communicating a problem precisely and clearly. For
example, explaining the need to direct a robot to move in a particular way. An algorithm is a precise
description of the steps and decisions needed to solve a problem. Algorithms will need to be tested before the
final solution can be implemented. Anyone who has followed or given instructions, or navigated using
directions, has used an algorithm. These generic skills can be developed without programming. For example,
students can follow the steps within a recipe or describe directions to locate items. Implementation describes
the automation of an algorithm, typically by using appropriate software or writing a computer program. These
concepts are addressed in the processes and production skills strand.
Digital systems
The digital systems concept focuses on the components of digital systems: hardware and software (computer
architecture and the operating system), and networks and the internet (wireless, mobile and wired networks
and protocols). This concept is addressed in both strands. The broader definition of an information system
that includes data, people, processes and digital systems falls under the interactions and impacts concept
below.
Interactions and impacts
The interactions and impacts concepts focus on all aspects of human interaction with and through information
systems, and the enormous potential for positive and negative economic, environmental and social impacts
enabled by these systems. Interactions and impacts are addressed in the processes and production skills
strand.
Interactions refers to all human interactions with information systems, especially user interfaces and
experiences, and human–human interactions including communication and collaboration facilitated by digital
systems. This concept also addresses methods for protecting stored and communicated data and
information.
Impacts describes analysing and predicting the extent to which personal, economic, environmental and social
needs are met through existing and emerging digital technologies; and appreciating the transformative
potential of digital technologies in people’s lives. It also involves consideration of the relationship between
information systems and society and in particular the ethical and legal obligations of individuals and
organisations regarding ownership and privacy of data and information.
Types of digital solutions
Across each band, students will create digital solutions that will use data, require interactions with users and
within systems, and will have impacts on people, the economy and environments. Solutions may be
developed using combinations of readily available hardware and software applications, and/or specific
instructions provided through programming. Some examples of solutions are instructions for a robot, an
adventure game, products featuring interactive multimedia including digital stories, animations and websites.
Technologies Digital Technologies
Curriculum F10
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Digital Technologies Curriculum F10
Learning in Digital Technologies builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in the Early Years
Learning Framework. It focuses on developing foundational skills in computational thinking and an awareness
of personal experiences using digital systems.
By the end of Year 2, students will have had opportunities to create a range of digital solutions through guided
play and integrated learning, such as using robotic toys to navigate a map or recording science data with
software applications.
In Foundation – Year 2, students begin to learn about common digital systems and patterns that exist within
data they collect. Students organise, manipulate and present this data, including numerical, categorical, text,
image, audio and video data, in creative ways to create meaning.
Students use the concept of abstraction when defining problems, to identify the most important information,
such as the significant steps involved in making a sandwich. They begin to develop their design skills by
conceptualising algorithms as a sequence of steps for carrying out instructions, such as identifying steps in a
process or controlling robotic devices.
Students describe how information systems meet information, communication and/or recreational needs.
Through discussion with teachers, students learn to apply safe and ethical practices to protect themselves
and others as they interact online for learning and communicating.
Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Recognise and explore digital systems (hardware and software components) for a purpose (ACTDIK001
Scootle )

Elaborations
playing with and using different digital systems for transferring and capturing data, for example using a
tablet to take a photograph of a grandparent and recording an interview with them about life in the past

exploring and using digital systems for downloading and storing information, for example knowing how to
download images from a website and inserting them into a document; saving and retrieving data

exploring and identifying hardware and software components of digital systems when creating ideas and
information, for example experimenting with different ways of providing instructions to games software
using a mouse, touch pad, touch screen, keyboard, stylus, or switch scanning device, and using different
software to manipulate text, numbers, sound and images

recognising and using hardware and software components of digital systems and experimenting with
their functions, for example playing with interactive toys and robotic devices to determine which ones can
work with other devices

recognising that a digital system follows instructions or commands, for example instructing robotic toys to
perform a function such as a dance movement

constructing a model of a real or imaginary digital systems device for use in roleplay scenarios and
explaining the features of the device to an adult

Recognise and explore patterns in data and represent data as pictures, symbols and diagrams
(ACTDIK002 Scootle )

Elaborations
sorting objects and events based on easily identified characteristics and using digital systems to
represent patterns in data, for example sorting birthdates and presenting the patterns using seasonal
symbols

making generalisations about data sets, for example comparing different ways of travelling to and from
school using classroom data, discussing results and finding patterns in modes of travel

experimenting with different ways of representing patterns, for example using materials, sounds,
movements or drawing

exploring with patterns of objects or symbols to represent data, for example the symbol 12 may
represent different data to 21, or that an email address has a name followed by an @ symbol followed by
another type of name

creating different patterns using the same elements, for example using patterns of coloured counters to
communicate and give meaning such as a response of ‘yes’ or ‘no’

learning about how data are represented by changing pixel density (resolution) in a photograph with
support and noting the change in file size to successfully email to a friend

Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Collect, explore and sort data, and use digital systems to present the data creatively (ACTDIP003 Scootle
)

Elaborations
collecting, and sorting data through play, for example collecting data about favourite toys and sorting
them into categories such as toys they like or dislike

locating and purposefully using visual or text data, for example searching through a digital photo library
to select an image, taking into account cultural considerations such as awareness of appropriate use of
images and audio recordings of deceased persons

exploring, imagining and comparing the usefulness of different data displays, for example jointly creating
simple column graphs and picture graphs to represent different types of items

exploring and creating graphs to represent classroom data, for example collecting data on the country of
birth of each student and presenting the results as a picture graph

using digital systems to organise data to improve meaning, for example using word processing software
to create a list of tasks or visualisation software to create a mind map (diagram) showing relationships
between characters in a story

using common software to present data creatively, for example as a slideshow, movie, sounds, image,
chart, word art, poster or drawing

Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple
problems (ACTDIP004 Scootle )

Elaborations
experimenting with very simple, stepbystep procedures to explore programmable devices, for example
providing instructions to physical or virtual objects or robotic devices to move in an intended manner,
such as following a path around the classroom

writing and entering a simple set of instructions jointly to sequence events and instructions, for example
scanning personal photographs and collating and ordering significant personal events or milestones and
describing the steps involved in the process

presenting a sequence of instructions or events in a series of slides or screens with text and pictures

recognising sequences of instructions or events that are commonly experienced such as the sequence of
traffic lights or instructions for recording a TV show or how their lunch order is taken and delivered

following a series of instructions to use a piece of hardware or software, for example taking a
photograph, editing and storing it to include in a slow motion

Explore how people safely use common information systems to meet information, communication and
recreation needs (ACTDIP005 Scootle )

Elaborations
sharing and describing ways that common information systems can be used to meet communication
needs, for example computers can be used as phones and social networking tools allowing
communication between families living in different regions

recognising and discussing the need for cybersafety when using online information systems, for
example recognising that shared personal information can be used for undesirable purposes and that
using a password is a means of protecting identity

recognising safe ergonomic practices when children are playing with information systems, for example
recognising the need to take regular breaks to avoid eye strain and repetitive strain injuries

discussing how a range of information systems support personal needs and impact on others, for
example text to speech software for people with vision loss

sharing ideas about the ways information systems are being used by families and friends in everyday life,
for example comparing current digital play equipment with play equipment of 20 years ago

Create and organise ideas and information using information systems independently and with others, and
share these with known people in safe online environments (ACTDIP006 Scootle )

Elaborations
using different types of data to create information for sharing online, for example creating a multimedia
class profile that includes a photo of each student, a personal audio recording and a written message

planning and creating text, drawings and sound files to share online, for example jointly creating a photo
story to illustrate a fable or fairytale from the Asia region or a local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
community story

making ethical decisions when using images for public viewing and using the work of others, for example
asking the question ‘What is fair and just?’ to compare images of events or activities and decide whether
or not to publish

participating in safe online environments, for example sharing ideas and information through intranets,
messaging only to people they know, bookmarked websites and moderated online spaces

they meet a range of present needs. They list the features of technologies that influence design decisions and
identify how digital systems are used.
Students identify needs, opportunities or problems and describe them. They collect, sort and display familiar
data from a range of sources and recognise patterns in data. Students record design ideas using techniques
including labelled drawings, lists and sequenced instructions. They design solutions to simple problems using
a sequence of steps and decisions. With guidance, students produce designed solutions for each of the
prescribed technologies contexts. Students evaluate their ideas, information and solutions on the basis of
personal preferences and provided criteria including care for the environment. They safely create solutions
and communicate ideas and information facetoface and online.
By the end of Year 2, students identify how common digital systems (hardware and software) are used to
meet specific purposes. They use digital systems to represent simple patterns in data in different ways.
Students design solutions to simple problems using a sequence of steps and decisions. They collect familiar
data and display them to convey meaning. They create and organise ideas and information using information
systems, and share information in safe online environments.
Learning in Digital Technologies focuses on further developing understanding and skills in computational
thinking, such as categorising and outlining procedures; and developing an increasing awareness of how
digital systems are used and could be used at home, in school and the local community.
By the end of Year 4, students will have had opportunities to create a range of digital solutions, such as
interactive adventures that involve user choice, modelling simplified real world systems and simple guessing
games.
In Year 3 and 4, students explore digital systems in terms of their components, and peripheral devices such
as digital microscopes, cameras and interactive whiteboards. They collect, manipulate and interpret data,
developing an understanding of the characteristics of data and their representation.
Using the concept of abstraction, students define simple problems using techniques such as summarising
facts to deduce conclusions. They record simple solutions to problems through text and diagrams and
develop their designing skills from initially following prepared algorithms to describing their own that support
branching (choice of options) and user input. Their solutions are implemented using appropriate software
including visual programming languages that use graphical elements rather than text instructions. They
explain, in general terms, how their solutions meet specific needs and consider how society may use digital
systems to meet needs in environmentally sustainable ways.
With teacher guidance, students identify and list the major steps needed to complete a task or project. When
sharing ideas and communicating in online environments they develop an understanding of why it is important
to consider the feelings of their audiences and apply safe practices and social protocols agreed by the class
that demonstrate respectful behaviour.
Digital Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Identify and explore a range of digital systems with peripheral devices for different purposes, and transmit
different types of data (ACTDIK007 Scootle )

Elaborations
using different peripheral devices to display information to others, for example using a mobile device,
interactive whiteboard or a data projector to present information

using specific peripheral devices to capture different types of data, for example using a digital
microscope to capture images of living and nonliving things

experimenting with different types of digital system components and peripheral devices to perform input,
output and storage functions, for example a keyboard, stylus, touch screen, switch scan device or
joystick to input instructions; a monitor, printer or tablet to display information; a USB flash drive and
external hard drive as storage peripheral devices

recognising that images and music can be transferred from a mobile device to a computer, for example
using a cable to connect a camera and computer to upload images for a photo story

Recognise different types of data and explore how the same data can be represented in different ways
(ACTDIK008 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising that numbers, text, images, sounds, animations and videos are all forms of data when stored
or viewed using a digital system

using a table to reorganise information that includes sentences, and/or words, and/or numbers and/or
images

recognising representations of different types of data such as waves for sound

exploring codes and symbols that are representations of data, for example morse code and semaphore
and how similar symbols in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art can represent different concepts
depending on the context, for example three circles, drawn as lines, can represent ants, fruit, flowers or
eggs depending on the art region

Digital Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Collect, access and present different types of data using simple software to create information and solve
problems (ACTDIP009 Scootle )

Elaborations
selecting appropriate formats or layout styles to present data as information depending on the type of
data and the audience, for example lists, tables, graphs, animations, info graphics and presentations

using different techniques to present data as information, for example creating a column chart in a
spreadsheet by colouring cells to represent different items

improving the appearance and usability of data, for example using colour, headings and labelling of
images to organise and accurately identify data

using software to sort and calculate data when solving problems, for example sorting numerical and
categorical data in ascending or descending order and automating simple arithmetic calculations using
nearby cells and summing cell ranges in spreadsheet or database software

exploring different online sources to access data, for example using online query interfaces to select and
retrieve data from an online database such as a library catalogue or weather records

recognising that all types of data are stored in digital systems and may be represented in different ways
such as files and folders with names and icons

Define simple problems, and describe and follow a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to
solve them (ACTDIP010 Scootle )

Elaborations
explaining what the problem is and some features of the problem, such as what need is associated with
the problem, who has the problem and why

describing, using drawings, pictures and text, the sequence of steps and decisions in a solution, for
example to show the order of events in a game and the decisions that a player must make

experimenting with different ways of describing a set of instructions, for example writing two versions of
the same simple set of instructions for a programmable robotic device

explaining to others how to follow technical instructions, for example how to capture and download
images from a mobile device

defining and describing the sequence of steps needed to incorporate multiple types of data in a solution,
for example sequencing the steps in selecting and downloading images and audio to create a book trailer

Implement simple digital solutions as visual programs with algorithms involving branching (decisions) and
user input (ACTDIP011 Scootle )

Elaborations
designing and implementing a simple interactive digital solution using a visual programming language, for
example preparing the content and design of a simple guessing game that provides options in English
and an Asian language

using different design tools to record ways in which digital solutions will be developed, for example
creating storyboards or flowcharts to record relationships or instructions about content or processes


exploring common elements of standard user interfaces that are familiar and appeal to users, for
example navigation links on the left and top of web pages to help users interact with the site

implementing programs that make decisions on the basis of user input or choices such as through
selecting a button, pushing a key or moving a mouse to ‘branch’ to a different segment of the solution

creating options for users to make choices in solutions, for example a user input and branching
mechanism such as buttons in a slideshow

Explain how student solutions and existing information systems meet common personal, school or
community needs (ACTDIP012 Scootle )

Elaborations
investigating how information systems are used in communities and explaining what needs are being
met, for example students jointly creating a short survey and collecting data about how many community
residents use the online library borrowing system to download ebooks and why they do or do not

imagining and considering alternative uses and opportunities for information systems used in the
classroom, for example visiting a virtual museum and being able to feel the texture of historical Asian
objects or to view Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks

exploring information systems that suit particular home or personal needs, for example using speech
recognition software that can help speakers whose language background is not English, or a system to
monitor energy or water consumption in the home

testing the adequacy of student solutions, for example asking a classmate to review a digital solution and
provide feedback

Plan, create and communicate ideas and information independently and with others, applying agreed
ethical and social protocols (ACTDIP013 Scootle )


Elaborations
considering ways of managing the use of social media to maintain privacy needs, for example activating
privacy settings to avoid divulging personal data such as photographs, addresses, and names and
recognising that all digital interactions are difficult to erase (digital footprints)

using a range of online tools to share information and being aware that information may be received at
different times, for example adding entries to a class blog, participating in a web conference or online
chat with an author, or participating in a forum on a specific topic

organising and creating different types of information for sharing and collaborating online, for example
planning the sequence and appearance of an animation, and sharing it online with students from another
school

managing a project that involves students working together to publish online, for example identifying how
group members can help each other to avoid delays in finishing the project

discussing digital citizenship rules and behaviours for participating in an online environment, for example
not using all capital letters when expressing a strong viewpoint about a contentious matter and ensuring
that the audience is aware of your identity

making ethical decisions when faced with reporting inappropriate online behaviour or acknowledging
digital products created by others, for example making a decision based on how individuals would like to
be treated by others

By the end of Year 4, students describe how social, technical and sustainability factors influence the design of
solutions to meet present and future needs. They describe features of technologies that influence design
decisions and how a range of digital systems can be used.
Students outline and define needs, opportunities or problems. They collect, manipulate and interpret data
from a range of sources to support decisions. Students generate and record design ideas for an audience
using technical terms and graphical and nongraphical representation techniques including algorithms. They
plan a sequence of steps (algorithms) to create solutions, including visual programs. Students plan and safely
produce designed solutions for each of the prescribed technologies contexts. They use identified
criteria for success, including sustainability considerations, to judge the suitability of their ideas, solutions and
processes. Students use agreed protocols when collaborating, and creating and communicating ideas,
information and solutions facetoface and online.
By the end of Year 4, students describe how a range of digital systems (hardware and software) and their
peripheral devices can be used for different purposes. They explain how the same data sets can be
represented in different ways.
Students define simple problems, design and implement digital solutions using algorithms that involve
decisionmaking and user input. They explain how the solutions meet their purposes. They collect and
manipulate different data when creating information and digital solutions. They safely use and manage
information systems for identified needs using agreed protocols and describe how information systems are
used.
Languages
Page 350 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum Languages
Languages How the Learning Area works
The Australian Curriculum: Languages is designed to enable all students to engage in learning a language in
addition to English. The design of the Australian Curriculum: Languages recognises the features that
languages share as well as the distinctiveness of specific languages.
There are aspects of the curriculum that pertain to all languages. The key concepts of language, culture and
learning, as described in the Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages, underpin the learning area.
They also provide the basis for a common rationale and set of aims for all languages.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages includes language–specific curricula for world languages and a
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages.
Language specificity
The curriculum content and achievement standards are different for each specific language because of
inherent differences in the languages themselves.
Each language has its own distinctive structure, systems, conventions for use, related culture(s), place in the
Australian and international communities, as well as its own history in Australian education.
Diversity of language learners
Understanding who learners are, as language learners and as young people, is the starting point for
developing their language learning. An increasingly varied range of students now study languages in
Australian classrooms. The changing pattern of migration to Australia is extending the range of languages
students bring with them to school. Education systems seek to provide for this diversity of language
background and for the fact that languages classrooms include students with varying degrees of experience
of and proficiency in the language being learnt, as well as their particular affiliations with additional languages.
Learners come to learning languages with diverse linguistic, cultural and personal profiles, bringing distinctive
biographies which include individual histories; biographies; previous experiences of and relationships with the
target language and particular motivations, expectations, and aspirations.
As unique, social and cultural beings, students interpret the world and make sense of their experiences
through their own social and cultural traditions, understanding and values.
Learners of languages in Australia comprise three major groups:
second language learners
background language learners
first language learners.
Second language learners are those who are introduced to learning the target language at school as an
additional, new language. The first language used before they start school and/or the language they use at
home is not the language being learnt.
Background language learners are those who may use the language at home, not necessarily exclusively,
and have varying degrees of knowledge of and proficiency in the language being learnt. These learners have
a base for literacy development in the language.
First language learners are users of the language being learnt who have undertaken at least primary
schooling in the target language. They have had their primary socialisation as well as initial literacy
development in that language and use the target language at home. For Aboriginal languages and Torres
Strait Islander languages, first language learners are learners whose primary socialisation is in the language
being learnt and who may or may not have yet developed initial literacy.
Within each of these groups, there are differences in proficiency in the language being learnt. It is
acknowledged that the span of language experiences of background learners is particularly wide, and
learners in this group are likely to have quite diverse affiliations with the target language. Nevertheless, for
pragmatic reasons, it is not feasible to identify further groupings.
The Framework for Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages caters for different learner
pathways that also take into account the state of the particular language involved.
Through learning languages, students acquire:
communication skills in the language being learnt
an intercultural capability, and an understanding of the role of language and culture in
communication
a capability for reflection on language use and language learning.
Language learning provides the opportunity for students to engage with the linguistic and cultural diversity of
the world and its peoples, to reflect on their understanding of experience in various aspects of social life, and
on their own participation and ways of being in the world.
Learning languages broadens students’ horizons in relation to the personal, social, cultural and employment
opportunities that an increasingly interconnected and interdependent world presents. The interdependence of
countries and communities means people in all spheres of life are required to negotiate experiences and
meanings across languages and cultures. Despite its status as a world language, a capability in English only
is no longer sufficient. A bilingual or plurilingual capability is the norm in most parts of the world.
Learning languages:
extends the capability to communicate and extends literacy repertoires
strengthens understanding of the nature of language, of culture, and of the processes of
communication
develops intercultural capability
develops understanding of and respect for diversity and difference, and an openness to different
experiences and perspectives
develops understanding of how culture shapes worldviews and extends learners’ understanding of
themselves, their own heritage, values, culture and identity
strengthens intellectual, analytical and reflective capabilities, and enhances creative and critical
thinking.
Learning languages also contributes to strengthening the community’s social, economic and international
development capabilities. Language capabilities represent linguistic and cultural resources through which the
community can engage socially, culturally and economically, in domains which include business, trade,
science, law, education, tourism, diplomacy, international relations, health and communications.
Learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages meets the needs and rights of young
people to learn their own languages and recognises their significance in the language ecology of Australia.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, learning their own languages is crucial to overall learning
and achievements, to developing a sense of identity and recognition and understanding of language, culture,
Country and Place. For all students, learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages
provides a distinctive means of understanding the country in which they live, including the relationship
between land, the environment and people. The ongoing and necessary reclamation and revitalisation of
these languages also contribute to reconciliation.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure
students:
communicate in the target language
understand language, culture, and learning and their relationship, and thereby develop an
intercultural capability in communication
understand themselves as communicators.
These three aims are interrelated and provide the basis for the two organising strands: Communicating and
Understanding. The three aims are common to all languages.
Language and culture
The interrelationship of language, culture and learning provides the foundation for the Australian Curriculum:
Languages.
In the languages learning area the focus is on both language and culture, as students learn to communicate
meaningfully across linguistic and cultural systems, and different contexts. This process involves reflection
and analysis, as students move between the new language being learnt and their own existing language(s). It
is a reciprocal and dynamic process which develops language use within intercultural dimensions of learning
experiences. It is not a ‘one plus one’ relationship between two languages and cultures, where each language
and culture stay separate and selfcontained. Comparison and referencing between (at least) two languages
and cultures build understanding of how languages ‘work’, how they relate to each other and how language
and culture shape and reflect experience; that is, the experience of language using and language learning.
The experience of being in two worlds at once involves noticing, questioning and developing awareness of
how language and culture shape identity.
Learner background and timeontask are two major variables that influence language learning and they
provide the basis for the structure of the Australian Curriculum: Languages. These variables are addressed
through the specification of content and the description of achievement standards according to pathways and
learning sequences respectively.
Pathways
In the Australian Curriculum: Languages, pathways for second language learners, background language
learners and first language learners have been developed as appropriate to cater for the dominant group(s)
of students learning each specific language within the current Australian context. For the majority of
languages, one curriculum pathway has been developed for Years F–10, catering for the dominant cohort of
learners for that language in the current Australian context. For Chinese, pathways have been developed for
three learner groups: first language learners, background language learners and second language learners.
The Framework for Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages includes three learner
pathways:
first language learner pathway
revival language learner pathway
second language learner pathway.
Sequences of learning
The design of the Australian Curriculum: Languages takes account of different entry points into language
learning across Foundation – Year 10, which reflects current practice in languages.
For the second language learner pathway and the background language learner pathway, there are two
learning sequences:
Foundation–Year 10 sequence
Years 7–10 (Year 7 Entry) sequence.
For the first language learner pathway, there is one learning sequence:
Years 7–10 (Year 7 Entry) sequence.
Content and achievement standards are described initially in a threeyear band for Foundation–Year 2
followed by twoyear bands of learning: Years 3–4; Years 5–6, Years 7–8 and Years 9–10.
The Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages is written in the bands
Foundation – Year 2, Years 3–6 and Years 7–10. In the absence of pedagogical evidence across the country
for all these languages, the broader band distinctions provide maximum local flexibility in curriculum
development.
Content structure
The content of the Australian Curriculum: Languages is organised through two interrelated strands which
realise the three aims. The two strands are:
Communicating: using language for communicative purposes in interpreting, creating and
exchanging meaning
Understanding: analysing language and culture as a resource for interpreting and creating
meaning.
The strands reflect three important aspects of language learning:
1) communication
2) analysis of aspects of language and culture
3) reflection that involves
1. reflection on the experience of communicating
2. reflection on comparative dimensions of the languages available in students’ repertoires (for example,
the first language in relation to second language and self in relation to others).
Strands and substrands
A set of substrands has been identified within each strand, which reflects dimensions of language use and
the related content to be taught and learned. The strands and substrands do not operate in isolation but are
integrated in relation to language use for different purposes in different contexts. The relative contribution of
each substrand differs for described languages, pathways and bands of learning. The substrands are
further differentiated according to a set of ‘threads’ that support the internal organisation of content in each
substrand. These ‘threads’ are designed to capture (1) range and variety in the scope of learning and (2) a
means for expressing the progression of content across the learning sequences.
Diagram 1: Relationship between strands and substrands
The following table provides a brief description of each of the strands and substrands.
Strand Sub Description

strand
Communicating: 1.1 Interacting orally and in writing to exchange,

Using language for communicative Socialising ideas, opinions, experiences, thoughts and
purposes in interpreting, creating and feelings; and participating in planning,
exchanging meaning. negotiating, deciding and taking action.
1.2 Obtaining, processing, interpreting and
Informing conveying information through a range of oral,
written and multimodal texts; developing and
applying knowledge.
1.3 Engaging with imaginative experience by
Creating participating in, responding to and creating a
range of texts, such as stories, songs, drama
and music.
1.4 Moving between languages and cultures orally
Translating and in writing, recognising different
interpretations and explaining these to others.
1.5 Participating in intercultural exchange,
Reflecting questioning reactions and assumptions; and
considering how interaction shapes
communication and identity.
Understanding: 2.1 Understanding language as a system, including

Analysing and understanding Systems of sound, writing, grammatical and textual
language and culture as resources for language conventions.
interpreting and shaping meaning in
intercultural exchange. 2.2 Understanding how languages vary in use
Language (register, style, standard and nonstandard
variation varieties) and change over time and place.
and
change
2.3 The Analysing and understanding the role of
role of language and culture in the exchange of
language meaning.
and culture
ACARA is committed to the development of a highquality curriculum that promotes excellence and equity in
education for all Australian students.
All students are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging learning programs drawn from the Australian
Curriculum: Languages. Teachers take account of the range of their students’ current levels of learning,
strengths, goals and interests and make adjustments where necessary. The threedimensional design of the
Australian Curriculum, comprising learning areas, general capabilities and crosscurriculum priorities, provides
teachers with flexibility to cater for the diverse needs of students across Australia and to personalise their
learning.
More detailed advice for schools and teachers on using the Australian Curriculum to meet diverse learning
needs is available under Student Diversity on the Australian Curriculum website.
Students with disability
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005 require education and
training service providers to support the rights of students with disability to access the curriculum on the same
basis as students without disability.
Many students with disability are able to achieve educational standards commensurate with their peers, as
long as the necessary adjustments are made to the way in which they are taught and to the means through
which they demonstrate their learning.
In some cases curriculum adjustments are necessary to provide equitable opportunities for students to access
ageequivalent content in the Australian Curriculum: Languages. Teachers can draw from content at different
levels along the Foundation to Year 10 sequence. Teachers can also use the extended general capabilities
learning continua in Literacy, Numeracy and Personal and social capability to adjust the focus of learning
according to individual student need.
English as an additional language or dialect
Languages play a crucial role in the educational experience of students and in the curriculum as a whole.
Given the diversity of students in Australian education, it is important to recognise that a range of languages is
used either as part of the formal curriculum or as part of learners’ socialisation within and outside the school.
Learners bring their first language or languages as the one(s) they use for their initial socialisation in their
family or community. For the majority, this is English. For many, it can be a range of different languages.
Learners also encounter the language or languages of instruction at school. For most in Australia, this is
English. For many students in Australia, the language of instruction is not the same as their first language.
These students may learn through English as an additional language/dialect (EALD) programs.
In contemporary understandings of language acquisition, development and learning all the languages
learners experience in their socialisation and education form part of learners’ distinctive linguistic and cultural
repertoires. These are variously developed by both the experience of schooling and broader social
community experience. These repertoires are an integral part of learners’ identities and what they bring to the
learning of additional languages as part of the languages learning area within the school curriculum.
While the curriculum for languages primarily addresses the learning of languages, this learning cannot be
separated from the development of learners’ more general communicative repertoires. It is through such a
relational and holistic approach to languages education that learners develop their capabilities in knowing and
using multiple languages. Learners extend their communicative and conceptual development, learning and
identity formation.
In various kinds of bilingual programs, students are afforded an opportunity to learn through the medium of
English and another language (learners’ first or additional language). These programs are of particular value
in ensuring learners continue to develop at least two languages that are of value to them. They are of value to
both their conceptual development and learning and to their identity formation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities recognise the importance of literacy to their children. They
support literacy education programs that are founded on establishing literacy in their children’s first language.
These are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages their communities use. Literacy in English is
regarded as concomitant on first establishing students’ literacy in their first language. Although most bilingual
programs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are designed to help students’ transition into
learning in English, their fundamental value is in the development of bilingual literacy. Strengthening the
bilingual literacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students can significantly contribute to improving their
overall academic achievement and success.
A national English as an Additional Language or Dialect: Teacher Resource has been developed to support
teachers in making the Australian Curriculum: Foundation – Year 10 in each learning area accessible to EALD
students.
Gifted and talented students
Teachers can use the Australian Curriculum: Languages flexibly to meet the individual learning needs of gifted
and talented students.
Teachers can enrich learning by providing students with opportunities to work with learning area content in
more depth or breadth; emphasising specific aspects of the general capabilities learning continua (for
example, the higher order cognitive skills of the Critical and creative thinking capability); and/or focusing on
crosscurriculum priorities. Teachers can also accelerate student learning by drawing on content from later
levels in the Australian Curriculum: Languages and/or from local state and territory teaching and learning
materials.
In the Australian Curriculum, general capabilities encompass knowledge, skills, behaviours, and dispositions
that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the crosscurriculum priorities, will enable
students to live and work successfully in the 21st century.
There are seven general capabilities:
literacy
numeracy
information and communication technology (ICT) capability
critical and creative thinking
personal and social capability
ethical understanding
intercultural understanding.
In the Australian Curriculum: Languages, general capabilities are identified wherever they are developed or
applied in content descriptions.
They are also identified where they offer opportunities to add depth and richness to student learning through
content elaborations. Icons indicate where general capabilities have been identified in languages content.
Teachers may find further opportunities to incorporate explicit teaching of the capabilities, depending on their
choice of activities.
Detailed descriptions and elaborations of each of the general capabilities and the way these capabilities may
be developed, including learning continua, can be found in the Australian Curriculum website:
www.australiancurriculum.edu.au
Literacy
Learning languages develops overall literacy. It is in this sense ‘value added’, strengthening literacyrelated
capabilities that are transferable across languages, both the language being learnt and all other languages
that are part of the learner’s repertoire. Languages learning also strengthens literacyrelated capabilities
across domains of use, such as the academic domain and the domains of home language use, and across
learning areas.
Literacy development involves conscious attention and focused learning. It involves skills and knowledge that
need guidance, time and support to develop. These skills include the:
ability to decode and encode from sound to written systems
the learning of grammatical, orthographic and textual conventions
development of semantic, pragmatic and interpretative, critical and reflective literacy skills.
Literacy development for second language learners is cognitively demanding. It involves these same
elements but often without the powerful support of a surrounding oral culture and context. The strangeness of
the additional language requires scaffolding. In the language classroom, analysis is prioritised alongside
experience. Explicit, explanatory and exploratory talk around language and literacy is a core element.
Learners are supported to develop their own meta–awareness, to be able to think and talk about how the
language works and about how they learn to use it. Similarly, for first language learners, literacy development
that extends to additional domains and contexts of use requires comparative analysis that extends literacy
development in their first language and English.
Numeracy
Learning languages affords opportunities for learners to use the target language to develop skills in
numeracy, to understand, analyse, categorise, critically respond to and use mathematics in different contexts.
This includes processes such as using and understanding patterns, order and relationships to reinforce
concepts such as number, time or space in their own and in others’ cultural and linguistic systems.
Information and communication technology (ICT)
capability
Learning languages is enhanced through the use of multimodal resources, digital environments and
technologies in the target language. Accessing live target language environments and texts via digital media
contributes to the development of information technology capabilities as well as linguistic and cultural
knowledge. Accessing different realtime contexts extends the boundaries of the classroom.
Critical and creative thinking
In learning a language, students interact with people and ideas from diverse backgrounds and perspectives,
which enhances critical thinking, reflection and encourages creative, divergent and imaginative thinking. By
learning to notice, connect, compare and analyse aspects of the target language, students develop critical,
analytic and problemsolving skills.
Personal and social capability
Interacting effectively in an additional language and with people of diverse language backgrounds involves
negotiating and interpreting meaning in a range of social and cultural situations. This involves understanding
and empathising, which are important elements of social and intercultural competence. Being openminded
and recognising that people view and experience the world in different ways, and learning to interact in a
collaborative and respectful manner are key elements of personal and social competence.
Ethical understanding
When learning another language, students are taught explicitly to acknowledge and value difference in their
interactions with others and to develop respect for diverse ways of perceiving and acting in the world.
Opportunities are provided to monitor and to adjust their own ethical points of view. In learning Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander languages, students should consider appropriate ethical behaviour in terms of engaging
with the owners and custodians of the languages. Similar consideration is required when interpreting and
translating or when collecting and analysing primary research data.
Intercultural understanding
The development of intercultural understanding is a central aim of learning languages, as it is integral to
communicating in the context of diversity, the development of global citizenship and lifelong learning. Students
bring to their learning various preconceptions, assumptions and orientations shaped by their existing
language(s) culture(s) to their learning that can be challenged by the new language experience. Learning to
move between the existing and new languages and cultures is integral to language learning and is the key to
the development of students’ intercultural capability. By learning a new language, or learning to use an
existing language in new domains and contexts, students are able to notice, compare and reflect on things
previously taken for granted; to explore their own linguistic, social and cultural practices as well as those
associated with the target language. They begin to see the complexity, variability and sometimes the
contradictions involved in using language.
Learning a new language does not require forsaking the first language. It is an enriching and cumulative
process, which broadens the learners’ communicative repertoire, providing additional resources for
interpreting and making meaning. Learners come to realise that interactions between different people through
the use of different languages also involves interactions between the different kinds of knowledge,
understanding and values that are articulated through language(s) and culture(s). They realise that
successful intercultural communication is not only determined by what they do or say, but also by what
members of the other language and culture understand from what they say or do.
The Australian Curriculum gives special attention to three crosscurriculum priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
sustainability.
The crosscurriculum priorities are embedded in the curriculum and will have a strong but varying presence
depending on their relevance to each of the learning areas.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and
cultures
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are strong, rich and diverse. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are strong, rich and diverse. Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander identity is central to this priority. It is intrinsically linked to living and learning in Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander communities, deep knowledge of traditions and holistic world view.
A conceptual framework based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique sense of identity has
been developed as a tool for embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures within the
Australian curriculum. This sense of identity is approached through the interconnected concepts of
Country/Place, people and culture. Embracing these elements enhances all areas of the curriculum.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priority provides opportunities for all learners to deepen their
knowledge of Australia by engaging with the world’s oldest continuous living cultures. This knowledge and
understanding will enrich their ability to participate positively in the evolving history of Australia.
A direct way of learning about and engaging with diverse Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is
to learn an Aboriginal language and/or a Torres Strait Islander language. There is an inseparable connection
between Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages and land/sea, Country/Place, the
environment, fauna and flora. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures are an integral part
of the learning of Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages.
In learning all languages, there is a scope for making interlinguistic and intercultural comparisons across
languages, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, to develop understanding of concepts
related to the linguistic landscape of Australia and to the concepts of language and culture in general.
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
In the Australian Curriculum: Languages, the crosscurriculum priority of Asia and Australia’s engagement
with Asia enables the development of rich and engaging content and contexts for developing students’
capabilities to engage with the languages and cultures of Asia and of people of Asian heritage within Australia.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages enables students to learn the languages of the Asian region, learning
to communicate and interact in interculturally appropriate ways, exploring concepts, experiences and
perspectives from within and across Asian cultures.
In the languages learning area, students develop an appreciation for the place of Australia within the Asian
region, including the interconnections of languages and cultures, peoples and communities, histories and
economies. Students learn how Australia is situated within the Asian region, how our national linguistic and
cultural identity is continuously evolving both locally, regionally and within an international context.
Sustainability
In the Australian Curriculum: Languages, the priority of sustainability provides a context for developing
students’ capability to communicate ideas, understanding and perspectives on issues and concepts related to
the environment.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages contributes to students’ capabilities to investigate, analyse and
communicate concepts and understandings related to sustainability in broad contexts, and to advocate,
generate and evaluate actions for sustainable futures. Within each language, students engage with a range of
texts focused on concepts related to sustainability.
These include:
environment
environment
conservation
social and political change
linguistic and cultural ecologies
change, both within the target language and culture, and across languages and cultures in general.
In this way, students develop knowledge, skills and understanding about sustainability within particular cultural
contexts. This is crucial in the context of national and international concerns about, for example, climate
change, food shortages and alternative ways of caring for land and agriculture. Through developing a
capability to interact with others, negotiating meaning and mutual understanding respectfully and reflecting on
communication, students learn to live and work in ways that are both productive and sustainable.
Learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages contributes to the global effort to
exchange knowledge among people with varied practices in caring for the land. It also contributes to the
reconciliation process in Australia and goals for language revival.
Glossary
Accent
A manner of pronunciation of a language which marks speakers as belonging to identifiable categories such
as geographical or ethnic origin, social class or generation.
Accent marks
Marks placed on a letter to indicate pronunciation, stress or intonation, or to indicate a different meaning or
different grammatical usage for the word within which they appear. For example, résumé, piñata, ou/où.
Accuracy
Production of structurally correct forms of the target language.
Adjective
A word that modifies or describes a noun or pronoun. For example, astonishing in an astonishing discovery.
Adverb
A word class that may modify or qualify a verb, an adjective or another adverb. For example, beautifully in
she sings beautifully; really in he is really interesting; very and slowly in she walks very slowly.
Adverbial
A word or group of words that functions as an adverb.
Aesthetic
Relates to a sense of beauty or appreciation of artistic expression.
Alliteration
A recurrence of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close succession (for example,
ripe, red raspberry)
Audience
Intended readers, listeners or viewers.
Authentic (texts/materials)
Texts or materials produced for ‘reallife’ purposes and contexts as opposed to being created specifically
for learning tasks or language practice.
Author
A composer or originator of a work (for example, a novel, film, website, speech, essay, autobiography).
Bilingualism
An ability to use two or more languages.
Biography
A detailed account of an individual’s life; a text genre that lends itself to different modes of expression and
construction. In the context of intercultural language learning, the concept of biography can be considered
in relation to identity, to the formation of identity over time, and to the understanding that language is
involved in the shaping and expressing of identity.
Characters
(i) graphic symbols used in writing in some languages
(ii) assumed roles in dramatic performance
Character components
Individual elements of a written character which have a separate linguistic identity.
Clause
A grammatical unit that contains a subject and a predicate (verb) and expresses the complete proposition.
Codeswitching
A use of more than one language in a single utterance. For example, Papa, can you buy me a panini,
please? A common feature of bilingual and multilingual language use.
Cognates
Similar or identical words which have shared origins. For example, father (English), Vater (German) and
pater (Latin) have a shared origin. Gratitude (English) and gratitud (Spanish) are both derived from
gratitudo (Latin). English ship and skiff share the same Germanic origin.
Cohesion
Grammatical or lexical relationships that bind different parts of a text together and give it unity. Cohesion is
achieved through various devices such as connectives, ellipses and word associations. These associations
include synonyms, antonyms (for example, study/laze about, ugly/beautiful), repetition (for example, work,
work, work – that’s all we do!) and collocation (for example, friend and pal in, My friend did me a big favour
last week. She’s been a real pal.)
Collocation
Words that typically occur in close association and in particular sequence. For example, salt and pepper
rather than pepper and salt and ladies and gentlemen rather than gentlemen and ladies.
Communication
A mutual and reciprocal exchange of meaning.
Communicative competence
An acquired capability to understand and interact in context using the target language (TL). Defined by the
use of appropriate phonological, lexical, grammatical, sociolinguistic and intercultural elements.
Complex sentence
A sentence with more than one clause. In the following examples, the subordinate clauses are indicated by
square brackets: I took my umbrella [because it was raining]; The man [who came to dinner] is my brother.
Complexity
A degree to which language use is complex as opposed to simple. Elements of language complexity
include:
Composing
A process of producing written, spoken, graphic, visual or multimodal texts. It includes:
It also includes applying knowledge and control of language forms, features and structures required to
complete the task.
Compound sentence
A sentence with two or more main clauses of equal grammatical status, usually marked by a coordinating
conjunction such as or, and, but. In the following examples, the main clauses are indicated by square
brackets: [Alice came home this morning] [but she didn't stay long]. [Kim is an actor], [Pat is a teacher], [and
Sam is an architect].
Comprehension/comprehending
An active process of making/constructing/deciphering meaning of language input through listening, reading,
viewing, touching (as in braille) and combinations of these modes. It involves different elements: decoding,
working out meaning, evaluating and imagining. The process draws upon the learner’s existing knowledge
and understanding, text–processing strategies and capabilities; for example, inferencing or applying
knowledge of text types and social and cultural resources.
Comprehension strategies
Strategies and processes used by listeners, readers and viewers of text to understand and make meaning.
These include:
making hypotheses based on illustrations or text layout
drawing on language knowledge and experience (for example, gender forms)
listening for intonation or expression cues
interpreting graphophonic, semantic and syntactic cues.
Concrete language
A language used to refer to the perceptible and material world and to particular persons, places and
objects. For example, school, girl; as opposed to abstract language, used to refer to ideas or concepts
removed from the material world such as peace, kindness, beauty.
Conjunction
A part of speech that signals relationships between people, things, events, ideas. For example, Sophie and
her mother might come and visit, or they might stay at home. The conjunction and links the two participants,
while or links alternative options.
Content
A subject matter used as a vehicle for language learning.
CLIL
Content and language integrated learning. An approach to learning content through an additional language.
Context
An environment and circumstances in which a text is created or interpreted. Context can include the
general social, historical and cultural conditions in which a text exists or the specific features of its
immediate environment, such as participants, roles, relationships and setting. The term is also used to refer
to the wording surrounding an unfamiliar word that a reader or listener uses to understand its meaning.
Convention
An accepted language or communicative practice that has developed and become established over time.
For example, use of punctuation or directionality.
Create
Develop and/or produce spoken, written or multimodal texts in print or digital forms.
Cues
Sources of information used to facilitate comprehension of language, that may be visual, grammatical,
gestural or contextual.
Culture
In earlier models of language teaching and learning, culture was represented as a combination of literary
and historical resources, and visible, functional aspects of a community group’s way of life such as food,
celebrations and folklore. While these elements of culture are parts of cultural experience and organisation,
current orientations to language teaching and learning employ a less static model of culture. Culture is
understood as a framework in which things come to be seen as having meaning. It involves the lens
through which:
people see, think, interpret the world and experience
make assumptions about self and others
understand and represent individual and community identity.
Culture involves understandings about ‘norms’ and expectations, which shape perspectives and attitudes. It
can be defined as social practices, patterns of behaviour, and organisational processes and perspectives
associated with the values, beliefs and understandings shared by members of a community or cultural
group. Language, culture and identity are understood to be closely interrelated and involved in the shaping
and expression of each other. The intercultural orientation to language teaching and learning is informed by
this understanding.
Decentre
A capacity to step outside familiar frames of reference, to consider alternative views, experiences and
perspectives and to look critically and objectively at one’s own linguistic and cultural behaviour.
Decode
A process of working out the meaning of a text. Decoding strategies involve readers/listeners/viewers
drawing on contextual, lexical, alphabetic, grammatical and phonic knowledge to decipher meaning.
Readers who decode effectively combine these forms of knowledge fluently and automatically, using
meaning to recognise when they make an error and to selfcorrect.
Dialect
A variant of a language that is characteristic of a region or social group.
Diaspora
A scattered population with a common origin in a smaller geographical area.
Digital media
Various platforms via which people communicate electronically.
Digital texts
Audio, visual or multimodal texts produced through digital or electronic technology. They may be interactive
and include animations or hyperlinks. Examples of digital texts include DVDs, websites and eliterature.
Digraph
Two letters that represent a single sound:
vowel digraphs have two vowels (for example, ‘oo’, ‘ea’)
consonant digraphs have two consonants (for example, ‘sh’, ‘th’)
Dipthongs
Two vowel sounds pronounced in a single syllable with the individual vowel sounds distinguished. (For
example, hour)
Directionality
A direction in which writing/script occurs, for example, from left to right, right to left.
Encode
A process of changing spoken language into symbols of written/digital language.
Enunciation
A clear and distinct pronunciation of language.
Face
A ‘sociodynamic’ term which concerns selfdelineated worth that comes from knowing one’s status. Relates
to concepts such as reputation, selfrespect, honour and prestige. A key element of social relations in
Chinese, Japanese and many other cultures.
Filler
A sound or word used in spoken conversation to signal a pause, hesitation or unfinished contribution. For
example, I went to the station...er... then I caught a train... Frequent use of fillers characterises early stages
of second language (L2) development, but proficient speakers and first language (L1) speakers also use
them as an opportunity to reflect or recast.
Fluency
An ability to produce spoken or written language with appropriate phrasing, rhythm and pace. It involves the
smooth flow of language, lack of hesitation or undue pausing and characterises the largely accurate use
and automatisation of the target language.
Formfocused learning activities
Activities designed to rehearse, practise, control and demonstrate particular language structures, forms or
features. For example, drills, rehearsed role plays/dialogues, games and songs, set sequences of language
patterns.
Formulaic language
Words or expressions which are commonly used in fixed patterns and learned as such without grammatical
analysis. For example, Once upon a time (storystarter); G’day, how are you going?(greeting in Australian
English).
Framing
A way in which elements of text are arranged to create a specific interpretation of the whole.
Genre
A category used to classify text types and language use; characterised by distinguishing features such as
subject matter, form, function and intended audience. Examples of genres typically used in early language
learning include greetings, classroom instructions and apologies. More advanced language proficiency
includes the ability to use genres such as narrative or persuasive text, creative performance and debates.
The language we use and the description of language as a system. In describing language, attention is paid
to both structure (form) and meaning (function) at the level of the word, the sentence and the text.
Graphophonic knowledge
Knowledge of how letters in printed language relate to the sounds of the language and of how symbols
(letters, characters) represent spoken language.
Homophone
A word identical in pronunciation with another but different in meaning (for example, bare and bear, air and
heir).
Honorific
A grammatical form, typically a word or affix, that has at least part of its meaning the relative social status of
the speaker in relation to the addressee, other participant or context. Parts of speech which signify respect,
politeness and emphasize social distance or status.
Hybrid texts
Composite texts resulting from a mixing of elements from different sources or genres. For example, email,
which combines the immediacy of talk and the expectation of a reply with the permanence of print.
Hypermedia
A multimedia system in which related items and forms of information, such as data, texts, graphics, video
and audio, are linked and can be presented together by a hypertext program.
Hypertext
A text which contains links to other texts.
Identity
A person’s conception and expression of individuality or group affiliation, selfconcept and self
representation. Identity is closely connected to both culture and language. Thinking and talking about the
self is influenced by the cultural frames, which are offered by different languages and cultural systems.
Identity is not fixed. Second language learners’ experience with different linguistic and cultural systems
introduces them to alternative ways of considering the nature and the possibilities associated with identity.
Ideograph
A graphic character that indicates meanings without reference to the sounds used to pronounce the word.
Idiomatic expressions
A group of (more or less) fixed words having a meaning not deducible from the individual words. Idioms are
typically informal expressions used by particular social groups and need to be explained as one unit (for
example, I am over the moon, on thin ice, a fish out of water, fed up to the back teeth).
Indicative hours
An indication for the purposes of curriculum development of the assumption about learning time on task.
Infinitive
A base form of a verb.
Input
Direct contact with and experience of the target language; the stimulus required for language acquisition
and learning. Input can take multiple forms and be received through different modes.
Intensifiers
Words that are usually used with adjectives to emphasise their meaning and are expressed by means of an
adverb (for example, very interesting, awfully boring)
Intercultural capability
An ability to understand and to engage in the relationship between language, culture and people from
diverse backgrounds and experience. This involves understanding the dynamic and interdependent nature
of both language and culture, that communicating and interacting in different languages involves interacting
with values, beliefs and experiences as well as with words and grammars. An intercultural capability
involves being open to different perspectives, being flexible and curious, responsive and reflective; being
able to decentre, to look objectively at one’s own cultural ways of thinking and behaving, and at how these
affect attitudes to others, shade assumptions and shape behaviours. Characteristics of an intercultural
capability include cognitive and communicative flexibility and an orientation and ability to act in ways that
are inclusive and ethical in relation to diversity and difference.
Intercultural language teaching and learning
An orientation to language teaching and learning that informs current curriculum design; framed by the
understanding that language and culture are dynamic, interconnected systems of meaningmaking; that
proficiency in an additional language involves cultural and intercultural as well as linguistic capabilities. The
focus is on developing communicative proficiency and on moving between language–culture systems. It
includes the reflexive and reciprocal dimension of attention to learners’ own language(s) and cultural
frame(s).
Interpret
In the context of L2 learning, interpret refers to two distinct processes:
the act of translation from one language to another
the process of understanding and explaining; the ability to conceive significance and construct
meaning, and to explain to self or others
Intonation
A key component of communication, involving patterns of pitch and melody of spoken language that can be
used like punctuation; for example, to express surprise or suggest a question, to shade, accentuate or
diminish emphasis or meaning, and to regulate turntaking in conversations.
Language
A human cognitive and communicative capability which makes it possible to communicate, to create and
comprehend meaning, to build and sustain relationships, to represent and shape knowledge, and to
imagine, analyse, express and evaluate.
Language is described and employed:
as code – comprising systems, rules, a fixed body of knowledge; for example, grammar and
vocabulary, sound and writing systems
as social practice – used to do things, create relationships, interact with others, represent the
world and the self; to organise social systems and practices in dynamic, variable, and changing
ways
as cultural and intercultural practice – means by which communities construct and express
their experience, values, beliefs and aspirations
as cognitive process – means by which ideas are shaped, knowledge is constructed, and
analysis and reflection are structured
Language comprehension
A process of interpreting meaning from spoken, written, tactile and multimodal representations of language.
Language features
Features of language that support meaning; for example, sentence structure, noun group/phrase,
vocabulary, punctuation, figurative language. Choices in language features and text structures together
define a type of text and shape its meaning. These choices vary according to the purpose of a text, its
subject matter, audience and mode or medium of production.
Language functions
Varied ways in which language is used to achieve particular purposes; for example, to persuade, to
entertain, to apologise, to argue and/or to compliment.
Language patterns
Identifiable repeated or corresponding elements in a text. These include patterns of repetition or similarity,
such as the repetition of imperative verb forms at the beginning of each step in a recipe, or the repetition of
a chorus after each verse in a song. Patterns may alternate, as in the call and response pattern of some
games, or the toandfro of a dialogue. Patterns may also contrast, as in opposing viewpoints in a
discussion or contrasting patterns of imagery in a poem.
Language specificity
Distinguishing features of a particular language. These include lexicogrammatical and textual features,
writing system(s), phonetic systems, and cultural elements which influence language use such as:
politeness or kinship protocols
the nature of language communities which use the language
the historical and/or current relationship of a language with education in Australia
features of its ‘learnability’ in terms of teaching and learning in the context of Australian schooling.
Language systems
Elements that organise how a language works, including the systems of signs and rules (phonological,
syntactic, semantic and pragmatic) that underpin language use. These systems have to be internalised for
effective communication and comprehension.
Learning trajectory
A conceptualised developmental sequence of learning, including learning goals, learning activities,
knowledge and skills to be developed at progressive levels.
Level statements
Descriptions in broad terms of the developmental characteristics of students and their language learning at
particular phases along the Foundation–Year 12 continuum.
Lexical cohesion
A use of word associations to create links in texts. Links can be made through the use of repetition of
words, synonyms, antonyms and words that are related, such as by class and subclass.
Literacy resources
Individual resources and capabilities which learners bring to their learning experience; these include text
knowledge, grammatical and vocabulary knowledge, knowledge of phonetic and writing systems. They also
include critical, reflective and intercultural capabilities that support new literacy experience in a different
language.
Macro skills
Four major language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Media texts
Spoken, print, graphic, or electronic communications created for a public audience. They often involve
numerous people in their construction and are usually shaped by the technology used in their production.
Media texts studied in different languages can be found in newspapers, magazines and on television, film,
radio, computer software and the internet.
Mediate
To move between different linguistic and cultural systems, referencing own first language(s)/culture(s) while
learning to use and to understand those of the target language. This movement involves:
noticing, interpreting, responding sensitively and flexibly
conveying culturallyshaped ideas, values, experience to others
exploring how ideas and experiences are represented and conveyed in different languages and
cultures
considering similarities, overlaps, collisions and adjustments
developing the capacity to communicate and represent different perspectives and interpretations.
Mediating operates in two distinctive ways:
in practices such as interpreting and translating, with attention to what can happen in these
processes in terms of ‘losing’ or ‘gaining’ meaning
as the element of the learning experience, which involves noticing, responding, comparing and
explaining differences in expression and perspective.
Medium
Resources used in the production and transmission of texts, including tools and materials used (for
example, digital text and the computer, writing and the pen or the keyboard).
Metalanguage
A vocabulary used to discuss language conventions and use ( for example, language used to talk about
grammatical terms such as sentence, clause, conjunction; or about the social and cultural nature of
language, such as face, reciprocating, register.)
Mnemonic
Memorising information by use of an aid such as a pattern, rhyme, acronym, visual image.
Modal verb
A verb attached to another verb to express a degree of probability (for example, I might come home) or a
degree of obligation (for example, You must give it to me,You are to leave now).
Mode
Various processes of communication: listening, speaking, reading/viewing, signing and writing/creating.
Modes are also used to refer to the semiotic (meaning making) resources associated with these
communicative processes, such as sound, print, image and gesture.
Morpheme
The smallest meaningful unit in the grammar of a language. Morphemes are not necessarily the same as
either words or syllables. The word cat has one morpheme while the word cats has two morphemes: cat for
the animal and s to indicate that there is more than one. Similarly, like has one morpheme while dislike has
two: like to describe appreciation and dis to indicate the opposite. The process of identifying morphemes
assists comprehension, vocabulary building and spelling.
Morphology
Principles of word formation and inflection, especially with respect to constituent morphemes.
Multimodal text
A text which involves two or more communication modes; for example, the combining of print, image and
spoken text in film or computer presentations.
Narrative
A story of events or experiences, real or imagined.
Narrative devices
Techniques used to help in the narrating of a story or reported event. For example, imagery, metaphor,
allusion.
Neologism
A new word is created, for example, Smartphone, modem, AIDS or an existing word is used in a new way,
for example, deadly.
Noun
A part of speech that includes all words denoting physical objects such as man, woman, boy, girl,
car,window. These are concrete nouns. Abstract nouns express intangibles, such as democracy,
courage,success, idea.
Oracy
An ability to express oneself in and to understand spoken language; it includes oral and aural proficiency.
Orthography
Writing words with correct letters or characters according to common usage.
Paralanguage
Additional elements of spoken communication which are integrated with vocal (voice) and verbal (words)
elements, and contribute significantly to communication and meaningmaking. For example, voice quality,
volume and pacing, facial expressions, gestures, posture and body movement.
Paralinguistics
A study of paralanguage elements of expression.
Pedagogy
A combination of conceptual knowledge, practical skills and reflective capabilities which constitute the ‘art
and science’ of teaching.
Performance
A use of the language in real situations, putting language knowledge into practice; it involves accuracy,
fluency and complexity.
Phoneme
The smallest meaningful unit in the sound system of a language. For example, the word is has two
phonemes: /i/ and /s/; ship has three phonemes: /sh/, /i/, /p/. A phoneme usually has several manifestations
dependent on varying phonological contexts. For example, the p in pin and spin differs slightly in
pronunciation but is regarded as being the same phoneme; that is, as having the same functional meaning
within each word.
Phonics
A relationship between letters or characters and the sounds they make when pronounced. L2 learning
involves developing phonic awareness and proficiency.
Phonological awareness
Understanding that every spoken word is composed of small units of sound, identifying relationships
between letters and sounds when listening, reading and spelling. It includes understandings about words,
rhyme and syllables.
Pragmatics
A study of how context affects communication; for example, in relation to the status of participants, the
situation in which the communication is happening, or the intention of the speaker.
Prediction
An informed presumption about something that might happen. Predicting at text level can include working
out what a text might contain by looking at the cover, or working out what might happen next in a narrative.
Predicting at sentence level includes identifying what word is likely to come next in a sentence.
Prefix
A meaningful element (morpheme) added before the main part of a word to change its meaning. For
example, unhappy.
Preposition
A part of speech that precede a noun, noun phrase phrase or pronoun, thereby describing relationships in
a sentence in respect to:
space/direction (below, in, on, to, under ‒ for example, she sat on the table).
time (after, before, since ‒ for example, Í will go to the beach after lunch).
those that do not relate to space or time (of, besides, except, despite ‒ for example, he ate all the
beans except the purple ones)
Prepositions usually combine with a noun group or phrase to form a prepositional phrase. For example, in
the office, besides these two articles.
Productive language use
One of the two aspects of communication through language (see receptive language) involving the ability to
express, articulate and produce utterances or texts in the target language.
Pronunciation
A manner in which a syllable is uttered.
Pronoun
A part of speech that refers to nouns, or substituting for them, within and across sentences. For example,
Ahmad chose a chocolate cake. He ate it that evening (where he and it are personal pronouns; and that is
a demonstrative pronoun).
Prosody
Patterns of rhythm, tempo, stress, pitch and intonation used in language; for example, in poetry or public
speaking.
Proxemics
A use of space, posture and touch as elements of nonverbal communication.
Purposeful learning
Learning which results from authentic language experiences that involve real purpose and achievable
outcomes.
Question
A commonly employed prompt to elicit language use. A key element of scaffolding to support learners’ use
of language and to encourage further contributions. Different types of questions provide different prompts:
closed questions are questions for which there are predictable answers. For example, What
time is it? These are typically used as prompts for short answers, as a framework for testing
comprehension or reviewing facts, and for routinized interactions. They are frequently used to
scaffold early language development.
open questions are questions with unknown and unpredictable answers that invite and support
more elaborated and extended contributions from learners. For example, How do you feel about
that?What do you think might happen next? They are used as stimulus to discussion, reflection
and investigation.
Questions are an important element of intercultural language teaching and learning. The quality of
questions determines the quality and substance of the learning experience. Effective questions relating to
the nature of language, culture and identity and the processes involved in language learning and
intercultural experience guide the processes of investigating, interpreting and reflecting which support new
understanding and knowledge development.
Read
Process visual or tactile symbols (for example, braille), words or actions in order to derive and/or construct
meaning. Reading includes elements of decoding (of sounds and symbols), interpreting, critically analysing
and reflecting upon meaning in a wide range of written, visual, print and nonprint texts.
Receptive language
One of the two components of communication through language (see productive language): the ‘receiving’
aspect of language input, the gathering of information and making of meaning via listening, reading, viewing
processes.
Reciprocating
An integrating element of intercultural communication that involves movement and relationship, interpreting
and creating meaning, and understanding the process of doing so. It involves not only the exchange of
words but also an exchange of understanding between the people involved. It comes into play when the
learner ‘self’ encounters and interacts with the ‘other’ (the target language speaker, the target language
itself as text or experience); when the existing language code and cultural frame encounters a different
code and frame. This experience impacts on the learner’s perspective and sense of identity and on their
usual ways of communicating. Reciprocating involves conscious attention to the process: attention to the
self (intraculturality) and to the likely impact of the self on the other person involved (interculturality). Things
previously taken for granted are noticed in reference to new or different ways. Key elements of
reciprocating include conscious attention, comparison, reflection and analysis:
recognition that both partners in an exchange are involved in the ‘effort of meaning’
willingness to work out what the other person means, the cultural and social context they are
speaking from and the perspectives, which frame what they are saying
making necessary adjustments to own and each other’s input, orientation and stance that will
help the exchange to be successful.
Register
A variety of language used for a particular purpose or in a particular situation, the variation being defined by
use as well as user. For example, informal register or academic register.
Romanisation
A transcription from a differently scripted language, such as Chinese or Japanese, into the Latin alphabet.
Root of a word
A word/word element that cannot be reduced to a smaller unit and from which other words are formed. For
example, plant in replanting.
Scaffolding
Support provided to assist the learning process or to complete a learning task. Scaffolded language support
involves using the target language at a level slightly beyond learners’ current level of performance, and
involves incremental increasing and decreasing of assistance. Task support provides assistance to perform
just beyond what learners can currently do unassisted, to progress to being able to do it independently.
Scaffolding includes modelling and structuring input in ways that provide additional cues or interactive
questioning to activate existing knowledge, probe existing conceptions or cue noticing and reflecting.
Scanning
A text processing strategy adopted to search for specific words, ideas or information in a text without
reading every word. For example, looking for a word in the dictionary or a name in a phone directory.
Scanning involves moving the eyes quickly down the text looking for specific words and phrases to gain a
quick overall impression/to get the gist.
Script
A writing system in which characters or symbols represent components of language (letters, syllables,
words).
Semantic knowledge
Knowledge gained at a meaning rather than a decoding level. This involves understanding the relationship
between signifiers (words, phrases, symbols, signs) and the meanings they represent. Semantic
information is supported through reference to prior knowledge, cultural connotations and contextual
considerations.
Skimming
A text processing strategy aimed at gaining information quickly without focusing on every word.
Speak
Convey meaning and communicate with purpose. Some students participate in speaking activities using
communication systems and assistive technologies to communicate wants, and needs, and to comment
about the world
Stereotype
A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing
Stress
An emphasis in pronunciation that is placed on a particular syllable of a word; for example, she will conduct
the orchestra; her conduct is exemplary.
Suffix
A meaningful element added after the root of a word to change its meaning (for example, to show its tense :
–ed in passed. Common suffixes in English include –ing; –ed; ness; –less; –able).
Synchronous
Occurring or existing at the same time.
Syntax
An ordering of sentence elements such as words, group/phrases and clauses. In some education settings,
the terms syntax and grammar are used interchangeably.
Talk
communication systems and assistive technologies to communicate wants, and needs, and to comment
about the world
Task
An integrated experience and use of language, set in a context, accomplishing a purpose, focused on
meaning. A task provides an organising structure and context for meaningfocused language learning.
Unlike formfocused language activities and exercises, taskbased learning involves the achievement of a
goal or authentic outcome. Learners draw from existing language resources and seek out unfamiliar
resources as needed to complete the task. Scaffolding is provided by the teacher via the task cycle, which
includes formfocused teaching. Examples of tasks: researching an issue, sharing ideas and then
categorising and presenting results; planning and having a picnic; designing and publishing an online
newsletter.
Taskbased language learning (TBLL)
An orientation to language teaching and learning, which focuses on the use of the language in meaningful
and ‘lifelike’ tasks and activities. The completion of the task is not an end in itself, as tasks are part of the
overall learning and using of the language, providing a context and purpose for developing language
competence and a means of assessing and evaluating learning outcomes. Learners work independently
and/or collaboratively, draw on existing language resources, generate solutions to communicative
problems, seek out additional or new language and other resources needed to complete the task. Focused
language work, such as grammar knowledge, vocabulary building, social and cultural competence, is
integrated with task preparation and completion processes. Tasks provide opportunities to integrate the four
modes of language use, to develop fluency, complexity and problemsolving capacity, as well as including
work on accuracy and focus on form. A task has limits as a oneoff learning event, but is used as a
meaningful component of learners’ overall learning progression.
Text
An identified stretch of language, used as a means for communication or the focus of learning and
investigation. Text forms and conventions have developed to support communication with a variety of
audiences for a range of purposes. Texts can be written, spoken or multimodal and in print or digital/online
forms. Multimodal texts combine language with other systems for communication, such as print text, visual
images, soundtrack and spoken word, as in film or computer presentation media.
Text processing strategies
Strategies learners use to decode and understand text. These involve drawing on contextual, semantic,
grammatical and phonic knowledge in systematic ways to work out what a text says. They include
predicting, recognising words and working out unknown words, monitoring comprehension, identifying and
correcting errors, reading on and rereading.
Text structure
Ways in which information is organised in different types of texts (for example, chapter headings,
subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries, overviews, introductory and concluding
paragraphs, sequencing, topic sentences, taxonomies, cause and effect). Choices in text structures and
language features together define a text type and shape its meaning. Different languages/cultures structure
texts differently in many instances.
Text types (genres)
Categories of text, classified according to the particular purposes they are designed to achieve, which
influence the features the texts employ. For example, texts may be imaginative, informative or persuasive;
or can belong to more than one category. Text types vary significantly in terms of structure and language
features across different languages and cultural contexts. For example, a business letter in French will be
more elaborated than a similar text in English; a request or an offer of hospitality will be differently
expressed in Japanese or German.
Textual features/conventions
Structural components and elements that combine to construct meaning and achieve purpose, and are
recognisable as characterising particular text types (see language features).
Tone
A use of pitch and contour in spoken language to nuance words and, in some languages, to distinguish
lexical or grammatical meaning. In Chinese, for example, the tones are distinguished by their pitch range
(register), duration and contour (shape). All Chinese syllables have a set tone, which distinguishes it and its
meaning from another syllable. However, in certain environments tones can change or be modified, while in
rapid spoken Chinese a great many unstressed syllables carry no tone at all.
Translation
A process of translating words/text from one language into another, recognising that the process involves
movement of meanings and attention to cultural context as well as the transposition of individual words.
Transliteration
Writing a letter or word using the closest corresponding letter or word from a different language or alphabet.
Verb
A part of speech which expresses existence, action, state or occurrence. For example, they watch football;
she is exhausted; the day finally came.
auxiliary verb – a verb that combines with another verb in a verb phrase to form tense, mood, voice or
condition. For example, they will go, I did eat lunch, she might fail the exam.
Word borrowing
A practice of incorporating words from one language into another. For example, the use of Italian words
such as pianissimo, cannelloni in English and the use of English ICT terms in many languages. The
increasing frequency of wordborrowing between languages reflects intercultural contact, contemporary
cultural shifts and practices in a globalised world, issues of ease of communication and efficiency and
technological specialisation.
Languages Arabic
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The Australian Curriculum: Languages Arabic
Arabic How the Subject works
The place of the Arabic culture and language in
Australia and in the world
Arabic is spoken by approximately 280 million people in 22 countries over two continents. It is the official
language of the Arab world, which includes countries of the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region, and
is one of the official languages of the United Nations. The Arabicspeaking world has a long history, and the
Arabic language has evolved and flourished over time, as evidenced by the richness of its literature. Arabic is
comprised of a number of dialects that reflect the cultural diversity of Arabicspeaking countries, regions and
communities.
Since the end of the nineteenth century, large communities of Arabic speakers have migrated to countries
such as the United States, Europe and Australia. More than 370,000 Australians are of Arab descent, living
predominantly in Sydney and Melbourne. Australia has strong relationships with countries in the Middle East,
North Africa, the Gulf and the wider Arabicspeaking world through family ties, trade and education.
Arabicspeaking communities in Australia comprise diverse groups, differing in ancestral origins, religious
backgrounds and histories. They hold a heritage that shares common linguistic and cultural traditions, and
these are the ties that bind. Arabic language and culture represent an important part of the linguistic and
cultural diversity of Australia. The Arabicspeaking community has made and continues to make a significant
contribution to the development and enrichment of Australian society, in areas such as commerce, agriculture,
industry, health, education, journalism, hospitality, tourism and international relations.
The place of the Arabic language in Australian
education
The study of Arabic provides background students with the opportunity to connect with their family heritage
and to communicate with speakers of Arabic in Australia and around the world. Following the early settlement
of Arabic speakers in Australia, the teaching of Arabic was established for children of Arabicspeaking
migrants in afterhours school settings. Since the 1980s, Arabic has been taught in primary and secondary
schools and tertiary institutions across Australia as well as in afterhours schools run by community
organisations. This reflected the growing Arabicspeaking community in Australia, as well as government
policies of the time supporting multiculturalism. The demand for Arabic language education in Australia has
increased due to the geopolitical importance of the Arabicspeaking world and greater awareness of business
opportunities.
The nature of Arabic language learning
Arabic is a Semitic language, and shares linguistic and phonological similarities with other Semitic languages
such as Syriac, Aramaic and Hebrew. Classical Arabic and its successor, Modern Standard Arabic, have been
and continue to be the language of religious texts as well as the basis for a rich heritage of classical poetry
and literary prose. Today, speakers of Arabic come from a variety of social, cultural and religious
backgrounds. Their views, cultures and beliefs are manifested in the language they use formally and
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Arabic
backgrounds. Their views, cultures and beliefs are manifested in the language they use formally and
informally in every aspect of their private lives and public affairs. Language is an inseparable part of their
identity and the way they view themselves and the world around them.
The Arabic language has two forms: Modern Standard Arabic ( ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺻﺣﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺑﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ‬ ) and colloquial Arabic.
Modern Standard Arabic is the official language taught worldwide and used in formal situations, such as at
school and university and in mosques, churches and official media. Colloquial Arabic is used in everyday
situations, such as at home and in the marketplace, the street, restaurants, cafés, and popular and social
media. Modern Standard Arabic is common to all countries of the Arabicspeaking world, while colloquial
Arabic varies according to geographical location. For example, two individuals from Iraq and Morocco
speaking in dialects would not easily understand each other unless they injected elements of Modern
Standard Arabic into the conversation.
Arabic is a scripted language and is written from right to left. There are 28 letters, which are all consonants
with short and long vowels. These vowels are represented in the forms of letters and marks called diacritic
symbols which identify how words and letters are pronounced. Arabic is a highly inflectional language, with
words formed according to a root system. Various vowels, prefixes and suffixes are used with root letters to
create the desired inflection of meaning.
The diversity of learners of Arabic
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Arabic is pitched to background language learners, the dominant
cohort of learners in the Australian context.
The background language learner pathway has been developed for students who have exposure to Arabic
language and culture, and who may engage in active but predominantly receptive use of Arabic at home. The
range of learners within the Arabic background language learner pathway is diverse, defined for the most part
by different waves of migration, and their use of Arabic may extend beyond the home to everyday interactions
with Arabicspeaking friends and involvement in community organisations and events. Other learners may
have been born in an Arabicspeaking country, where they may have completed some education.
A key dimension of the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Arabic involves understanding the
interrelationship between language and culture. The curriculum is designed with an intercultural language
learning orientation to enable students to participate meaningfully in language and cultural experiences, to
develop new ways of seeing and being in the world from a bilingual perspective, and to understand more
about themselves in the process.
Languages Arabic
Years F–10 Sequence
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Arabic Years F–10 Sequence
The nature of the learners
Children enter the early years of schooling with varying degrees of early literacy capability in Arabic and/or
English. For young students, learning typically focuses on their immediate world of family, home, school,
friends and neighbourhood. They are learning how to socialise with new people in settings outside the home,
share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school.
Arabic language learning and use
Arabic is learnt in parallel with English language and literacy. While the learning of Arabic differs from the
learning of English, each supports and enriches the other. Arabic is used at home and in familiar Arabic
speaking settings, and in classroom interactions, routines and activities, supported by the use of materials
and resources, gestures and body language. At this stage, there is a focus on play, imaginative activities,
games, music, dance and familiar routines, which provide scaffolding for language development. Repetition
and consolidation help learners to identify familiar and new words and simple phrases, and to recognise the
purpose of simple texts. Learners use Arabic for functions such as greeting (‫ﺍﻟﺧﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺻﺑﺎﺡ‬ ‫)ﻣﺭﺣﺑﺎ؛‬, sharing
information ( ‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ‬ ‫ﺳﺕ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﻟﻳﻧﺎ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ), responding to instructions ( ‫ﺣﺎﺿﺭ‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻧﻌﻡ؛‬ ), and taking turns in games
and simple shared tasks. The transition from spoken to written language is scaffolded via shared exploration
of simple texts and language features. Learners use a variety of cues, including images, context and
frequently used word patterns, to comprehend texts and communicate.
Contexts of interaction
The primary contexts for interaction in Arabic are the immediate environment of home and the classroom.
Learners use Arabic to interact with each other and the teacher within the learning environment at school and
with immediate family members at home. The use of information and communications technologies (ICT)
enriches the learning of Arabic language and culture by providing alternative experiences, a range of
resources, and opportunities to access authentic language in different contexts.
Texts and resources
Learners engage with a variety of spoken, written and visual texts, such as children’s songs and nursery
rhymes, stories from Big Books and interactive resources. Writing skills progress from identifying the alphabet
to tracing, labelling and copying letters, and then to constructing simple, short texts using familiar vocabulary.
Features of Arabic language use
Learners become familiar with how the sounds of the Arabic language are represented in letters and words.
They practise pronunciation and intonation through activities such as reciting rhymes and poems and singing
songs, and experiment with sounds, short and long vowels, phonemes, words, simple phrases and sentences
relating to pictures, objects and actions, for example, ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻁﺎﻭﻟﺔ‬ . They learn to recognise the letters of the
Arabic alphabet, including new sounds, for example,‫ﻅ‬ ‫ﻁ؛‬ ‫ﺽ؛‬ ‫ﺹ؛‬ ‫ﻕ؛‬ ‫ﻉ؛ﻍ؛‬ ‫ﺥ؛‬ , and the way letters are joined to
make words, for example, ‫ﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫ﻁﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻁﺎﺭ؛‬, and make comparisons with the English alphabet. They write letters,
words and simple sentences using familiar vocabulary, prelearnt language features and structures, and
formulaic expressions, for example, ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﻳﺎ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬. They begin to recognise how language use changes according
to the speakers and context.
Level of support
The classroom is a new context of communication where learners rely on the teacher to assist their learning.
Learning experiences are supported by the teacher through scaffolding, modelling, cueing, monitoring,
feedback and encouragement. Multiple and varied sources of input and stimulus are used, including visual
cues, such as the use of gestures, and resources, for example, bilingual Big Books and picture books,
subtitled cartoons and video programs, and realia, objects, maps and charts.
The role of English
Arabic is used as the medium for class interaction and to demonstrate and model new language acquisition.
English may be used to explain features of language and aspects of culture. Both English and Arabic may be
used when learners are communicating about similarities and differences between Arabic and other
languages and cultures and reflecting on how they talk and behave in Arabicspeaking and Englishspeaking
contexts.
Communicating
Socialising
Initiate interactions with peers and the teacher by asking and responding to questions and exchanging
information about self and family, friends and school
[Key concepts: personal world, place, belonging; Key processes: introducing, exchanging, expressing
preferences]
(ACLARC103 Scootle )

Elaborations
greeting peers and the teacher using appropriate expressions and body language, for example,
‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﺑﺧﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺣﺎﻟﻙ؟؛‬/
ِ َ‫ﺣﺎﻟﻙ‬ ‫ﻛﻳﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺧﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺻﺑﺎﺡ‬ ‫ﻣﺭﺣﺑﺎ؛‬
introducing self, family and friends using formulaic expressions such as
‫ﻣﺭﻳﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻧﻳﺎ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺳﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺩﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺳﻣﻲ‬
‫ﺛﻼﺙ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭ‬ ‫ﺳﻧﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭ‬ ‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ؛‬ ‫ﺳﺕ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﻟﻳﻧﺎ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﻱ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻣﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺭﻳﻡ؛‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬
‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ‬
describing self, family, friends and aspects of school, for example,
‫ﻁﻳﺑﺔ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺩﺭﺳﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺫﻛﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﺳﻌﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻏﺭﻓﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻁﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻁﻭﻳﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬
sharing information about self, home, family and favourite possessions, using simple sentence
structures, familiar vocabulary and concrete materials such as toys, for example,
‫ﺳﺭﻳﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﻧﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﻧﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﻧﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫"ﻣﻳﻼﻧﻲ"؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﻣﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﺩﻱ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻠﻌﺑﺔ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﺷﺗﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﻟﻌﺑﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬
initiating and sustaining interactions by asking and responding to questions about likes and dislikes,
‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻪ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺭﻳﻛﺱ‬ .‫ﺍﻟﻌﻁﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﺷﺗﺭﺍﻩ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ ﺱ ﻙ ﻱ ﺭ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﻣﻪ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﻳﻧﺎﺻﻭﺭ‬, using simple language such as
‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺭﻳﺎﺿﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻻ‬ ‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍ؛‬ ‫ﺟﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻠﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬
Engage in guided group activities and transactions such as playing games, roleplaying, singing and
dancing, and communicate ideas, using movement, gestures and pictures to support meaning
[Key concepts: play, performance, action learning; Key processes: active listening, speaking, giving and
following instructions]

Elaborations
participating in group activities by singing, chanting and performing actions
engaging in simple transactions in roleplays, such as making requests using ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻗﺩﺭ‬ ‫ﻓﺿﻠﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬, and
expressing thanks, for example
ً‫ﺟﺯﻳﻼ‬ ً‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍً؛‬
following instructions such as ‫ﻳﺩﻙ‬ ‫ﺇﺭﻓﻊ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﻅﺭ‬ ‫ﻋﻳﻧﻳﻙ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻏﻣﺽ‬ ‫ﺭﺃﺳﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﻳﺩﻙ‬ ‫ﺿﻊ‬ for a variety of language games
providing simple information about familiar objects and people, using pictures and crafts to support
communication, for example,
‫ﺣﻧﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻁﻳﺑﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺟﻣﻳﻠﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻧﺕ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﺳﻊ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺷﺟﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺟﻳﺩ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻁﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺗﻠﻣﻳﺫ‬ ‫ﺭﺻﺎﺹ؛‬ ‫ﻗﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﻁﺎﻭﻟﺔ‬
Participate in classroom activities and routines, such as opening and closing of lessons, responding to
instructions and taking turns
[Key concepts: roles, routines; Key processes: listening, speaking, cooperating, following instructions,
taking turns]

Elaborations
following simple instructions, such as during roll call, and taking turns, for example,
‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ؟‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﻣﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺣﺎﺿﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻧﻌﻡ؛‬
participating in everyday class routines with appropriate actions, such as
‫ﺩﻭﺭﻙ‬ ‫ﺇﻧﺗﻅﺭ‬ ‫ﻳﺩﻙ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺭﻓﻊ‬ ‫ﻣﻛﺎﻧﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺇﺟﻠﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺭﺽ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻘﻳﺑﺔ‬ ‫ﺿﻊ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﻓﺗﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻓﺗﺢ‬
asking and responding to questions, for example,
‫؟‬...‫ﻣﻌﻧﻰ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫؟‬... ‫ﺃﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﻛﻳﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﺭﺱ؟‬ ‫ﻳﺩﻕ‬ ‫ﻣﺗﻰ‬
‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺑﺳﺑﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃ ّﺧ َﺭﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻁﺭﻳﻖ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺳﻳﺎﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺗﻭﻗﻔﺕ‬ ‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﻧﻣﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻋﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺧﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﻟﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬
asking for permission and responding appropriately, for example,‫ﻣﻣﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻛﺗﺎﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺁﺧﺫ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﻣﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻣﺎﻡ؟‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﻣﻛﻥ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻠّﻘﺎء‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﻼﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ؛‬ ً‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎ؟‬ ‫ﺃﺟﻠﺱ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬
participating in games or activities that involve taking turns, making choices or swapping items, for
example, forming groups using numbers or colours for activities such as telling the time or counting or
memory games
Informing
Locate and organise information from simple spoken, written and visual texts to identify details about
people and objects
[Key concepts: meaning, context; Key processes: listening, reading, locating, categorising]

Elaborations
listening for key words in stories, rhymes or songs, using intonation and visual cues such as gestures
and facial expressions to assist understanding
identifying letters, words and phrases in written Arabic, for example, titles, labels and captions, by
labelling, matching, clicking and dragging, miming and using actions
participating in shared reading of print and digital texts such as stories in Big Books and other texts
relating to familiar events and contexts, using pictures, intonation and contextual cues to predict meaning
and identify key information
sorting and categorising information in graphic representations such as tables, including details about
colour, quantity and place relating to people and objects, for example,
‫ﺃﺣﻣﺭ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻘﻠﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﻟﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻘﻠﻣﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻟﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﻣﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺳﺗﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻟﻭﻥ‬ ‫؟‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺳﺗﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻟﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬
‫ﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺑﻌﺔ‬ ‫ﻳﻭﺟﺩ‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎ؟‬ ‫ﻳﻭﺟﺩ‬ ً‫ﻛﺗﺎﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﻛﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻗﻼﻡ؟‬ ‫ﻋﺩﺩ‬ ‫ﻛﻡ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ‬ ‫ﻳﺩﺭﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺳﺗﺷﻔﻰ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﻌﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻙ؟‬ ‫ﺗﻌﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﻳﻥ‬
Share information obtained from different sources, including online and digital sources, by listing, tabulating
or sequencing information and using illustrations and gestures to support meaning
[Key concepts: self, family, school; Key processes: describing, showing, presenting]

Elaborations
creating short texts to label and describe personal possessions and objects in the classroom using
simple sentences, for example,
‫ﻳﺟﻠﺱ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﻑ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺫﻛﻲ‬ ‫ﻟﻭﺡ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﻛﺳﻭﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﻑ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻧﺎﻓﺫﺓ‬ ‫ﻣﺭﺗﺑﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻏﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﻁﺎﻭﻟﺔ‬ ‫ﻭﺟﻣﻳﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺻﻔﻲ‬ ‫ﻭﺛﻘﻳﻠﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺣﻘﻳﺑﺗﻲ‬
‫ﻣﻌﻲ‬
reporting information gathered from peers about their families, using modelled language such as
‫ﺍﻟﺩﻳﻧﺎﺻﻭﺭﺍﺕ‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺯﻥ‬ ‫ﺷﻘﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﺳﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﻓﺎﻁﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺃﺥ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻫﺎ‬ ‫ﻓﺎﺩﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺭﺍءﺓ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻻ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺳﺎﺏ‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻻ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻳﺩ‬
contributing aspects of personal information to a class digital photo story, for example, writing or reading
aloud captions to own photos
‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻛﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﺎﻧﻲ‬ ‫ﺣﻘﻳﺑﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻧﺕ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻳﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺻﻭﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﺑﺎﺡ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻳﺑﻛﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺯﻥ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﻁﻭﻳﻼً؛‬ ‫ﺷﻌﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺑﻊ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬
‫ﺷﺟﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺗﺭﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﻋﺑﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﺻﻭﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﻳﻠﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺭﻭﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻛﺗﺏ‬
sharing information about self, home, family and favourite possessions, using simple sentence
structures, familiar vocabulary, appropriate gestures and concrete materials such as toys, for example,
‫ﺳﺭﻳﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﻧﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﻧﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﻧﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫"ﻣﻳﻼﻧﻲ"؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﻣﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﺩﻱ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻠﻌﺑﺔ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﺷﺗﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﻟﻌﺑﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬
‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻪ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺭﻳﻛﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻁﻠﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﺷﺗﺭﺍﻩ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫"ﺭﻳﻛﺱ"؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﻣﻪ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﻳﻧﺎﺻﻭﺭ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬
Creating
Listen to, view and read to simple imaginative texts, including digital and multimodal texts, and respond by
making simple statements about favourite elements and through action, mime, dance, drawing and other
forms of expression
[Key concepts: imagination, response, character; Key processes: participating, acting, listening, reading]

Elaborations
participating in shared reading of imaginative texts, responding to questions and giving opinions about
characters and events, for example,
‫ﺃﺟﻧﺣﺔ‬ ‫ﻭﻋﻧﺩﻫﺎ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺭﺍﺷﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺄﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻖ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺳﺩ‬ ‫ﻣﻔﺗﺭﺱ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺳﺩ‬ ‫ﻟﻁﻳﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺣﻳﻭﺍﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩّﺏ‬ ‫ﻧﺷﻳﻁ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻟﺩ‬ ‫ﺳﺎﻣﻲ‬
listening to, reading or viewing Arabic versions of stories they are familiar with in print, online or digital
form, such as �‫ﺟﺩﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﺎﻋﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻳﺭﻗﺔ‬ , and recreating them through mime, dance and drawing
responding to imaginative Arabic texts such as stories, rhymes and songs through playacting, illustrating
and movement
making simple statements in response to favourite characters in stories, rhymes, storyboards or songs,
for example,
‫ﺍﻟﺟﻣﻳﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺫﻫﺑﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﻣﻛﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﻓﺿﻝ‬ ‫ﻟﻁﻳﻑ؛‬ ‫ﻷﻧﻪ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﻓﺿﻝ‬
Create own representations of people or events in imaginative texts using familiar words, illustrations,
actions and other verbal and nonverbal forms of expression
[Key concepts: performance, expression; Key processes: experimenting, drawing, captioning, labelling]

Elaborations
creating own version of a story by sequencing a series of pictures with captions or by creating a
storyboard with labels, using modelled language, for example
‫ﻣﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻳﺎﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﻳﺎ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬
performing songs, raps, rhymes and action stories using simple language and nonverbal forms of
expression, such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions, to support meaning
creating a puppet play or dramatic performance based on an experience or aspect of a story, song,
poem or cartoon
creating and presenting a class Big Book and texts in digital form based on imagined scenarios in familiar
contexts, using modelled language, for example,
ً ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭﺍ‬ ً‫ﺛﻌﻠﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻫﺩ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻳﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺿﺧﻡ؛‬ ‫ﺟﺑﻝ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺵ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻳﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺳﻣﻪ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺩﺏ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬
Translating
Translate familiar Arabic and English words, phrases and expressions, using visual cues and word lists,
and explain the meaning of particular words and verbal and nonverbal expressions
[Key concepts: meaning, expression; Key processes: noticing, matching, translating]

Elaborations
using Arabic and English to name familiar objects and conduct simple conversations, translating when
necessary to help others understand
translating and interpreting particular words and expressions and simple texts such as songs for friends
and family
playing matching games with Arabic and English words from Big Books and picture books
demonstrating and explaining hand gestures, intonation patterns and facial expressions that can be used
without language to convey meaning, for example, nodding to indicate agreement
Create simple print or digital bilingual texts in Arabic and English, such as word lists, labels and captions,
for their class, school and family
[Key concepts: representation, equivalence; Key processes: naming, labelling, displaying]

Elaborations
creating a bilingual picture dictionary for classroom use
making bilingual greeting cards in print or digital form for family celebrations such as Mother’s Day, using
greetings and simple expressions in Arabic and English, for example,
‫ﺳﻌﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺃﻡ‬ ‫ﻋﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﻣﺎ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺑﺭﻭﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﻣﺎ؛‬ ‫ﺣﺑﻳﺑﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﻣﺎ؛‬
creating a bilingual personal profile containing information relating to self, family and friends
labelling photos in both Arabic and English for a display of a class event or experience such as a sports
day or school concert
Reflecting
Describe the experience of using Arabic at home and at school, such as how it feels and the particular
behaviours they associate with speaking Arabic
[Key concepts: self, identity, belonging; Key processes: identifying, comparing]

Elaborations
identifying the significance of gestures in Arabic, and noticing own level of comfort with these, for
example, making or not making eye contact when talking to older people
discussing one another’s ways of communicating and their appropriateness in Arabicspeaking contexts,
such as different ways of showing politeness, for example, when making requests ‫ﻓﺿﻠﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ or thanking
someone ً‫ﺟﺯﻳﻼ‬ ً‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍً؛‬
sharing with peers how it feels to use Arabic, for example, when singing a song in class, speaking Arabic
with friends or family members, and using gestures, such as nodding the head slightly when saying ‫ﺃﻭ‬ ‫ﻧﻌﻡ‬
‫ﻻ‬
Identify themselves as members of different groups, including the Arabic class, the school, and their family
and community, describing their roles within these different groups
[Key concepts: membership, roles, belonging; Key processes: recognising, describing, connecting]

Elaborations
listing various groups they belong to, for example, family, school, class or clubs, and reflecting on
themselves as a member of multiple groups and the roles they play in these groups
identifying themselves as belonging to a particular cultural and/or language group, for example,
‫ﺳﻭﺭﻳﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻫﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﻟﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﺭﺍﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻻﺭﺩﻥ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﺑﻧﺎﻥ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻫﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺑﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺻﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺑﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬
creating own profile using drawings or providing captions for photos to express roles in or membership of
various groups, including their identity as a person who knows more than one language
eliciting and giving information that signals identity in different contexts, such as home, school and
community, for example, compiling a personal profile consisting of their name, age, and dialect spoken at
home, using simple words and modelled sentences
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise the letters and sounds of the Arabic alphabet and identify how letters are modified so they can
be joined to form words
[Key concepts: phonic awareness, script, directionality (writing right to left); Key processes: recognising,
distinguishing, listening]
(ACLARU114 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising and reproducing the 28 letters of the alphabet and the three short and long vowels
recognising that Arabic words are written from right to left, numbers from left to right
recognising and producing distinctive Arabic sounds such as guttural sounds ‫ﻉ؛ﻍ؛ﻕ‬ and other sounds
such as
‫ﺥ‬ ‫ﺡ؛‬ ‫ﻅ؛‬ ‫ﻁ؛‬ ‫ﺽ؛‬ ‫ﺹ؛‬
recognising that making Arabic words requires most letters to be joined, for example
‫ﺍﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﺏ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻟﺩ؛‬ ‫ﺷﺭﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺫﻫﺏ؛‬ ‫ﻁﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻁﺎﺭ؛‬
developing pronunciation, phrasing and intonation skills by singing, reciting and repeating frequently
used words and phrases, noticing that statements and questions have different intonation, for example,
‫ﻛﻠﻪ؟‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻁﻌﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻠﺕ‬
Recognise parts of speech and frequently used words in familiar contexts, and understand the basic rules
of word order in simple sentences, such as the role of verbs in a sentence; the masculine and feminine
forms of nouns, verbs and adjectives; and simple possessive forms
[Key concepts: word order, gender variation; Key processes: noticing, selecting]

Elaborations
identifying and using highfrequency words and expressions related to home and school environments in
interactions, for example,
‫ﺍﻷﺳﺑﻭﻉ‬ ‫ﺃﻳﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﻓﺭﺍﻍ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻗﺕ‬ ‫ﻓﺭﺻﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺩﺭﺍﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺎﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺻﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺣﺻﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺧﻭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺏ؛‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺋﻠﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺕ؛‬
recognising word order in simple phrases and sentences, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﺣﻠﻳﺏ‬ ‫ﺳﺣﺭ‬ ‫ﺷﺭﺑﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻔﺎﺣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺳﺎﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻭﻟﺩ؛‬ ‫ﻗﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﺳﻠﻳﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻧﺎﻡ‬ :‫ﺍﻟﻔﻌﻠﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﻣﻠﺔ‬
identifying different parts of speech, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﺣﺭﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﻔﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﻌﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻻﺳﻡ؛‬
recognising that nouns have definite and indefinite articles and gender, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻭﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻣﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻠﻣﻳﺫ؛‬/‫ﺗﻠﻣﻳﺫ‬
using masculine and feminine forms of singular nouns and adjectives, for example,
‫ﺃﻟﻳﻔﺔ‬ ‫ﻗﻁﺔ‬ ‫ﺷﺭﺱ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺩ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﻐﻳﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻁﺎﻭﻟﺔ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺭﺳﻲ‬ ‫؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﻣﻳﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻧﻭﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺏ‬
using simple present tense verbs to describe aspects of own daily activities, for example,
‫ﺛﻳﺎﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﺑﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻭﺍﺟﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺩﺧﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺹ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺭﻛﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﻁﻭﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻧﺎﻭﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﺑﺎﺡ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺇﺳﺗﻳﻘﻅ‬
using simple verbs to express likes and dislikes, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﺭﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻭﻻ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺭﻳﺎﺿﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺭﻳﻊ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻻ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻁﻌﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬
understanding and responding to imperative verb forms in familiar instructions, for example,
ّ
‫ﻁﻌﺎﻣﻙ‬ ‫ﺍﻛﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﻏﺭﻓﺗﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻧﻅﻑ‬ ‫ﺇﺫﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺩﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﻻ‬ ‫ﻣﻛﺎﻧﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺇﺟﻠﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻓﺗﺢ‬
using singular possessive adjectives related to self, for example,
‫ﺩﻓﺗﺭﻩ‬ ‫ﺣﻘﻳﺑﺗﻬﺎ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺎﺑﻙ؛‬ ‫؛‬
ِ َ‫ﻏﺭﻓﺗﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺳﺭﻳﺭﻱ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﻲ؛‬
understanding that adjectives follow nouns and their gender, for example, ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻁﺎﻭﻟﺔ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺎﺏ‬
using singular personal pronouns, both masculine and feminine, with appropriate simple present tense
verbs to describe aspects of home or school life, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﻘﺻﺹ‬ ‫ﺗﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﻲ‬ ‫ﺫﻛﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻫﻭ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻁﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺳﻠﻳﻡ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﻫﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻫﻭ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻁﺑﺦ؛‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻧﺷﻳﻁﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻫﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻣﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬
developing knowledge of cardinal numbers
beginning to use simple conjunctions to link words and expressions, such as ‫ﺃﻳﺿﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﻭ؛‬ ‫ﻭ؛‬
Recognise that language is organised as text, and that texts such as songs, stories and labels have
different features
[Key concepts: textual features, form; Key processes: recognising, identifying]

Elaborations
listening to, reading and viewing different types of simple texts in Arabic, such as stories, songs and
captions, understanding that the Arabic script is written from right to left and that books and papers are
written from back to front
observing typical features of familiar Arabic texts, such as stories, nursery rhymes and signs, for
example,
‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﻳﺎ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺛﻼﺛﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺧﻧﺎﺯﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﺳﻠﺣﻔﺎﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻻﺭﻧﺏ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﺫﺋﺏ؛‬ ‫ﻟﻳﻠﻰ‬
comparing similar texts in Arabic and English and noticing how they are the same or different, for
example, a counting song, street sign, labels at a supermarket, or a cover of a picture book
Language variation and change
Recognise that there are variations in the language used by Arabic speakers in different situations, such as
at home with family, and that the language used varies between different Arabic speakers
[Key concept: variation based on gender, age and context; Key processes: noticing, comparing,
understanding]

Elaborations
understanding that different forms of address and greetings are used depending on the time of day and
the gender, background and social status of the participants, for example,
‫ﻣﻌﻙ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺭﺏ‬ ‫ﺳﻼﻡ‬ ‫ﻭﺑﺭﻛﺎﺗﻪ؛‬ ‫ﷲ‬ ‫ﻭﺭﺣﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻳﻛﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﻼﻡ‬ ‫ﻭﻧﻌﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺳﻼﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺧﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺳﺎء‬ /‫ﺍﻟﺧﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺻﺑﺎﺡ‬ ‫؛‬ ‫ﻣﺭﺣﺑﺎ‬
‫ﺳﻌﺎﺩ‬ ‫ﺧﺎﻟﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻳﻥ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻡ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺎﻣﺎ؛‬
recognising that informal forms of address are very common among speakers of Arabic and are
acceptable across Arabic communities, for example
‫ﺟﺩﻭ‬ ‫ﻭﺩﺍﺩ؛‬ ‫ﺗﻳﺗﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺳﺕ‬ ‫ﻋﺑﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺧﺎﻟﺔ‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎء؛‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺩﻝ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻣﻭ‬
explaining how their spoken language at home may vary from the spoken language in class, and
understanding similarities and differences between various dialects represented within the classroom
Recognise that Australia has speakers of many different languages, including Arabic, and that languages
borrow words from one another
[Key concepts: place, wordborrowing; Key processes: noticing, selecting]

Elaborations
understanding that the world contains many different languages and that many people around the world
speak more than one language
recognising that Arabic has borrowed many words from English, for example, ‫ﺗﻠﻔﺎﺯ‬ ‫ﻛﻭﻣﺑﻳﻭﺗﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻧﺗﺭﻧﺕ؛‬ , and that
English has borrowed words from Arabic, such as ‘admiral’, ‘candy’, ‘coffee’, ‘cotton’, ‘genie’, ‘sugar’ and
‘sultan’
exploring the range of languages spoken in Australia, including Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait
Islander languages
Role of language and culture
Understand that the languages people use and the way they use them relate to who they are, where and
how they live and what is important to them
[Key concepts: language, culture and identity; Key processes: noticing, understanding, making connections]

Elaborations
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, and understanding that it involves visible elements, such as ways of
eating and behaving, and invisible elements, such as how people live, what they value and how they
think of themselves and others
recognising similarities and differences between naming systems across languages represented in the
classroom, and noticing that Arabicspeaking students may have names derived from other cultures and
languages
understanding that some AustralianEnglish terms and expressions have no equivalent in Arabic, for
example, ‘billabong’ or ‘the bush’, and that terms such as ‘the movies’, ‘footy’ and ‘backyard’ reflect
aspects of culture in the Australian context
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teacher and peers to exchange information about themselves,
their family and friends, for example, ‫ﺭﺍﻣﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﺧﺕ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺥ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﺧﺎﻟﺩ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺳﻣﻳﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ؛‬ ‫ﺳﺕ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﻟﻳﻠﻰ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻫﺎﻧﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺳﻣﻲ‬
‫ﺭﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﺗﻲ‬ , and initiate interactions by asking and responding to questions. They use repetitive language when
participating in shared activities and transactions and responding to classroom instructions. When speaking,
they use the sounds of the Arabic language, for example, ‫ﻕ‬ ‫ﻍ؛‬ ‫ﻉ؛‬ ‫ﺽ؛‬ ‫ﺹ؛‬ ‫ﻅ؛‬ ‫ﻁ؛‬ ‫ﺡ؛‬ ‫ﺥ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺛﻝ‬ ‫ﺣﺭﻭﻑ‬ . They locate
information about people, places and objects in simple texts, and share information in different formats, using
illustrations and gestures to support meaning, for example, ‫ﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻙ؟‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺕ‬ ‫ﻛﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﺻﺩﻗﺎء؟‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻙ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﺣﺎﻟﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻛﻳﻑ‬ ‫ﺗﺳﻛﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﺳﻣﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺗﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻫﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺩﺭﺳﺗﻙ؟‬ ‫ﺍﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻭﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻳﻌﻣﻝ‬ . They make simple statements about favourite elements in
response to imaginative experiences, and create own representations of imagined characters and events,
using illustrations, familiar language and nonverbal forms of expression. Students identify specific parts of
speech, such as nouns, verbs and adjectives, in spoken and written texts, and use familiar words and
phrases, for example, /‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺃﻏﻧﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻌﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺁﻛﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ؛‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺋﻠﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺻﺩﻗﺎء؛ﺍﻟﺻﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻡ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺎﺋﻠﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬
‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻣﺱ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﺑﺎﺡ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺑﺕ؛‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻧﻅﻳﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺟﻣﻳﻝ؛‬ ‫ﻗﺻﻳﺭ؛‬/‫ﻁﻭﻳﻝ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭ؛‬ and sentence patterns in simple
texts, such as ‫ﻣﻊ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫؛‬....‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻻ‬ /...‫ﺁﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ . They recognise questions and commands, for example,
‫ﻫﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﻳﺩﻙ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺭﻓﻊ‬ ‫ﺍﻵﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﻓﺿﻠﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺟﻠﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻔﺿﻠﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻟﻌﺑﺗﻙ‬ ‫ﻫﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭ؟‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﻙ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﻠﻌﺏ؟‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﺫﺍ‬/ ‫ﺃﺳﻣﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ,
and use vocabulary and simple sentences to communicate information about themselves, their family and
classroom, such as ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﻟﻳﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺫﻫﺑﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺳﻣﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺫﻫﺏ‬, applying basic rules of word order and gender. Students
translate frequently used words and simple phrases using visual cues, and create word lists, labels and
captions in both Arabic and English for their immediate environment, for example,‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺩﻳﻘﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻐﺭﻓﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ؛‬
‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﺎﻟﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺁﻧﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﺇﺳﻣﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺩﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺇﺳﻣﻪ‬. ‫ﺃﺑﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻠﻌﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺹ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺷﺎﺭﻉ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺱ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﻑ؛‬. They
describe their roles as members of particular groups, and share their feelings and ways of behaving as they
use Arabic at home and in the classroom, such as .‫ﻛﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻓﺭﻳﻖ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻓﻬﻡ‬ ‫ﻻ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺭﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺳﻌﻳﺩ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻘﺩﻡ؛‬
Students identify letters of the Arabic alphabet and join some letters to form simple words. They identify
features of familiar texts. They distinguish between the language spoken by different Arabic speakers in
different situations, such as at home with family or at school with the teacher, for example, ‫؛‬...‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻳﻣﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﻓﺿﻠﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬
‫ﻟﻭﺳﻣﺣﺕ‬ ‫؛‬...‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻗﺩﺭ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬.... Students name some of the many languages that are spoken in Australia, including
Arabic, and provide examples of simple words in Arabic that have been borrowed from English and vice
versa. They identify how the ways people use language reflect where and how they live and what is important
to them.
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social worlds and their membership of various groups,
including the Arabic class. They are further developing literacy capabilities in both Arabic and English, as well
as biliteracy capabilities. They benefit from multimodal, activitybased learning that builds on their interests
and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
Arabic language learning and use
Learners interact with family and the wider Arabicspeaking community, and at school they interact with their
peers and the teacher in a variety of communicative activities. Specific language learning skills such as
memory and communication strategies are developed. Learners primarily engage in a variety of listening and
viewing activities, and understand familiar stories, songs and poems. They use Arabic in everyday
interactions, such as giving and following instructions ‫ﻓﻭﻕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻧﻭﺍﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻭﺭﻗﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ً‫ﺧﻁﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺳﻡ‬, attracting attention and
seeking help ‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ؟‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﻣﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﺋﻌﺔ!؛‬ ‫ﻓﻛﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻱ‬. They participate in collaborative activities such as sharing information
about their routines, friendships and leisure activities. They listen to, view and read a range of print, digital
and spoken texts, such as interactive stories and performances, and use their imagination to create simple
texts such as dialogues, stories and cartoons. They locate and classify key points of information in spoken,
written and multimodal texts, and convey information about their family, home and neighbourhood in simple
texts such as diary entries, emails and short stories.
The contexts in which students interact in learning and using Arabic are primarily the classroom, school and
home. They have access to the wider community of Arabic speakers and resources through outofclassroom
activities and the use of virtual and digital technology. They work both independently and cooperatively,
further developing their sense of personal as well as group identity, and of the cultural significance of family
relationships.
Texts and resources
Learners develop biliteracy skills through interacting with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal
texts. Texts such as recipes, reports and family profiles show how language is used in different ways and for
different purposes.
Features of Arabic language use
Learners explore Arabic sounds, intonation and writing conventions to further develop their speaking and
writing skills and initial understanding of their developing biliteracy. They use key grammatical forms and
structures, such as verbs, pronouns, singular/plural forms and prepositions, to provide information in simple
sentences and short texts about places ‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺑﻊ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻩ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﺻﺭ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺟﺎء‬, people, actions, events and
feelings, for example, ‫ﺑﺎﻟﻔﺭﺡ‬ ‫ﺃﺷﻌﺭ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻭﺳﻳﻘﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﻋﺯﻑ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻣﺎ‬. They begin to develop a metalanguage for understanding
and discussing language features, and make connections and comparisons between Arabic and English.
Comparing the structures and patterns of Arabic with those of English helps learners understand both
languages, assisting in the development of their biliteracy skills.
Level of support
In the classroom, this stage of learning involves extensive support through scaffolding. Teachers model what
is expected, introduce language concepts and resources needed to manage and complete tasks, and make
time for experimentation, drafting and redrafting, providing support for selfmonitoring and reflection. Support
includes a range of spoken, written, visual and interactive resources, such as poems, songs, video clips and
digital games.
The role of English
Learners use Arabic in classroom routines, social interactions, learning tasks, and language experimentation
and practice. Arabic and English are used for discussion, explanation and reflection. Learners explore
connections between culture and language use in various Arabicspeaking communities and the wider
Australian context, and reflect on their own sense of identity and their experiences as Arabic background
speakers when communicating and interacting with others.
Communicating
Socialising
Socialise and build relationships with the teacher, family and friends through the exchange of personal
information relating to home and school environment, such as everyday routines
[Key concepts: friendship, experiences, routine, time; Key processes: describing, expressing, sharing]

Elaborations
asking and answering questions about information relating to self, peers, friends and family members, for
example,
‫ﺗﻠﻌﺏ؟‬ ‫ﺭﻳﺎﺿﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﻱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﺑﻌﺩ‬ ‫ﺗﻔﻌﻝ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﺗﻙ؟‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻟﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﺗﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻫﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺑﺕ؟‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﺗﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻭﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻳﻌﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ؟‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﺩﺕ؟‬ ‫ﺃﻳﻥ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻳﺩﺭﺱ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ‬ ‫ﻁﺑﻳﺑﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺳﺗﺷﻔﻰ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻳﻌﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﺍً؛‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺷﻭﻛﻭﻻﺗﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺑﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺍﻕ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﺩﺕ‬
.‫ﺍﻟﻣﻁﻌﻡ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺣﺩ‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﻱ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺑﺕ‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﺎﻣﻌﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ‬
sharing information about daily routines and favourite activities at home and school, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﻘﺩﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﻏﺭﻓﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﻅﻑ‬ ‫ﺳﺭﻳﺭﻱ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻛﺗﺭﻭﻧﻳﺔ؛‬ ً‫ﺃﻟﻌﺎﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﺭﻭﺽ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻠﻔﺎﺯ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺷﺎﻫﺩ‬ ‫ﺛﻳﺎﺑﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻟﺑﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﻁﻭﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺁﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻛﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﻳﻘﻅ‬
.‫ﺍﻟﻣﺳﺑﺢ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ‬
using common expressions and appropriate body language when responding to frequently used
comments and questions, for example,
‫ﻟﻠﻔﺭﺻﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻁﻌﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻙ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﻳﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﺑﺎﺡ؟‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺧﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﻟﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺭﺣﺔ؟‬ ‫ﻧﻣﺕ‬ ‫ﻣﺗﻰ‬ ‫ﻣﺗﻌﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻧﻙ‬ ‫ﻳﺑﺩﻭ‬
exchanging simple correspondence such as notes, invitations or birthday cards in print or digital form, for
example,
.ً‫ﻣﻌﺎ‬ ‫ﻧﻠﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﺗﻌﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺑﺕ؛‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺩﻋﻭﻙ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺳﻣﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﺩﻱ؟‬ ‫ﻋﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺣﻔﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬
.ً‫ﺳﻌﻳﺩﺍ‬ ً‫ﻋﻳﺩﺍ‬ ‫ﻟﻙ‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻣﻧﻰ‬ ‫ﺑﺧﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻧﺕ‬ ‫ﻋﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺳﻌﻳﺩ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻳﻼﺩ‬ ‫ﻋﻳﺩ‬
Participate in collaborative tasks and shared experiences that involve planning and simple transactional
exchanges, such as playing games, roleplaying dialogues, and preparing and presenting group work
[Key concepts: participation, cooperation, collaboration; Key processes: sharing, negotiating]

Elaborations
asking and responding to questions in group activities such as number and memory games, for example,
‫ﺍﻷﻭﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺧﺎﻧﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺛﺎﻟﺛﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺭﻗﻌﺔ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﻭﺻﻠﺕ‬ ‫ﺳﺗﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻔﺿﻝ‬ ‫ﻋﺩﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﺛﻣﺎﻧﻳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻋﺩﺩ‬ ‫ﺇﺧﺗﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﺗﺭﻳﺩﻫﺎ؟‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻋﺩﺍﺩ‬ ‫ﻫﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﺇﺧﺗﺭﺕ؟‬ ‫ﻋﺩﺩ‬ ‫ﺃﻱ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻭﺭﻗﺔ‬ ‫ﻛﻡ‬
negotiating roles for shared tasks using simple expressions such as
‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺋﻊ؛‬ ‫ﺩﻭﺭﻙ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻧﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺷﺗﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﺩﻭﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻵﺧﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻧﺻﻑ‬ ‫ﺗﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻧﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻧﺻﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺻﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻛﻝ‬ ‫ﺗﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﻘﺩﺭ‬ ‫ﻻ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺏ؟‬ ‫ﺩﻭﺭ‬ ‫ﻋﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬
‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺋﻊ؟‬ ‫ﺗﻛﻭﻥ‬
participating in roleplays, such as buying goods from a shop, using props, for example, ‫ﺣﻠﻳﺏ؟‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻙ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬, to
engage in conversation
preparing, rehearsing and presenting a group activity for class or school about a familiar situation or
event, using expressions such as
‫ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺭﺽ‬ ‫ﺗﺳﺗﻣﺗﻌﻭﺍ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻧﺭﺟﻭ‬ ‫ﻣﺣﻣﻭﺩ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﻟﻳﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻭﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻻﺳﺗﻣﺎﻋﻛﻡ؛‬ ً‫ﺷﻛﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻋﻥ‬ ً‫ﻋﺭﺿﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﻛﻡ‬ ‫ﻧﻘﺩﻡ‬ ‫ﺳﻭﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻳﻭﻡ‬
Participate in everyday classroom activities, such as giving and following instructions, attracting the
teacher’s attention and asking for repetition
[Key concepts: respect, politeness; Key processes: participating, requesting, responding]

Elaborations
giving and following classroom instructions, for example,
ّ
‫ﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺩﻭﺭﻙ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻛﻼﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﻭﻗّﻑ‬ ‫ﻣﻛﺎﻧﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺇﺟﻠﺱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺏ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻏﻠﻖ‬ ‫ﻓﻭﻕ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻧﻭﺍﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻭﺭﻗﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ً‫ﺧﻁﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﺎﺭﻳﺦ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﺗﺏ‬
attracting attention and asking for help in classroom situations, for example, ‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ؟‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﻣﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﺋﻌﺔ!؛‬ ‫ﻓﻛﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻱ‬
requesting repetition, for example,
‫؟‬... ‫ﻣﻌﻧﻰ‬ ‫ﻣﺎ‬ .‫ﺍﻟﺳﺅﺍﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﻋﺩ‬ ،‫ﻓﺿﻠﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺅﺍﻝ؟‬ ‫ﺃﻓﻬﻡ‬ ‫ﻟﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺅﺍﻝ؟‬ ‫ﺗﻌﻳﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﻣﻛﻥ‬
praising and encouraging peers, and using formulaic expressions and interjections, for example,
!‫ﺭﺍﺋﻊ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﺍَ؛‬ ‫ﺟﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻣﻣﺗﺎﺯ!؛‬
Informing
Locate and classify information relating to familiar contexts, routines and interests from spoken, written and
visual texts
[Key concepts: time (routines), leisure; Key processes: listening, reading, viewing, selecting, sequencing]

Elaborations
recording and classifying information obtained from others, such as favourite foods and places to visit, for
example,
‫ﺍﻟﺑﻧﺎﺕ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﻳﺗﺎﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺯﻑ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺿﻝ‬
ّ ِ ‫ﻭﻳﻔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺑﺎﺣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺟﺩ‬ ‫ﺿﻝ‬
ّ ِ ‫ﻳﻔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺩﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺧﺿﺎﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺳﻌﺎﺩ‬ ‫ﺿﻝ‬
ّ ِ ‫ﺗﻔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺟﺎﺝ؛‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺩﻝ‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﺑﻭﻟﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺳﺎﻟﻡ‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬
‫ﺍﻟﺭﻳﺎﺿﺔ‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺑﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻭﻻﺩ‬ ‫ﺑﻳﻧﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻭﺳﻳﻘﻰ‬
listening to short spoken texts with new vocabulary and unfamiliar language, and identifying key
information, for example, the name and number on a recorded phone message
‫ﻣﺭﺣﺑﺎ‬
‫ﺳﻬﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﺇﺳﻣﻲ‬
‫ﺍﻹﻣﺗﺣﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﺑﺧﺻﻭﺹ‬ ‫ﺳﺎﻣﺭ‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﻳﺩ‬
0456566777 ‫ﺍﻟﺭﻗﻡ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻹﺗﺻﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺟﻭ‬
comparing profiles and stories in print and digital form about different people and their daily routines, and
creating a display with names and short descriptions, for example,
.‫ﻭﺍﻟﺳﺑﺎﺣﺔ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﺭﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻛﻭﻣﺑﻳﻭﺗﺭ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﻌﺏ‬
ّ ّ‫ﺍﻟﻠ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻳﺿﺎ‬ ً‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﺎﺩﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺗﺣﺏ‬ .‫ﺃﺧﻭﺍﺕ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺑﻊ‬ ‫ﻭﻋﻧﺩﻫﺎ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﺩﻳﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﺗﺳﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ؛‬ ‫ﺳﺑﻊ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻫﺎ‬ ‫ﻓﺎﺩﻳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬
.‫ﻭﺣﻧﻭﻧﺔ‬ ‫ﻭﻓﻳﱠﺔ‬ ‫ﺻﺩﻳﻘﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﺎﺩﻳﺔ‬
gathering information about other people’s interests, for example, through conducting interviews or
surveys about weekend activities, and selecting specific information to include in a short report
locating and sequencing information to describe people and events, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﻣﺳﺎء‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﻳﺎﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻳﻧﻅﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﺑﺎﺡ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﻁﻭﺭ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺿﺭ‬
ّ ِ ‫ﺗﺣ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺩﻳﻘﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺏ‬ ‫ﻳﻧﻅﻑ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻪ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻭﻟﺩ‬ ‫ﻳﺳﺎﻋﺩ‬ ‫ﺗﺩﺭﺱ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻧﺕ‬
obtaining and using information from print, digital and multimodal texts related to a range of learning
areas, such as completing a simple science experiment, or naming countries, significant land features
and historical places on a map, for example,
‫ﺍﻷﺛﺭﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﻧﻳﻧﻭﻯ‬ ‫ﻣﺩﻳﻧﺔ‬ ‫ﺳﺎﻣﺭﺍء؛‬ ‫ﻣﻠﻭﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺑﻌﻠﺑﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻗﻠﻌﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻗﺻﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻌﺑﺩ‬ ‫ﻣﺻﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻫﺭﺍﻣﺎﺕ‬
Present information relating to home, school, neighbourhood and leisure in a range of spoken, written and
digital modes
[Key concept: representation (private life); Key processes: organising, selecting, presenting]

Elaborations
reporting on information gathered from sources such as interviews, surveys and brochures, using
drawings, posters and collages
creating print or digital texts to introduce family members and friends and describe relationships and
personal information relating to their background and experiences, using simple descriptive language
and supporting resources, for example,
‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ .‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺑﻊ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻩ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻣﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﺻﺭ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺟﺎء‬ .‫ﻋﺎﺋﻠﺗﻪ‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺭﺍﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻣﻧﻁﻘﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻳﺳﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺍﺣﺩ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﺥ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻭﺍﺕ‬ ‫ﺛﻼﺙ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻩ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻳﺩ‬
ً ‫ﻛﺛﻳﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﻭﻋﺎﺋﻠﺗﻪ‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﻪ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻳﺩ‬
creating a class book or visual/digital display relating to a school event such as an excursion to the zoo or
museum, for example,
‫ﻣﺧﺗﻠﻔﺔ‬ ‫ﺑﺄﺣﺟﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﻭﻗﺭﺩﺓ‬ ‫ﻛﺑﻳﺭ‬ ّ‫ﺩﺏ‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎﻙ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﻧﺎﺋﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻫﻭ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺳﺩ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻫﺩﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻳﻭﺍﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺣﺩﻳﻘﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻳﻭﺍﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺣﺩﻳﻘﺔ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺭﺣﻠﺔ‬
‫ﺗﺎﺭﻳﺧﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﻟﺳﻔﻳﻧﺔ‬ ً‫ﺻﻭﺭﺍ‬ ‫ﻭﺷﺎﻫﺩﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﺭﺍﻟﻳﺎ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻟﻠﺳﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺛﺭﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﻭﺻﻭﺭ‬ ‫ﻗﺩﻳﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﺁﻻﺕ‬ ‫ﻫﻧﺎﻙ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻫﺩﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺧﻣﻳﺱ؛‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺗﺣﻑ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺫﻫﺑﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺗﺣﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﺭﺣﻠﺔ‬
presenting information both orally and in writing on pastimes and activities relating to self and peers,
describing actions, responses and feelings, for example,
‫ﺑﻣﻬﺎﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺍﻻﻟﻛﺗﺭﻭﻧﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻻﻟﻌﺎﺏ‬ ‫ﻳﻠﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﺳﻣﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺑﻁﻼﻗﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻗﺭﺃ‬ ‫ﺑﻣﻬﺎﺭﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺑﺢ‬ ‫ﺟﻳﺩﺍً؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺩﻡ‬ ‫ﻛﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻌﺏ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻛﺎﺭﺗﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻁﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﻷﻧﻧﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺭﺳﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﺳﻌﺎﺩﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﻧﺷﺎﻁ؛‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﻣﻠﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﺣﺯﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻟﻔﺭﺡ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺷﻌﺭ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻭﺳﻳﻘﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﻋﺯﻑ‬ ‫ﻋﻧﺩﻣﺎ‬
Creating
Respond to imaginative texts, such as interactive stories and performances, identifying and describing
characters, events, ideas and favourite elements
[Key concepts: character, people, places, experiences; Key processes: participating, responding, relating,
reflecting]

Elaborations
listening to, reading and viewing a range of print, digital and oral texts through shared and guided
participation, and responding to questions about characters, ideas and events
comparing an Arabic fable such as ‫ﺣﺭﺍﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻷﺭﺑﻌﻭﻥ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﺣﺭﻱ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﻣﺻﺑﺎﺡ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﻋﻼء‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺣﺭﻱ؛‬ ‫ﺳﻧﺩﺑﺎﺩ‬ with an
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander story and highlighting the similarities and differences in characters,
events and the moral of the story
discussing imaginative texts, using short statements to describe aspects such as characters, settings or
events, and illustrating and captioning aspects of texts
roleplaying events in imaginative texts, using movement and actions to reinforce meaning and
experimenting with voice and gestures to animate characters
Create and perform short imaginative texts, such as dialogues or collaborative stories based on Arabic
fables, using formulaic expressions and modelled language
[Key concepts: imagination, experience; Key processes: presenting, creating, performing]

Elaborations
creating simple imaginative texts such as comics, short stories or poems, using modelled language to
express own ideas and imagined experiences
collaborating with peers to create and present picture or digital books, short plays or animations based
on favourite characters in Arabic fables, using familiar language and formulaic expressions such as
‫؛‬... ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﻳﺣﺏ‬ ‫؛‬... ‫ﺷﺎﺏ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﺣﺭﺍﻣﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻷﺭﺑﻌﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﻗﺻﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻁﻝ‬ ‫ﻫﻭ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﺑﺎ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻲ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬
modifying texts such as songs, for example, by substituting words in a wellknown Arabic song or rhyme
creating and performing alternative versions or endings of familiar stories, using voice, rhythm and
gestures to animate characters
Translating
Translate and interpret words, expressions and sentences in simple English and Arabic texts, noticing
similarities and differences or nonequivalence
[Key concepts: meaning, translation; Key processes: moving between languages, comparing]

Elaborations
using a picture or digital dictionary to find the meanings of simple vocabulary used in class, and
comparing English and Arabic versions
comparing Arabic expressions used in everyday interactions such as greetings with equivalent English
expressions, identifying differences and similarities and words and expressions that do not translate
easily, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﺭﺏ‬ ‫ﻧﺷﻛﺭ‬ ‫ ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻣﺩ‬ ‫ﺣﺎﻟﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻛﻳﻑ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻧﻭﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺻﺑﺎﺡ‬/‫ﺍﻟﺧﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﺻﺑﺎﺡ‬ ‫ﻣﺭﺣﺑﺎ؛‬
translating short, simple texts from Arabic into English and vice versa, using cues to interpret meaning,
such as layout, headings and familiar vocabulary
identifying words that change meaning according to the context and Arabicspeaking region, for example,
‫ﻣﺑﺳﻭﻁ‬ ‫ﺣﻠﻳﺏ؛‬/‫ﻟﺑﻥ‬
Produce bilingual texts and resources, including digital and online resources such as digital picture
dictionaries, posters and signs, for their class and school community
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key processes: selecting, describing]

Elaborations
producing a parallel bilingual word list or digital picture dictionary by identifying known Arabic words or
expressions and relating them to English equivalents, and vice versa, recognising that direct translation is
not always possible
composing captions for images in Arabic and English to create simple bilingual storybooks in print or
digital formats
creating texts in print, digital or online formats, such as descriptions in both Arabic and English on familiar
topics, selecting from word lists vocabulary that best conveys the intended meaning in both languages
creating simple action songs and raps which include alternative repetitive phrases in Arabic and English,
to perform for the school community
Reflecting
Reflect on their experiences as Arabic background speakers when interacting in English and Arabic,
observing differences in language use and behaviours
[Key concepts: culture, language, behaviour; Key processes: examining, connecting]

Elaborations
comparing their interactions in Arabic and English, noticing different behaviours and language used, for
example, adding the words ‫ﺧﺎﻟﺔ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﻭ؛‬ before the names of older family members and other adults to show
respect, compared with addressing friends in English by their first name
describing elements of Arabic language that are different from English, including gestures such as patting
the heart a few times to indicate ‘That’s enough, thank you…’
developing metalanguage for describing experiences of intercultural exchange in different contexts, for
example,
‫ﺑﺎﻟﻌﺭﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻲ‬ ‫ﺗﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻹﻧﺟﻠﻳﺯﻱ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺇﺧﻭﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﻭﻟﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﻭﺟﺩﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬
‫ﺍﺳﻬﻝ‬ ‫ﻷﻧﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﺛﺭ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻹﻧﺟﻠﻳﺯﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻛﻠﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻗﻭﻳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻟﻳﺳﺕ‬ ‫ﻋﺭﺑﻳﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻹﻧﺟﻠﻳﺯﻱ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻳﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺭﺩ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻧﺎ‬
Explore their own sense of identity, including elements such as family, background and experiences, and
ways of using language in Arabic and Englishspeaking contexts
[Key concepts: communication, identity; Key processes: reflecting, adjusting]

Elaborations
discussing the groups they belong to, including their families and Arabic cultural and language groups,
and reflecting on how membership of these groups affects their own sense of identity
creating texts in print, digital, online or multimodal formats that express personal views on identity,
including as a member of different cultural and/or language groups, for example, their name, in English
and/or Arabic, their life experiences overseas and in Australia, and reflecting on how these may be
understood from an Australian and Arabic perspective
mapping personal profiles by creating a chart, timeline or web profile to highlight significant experiences
or events, for example, marking an event when they identified as Lebanese, Egyptian, Iraqi or Arab, such
as during religious ceremonies or special national events
noticing how they communicate in both Arabic and Englishspeaking contexts, identifying differences in
behaviour and discussing reasons for these, for example, how they would address their teacher
compared to a family member such as an uncle
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise and reproduce Arabic pronunciation and intonation patterns using vocalisation and features of
individual syllable blocks, and understand that in Arabic script, most letters change appearance depending
on their position
[Key concepts: sound and writing systems, syllables; Key processes: noticing, describing, comparing]

Elaborations
discriminating between simple vowels, for example, ُ‫ﺕ‬ ‫ﺕِ؛‬ ‫ﺕَ ؛‬, long vowels or the three vowel letters ‫ﺍ؛ﻭ؛ﻱ‬,
such as ‫ﺗﻭ‬ ‫ﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺗﺎ؛‬ and consonant letters in a syllable block
using basic punctuation in writing, including question marks (?), commas (,) and full stops (.) and semi
colons (‫)؛‬
recognising that letters change form depending on their place in the word, for example,
‫ﻡ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻳﻥ؛‬ :‫ﻉ‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺎﺑﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻳﻛﺗﺏ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺏ؛‬ :‫ﻙ‬
noticing that vocalisation such as َ‫ِ؛‬ ‫؛‬ ُ may change the function of the word depending on where it is
placed, for example, ‫ﻟُﻌَﺏ‬ ‫ﺏ؛‬
َ ‫ﻟَ ِﻌ‬ ‫ ُﻛﺗُﺏ؛‬ ‫َﺏ؛‬
َ ‫َﻛﺗ‬
experimenting with Arabic words and vowels to construct and deconstruct syllable blocks, for example, …
‫ﻓﺔ؛‬/‫ﻏﺭ‬ ‫ﺳﻲ؛‬/‫ﻛﺭ‬ ‫ﺩﻱ؛‬/‫ﻓﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﻡ؛‬/‫ﺳﺎ‬ ‫ﺗﺏ؛‬/‫ﻛﺎ‬
using basic pronunciation and intonation rules when speaking and reading aloud
deducing from familiar sounds and contexts how to spell new words, for example, predicting how to spell
‫ﺷﺎﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﺩﻱ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺎﺩﻱ؛‬ having learnt how to spell ‫ﻓﺎﺩﻱ‬
comparing different forms of writing for the letter ‫ﺃ‬, for example, ‫ﺃ؛ﺇ؛ﺁ‬
Understand and use key grammatical forms and structures, such as basic pronouns and possessive
pronouns, singular/plural forms of regular nouns and adjectives, and prepositions
[Key concepts: number, syntax, verb forms; Key processes: sequencing, applying, relating]

Elaborations
using subject–verb–object word order in simple sentences relating to home and school environment,
recognising the use of the definite article and its impact on the meaning of the sentence, for example,
ً‫ﻏﺭﻓﺔ‬ ‫ﺳﻣﺎﺡ‬ ‫ﻧﻅﻔﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻐﺭﻓﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺳﻣﺎﺡ‬ ‫ﻧﻅﻔﺕ‬ ‫ﺩﺭﺳﺎً؛‬ ‫ﻭﺳﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺱ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺳﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻣﻝ‬
understanding and applying singular nouns and regular plural noun endings in masculine and feminine
forms, for example,
‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺎﺕ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻣﻭﻥ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻌﻠﻡ‬
using singular, second person and plural possessive pronouns to describe relationship or ownership, for
example,
‫ﻏﺭﻓﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻟﻌﺑﻛﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺑﻬﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻧﻅﺎﺭﺗﻙ؟‬ ‫ﺃﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺳﻳﺎﺭﺗﻙ؟‬ ‫ﻣﻔﺗﺎﺡ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻳﺱ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺣﻘﻳﺑﺗﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻫﺫﻩ‬ ‫ﻟﻳﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺳﻣﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻳﺎ‬ ‫ﺩﻓﺗﺭﻙ‬ ‫ﻫﺫﺍ‬
using a range of adjectives in singular and plural form to describe appearance, feelings and
personalities, for example,
‫ﻣﺭﺣﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻔﺿﻝ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺎﺑﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺿﺎﻋﺕ‬ ‫ﻷﻧﻬﺎ‬ ‫ﺣﺯﻳﻧﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺟﺩﺍً؛‬ ‫ﺳﻌﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﺳﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻧﺣﻳﻔﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺎﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻁﻭﻳﻝ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﺳﻌﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ‬ ‫ﻋﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﻗﺻﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺃﺧﻲ‬ ‫ﻁﻭﻳﻠﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﺧﺗﻲ‬
‫ﻭﺿﺣﻭﻙ‬ ‫ﻭﺩﻭﺩ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﺑﻲ‬ ً‫ﺟﺩﺍ‬
using past tense verbs to recount events related to home and school contexts, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻧﺳﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻣﺗﺄﺧﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﻧﻣﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺱ؛‬ ‫ﻋﻥ‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺧﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﻟﻠﻣﻌﻠﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﺭﺿﻲ‬ ‫ﻗﺩﻣﺕ‬
using imperative forms of simple verbs when giving others instructions, for example,
‫ﺃﻣﻙ‬ ‫ﺇﺳﺄﻟﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﻠﻡ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻣﺳﻛﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺎﺑﻙ؛‬ ‫ﺃﻓﺗﺣﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﻣﻠﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺃ ُﻛﺗﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﻧﺎﻧﻙ؛‬ ‫ﻧﻅﻑ‬ ‫ﻁﻌﺎﻣﻙ؛‬ ُ
ّ ‫ﻛﻝ‬
expressing negation in simple sentences, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺩﺓ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﻻ‬
using adverbs of place and time to expand on expressions, for example
‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﻣﻛﺗﺑﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻛﺗﺎﺏ‬ ‫ﻗﺭﺃﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻠﻌﺏ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺑﺎﺭﺍﺓ‬ ‫ﺷﺎﻫﺩﺕ‬ ‫ﻣﺗﺄﺧﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﻭﺻﻠﺕ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻛﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﺇﺳﺗﻳﻘﻅﺕ‬
using a variety of prepositions to expand on spoken and written interactions, for example
‫ﺑﺄﻣﻲ‬ ‫ﺇﺗﺻﻠﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻐﺩﺍء‬ ‫ﺃﺛﻧﺎء‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺫﻫﺑﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻁﻠﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺭﺍﻍ؛‬ ‫ﻭﻗﺕ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬
understanding and using simple question words in interactions, for example
‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؟‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻛﻳﻑ‬ ‫ﻟﻠﻐﺩﺍء؟‬ ‫ﺍﺣﺿﺭﺕ‬ ‫ﻣﺎﺫﺍ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﻁﻭﺭ؟؛‬ ‫ﻟﻙ‬ ‫ﺃﻋﺩ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ؟‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﻣﺗﻰ‬
Understand that familiar spoken and written Arabic texts, such as conversations and stories, have particular
features and structures relating to different purposes and audiences
[Key concepts: linguistic features, genre, structure; Key processes: observing patterns, distinguishing]

Elaborations
noticing differences between different types of texts in Arabic, for example, comparing a verbal recount of
a wellknown fable with the written text, or a text message with a phone call, an email with letter
recognising how elements of texts in print, digital and online formats, such as title, layout, illustrations and
size of script in a Big Book, combine to make meaning
identifying and comparing the features of different types of texts, observing similar patterns and
identifying differences, for example, the opening and signature in an email and a letter, a description in a
story and a diary entry
classifying a range of texts in print, digital and online formats, such as stories, digital greeting cards,
recipes, advertisements (print and online versions) and posters, according to their purpose(s), for
example, to entertain, to describe, to inform or to persuade, and recognising language features typically
associated with particular texts, such as the use of imperatives in recipes and time markers in stories
Understand that Arabic as a spoken language varies according to region and country and that meaning can
be influenced by gestures, tone and purpose
[Key concepts: dialect, variation; Key processes: observing, explaining]

Elaborations
reflecting on how they communicate with their family and friends and with people less close to them,
noticing differences in word choice, language use and communicative behaviour
understanding that Arabic as a language has a standard form called ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺻﺣﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺑﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺔ‬, which is mainly
used in writing, and a range of spoken dialects that differ greatly from region to region, for example,
Lebanese, Egyptian, Sudanese and the Iraqi and Gulf regional dialects
understanding how differences in gestures and tone are used to change the meaning of spoken text, and
how the purpose of interaction, such as to instruct or invite, changes the emphasis on words and
expressions being used
Recognise that languages change over time and influence one another
[Key concepts: language change, influence, exchange; Key processes: observing, identifying, discussing]

Elaborations
identifying how Arabic has influenced other languages, for example, Indonesian (Kitab = ‫ﻛﺗﺎﺏ‬, Kursi
=‫)ﻛﺭﺳﻲ‬ and Spanish (aceite = ‫)ﺯﻳﺕ‬, and the number system in English
understanding that Arabic, like all languages, is constantly expanding in response to intercultural
experiences to include new words and expressions, for example,
‫ﺍﻹﻧﺗﺭﻧﺕ‬ ‫ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﺩﺭﺩﺷﺔ‬
recognising that some Arabic words are derived from other languages, such as ‫ﺍﻟﻔﺳﺗﻖ‬ , which is borrowed
from Greek to mean ‘pistachio’; or ‫ﻗﺯ‬ , which is borrowed from Persian to mean ‘raw silk’
understanding that some languages are continuously evolving while others are endangered or being
revived, for example, indigenous languages throughout the world, including Aboriginal languages and
Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia
Compare and reflect on cultural practices relating to ways in which language is used in various Arabic
speaking communities and in the wider Australian context
[Key concepts: difference, expression, practices; Key processes: identifying, distinguishing, relating,
comparing]

Elaborations
examining aspects of Arabic culture in familiar contexts, for example, identifying language use such as ‫ﻛﻝ‬
‫ﺷﺭﻓﺗﻭﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻭﺳﻬﻼَ؛‬ َ‫ﺃﻫﻼ‬ ‫ﺑﺧﻳﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻧﺗﻡ‬ ‫ﻋﺎﻡ‬ and behaviours such as eating sweets at different celebrations and occasions
reflecting on and explaining to others the significance of some common Arabic cultural practices and
events, such as offering visitors food and drink, and serving sweets during special occasions, or coffee in
times of mourning
comparing the cultural importance of music and traditional dance in different Arabicspeaking
communities as expressions of identity and emotions, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﻔﻠﻛﻠﻭﺭﻱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﻌﻳﺩﻱ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﺭﻗﺹ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺭﺍﻗﻳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﺟﻭﺑﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻠﺑﻧﺎﻧﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺑﻛﺔ‬
By the end of Year 4, students interact with the teacher and peers to share personal information about
aspects of their lives, such as experiences, everyday routines and leisure activities, for example, ‫ﺗﺳﻊ‬ ‫ﻋﻣﺭﻱ‬
‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﻋﺎﺋﻠﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ‬ ...‫ﺍﻟﻣﺳﺎء‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ...‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ‬ ‫ﺑﻌﺩ‬ ‫؛‬...‫ﺍﻟﺳﺎﻋﺔ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎﻡ‬ ‫ﺑﺎﻛﺭﺍً؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﻳﻘﻅ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺻﺑﺎﺡ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺻﻐﻳﺭ‬ ‫ﻭﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﺭﺍﻟﻳﺎ‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﺭﺍﻟﻳﺎ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻭﻟﻭﺩ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﺳﻧﻭﺍﺕ؛‬
‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﻟﻳﻪ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ً‫ﺩﺭﻭﺳﺎ‬ ‫ﺁﺧﺫ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺩﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻛﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺃﺣﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺑﻌﺩ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺭﻳﺎﺿﺔ‬ ‫ﺃﻟﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺳﻭﻕ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺩﻳﻘﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺣﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺗﺣﻑ؛‬. They use formulaic expressions
when interacting, such as giving and following instructions, asking for repetition, planning shared activities and
completing simple transactions, for example, ‫ﺗﻌﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﻳﻣﻛﻥ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﻓﺿﻠﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﻁﻳﻊ‬ ‫ﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻣﺎﻡ؟؛‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺃﺫﻫﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺳﺎﻋﺩﺓ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺭﻳﺩ‬ ‫ﻓﺿﻠﻙ‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬
‫؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﻣﻠﺔ؟‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻛﻠﻣﺔ؟‬ . They use features of Arabic pronunciation and intonation when speaking and reading aloud.
Students locate and classify information relating to familiar contexts and present it in modelled spoken, written
and visual texts. They describe characters, events and ideas and express opinions about favourite elements
in imaginative texts, and use formulaic expressions, for example, ‫ﻫﻧﺎﻙ‬ ‫ﻛﺎﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻳﺎﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﻳﻭﻡ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ , and modelled language
to create short imaginative texts. They use vocabulary related to school, home and everyday routines, for
example, ‫ﺃﺳﺗﻘﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻔﻁﻭﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺗﻧﺎﻭﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻧﻭﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻥ‬ ‫ﺃﺳﺗﻳﻘﻅ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻠﻭﻱ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻁﺎﺑﻖ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻁﺑﺦ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻏﺭﻓﺔ‬ /‫ﻏﺭﻓﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻧﻭﻡ؛‬ ‫ﻏﺭﻓﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻣﻭﺍﺩ‬ ‫ﻓﺭﻭﺿﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻌﻠﻳﻡ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺍﺳﺔ؛‬
‫ﺍﻟﻛﺗﺎﺏ‬ ‫ﺃﻗﺭﺃ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺗﻠﻔﺎﺯ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺷﺎﻫﺩ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﻭﺍﺟﺑﺎﺕ‬ ‫ﺃﻛﻣﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﺎﺹ؛‬. Students use key grammatical forms and structures in simple
spοken and written texts, such as word order, singular and plural forms of regular nouns and adjectives,
personal and possessive pronouns, for example, /‫ﻛﺗﺎﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﻫﻡ؛‬/‫ﻫﻲ‬/‫ﻫﻭ‬ ‫ﺃﻧﺕِ؛‬/ َ‫ﺃﻧﺕ‬,‫ﺃﺻﺩﻗﺎء‬/‫ﺻﺩﻳﻖ‬ ‫ﺻﻔﻭﻑ؛‬ /‫ﺻﻑ‬ ‫ﻏﺭﻑ؛‬/‫ﻏﺭﻓﺔ‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺏ؛‬/‫ﻛﺗﺎﺏ‬
‫ﻣﺩﺭﺳﺗﻧﺎ‬ ‫ﻣﺩﺭﺳﺗﻲ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺧﻲ؛‬ ‫ﻏﺭﻓﺔ‬/‫ﻏﺭﻓﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻛﺗﺑﻲ؛‬ , and prepositions such as ‫ﻗﺑﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺷﺎء؛‬ ‫ﺑﻌﺩ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺱ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺛﻧﺎء‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﺳّﺎﺣﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻠﻌﺏ‬ ‫ﺑﻳﻥ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﺩﺭﺳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺇﻟﻰ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺑﻳﺕ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬
‫ﺍﻟﻧﻭﻡ‬. Students translate familiar and frequently used language relating to familiar environments and create
simple bilingual texts for the classroom and school community. They describe how language involves
behaviours as well as words and share their own experience as background speakers as they interact with
others.
Students identify and use Arabic sound and writing patterns, for example ‫ﻯ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻘﺻﻭﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﻭﺍﻟﻳﺎء؛ﺍﻷﻟﻑ‬ ‫ﺅ؛‬ ‫ء؛‬ ‫ﺋـ؛‬ ‫ﺃ؛‬ ,
including combining letters to form words, vocalisation, and features of individual syllable blocks such as :‫ﺍﻟﺗﻧﻭﻳﻥ‬
‫ﺁﺳﻑ؛‬ ‫ﺁﻣﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺁﻛﻝ؛‬ . ‫ﻏﺭﻑ‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﻲ‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫؛‬
ٌ ً ‫ﻛﻠﺑﺎ‬ ‫ﺑﻳﺗﺎً؛ﺭﺃﻳﺕ‬ ‫ﺃﺑﻲ‬ ‫ﺇﺷﺗﺭﻯ‬ They identify the features and structure of different types of texts,
for example, ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻭﺍﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﺩﻭﺍﺭ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﻭﺍﺭ؛‬ ‫ﺃﺩﻭﺍﺕ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺻﻳﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺟﻣﻝ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻣﺭ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻌﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻘﺎﻓﻳﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻧﻬﺎﻳﺔ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﺣﺑﻛﺔ؛‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻌﻧﻭﺍﻥ؛‬ . They identify similarities and
differences between various Arabic dialects and explain how meaning can be influenced by gestures and tone
. Students provide examples of how the Arabic language has changed over time and identify words and
expressions in Arabic that have emerged from contact with other languages and vice versa. They compare
language use and cultural practices in Arabicspeaking communities and in the wider Australian context,
identifying culturespecific terms and expressions, particularly those related to special occasions, for example,
‫ﺍﻟﻣﻳﻼﺩ‬ ‫ﺑﺄﻋﻳﺎﺩ‬ ‫ﺍﻹﺣﺗﻔﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻋﻳﺎﺩ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻷﻫﻝ‬ ‫ﺯﻳﺎﺭﺓ‬ ‫ﺍﻟﻣﻧﺎﺳﺑﺎﺕ؛‬ ‫ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﺍﻹﺣﺗﻔﺎﻝ‬ ‫ﻛﻳﻔﻳﺔ‬
Languages Auslan
Page 415 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Auslan
Auslan How the Subject works
As a native user of Auslan, and as an advocate for the language and for the Deaf community, I
am thrilled to see a national curriculum in Auslan come to fruition. For the first time, deaf children
will have access to a formal first language learner pathway for acquiring Auslan, acknowledging
their status and strengths as visual learners and offering a ‘Deaf gain’ perspective to their lives.
In turn, the second language learner pathway provides unparalleled opportunities for hearing
children to access and use Auslan in their schools and in society, reducing barriers for
participation and increasing equality in the wider community. Children learning Auslan in schools
have the potential to fundamentally change the social fabric of Australia.
—Drisana LevitzkeGray, Deaf advocate and Young Australian of the Year (2015)
Auslan (Australian Sign Language) is the language of the Deaf1 community of Australia and is descended
from British Sign Language (BSL). Auslan and other signed languages around the world are fullyfledged
languages that are visualgestural in nature. They have a complete set of linguistic structures and are
complex and highly nuanced.
Signed languages evolve naturally in Deaf communities in which signers use mutually agreed signs and ways
of ordering them to communicate with each other. Signed languages have their own grammar and lexicon
which are not based on the spoken language of the country or region although they are influenced by them.
Signed languages fulfil the same functions as spoken languages in meeting the communicative, cognitive and
social needs of a group of human beings. However, the modalities of a visualgestural language like Auslan
and those of an auraloral language like English are markedly different. Although signed and spoken
languages share many linguistic principles, the visualgestural modality results in some unique features of
signed languages not found in spoken languages.
There are many different signed languages around the world, some of which can be grouped into ‘language
families’. Auslan belongs to the BSL family, which includes the contemporary British, Australian and New
Zealand sign languages, which all share a similar lexicon and grammar. Auslan can be traced back to the
arrival of Europeans in Australia in the late 1700s, with BSL users arriving in Australia as convicts and as free
settlers. Although now considered a relatively young language in its own right, the ancestral link Auslan
shares with BSL gives it historical context as a member of one of the longest continuing signed language
families in the world.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people share the oldest surviving cultures and languages in the world.
These developed independently on the Australian continent, predating by vast periods of time the relatively
recent arrival of Europeans and the subsequent development of Auslan. The signed languages of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander cultures vary greatly from one another and are quite different from Auslan in that
they are largely used as gesturalvisual representations, or substitutions, of the associated spoken languages.
However, in some contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, deaf people have
developed signed languages for independent use – for example, Yolngu Sign Language from the Northern
Territory – but there has been limited research on these. In other communities, Auslan may coexist alongside
local signed languages.
Recognition of Auslan
The Deaf community has a rich history and culture; however, the signed languages of deaf people have not
always been recognised as legitimate languages. Due in part to the modality of signed languages, they have
often been inaccurately viewed as a form of pantomime or as a manual representation of ‘broken English’,
incapable of the same kind of sophistication as spoken languages. As a result of such misunderstanding,
signed languages like Auslan have historically been discouraged from widespread use in educational settings.
Educational policies, fuelled by resolutions from a conference on the education of deaf children in Milan, Italy,
in 1880, led to the prohibition of signed languages in schools in many countries for a considerable period of
time, effectively marginalising Deaf communities and oppressing signed languages.
A language is considered legitimate by many when it has a widely accepted or standardised orthographic
writing system; because none exists for Auslan, the Deaf community has been hindered in its attempts to
capture and record its language in an effort to legitimise it. Although there are recently developed ‘sign writing’
or ‘gloss’ systems that sign linguists, teachers and researchers have developed to record and document
signs, Auslan has no written form in the traditionally understood sense.
The United States of America is widely acknowledged for pioneering signed language research and formal
development of signed language teaching programs, resulting in the first academic recognition of signed
languages as meaningful and complete languages. Starting in the 1960s, the first sign linguistics research is
credited to William Stokoe. The United Kingdom and parts of Europe followed suit in the 1970s, and Australia
a little later in the 1980s. Auslan was first officially recognised as a legitimate language by the Australian
Government in 1987 in a white paper on the languages of Australia (Lo Bianco, J, 1987).
Recent developments in digital recording and software for timealigned multimedia annotations have allowed
for improved documentation and analysis of much larger data sets of signed languages. These tools allow
Auslan data, and the rich culture of Australian deaf people, to be captured and recorded in various ways. As a
result, linguists, in consultation with the Deaf community, are increasingly conducting research on signed
languages and encouraging the documentation of Auslan and other signed languages.
Societal attitudes have changed towards Auslan and towards deaf people. As usage has been documented,
scholarly research published and dictionaries developed, policies now legitimise the use of Auslan, and
interest has grown in teaching and learning the language in formal educational settings. Recognition of Auslan
in the Australian Curriculum has significant historic value, and is to be celebrated.
The place of Auslan in Australian education
The use of Auslan for deaf children in Australian schools has been varied and inconsistent.
However, the recognition and improved status of the language in recent years has changed the educational
landscape for deaf children. The move from segregated school settings for deaf children to mainstream
school environments has influenced community and education sector interest in Auslan in recent years due to
increased visibility of Auslan in school communities. Auslan has been increasingly embraced in many more
mainstream school settings where deaf students may be placed.
In addition, between 1980 and 1990, many civil and political events around the world altered the
circumstances of the Australian Deaf community. Advocacy by various groups, including deaf people, brought
about legislative and social change in Australia, including the Disability Discrimination Act in 1992, as well as
Acts regarding telecommunications access and television captioning.
Official government recognition of Auslan as a community language, and the implementation of relevant
education and employment legislation arising from the aforementioned advocacy, have led to changes in
society that have empowered deaf people to take up further studies and to enter previously inaccessible
occupations. These shifts have also had an immeasurable impact on the perception of Auslan in the wider
community, with increased enrolment of second language learners in tertiarylevel Auslan classes for adults,
and the establishment of Auslan interpreter training programs nationwide since 1986.
The availability and increased profile of Auslan as a language of formal study in primary and secondary
schools for second language learners has, however, been less rapid or less well supported systemically in
most states/territories of Australia. Historically, schools that have provided some form of teaching and learning
in Auslan have offered informal lunchtime or hobby/interest classes rather than formal courses of study
included in a school timetable alongside spoken languages and other subjects.
Victoria has been a leading exception in this regard; Auslan has been taught in a number of schools for many
years, and a curriculum has been available at Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) level since 1994. Other
states have followed suit over time, with Auslan now formally available in several schools in New South Wales,
Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. A national agreement via the Collaborative Curriculum
and Assessment Framework for Languages (CCAFL) exists for the formal study of Auslan in Year 11 and Year
12. This national syllabus was developed in Victoria under the auspices of CCAFL in 2002 and is available for
endorsed use by each state and territory authority. There has been a demand to adopt this syllabus in an
increasing number of states in recent years, with Auslan of growing interest to learners as a subject
contributing to their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) or Overall Position score for university
entrance.
Inconsistency across Australia in the provision of formal Auslan teaching for second language learners in
schools from F–10, and the absence to date of any first language learner Auslan curriculum, means that this
dualpathway national curriculum for Auslan is groundbreaking. It systematises provision in Australian
schools, serving both deaf and hearing student populations and rightfully acknowledging the place of Auslan
and the culture of the Deaf community in Australian society. It offers access to the formal study of Auslan to
deaf children through a first language learner pathway and to students interested in learning it as an
additional language through a second language learner pathway.
When I was a school student, we were punished for using our sign language. I remember writing
100 times: 'I must not sign'. It makes me so happy to see that young people today are
encouraged to learn Auslan, and to be proud of it.
—Nola Colefax, OAM, Deaf elder
1. In referring to deaf people who belong to a linguistic and cultural minority known as the Deaf community, the ‘D’ may be capitalised in reference to
the individual, the culture or the group to accord respect and deference, for example, Deaf teacher. This is similar to being referred to as Aboriginal
people, or members of the Macedonian community living in Australia. When referring simply to audiological status of a group, for example, deaf
children, the lower case ‘d’ as in ‘deaf’ is the more common usage. ↩
The formal study of Auslan contributes to the overall intellectual and social enrichment of both first language
(L1) and second language (L2) learners by providing:
opportunities for engagement with the Deaf community and insight into its rich cultural heritage
opportunities to develop intercultural capabilities, understanding and respect for others,
appreciation of diversity and openness to different perspectives and experiences.
This curriculum provides direction for an integrated, inclusive and meaningful approach to language education
in Auslan for both first and second language learners.
As a parent of one deaf child and five hearing children, I have been lobbying for an Auslan
curriculum in schools for years. A recently implemented course at my sons’ school has changed
our world as a family. Learning Auslan formally as a second language means my sons can now
not only communicate with their deaf brother but even argue with him and share jokes! For my
deaf son, being able to access a first language learning pathway in Auslan will mean everything.
It will touch every subject and alter the trajectory of his life. It is that profound. A child armed with
language can change the world, and deaf children will have a real chance at succeeding equally
to their hearing peers if able to master their first language through recognised formal study of it in
school. This is simply revolutionary.
—Lesley Klem, hearing parent of a deaf child
Rationale for first language learners
This curriculum meets the need of young deaf people to formally learn their own language, and it recognises
the significance of Auslan in the linguistic landscape of Australia. It provides deaf children, and potentially
hearing children of deaf parents, with access to education in and about their first language, playing an
important part in the development of a strong sense of selfesteem and identity and contributing in crucial
ways to overall learning and achievements. It enables learners to develop a wider recognition and
understanding of their language, culture and identity, thus contributing to their psychological wellbeing as well
as to their academic development.
Rationale for second language learners
Many deaf children today are educated in inclusive school settings, thus raising the profile of Auslan in the
wider community. The presence of deaf students and interpreting practitioners in schools creates a need and
offers opportunities for a wider range of peergroup communication partners, and not all interactions can or
should be mediated by an interpreting practitioner. One of the key reasons for introducing Auslan in schools,
therefore, is for humanistic purposes: to increase opportunities for interaction between deaf children and their
hearing or hard of hearing peers, and to reduce barriers to communication. Through learning Auslan, L2
learners gain access to additional knowledge and understanding of the nature and purpose of human
languages and of the use of a different language modality. In addition, from a vocational perspective, greater
participation of deaf people in society in a diverse range of occupations and breadth of community spheres
creates possibilities for future career options and personal fulfilment for L2 learners. In general educational
terms, learning Auslan as a second language enables students to engage meaningfully with a different
language and culture and to enhance understanding of their own language and culture. Such intercultural
learning is essential in the increasingly diverse and changing contexts in which they live and will work.
For all learners
Learning Auslan:
broadens students’ understanding that each language is an integrated, evolving system for the
framing and communication of meaning; and encourages understanding of the role of language as
an expression of cultural and personal identity and a shaper of perspectives
contributes to the overall curriculum intent by providing distinctive reallife and intellectual
opportunities for students to expand their engagement with the wider world and to reflect on the
cultural and social assumptions that underpin their own world view and language use. Such
awareness of different perspectives is an integral part of effective communication
contributes to the development of critical thinking and the ability to adapt to change and equips
students with learning strategies and study habits that are the foundation not only for lifelong
learning but also for any subsequent language learning.
The opportunity to learn Auslan formally is becoming available in an increasing number of Australian schools,
and the aim of this national curriculum is to make this learning opportunity accessible in a systematic manner
to students around Australia. Language learning is life enhancing. This national curriculum offers all Australian
students the opportunity to benefit from the social, cultural, intellectual and emotional development that will
result from learning the unique and sophisticated visualgestural language of the Australian Deaf community.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Auslan aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to
enable students to:
communicate in Auslan
understand language, culture and learning and their relationship, and thereby develop an
understand themselves as communicators
develop a knowledge and an understanding of the diversity of Deaf experience and the nature of
identity.
These aims are interrelated and provide the basis for two organising strands for learning Auslan:
Communicating and Understanding.
Learning Auslan
Some linguistic features of Auslan are similar to properties found in spoken languages and others are not. For
example, the 26 fingerspelled letters of the Auslan alphabet are based on the 26 letters of English. The
occasional contact Auslan has with English, such as in relation to mouthing (the use of lip patterns when
signing) or fingerspelling, may support the early stages of learning Auslan for some L2 students, as might the
apparent visual motivation of some signs. Although indigenous to the Australian Deaf community, Auslan
shares some properties with other signed languages, which may make additional signed languages relatively
easy to acquire once learners are fluent in Auslan.
Benefits
Benefits of learning Auslan include:
development of neural pathways and cognitive processes unique to using a visual language
greater access to the curriculum using increasingly sophisticated Auslan for L1 learners
capacity to communicate with peers, friends and family members who use Auslan
improved capacity for visualgestural communication
intellectual interest, engagement and personal challenge
opportunities for meaningful crosscurricular integration, for example through the use of information
and communication technology (ICT)
access to alternative ways of thinking and expressing ideas
opportunities to develop and reinforce social justice values
awareness of deafness as difference rather than as disability
development of interpersonal skills, access to wider social networks and more diverse experience
appreciation of the notions of Deafhood, cultural identity and community membership
increased understanding of inclusion and diversity
acquisition of a portable mode of communication that involves learning strategies for gesture that
may have international, crosscultural application
increased understanding of language acquisition, language systems and learning processes
enhanced development of overall literacy capabilities
accessibility for some nontraditional learners, students with disability and those who are primarily
visual learners.
Deaf students located in schools that offer a L2 Auslan program have increased opportunity to expand their
peer networks, potentially increasing their social circle, their resilience and inclusion in the school community.
L2 learners learning in a school attended by deaf students have a unique opportunity to use their new
language on a daily basis in an authentic context, impacting on accessibility and respect for linguistic and
cultural difference.
Learner diversity and learner pathways
Pathways
There is diversity in the background of learners of Auslan. Learners may be deaf, hard of hearing or hearing,
and may be learning Auslan as a first language or as a second language. To cater for distinct learner
backgrounds, the Auslan curriculum has two pathways:
First Language (L1) Learner Pathway
Second Language (L2) Learner Pathway.
Learner diversity
The rationale for providing a L1 pathway is that native signers do not usually have an opportunity to formally
study their natural first language in a classroom context. Such exploration and development of their L1 affords
these students a more sophisticated understanding of their L1, and scaffolds their acquisition of English as
their second/additional language. Formally studying Auslan at school provides L1 learners with powerful
recognition of the value and status of their language and helps strengthen their sense of identity. The impact
of this is healthier selfesteem, greater resilience, better mental health, an improved concept of self and a
greater engagement with language, community and culture. In addition, formal learning of their L1 may give
students increased opportunity to develop understanding, knowledge and valuable life skills across the
curriculum.
The L1 pathway typically caters for deaf students whose native language is Auslan (that is, deaf children of
deaf adults, or deaf children from hearing families who use Auslan at home); hearing children with signing
deaf parents; and deaf students who are introduced to Auslan at school, for whom it is a highly accessible
language and likely to be their future preferred or primary language. This latter group of deaf children might
not have access to Auslan at home. Developing a strong L1 via this pathway from Foundation to Year 10 will
particularly increase the educational capabilities of deaf children, encourage functional bilingualism in Auslan
and English, and will improve learning and future employment opportunities.
The L2 pathway typically caters for students who are not members of the Deaf community; most often,
hearing students learning Auslan as a second or additional language. It may also include deaf or hard of
hearing children already fluent in another language, such as a different signed language in the case of a
recent immigrant, or spoken English for some deaf and hard of hearing children who have residual hearing or
access to speech. These children are being introduced to Auslan for the first time as an additional language
to add to their existing linguistic repertoire.
Due to a range of complex factors, it is recognised that these two pathways may not be able to meet the
complete learning needs of all students. For example, native signers of Auslan who are hearing (such as
hearing children from deaf families) may not be adequately accounted for in an L1 pathway, due to the
teaching and learning emphasis on the primary target group, deaf children. In addition, a deaf migrant already
fluent in a native signed language from another country, such as American Sign Language, may not be
entirely suited to an L2 learning pathway for Auslan as so many ageappropriate L1 features and linguistic
competencies will already be present in his/her use of another signed language, making a second signed
language easier to learn compared to other L2 learners being exposed to learning a signed language for the
first time. Congenitally deafblind children, or other students with disability, may also present unique challenges
with regard to determining language learning pathways.
Both L1 and L2 learners of Auslan are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging learning programs that
address their individual learning needs. In teaching Auslan in Australian schools, it will be necessary to
account for the diversity of learners of Auslan, including accommodating:
students with a disability
gifted and talented students
students with English as an additional language or dialect
students from regional and remote contexts
students with diverse personal or cultural or religious backgrounds
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
students with a combination of equity and diversity needs.
Ultimately, this dualpathway approach recognises that the key variable in the language learning experience is
the diversity of the learners. It acknowledges that students bring specific backgrounds, diverse linguistic and
cultural experience, individual knowledge and skills to their learning of Auslan, and that the programming and
implementation in schools by teaching teams will need to reflect this, differentiating for learner diversity
accordingly and drawing on the L1 or the L2 pathway and accommodating for individual learners as
appropriate.
First Language Learner Pathway (L1): F–10 sequence
The first language learner pathway is pitched at two of the many types of potential learners in the Auslan
cohort:
native signing children from Deaf families who have fluent language models to interact with at home
and have been exposed to the language since birth
deaf children from hearing families with parents or older relatives who have learnt to sign and
exposed their children early to rich signing models, such as in bilingual preschools.
There is another significant group of children in the L1 pathway: deaf children who arrive in a signing program
in their first few years of schooling. These students begin learning Auslan with limited prior experience of any
language, and may have additional disabilities that are hidden because of their language delay. The L1
pathway is appropriate for them since they will be using the language for more hours a week than just in the
subject, thus making faster progress with language acquisition; and they have little experience of other
language to make reference to, as in the L2 pathway. Teachers working with students with delayed access to
Auslan will need to adapt and differentiate the curriculum extensively to scaffold their learning, particularly in
their first years of study. Additionally, hearing children from deaf families who have Auslan as a first language
may also benefit from the L1 pathway of learning.
The population of children who will follow the L1 pathway therefore has great variation in Auslan proficiency.
Some will have had extensive access to a range of mature language users in early learning programs, in
school and at home. Others will have limited quantity and quality of input in Auslan at home and sometimes
even in school, and may not have attended an early intervention signing program prior to school. This
pathway is primarily pitched at those students with exposure to Auslan prior to Foundation level; delayed
language learners will require extra support to participate in the learning experiences outlined in this pathway.
Typically, L1 programs occur with constant involvement from a variety of fluent signers drawn from the Deaf
community. A key expectation in the L1 pathway is that students will have opportunities to interact with elders
and the Deaf community to consolidate and enhance their learning of the language and culture, ideally face to
face, although accommodations via technology may need to be made in regional and remote areas.
First Language Learner Pathway (L1): 7–10 sequence
The nature of education of deaf students is such that some learners arrive at high school with a very limited
knowledge of English, and little, if any, Auslan. These learners may have come from other countries where
they have had no access to schooling for deaf children, or from educational programs overseas or in Australia
from which they have learnt only rudimentary speech and language and have not had access to quality
signed language models. This group of learners, therefore, comprises students who are learning their first
language well beyond the age of typical language development.
As a result, this group of learners is very different from the similarly aged cohort from the F–10 sequence,
who have had exposure to quality language since birth or early in life, and who approach high school learning
with established fluency in Auslan, which enables them to focus much of their Auslan class time on the
development of higherorder skills such as analysis and evaluation. Learners in the L1 pathway, 7–10
sequence begin learning Auslan with limited prior experience of any language. They may have additional
disabilities, sometimes hidden, often caused by their language delay. Auslan is nonetheless considered their
first or primary language, due to their lack of fluency in any other language. Learners require intensive
support and extensive input from rich language models, especially at the initial stages. These learners are
unlikely to reach nativelike levels of fluency in any language, but will benefit greatly from the explicit teaching
of Auslan as a subject to support their language acquisition and development.
First Language Learner Pathway (L1): Learner experiences
The experience of first language learners of Auslan will include:
opportunities to expand domains of use in their first language and to develop skills in registers and
genres not necessarily encountered in their home context, particularly in the case of delayed L1
learners of Auslan
enhancement of essential skills that underpin other learning, including critical thinking and literacy in
both Auslan and English
reflection on their own identities, awareness of the values and beliefs that underpin their
communication practices, and exploration of their expression of identity in Auslan and in Deaf
culture and of how this can be extended to English and other languages and cultures
understanding of the systems of Auslan and sociolinguistic variation of the language in context
development of the capacity to translate and interpret activities that provide insights into cultural and
linguistic differences and similarities between Auslan and English and between communicative
practices in the two languages
reflection on their linguistic environment at local, regional, national and international levels, including
exploration of the status of Auslan and other signed languages, of ways in which it can be expanded
to meet the needs of their own developing linguistic and cultural capabilities and their identity as a
member of the Deaf community
understanding of the history of deaf people and of their own ability to effect positive social change.
Second Language Learner Pathway (L2): F–10 and 7–10 sequences
The second language learner pathway caters for students learning Auslan as a second or additional
language. This will typically be hearing children, but may include hard of hearing or deaf children who already
have an established first language. These children are being introduced to Auslan for the first time as an
additional language. The teaching team will use the curriculum to cater for L2 learners of different
backgrounds by making appropriate adjustments to differentiate learning experiences for these students.
The first language of most L2 students will be a spoken language, and this pathway provides them with an
opportunity to study a language that is very different from a spoken language. If L2 learners are learning in a
school attended by deaf students, they will have a unique opportunity to use their new language on a daily
basis in an authentic context. Deaf students located in schools that offer an L2 Auslan program have
increased opportunity to expand their peer networks, potentially supporting transition between schools (from
primary to secondary school, for example), and increasing their resilience and social networks, decreasing
their risk of isolation, and increasing their sense of inclusion.
Typically, L2 programs occur with constant involvement from a variety of fluent signers drawn from the
community. A key expectation of the L2 pathway of learning is that students will have opportunities to interact
with elders and members of the Deaf community. This provides learners with the chance to develop a deeper
appreciation of the nature and diversity of languages and cultures, and requires the acquisition of specific
knowledge and skills necessary to learn and understand Auslan in its cultural context.
Second Language Learner Pathway (L2): Learner experiences
The experience of second language learners of Auslan will include:
developing knowledge of Auslan needed to interact with others and to communicate personal
information and ideas in a widening range of contexts
observing and interacting with Auslan users and Auslan texts and beginning to recognise the
culturespecific ways in which communication takes place
reflecting on their own linguistic and cultural practices and beginning to apply this new
understanding in their communication with others
understanding of linguistic, historic and cultural trends and developments in the context of national
and international Deaf communities and signed languages.
Developing teaching and learning
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Auslan has two learning sequences: one from Foundation to Year
10, and another from Year 7 to Year 10 (Year 7 Entry). The curriculum is written in a series of bands, as
follows: Foundation – Year 2, Years 3–4, Years 5–6, Years 7–8 and Years 9–10. Given the limited but growing
research and pedagogical support for the teaching and learning of Auslan, there may be local flexibility in
curriculum implementation, depending on suitability of learner pathway and entry point in the sequence.
Strands and substrands
The content of the Australian Curriculum: Languages is organised through two interrelated strands, which
realise the four aims of learning Auslan. The two strands are:
exchanging meaning
Understanding: analysing language and culture as resources for interpreting and creating meaning.
1. communication
2. analysis of aspects of language and culture
3. reflection, which involves
a. reflection on the experience of communicating
b. reflection on comparative dimensions of the languages available in students’ repertoires, for
example, the first language in relation to the second language, and the self in relation to
others.
A set of substrands has been identified within each strand to reflect dimensions of language use and the
related content to be taught and learnt. The strands and substrands do not operate in isolation but are
each substrand differs for described languages, pathways and bands of learning.
Table 1 gives a brief description of each of the strands and substrands for Auslan.

strand
Communicating 1.1 Interacting to exchange ideas, opinions,

Using language for communicative Socialising experiences, thoughts and feelings; and
purposes in interpreting, creating participating in planning, negotiating, deciding and
and exchanging meaning taking action
1.2 Obtaining, processing, interpreting and conveying
Informing information through a range of Auslan texts;
developing and applying knowledge
1.3 Engaging with imaginative experience by
Creating participating in, responding to and creating a range
of texts, such as stories, poetry, art and
performance
1.4 Moving between languages and cultures,
Translating understanding that words and signs do not always
have direct equivalence and recognising different
interpretations and explaining these to others
1.5 Identity Exploring and expressing their sense of identity as
individuals and as members of the Deaf community
and culture and as deaf, hard of hearing or hearing
people
1.6 Participating in intercultural exchange, questioning
Reflecting reactions and assumptions; and considering how
interaction shapes communication and identity
Understanding 2.1 Understanding the language system, including

Analysing and understanding Systems of visualgestural language parameters, conventions
language and culture as resources language and grammar
for interpreting and shaping
meaning in intercultural exchange 2.2 Understanding how language use varies according
Language to individual difference and context and across time
variation and place
and
change
2.3 Analysing and understanding language and culture
Language over time, including language attitudes, language
awareness policy, language rights, international contexts and
language vitality
2.4 The Analysing and understanding the role of language
role of and culture in the exchange of meaning
language
and culture
The substrands are further differentiated according to a set of ‘threads’ that support the internal organisation
of content in each substrand. These threads (shown in Table 2) are designed to capture: range and variety in
the scope of learning; and a means for expressing the progression of content across the learning sequences.
Table 2: Strands, substrands and threads for Auslan across the learner pathways
Strand Sub First Language Second Language

strand Learner Pathway Learner Pathway
Communicating 1.1 Socialising and Socialising and

Using language for communicative Socialising interacting interacting
purposes in interpreting, creating and
exchanging meaning Taking action Taking action
Developing classroom Developing classroom
language and language and
protocols associated protocols associated
with Auslan learning with Auslan learning
1.2 Obtaining and using Obtaining and using

Informing information information
Conveying and Conveying and
presenting information presenting information
1.3 Participating in and Participating in and

Creating responding to responding to
imaginative experience imaginative experience
Creating and Creating and
expressing imaginative expressing imaginative
experience experience
1.4 Translating/interpreting Translating/interpreting

Translating and explaining and explaining
Creating and using Creating and using
bilingual resources bilingual resources
1.5 Identity Exploring and Expressing and

expressing their sense reflecting on identity
of identity, relationship
and community
1.6 Reflecting on the Reflecting on the

Reflecting experience of experience of
intercultural intercultural
communication communication
Understanding 2.1 Formational elements Formational elements

Analysing and understanding Systems of of signs of signs
language and culture as resources for language
interpreting and shaping meaning in Sign modifications Sign modifications
intercultural exchange
Sign classes and Sign classes and
clause structures clause structures
Text organisation Text organisation
2.2 Variation in language Variation in language
Language use use

variation
and
change
2.3 Linguistic landscapes Linguistic landscapes

Language and the nature, context and the nature, context
awareness and status of Auslan and status of Auslan
2.4 The The relationship The relationship

role of between language and between language and
language culture culture
and culture
Text types
Text types include signed or spoken texts, written texts (in English), digital texts and multimodal texts. They
are central to curriculum development, as all work in language learning can be seen as textual work. The
selection of quality Auslan texts produced by native or nativelike proficient signers is important: texts define
and reflect past and present and linguistic and cultural identity, making the people and experiences of a
particular culture distinctive; they also provide the opportunity for developing intercultural understanding.
Band descriptions
The band descriptions give a general description of language learning that is typical at particular year levels
along the F–10 continuum. They have been developed to correspond to learning in the following bands:
Foundation – Year 2, Years 3–4, Years 5–6, Years 7–8 and Years 9–10. Each band description includes
discussion of:
nature of the learner
Auslan learning and use
contexts of interaction
texts and resources
features of Auslan use
level of support
the role of English.
Developing teaching and learning programs
In developing teaching and learning programs, the two strands – Communicating and Understanding – are
integrated to ensure holistic learning in order to attend to active language use and the development of related
knowledge, understandings and reflective capabilities. The set of strands and substrands capture a range of
dimensions of language use. As such, they are designed to capture the range and variety of content to be
experienced and learnt by students. The teaching team will design teaching and learning programs by
drawing on the content descriptions from a number of substrands and integrating these to create meaningful
learning experiences for their particular learners. The emphases across the strands and substrands may
vary for different bands and pathways and for different contexts. Since the content descriptions indicate the
nature and scope of the learning over several year spans, the teaching team will make decisions about what
aspects of the content descriptions will be taught in what year of their program. Programs can then be used to
inform the development of shortterm programs year by year (for example, one term/several weeks). Taken
together, band descriptions, content descriptions, content elaborations and achievement standards provide
an overall sense of ‘level’ or expectations about language teaching and learning at a given moment in time
and over time. In the development of programs, they give a sense of the level of complexity at which student
learning can be pitched. In relation to assessment, they provide a reference point for making judgements
about students’ progress in learning. The teaching team will make decisions about pedagogies that best meet
the learning needs of their particular students and the context of their particular program.
Development and implementation protocol
Engagement and appropriate consultation with the local Deaf community in an ethical, respectful and
sustainable manner is the cornerstone of respectful Auslan program development and key to a successful
Auslan teaching program. Deaf people are the custodians of their language. Consultation with native or
nativelike and proficient users of Auslan who have ownership of the language is strongly recommended as a
special consideration for Auslan programs, to ensure the language is taught in a contextually and culturally
correct manner. Teaching Auslan without due consideration of/ liaison with the Deaf community may result in
linguistic and cultural appropriation and the disenfranchisement of deaf people.
Issues to consider
the presence of deaf students within the school environment, for whom the provision of an L1 or L2
Auslan program would be of academic, social, emotional and vocational benefit
the proportion of Deaf teachers, mentors, language models and Deaf community members in the
region, and available access to them
the availability of skilled and appropriate personnel for teaching Auslan, such as qualified Auslan
instructors/language teachers, and the capacity to team teach in deaf/hearing teams as needed in a
culturally sensitive manner
the possibility of excursions to Deaf community events and the development of ongoing
relationships with community members (such as Deaf seniors) to support pedagogy and to build
and perpetuate mutual understanding and connections for the benefit of students and the
community
the threedimensional visualspatial nature of Auslan means that it is ideally taught in a facetoface
context. ICT will play an important role in providing access to a variety of signers and signed texts,
however, particularly for rural and remote learners
the range of crosscultural considerations that need to be addressed when working in and teaching
Auslan in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The teaching team should consult the
local community about particular topics, local context and relevant cultural considerations, so that
offence and embarrassment can be avoided
the importance of promoting further research of Auslan and the development, collection and
digitisation of quality texts, teaching materials, resources and assessment and reporting tools for
teaching purposes
the need for investment in the professional development of suitable Auslan teachers to meet future
anticipated interest and demand in Auslan programs in schools; and for recognition of the fact that
the success of Auslan programs depends on the fundamental premise that suitably skilled and
qualified teachers, including native or nativelike proficient users of Auslan, have key roles in their
development and implementation
schools enrolling deaf and hard of hearing students on the same site may wish to consider offering
both L1 and L2 Auslan pathways or a blend of the two as needed. Authentic opportunities for deaf,
hard of hearing and hearing peers to engage with each other, either face to face or via technology,
allows L2 students to practise language in a realworld context. Such practice benefits for hearing
students transfer to deaf students by broadening their peer network, increasing communication
across the school and over several year levels for the deaf students, and potentially have social,
emotional, cultural, psychological, academic and vocational benefits for all students in the program.
For more specific guidance and to connect with the Deaf community, contact the national peak body
representing the needs and interests of Auslan users, Deaf Australia, or the relevant state association.
As a native signer, sharing my language with students is a gift I give willingly, knowing with
language comes greater understanding, acceptance and respect. Students learn to appreciate
my community and culture because they engage directly with me, a Deaf teacher, which is
incredibly powerful in the learning experience. I believe my own deaf children will grow up in a
much more tolerant and accessible society because of Auslan in schools.
—Josie Hodgetts, Deaf parent of deaf children, Auslan teacher
Languages Auslan
First Language Learner Pathway
Page 433 of 1359

Auslan First Language Learner Pathway Years F–10 Sequence
Most hearing children, or deaf children from signing families, enter the early years of schooling with
established communication in one or more languages. Cognitive and social development at this stage is
exploratory and egocentric; thus learning typically focuses on students’ immediate world of family, home,
school and friends. Children at this age are learning how to socialise with new people, share with others, and
participate in structured routines and activities at school. Auslan is learnt in parallel with English literacy and,
for some children, spoken English. Some learners arrive at school with little experience of English and will
learn it as a second language, while others may use spoken English with their hearing family members. The
learning of Auslan supports and enriches deaf children’s learning of English and vice versa.
Rich language input characterises the first stages of learning. Most children are familiar with the forms of
signs and their fluency and accuracy is further developed through activities such as play, games and viewing
texts. The curriculum builds on children’s interests and sense of enjoyment and curiosity, with an emphasis on
active, experiential learning and confidence building. Creative play provides opportunities for using the
language for purposeful interaction in less familiar contexts.
Children build vocabulary for thinking and talking about school topics, routines and processes, and expand
their knowledge and understanding by interacting with other deaf children and adults in new contexts and by
participating in more structured routines and activities. They use Auslan for different language functions, such
as asking and responding to questions, expressing wishes, responding to and giving directions, greeting,
thanking, apologising, agreeing and disagreeing, and taking turns in games and simple shared learning
activities.
Across Foundation to Year 2, learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team,
with some access to members of the Deaf community for additional enrichment and authentication of
students’ language learning. Information and communication technology (ICT) resources provide additional
access to Auslan and to the cultural experience of deafness. A key expectation in the L1 pathway is that
students will have opportunities to interact with a variety of native or nearnative signing models.
Texts and resources
Children engage with a variety of signed texts, live and recorded. They watch the teacher signing, share ideas
and join in activities and stories and various forms of play and conversational exchanges. Text types include
descriptions of appearances, relationships between people, and stories and recounts, as well as texts that talk
about self, such as comparing likes and dislikes with others. Students become familiar with ways of recording
Auslan, either through film, photos of signs, line drawings of signs, or simple symbols. An important source of
natural signed texts are members of the deaf community. The early stage of language learning is also
supported by extensive use of concrete materials and resources. Play and imaginative activities, games, and
familiar routines provide essential scaffolding and context for language development.
Features of Auslan use
Children in Foundation to Year 2 learn to produce all handshapes, movements and locations of single signs.
They make use of handling and size and shape specifiers (SASS) depicting signs with increasing accuracy,
and use entity depicting signs to talk about simple movement and locations. Children in this band level
produce a range of clause structures with the correct sign order and nonmanual features (NMFs), such as
questions, negatives and topiccomment structures, as well as using a range of nonmanual adverbs. They
learn to modify indicating verbs to show participants involved in events and can sometimes maintain those
locations across multiple clauses. They are learning to integrate multiple viewpoints, such as that of narrator
and of one or two characters, through constructed action and marking manner in longer signed texts.
As children learn to adjust their language to suit different purposes and situations, they begin to understand
how culture shapes language use. They compare how they feel when they use different languages and how
they view different languages and people who use them. This introduction to the meta dimension of
intercultural learning develops the ability to ‘decentre’, to consider different perspectives and ways of being,
and to become aware of themselves as communicators and cultural participants. Metalinguistically, children
learn to describe features of signs, such as handshapes, to identify whether they are iconic; to recognise the
importance of space in Auslan; and to categorise signs as nouns, verbs and adjectives.
Level of support
Learning is supported through the provision of experiences that are challenging but achievable with
appropriate scaffolding and support. This involves modelling, monitoring and moderating by the teacher;
provision of multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing; and
continuous cueing, feedback, response and encouragement. Use of recounting, experiencing and retelling
assists in establishing early language skills based on reallife experiences.
The role of English
Auslan is the language of all classroom interactions, routines and activities. It is the principal medium of
instruction in L1 pathway classrooms. English may play a complementary role, such as when comparing signs
and words and looking at fingerspelling. English is necessarily discussed in the translating strand.
Communicating
Socialising
Communicate with teacher, peers and familiar adults in guided and free interactions that develop social and
communicative skills
[Key concepts: self, family, interaction, experience, preference; Key processes: interacting, greeting,
asking/answering questions, recounting, describing, comparing]
(ACLASFC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
interacting with others using greetings according to relationship, context and time of day, for example:
HELLO, HOWAREYOU? SEE LATER, GOOD MORNING MRJONES
asking and answering questions about families, friends, pets, routines or pastimes, for example:
PRO2 ARRIVE SCHOOL HOW? CAR TAXI WALK G:WELL?
How do you get to school?
WHAT POSS2 FAVOURITE SPORT WHAT?
What’s your favourite sport?
POSS1 BIRTHDAY WHEN DEC
My birthday is in December.
using everyday social exchanges such as thanking, apologising, expressing wishes or congratulations,
for example:
THANKYOU HELPme
Thank you for helping me.
SORRY ACC
I’m sorry, it was an accident.
GOODLUCK POSS2 RACE
Good luck for your race.
introducing themselves or a friend to class visitors, for example:
HELLO POSS1 NAME GAVIN SIGNNAME:GAVIN
Hi, my name’s Gavin and this is my sign name.
supporting interaction when socialising with their peers, for example by indicating agreement or
disagreement through nodding or head shaking
recounting personal experiences using specific time markers such as BEFORE, AFTER, LONGTIME
AGO, YESTERDAY
recounting experiences shared as a class, such as excursions or special visitors, using appropriate
sequencing of information
describing family members, friends or teachers in terms of physical appearance and characteristics, for
example:
PRINCIPAL YOUKNOW SHORT LONGHAIR GLASSES?
You know the principal? She’s short, has long hair and wears glasses.
POSS1 BROTHER OLD++ TALL SKINNY
My brother is older; he’s tall and skinny.
comparing likes, dislikes and preferences, for example:
PRO1 LIKE APPLE PRO1 DON’TLIKE ORANGE
I like apples but I don’t like oranges.
exploring different ways of expressing emotion through the use of NMFs and lexical signs, for example:
PRO3 TEASEme
She teased me.
NOW PRO1 HAPPY BEFORE PRO1 CRANKY
I’m happy now but before I was cranky.
sharing their opinions about classmates or classroom resources using evaluative language and
superlatives, for example:
SAM RUN FAST CHRIS WOW FAST SPEED
Sam runs fast but Chris runs the fastest.
THAT BEST COMPUTER
That’s the best computer.
sharing information about personal experiences or recent events, using time markers that incorporate
numerals, such as THREEDAYSAGO, NEXTWEEK, LAST YEAR, INTWODAYS
referring to family members’ and classmates’ names using fingerspelling or sign names as appropriate
describing class activities using plain or indicating verbs, modifying the indicating verbs some of the time,
for example:
THERE SIT BOOK READ, FINISH PUT++
Over there we sit and read books, and when we’re finished we put them away.
PENCIL PRO1 GIVE++
I’ll give out the pencils.
conversing with friends using appropriate turntaking strategies
asking and answering questions related to time, place, number, days of the week, months and seasons,
for example:
WHY SHOULD LOOKleft LOOKright BEFORE ROAD CROSS
Why do we need to look left and right before crossing the road?
ONE WEEK DS:length HOWMANY DAY?
How many days in a week?
describing relationships between members of their family or between classmates, for example:
PRO3 POSS1 COUSIN WE2 GOOD FRIEND.
She’s my cousin; we’re good friends.
POSS3 FATHER PUNISH PRO3
Her father punished her.
Participate in group learning activities that involve taking turns, playing action games, making choices or
swapping and classifying items
[Key concepts: play, actionlearning, problemsolving; Key processes: participating, playing, collaborating]

Elaborations
participating in signing songs and games that involve repeated signs, gestures and NMFs, for example, I
went to the market and I bought … Old MacDonald had a farm …
participating in activities that involve classifying objects by attributes such as shapes, colours and
numbers
following directions in activities such as an obstacle course or action game, using directional terms or
depicting signs such as
DS:turnleft DEADEND DS:turnright
Go left, then at the end turn right.
PLEASE BRING MILK FRIDGE DS:opendoor POINT
Please bring the milk; it’s at the bottom of the fridge door.
playing games that involve choice, memory or information exchange to reinforce number skills or
language patterns
collaborating in art or craft activities that involve making decisions about choices or contributions
participating in barrier games and other informationgap activities that focus on describing appearance or
scenes, such as a game of ‘Guess Who’ on paper with some characters named on paper A and some
not named on paper B, and vice versa; taking turns to describe appearance of the characters with no
name and having partner fingerspell their names back
participating in roleplays that involve scenarios such as ordering a meal, buying food or other items,
transacting payment or giving feedback
Participate in classroom routines and activities such as following directions, attracting attention, responding
to questions and turntaking
[Key concepts: direction, response, support, protocol; Key processes: participating, responding, interacting,
turntaking]

Elaborations
recognising their own and their classmates’ fingerspelled names used in games or routines such as roll
call
asking for help, offering assistance or requesting permission in polite ways, for example:
PLEASE HELPme?
Can you help me, please?
CAN SHARE?
Can we share these?
demonstrating attentive watching across a range of school contexts, such as assemblies or classroom
discussions
following instructions for class routines, for example:
PLEASE WITH2++ DS:sitopposite
Please find a partner and sit opposite each other.
DS:lineup PLEASE
Line up, please.
LOOKATme PRO1
Look to the front.
gaining others’ attention in appropriate ways, relying less on tap and more on other strategies, and
responding to others’ attempts to gain their attention
following protocols such as stopping when lights are flashed, and observing appropriate distance
between signers
learning to be a supportive group discussion member, for example by asking relevant questions,
providing feedback, prompting, using NMFs to indicate agreement or disagreement
formulating different kinds of open and closed questions, including WHEN, WHY and HOW questions
signing appropriately to maintain or change a topic, to remain on task and take turns
interacting with each other or the teacher by using eye gaze and other NMFs to indicate
agreement/disagreement or understanding/lack of understanding
negotiating turntaking, for example:
PRO1 FIRST YOURTURN
It’s my turn first, then your turn.
watching, remembering and responding to increasingly complex instructions of two or more steps, for
example by moving or locating objects in the classroom
using the appropriate NMFs for asking questions and making statements when interacting in small
groups
Informing
Identify specific points of information in simple Auslan texts and use the information to complete guided
tasks
[Key concepts: information, family, games, hobbies; Key processes: collecting information, identifying,
retelling, categorising, recording]
Elaborations
retelling and responding to key points of information in class messages, directions or introductions
gathering information from their peers about topics such as family members, favourite foods, toys or
games to report back to the class
identifying information in simple Auslan texts that relates to properties such as colour, number, size or
shape and responding through activities such as manipulating concrete materials and objects
identifying and categorising signs in simple Auslan texts according to handshape
following a signed text that involves several steps to progressively collect information needed to complete
a task, such as an obstacle course
watching short Auslan texts about topics such as hobbies, animals or sports, recording key points of
information using tables or graphic organisers
watching a presentation by a teacher, peer or visitor and recalling and retelling specific points of
information
recording new language in personal sign dictionaries acquired from simple Auslan texts in different
curriculum areas, for example, when learning about the weather or countries of the world
Present information about self, family, people, places and things using signed descriptions and visual
prompts
[Key concepts: self, family, routines, home, community; Key processes: providing information, describing,
presenting, demonstrating, labelling, reporting]

Elaborations
describing an object, animal or person using lexical adjectives, for example colours, or SASS depicting
signs relating to size and shape
contributing to a digital class presentation such as a video by signing a description of their own photo or
piece of work
demonstrating a simple procedure using list buoys and related sign vocabulary to demonstrate the
different steps
labelling objects in the classroom and in learning resources such as books and wall charts with pictures
of signs
recounting to the class details of a personal experience such as a holiday or weekend event
reporting aspects of their daily routines or family life, such as how they travel to school or what they eat
for lunch
categorising and displaying pictures of signs, for example on a handshape wall
presenting specific information such as a weather report using visual prompts or a digital presentation
sharing information about their family, home or local community with their classmates, for example,
through signed commentary to a display or digital presentation
reporting key elements obtained from predominantly visual infographics or diagrams related to different
learning areas, for example, life cycle charts
providing information needed to complete an informationgap activity, for example, ‘20 Questions’ with
yes/no answers, or ‘Guess Who?’
Creating
Participate in a range of imaginative experiences and respond through drawing, telling with familiar signs
and written words or enacting with constructed action
[Key concepts: imagination, story, character, emotion; Key processes: viewing, retelling, expressing,
responding, interpreting]
Elaborations
viewing fairytales or stories from sources such as National Simultaneous Storytime books, demonstrating
understanding through retelling or enacting
engaging in imaginative play that involves the creation of mood or momentum through repeated use of
signs, handshapes and facial expressions to modify manner or intensify adjectives
responding to forms of Deaf art such as handshape creations, for example by reproducing key elements
in their own artwork and indicating emotional response using lexical signs such as LOVE, LIKE, LOOK
GOOD, NOT BAD, UGLY
responding to performances of Deaf poetry that evoke emotions such as sadness, fear or excitement, for
example by indicating enjoyment or personal feelings
interacting with a signing puppet or doll in a fantasy context or situation, for example by asking questions
such as WHAT YOUR NAME? or YOU HUNGRY G:WELL?
participating in indoor and outdoor games that use signs, handshapes and body movements in creative
ways and focus on all Auslan parameters, for example, ‘Simon Says’
participating in Auslan games that use simple clauses in creative ways, for example, playing the
improvisation game ‘Space Jump’
drawing a personal interpretation of a ‘visual vernacular’ description of a character’s appearance
viewing short Auslan stories and responding by identifying and comparing favourite elements, characters
and events
Express imaginative experience through creative games, roleplay and mime, using familiar signs,
modelled language and constructed action
[Key concepts: imagination, emotion, expression; Key processes: creating, enacting, expressing,
experimenting, imagining]

Elaborations
changing elements of favourite stories to create their own versions, with a focus on varying manner or
constructed action
interacting with imaginary characters using lexical and nonlexical signs and NMFs to express emotions
such as excitement, fear or amazement
using iconic signs to create their own variations on familiar nursery rhyme actions, such as in ‘Incy Wincy
Spider’
depicting the movement of people, animals or means of transport by using handshapes in creative ways
creating amusing sequences of signs using a fixed handshape, such as YOU THINK PRO1 SHY
experimenting with NMFs and handshapes to play games such as ‘Simon Says’, taking turns to be Simon
experimenting with facial expressions to match different emotional expressions, such as HAPPY,
SCARED, TIRED
changing an aspect of a cartoon or picture story, using gestures, handshapes and NMFs to explain
differences
representing objects using combined bodies and hands in amusing or creative ways
exploring the use of constructed action such as eye gaze change, body shift and head orientation when
enacting imagined adventures
making their own handshape creations
assuming the role of a character from a story and responding to signed questions from classmates, such
as:
YOUR NOSE DS:longnose WHY?
Why is your nose so long, Pinocchio?
Translating
Translate familiar words and phrases from Auslan into English and vice versa, using visual cues, signs and
English words, noticing how signs and words differ
[Key concepts: similarity, difference, meaning; Key processes: noticing, recognising, identifying, translating,
explaining]
Elaborations
recognising that every language uses words or signs to make meaning
identifying aspects of Auslan which are the same in English, such as the fingerspelled alphabet
participating in shared reading of children’s books containing Auslan images and English text, asking and
answering questions about unfamiliar words and phrases, and noticing the comparative number of signs
and words used in the book
translating simple Auslan signs to family and friends by fingerspelling or writing the English word, for
example, DOG, CAT, BIRD
comparing Auslan expressions used in everyday interactions such as greetings with equivalent English
expressions, for example, HOWAREYOU? compared to How are you?
Create simple print or digital texts such as labels, posters, wall charts or cards that use both Auslan images
and English words
[Key concepts: code, translation; Key processes: labelling, creating, captioning]

Elaborations
labelling objects and classroom items in both English and Auslan, using posters, word cards and
alphabet cards, pictures and images of Auslan signs and words, for example, ‘a is for apple’ with a
fingerspelled letter for ‘a’
creating and using handshape images to represent signs and label with words, for example, flat hand =
FISH
developing a simple handshape dictionary with English captions
using photos of family members to create a family tree or similar representation of relationships,
captioning and labelling in English with corresponding images of Auslan signs for each family member
Identity
Explore ideas of identity, social groupings, relationship, space and place, and how these relate to the
Deaf community
[Key concepts: identity, self, relationship, community, place, space, connection; Key processes: identifying,
exploring, describing, talking about]

Elaborations
describing themselves as belonging to their family and to social groups such as their class or age cohort
of deaf children
exploring concepts of difference and sameness
representing their relationships with others by drawing pictures, adding captions to photos, creating
posters or digital presentations to depict their family, labelling immediate and extended family members
as deaf or hearing
identifying themselves as members of different groups and describing their relationships with deaf, hard
of hearing and hearing children, family members, the Deaf community and the wider ‘hearing’ society
identifying and describing physical markers of identity among deaf children, for example hearing devices
such as hearing aids, cochlear implants and FM systems
identifying and discussing their own and each other’s family names, given name/s and name signs
identifying elements of their behaviours or relationships that mark their individual or Deaf community
identity such as the use of Auslan
identifying places that are significant to them personally and are important to their identity
exploring relationships between place, space and people, considering why some places and spaces
make deaf people feel comfortable and promote a sense of belonging, for example those that facilitate
facetoface communication
considering roles and responsibilities in relation to membership of a Deaf community, for example by
describing how they can help others to be aware of their communication preferences in the classroom or
with extended family
exploring their shared experience as ‘people of the eye’, for example by identifying the importance of
space for waving or using flashing lights to gain attention or to give visual applause
Reflecting
Notice similarities and differences between Auslan and spoken languages in relation to ways of interacting,
sharing stories and playing games
[Key concepts: language, culture, similarity, difference, respect; Key processes: noticing, comparing,
responding]

Elaborations
comparing aspects of their lives as signing children with those of nonsigning children represented in
digital images, video clips or stories, for example, ways of playing games, telling stories or interacting at
school, home and in the community
discussing changes or adaptations they have to make to their communicative style when interacting with
nonsigners
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise the main formational elements of handshape, movement and location in Auslan signs, and
understand that a sign is the same as a spoken or written word even though it can be iconic
[Key concepts: handshape, movement, location, iconicity; Key processes: noticing, recognising,
understanding]
(ACLASFU012 Scootle )
Elaborations
noticing the handshape of individual signs, and identifying signs that are made with a particular
handshape, for example, COCKATOO (hs:5) and SOCCER (hs:fist)
recognising that signs are categorised by the handshape at the start of the sign
understanding that signs can be organised by handshape, for example in Johnston’s Auslan dictionaries
or localised handshape dictionaries in schools, and that this is useful if an English word for a sign is not
known
noticing the path movement of a particular sign and identifying signs associated with the major types of
path movements, for example, THROUGH (forwards) or FULL (down to up)
noticing the five major locations of signs on the body or in space, and identifying signs associated with
each, such as SEE (head/face), SAY (mouth/chin), WHY (chest), TALK (hand) and ONE (signing space)
understanding that sounds in English words are like handshapes, movements and locations in Auslan in
the sense that they are combined together to make signs
recognising that some signs are iconic, linking to the appearance of a referent, for example, HOUSE,
TREE, DRINK, ELEPHANT and that some are not, such as SISTER, WHY, SIMPLE
recognising that unlike English, which can be spoken or written, signed languages are not usually written
down but occur ‘through the air’
experimenting with different methods of capturing the signed language, such as: a classinvented script,
drawing pictures, videoing, English glosses or ASLphabet
Recognise that signing happens in a finite space that can be used meaningfully within individual signs,
learning in particular how depicting signs, some verbs, pronouns and enacting make use of spatial
relationships
[Key concepts: signing space, numeral incorporation, verb modification to show who; Key processes:
explaining, describing, noticing, identifying]
Elaborations
realising that meaning is communicated through the use of signs, pictures, written or spoken words or
miming
describing the range of signing space in normal signed discourse
noticing that singledigit numbers can be separate lexical items or merged into other signs (numeral
incorporation) such as those for ages (for example, 5YEARSOLD) or adverbs of time (for example, 3
WEEKSAGO) or pronouns (WE3, WE4)
noticing that Auslan pronouns are different from English ones because they don’t show gender but they
can show location and a specific number of referents, for example, WE2 (inclusive) and WE3 (inclusive)
or WE2NOTINCLUDINGYOU (exclusive)
noticing that enacting a role or modifying the beginning and end locations of some verbs can show the
referents involved, for example:
PRO1 ASK PRO3 versus PRO1 ASKher
PRO3 ASKme CA:Iwasshocked
identifying what sort of things can be represented in a DS by a particular handshape, for example a
distant person, pole or tree can be represented by a point handshape, and a cylinder can be traced by a
C handshape
Recognise that groups of words combine to make clauses and include nouns and pronouns (people,
places, things), adjectives (qualities) and verbs (happenings, states); and distinguish between statements
and questions based on nonmanual features
[Key concepts: sign class, clauses, telling versus showing; Key processes: recognising, observing,
distinguishing]
Elaborations
categorising noun signs into those for people, animals, places or things
understanding that proper nouns can have a sign name or be fingerspelled
knowing that adjectives describe nouns in different ways, such as how they look (BIG or RED), feel
(SOFT or HOT), smell (SMELLY) or sound (LOUD)
identifying verb signs (SIT, EAT, FEEL, WONDER, HAVE) and recognising that they are central to a
clause
recognising that there is no verb ‘to be’ in Auslan
understanding that a clause is one or more signs expressing a single idea and that a clause has at least
one verb, but often one or more nouns as well, for example,
CALLhim
I called him.
MAN THERE GOTO POSS3 HOUSE
That man went to his house.
BIG MONSTER SCREAM
A big monster screamed.
recognising different nouns in clauses, including those that are shown with a pointing sign, such as GIRL
READ versus PRO3 READ, or VISIT FRIEND versus VISIT PRO3
noticing that Auslan has more flexibility in word order than English
distinguishing between clauses that are statements and those that are questions
knowing that signing involves either telling with signs or showing with DSs and periods of constructed
action (CA)
MAN WALK SLOW
DS(point):manwalksslowly
CA:manswingingarmsnonchalantly
Understand that texts are made up of units of meaning, such as words, gestures or sentences/clauses and
that different types of texts have particular features that help serve their purpose
[Key concepts: text, referent; Key processes: recognising, identifying, discussing]
Elaborations
recognising that texts are made up of one or more clauses which together make meaning
recognising that different signed texts serve different purposes, and discussing and comparing these
purposes (for example, the text genre procedure is to explain how, a narrative is to narrate, tell or
entertain)
identifying characteristic structures and features of particular types of Auslan texts and noticing how they
suit the intended purpose, for example, the expression of emotions in a recount compared to presenting
facts in an information report
identifying different signs used by a signer to refer to the same person in a text, considering how this
helps to maintain interest and understanding
Understand that all languages including signed languages vary and borrow words and signs from each
other
[Key concepts: , borrowing, variation; Key processes: noticing, recognising]
[Key concepts: dialect, language borrowing, variation; Key processes: noticing, recognising]
Elaborations
understanding that there are two main Auslan dialects: the southern dialect used in Victoria, South
Australia, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania and the northern dialect used in New
South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory
viewing videoed examples of Auslan signers from different parts of Australia, identifying the different
signs used in southern and northern dialects, for example, signs for colours and some numbers
noticing that words such as proper nouns for names of people, places or schools are borrowed from
English by fingerspelling and mouthing, but some also have sign names
recognising that Auslan borrows from other languages just as English does, and collecting words and
signs used in their everyday lives that come from different signed and spoken languages
noticing the variation in ‘handedness’ between signers in relation to signs and fingerspelling: right
handers using their right hand as their dominant (main) hand; left handers doing the opposite
Language awareness
Recognise that Auslan is a legitimate language, one of many languages used in Australia and around the
world
[Key concept: language diversity; Key processes: identifying, recognising, comparing]
Elaborations
identifying different languages used by their classmates or members of their families, for example by
creating a class profile or language map
exploring similarities and differences between the many languages used in Australia and represented in
the school, including spoken and signed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and comparing
the ways different languages use writing, sound/speech, gestures, drawings, art and signs to
communicate
recognising the unique nature of signed languages and understanding that there are many different
signed languages in use around the world, including in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,
and that there is not one ‘universal’ signed language
recognising that Auslan is a legitimate language, different from mime and gestures such as those used to
accompany songs in spoken languages
Understand that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live,
who they live with and what is important to them
[Key concepts: language, culture, community, observable phenomena; Key processes: noticing,
recognising, questioning, making connections]

Elaborations
recognising that people from different places and backgrounds may use different languages and have
ways of living and communicating that differ from their own
appreciating that culture and cultural difference means that people may value different things or live
differently, and noticing observable examples of such difference, such as ways of greeting (bowing
versus shaking hands) or conveying information (through words versus signs)
exploring how hearing people live in ways that may be different from how deaf people live, for example
by responding to stimuli such as: Compare how deaf and hearing people know someone is at the front
door. or How do deaf and hearing people wake up in the morning?
recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and nonmanual features in conveying
information in a visualgestural language and culture
recognising the importance of language, community and culture in relation to their own lives and in
relation to other language groups and their communities
considering how some spaces make deaf people feel comfortable, for example, contexts where distance
between signers allows for easy visual access
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teaching team, class visitors and each other to share
information about themselves, their families, friends, routines, pastimes and experiences. They use
fingerspelling or sign names as appropriate and lexical adjectives or size and shape specifiers (SASS)
depicting signs (DS) to describe the appearance and characteristics of family members, friends or teachers,
for example, POSS1 BROTHER OLD++ TALL SKINNY or POSS3 SISTER FRECKLES. Students recount
shared and personal experiences and favourite activities, using plain or indicating verbs that are modified,
such as PRO1 GOTOright, PLAYcontinuous, RETURNleft, or LASTWEEK PRO1plural VISIT NANNA. They
sequence events correctly using time markers such as YESTERDAY, LASTYEAR, TWODAYSAGO. They
use everyday social exchanges such as greeting, thanking and apologising, and express feelings through the
use of NMFs and lexical signs. They compare likes, dislikes and preferences, for example, PRO1 LIKE APPLE
DON’TLIKE ORANGE. They use appropriate NMFs to ask and respond to a range of wh questions and
yes/no questions. They indicate agreement/disagreement or understanding/lack of understanding by using
other NMFs. They follow directions for class routines, for example, PLEASE DS:lineupfacingfront, and give
and follow instructions of two or more steps, using directional terms or DSs such as DS:turnleft TJUNCTION
DS:turnright. Students follow culturally appropriate protocols, such as responding to and using attention
gaining strategies such as flashing lights, waving or tapping a shoulder or table, using voiceoff while signing,
and observing appropriate distance between signers. They recall and retell specific points of information from
texts such as class messages, directions, introductions and ‘visual vernacular’ descriptions, and they
recognise familiar fingerspelled words. They follow procedural texts involving several steps and retell them
using list buoys. They view short Auslan stories and respond by identifying and comparing favourite elements,
characters and events. They use features of constructed action (CA) such as shifting eye gaze, or head or
body–head orientation when creating imagined texts, and use NMFs to modify manner or intensify adjectives,
such as REMEMBER PRO1 JUMPreallyfarandhigh. They identify themselves as members of different groups
and describe their relationships with deaf, hard of hearing and hearing children, family members, and the
community. They identify similarities and differences between how people interact and share stories in Auslan
and in spoken languages.
Students know that Auslan is a language in its own right, different from mime and gestures used in spoken
languages. They know that eye contact is necessary for effective communication and that meaning is
communicated visually through the use of signs, fingerspelling, NMFs and nonconventional gestures. They
recognise and describe the main elements of Auslan signs: handshape, movement and location; and identify
and categorise signs according to these. They recognise that some signs link to visual images, for example
DRINK, ELEPHANT. Students know that some words, such as proper nouns, are borrowed from English by
fingerspelling and mouthing, and that locations or orientations of signs can be modified meaningfully, for
example to show who is involved in an event. They recognise that signers can tell with lexical signs or show
with DSs and CA, and that clauses include a verb and sometimes nouns. They recognise the importance of
facial expression, eye gaze and NMFs in a visualgestural language and culture.
Learners at this level are developing their cognitive and social capabilities and their communicative repertoire
in the language, as well as becoming increasingly aware of their social worlds and their membership of
various groups, including the Deaf community. They are more independent and less egocentric, enjoying both
competitive and cooperative activities. Learners are able to conceptualise and reason, and have better
memory and focus. They benefit from varied, activitybased learning that builds on their interests and
capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
Learners in this band engage in a range of activities involving watching and responding to signed texts. They
build proficiency through the provision of rich language input from a variety of sources where grammatical
forms and language features are purposefully integrated. They develop more elaborate conversational and
interactional skills, including initiating and sustaining conversations, reflecting on and responding to others’
contributions, making appropriate responses and adjustments, and engaging in debate and discussion.
Learners at this stage express ideas and feelings related to their personal worlds, give and follow directions,
negotiate with and persuade others, paraphrase content of texts, form factual questions to request
information, check and clarify understanding and participate in play and shared tasks, including planning and
rehearsing presentations or performances.
They watch and create short texts on topics relevant to their interests and enjoyment, such as family, pets,
favourite activities or food. They continue to build vocabulary that relates to a wider range of domains, such
as areas of the curriculum that involve some specialised language use. The language used in routine
activities is reused and reinforced from lesson to lesson in different situations, making connections between
what has been learnt and what is to be learnt.
Learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team in the language classroom and
the school environment, with some sharing of their learning at home. Additional enrichment and
authentication of learning experience is provided through interactions with elders and other signers in the
Deaf community. Access to wider communities of Auslan signers and resources also occurs through virtual
and digital technology.
Texts and resources
Learners interact with a growing range of live and digital signed texts. They engage primarily with a variety of
teachergenerated materials, stories and games, and with materials produced for young signers, such as
storytelling apps. They have access to materials produced for signing children from the BANZSL family of
languages as a means of broadening their cultural knowledge and awareness of the diversity of language
experience.
Learners recognise and apply elements of Auslan grammar, such as marking manner or aspect on verbs.
They use increasingly sophisticated means of showing constructed action, and of using space to track a
character or location through a text for purposes of cohesion. They develop metalanguage for talking about
language, understanding and using terms such as fully or partlylexical signs, entity, handling or SASS
depicting signs, constructed action, and adverbs and clauses.
Learners talk about differences and similarities they notice between Auslan and English, and also between
cultural behaviours and ways of communicating. A balance between language knowledge and language use
is established by integrating focused attention to grammar, vocabulary building, and nonverbal and cultural
dimensions of language use with communicative and purposeful learning activity.
Learning Auslan in school contributes to the process of making sense of the learners’ worlds, which
characterises this stage of development. Students are increasingly aware that various signed languages are
used in Deaf communities across the world. As they engage consciously with differences between languages
and cultures, they make comparisons and consider differences and possibilities in ways of communicating in
different languages. This leads them to explore concepts of identity and difference, to think about cultural and
linguistic diversity, and about what it means to speak more than one language in the contemporary world.
Level of support
While learners work more independently at this level, ongoing support is incorporated into tasks, and the
process of learning is supported by systematic feedback and review. Formfocused activities, particularly
those increasing metalinguistic awareness, build grammatical knowledge and support the development of
accuracy and control in Auslan. Opportunities to use this knowledge in meaningful activities build
communicative skills, confidence and fluency. Tasks are carefully scaffolded: teachers provide models and
examples; introduce language, concepts and resources needed to manage and complete learning activities;
make time for experimentation and polishing rehearsed texts; and provide support for selfmonitoring and
reflection. The language students see is authentic with some modification. Discussion supports learning and
develops learners’ conceptual frame for talking about systems of language and culture.
The role of English
Auslan is the principal medium of instruction in L1 pathway classrooms. English plays a complementary role;
for example, it is used when translating, creating bilingual/multilingual texts or comparing and contrasting
languages. Discussion in Auslan supports learning, develops conceptual frames and builds metalanguage.
The process of moving between languages consolidates the already established sense of what it means to be
bilingual or multilingual and provides opportunities for reflection on the experience of living interculturally in
intersecting language communities. Auslan is learnt in parallel with English literacy and, for some children,
spoken English. The learning of Auslan supports and enriches deaf children’s learning of English, and vice
versa.
Communicating
Socialising
Communicate with each other and with teachers about aspects of their personal worlds, daily routines,
preferences and pastimes
[Key concepts: self, routines, preferences, pastimes; Key processes: expressing, describing, comparing,
recounting, persuading]

Elaborations
sharing feelings about important experiences or events, for example:
PRO1 EXCITED HOLIDAY SOON
I am excited about the holidays.
POSS1 FRIEND CHANGE OTHER SCHOOL PRO1 SAD
I was sad when my friend moved away.
discussing preferences in relation to school or community activities, using comparatives and superlatives
PRO1 LIKE MATH, SCIENCE BUT POSS1 FAVOURITE ART
I like maths and science, but my favourite subject is art.
comparing routines or activities, using signs for time, sequence and location, such as:
WHAT TIME PRO2 GOTOBED?
What time do you go to bed?
EVERY MONDAY POSS1 CLASS LISTBUOY1 READING LISTBUOY2 MATHS LISTBUOY3
SWIMMING. POSS2 CLASS G:WELL?
Every Monday my class has reading, then maths, then swimming. What about your class?
telling each other about daily routines or habits showing aspectual marking on verbs to indicate
frequency, such as brushing teeth for a long time
interacting with younger children or with people who are just beginning to learn to sign, adapting
language to suit the situation
describing actions and activities using NMFs to show manner, for example, PRO1 WORK versus PRO1
WORKhard
participating in online exchanges such as vlogs to compare daily routines or interests with other deaf
children or families
using persuasive language in social interactions with each other, for example:
PLEASE POPCORN GIVEme++ BEG?
Please can I have some of your popcorn?
Contribute to class activities and shared learning tasks that involve transacting, planning and problem
solving, using collaborative language
[Key concepts: collaboration, roles, responsibilities, memory; Key processes: negotiating, collaborating,
planning, transacting]

Elaborations
working together in shared tasks such as cooking, craft activities or creating displays, signing questions
or statements, for example:
BOOK WHICH WANT MAKE WHICH? PICK.
Which recipe do you want to make? You choose.
PLEASE PRO2 BRING SCISSORS PLUS PAPER?
Can you please bring scissors and paper?
negotiating roles and responsibilities and expressing preferences when working on shared projects,
using expressions such as I would prefer to do that; What job do you want to do?
PRO1 FILM PRO2 QUESTIONher
I’ll film; you ask her the questions.
contributing to the development of a set of class rules
engaging in activities such as treasure hunts that involve making choices, solving problems and giving
and following directions, for example:
LIBRARY IN DS:turnright AUSLAN DICTIONARY DS:fatbook SHELF++ THAT. PLEASE BRINGme
Go into the library, turn right and the Auslan dictionary will be on the second shelf. Bring that back to me.
playing games that involve the exchange or discovery of hidden information, using descriptive language
and appropriate questioning, for example:
HAVE BROWN EYES CURLY HAIR?
Does he have brown eyes and curly hair
CAN COOK WITH?
Can you use it for cooking?
checking on understanding when completing learning activities, for example:
KNOW WHAT PRO1 MEAN?
Do you know what I mean?
THIS PRO2 FINISH THIS?
Do you think that’s finished now?
participating in games that involve turntaking, active watching, memory and information exchange
working together in design projects such as short films or displays to demonstrate content knowledge
from different curriculum areas, sharing decisions about content, vocabulary and sequencing
Adjusting and responding to language and behaviour for various purposes in the classroom and wider
school community, for example by asking and responding to questions, and indicating understanding
[Key concepts: respect, behaviour, protocol, group work; Key processes: clarifying, responding, asking and
answering questions, encouraging]
Elaborations
asking for repetition and clarification, for example:
WHAT?
What was that?
PLEASE AGAIN SIGN
Please sign that again.
WHAT MEAN?
What do you mean?
responding to instructions when completing work or preparing for class
adopting different roles for effective group or pairwork interactions, such as group leader, note taker or
reporter
using appropriate protocols when gaining the attention of a group, such as flashing lights, waving,
multiple tapping or foot stomping in some contexts, waiting for eye contact or pauses in signing and using
language such as EXCUSE or SORRY INTERRUPT or QUICK INTERRUPT when interrupting a
conversation
responding appropriately to impromptu or more formal class and school announcements, such as
assembly procedures
indicating understanding, for example:
RIGHTYEAH
Aaah, right.
clarifying points of information, for example by asking:
PRO2 MEAN…?
Do you mean …?
THAT RIGHT?
Is that right?
…RIGHT PRO1?
… am I right?
using eye contact and clear signing with peers, teachers, visitors and community members
using an increasing range of interaction skills, such as initiating, maintaining and changing topics,
remaining on task and taking turns in conversations
understanding how to walk between signers engaged in conversation without interrupting
developing appropriate conversational behaviours such as sharing ideas, acknowledging and extending
others’ contributions and making use of discourse markers, fillers and NMFs, such as:
SURPRISE
oooh (with appropriate intonation)
INCREDIBLE
No way!
WOW
Wow!
UM
um
understanding and producing phrases to encourage and praise each other, for example, GOOD,
EXCELLENT, CONGRATULATIONS
Informing
Collect, classify and paraphrase information from a variety of Auslan texts and sources used in school and
in the Deaf community
[Key concepts: information, facts, vocabulary, findings; Key processes: recalling, paraphrasing,
interviewing, surveying, recording, presenting]
Elaborations
recalling specific points of information in signed classroom instructions or descriptions and responding to
comprehension questions in Auslan
paraphrasing the content of selected community texts, such as public service or promotional
announcements on the Deaf Emergency Info website
conducting an interview with a member of the Deaf community and reporting back to the class on key
points
using factual questions to request information about planned events or activities, for example in relation
to details such as place, time or cost
surveying peers about interests, preferences or routines, presenting findings in formats such as profiles,
charts or graphs
locating, organising and presenting information from Auslan resources related to other learning areas,
such as science materials or cooking demonstrations, for example, Sign & Cook for Kids (Auslan
Storybooks)
learning new Auslan vocabulary and language structures through interacting with Deaf visitors and
mentors, recording the new language in personal sign dictionaries
Conveying information about aspects of school, culture and community, using knowledge of the intended
audience to modify content
[Key concepts: school, cultural events, games; Key processes: conveying information, explaining, planning,
rehearsing]

Elaborations
assembling an information pack about their school to support newly arrived deaf students using Auslan
and visuals, including a signed glossary of the most relevant signs
conveying information about cultural events, for example a digital report about a Deaf visitor for a school
newsletter or a class website
presenting factual information related to cultural activities and significant events such as Deaf festivals or
sporting events, using visual supports such as a timeline
explaining a favourite computer game, sport or playground game to a younger audience, highlighting key
terms and supporting the information with pictures, gestures and demonstrated actions
planning, rehearsing and delivering short presentations on chosen topics that take into account the
particular purpose and intended audience
relaying messages between different members of groups/teams during different stages of a group
activity such as a crosscountry or relay event, noting any changes in meaning or content at the end of
the process
signing a weekly informative text such as announcements, news updates or weather forecasts for the
school website
Creating
Engage with imaginative texts such as stories, games, poems or cartoons, to demonstrate comprehension
and express enjoyment
[ Key concepts: story, emotion, expression, humour; Key processes: identifying, expressing emotion, re
enacting, experimenting, shadowing]
Elaborations
viewing a signed story that involves progressive action, tension and resolution
identifying how signers use space to track a character or location throughout a text
viewing and responding to a range of Deaf poetry for children, for example by creating an alternative
ending or extra verse
using NMFs to express changing emotions such as anticipation, fear or relief in response to elements of
live or recorded signed stories
viewing and responding to short recorded skits, for example by reenacting favourite elements and
modifying manner or aspect to provide additional emphasis or expression
freezing cartoons or video clips of people/animals in amusing situations, signing a commentary on what
has just happened and predicting what might happen next
experimenting with different Auslan parameters to create and perform examples of gestural humour, as
modelled in performances by companies such as the Hong Kong Theatre of the Deaf
participating in games that focus on modifying manner or aspect for effect
viewing a theatre performance designed for a deaf audience and sharing their reactions to the
experience of viewing a theatre performance designed for a deaf audience
engaging with different examples of Deaf humour or Deaf jokes and comparing them with examples of
humour in spoken English or in silent films or mime
shadowing signed elements of theatrical or cinematographic texts that use handshapes, such as the
scene with handfaces in the film Labyrinth
comparing two signed versions of a story such as ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’ and indicating their
preference for one version over the other
responding to elements of signed stories such as refrains or exclamations, for example by shadowing
repeated signs, movements or facial expressions
Create or adapt imaginative texts and expressive performances that feature favourite characters, amusing
experiences or special effects
[Key concepts: emotion, humour, performance, character; Key processes: creating, performing, adapting,
dancing]

Elaborations
performing stories for a live audience with a focus on the visual communication of emotion and humour
adapting an element of a familiar cartoon or story to achieve a different effect, for example by varying the
use of manner
adapting a signed advertisement for a product popular with their age group to create a change in effect,
for example by inserting additional elements, mood or characters
signing stories or participating in playbased activities that require the use of constructed action to
represent other people’s actions, thoughts, feelings or attitudes
adapting key elements of a popular picture book to create a short signed performance suitable for
younger children being introduced to Auslan
experimenting with the genre of storytelling, adapting the use of signing space and signing techniques
and changing perspectives according to character
performing an adaptation of a humorous story with two or more characters, using elements of
constructed action such as shifting eye gaze and head orientation
creating the next scene, a new character or an alternative ending for a signed fable, short story or
cartoon
choreographing and performing musicless dance, focusing on matching timing, beat and rhythm
creating original handshape poetry to present at a school assembly or community festival
playing with light and shadow, handshapes and movement, for example in shadow puppet performances
Translating
Translate highfrequency signs/words and expressions in simple texts such as repeated lines in a story or
captions, noticing similarities, differences and instances of equivalence
[Key concepts: literal, difference, meaning, equivalence; Key processes: comparing, matching, identifying,
translating]
Elaborations
comparing key signs in Auslan used in versions of children’s stories, for example, ‘Jack and the
Beanstalk’, to English words used in written texts, and noticing how signs can convey rich, multilayered
meaning which might not have a direct match in English captioning
playing matchingpair games with Auslan sign flashcards and English word cards, matching cards in both
languages associated with concepts such as weather or animals
discussing the types of words/signs that seem to have direct matches/equivalents and those that equate
to chunks of English in a single sign, for example GOTO meaning to travel to/to attend/to go to in
English
identifying the iconicity of some signs, such as RAINBOW or DRINK, and how similar they are to the
object/referent, and discussing how this transparency might help ‘translatability’ of concepts for non
signers
identifying a list of gestures used by deaf people that might be easily understood by hearing people, for
example, head nodding and shaking, pointing to the wrist for time, shrugging shoulders for don’t know
creating a class signed translation of repeated lines in familiar children’s stories, such as I’ll huff and I’ll
puff and I’ll blow your house down and filming segments of such stories to screen to younger children in
story reading sessions
Create bilingual versions of different types of texts, such as captioned recordings of Auslan phrases or
classroom resources such as posters and digital displays
[Key concepts: bilingualism, meaning; Key processes: creating, identifying, categorising]

Elaborations
creating captions in English for basic recorded signed texts, for example, a ‘welcome to the school’ video
creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, such as posters including signed images
or digital library displays, and discussing how to represent meaning in different languages for different
audiences
creating cards for use by younger children that contain pictures, labels and signs, for example, cards
relating to different forms of transport
making their own bilingual picture dictionaries with English labels, images and simple descriptions of
signs, identifying and categorising signs according to handshape
Identity
Consider how individual and community relationships combine to create family and social networks,
influence social behaviours and contribute to a sense of belonging and identity
[Key concepts: identity, relationship, belonging, place, behaviour, ways of interacting; Key processes:
exploring, sharing, describing explaining]

Elaborations
creating individual family trees and identifying deaf and hearing family members
interacting with Deaf elders to discuss visual ways of being, interacting and behaving associated with
identity
designing visual representations such as concept maps, posters or captioned slide presentations to show
individual and group connections within the Deaf community such as friendship, family or sporting
groups, or state and national Deaf community associations, discussing how these contribute to a sense
of identity
exploring the concept of ‘family’ as it relates to the Deaf community, considering how it extends beyond
the traditional concept to include broader social networks
explaining how deaf families play a key role in language maintenance and shared sense of identity
across generations
exploring how name signs are created and form part of an individual identity, for example by providing
contemporary examples such as signs for their peers, teachers and Deaf elders
using a vlog journal entry to discuss how having peers who share the same language develops social
bonds, personal confidence and a sense of shared identity
responding to presentations by Deaf visitors to the classroom who share their experiences of education,
family life, social networks, community and sense of identity, for example by discussing similarities and
differences to their own lives
sharing views on why certain places have special significance to the Deaf community, evoking a sense of
belonging and pride and representing particular bonds between people, place and experience, for
example, Deaf schools or sites of historic significance such as original Deaf Society/Mission buildings or
other former meeting places
identifying how deaf people share modifications to space to maximise visual attention, such as adjusting
seating or removing visual obstacles
Reflecting
Describe some ways in which Auslan and associated communicative behaviours are similar to or different
from wider community spoken languages and forms of cultural expression
[Key concepts: language, culture, values, similarity, difference, communication; Key processes: noticing,
comparing, describing, explaining, questioning, reflecting]

Elaborations
reflecting on their observations of similarities and differences between ways of communicating in Auslan
and in Australian English in different social situations, for example, when greeting/leavetaking,
introducing people or using body language, facial expression and eye contact
considering the impact of the increased use of Auslan among their hearing peers when members of their
school community are learning Auslan, and reflecting on their experience of interacting with these
learners
comparing their own and each other’s reflections on the experience of learning and communicating in
English as a second language
reflecting on similarities and differences in communication that relate to culture, such as the extent of
incidental learning available to hearing children compared to deaf children through interaction with their
external environment, for example by overhearing conversations or news on the radio
reflecting on the need for sustained eye contact when using Auslan in order to understand a message
and before teacher instructions can proceed, and considering how this differs for hearing students in a
spoken language environment
describing how it feels to use Auslan to communicate outside their inner circle or school, or to watch
Auslan being used by others, for example by responding to questions such as What are the main
differences you notice when observing a conversation between deaf people and one between hearing
people?
Understanding
Systems of language
Identify and demonstrate how the formational elements of handshape and its orientation, movement,
location and nonmanual features can be arranged in signs which may be iconic, and explore ways of
recording Auslan
[Key concepts: orientation, hand dominance, iconicity, nonmanual features, recording language; Key
processes: identifying, recognising, comparing, distinguishing, comparing, describing, decoding]
Elaborations
noticing the orientation of handshapes in signs
identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in handshape, for example FIND or BEST
identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in orientation, for example CANNOT or HOW
distinguishing between single, double and twohanded signs, and identifying which hand is dominant and
which is nondominant in twohanded signs
thinking of bodyanchored signs, such as HEAD or WHY, and signs that are not body anchored, such as
HAVE or STOP and recognising that nonbody anchored signs can be located in space around the signer
understanding that NMFs can also be an element of a sign and can show emotional states such as a
happy expression or grammatical information, for example, a frown to mark a negative
comparing iconic signs that provide visual images of referents, such as DRINK, ELEPHANT, with English
words that map to the sound images of the referents, such as animal noises, or words for sounds such
as bang
describing how the movement changes between groups of related numbers, for example, 5, 15, 50, 5th
learning to film themselves and analyse the video or to read simple glosses produced by the teacher,
and understanding that the English word used is often not an exact match for the meaning of the sign
Observe that signers can include different information, including gestural overlays, within a single sign, and
identify examples of signers using space grammatically through points, depicting signs and
constructed action
[Key concepts: space, function of points, indicating verbs, depicting signs, constructed action; Key
processes: recognising, identifying, discussing, comparing]
Elaborations
recognising that Auslan has fullylexical signs that are in the dictionary and have a standard handshape,
movement and location, and partlylexical signs that cannot be listed in a dictionary in all forms as they
change their form each time they are signed, such as DSs
noticing that fully and partlylexical signs can include grammatical information not included in a ‘citation’
form, for example, the sign TELL me is not listed separately to TELL (towards neutral space) and GOTO
includes GOTO often
discussing the functions of different pointing signs, such as pronouns, determiners and locatives
understanding that some verb forms in Auslan indicate who is involved in a verb by changing the
direction of the movement or orientation of the handshape
noticing the relationship between the location of referents and the direction of some indicating verbs
recognising who is the actor and undergoer of the verb in a clause
identifying with support examples of DSs and becoming familiar with the terms entity, handling and SASS
DSs
comparing English adjectives with SASS DSs
knowing that signers can reconstruct/act out their own or another’s talk and/or actions and that this is
called CA
Understand that clauses can be enriched through the use of adjectives and adverbs (when, where, how),
often produced with
often produced with nonmanual features
[Key concepts: verb types, adverbs, clause structure, questions; Key processes: recognising, exploring]
Elaborations
exploring different semantic types of verbs in a text, for example by showing how:
doing (WALK, WRITE) and saying (TELL, CALLOUT, ANNOUNCE) verbs in narrative texts give
information about a characters’ actions
sensing (SEE, THINK) or possessing (THAT’STYPICALOFTHEM, OWN) verbs indicate what
characters think, feel or own
relating verbs identify or describe a noun (for example, HAVE in PRO3 HAVE LONGHAIR)
noticing that some signs modify the meaning of verbs, such as READ CAREFUL and that these are
called adverbs
contributing examples of signs that tell:
when a verb happens (IN2WEEKS PRO1 HOLIDAY or WANT LUNCH NOW)
where a verb happens (PRO3 RUN FAR or COME HERE)
how a verb happens (FAST or SLOW or PRO2 QUICK FINISH)
noticing that sometimes Auslan signers have information about how a verb happens through NMFs
rather than separate signs, for example, WRITE carelessly
noticing that clauses can be made more vivid by integrating CA or DSs to show with body or hands or by
showing adverbial or adjectival meanings
understanding that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: a happening or a state (verb), who
or what is involved (noun or nouns) and the surrounding circumstances (adverb or adverbs)
distinguishing between yes/no questions and wh questions and noticing that each type of question has
different NMFs
Understand how signers make different language choices in different types of texts depending on the
purpose and intended audience, and explore how space is used in Auslan for purposes of textual cohesion
[Key concepts: textual features, similarity, difference, cohesion; Key processes: identifying, examining,
comparing]
Elaborations
noticing that differing purposes in the creation of Auslan texts result in differing types and amounts of
signing, for example, the use of more CA in narratives
comparing a short text in Auslan with an equivalent type of English text (for example, a recount in both
languages) and noticing similarities and differences in structure and language features
identifying with support, examples of signers associating nonpresent referents with locations in signing
space
identifying examples of signers pointing to an established location to refer to something
identifying how signers establish locations and noticing how this helps the audience to recognise who or
what the referents are (actor and undergoer)
Recognise that there is variation in Auslan use, for example in different locations or physical environments
[Key concepts: variation, adaptation; Key processes: identifying, recognising, exploring, considering]
Elaborations
exploring similarities and differences in Auslan dialects through building webcam relationships with other
schools or through identifying and collecting signs that differ in the ‘northern’ (NSW, Qld and ACT) and
‘southern’ (Vic., SA, WA, NT and Tas.) dialects, such as DINNER or AFTERNOON
recognising that variation also occurs in spoken languages and noticing some different words for the
same thing in English, such as cossie/cozzie, togs or bathers
identifying Auslan signs or informal home signs that might be different from signs used by other people
considering adaptations to Auslan use when communicating in different physical environments, such as
in video chats, across a large yard, or when one or both hands are occupied, for example, variations in
vocabulary, size of signing space, clarity of signs, use of fingerspelling and NMFs
recognising variation in adaptation of signing between different users of Auslan, for example, people who
are deafblind use handoverhand signing and tactile fingerspelling
Language awareness
Develop awareness of the social and cultural nature and context of Auslan and other sign languages, of
their different modes of expression and of the related issue of language vitality
[Key concepts: communication, culture, language vitality; Key processes: identifying, describing,
recognising, understanding]
Elaborations
identifying different ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of
the wider hearing community, including face to face or via technology such as NRS or VRS, through
social media, the use of English or the use of interpreters
describing the visibility and use of Auslan in the wider community, for example in television programs; on
the news; at community events, sporting fixtures; and in emergency announcements
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ use of signed languages is culturally
determined and shaped by their beliefs and values
exploring the vitality of Auslan and other spoken and signed languages, appreciating that a language with
strong vitality is one used by many people in the home and other domains, across generations, to talk
about most topics
understanding that some languages used in Australia such as English have large numbers of users,
while others, such as many spoken and signed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, are
endangered or in the process of being revived or reclaimed
understanding that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander signed languages arise from specific needs, for
example, certain cultural restrictions on speech, or the presence of deaf people
identifying behaviours, rights, roles and responsibilities in relation to the ownership and maintenance of
Auslan, and identifying how this ownership rests with the Deaf community and is determined by
traditional social groupings/families, place, history and stories
Explore connections between identity and cultural values and beliefs and the expression of these
connections in Auslan
[Key concepts: language, culture, symbol; Key processes: exploring, understanding, noticing, recognising,
questioning, making connections]
Elaborations
exploring culture as an essential part of human life, understanding that it is shared and passed on
between generations and is closely connected to language and to identity
understanding that culture is more than the visible aspects of people’s lives; that it also includes invisible
elements such as beliefs and values, how people think about themselves and others, how they relate to
their social and physical environments, and how these understandings apply to themselves as users of
Auslan and members of the Deaf community
recognising that in each culture there are general rules for what to say and do, when, where and with
whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture, for example, the Deaf culture places greater
importance on eye contact than cultures that communicate through spoken languages
recognising that language reflects values and beliefs, such as in expressions of personal identity or in the
recognition of others (sameness and difference), for example by identifying deaf family members as part
of introductions, and by relaying cultural information about background and context and shared
knowledge when interacting with others
appreciating the social and cultural nature of deaf humour in a visual language
By the end of Year 4, students communicate with each other, the teaching team and others about aspects of
their personal worlds, daily routines, preferences and pastimes at school and in the Deaf community. They
show aspectual marking on verbs to indicate frequency when communicating about daily routines, for
example pro3 tapshoulderrepeatedly, and use modifications to show manner when describing actions and
activities. They initiate and maintain interaction by using discourse markers such as fillers, checking and
clarifying their understanding. They contribute to class activities and shared learning tasks that involve
transacting, planning and problemsolving, for example, by giving and following directions, LIBRARY IN DS:
turnright AUSLAN DICTIONARY DS: fatbook SHELF++ THAT. PLEASE BRINGme, expressing preferences,
asking for clarification and using persuasive language PLEASE POPCORN GIVEme++ BEG? They use
appropriate cultural protocols in different situations, for example, to gain the attention of a group, such as
flashing lights, waving, multiple tapping or foot stomping in some contexts, waiting for eye contact or pauses
in signing and walking between signers without interrupting them. They paraphrase information from a variety
of Auslan texts and sources used in school and in the Deaf community. They recall specific points of
information and recount main points in correct sequence EVERY MONDAY POSS1 CLASS LISTBUOY1
READING LISTBUOY2 MATHS LISTBUOY3 SWIMMING. They plan, rehearse and deliver short
presentations about topics such as cultural activities or events in the Deaf community, with the support of
materials such as photos, props, timelines or maps. They take into account the purpose and intended
audience of a text. They view imaginative texts such as stories, poems and theatre performances, identifying
how signers represent their own or others’ actions through constructed action (CA). They create simple
imaginative texts of their own, using CA to represent their own or other people’s actions, thoughts, feelings or
attitudes. They create signed class translations, for example, of repeated lines in familiar children’s stories,
and simple bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, such as posters or bilingual picture
dictionaries. Students identify places that are important to the Deaf community and describe how such places
evoke a sense of belonging and pride. They recognise that the single most unifying factor of the community is
the use of Auslan; and they describe ways in which Auslan and associated communicative and cultural
behaviours are similar to or different from wider community spoken languages and forms of cultural
expression.
Students demonstrate how the formational elements of handshapes and their orientation, movement, location
and nonmanual features can be arranged in signs, identifying, for example, whether a sign is body anchored
or not, or is single, double or twohanded. They know the functions of different pointing signs, such as
pronouns, determiners or locatives; and can identify examples of signers using a location to refer to a
previous referent. They use metalanguage to talk about Auslan, using terms such as constructed action,
depicting signs, indicating verbs, nonmanual features, pointing signs and clauses. They recognise variation in
how Auslan is used, for example by recognising regional dialects and differences in signing space. They
identify different ways that Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the
wider hearing community, for example, face to face, via technology, social media and interpreters. They know
that culture is closely related to language and to identity and that it involves visible and invisible elements.
Languages Auslan
Second Language Learner Pathway
Page 474 of 1359

Auslan Second Language Learner Pathway Years F–10 Sequence
Children enter the early years of schooling with established communication in one or more languages and
Auslan will be learnt as an additional language. Cognitive and social development at this stage is exploratory
and egocentric; thus learning typically focuses on their immediate world of family, home, school and friends.
Children at this level are learning how to socialise with new people, share with others and participate in
structured routines and activities at school. Auslan will be learnt in parallel with English literacy, and the
learning of each language assists with the learning of the other.
Rich language input characterises the first stages of learning. The curriculum builds on children’s interests
and sense of enjoyment and curiosity, with an emphasis on active, experiential learning and confidence
building. In these years there is an emphasis on developing language to enable learners to participate in class
activities such as storytelling and games. Creative play provides opportunities for using the language for
purposeful interaction in a relaxed and informal context.
Children build vocabulary for thinking and talking about school topics, routines and processes. They build
knowledge and understanding of Auslan by interacting with each other, the teacher and deaf children, and by
participating in structured routines and activities. With support and modelling, they use Auslan for different
functions such as greeting, thanking, apologising, asking and responding to questions, expressing wishes,
likes or dislikes, following simple directions, and taking turns in games and simple shared learning activities.
They learn to produce signed phrases independently using modelled language, for example by describing
simple pictures.
The primary context for interaction is the language classroom, with the Auslan teacher and classmates.
Learners’ use of Auslan primarily relates to classroom routines and activities and to talking about their own
life. Additional language enrichment may be gained through interactions with visitors from the Deaf
community.
Texts and resources
Texts include filmed children’s stories and teachergenerated materials such as pictures or short descriptions.
Learners watch live and filmed texts such as explanations. They respond to resources such as short video
clips, or substitution or matching exercises, and produce texts such as conversations using formulaic
language.
Children in Foundation to Year 2 become familiar with all handshapes, movements and locations of single
signs. They are learning to produce simple positive and negative statements with some time marking, and to
use plain verbs or unmodified indicating verbs. They learn to describe familiar objects, animals or people
using simple lexical adjectives and to depict the movement of people, animals and means of transport using
an appropriate classifier handshape in an entity depicting sign. They are able to use simple handling and
SASS depicting signs. They explore emotions through the use of NMFs, and begin to use NMFs for
grammatical purposes in modelled language. They learn to use simple constructed action to represent the
characteristics of a single animal or themselves or another. They learn the metalanguage of nouns, verbs and
adjectives, and learn that signers can modify verbs to show the referents involved.
As children learn to adjust their language to suit different purposes and situations, they begin to understand
how culture shapes language use. They compare how they feel when they use different languages and how
they view different languages and people who use them. This introduction to the meta dimension of
and to become aware of themselves as communicators and cultural participants.
Level of support
Support is provided through visual and tactile materials, such as pictures, objects and charts, and the use of
gesture and modelling. The main source of support is the teacher’s talk, such as questions and statements,
explanations, prompts, recycling of language, stories and feedback. Learners rely on modelled language and
scaffolded tasks to create their own texts, for example, choosing signs to complete sentences or using
pictures to sequence a story that has been told to them.
The role of English
Learners are encouraged to use Auslan whenever possible, with the teacher providing rich and supported
language input. English is used as a medium of instruction and for explanation and discussion or in areas
from the Understanding strand. This allows learners to talk about differences and similarities that they notice
between Auslan and their first language(s) and culture(s), to ask questions about language and culture, to
consider how they feel when they see or use Auslan.
Communicating
Socialising
Participate in simple interactions with their peers and teachers using highfrequency signs,
nonmanual features and gestures to talk about self, family and class activities
[Key concepts: self, family, friends, experience, feelings; Key processes: interacting, greeting,
asking/answering questions, describing]

Elaborations
using greetings and farewells following modelled signs such as HELLO, HOWAREYOU? SEE LATER,
GOOD MORNING MR JONES
asking and answering questions that require an affirmative or negative response, for example:
WANT PLAY HIDEANDSEEK?
Do you want to play hide and seek?
PRO2 ALIGHT?
Are you alright?
asking and answering simple questions about family, friends and pets, such as:
PRO2 BIRD HAVE PRO2?
Do you have a bird?
PRO1 DON’THAVE
I don’t have one.
SISTERBROTHER HOW MANY?
How many brothers and sisters do you have?
2 BROTHER 1 SISTER
Two brothers and one sister.
describing the appearance of people or objects using simple statements and supporting pictures or
props, for example:
PRO3 HAVE DS:curlyhair
He has curly hair.
THAT HORSE BIG
The horse is big.
expressing likes and dislikes using simple statements such as:
PRO1 LIKE SCHOOL
I like school.
FLOWER DON’TLIKE
I don’t like flowers.
PRO1 HATE APPLES
I hate apples.
expressing feelings using lexical signs and affective NMFs, for example:
PRO1 HAPPY
I’m happy.
PRO3 GRUMPY
She’s grumpy.
expressing wishes for particular occasions or events, for example, THANKYOU, GOODLUCK or HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
making arrangements using simple time markers without numeral incorporation, for example, TODAY,
TOMORROW, NEXTWEEK
referring to family members and classmates by fingerspelling a name or using a sign name
describing what they are doing in class activities using plain verbs, for example, PRO1 RUN, PRO1 READ
Participate in guided group activities such as signing games and simple tasks using repeated language
structures, facial expressions and gestures
[Key concepts: games, space, place, memory; Key processes: playing, singing, following instructions,
exchanging, classifying]

Elaborations
participating in games or songs that involve the use of repeated phrases, expressions, actions and
NMFs, for example, I went to market and I bought … The wheels on the bus …
following instructions by locating or moving classroom objects in activities, for example, hiding a marker
pen somewhere in the classroom, describing where and then signing from mild to exaggerated ‘cold to
hot’ as the student tries to find it
using appropriate signs and NMFs when taking turns in games such as 'Go Fish'
participating in collaborative tasks that involve selecting, exchanging or classifying objects by attributes
such as shape, colour or number
using question signs and affirmative and negative answers when swapping or ‘buying’ objects
Develop interaction and communication skills for participation in regular class routines and activities
[Key concepts: fingerspelling, attention, signing space, visual communication; Key processes: interacting,
signing, recognising, gaining attention]
Elaborations
recognising and using fingerspelled names for roll call and games
following instructions for class routines, such as:
DS:lineup PLEASE
Line up, please.
LOOKATme PRO1
Eyes to the front.
PLEASE WITH2++
Please find a partner.
asking for help or permission, for example:
PLEASE HELPme?
PRO1plural CAN SHARE?
Can we share these?
gaining attention in appropriate ways, for example by waving or tapping a shoulder or table
stopping activities and paying attention when lights are flashed or hands are waved
using NMFs such as focused eye gaze, nodding and head shaking to show affirmation and negation
using voiceoff when possible while signing and keeping appropriate signing space between signers
positioning seating to keep visual communication clear or sitting across from/opposite signers when
communicating
using visual applause to show enjoyment of entertainment or commendation
Informing
Identify specific points of information in simple Auslan texts relating to people, places and things and use
the information to complete guided tasks
[Key concepts: information, topics; Key processes: identifying, categorising responding, gathering]
Elaborations
responding to signed information such as class messages or short introductions, for example by
identifying names, school locations, numbers or times
identifying and applying specific information in Auslan texts to complete guided tasks such as colouringin
and craft activities
gathering information from each other about topics such as family members, favourite foods, toys and
games to report back to the class using familiar structures and modelled language, for example:
SISTERBROTHER HOWMANY?
How many brothers and sisters do you have?
identifying information in simple Auslan texts that relates to properties such as colour, number, size or
shape, for example when interacting with materials and objects
identifying and categorising a select range of signs according to handshape
following an Auslan text to gain information needed to complete an actionbased activity, such as an
obstacle course
Present information about self, family, school and significant objects, using modelled signs and formulaic
phrases
[Key concepts: self, family, routines; Key processes: presenting, describing, contributing, demonstrating,
recounting]

Elaborations
describing an object, animal or person using familiar lexical adjectives such as RED, TALL and SMALL
contributing to a digital presentation such as a class video by signing a basic description of their family
members
labelling objects in the classroom with pictures of signs
recounting a class excursion, sequencing events through the use of familiar signs, gestures and photos
reporting aspects of their daily routines using modelled signs and visual prompts
sequencing points of signed information needed to complete an actionbased activity such as a treasure
hunt
Creating
Participate in the shared viewing of recorded or live imaginative signed texts, responding through drawing,
miming, gesture or familiar signs
[Key concepts: imagination, expression; Key processes: viewing, drawing, reenacting, mimicking, signing]
Elaborations
viewing recorded or live children’s stories and nursery rhymes in Auslan, for example National
Simultaneous Storytime books, demonstrating understanding through drawing, gesture, modelled signs
or voice
responding to short expressive texts that involve the movement of people, animals and/or vehicles, using
drawings, familiar signs or reenactments with puppets or props
playing with key elements of short signed stories, for example by mimicking facial expressions or
repeated signs
interacting with a signing puppet or doll in an imaginary setting, for example by signing simple questions
such as:
WHAT NAME PRO2?
What is your name?
WHAT LIKE DO PRO2?
What do you like to do?
participating in interactions in Auslan that involve imaginative responses to stimuli, using gestures,
handshapes, facial expressions and simple signs
engaging with different forms of Deaf art, such as handshape creations
shadowing nonmanual features in short Auslan poems or stories
Express imaginative ideas and visual thinking through the use of familiar signs, mime and gestures, with a
focus on emotions, appearance and actions
[Key concepts: imagination, emotion, expression; Key processes: reenacting, depicting, creating]

Elaborations
using iconic signs to create variations to actions involved in familiar nursery rhymes, such as ‘Incy Wincy
Spider’
exploring emotions through the use of NMFs, for example by reenacting a familiar scenario and
modifying emotions each time, for example by switching from fear to excitement to anger
depicting the movement of people, animals or means of transport by using handshapes in creative ways
creating amusing sequences of signs using a fixed handshape, such as the index finger ‘point’,
PRO2 THINK PRO1 SHY?
Do you think I’m shy?
using gestures and modelled signs to create short skits that convey emotions and behaviours associated
with characters from familiar stories or rhymes
enacting the movements and characteristics of a particular animal through the use of constructed action
Translating
Translate words used in everyday contexts from Auslan into English and vice versa
[Key concepts: similarity, difference, meaning; Key processes: recognising, comparing, identifying,
translating, explaining]
Elaborations
recognising that every language uses words or signs to make meaning
identifying aspects of Auslan which are the same in English, such as the fingerspelled alphabet
comparing and contrasting the iconicity of some simple signs in terms of their similarity to the
object/referent, for example, drink, food, kangaroo, considering how this may help with translation
between languages
explaining to family and friends the meaning and use of simple signs and expressions, for example,
DOG, CAT, BIRD
Create simple print or digital texts such as labels, posters, wall charts or cards that use Auslan images and
English words
[Key concepts: meaning, code, bilingualism; Key processes: labelling, creating]

Elaborations
using images of Auslan signs to name and label familiar objects and classroom items, using posters,
word cards with pictures or alphabet cards with images, for example, A is for apple with fingerspelled
letter for A
creating and using handshape images to represent signs and label with words, for example, flat hand =
FISH
making their own bilingual picture dictionaries with English labels, images of signs and simple
descriptions of signs
Identity
Describe aspects of themselves, such as membership of family and their school/class and languages they
use, considering how these different elements contribute to their sense of identity
[Key concepts: , similarity, difference, self, family, belonging; Key processes: noticing, identifying,
[Key concepts: identity, similarity, difference, self, family, belonging; Key processes: noticing, identifying,
describing, explaining, comparing]

Elaborations
describing themselves and their family using supports such as pictures, photos and family trees
identifying themselves as belonging to a family, class or peer group, representing these relationships
through captioned pictures or photos or by creating simple digital presentations
identifying friends, favourite places, objects or languages they know or are learning that contribute to
their identity
Reflecting
Notice what is similar to or different from their own language and culture when interacting with stories,
games and different forms of artistic expression in Auslan and from Deaf culture
responding]

Elaborations
responding to teacher prompts in Auslan or English to capture their impressions when viewing images,
video clips or stories in Auslan, for example:
PRO2 LOOK VIDEO. LOOK WHAT?
You saw the video. What did you notice?
HAVE SAME? HAVE DIFFERENT? WHAT?
What’s the same? What’s different?
comparing aspects of their own lives with those of deaf children represented in digital images, video clips
and stories, for example, ways of playing games, telling stories or interacting at school, home and in the
community
describing how it feels to use Auslan to communicate or to watch Auslan being used by others, for
example by responding to questions such as What are the main differences you notice when observing
conversations between hearing people and between deaf people?
discussing changes or adaptations they make to their communicative style when using Auslan, for
example waiting until they have a deaf person’s visual attention before signing to them, maintaining eye
contact when the other person is signing to them
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise that meaning can be expressed through English words or Auslan signs and that signs have set
handshapes, movements and locations, and identify and reproduce them independently
[Key concepts: handshape, movement, location, iconicity; Key processes: identifying, noticing, recognising,
understanding]
Elaborations
realising that meaning is communicated through the use of signs, pictures, written or spoken words or
miming
identifying the handshape of a sign, for example, COCKATOO (hs:5) and SOCCER (hs:fist)
recognising major types of path movements
understanding that sounds in English words are like handshapes, movements and locations in Auslan in
the sense that they are combined together to make signs
noticing that in signed languages meaning can be expressed through whole signs or through
fingerspelling
recognising that some signs are iconic, linking to the appearance of a referent, for example, HOUSE,
TREE, DRINK, ELEPHANT, and that some are not, such as SISTER, WHY, SIMPLE
understanding that while English is spoken and heard as well as written and read, Auslan is usually
uniquely ‘through the air’ and not written down
experimenting with different ways of recording signs, including video, writing an English word or drawing
pictures
Recognise and restrict signing to the standard , and understand that pronouns, depicting
Recognise and restrict signing to the standard signing space, and understand that pronouns, depicting
signs and verbs can be located meaningfully in that space
[Key concepts: signing space, verb modification, depicting signs; Key processes: noticing, identifying,
recognising]
Elaborations
describing the range of signing space in normal signed discourse
comparing and contrasting Auslan and English pronouns
noticing that the beginning and end locations of some verbs can be modified to show the referents
involved, for example:
PRO1 ASK PRO3 versus PRO1 ASKher
identifying what sorts of things can be represented in a DS by handshape, for example, point can mean a
person or tree or pole
Recognise that groups of words are combined to make a clause and that Auslan has word classes such as
nouns, adjectives or verbs, and distinguish between statements and questions
[Key concepts: sign class, clauses, statements, questions; Key processes: recognising, observing]
Elaborations
categorising noun signs into those for people, animals, places or things
learning that proper nouns can have a sign name or be fingerspelled
knowing that adjectives describe nouns in different ways, such as how they look (BIG or RED), feel
(SOFT or HOT), smell (SMELLY) or sound (LOUD)
identifying verb signs (SIT, EAT, FEEL, WONDER, HAVE) and recognising that they are central to a
clause
noticing there is no equivalent of the verb ‘to be’ in Auslan, which is a significant difference to English
understanding that a clause is one or more signs expressing a single idea and that a clause has at least
one verb, but often one or more nouns as well, for example:
CALLhim
I called him.
MAN THERE GOTO POSS3 HOUSE
That man went to his house.
BIG MONSTER SCREAM
A big monster screamed.
recognising different nouns in clauses, including those that are shown with a pointing sign, such as GIRL
READ versus PRO3 READ, or VISIT FRIEND versus VISIT PRO3
noticing that Auslan has more flexibility in word order than in English
distinguishing between clauses that are statements and those that are questions
Understand that texts are made up of units of meaning such as groups of words or sentences and that
different types of texts have different features that help serve their purpose
[Key concepts: text, text types; Key processes: recognising, noticing]
Elaborations
recognising that texts are created to achieve different purposes, for example some texts tell stories or
entertain while others give information
noticing differences in facial expressions of a signer when presenting different types of text, for example
a procedure versus a narrative
Understand that all languages including signed languages vary and borrow words and signs from each
other
[Key concepts: language borrowing, variation; Key processes: noticing, recognising]
Elaborations
understanding that there are two main Auslan dialects: the southern dialect used in Victoria, South
Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory; and the northern dialect used in New
South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory
viewing videoed examples of Auslan signers from different parts of Australia, identifying the different
signs used in southern and northern dialects, for example, signs for colours and some numbers
noticing that words such as proper nouns for names of people, places or schools are borrowed from
English by fingerspelling and mouthing, but some also have sign names
recognising that Auslan borrows from other languages just as English does, and collecting words and
signs used in their everyday lives that come from different signed and spoken languages
noticing the variation in ‘handedness’ between signers in relation to signs and fingerspelling: right
handers using their right hand as their dominant (main) hand; left handers doing the opposite
Language awareness
Recognise that Auslan is a legitimate language, one of many languages used in Australia and around the
world
[Key concepts: language diversity, difference, vitality; Key processes: identifying, exploring, recognising]

Elaborations
identifying different languages used by their classmates or members of their families, for example by
creating a class profile or language map
exploring similarities and differences between the many languages used in Australia and represented in
the school, including spoken and signed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and comparing
the ways different languages use writing, sound/speech, gestures, drawings, art and signs to
communicate
recognising the unique nature of signed languages and understanding that there are many different
signed languages in use around the world, including in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities,
and that there is not one ‘universal’ signed language
recognising that Auslan is a legitimate language, different from mime and gestures such as those used to
accompany songs in spoken languages
exploring why and how some people are deaf, and identifying different ways that they access language;
and investigating the use of hearing aids, FM systems or cochlear implants
Notice that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live, who
they live with and what is important to them
[Key concepts: language, culture, community, observable phenomena; Key processes: noticing,

Elaborations
recognising that people from different places and backgrounds may use different languages and have
ways of living and communicating that differ from their own
appreciating that culture and cultural difference means that people may value different things or live
differently, noticing observable examples of such difference, such as ways of greeting (bowing versus
shaking hands) or conveying information (through words versus signs)
exploring how learning Auslan involves entering into a visual world or culture, for example by exploring
different connections with physical space, such as being able to communicate through windows, or from
a distance
exploring how deaf people live in ways that may be different from how hearing people live, for example
by responding to stimulus questions such as How do deaf people ensure they can always see other
people who are signing? How do deaf people watch movies or television programs?
recognising the importance of facial expression, eye gaze and NMFs in conveying information in a visual
gestural language and culture
recognising the importance of community and culture in relation to their own lives and communities and
in relation to other language groups and their communities
By the end of Year 2, students interact with teachers and each other to talk about themselves, their families,
friends and immediate environment. They follow instructions to complete actionbased activities such as
signing games or transactional activities, using repeated constructions, gestures and affective
nonmanual features (NMFs). They interact in familiar classroom routines by responding to requests, such as
DS:lineup PLEASE, LOOKATme PRO1. Students ask and respond to simple questions and distinguish
between statements and questions. They express likes, dislikes and feelings using lexical signs and affective
NMFs. They recognise and produce fingerspelled names for roll call and games and produce modelled signs,
phrases and sentence patterns in familiar contexts. They use culturally appropriate protocols, such as
maintaining eye contact and responding to and gaining attention by waving or tapping a shoulder or table.
They identify specific information in signed texts, such as the properties of colour, number, size or shape, and
describe people and objects, for example, PRO3 5YEARSOLD, PRO1 HAVE 2 BROTHER, or THAT BALL
BIG. Students demonstrate simple procedures using known signs, gestures, objects and list buoys. They
recount and sequence shared events using familiar signs and visual prompts. They view short imaginative
and expressive texts such as stories and nursery rhymes, demonstrating understanding through drawing,
gesture, modelled signs or English. They use fixed handshapes in creative ways, for example to create
amusing sequences of signs to enact movements, and portray characteristics through the use of
constructed action. They identify similarities and differences in ways they interact when communicating in
English and in Auslan.
Students know that Auslan is a language in its own right, different from mime and gestures used in spoken
languages. They know that eye contact is necessary for effective communication and that meaning is
communicated visually through the use of whole signs, gestures or fingerspelling. They identify and
categorise signs according to handshape and they recognise major types of path movements. They know that
some signs link to the appearance of a referent, for example PEN, HOUSE, and that some words, such as
proper nouns, are borrowed from English by fingerspelling and mouthing. They know that locations of signs
can be modified to change meaning, for example when pointing to people. They recognise the importance of
facial expression, eye gaze and other NMFs in a visualgestural language and culture and know that sign
order is flexible in Auslan.
Learners at this level are developing their cognitive and social capabilities and their communicative repertoire
in the language, as well as becoming increasingly aware of their social worlds and their membership of
various groups, including their Auslan class. They are more independent and less egocentric, enjoying both
competitive and cooperative activities. They are able to conceptualise and reason, and have better memory
and focus. They benefit from varied, activitybased learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and
makes connections with other areas of learning.
Learners in this band engage in a range of activities in Auslan and share ideas about the language. They
respond to teachergenerated questions about texts, participate in games and give brief presentations about
topics such as family, pets, or a favourite game or object. They continue to build vocabulary for thinking and
talking about school topics. The language used in routine activities is reused and reinforced from lesson to
lesson in different situations, making connections between what has been learnt and what is to be learnt.
Learners follow instructions, watch stories and participate in creating short texts on topics relevant to their
interests and enjoyment, such as family, pets, favourite activities or food. They recount experiences, interact
with visitors, follow directions, negotiate roles in a group and retell important information.
Learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team in the language classroom and
the broader school environment, with some sharing of their learning at home. They also have some access to
the wider Deaf community and resources through virtual and digital technology. The familiarity and routine
dimension of the classroom context provide scaffolding and opportunities for language practice and
experimentation.
Texts and resources
Learners typically interact with teachergenerated materials, games and songs, and materials produced for
learning Auslan, such as computer games or online videos. They may be exposed to texts developed for deaf
children as a way of developing their cultural awareness.
Learners at this stage are increasingly aware of differences between Auslan and English. They are
developing a wide range of vocabulary and can use simple clause structures to generate their own ideas in
structured tasks. They use depicting signs to talk about simple movements and shapes, and with support can
represent the viewpoint of a single participant through constructed action. They begin modifying more
indicating verbs for present referents and use specific time marking incorporating numerals in their recounts.
They are learning to use NMFs to mark manner on verbs or to express negation. Students at this level
explore cultural constructs and practices and the language associated with these. Metalinguistically, learners
can describe differences between how to show or tell about an event, understand that adverbs modify verbs
and that clauses contain what happened, who was involved and surrounding circumstances.
Level of support
The primary support for learners is the Auslan teacher, who provides instruction, explanation, examples,
repetition, reinforcement and feedback. Learners create their own texts based on modelled language and
teacher guidance. Formfocused activities, particularly those increasing metalinguistic awareness, build
students’ grammatical knowledge and support the development of accuracy and control in Auslan. Tasks and
activities are carefully scaffolded and resourced with supports such as pictures, flashcards, gestures, objects
and multimedia. Discussion supports learning and develops learners’ conceptual frame for talking about
systems of language and culture.
The role of English
Learners use Auslan for classroom routines and structured learning tasks, and for watching texts. They are
supported by the teacher to notice and discuss aspects of Auslan and Deaf culture, and to compare Auslan to
other known languages and cultures. English is used for class discussions when noticing, comparing and
reflecting on both English and Auslan, as well as for accessing some printed material related to topics in the
Understanding strand.
Communicating
Socialising
Communicate with each other and with teachers about aspects of their personal worlds, daily routines,
preferences and pastimes
[Key concepts: routines, interests, personal worlds; Key processes: recounting, describing, expressing
preferences]

Elaborations
asking each other about their daily routines, interests or pastimes, for example:
PRO2 ARRIVE SCHOOL HOW? CAR TAXI WALK G:WELL?
How do you get to school?
PRO2 REGULAR GOTOBED WHAT TIME?
What time do you go to bed?
WEEKEND OR HOLIDAYS, WHAT DO?
What do you do in your free time?
recounting personal experiences using specific timerelated signs and conjunctions, such as BEFORE,
AFTER, LONGTIMEAGO, for example:
LONGTIMEAGO PRO1 FLY NEW ZEALAND
A long time ago I went on a plane to New Zealand.
recounting classroom events using some indicating, plain and depicting verbs
describing activities they have completed, interests or favourite pastimes, using modifications to show
manner, for example:
PRO1 WORK LITTLE, LATER WORKREALLY HARD
I worked on it a little bit, then later I worked really hard on it.
PRO1 SWIMfast SWIMslow
I swam really fast till I got tired and slowed down.
expressing preferences in relation to people, places or things, for example:
PRO1 LIKE THAT, THAT, BUT THAT BEST BOOK
I like that one, and that one, but that one is the best book.
interacting with members of the Deaf community to share details of their personal worlds
identifying significant people in their lives, such as family members or friends, describing their
appearance, characteristics or personality, for example:
PRINCIPAL YOUKNOW LONGHAIR GLASSES?
You know the principal? She has long hair and wears glasses.
POSS1 BROTHER OLD++ TALL REAL FUNNY
My brother is older; he’s tall and really funny.
Participate in shared learning activities that involve planning, transacting and problemsolving, using simple
signed statements, questions and directions
[Key concepts: task, role, responsibility, clarification, encouragement; Key processes: collaborating,
following directions, negotiating, asking for help]

Elaborations
working together in collaborative tasks such as cooking or craft activities, using interactional phrases
such as:
BOOK WHICH WANT MAKE WHICH? PICK.
Which recipe do you want to make? You choose.
PLEASE PRO2 BRING SCISSORS PLUS PAPER?
Can you please bring scissors and paper?
following directions for activities such as a treasure hunt or creating a garden, using prepositions such as
ON, UNDER, BEHIND and entity depicting signs, such as:
DS:turnleft DEADEND DS:turnright.
Go left, then at the end turn right.
PLEASE BRING MILK FRIDGE DS:opendoor POINT
Please bring the milk; it’s at the bottom of the fridge door.
negotiating roles and responsibilities in shared learning activities, using expressions such as:
PRO3 TYPE PRO1 WRITE PRO2 DO WHAT?
He will type, I’ll write, and what are you doing?
playing games that involve identifying and classifying specific points of information, for example,
‘Celebrity Heads’
understanding and using expressions of support, encouragement or praise during shared activities, for
example, GOOD, EXCELLENT, CONGRATULATIONS
Respond to questions, directions and requests, using nonmanual features and simple questions and
statements to ask for help, to indicate understanding or agreement and to negotiate turntaking
[Key concepts: instruction, clarification, turntaking, backchannel, attention, eye contact; Key processes:
responding, asking for help, turntaking, using backchannel, gaining attention]

Elaborations
responding to classroom instructions such as
PLEASE WITH2++ DS:sitopposite
Please find a partner and sit opposite each other.
DS:lineup PLEASE
Line up, please.
LOOKATme
Look to the front.
attracting attention or asking for help, repetition or clarification, for example:
PLEASE HELPme?
PLEASE AGAIN SIGN
Please sign that again.
PLEASE EXPLAINto self AGAIN
Please explain that again.
WHAT MEAN?
What do you mean?
PRO2 MEAN…?
Do you mean …?
negotiating turntaking, for example:
PRO1 FIRST YOURTURN
It’s my turn first, then your turn.
using backchannels, for example, head nodding to indicate understanding, or raised eyebrows or head
shaking to indicate lack of understanding
gaining the attention of a group or an individual, for example by flashing classroom lights, waving or
multiple tapping or tapping or pointing to alert third parties
maintaining eye contact when communicating
Informing
Organise and summarise key points of information obtained from different types of Auslan texts
[Key concepts: sequence, information, format; Key processes: organising, summarising, identifying,
surveying, retelling, recording]
Elaborations
retelling key points of information used in classroom interactions and school activities, such as
announcements or directions for a game or task
watching Auslan texts that show people expressing likes and dislikes, and recording observations in table
form
watching a signed presentation by a teacher, peer or visitor and identifying specific points of information
surveying peers in relation to their interests and preferences, summarising findings in formats such as
profiles, charts or graphs
following the steps of a signed demonstration or procedure such as baking/cooking or simple science
experiments, checking with each other about ingredients and processes
recounting in correct sequence the main points of a shared event such as an assembly performance or
sports carnival
Present information associated with their home, school and community activities and routines, using signed
descriptions and visual prompts
[Key concepts: recount, description, sequence; Key processes: presenting, demonstrating, recounting]
Elaborations
recounting to the class a personal or community experience such as a holiday or weekend event
presenting routine class information, such as weather reports or daily schedules, using visual prompts
and signed descriptions
sharing selected points of information from their home or local community, such as family traditions or
cultural events, conveying key points of information from visual infographics or diagrams
providing information needed to complete an informationgap activity
demonstrating a simple procedure using gestures, objects and list buoys
Creating
Engage with different types of imaginative texts, identifying favourite elements, characters and events and
responding through modelled signing, actions and drawing
[Key concepts: story, character, response; Key processes: responding, comparing, retelling, drawing]
Elaborations
viewing short Auslan stories and responding by identifying and comparing favourite elements, characters
and events
participating in Auslan games using simple clauses in creative ways, for example, playing the
improvisation game ‘Space Jump’
engaging with different kinds of Deaf expression such as handshape poems or art, indicating their
response using lexical signs such as:
LIKE THAT
I like that one.
DON’T LIKE
I don’t like it.
PRO1 HATE THAT
I hate that.
comparing two signed versions of a story such as ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’ and indicating their
preference for one version over the other
retelling favourite elements of a signed story using modelled signing
drawing a personal interpretation of a ‘visual vernacular’ description of a character’s appearance
Create simple texts that demonstrate imagination and playfulness, using familiar signs, gestures, modelled
language and visual supports
[Key concepts: play, imagination, character; Key processes: creating, performing, retelling]

Elaborations
assuming the role of a character from a story and responding to signed questions from classmates, such
as:
YOUR NOSE DS:longnose WHY?
Why is your nose so long, Pinocchio?
participating in storytelling games or imaginative activities, for example, the joint construction of a
progressive story such as I went to market and bought …
retelling a wordless animation, modifying NMFs and lexical signs to indicate manner, for example, walk,
sprint, march
creating a humorous skit using constructed action that involves interaction between two characters
using a ‘visual vernacular’ description to create an imaginary character, incorporating physical attributes
and personality traits
working with classmates to use hands to visually represent an object or animal
Translating
Translate highfrequency signs/words and expressions in simple texts such as repeated lines in a story,
noticing which ones are difficult to interpret
[Key concepts: similarity, difference, meaning; Key processes: matching, noticing, identifying, translating]
Elaborations
participating in shared reading of texts such as the Auslan–English versions of ‘The Wrong Book’ and
answering questions about unfamiliar signs and word/sign matches and mismatches in the text
identifying and comparing key signs and words in Auslan and English versions of favourite stories, for
example, ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and ‘The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly’, noticing how signs can
represent concepts which might not have a direct match in English
translating popular children’s songs into Auslan, for example, ‘Happy Birthday’
playing matchingpair games with Auslan signimage flashcards and English flashcards, for example,
matching cards associated with weather or animals in both languages
collecting and noting a list of gestures commonly used by hearing people when speaking English that
have similar meaning when used in Auslan, for example, head nodding, shoulder shrugging, pointing to
watch
Create bilingual versions of texts such as English captioned recordings of Auslan phrases
[Key concepts: meaning, representation; Key processes: creating]
Elaborations
creating captions in English for short recorded signed phrases
creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, for example, posters, library displays or
digital newsletter items, discussing how to represent meaning in each language for different audiences
developing a simple handshape dictionary
creating cards for use by younger children that include pictures, labels and signs, such as a transport
themed card game
Identity
Consider how their ways of communicating and responding to each other shape and reflect their sense of
identity
[Key concepts: identity, similarity, difference, community, membership, communication; Key processes:
observing, identifying, creating, noticing, discussing, comparing]

Elaborations
using visual representations such as concept maps, posters or captioned slide presentations to identify
groups that they identify with, such as friends, family, sporting, interest and community groups
creating a profile to capture their sense of self, for example through creating an avatar or montage, using
key signs, fingerspelled letters or simple Auslan expressions in a digital file to identify significant
characteristics, traits or experiences
comparing their own and each other’s ways of communicating, identifying elements that reflect cultural
differences or influences of other languages
identifying markers of identity that may be important across all cultures and communities, for example,
family membership, environment, language background, age or gender
Reflecting
Describe ways in which communicating and behaving when using Auslan are similar to or different from
their use of their own language(s) and forms of cultural expression

Elaborations
reflecting on similarities and differences between ways of communicating in Auslan and in their first
language in different social situations, for example, when greeting/leavetaking; introducing people; and
using body language, facial expression and eye contact
comparing their own and each other’s reflections on the experience of learning and communicating in
Auslan, and considering whether their attitudes or understandings have changed through this experience
reflecting on similarities and differences in communication that reflect culture, such as visual ways of
being among deaf people and ways of sharing storytelling or jokes
reflecting on the need for sustained eye contact when using Auslan in order to understand a message
and before teacher instructions can proceed
reflecting on differences in forms of address in signed and spoken languages, for example, not using a
person’s name when signing directly to them, unlike the common use of names in Australian
English/other languages
identifying assumptions that they bring to the experience of learning Auslan and considering how these
may change through the learning experience
Understanding
Systems of language
Identify the movement and location of different signs and notice how they combine with handshape to form
signs, and understand that Auslan can be videoed and transcribed to assist learning
[Key concepts: orientation, hand dominance, iconicity, nonmanual features, recording language; Key
processes: identifying, recognising, comparing]
Elaborations
identifying the location of a sign on the body or in space
noticing the five major locations of signs on the body or in space, and identifying signs associated with
each, such as SEE (head/face), SAY (mouth/chin), WHY (chest), TALK (hand) and ONE (signing space)
recognising that handshapes must be performed in a particular orientation
identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in handshape, for example FIND or BEST
identifying and demonstrating signs with a change in orientation, for example CANNOT or HOW
understanding that NMFs can also be an element of a sign and can show emotional states such as a
happy expression or grammatical information, for example, a frown to mark a negative
identifying single, double and twohanded signs, and recognising which hand is dominant (the pen hand)
and which is nondominant (the paper hand) within twohanded signs
comparing iconic signs that provide visual images of referents, such as DRINK, ELEPHANT with English
words that map to the sound images of the referents, such as animal noises, or words for sounds such
as bang
learning to film themselves and analyse the video or to read simple glosses produced by the teacher,
and understanding that the English word used is often not an exact match for the meaning of the sign
Understand how space is used in Auslan to show who is involved in an event through the meaningful
location of nouns and verbs, the use of depicting signs and enacting
[Key concepts: signing space, numeral incorporation, verb modification; Key processes: recognising,
discussing, comparing]
Elaborations
recognising that nonbodyanchored nouns can be located in space and identifying instances of this
discussing the functions of different pointing signs, such as pronouns, determiners and locatives
noticing that singledigit numbers can be separate lexical items or merged into other signs (numeral
incorporation) such as those for ages (for example, 5YEARSOLD) or adverbs of time (for example, 3
WEEKSAGO) or pronouns (WE3, WE4)
understanding that some verb forms in Auslan indicate who is involved in a verb by changing the
direction of the movement or orientation of the handshape
noticing the relationship between the location of referents in real space and the direction of some
indicating verbs in a text
identifying instances of DSs with appropriate support
comparing English adjectives with SASS DSs
Understand that clauses can be enriched through the use of adjectives and adverbs (when, where, how),
often produced with nonmanual features
[Key concepts: verb types, adverbs, clause structure, questions; Key processes: recognising,
distinguishing, observing]
Elaborations
exploring different semantic types of verbs in a text, for example by showing how:
doing (WALK, WRITE) and saying (TELL, CALLOUT ANNOUNCE?) verbs in narrative texts give
information about a characters’ actions
sensing (SEE, THINK) or possessing (BELONG, OWN) verbs indicate what characters think, feel
or own
relating verbs identify or describe a noun, for example, HAVE in PRO3 HAVE LONGHAIR
understanding how DSs and adverbs can give extra information about an activity
noticing that some signs modify the meaning of verbs, such as READ CAREFUL and that these are
called adverbs
contributing examples of signs that tell
when a verb happens (IN2WEEKS PRO1 HOLIDAY or WANT LUNCH NOW)
where a verb happens (PRO3 RUN FAR or COME HERE)
how a verb happens (FAST or SLOW or PRO2 QUICK FINISH)
understanding that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: a happening or a state (verb), who
or what is involved (noun or nouns) and the surrounding circumstances (adverb or adverbs)
knowing that signing involves either telling with signs or showing with DSs and periods of CA
MAN WALK SLOW
DS(point):manwalksslowly
CA:manswingingarmsnonchalantly
Understand how signers make different language choices in different types of texts and compare this with
English versions of text types, and notice how texts build cohesion
[Key concepts: textual features, similarity, difference, cohesion; Key processes: recognising, discussing,
comparing]
Elaborations
recognising that texts are made up of one or more clauses, which have one or more signs in them and
which together make meaning
discussing and comparing the purposes of familiar texts such as class discussions or stories
comparing a short text in Auslan with an equivalent English text, noticing similarities and differences in
their structure and language features
observing how texts build cohesion, for example by using different signs to refer to the same person
Recognise that there is variation in Auslan use, for example in different locations or physical environments
[Key concepts: variation, adaptation; Key processes: identifying, recognising, exploring, considering]
Elaborations
exploring similarities and differences in Auslan dialects through building webcam relationships with other
schools or through identifying and collecting signs that differ in the northern (Qld and NSW) and southern
(Vic., SA, WA and Tas.) dialects, such as DINNER or AFTERNOON
recognising that variation also occurs in spoken languages and noticing some different words for the
same thing in English, such as cossie/cozzie, togs or bathers
identifying Auslan signs or informal home signs that might be different from signs used by other people
considering adaptations to Auslan use when communicating in different physical environments, such as
in video chats, across a large yard, or when one or both hands are occupied, for example, variations in
vocabulary, size of signing space, clarity of signs, use of fingerspelling and NMFs
recognising variation in adaptation of signing between different users of Auslan, for example, people who
are deafblind use handoverhand signing and tactile fingerspelling
Language awareness
Develop awareness of the social and cultural nature and context of Auslan and other sign languages, of
their different modes of expression and of the related issue of language vitality
[Key concepts: communication, language vitality, culture, accessibility; Key processes: identifying,
describing, recognising]

Elaborations
identifying different ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of
the wider hearing community, including face to face or via technology such as NRS or VRS, through
social media, the use of English or the use of interpreters
identifying how deaf people modify space to maximise visual attention, such as adjusting seating or
removing visual obstacles
exploring different expressions for gaining attention or signalling enjoyment, such as tapping, waving,
stomping or using visual applause, and their suitability for visual language users
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ use of signed languages is culturally
determined and shaped by their beliefs and values
understanding cultural values associated with the conferment of name signs to people, such as second
language learners of Auslan who are joining the Deaf community
exploring the vitality of Auslan and other spoken and signed languages, appreciating that a language with
strong vitality is one used by many people in the home and other domains, across generations, to talk
about most topics
understanding how and why some deaf children face challenges with communication in hearing families
or in social settings
understanding that some languages used in Australia, such as English, have large numbers of users,
while others, such as many spoken and signed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, are
endangered or in the process of being revived or reclaimed
recognising the important role of deaf families and deaf schools in preserving and maintaining Auslan
and cultural identity
understanding that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander signed languages arise from specific needs, for
example, certain cultural restrictions on speech, or the presence of deaf people
exploring relationships between place, space and people, considering why some places and spaces
make deaf people feel comfortable and promote a sense of cultural belonging and pride
identifying behaviours, rights, roles and responsibilities in relation to the ownership and maintenance of
Auslan, and recognising that this ownership rests with the Deaf community and is determined by
traditional social groupings/families, places, history and stories
connections in Auslan
[Key concepts: language, culture, identity, symbol; Key processes: exploring, understanding, noticing,
Elaborations
exploring culture as an essential part of human life, understanding that it is shared, passed on between
generations and is closely connected to language and to identity
understanding that culture is more than the visible aspects of people’s lives, that it also includes invisible
elements such as beliefs and values, how people think about themselves and others, how they relate to
their social and physical environments, and how this understanding applies to themselves as users of
their first language and as learners of Auslan
recognising that in each culture there are general rules for what to say and do, when, where and with
whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture, for example, the Deaf culture places greater
importance on eye contact than cultures that communicate through spoken languages
recognising that language reflects values and beliefs, for example in expressions of personal identity or
in the recognition of others (sameness and difference), for example by identifying deaf family members
as part of introductions, and by relaying cultural information about background and context and shared
knowledge when interacting with others
By the end of Year 4, students participate in classroom routines and structured interactions with teachers and
peers. They communicate about daily routines, interests and pastimes; recount personal experiences and
classroom events; and describe people, experiences or activities using simple depicting signs, such as
DS:runaroundoval THEN DS:sitincircle. They express preferences, follow directions and ask for clarification
or help. They play games that involve making choices, exchanging information and negotiating turntaking.
They use nonmanual features to indicate understanding, interest or lack of interest. They use culturally
appropriate protocols, such as gaining attention by waving, tapping or pointing to alert third parties and
maintain eye contact when communicating, for example PRO2 MEAN or … RIGHT PRO1? They identify,
summarise/paraphrase and retell key points of information in signed texts such as announcements, directions
for a game or presentations by visitors, for example PRO1 FIRST YOURTURN. They recount in correct
sequence the main points of an event or favourite elements of a signed story, using modified indicating verbs,
such as POSS1 FAVOURITE PART PRO3 TAKE MONEY THEN RUNthat direction. They present routine class
information, such as weather reports or daily schedules, using visual prompts and signed descriptions. They
create their own simple imaginative texts and retell wordless animations using familiar signs, gestures,
modelled language and visual supports. They translate highfrequency signs/words and expressions in simple
texts. They reflect on their own cultural identity and ways of communicating in light of their experience of
learning Auslan.
Students compare fingerspelling with written English, noticing that it can be used for whole words or for parts
of words. They recognise that there are signs that have no single English word equivalent, and know that
signs can be displaced in space for different purposes, such as to show locations or different participants in a
verb. They know that signing involves telling, depicting or enacting. They recognise variation in how Auslan is
used, for example by recognising regional dialects and differences in signing space. They identify different
ways Deaf community members communicate with each other and with members of the wider hearing
community, for example, face to face, via technology, social media and interpreters. They know that culture is
closely related to language and to identity and involves both visible and invisible elements.
Glossary
Accuracy
The production of structurally correct forms of the target language.
Deaf community
A local, national or transnational network of people who share the language and culture of Deaf people and
a history of common experiences. A primary unifying factor in Deaf communities is the use of sign
language.
Clause
A basic chunk of propositional meaning, referring to a happening or a state. Information in Auslan clauses
may be either “told” or “shown” (using CA or depicting signs) or a mix of both.
Biography
A detailed account of an individual’s life; a text genre that lends itself to different modes of expression and
construction. In the context of intercultural language learning, the concept of biography can be considered
in relation to identity, to the formation of identity over time and to the understanding that language is
involved in the shaping and expressing of identity.
Lexical signs
See Fullylexical signs.
Constructed action
Constructed action (CA), also called roleshift, is a discourse strategy used in signed languages when
signers use their own face and body to represent actions, signs, thoughts or feelings of a referent in a text.
The referent can be themselves at another time, a different character, or something thought of as an
animate entity.
Corpus
A collection of texts that have been annotated to be machinereadable and can be analysed; for example,
Auslan, BSL and NGT corpora that have been collected and are available online.
Conventionalised sign
A sign or sequence of signs that has developed and become established over time to have an agreed
meaning; for example, lexicalised depicting signs such as meet or lineup.
Handling DSs
See Depicting signs.
Eugenics
A social philosophy advocating improvement of the human population through genetic intervention, either
by discouraging the reproduction of those with perceived less desirable traits, for example by sterilization,
genetic selection, or in extreme cases by killing those with the trait, or by encouraging the reproduction of
those with perceived desirable traits. At various times and places in history Deaf people have been subject
to eugenic beliefs and practices.
Discourse marker
Signs or gestures used to direct the flow of a signed text that indicate how something relates to something
earlier or how a signer feels about what they are signing.
Backchannel
Responses given by the receiver of a message in a conversation that serve a social function, such as
showing attention or nodding without interrupting the signer or giver of the message.
Auxiliary verb
A verb that combines with another verb in a verb phrase to form tense, as in will, or mood, as in should or
can.
Definite/indefinite reference
A referent may be marked as definite when it is clear from context which particular referent is being
discussed. It is marked as indefinite if it is being mentioned for the first time or the signer does not mean
any particular referent.
Bodyanchored signs
Signs that make contact with a location on the body or use the whole body and therefore cannot easily be
moved around in space.
Interpret
In the context of school based language learning, interpret refers to two distinct processes:
the act of translation from one language to another
the process of understanding and explaining; the ability to conceive significance and construct
meaning, and to explain to self or others.
Entity depicting signs
Communicative competence
An acquired capability to understand and interact in context using the target language (TL). Defined by the
use of appropriate phonological, lexical, grammatical, sociolinguistic and intercultural elements.
Eye gaze
The direction in which a signer is looking, which can have conventional associated meanings in Auslan,
such as marking a shift into character in Constructed Action.
Deaf space
A space in which deaf people feel comfortable interacting and using signed language. Deaf space can
encompass established Deaf place(s) or spaces which have been customized to enhance visual access for
deaf people, for example with good lighting, clear sightlines and architectural or design features which allow
deaf people to navigate, communicate and elicit environmental and social information easily. Classrooms
and workspaces can be modified to incorporate Deaf space design principles.
Deaf/deaf
When referring to deaf people who belong to a linguistic and cultural minority known as the Deaf
community, the ‘D’ may be capitalised in reference to the individual, the group, or the culture in order to
accord respect and deference, for example, the Deaf community. This is similar to referring to French
people, members of the Macedonian community or Indonesian culture. When referring simply to
audiological status or when cultural affiliation is not known, as in the case of a person with a hearing loss in
general, the lower case ‘d’, as in ‘deaf’, is the more common usage.
Deaf family
A family in which deaf people appear in two or more consecutive generations. Deaf families have a crucial
role in Deaf communities as they carry linguistic and cultural knowledge and expertise between
generations, and disseminate this knowledge among other deaf individuals within their community, most of
whom rely on peertopeer transmission of sign language and Deaf culture.
International sign
A pidgin form of communication used, for example, by deaf people at international gatherings when there is
no shared sign language known by all participants. An organised system of signs, gestures and nonmanual
signals that consist of some conventional lexical items and a number of borrowed elements from several
signed languages, including highly visually motivated forms of signs and gestures. International Sign is
endorsed by the World Federation of the Deaf.
Indicating verbs
A subset of verbs which can have their start or end location modified or be moved around in space to show
who, what or where is involved in the verb.
directional indicating verbs can be moved meaningfully in space
locatable indicating verbs cannot change direction but can be meaningfully signed in a nonneutral location.
ELAN
A free software program that allows a user to document, analyse and annotate multimedia recordings of
sign language, spoken language and gesture.
BANZSL
The family of sign languages which encompass British, Australian and New Zealand Sign Languages.
Depicting sign
Depicting sign (DS) is a partly lexical sign that is highly iconic and can be modified in a gradient way by a
signer. Depicting signs can act as verbs or nouns depending on their use in context.
Entity depicting signs are those in which the handshape represents an object, and the object can move
around or be located in space mirroring realworld movement and location.
Handling depicting signs are those where the handshape represents how a human hand holds or touches
an object and the movement shows how something is moved around or located in space
Size and shape specifiers (SASS) depicting signs are depicting signs in which the handshape and
movement are used to outline the size or shape of an object. The handshape is formed as if handling the
actual entity being described (or a miniature of it) and the movement is a mirror of the hands, as if they are
tracing the size and shape of the object.
Aspectual marking
Changes made to a verb to show aspect.
Communication
A mutual and reciprocal exchange of meaning.
Create
Develop and/or produce signed, spoken, written or multimodal texts in live, print or digital forms.
Deaf gain
A term used to reframe the term ‘deaf’, from the traditional pathological perspective of ‘hearing loss’ often
held by wider society to a view of deafness through the lens of bicultural diversity. Being deaf is seen as an
individual and social gain and as a positive form of diversity that involves cognitive and sensory changes
that have the potential to contribute to the greater good of humanity.
Fullylexical signs
Signs with a form that is fully specified, that is, the handshape, movement and location are conventional.
Lexical signs make up a large proportion of the signs in a sign language dictionary.
Dialect
A variant of a language that is characteristic of a region or social group.
Filler
A sign or gesture used in conversation to signal a pause, hesitation or unfinished contribution. For example,
wriggling fingers with hands upheld.
Grammar
The description of language as a system. In describing language, attention is paid to both structure (form)
and meaning (function) at the level of the sign/word, the sentence and the text.
Audience
Intended readers, listeners or viewers.
Authentic texts/materials
Texts or materials produced for ‘reallife’ purposes and contexts, as opposed to being created specifically
for learning tasks or language practice.
Deaf culture
The beliefs, values, traditions, history, social norms, literary traditions and art shared by deaf people who
belong to the Deaf community. Culture is understood as a framework in which things come to be seen as
having meaning. It involves the lens through which people:
see, think, interpret the world and experience
make assumptions about self and others
understand and represent individual and community identity.
Culture involves understandings about ‘norms’ and expectations, which shape perspectives and attitudes. It
can be defined as social practices, patterns of behaviour and organisational processes and perspectives
associated with the values, beliefs and understandings shared by members of a community or cultural
group. Language, culture and identity are closely interrelated and involved in the shaping and expression of
each other. The intercultural orientation to language teaching and learning is informed by this
understanding.
ASL
American Sign Language. Although signed languages around the world share some similar properties, they
are in fact quite different, particularly at the lexical level.
Connective
A means of linking a group of signs to whatever comes before, such as so or the gesture g:well.
Interjection
A class of word or sign that occur on their own and express an emotion such as wow or surprise.
FM systems
Systems that operate on a special radio frequency and allow the transmitter microphone used by a
speaker, such as a classroom teacher, to channel sound directly to the hearing aid worn by a deaf person
within range of the system. Reduction of background noise in the setting and channeling of the voice
directly to the hearing aid enables the FM user to hear the speaker more clearly.
Citation form
The basic form of a sign, without modifications, as found in a dictionary.
Frozen texts
Texts of a static nature that are usually culturally embedded, such as the Australian national anthem.
Iconicity
The relationship between a sign and the thing it represents, such as the sign for BABY looking like a person
rocking a baby in their arms.
Fullytransparent sign A sign with a visualrelationship so clear that nonsigners could guess the meaning,
such as the sign for DRINK, where the handshape looks like a person holding a cup and drinking.
Translucent sign A sign with some relationship between form and meaning but not obvious to a non
signer, such as the sign for FLOWER.
Arbitrary sign A sign that has no relationship to the referent, such as the sign for THING.
Aspect
How the action or event a verb describes happens over time, for example, it can be ongoing or completed.
Bilingualism
The ability to use two or more languages.
Language building
Activities and tasks that contribute to building archives from data of authentic language samples to help
protect a language and culture and to expand understanding of usage.
Identity
A person’s conception and expression of individuality or group affiliation, selfconcept and self
representation. Identity is closely connected to both culture and language. Thinking and talking about the
self is influenced by the cultural frames offered by different languages and cultural systems. Identity is not
fixed. Language learners’ experiences with different linguistic and cultural systems introduces them to
alternative ways of considering the nature and the possibilities associated with identity and community
affiliation.
Gesture
A way of communicating with the hands that uses largely unconventional forms (except for conventional
gestures such as the thumbs up for good), and that represents more imagistic thought of a speaker or
signer. In spoken languages, gestures cooccur with speech, and in signed languages they form gestural
overlays.
Etymology
The study of the origins of words or signs: that is, where they came from historically.
Active watching
Active watching or viewing, instead of active listening, is required in an Auslan class. Students concentrate
visually on the reception and understanding of the signed message.
Decentre
A capacity to step outside familiar frames of reference, to consider alternative views, experiences and
perspectives and to look critically and objectively at one’s own linguistic and cultural behaviour.
Enacting
Showing or constructing the action, thoughts or language of a referent using the whole body or part of the
body. Enactments are contextdependent for meaning.
DDA
Disability Discrimination Act.
Elder
A person in the Deaf community afforded leadership or mentorship status by the community. Elders are
typically deaf people who have been custodians of the Deaf community’s traditions, language and cultural
values and are widely considered role models and respected mentors by many members of the Deaf
community. They include pioneers of advocacy, education and community development, and those who
have contributed to the leadership, advancement and achievement of the Deaf community.
Language preservation and revitalization
The effort made to prevent languages from becoming endangered or unknown, for example, by increasing
the number of users of the language, creating resources and documenting the language to preserve it.
Fingerspelling
The manual representation of the letters of the alphabet of a spokenlanguage. In Australia, New Zealand
and the United Kingdom, a twohanded fingerspelling system is used to fingerspell English letters. In many
other countries, a onehanded fingerspelling system is used.
Cohesive devices
Features of language used to make texts cohesive, such as connectives, ellipses and the use of space in a
text.
Language functions
Varied ways in which language is used to achieve particular purposes; for example, to persuade, to
entertain, to apologise, to argue or to compliment.
Directional indicating verbs
See Indicating verbs.
Language health and vitality
The extent of the demand and the use of a language in the community and projections for its future usage.
A language that is spoken or signed by a larger number of users and is available in several domains of use
in society is likely to be more healthy and to have greater vitality and survival prospects.
Audism
The notion of superiority based on the ability to hear. Like other forms of oppression, such as racism or
sexism, audism stigmatises deaf people and limits their potential. The term was first coined by Tom
Humphries in 1977.
Language comprehension
A process of interpreting meaning from signed, spoken, written, tactile and multimodal representations of
language.
Character space
See Frames of reference.
Cues
Sources of information used to facilitate comprehension of language that may be visual, grammatical,
gestural or contextual.
Fluency
An ability to produce signed, spoken or written language with appropriate phrasing, rhythm and pace. It
involves the smooth flow of language, lack of hesitation or undue pausing and characterises the largely
accurate use and automatisation of the target language.
BSL
British Sign Language.
Intercultural capability
An ability to understand and to engage in relationship between language, culture and people from diverse
backgrounds and experience. This involves understanding the dynamic and interdependent nature of both
language and culture, that communicating and interacting in different languages involves interacting with
values, beliefs and experiences as well as with signs, words and grammars. An intercultural capability
involves being open to different perspectives, being flexible and curious, responsive and reflective; being
able to decentre, to look objectively at one’s own cultural ways of thinking and behaving, and at how these
affect attitudes to others, shade assumptions and shape behaviours. Characteristics of an intercultural
capability include cognitive and communicative flexibility and an orientation and ability to act in ways that
are inclusive and ethical in relation to diversity and difference.
Language transmission
The way a language is passed on, for example through speech, writing and signing, from one generation to
the next (vertical transmission) or from peer to peer (horizontal transmission).
Deaf interpreter
A specialist who provides interpreting and translation services, often working between a signed language, a
form of a spoken/written language, another signed language or other visual and tactile communication
forms. As a deaf person, the Deaf Interpreter has a distinct set of formative linguistic, cultural and life
experiences that enables more nuanced comprehension and interaction in interpreted events than is
possible for most hearing sign language interpreters.
Deafhood
The term coined by Dr. Paddy Ladd to describe the process by which deaf individuals become self
actualised; the journey they travel to develop their Deaf identity and to maximise their potential.
ALLP
Australian Language and Literacy Policy.
CODA
Child of Deaf Adults; the term that typically refers to hearing children of deaf parents, who often use a
signed language as their first language in their family of origin.
Horizontal language transmission
The term used to describe the process by which deaf children born into hearing families and whose parents
do not know sign language learn the language. Typically children learn language through the process of
vertical transmission, from the preceding, older, generation who share the language. This is less common
for deaf children, who often acquire sign language from deaf peers, particularly those who come from deaf
families.
Annotation
A digital code, note or comment on a video file that identifies something about the language; for example,
what signs are used or where there is a particular handshape.
Language
A human cognitive and communicative capability which makes it possible to communicate, to create and
comprehend meaning, to build and sustain relationships, to represent and shape knowledge, and to
imagine, analyse, express and evaluate.
Language is described and employed:
as code – comprising systems, rules, a fixed body of knowledge; for example, grammar and
vocabulary, sound, sign, gesture and writing systems
as social practice – used to do things, create relationships, interact with others, represent the
world and the self; to organise social systems and practices in dynamic, variable, and changing
ways
as cultural and intercultural practice – means by which communities construct and express
their experience, values, beliefs and aspiration
as cognitive process – means by which ideas are shaped, knowledge is constructed, and
analysis and reflection are structured.
Cohesion
The use of a range of language features to link parts of a signed text together, making it easy to follow and
to understand referents in the text.
Language systems
Elements that organise and represent how a language works, including the phonological, syntactic,
semantic and pragmatic systems of signs and rules that underpin language use. These systems have to be
internalised for effective communication and comprehension.
Digital texts
Audio, visual or multimodal texts produced through digital or electronic technology which may be interactive
and include animations and/or hyperlinks. Examples of digital texts include DVDs, websites, online literature
and presentations.
Comprehension
An active process of making/constructing/deciphering the meaning of language input through listening,
reading, viewing, touching (as in braille or tactile signing) and through combinations of these modes. It
involves elements of decoding, working out meaning, evaluating and imagining. The process draws upon
the learner’s existing knowledge and understanding, text–processing strategies and capabilities; for
example, making inferences or applying knowledge of text types and social and cultural resources.
Deaf place
A site of historical or cultural significance in the Deaf community; usually connected with traditional meeting
places of deaf people, such as schools or centres of regular social, religious or sporting gatherings. A Deaf
place may continue to have cultural and historical significance for the community when no longer used for
its original purpose or formally owned by deaf organisations. Deaf places are often sites where sign
languages and Deaf culture are learned, as most deaf people do not learn them from deaf families at
home.
Deaf ecosystem
A network of businesses, services and connections owned or managed by deaf people in positions of
influence and authority, who share this social or political capital with other deaf people in culturally
appropriate ways, so contributing to the status and social connectedness of the larger Deaf community.
Examples of such reciprocity and support include sponsorship, profileraising, the sharing of skills, expertise
and knowledge, status support and social entrepreneurship opportunities.
Buoys
A sign produced with the nondominant hand held in place to represent something while the dominant hand
continues to sign something else.
Handshape
The conventional form of the hand in a sign.
Intercultural language teaching and learning
An orientation to language teaching and learning that informs current curriculum design; framed by the
understanding that language and culture are dynamic, interconnected systems of meaningmaking; that
proficiency in an additional language involves cultural and intercultural as well as linguistic capabilities. The
focus is on developing communicative proficiency and on moving between language–culture systems. It
includes the reflexive and reciprocal dimension of attention to learners’ own language(s) and cultural
frame(s).
ISL
Irish Sign Language.
Formational elements of signs
The elements of the structure of signs; the physical way they are formed. (See Parameters).
Articulatory
Relating to the physical movements required to produce language.
Deaf eyes
A reference by some scholars to the cultural lens through which the world may be viewed by a Deaf person.
It can also refer to deaf people’s ability to process simultaneous information through enhanced peripheral
vision, as deaf people rely on a wider range of acute visual input rather than sound.
Comparative
A form of adjective used to compare one thing with another, such as tall versus more tall.
Conjunction
A type of word or sign that joins signs, phrases or clauses together such as but or or.
Glossing
A form of annotating signed languages, as they have no written form in the traditional sense. The gloss
conventions used in the Auslan curriculum for sign notations are based on Johnson and Schembri (2007)
and include the following elements: The English gloss of a sign written in uppercase letters (most
commonly associated or nearest translation of the sign in English); lexical matching (where one sign uses a
number of English words to gloss its meaning, they are joined together, eg lookback); fingerspelling
(shown by spacing); the use of ‘g:’ to signal gesture; the abbreviation of personal pronouns (pro1,
pro2) and possessives (poss1, poss2); referral to pointing signs as pt; depicting signs (ds[handshape label]:
description of what is depicted); indication of reduplication by the symbol ‘+’; and the use of a bar above a
sign to show NMFs.
Cochlear implant
A small electronic device that can be surgically inserted into the inner ear to provide sound signals to the
brain.
Manner
A type of adverb that tells how something happens.
Metaphor
The use of a conceptual idea to describe another idea, such as thinking of time in terms of space.
Nonlexical signs
Symbolic units of meaning that are created on the spot in a particular context, particularly in constructed
action but also gesturing. These signs cannot be listed in a dictionary.
Mouthing
The complete or partial articulation of a spoken word while signing, occurring without voice. This does not
include mouth gestures, such as ‘pah’, which are not mouthings of English words.
Name sign
A sign used to uniquely identify a person, typically bestowed by a member of the Deaf community, and
agreed upon by the individual.
Multichannel signs
The small number of signs that often occur with a particular mouth movement. Although such mouth
movement is often described as obligatory, recent research shows that they do not always occur with a
mouth gesture or with the same mouth gesture each time.
NZSL
New Zealand Sign Language.
Narrative
A story of events or experiences, real or imagined.
Native signers
Signers who have one or more deaf family members and have therefore had access to Auslan from birth,
meeting expected milestones for the natural acquisition of language in infancy and early childhood.
Locatives
Words or phrases that tell a place or location.
List buoy
A sign where the fingers on the nondominant hand are used to represent the items in a list while the
dominant hand signs something about those items.
Nativelike signers
Fluent signers who have used Auslan as their primary language since their early school years, and/or
demonstrate nativelike levels of proficiency in the language.
Nonbodyanchored signs
Signs that are made in neutral space and do not make contact with a location on the body. These signs can
easily be moved around in space.
NWDP
National Week of Deaf People; a week of cultural celebrations and festivals organised by Deaf Australia,
designed to raise awareness of the Deaf community and to celebrate Deaf pride, Auslan, and the life and
culture of deaf people.
Metalanguage
Vocabulary used to discuss language conventions and use (for example, language used to talk about
grammatical terms, such as sentence, clause, conjunction; or about the social and cultural nature of
language, such as reciprocating, register).
Metaphorical iconicity
The use of metaphor to allow iconic signs to represent abstract concepts; for example, the sign remember
is iconic, in that it shows holding something in the head, but metaphorical because thoughts are not
physical objects that can be held in the head.
Lexicalisation
The process through which a nonlexical or partlylexical sign becomes frequent enough to become a fully
lexical sign with a conventional meaning and form listed in a dictionary.
Nonmanual features
Nonmanual features (NMFs) are meaningful elements of a signed message involving any part of the body
other than the hands.
Locational indicating verbs
See Indicating verbs.
Register
A variety of language used for a particular purpose or in a particular situation, the variation being defined by
use as well as user. For example, informal register or academic register.
Parameters
The five physical features that describe how a single sign is produced: handshape, movement and location
(main parameters), and orientation of handshape and nonmanual features (minor parameters).
Scaffolding
Support provided to assist the learning process or to complete a learning task. Scaffolded language support
involves using the target language at a level slightly beyond learners’ current level of performance, and
involves incremental increasing and decreasing of assistance. Task support provides assistance to perform
just beyond what learners can currently do unassisted, to progress to being able to do the task
independently. Scaffolding includes modelling and structuring input in ways that provide additional cues or
interactive questioning to activate existing knowledge, probe existing conceptions or cue noticing and
reflecting.
Performance
The use of the language in real situations, putting language knowledge into practice. Performance involves
accuracy, fluency and complexity.
Numeral incorporation
Changing the handshape of a subset of time signs to include a number, such as twoweeksago or intwo
years.
Perceptual systems
The visual and kinesthetic means by which signers receive/produce signs
Shadowing
The simultaneous watching and copying/shadowing of a signed text.
Proxemics
The use of space, posture and touch as elements of communication.
SASS
Path movements
Movement of the hands from one location in space to another while producing a sign.
Question
A clause structured to elicit information. Questions can be categorised as either closed or open in terms of
the information required to answer them:
Closed questions require predictable answers; for example: What time is it? Do you like cats?
Open questions have unknown and unpredictable answers that invite and support more
elaborated and extended contributions from learners; for example, What do you think about that?
Questions can be structured as either yesno or wh questions, which require different non
manual features
Yesno questions are closed questions for which the response can only be yes or no
Wh questions can be closed or open questions, but include the signs WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN,
WHY, HOW, HOWMUCH, or HOWMANY?
Protocols
Principles and customs which guide behavior; systems of cultural and social rules specific to a linguistic and
cultural community.
People of the Eye
A term that references the highly visual nature of deaf people.
Prosody
Changes in facial expression and other NMFs, such as the duration of signs, eyegaze, head and torso
position, pausing with or without a hold of a sign, tension of hands and eye closure; used for many
purposes, such as to mark clauses and their relationships, to accentuate or diminish emphasis and to
regulate turntaking.
Recast
A strategy frequently used as an instructional technique, where the teacher repeats a student’s incorrect
construction back to the student in correct form; a naturalistic repair of the language learner’s error,
modelling the correct version in a manner that encourages continued communication.
Orientation
The direction the palm or fingers of a handshape point in a given sign.
Oralism
A philosophy with an emphasis on teaching deaf children to communicate using speech; to depend on lip
reading and amplification devices rather than using sign language.
Sign language families
Small groups of sign languages that have a high rate of similarity in their lexicons due to historical origins or
geographic relationships; for example, BANZSL.
Partlylexical signs
Signs with a form that is not fully specified that is, the handshape, movement and/or location can change,
as in the case of pointing signs (direction or handshape can be modified), or depicting signs (movement
and location are often created on the spot).
Receptive language
One of the two components of communication through language (see Productive language): the ‘receiving’
aspect of language input, the gathering of information and making of meaning via viewing, listening and
reading processes.
Pathological model of deafness
The view that deafness is solely a pathology or medical deficit, to be ameliorated by medical or
technological interventions and intensive habilitation of speech and audition. The pathological model
discourages the use of signed languages and of educational or social settings which bring deaf people
together.
Signbank
An online Auslan language resource, including a dictionary of signs organised according to the structure of
Auslan, information on Auslan, links to Auslan classes, inbuilt search features to explore settingspecific
signs such as medical or educational signs, and links to video clips and signed examples in Auslan.
Productive language use
One of the two elements of communication through language (see Receptive language), involving the ability
to express, articulate and produce utterances or texts in the target language.
Ownership
The understanding that a natural sign language belongs primarily to the Deaf community from which it
evolved. Historical oppression and marginalisation of Auslan users have created cultural and political
sensitivities regarding the use, planning, teaching and research of signed languages. Deaf people, as
custodians of Auslan, have primary authenticity in matters concerning their language and culture.
Pragmatics
The study of how context affects communication, for example, in relation to the status of participants, the
situation in which the communication is happening or the intention of the speaker.
Observer space:
See Frames of reference.
Reciprocity
An integrating element of intercultural communication that involves movement and relationship, interpreting
and creating meaning, and understanding the process of doing so. It involves not only the exchange of
words but also an exchange of understanding between the people involved. It comes into play when the
learner ‘self’ encounters and interacts with the ‘other’ (the target language speaker or the target language
itself as text or experience); when the existing language code and cultural frame encounters a different
code and frame. This experience impacts on the learner’s perspective and sense of identity and on their
usual ways of communicating and exchanging language and values. Reciprocating involves conscious
attention to the process: attention to the self (intraculturality) and to the likely impact of the self on the other
person involved (interculturality). Things previously taken for granted are noticed in reference to new or
different ways.
Key elements of reciprocating include conscious attention, comparison, reflection and analysis:
recognition that both partners in an exchange are involved in the ‘effort of meaning’
willingness to work out what the other person means, the cultural and social context they are
speaking from and the perspectives which frame what they are saying
making necessary adjustments to their own and each other’s input, orientation and stance that
will help the exchange to be successful
exchange of goods, services and knowledge in a culturally valued transaction within the Deaf
community.
Signed English
Australasian Signed English was an artificial system of producing each part of English on the hands;
developed by a committee in the 1970s for the purposes of teaching deaf children. Signed English is not
widely used in the Deaf community and is not actively taught in schools today; however, it has significantly
influenced the lexicon of Auslan in some age groups and regions.
Referent
The person or thing being talked about with a sign or phrase
Signed languages
Visualgestural languages which evolve naturally in Deaf communities, through which signers use
conventional and mutually agreedupon symbols (signs) to communicate with each other. Signed
languages have their own grammar and lexicon. They are not based on the spoken language of the country
or region where the community is located. Signed languages are not universal. They are real languages,
with a complete set of linguistic structures; complex and highly nuanced, as sophisticated as natural spoken
languages.
Textual cohesion
See Cohesion.
Signing space
The area around a signer in which signs are articulated and can be modified.
VRS
Video Relay Service: A video relay uses visual technology to allow deaf users of Auslan to communicate
over the telephone with hearing people via a VRS interpreter.
Spatial modification
Changing a sign to point towards referents present in the environment or towards locations in the space
around the signer associated with absent referents.
Sign language acronyms
National and regional signed languages are commonly referred to in the form of acronyms, for example:
DGS Deutsche Gebärdensprache (German Sign Language); BSL British Sign Language; LSF Langue
de Signes Française (French Sign Language). A full list of acronyms and languages is available on
Ethnologue.
Topicalisation
Moving a sign or group of signs to the beginning of a clause to make it more prominent. In Auslan this is
usually accompanied by particular nonmanual features.
Vlog
A common term for a video blog. As Auslan is a visual language, signers may choose to post online in
Auslan via video rather than posting in written English.
Visualgestural languages
Signed languages are described as visualgestural because they are received through vision and signed
with hands, compared to spoken languages which are described as auditoryoral languages, as they are
received through hearing and spoken with the mouth. The term is not equating signed languages with
gesture in general.
Teaching team
Two or more teachers or instructors who combine their skills, knowledge and experience to develop and
implement lessons in the classroom. In the context of teaching Auslan, a combination of a deaf and a
hearing teacher may be linguistically and culturally appropriate, should a suitably skilled deaf teacher of
Auslan not be available to work on their own.
Time marker
A sign that refers to when an event occurred.
Text
An identified stretch of language used as a means for communication or as the focus of learning and
investigation. Text forms and conventions have developed to support communication with a variety of
audiences in different contexts for a range of purposes. Texts can be signed, written, spoken or multimodal
and in print or digital/online forms. Multimodal texts combine language with other systems of
communication, such as print text, visual images, soundtrack, signs and/or spoken word, as in film or
computer presentation media.
Transliteration
Writing a letter, sign or word using the closest corresponding letter, sign or word from a different language
or alphabet.
Spatial mapping
The use by signers of the space around themselves to locate referents in discourse; the process of
allocating a referent to a location, in order to keep track of who, what or where is being discussed.
Sociocultural model of deafness
The view that deaf people form a linguistic and cultural minority group comparable to other linguistic
minorities. This viewpoint does not see deafness as a medical deficit or pathological condition. Although it
may encompass the use of assistive listening devices and a range of communication options, it places high
value on the use of signed languages and Deaf community networks.
Translation
A process of translating signs/words/text from one language into another, recognising that the process
involves movement of meanings and attention to cultural context as well as the transposition of individual
words.
Superlative
A type of adjective used when comparing more than two things and identifying one that has the most of a
feature, such as small versus worst small or most small.
Voiceoff
The common protocol in an Auslan class to not use voice, as use of spoken English while signing can
interfere with the acquisition of quality Auslan. The directive usually given to students is ‘voiceoff’.
Visual vernacular
A highly visual form of performance often incorporated into story telling which uses features of mime,
gesture, NMFs and specific cinematic techniques in the production of signs. Techniques include close and
distant focus, dissolving of visual images and cutting between scenes, objects and characters, and time
distortion in the three dimensional delivery of visually presented information.
Languages Chinese
Page 531 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Chinese
Chinese How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Chinese language and culture in
Australia and the world
China's official language is Modern Standard Chinese, or Putonghua (the common or shared language) in
Chinese. The language is also referred to as Hanyu, the spoken language of the Han people, or Zhongwen,
the written language of China. In Taiwan it is more usually called Huayu (Hwayu), the spoken language of
people of Chinese ethnicity. This term is also used in Singapore.
A number of dialects remain in active use. In addition, the character system has undergone significant
evolution, standardisation and simplification over time. In recent times, the need to create Chinese language
texts in digital format has resulted in an international effort to standardise character forms and attribute a
Unicode to each form so that computer operating systems internationally can generate and reproduce
Chinese texts in both simplified and traditional/fullform characters. It is not common for new characters to be
created. In contemporary overseas Chinese media, texts are commonly in either simplified or traditional/full
form characters, reflecting the diverse histories and preferences of these communities.
Communities of Chinese speakers are characterised by linguistic, cultural and geographic diversity and can
be found in almost every country of the world. Many of these communities have a long tradition, and they are
particularly strong on the Pacific coast of Canada and the USA, and in SouthEast Asia, Australia and some
European countries. The history of the Chinese community in Australia extends back to the mid1800s, and
patterns of migration in recent decades have seen rapid growth in Australia’s Chinese population.
Current links between Australia and China are characterised by bilateral relationships in trade and investment,
as well as educational exchanges, and research and development in science and technology. The movement
of people and ideas, as well as economic, cultural and educational exchange, adds to the richness and
complexity of this relationship.
The place of the Chinese language in Australian
education
Chinese has been taught in Australian schools since the 1950s, and experienced rapid growth in the 1980s as
China undertook a policy of opendoor and economic reform. Chinese has always been taught as an
additional language in Australia, but schools are now catering to increasingly varied cohorts of Chinese
language learners, including overseasborn Chinese speakers. The population of Chinese teachers has also
changed, with growing numbers of teachers from the People’s Republic of China now teaching in Australian
schools.
Chinese is recognised as an important language for young Australians to learn as Australia progresses
towards a future of increased trade and engagement with Asia.
The nature of Chinese language learning
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Chinese
The nature of Chinese language learning
For the purposes of the Australian Curriculum: Languages, ‘Chinese’ refers to Modern Standard Chinese,
Pinyin Romanisation and simplified characters. Given the ongoing use of both forms of Chinese characters
(simplified and full form) in the media, in education and in environmental print (advertisements and shop
signs), some knowledge or awareness of both systems is an advantage, for Chinese speakers and Chinese
learners alike. Although both writing systems and the range of dialects should be recognised in any Chinese
language curriculum, the priority in education is Modern Standard Chinese and simplified characters as the
internationally recognised ‘official form’ of Chinese.
English and Chinese have very different grammatical and vocabulary systems. The Chinese spoken language
is characterised by a high number of homophones — tonesyllables that are used to represent more than one
morpheme — each of which has its own particular character. The range of syllables in Chinese, while limited
in comparison to English, does include some sounds unfamiliar to English speakers. The task of learning
Chinese can be best addressed by a clear separation between learning to interact orally, supported by print
materials in Pinyin, and learning to read and write, supported by texts and resources in characters.
Chinese characters are logographs composed of a number of components organised into a particular
sequence within a square, parts of which are likely to suggest the sound and meaning of the whole character.
Each character is a morphemesyllable — it represents a syllable of sound and a unit of meaning. There are
3500 frequently used characters which are learnt by children in primary school in China. These characters are
composed of approximately 500 distinct components which are used with varying degrees of frequency, and
in different locations and for different functions. Literacy development (in terms of learning to read and write,
and especially to map known oral vocabulary onto the appropriate written forms) is a timeconsuming and
challenging task. Additional characteristics of Chinese writing are that texts in Chinese characters do not
display wordlevel spacing and texts may be written vertically and read from right to left down the page.
The Chinese spoken language is composed of approximately 400 syllables which may be used with one of
four tones to create a total of approximately 1200 tonesyllables. Different systems have been developed to
reproduce the sounds of the Chinese language using the Roman alphabet to assist learners who are already
familiar with the Roman alphabet. Today the Pinyin system has international recognition as the principal
means of representing the sounds of Chinese in alphabetic form. This system assists students of many
language backgrounds to learn the correct sounds of Putonghua, and is an efficient means of text input when
creating texts in characters using digital media. It is important to note that Pinyin is not recognised as a valid
alternative to written expression in characters, as its readability is limited.
The diversity of learners of Chinese
Three pathways have been developed for Chinese, to cater to the three main cohorts of learners of Chinese
in Australian schools. The Second Language Learner Pathway caters for students learning Chinese as a
second or additional language. The Background Language Learner Pathway has been developed for
students who have exposure to Chinese language and culture, and who may engage in some active but
predominantly receptive use of Chinese at home. The First Language Learner Pathway caters for students
who have had their primary socialisation as well as initial literacy development and primary schooling in
Chinese, and who use Chinese at home. Schools will make decisions about which pathway best serves their
students’ needs, and teachers will use the pathways to cater for all learners by making any appropriate
adjustments to differentiate learning experiences for their students.
Languages Chinese
Page 534 of 1359

Chinese Second Language Learner Pathway Years F–10 Sequence
Children enter the early years of schooling with established oracy skills in one or more languages and varying
degrees of early literacy capability. For young students, learning typically focuses on their immediate world of
family, home, school, friends and neighbourhood. They are learning how to socialise with new people, share
with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically, they have little to no
experience of Chinese language and culture.
Chinese language learning and use
The systems of writing and speaking in Chinese are distinct. The sights and sounds of Chinese are also quite
distinct from English. Students therefore are immersed as much as possible in the sounds and spoken words
of Chinese, the meaning of which is made clear through participation in active listening and actionrelated talk,
gestures, dramatisation and games. Students are introduced to common characters associated with routines
and their immediate experience, and draw on explicit models to communicate.
Students socialise in structured situations and activities in the classroom and at school, with a focus on topics
such as self, home, family, and daily routines. They begin to explore Chinese language and culture by
participating in experiences such as celebrations; where relevant, they identify similarities and differences
between Chinese culture and their own and other cultures.
Texts and resources
Students engage with a variety of texts and text modes, including picture and caption books, songs, cartoons
and movies. They hear the different sounds of Chinese in stimulus material such as stories read aloud,
multimedia resources and internet sites.
Features of Chinese language use
Learners are immersed in listening to, viewing and reading Chinese. They become aware of Chinese as an
alternative code to English and that other languages exist within their own classroom, their country and
overseas. They begin to recognise the importance of tone in Chinese speech and observe that the sounds of
Chinese can be encoded in Pinyin using familiar letters. Students view characters through appropriate text
types that may be glossed in Pinyin. They learn to recognise characters that represent familiar objects and
ideas and convey significant cultural meanings.
Level of support
Visual displays, gesture, and specific and concrete contextual clues are continuously used to support
understanding. Teachers model correct language use, which provides the main source of students’
development in Chinese. Learners will experiment with various software and technologies as communication
tools.
The role of English
English is used by teachers and learners as appropriate for clarification, reflection, questioning and
explanation, to support learners to comprehend and acquire Chinese.
Communicating
Socialising
Participate in class routines, structured conversations and activities using teachermodelled tones and
rhythms
[Key concepts: self, family; Key processes: participating, imitating, listening]
(ACLCHC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
reproducing the sounds used in greetings, for example, 早, 你好，王老师,、再见
listening to and engaging with the rhythms and sound patterns in conversations with teachers and peers,
mimicking and practising the tones
responding to teacher talk and instructions, for example, 站起来 and 请坐
participating in games through action, for example, Simon Says (老师说)
using pictures and prompt cards to participate in conversations
introducing classmates (for example, 我叫Anna。我五岁) and expressing gratitude, for example, 谢谢
learning to use gesture in communication to help convey meaning, for example, using Chinese finger
gestures to show numbers
sharing personal information about oneself and family with peers, for example, 我有弟弟。我爱我的妈妈
Interact with simple written texts in familiar contexts to contribute to class discussions
[Key concepts: self, family; Key processes: reading, planning]

Elaborations
collecting examples of common Chinese characters found in familiar settings such as signs and labels,
for example, 八 (8),面 (‘noodles’), 春 (‘spring’)
discussing the differences between the Roman alphabet and characters, for example, compare the
sound and shape of each
labelling images of family from a provided list of characters, for example, 妈妈，爸爸，哥哥，妹妹
recognising and copying highfrequency characters relating to family and number, and noticing the
formation and spacing of characters
recognising the differences in describing family members in Chinese and English, for example, ‘brothers’
can be 哥哥 or 弟弟 in Chinese
labelling and illustrating a class photo wall of a shared event or visit
Informing
Locate information about family and familiar events from spoken and visual sources and convey this
information in simple visual and oral texts
[Key concepts: self, family, information; Key processes: describing, conveying]

Elaborations
using teacher scaffolding (for example, ‘We are going to listen for the information about the boy’s family
members: what words might be used?’) to predict content before listening to spoken texts
matching information heard with pictures or other visual clues, such as identifying colours and fruit in
game and reallife situations
sequencing pictures to describe events, guided by the teacher
responding to questions and retelling information obtained from listening to and viewing scaffolded
models of texts, such as a video clip or an avatar of a Chinese student
practising tone, actions and gestures that support meaning to share information
expressing preferences, for example, 喜欢，不喜欢
Locate and present information about familiar objects, people and personal interests using visual and
contextual cues
[Key concepts: self, family, home, routines; Key processes: obtaining, processing]

Elaborations
tracing, copying and practising using individual characters, such as the numbers 1–10 (一，二，三，
四，五…)
cutting and pasting characters from a provided set to make a mini book
selecting characters to label pictures and make a greeting card or postcard
Creating
Respond to and create simple Chinese stories, songs and rhymes, reproducing rhythm and sound patterns
to express feelings
[Key concept: imagination]

Elaborations
viewing cartoons or segments of movies based on traditional Chinese stories, such as 《大闹天宫》
performing songs and dances in groups, for example,《朋友就是你》 and 《生日快乐》
reciting poems and nursery rhymes
Create short imaginative written texts using images and copied characters
[Key concepts: morality; Key processes: illustrating, copying]

Elaborations
creating storyboards for wellknown Chinese stories such as Mulan or Pangu (盘古)
captioning or labelling illustrations on storyboards, practising the strokes of highfrequency characters
participating in the shared reading of books, making predictions about characters and events from the
cover and illustrations
listening to Chinese idiom stories and retelling these stories using illustrations
Translating
Identify equivalent or similar Chinese words or phrases for familiar objects or terms in English
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key processes: translating, connecting, interpreting]

Elaborations
matching words and phrases spoken in Chinese to images, objects or words in English, such as
classroom objects (书包，笔), to develop vocabulary
stating the English equivalent of common expressions in Chinese (for example, phrases such as 对不起,
没关系; 谢谢，不谢) for the benefit of classmates
explaining the meaning of Chinese words to classmates
Identify common Chinese characters and words in Pinyin using contextual cues
[Key concepts: self, family, home, routines; Key processes: interpreting, analysing, copying, tracing,
shaping]

Elaborations
experimenting with using highfrequency Chinese sounds to transcribe simple common words into Pinyin,
such as 我 wŏ
developing a class list of contextual cues such as images, text structure and other features that would
help with understanding meaning
typing known or given list of Pinyin words into an online dictionary to turn the Pinyin into characters to
express good wishes, such as ‘Happy birthday’ (zhὺ nĭ shēng rì kuài le◊ 祝你生日快乐！)
using flashcards to indicate likes and dislikes, for example, 喜欢 / 不喜欢
Reflecting
Notice aspects of Chinese language and culture that are ‘new’ or ‘interesting’, and observe how
relationships influence language use and own identity
[Key concepts: self, family, home, routines; Key processes: observing, comparing]

Elaborations
examining the meanings behind Chinese family names and other related vocabulary
having a shared meal of 饺子，春卷 etc. and appreciating cultural diversity in the school community
responding to questions by sharing with students in Chinese sister school personal information related to
identity, for example, name, family name, zodiac sign, family members
comparing learning in English with learning in Chinese, for example, learning about syllables and
components
presenting a collage or poster which represents aspects of their identity, using text and images
observing interactions to notice cultural aspects such as use of voice to show courtesy, how
disagreement is expressed, or smiling so as not to offend while saying ‘too expensive’
expressing personal responses to aspects of culture encountered when viewing images, such as of
classrooms, home environments or street scenes in diverse contexts, responding to teacher prompts (for
example, What do you see …? What do you notice …? How do you celebrate …?), and relating to own
experience
Understanding
Systems of language
Reproduce the four tones and recognise how they can change the meaning of words
(ACLCHU010 Scootle )

Elaborations
noticing the tonal nature of spoken Chinese and using gestures to enhance the differentiation of tones
applying tones to diverse sounds in Chinese to express different meanings, and recognising differences
between words with different tones, for example, 妈 mā and 马 mǎ
practising the pronunciation of syllables that are unique to Chinese, such as 女 nǚ, 下 xià
working with classmates and teachers to identify initials (b, p, m, d, t, g, k etc.) that are similar to English
consonants (f, l, n, v)
Recognise Chinese characters as a form of writing and Pinyin as the spelledout sounds of spoken Chinese

Elaborations
differentiating Chinese characters from other forms of written expression, for example, the Roman
alphabet, visual images (drawing)
recognising that each character has meaning, and exploring the connection between meaning and form,
for example, pictographs such as 人 (‘person’), 日 (‘sun’)
examining which initials and finals can be guessed from English, for example, ‘mama’ as opposed to
‘gege’
copying or tracing characters with attention to stroke order and direction
identifying syllables that make up Chinese words, such as 小/老/鼠 (xiǎo/lǎo/shǔ), and understanding that
words such as 熊猫 (xióng māo) have two syllables, with each syllable having a meaning
making connections between words sharing a common syllable/morpheme, for example, 小狗、小猫、小
朋友
building new words by combining familiar meanings such as 红+苹果
Understand that Chinese sentences have a particular word order (ACLCHU012 Scootle )

Elaborations
replacing words in modelled sentences to express a personal meaning, for example, replacing 弟弟 in 我
有弟弟 with 妹妹 to say 我有妹妹
stating the subject of a sentence, for example, 我爱妈妈 is about ‘I’, and 妈妈爱我 is about ‘Mum’
recognising that simple statements in Chinese tend to follow English word order, but that questions do
not, for example, ‘Do you have a cat?’ versus 你有猫吗？
recognising that sometimes the verb ‘to be’ is left out in Chinese sentences, for example, 我五岁 rather
than 我是五岁
Engage with familiar text types to predict meaning (ACLCHU013 Scootle )

Elaborations
viewing samples of children’s books, and identifying headings and images, appreciating their role in
supporting understanding of texts
comparing similar texts in Chinese and English (for example, a poster for a movie, such as 《功夫熊猫》)
and identifying major elements of the Chinese text
Recognise that Chinese is a major community language in Australia (ACLCHU014 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring the range of languages spoken in Australia and identifying people in the local community or in
the media who speak a different language, for example, ‘My mum’s friend is from China, and she speaks
Chinese’
discussing why there are different languages spoken by Australian families and by classmates
knowing that Chinese is spoken not only in China but also in other areas of the world, including Australia
Identify the features of formal language used in familiar contexts, such as at school (ACLCHU015 Scootle
)

Elaborations
using titles to address teachers in Chinese, such as 王老师 instead of Ms Wang
responding to expressions commonly encountered in Chinese classrooms, such as 起立 and explore the
cultural meanings behind these
The role of language and culture
Describe how people use different languages to communicate and participate in cultural experiences

Elaborations
identifying interesting facts, for example, finding out what are the biggest celebrations in China and
Australia, and comparing these celebrations
engaging with the traditions and customs, festivals, celebrations and food of Chinese communities,
recognising the value of learning about another culture in learning a new language
participating in a shared meal, a New Year celebration or a Chinese performance, commenting on the
experience and listening to the sounds of Chinese
comparing gestures and body language associated with language use in different cultures, for example
hand gesturing for emphasis and encouragement or recognising taboos within Chinese communication,
such as pointing directly at someone
By the end of Year 2, students use spoken and written Chinese to communicate with teachers and peers.
They participate in structured and routine interactions, such as using 谢谢，再见，请, using learnt sounds,
formulaic phrases, and verbal and nonverbal responses. They respond to and receive information, for
example, 你好，你好吗？ They follow simple instructions, including 排队，请坐，不要说话.. They use the
four tones of Chinese but not always with accuracy. Students respond to short predictable imaginative and
informative texts, expressing simple likes and dislikes (喜欢，不喜欢). They can match characters to the
meanings and sounds of familiar words, including numbers (八…), colours (红…) and family members (爸爸，
妈妈). Students use strategies such as imitation and basic contextual cues for comprehension. They create
simple informative and imaginative texts by selecting and practising learnt characters and familiar words and
phrases to describe, list, label and caption.
Students recognise that Chinese is a major language in Australia. They identify its distinctive systems of
writing and speaking. They recognise the tonal nature of Chinese and know that characters are formed by
strokes. Students differentiate between the Pinyin and characters associated with familiar objects in their
immediate environment. They recognise the use of tone marks in Pinyin. They are aware of the word order of
simple sentences. They recognise the conventions for using Chinese to communicate with family, friends and
teachers. They recognise the similarities and differences between Chinese and Australian contexts, language
and culture. They can identify themselves as learners of languages.
At this level children are developing awareness of their social world and memberships of various groups,
including of the Chinese class. They benefit from varied, activitybased learning which builds on their interests
and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
The systems of writing and speaking in Chinese are distinct. Because of the role of character learning and its
impact on reading and writing, learners can accomplish a higher active use of spoken language than written
language. As a result, engagement with Chinese language is primarily through speaking and listening.
Learners practise using Chinese through participating in actionrelated talk, and completing tasks while relying
on teacher modelling, prompts and repetition. Students respond nonverbally to spoken Chinese in the
classroom, and their understanding of Chinese is dependent on context, and on teacher intonation, gestures
and facial expressions. They repeat speech and sounds from frequent and consistent teacher modelling and
produce texts using familiar words or phrases.
Likely contexts of interaction focus on everyday educational experiences and students’ personal, family and
social environments. These familiar contexts are represented in the classroom in structured and scaffolded
situations.
Texts and resources
Key text types and contexts include short predictable texts, photo biographies, correspondence, and
structured and scaffolded situations. Students engage with a variety of Chinese language texts, including
short audiovisual texts, plays, fables, rhymes, songs and dance, extending their use and comprehension of
Chinese language and culture. Students also produce simple oral and written texts. They are exposed to a
wide range of Chinese voices and settings through the use of multimedia texts, simulations and
performances.
Students discover the distinctive features of the spoken language and begin to use Pinyin and tone marks to
practise syllables and tones they encounter in new words. They recognise that letters in Pinyin and English
produce different sounds using different spelling conventions. Printed texts used in the classroom are mainly
presented in Pinyin but may be glossed with characters. Students use Pinyin to write, knowing that characters
represent the real form of writing in Chinese. They use a variety of communication modes, including oral
communication in English and Chinese as well as mime and gesture.
Level of support
Chinese language use is scaffolded and prompted by the teacher, and teacher modelling of correct language
use is the main source of oral and written language acquisition.
The role of English
English is used where it supports comprehension of and participation in Chinese interactions, and when
discussing issues of comparison and contrast between languages and cultures.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with teachers and peers in social and class activities, exchanging ideas and opinions, using correct
tones
[Key concepts: friendship, play, relationships; Key processes: participating, noticing, recognising, listening]

Elaborations
giving personal information, facts and opinions in response to questions about people and aspects of
daily life such as pets (我的狗很可爱), interests, routines and activities
expressing opinions and commenting on personal experience using familiar expressions (for example, 很
棒。太好了。我不喜欢…), and turntaking (该你了) in class games
contributing to class activities by asking for (我可以…吗？) and giving permission (可以), apologising and
excusing (对不起), raising hand and using phrases such as 老师，我不懂 to request assistance in
learning activities
initiating conversations in familiar social contexts by greeting participants and introducing themselves (for
example, 你好，我叫James，我八岁，我住在悉尼), displaying appropriate social manners to enhance
communication
giving information in response to questions such as 你的弟弟几岁？, and responding to turntaking
signals such as 该你了 or pauses
following the teacher’s instructions to participate in learning activities, for example, 我们听 Sam 说一说
reporting group activity results to each other and the teacher, for example, Michael 喜欢打篮球，Sophie
喜欢游泳
Exchange simple correspondence with teachers and peers to contribute suggestions and arrange activities
[Key concepts: family, friendship, exchange; Key processes: participating, noticing, recognising,
responding, listening]

Elaborations
exchanging simple correspondence such as notes, postcards and text messages
using ICT to adapt or create drawings to support written communication in cards, posters and visual
displays
adapting teachermodelled language and using word lists to correspond with others, for example,
creating cards to express good wishes and season’s greetings to friends and family members (生日快乐,
母亲节快乐)
Informing
Obtain and process information about significant people, places and events from spoken and visual
sources, and convey this information using learnt phrases and key words
[Key concepts: significance, self, family, neighbourhood, environment; Key processes: participating,
noticing, recognising, responding, listening]

Elaborations
identifying commonly used terms for daily activities such as 你几点睡觉？ to contribute in an online
discussion with sisterschool friends
describing people, places and things using actions and gestures, for example, to create a video clip to
describe the school
planning and presenting short reports about holidays, special events and places using photos,
illustrations, captions, diagrams
listening to short spoken texts containing some unfamiliar language, identifying key information, for
example, name and phone number of speaker in a voicemail message, or the names, year level and age
of Chinese children in a short interview
Locate factual information from sources and report this information to a known audience using learnt
characters
[Key concepts: information, topic; Key processes: obtaining, processing, interpreting]

Elaborations
identifying key words in familiar text types (for example, a floor plan, map or calendar) by recognising
textual features (for example, bigger font for the name of the capital city on a map) and using other visual
clues
identifying and locating familiar characters or words in texts, and discussing the purpose and meaning of
a text, for example, food packaging, a restaurant menu
creating posters using learnt characters to inform others, for example, about a special event or a
favourite person
Creating
Respond to and create simple imaginative texts using voice, rhythm, and appropriate gesture and action
[Key concept: imagination; Key processes: feeling, participating, noticing, recognising, responding,
listening]

Elaborations
performing plays in groups, using puppets and props, with allocated roles (such as 《十二生肖的故事》,
《饥饿的毛毛虫》), and using gestures and other movements to enhance the impact of performance, for
example, using facial expressions to demonstrate emotions during a play
viewing performances such as a song and dance show for children and identifying features of language,
for example, rhyming in 小燕子，穿花衣，年年春天来这里
creating own representations of familiar songs (小星星), poems and stories with a focus on varying voice,
rhythm, gesture and action
reading excerpts of 童谣 and comparing Chinesespecific expression with English version, such as 小猫
怎么叫,喵喵喵。小狗怎么叫，汪汪汪。小鸡怎么叫，叽叽叽。小鸭怎么叫，嘎嘎嘎。小羊怎么叫，咩咩咩
singing familiar songs from both cultures, such as 《小星星》，《说哈罗》,《猜拳歌》 or 《狼与小孩》,
to memorise words and sounds and for enjoyment
expressing own feelings, likes and dislikes in response to Chinese stories, songs and poems, and asking
for classmates’ feelings
Create short written imaginative texts using simple characters and short sentences
[Key concepts: characters, events, plot; Key processes: participating, noticing, recognising, responding,
listening]

Elaborations
comparing the themes and content of nursery rhymes (童谣) (such as 小蜜蜂，嗡嗡嗡，飞到东，飞到
西；小白兔，白又白，两只耳朵竖起来；小燕子，穿花衣，年年春天来这里), for example, noting the
frequent appearance of particular animals in 童谣 and recognising how this relates to traditional
agricultural life
creating a storyboard to describe characters and key events in planning a story
creating plot diagrams using characters provided by teacher to annotate diagram
using pictographs such as 马, 田，山 to create cartoons to illustrate a story
designing play props and costumes appropriate to the context and setting of a story read or listened to in
class, and identifying traditional Chinese clothes and accessories
Translating
Translate the meanings of important everyday words using contextual cues
[Key concepts: context, celebration; Key processes: participating, recognising, responding, listening]

Elaborations
explaining words and phrases to peers or the teacher, using gestures and actions to help convey
meaning, such as facial expressions to express dislike or disappointment, agreement or enthusiasm
explaining meanings of colloquial phrases used on specific occasions (for example, 恭喜发财 to give New
Year wishes), and discussing how such wishes are expressed in English
choosing words to translate information into Chinese, recognising different meanings for the same word,
for example 哥哥 can be used to refer to an older male friend as well as older brother
Find English equivalents of common expressions in Chinese and vice versa
[Key concept: equivalence; Key processes: translating, explaining]

Elaborations
reading bilingual signs, comparing Chinese words to their English equivalent, and recognising how key
characters in expressions contribute to the overall meaning, such as 上 in 好好学习，天天向上
identifying meanings of Chinese words and phrases that do not translate directly (word for word), for
example, 属、岁、马马虎虎
Reflecting
Reflect on how aspects of personal identity are expressed in Australian and Chinese contexts
[Key concepts: self, belonging; Key process: reflecting]

Elaborations
preparing a selfintroduction and discussing the concept of ‘self’/我, exploring questions such as ‘What
makes me special in my family? In my class? In my school?’, for example, 我叫 Tina, 我是妹妹。我上三年
级，我的老师是王老师
prioritising information when talking about self, for example, 我叫Kate before 我八岁
sharing information about one’s zodiac animal sign in Chinese and discussing in English the cultural
significance of such information, for example, 我属龙
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise the tonesyllable nature of spoken language, and compare Chinese and English sounds

Elaborations
explaining the use of Pinyin as a learning tool to reflect the sound of Chinese spoken language, and
recognising sounds associated with individual letters and syllables, differentiating, for example, qī , piě,
rán and qù from English sounds for such letters and syllables
listening to and viewing simple conversational exchanges, recognising tonesyllables and experiencing
the differences between Chinese and English intonation
recognising when and why some tones are not expressed in some contexts, for example, repetition of
syllables in ‘Mama’, neutral tone on second syllable
listening to and reading out loud a nursery rhyme with strong Chinese prosodic features such as 《小老
鼠，上灯台》
engaging in activities to raise tonal awareness, such as competing with classmates to read a tongue
twister (妈妈骂马) and using hand gestures to help pronounce different tones
Reproduce key Chinese characters from familiar contexts using stroke types and sequences, and
component forms and their arrangement (ACLCHU027 Scootle )

Elaborations
engaging with a range of basic characters and components and exploring their individual meanings, for
example, 大 , 小，足，手
exploring the process of character construction, including counting the number of strokes, describing the
shape of strokes, differentiating between similar strokes, and following general rules of stroke order
making connections between basic characters and related component forms (for example, radicals like
手 and 扌;人 and 亻), and recognising the number and arrangement of components in a compound
character, for example, that 众 has three components and 打 has two components, that 亻(standing
person) is on the lefthand side
exploring the concept of ‘word’ in Chinese and knowing that each character is a meaningful unit
(morpheme) that is used to make up ‘words’ such as 白菜 (white + vegetable), 好朋友 (good + friend +
friend), 男生 (male + student)
making connections between key morphemes in familiar words, for example, fruit group 水果、苹果、果
汁; vehicle group 汽车、火车、车子
Use nouns, adjectives and simple sentences to record observations (ACLCHU028 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring basic sentence structure in Chinese, consisting of subject–verb–object, and learning to analyse
sentences in both Chinese and English, for example, ‘What’s the subject in the sentence “My mum drives
a car”? How about in the Chinese sentence 我看书? Do sentences work the same way in Chinese and
English?’
recognising grammatical features and how their use differs in Chinese and English, for example, the lack
of articles in Chinese; that adjectives can be used as verbs; limited use of the verb ‘to be’ (是)
following patterns of word order and sentence structure and using negation when creating sentences to
express own meanings, for example, replacing the subject pronoun in 我喜欢绿色 to create the sentence
我妈妈不喜欢绿色
Identify similarities and differences in the organisation of simple familiar texts (ACLCHU029 Scootle )

Elaborations
reading familiar text types in both Chinese and English (for example, menus, calendars, songs and TV
cartoons), and explaining how the content and features of the text suit its purpose, for example, the
menu has pictures of dishes to help the customer understand what kind of food it is
recognising Chinese texts (for example, Chinese film posters and newspapers), and discussing how the
textual features are organised, including the headings, images and fonts, and the cultural significance of
such texts
applying knowledge of text features to help locate key information, such as identifying details relating to
name, age and nationality across diverse examples of social media profiles and print information forms
discussing a range of predictable texts with teachers and peers to perceive common components
(radicals) in complex characters such as ‘woman’ (女) and ‘water’ (氵)
Recognise that Chinese is spoken by communities in many countries (ACLCHU030 Scootle )

Elaborations
investigating the use of Chinese in Australian communities and in countries and regions where diverse
forms of Chinese are widely used, for example, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia,
Vietnam, USA
interviewing people in their community who speak Chinese, such as 妈妈的朋友, and finding out how the
person learnt and used Chinese in their home country and in Australia, for example, ‘How did you learn
to speak and write Chinese? Do you speak Chinese every day in Australia?’
recognising characters used in specific cultural events (for example, 福 in various forms of New Year
decoration, such as paper cutouts, folk art, couplets), and identifying how the form might change, for
example, asking why 福 is sometimes presented upside dow
Identify the likely contexts and features of informal and formal conversations involving known participants of
different ages, genders and social positions (ACLCHU031 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing conversations between peers/friends with conversations between teachers/authorities, for
example, 你/您；坐吧！/请坐！
viewing and listening to the opening of conversations in a range of situations, and finding key words
participants use, noticing how these chunks of language can change depending on the situatio
finding examples of the openings of informal and formal conversations in Chinese films, soap operas and
children’s cartoons, and practising using these openings in conversation with teachers and friends
The role of language and culture
Identify how terms are used to indicate relationships and express aspects of culture that may be different
from their own (ACLCHU032 Scootle )

Elaborations
participating in exchanging good wishes in celebrations such as 龙年快乐, and comparing cultural
practices of celebration from around the world
exploring the use of language and symbolic images during cultural events, and describing the cultural
meaning represented, for example, looking at the use of the colour red during Chinese New Year and in
good wishes of 红红火火 and asking why red is so widely used during celebrations in China; What is the
cultural connotation of 红？
discussing possible reasons why Chinese family names are placed before given names, and exploring
the cultural meaning of various Chinese names, for example, 静，明，勇
exploring the more complicated Chinese kinship relationships, and learning to address family members
with a title rather than by their given names, for example, drawing a family tree and labelling each
member with their Chinese title
By the end of Year 4, students use spoken and written Chinese in simple personal interactions with familiar
participants about self, family, people, places, routine, school life, and their own interests and preferences, for
example, 你叫什么名字？你上几年级？你有狗吗？你喜欢什么运动？ They use appropriate pronunciation,
tone, gesture and movement and some formulaic expressions. They use modelled questions to develop
responses, for example, 你的哥哥几岁？，他是谁？，你住在哪里？，这是什么？ They respond to and
create simple informative and imaginative texts for familiar audiences (for example, 狼与小孩) by selecting
learnt words and characters. Sentences are short and follow the basic subject–verb–object structure with
occasional use of adjective predicates, for example, 这是红色的苹果.. Learners use familiar words in Pinyin, or
presented in characters in texts. Numbers are used in relation to age and family members, and to quantify
objects with measure words such as 一个男生，两个姐姐，三只狗.
Students explain why Chinese is a globally important language. They understand that Pinyin provides access
to the sounds of the spoken language. They identify features of the Chinese writing system, including the
range of strokes and their sequences in character writing, and explain how component knowledge can assist
in learning characters. They are aware that each character is a meaningful unit (morpheme) that is used to
make up words. They recognise familiar word order in Chinese sentences. They notice similarities and
differences between the patterns of the Chinese language and those of English and other familiar languages.
They recognise that languages change with time and due to influences such as globalisation and technology.
Students recognise that diversity of context and participants influence how meaning is communicated, and
apply this knowledge to their own communication. They notice how cultural differences may affect
understanding between people.
Languages Chinese
Background Language Learner
Pathway Years F–10 Sequence
Page 554 of 1359

Chinese Background Language Learner Pathway Years F–10 Sequence
Students will have some exposure to Chinese language and culture in the context of their family and
community life. They are likely to have high oracy skills but low literacy skills in Chinese. In the school
environment they begin to understand how they use more than one language in their daily lives.
For background language learners the focus is on making connections between their oracy and literacy.
Students use Chinese for most class activities and group responses, participating in active listening and
actionrelated talk, games and play. They will be immersed in the sounds and sights of Chinese. They read
short texts, share ideas about daily life and adapt the language they know to different contexts. Classroom
interactions are mediated by teacher questioning and interactive talk in Chinese.
Students are exposed to Chinese in the classroom and in their home and local community environments.
Classroom experiences are likely to be structured compared to other contexts. Students communicate with
peers, teachers and known adults. They begin to engage with Chinese culture through participating in
community and schoolbased celebrations, song and dance. Contexts are focused mostly on the here and
now.
Texts and resources
Background language learners are exposed to a range of texts, including traditional oral texts, picture books,
stories, rhyming verse, songs, poetry, multimodal texts and dramatic performances. Learners engage with
Chinese language and culture through participating in celebrations.
Students recognise tones as an important element of Chinese speech and learn how the sounds of Chinese
can be encoded in Pinyin, using Roman letters that often convey different sounds than students are
accustomed to in English. Students view samples of characters as captions to images and as text in
storybooks often defined in Pinyin. They learn to recognise basic character forms that represent familiar
objects and ideas and convey significant cultural meanings.
Level of support
Chinese language use is scaffolded, prompted and modelled by the teacher.
The role of English
English is used where appropriate to allow for explanation, reflection and substantive discussion.
Communicating
Socialising
Initiate interactions, make requests and establish relationships with teachers and peers
[Key concepts: belonging, home, family, friendship; Key processes: requesting, greeting, thanking,
introducing]

Elaborations
introducing oneself to initiate conversation for example, 我叫 Johnny，我的中文名字叫小强，你叫什么？,
interacting with teachers and classmates, sharing ideas about familiar topics such as family (for example,
我有一个姐姐，一个弟弟) and daily life, for example, 我妈妈会做饺子
responding to questions about and describing features of their own world (for example, 我的学校不大)
and seeking more information by asking questions such as 你是 Emily 的妹妹吗？
using pictures and prompt cards to participate in conversations
introducing classmates (for example, 我叫 Anna 。我五岁) and expressing gratitude, for example, 谢谢
Collaborate with others in group activities and contribute to learning activities
[Key concepts: self, family, home; Key processes: interpreting, locating]

Elaborations
making suggestions when working together and allocating jobs for members of group, for example, 我们
一起唱吧；我们唱，你跳舞
following the teacher’s instructions and responding to questions with reasons (for example, 我不高兴, 因
为我累了), using language appropriate to class context (for example, 老师，我写完了) and making
requests in an appropriate manner, for example, 老师，我可以喝水吗？
including others and recognising participants in group work, for example, Lisa 是我的好朋友; 我们组有…
making cards for special cultural events such as Chinese New Year or personal events such as birthdays,
copying short good wishes from modelled text, for example, 生日快乐
recognising and copying characters relating to various events described in books, and noticing the
formation of characters and spacing
collecting examples of common Chinese characters found in familiar settings such as signs and labels,
for example, 八 (8), 面 (noodles), 春 (spring)
creating drawings to support written communication in cards, posters and visual displays
Informing
Locate information about people and objects from a range of sources, and sequence events
[Key concepts: same, different; Key processes: identifying, sharing]

Elaborations
sharing information with the class on topics of interest (for example, 我的宠物), providing information and
answering peers’ questions, for example, 我的猫很小，有棕色和白色的毛
identifying details about people and events heard in media texts, including children’s educational TV
programs
Convey simple information to peers using illustrations and gestures to support meaning, and respond to
questions from others
[Key concepts: family, home, routines; Key processes: greeting, thanking, imitating]

Elaborations
presenting their learning by creating pictures and labelling them to elaborate concepts, for example, 春
天；中秋节
presenting and expanding on details of the topic, and answering peers’ questions, for example, 我的猫很
小，有棕色和白色的毛
presenting their knowledge of places in China and Australia, such as places they have visited or where
they have relatives, supported with photographs, for example, 我的奶奶住在北京
sharing their knowledge of the world through and responding to questions from others, for example, 中国
有什么动物？澳大利亚呢？ / 中国大还是澳大利亚大？/ 你抱过考拉吗？
creating posters on a cultural topic such as ‘Chinese food’ and selecting images and texts from
magazines, newspapers and brochures to illustrate key ideas with character words such as 好吃
identifying familiar words and concepts drawn from recent learning in other subject areas, for example,
数学（形状） and 科学（自然现象）
making connections between their knowledge of the world and their Chinese learning to infer meaning of
words, for example, to guess the meaning of 尾巴 in 猫有长长的尾巴，人没有尾巴
Creating
Participate in and respond to performances and shared reading of children’s stories, songs and rhymes
with a focus on rhythm, gesture and stress
[Key concept: imagination; Key processes: participating, responding]

Elaborations
performing songs and rhymes, noticing rhythmic features such as 押韵 and experimenting with stress
and gestures to help convey meaning
interpreting language, facial expressions and other visual clues to inform own response to characters
and stories presented in animations or songs
singing 儿歌 and 童谣 and discussing the traditional ideas and morals they convey
creating short plays based on extracts from familiar stories such as 《饥饿的毛毛虫, using puppets and
props
Create own representations of imagined people or events using illustrations and actions
[Key concept: imagination; Key processes: sharing, experimenting, reading, viewing]

Elaborations
expressing opinions about characters or retelling the storyline after viewing or listening to stories, for
example, 我觉得…真讨厌！
selecting words from lists to produce captions for images related to familiar narratives heard or viewed in
Chinese
copying from models to convey meanings for a sequence of images, such as creating sequential
captions for photos, pictures and paintings
using characters and images to convey ideas in imaginative texts, for example, using pictographs such
as 马, 田，山 to illustrate an imagined event
experimenting with storytelling by rewriting a segment of a modelled narrative text by replacing
characters, actions or descriptions of objects
Translating
Explain the English meanings of Chinese words and simple phrases heard or seen in everyday social
contexts
[Key concept: belonging; Key processes: translating, moving between]

Elaborations
discussing Chinese words or expressions that appear to have no equivalent in English, for example, 不要
客气，快吃吧
stating the English equivalent of common Chinese expressions, for example, 对不起, 没关系; 谢谢，不谢
discussing meanings of colloquial phrases used on specific occasions (for example, 恭喜发财 to give New
Year wishes), and exploring how such sentiments are expressed in English
Create simple bilingual vocabulary lists identifying and comparing vowel and consonant sounds in Chinese
and English
[Key concepts: bilingualism, vocabulary; Key processes: translating, interpreting]

Elaborations
sharing knowledge of Chinese with others, explaining features that differ from English, for example, how
periods of the day are defined and word order for date and time
comparing ways of communicating and interacting in Chinese and English by identifying similarities and
differences in features such as gestures, greetings, titles
Reflecting
Reflect on aspects of their Chinese identity and personal relationships with others
[Key concepts: belonging, place; Key processes: reflecting, observing, noticing

Elaborations
discussing the importance to their own identity of speaking Chinese to connect with older relatives, and
the wider Chinesespeaking community, for example, 我会说中文，我可以用中文跟上海的爷爷打电话
sharing information about their family background, such as country of origin, languages and dialects
spoken, and current locations of extended family, for example, 我爸爸是从中国来的。他会说普通话和上海
话
sharing own likes and dislikes and discussing features that reflect their cultural identities, such as
preferences relating to sport and leisure activities, food, and TV programs, for example, 我喜欢吃中国
菜，也喜欢吃汉堡包
discussing the role of Chinese language and culture in their own lives, such as participation in cultural
events, food preferences, or overseas travel
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise the four tones and their function in Chinese, and compare consonant and vowel sounds in
Chinese and English (ACLCHU122 Scootle )

Elaborations
participating in activities aimed at raising awareness of pronouncing and differentiating between tones
and syllables in Chinese and noting differences in own spoken language, for example comparing a
recording of own spoken Chinese with other students in the class
practising the ‘flow’ of a sentence in Chinese, using gesture to help demonstrate tone and stress
performing or reciting texts with strong rhythmic features such as nursery rhymes or tongue twisters, for
example, 《猴子穿新衣》
Recognise that characters are the written representation of spoken Chinese and the morphological nature
of Chinese words (ACLCHU123 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing the range of strokes and the construction of characters, and applying this understanding to
differentiate between similar character forms, such as 日 (sun) and 目 (eye)
copying characters with attention to the location, direction and order of strokes
learning the sound and meaning of commonly seen basic characters (独体字) and components (部件),
such as 木 (tree) and 人 (person), and making connections between basic characters and their bound
forms (非成字), such as 水 and 氵
identifying components and their various forms in different locations within characters, for example, 人、
从、合; 心、情、思
learning that Chinese words are made up of two or more characters, with each character contributing
meaning to the word, for example, 大人 (literally ‘big person’) means ‘adult’
recognising key morphemes in word groups, for example, 白天、白雪、小白兔
identifying meanings of each syllable such as in xuéshēng, xuéxiào of Chinese words encountered
Recognise parts of speech and understand basic rules of word order in simple sentences

Elaborations
learning about metaterms for word types, for example, exploring what is considered a verb in English
and in Chinese (for example, adjectival verbs in Chinese)
categorising words into word types common across languages, for example, 家人 as noun, 四 as number
understanding that as for English there are basic rules of word order in Chinese (subjectverbobject)
Recognise features of various familiar text types in Chinese (ACLCHU125 Scootle )

Elaborations
developing awareness of bilingual texts (for example, picture books, multimedia texts, song and dance
DVDs) through immersion in textrich environments, and noticing features of punctuation and text
organisation across languages (for example, spacing between words)
comparing familiar texts in Chinese and English and discussing features in common, for example,
storybook covers normally consist of book title, image, author’s name and illustrator’s name
Recognise diversity in expressions and gestures used in everyday social interaction across cultures

Elaborations
observe and participate in interactions with a range of participants, and discuss how different people use
language in different ways, for example, a range of ways of greeting and farewelling
understanding that gestures can enhance communication but might be interpreted differently by different
people
learning about etiquette in everyday social contexts, such as how to address adults, for example, 王阿姨
好
comparing language use among family members (for example, with parents and siblings), and
recognising different languages (e.g. Putonghua, a dialect or English) used for different participants, for
example, 我跟爸爸妈妈说中文，跟哥哥说英文
Recognise Chinese as a major community language in Australia and around the world, and understand that
language use varies according to cultural background (ACLCHU127 Scootle )

Elaborations
understanding that Chinese is used beyond their immediate and extended family
identifying countries and regions in the world where Chinese is used as a major language
recognising diversity within Chinese language, including significant regional languages spoken by family
or others, such as Cantonese or Shanghainese
Recognise differences and similarities in communication across cultures, such as greetings, names and
gestures (ACLCHU128 Scootle )

Elaborations
viewing and listening to Chinese and Australian cartoons and identifying similarities and differences
examining pictures of different marketplaces and noticing differences between food markets and grocery
stores in China and Australia
observing what is the same and what is different in their classroom interactions and classroom
interactions in China
discussing communicative practices across cultures and identifying culturespecific practices (for
example 拜年) in Chinese culture, including noting culturespecific phrases used in either Chinese or
English
recognising various ways in which familiar concepts are expressed in different cultures, such as greetings
using nonverbal communication, such as gestures and facial expressions, for example, showing
numbers 1–10 with fingers
recognising ways in which people express their culture in music, dance, traditional stories, food, games
and celebrations
recognising visible expressions of identity such as flags, maps, traditional dress, and landmarks
exploring cultural symbols and practices through stories, songs, dances, games and crafts
By the end of Year 2, students use spoken Chinese to initiate interactions in a range of familiar contexts. They
obtain and convey information and experiences relating to their personal world in simple exchanges. They
use learned vocabulary, sounds, characters and culturally specific actions and gestures to convey meaning.
They exchange greetings, introduce themselves and each other, and express thanks and apologies, for
example, 我的中文名字叫小强, 你叫什么? They interact with and create simple predictable imaginative and
informative texts such as 我的狗很大，它的尾巴很长, using familiar characters and sounds. They use images,
actions and gesture to show that they understand the meaning of words when speaking, listening, reading,
viewing and writing.
Students identify the four Chinese tones and their function. They know that there is a metalanguage to
describe the distinct writing and speech systems in Chinese. They compare English and Chinese consonant
and vowel sounds. They copy and trace characters and identify key components in familiar characters. They
identify how their Chinese identity influences some of their language choices when interacting with familiar
adults and peers.
Learners explore how they use more than one language in their daily lives, and use Chinese in relation to
their personal world, countries where Chinese is spoken and the world of imagination.
Students engage with Chinese language through speaking, listening, reading, viewing and writing. They
understand more words than they can say or write, and use this knowledge to attempt to say and spell
unfamiliar words. Learners use Chinese to participate in actionrelated talk and to complete tasks. The focus
of these activities is still on connecting their background oracy with their literacy.
At this level, students are likely to focus on both formal and informal exchanges in familiar situations with
familiar audiences, such as in a range of facetoface and online/virtual environments where they are able to
identify a range of responses. Likely contexts for interaction are situated within everyday educational
experiences as well as students’ personal, family and social environments. In these contexts they have
opportunities to notice that there are similarities and differences in the ways people communicate both within
and across cultural groups.
Texts and resources
Students are exposed to a wide range of voices and settings where Chinese is used, including some
extended passages in written and oral form. Students are exposed to culturally valued texts, including
traditional oral texts, fables, stories, songs and picture books. They encounter various types of print and
digital texts, simple chapter books, rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film, multimodal texts and dramatic
performances.
Oral language use draws on topics and concepts encountered in other learning areas, building students’
capacity to describe and explore these in Chinese. Students use Chinese to share everyday experiences with
each other. They develop literacy skills by beginning to read fables and legends and write stories and
recounts. Pinyin is used as a tool to develop students’ pronunciation and to assist their understanding of the
nature of the spoken language. Students begin to develop orthographic and morphological awareness by
exploring the relationship between characters and morphemes.
Level of support
The teacher explores and enhances students’ understanding of the similarities and differences between
Chinese and English and supports their development of Chinese literacy and oracy. Vocabulary lists and
model texts support literacy development.
The role of English
English is used for discussion, reflection and explanation to assist the continued development of learners’
knowledge base and intercultural capability.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact and socialise with peers and teachers to exchange thoughts and feelings about home routines,
leisure activities and community events
[Key concepts: recreation, routine, place; Key processes: discussing, sharing, transacting]

Elaborations
participating in conversations about home and leisure activities, expressing opinions and comparing
experiences relating to hobbies, interests and routines, for example, 你喜欢做什么？ , 我喜欢游泳。, 你几
点放学？, 我三点放学，比较早
discussing topics beyond the immediate home context, including subjects from other learning areas, for
example, 乘法口诀, 名人 and 地理
asking questions to seek permission from the teacher, for example, 我可以上厕所吗？ / 老师，我们明天有
没有汉语课？/ 老师，我可以用铅笔写字吗？
repeating the teacher’s instructions to help clarify and maintain class activities, for example, 老师说我们
先看这个DVD，再做题
initiating and maintaining communication by taking turns (for example, making suggestions such as 我们
要不要一起去 or 我们一起去吧) and responding to the suggestions of others in an appropriate manner,
such as 好的, or through gesture
creating short texts such as emails, letters and text messages to interact with others, for example, to
invite, congratulate or thank someone
producing short texts such as descriptions of a place or feature or the rules of behaviour for different
events, situations or activities
participating in shared blogs, exchanging information with students from sister school, for example, 你
好，我叫 Ann, 我是澳大利亚的学生
using emoticons such as >_<||| in digital communication to enhance meaning
Collaborate in and make decisions about group activities and learning experiences in familiar contexts
[Key concept: collaboration, public life ; Key processes: interpreting, exchanging]

Elaborations
participating in group activities and roleplays involving scenarios such as buying food or goods or
ordering a meal, and making requests in an appropriate way, for example, 请来…;我想买…; 你有…吗？
negotiating details in a transaction, such as stating preferred size, quantity or price, and concluding the
transaction with the exchange of currency
offering their opinions to help others in transactions, for example, 我喜欢红色的/我最喜欢那个
taking collective action to plan and present a cultural item, such as celebrating a festive occasion by
performing a song or dance for members of school community
discussing cultural items to present for a school event, for example, performing a song, cooking Chinese
food or making craft (剪纸, 做灯笼)
using digital media to produce a publicity flier for an upcoming cultural or sporting event such as 汉语比赛
responding to scaffolding questions about the scientific world in Chinese, for example, answering
questions such as 你喜欢下雨吗？; 现在下大雨了，我们怎么办？; 为什么有人害怕下雨呢？ when learning
about rain
Informing
Gather and organise factual information from familiar sources about countries and places
[Key concepts: information, fact; Key processes: obtaining, processing]

Elaborations
interviewing familiar people, such as parents, teachers, peers and community members, and
appreciating their significance as sources of information about Chinese language and culture, identifying
possible sources of information beyond the classroom, for example, 我可以问我的妈妈，因为她去过新加
坡
gathering information by surveying family and friends about languages spoken, country of origin, or
participation in cultural events and leisure activities, and displaying information on frequency charts
collating key information to share with others, such as summarising and sharing one aspect of a topic to
contribute to a group response, for example, experiences of participating in organised activities involving
aspects of Chinese culture (龙舟比赛;剪窗花)
making connections between images and charts and the content of texts, and identifying key words to
locate information, for example, in the chapter titles of a book
identifying key structural words to assist in understanding information, for example, in a procedural text
Convey key points of information to familiar audiences
[Key concepts: information, significance; Key process: obtaining]

Elaborations
giving a short presentation to convey information gathered from multiple sources, such as investigating
南京的天气 by interviewing the teacher and listening to a podcast of a weather forecast
supporting presentations using pictures, charts and graphs appropriate to the task, such as using bar
charts to show data on 学校学生语言背景统计表 / 班上同学使用交通工具统计表
reporting information from texts to explain aspects of lifestyle or culture in different communities, for
example, TV guide, brochures, advertisements or timetables containing text and images
making posters to celebrate a special event such as 端午节, explaining the origins and stories of the
festival with others
outlining steps in a procedure, using sequential markers such as 第一，第二，第三, for example,
sequencing pictures in the correct order to demonstrate how to make dumplings
presenting a visual display with supporting text on a topic of personal interest, for example, 我的家，我的
宠物，姥姥的家乡，过春节
Creating
Respond to simple fables and legends through discussion of characters and events
[Key concepts: morality; Key processes: creating, responding]

Elaborations
engaging with entertainment designed for young children such as TV programs, songs, plays, and
games in digital media, and evaluating such forms of entertainment, for example, 我喜欢这首歌,因为它的
歌词很美
discussing depiction and features of characters in various forms of entertainment, such as differences
between characters and how these differences are demonstrated, for example, in the cartoon 《喜羊羊和
灰太狼》
reading aloud or reciting traditional texts such as poems and rhymes (for example 《咏鹅》、《静夜
思》、《四和十》), paying attention to pronunciation, prosody and emotion and explaining key ideas in
Chinese
participating in shared reading and identifying how familiar words are used to express meanings in new
contexts, for example, 盘古的眼睛变成太阳，头发变成星星，血液变成江河湖海
presenting stories to peers, paying attention to storytelling techniques such as 停顿; 语气语调; 抑扬顿挫
Create short personal narratives and performances of poetry, song, dance or drama which reflect the
culture and traditions of the Chinese community
[Key concepts: imagination, point of view; Key processes: responding, expressing]

Elaborations
creating performances in response to legends and other forms of culturally significant literature such as
《盘古开天辟地》, or segments of 《西游记》
creating simple narratives of the day in the life of a person, animal or fictional character (for example,
《小狗汪汪的一天》), sequencing events and using supporting images
using digital media to create an imaginative story to share with peers and Chinesespeaking contacts,
using both language and images to achieve particular effects, for example, using 重复（很大很大的球; 走
啊走啊走啊)
plotting a storyline, considering: Who is the main character? How can I make this character interesting to
readers? How can I sequence my story to grab the reader’s attention?
considering alternative endings to wellknown stories, using learnt sequences and teacher guidance
Translating
Identify common spoken Chinese expressions and discuss examples of actions, words and phrases that do
not readily translate into English
[Key concepts: equivalence, idiom; Key processes: translating, identifying, discussing]

Elaborations
differentiating between wordbyword meaning and intended meaning when translating from Chinese into
English, for example, the wordbyword translation of 我喜欢一个人看书 is ‘I like one person to read’, but
it means ‘I like to read alone’
designing bilingual signs (characters/Pinyin/English) to post on key buildings and rooms around the
school that convey short messages such as descriptions of the place or the rules in that place
recognising the role that gesture plays in oral interaction, including emblematic (hand) gestures,
gesturing for emphasis and inclusivity, and taboos within Chinese communication, such as pointing
directly at someone
identifying Chinese symbols in print and digital texts (for example, the longevity symbol), and developing
ways to convey the culturally attached value when expressing the meaning of these symbols in English
comparing own translation of short texts (such as brand names, signs, slogans and billboard
advertisements) to others’, and evaluating the effectiveness of own translation
developing strategies for using bilingual (Chinese–English and English–Chinese) dictionaries in both print
and digital forms to assist with translation
explaining in English features of gestures used in Chinese, for example, hand gestures for numbers
comparing versions of a common text across languages and identifying issues in conveying meaning, for
example, how to render 小心轻放 into English
Translate simple English texts into Chinese and vice versa, using strategies for building vocabulary and
interpreting intended meaning of words in English and Chinese
[Key concepts: morphology, bilingualism; Key processes: identifying, translating, interpreting]

Elaborations
considering alternative ways of interpreting ideas, such as giving examples, looking for synonyms (近义
词), and elaborating on details
creating bilingual texts to share with others, for example, adding English to a Chinese New Year poster or
couplet, adding Chinese headings to an Australian tourism promotion brochure, adding Chinese to a
class weekly timetable
Reflecting
Reflect on their reactions and responses to others when participating in learning and cultural experiences in
Chinese and Australian contexts
[Key concepts: identity, place; Key processes: responding, identifying]

Elaborations
identifying levels of politeness, respect and formality in diverse contexts, for example, when seeking
assistance, when engaging with people of different ages or authority
deciding how best to address and refer to others (for example, addressing an older stranger as 姐姐 or
阿姨 in Chinese) and considering how that person would be addressed in English
identifying ways in which their Chinese identity is reflected in their daily life and interests, for example,
belonging to a sports or hobby group or attending community school
considering their linguistic and cultural skills as Chinese and as Australians and how these contribute to
their overall sense of identity
comparing Chinese and Australian lifestyles such as festivals and celebrations, food staples, preferences
and cooking styles, and discussing own engagement with these
noticing differences in cultural practices and the protocol for certain events, such as 我去表哥家要先叫
人，大姨好，大姨夫好；如果他们要留我吃饭，我要先问妈妈可不可以；如果阿姨叫我多吃一点, 我不能吃
太多，最好得客气客气
participating in cultural events (for example, watching a China–Australia soccer match, performing a
Chinese song to the school community, or celebrating Anzac Day) and reflecting on own reactions
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise the tonal features of Chinese in own speech, and understand when and why some tones are not
expressed in some contexts and how syllables are decoded from and encoded into Pinyin

Elaborations
differentiating between the four tones when speaking, and knowing how to pronounce the ‘neutral tone’
understanding the aesthetic features of reading out loud 朗诵 and reciting 背诵, focusing on phrasing,
stress and intonation of Chinese spoken language
Identify the form, composition and spacing within characters, relating components and their positions to
their meaning and sound (ACLCHU139 Scootle )

Elaborations
developing fine motor skills appropriate to Chinese writing conventions (方块字), and learning about
Chinese writing conventions, including direction of text and punctuation
applying rules of stroke direction and stroke order when writing characters, paying attention to details
such as length of a stroke to discriminate similar forms, for example, 土 and 士
developing skills in identifying the structure and components of a compound character, for example, 学
has two components and they are of topandbottom structure
categorising characters with common components (such as 花、草、菜), and making connections
between meanings and sounds of components and meanings and sounds of characters, for example, 目
(eye) in 看 (to look at)
recognising the use of traditional and simplified characters in the local community (for example, 《大洋时
报》 uses traditional characters), exploring texts in both forms of characters and analysing differences in
orthography, for example, 门 and 門
identifying personal connections with one or both forms of characters, for example, 我妈妈教我写简体
字，因为妈妈是从北京来的
inferring meaning of unfamiliar words from known morphemes, for example, 学生、学校、小学
understanding that a character might have multiple meanings, for example, that 冷 means ‘cold’ in 冷水
and ‘quiet’ in 冷清
Develop ways to structure sentences in Chinese to elaborate own ideas (ACLCHU140 Scootle )

Elaborations
elaborating ideas in sentences, including details such as time, place and manner, for example, 星期一我
从上海坐飞机到北京
learning metaterms to describe grammar rules in Chinese, for example, the placement of 主语 (subject),
动词 (verb), 名词 (noun) in sentences
recognising that there are multiple ways to structure a sentence, such as 我吃了早饭后去学校 and 吃了早
饭后我去学校
Recognise similarities and differences in the structure of spoken and written texts that have the same
purpose (ACLCHU141 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising features of various genres, including narratives and explanatory texts, identifying which
genres are most suitable for different purposes, for example, 记叙文记叙一个事情，比如说《我最喜欢的
假期》
identifying differences and similarities in language choices and text structure across spoken and written
texts, for example, comparing an announcement with a public notice
comparing and differentiating forms of texts based on purpose and audience, for example, asking:
What’s the difference between a letter and an email? What might be the reasons for such differences?
applying cohesive devices in producing imaginative texts, correspondence and informative texts, for
example, beginning a story with 很久很久以前
Recognise how the context of interactions influences language choices (ACLCHU142 Scootle )

Elaborations
addressing others appropriately, for example, using 王老师 with teacher, 张叔叔 with young adult males,
nicknames with close relatives (欢欢表妹)
differentiating language use based on different functions, for example, making commands (过来！) or
making requests (你可以过来一下吗？)
discussing differences in language use at home and at school, for example, comparing how to ask for
permission to use a computer (老师，我可以用电脑吗？ and 我就是要用电脑！)
Explore diversity in dialects and in contexts in which Chinese is used in Australian communities

Elaborations
identifying locations of major dialect groups in China, discussing environmental and historical reasons for
the existence of dialects, and appreciating the value of a common language
making personal connections with particular dialects of Chinese, asking peers which dialects are spoken
in their families, and inviting others to say a few words in their own dialect, for example, 我爷爷说广东话
investigating diversity in spoken Chinese and identifying differences in phonology across dialects, for
example, exploring greetings in dialects such as Cantonese, Hakka and Shanghainese, and comparing
the pronunciation of words
accessing local Chinese media such as radio stations, satellite TV stations, and newspapers, and viewing
Chinese programs in mainstream media (such as Chinese news programs or websites) to enhance their
appreciation of Chinese language use in local media and explore the extent of their comprehension of
Chinese used in diverse contexts
discussing reasons why Chinese is used in communities within Australia, and making personal
connections to these reasons, for example, 我父母是丛香港来的，他们说广东话
Explore how the Chinese language represents cultural meanings in specific ways (ACLCHU144 Scootle
)

Elaborations
identifying culturally specific terms and phrases, for example, ‘mate’ in Australian English and 吃了吗 in
Chinese, and sharing insights into why particular cultures value certain colloquial language
associating the literal and cultural meanings of words and expressions such as 红红火火
discussing the contextual and cultural meanings of words that cannot be directly translated into another
language, for example, translating 手足 as ‘brothers’
reading Chinese idioms (成语故事; for example, 《指鹿为马》、《狐假虎威》、《买椟还珠》、《拔苗助
长》), and discussing their meanings; exploring the relevance and significance of these idioms to
contemporary life and how these phrases are used in daily communication, such as 生日快乐 for
birthdays, 大吉大利 for New Year and 团团圆圆 for MidAutumn Festival
By the end of Year 4, students use spoken and written Chinese to initiate interactions and to participate in
short exchanges, for example, 你晚饭吃什么？,我学汉语和英语,站起来，大家听老师说. They organise and
convey factual information and share experiences in formal and informal situations, making appropriate
choices of characters, words and pronunciation. They use demonstratives such as 这、那、那些 with
measure words and verbs to indicate agreement （对，好的）and preferences (要、想、喜欢). They respond
to and create short imaginative, informative and persuasive texts for familiar audiences and identified
purposes. Students select from known speech patterns to meet routine, procedural and informal
conversational needs.
Students know that Pinyin represents spoken language, and map Pinyin against their own speech. They
distinguish between the contexts in which tones are expressed and those in which they are not. They identify
features of the Chinese writing system, including the range of strokes and their sequences in character
writing; and the relationship between components and sound and meaning. Students identify ways of
structuring ideas in sentences, including the role of correct sequencing of time and place. They describe
features of Chinese language and culture, and compare how ideas are conveyed across languages and
cultures.
Languages Framework for Aboriginal
Languages and Torres Strait Islander
Languages
Page 576 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages
Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait
Islander Languages How the Subject works
Rationale
Nganki ka Kardu thipmam wa! I Murrinh warda ngatha. The nganthin ngumpanngerren. I ku
ngakumarl, da ngarra ngugumingki wurran. The da matha nganthin ngala i da bere matha wangu
ngumamath ngumpan ngarra magulkul nganki.
We are black people. We speak our language. We have our totems and Dreamings. This is what
we know and will hold always in our hearts.
It is who we are.
Deminhimpuk Francella Bunduck, Murrinhpatha teacher, OLSH Thamurrurr College,
Wadeye, ACARA consultation forum, Darwin, July 2013
The overall rationale for learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australian
schools is that they are the original languages of this country. Through learning them, all students gain access
to knowledge and understanding of Australia that can only come from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
perspective. The languages by their nature embed this perspective. Learning to use these unique languages
can play an important part in the development of a strong sense of identity, pride and selfesteem for all
Australian students.
Each Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language is unique to the Country/Place on which it arose. It gives
voice to the landscapes, thoughts and ways of seeing and interpreting the world. When the language of the
land is spoken, it brings together all of the elements of the landscape and its people. It encompasses the
relationships of these people with one another and with the landscape, past, present and future. The learning
of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language incorporates the realities of its people and facilitates
students’ deep engagement with knowledge, ways of being and ways of knowing. It develops in students an
understanding of historical, current and ongoing connection to Country/Place and culture.
Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are fundamental to the identity of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples and this is recognised throughout the Framework. It is also the right of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have access to education in and about their own languages,
as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (resolution 61/295,
adopted 13 September 2007, www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf). Education systems
can play a vital role in facilitating access to language learning and supporting community language revival and
maintenance.
To me, teaching Kaurna means sinking my toes into this sacred soil and embracing who I am. It
means being so proud of my language and culture that I want to share it with whoever wants to
listen, learn and be a part of my journey.
Ngathaitya, ngathu Kaurna Warra nguthuatpama, ngai tidna kuinyunta yartangka ngatpanthi.
Naku'athu, yailty'athu ngana ngai tiyati. Ngai kararrinthi ngaityu warraku, ngaityu tapa purrunaku
kuma. Ngai padlurninthi ngaityu warra pirrkiapititya ngapidluku, ngana padlurninthi
yuringkarnititya, tirkatitya, kumangka ngathaityangka padnititya.
Taylor Power, Kaurna language teacher, Gilles Street Primary School, with Kaurna
translation assistance from Rob Amery, Head of Linguistics, University of Adelaide
Learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages meets the needs and rights of young
people to learn their own languages and recognises the significance of these languages in the language
ecology of Australia. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, learning their own language is crucial
to their overall learning and achievements. It enables them to develop a wider recognition and understanding
of their language, culture, Country and Place, land, water, sea and sky, and this contributes to their wellbeing.
For all students, learning Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages provides a distinctive
means of understanding the Country/Place in which they live, including the relationship between land, the
environment and people. The ongoing and necessary revival, maintenance and development of these
languages also contribute to reconciliation.
Language is my connection to my Ancestral Dreaming and country. Teaching Gumbaynggirr in
schools benefits the whole community. It breaks down barriers, leads to a better understanding of
Aboriginal people, and brings Aboriginal and nonAboriginal people together. This kind of sharing
is our cultural way.
Michael Jarrett, Gumbaynggirr language learner, teacher, and active language user
Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are complex and diverse. Engaging with the study
of an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language will develop communication skills in the language studied
and will also contribute to the intellectual enrichment of students. For nonIndigenous students, the study of
an Aboriginal language or Torres Strait Islander language will provide intellectual challenge and development
while also giving them insight into and understanding of Indigenous Australian cultures and knowledge. In
some cases it will provide these students with the opportunity to communicate with Indigenous Australians in
their own language. In other cases, in addition to communication skills, it will give insight into language
change and language revival within its historical context.
The government report ‘Our Land Our Languages: Language Learning in Indigenous Communities’ (House of
Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, Commonwealth of
Australia, September 2012), found that there is an ongoing and close relationship between the work of
communities to maintain and revive their languages and that of schools as vehicles for language instruction.
The study ‘Indigenous Languages Programs in Australian Schools: A Way Forward’ (Purdie et al., 2008,)
found that over 16 000 Indigenous students and 13 000 nonIndigenous students located in 260 Australian
schools were involved in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages programs.
The opportunity to learn an Aboriginal language and/or a Torres Strait Islander language is becoming
available in an increasing number of Australian schools, and an aim of this Framework is to make that option
available for all students. In this way, all students will have the opportunity to benefit from the social and
intellectual development that results from this learning.
Students at our school see the inclusion of a Kaurna language program as an empowering and
authenticating approach to Reconciliation. Aboriginal learners of Kaurna develop pride in their
culture and gain deeper insights into their own being by learning how to speak Kaurna and think
in Kaurna. They greatly appreciate the effort undertaken by the whole school community to
integrate into the curriculum and school ethos the language and culture of the land on which they
live and learn. By the same token, our school community regards it as a privilege to be able to
engage with Kaurna traditions. Our Welcomes to Country were originally performed by just the
Aboriginal Year 12s, but now our Year 9s are rising to the challenge and to be able to do so with
the blessing of their Elders is a real boost to their sense of self, cultural pride and identity.
Rob Shepherd, Principal, Le Fevre High School
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages aims
to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to ensure that students:
communicate in the language
understand language, culture, and learning and their relationship, and thereby develop an
understand themselves as communicators
understand the process of language building as a means to extend the potential of the language (in
vocabulary, expression and discourse) and to develop knowledge of linguistic techniques (such as,
collecting, describing and recording language), including processes of language revival.
These four aims are interrelated and provide the basis for the two organising strands: Communicating and
Understanding.
Aboriginal Languages belong to the Country and the Aboriginal people of that Country. It is
important for Aboriginal people to learn Aboriginal Languages for our identity; being proud of
being Aboriginal people. Language is connected to Aboriginal spirit and our Country. The
language and Country is our spirit.
Mary Noonan, Rockhampton Downs, Wogyala Community, ACARA consultation forum,
Alice Springs, June 2013
What is the Framework?
The Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages (the Framework) is the first
national curriculum document Foundation to Year 10 to provide a way forward for all schools in Australia to
support the teaching and learning of the languages indigenous to this country. The Framework has been
developed from the many individual responses to the experience of teaching Aboriginal languages and Torres
Strait Islander languages created by the education systems of each state and territory, and it draws
particularly on the landmark Australian Indigenous Languages Framework (Senior Secondary Assessment
Board of South Australia, 1996).
I believe that learning Wirangu is vital for students to understand their identity. Learning their
language helps them connect with their land through being able to identify parts of the land, sea
and nature. It provides opportunities for students to work with Elders and experts to teach not
only the language, but how and where to use it. This strengthens school communities and
empowers students to continue the language, pass it down and gives them a sense of belonging.
Wade Branford, Principal, Koonibba Aboriginal School
The prime purpose of the Framework is to guide the development of teaching and learning curricula for
particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. By providing a national framework it is intended
that future educational development in Australia’s Indigenous languages will result in curriculum development
and school programs that are nationally commensurate in terms of teaching, learning and assessing. Also,
the provision of a framework in preference to languagespecific curriculum documents will allow for greater
flexibility in developing programs for any Aboriginal language or Torres Strait Islander language.
Language curriculum provides an important place for Aboriginal knowledges, dreaming stories,
belief systems, and material culture. It is also a pathway for young people on their journey to
becoming leaders and future Elders. Language allows us to weave the past into the future, one
sentence at a time.
Jodi Edwards, Dharawal language and culture revitaliser
Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are unique and distinct within the languages
learning area in the Australian Curriculum. There are at least 250 distinct Aboriginal languages and Torres
Strait Islander languages, many having several dialects. Each language has an intimate connection with
‘Country’ or ‘Place’, which is how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people refer to areas of land, water, sea
and sky to which they belong. Each Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person inherits language as part of his
or her birthright, along with membership of a particular group and attachment to Country/Place. In this way,
people become owners and custodians of areas of land, water, sea, and of language. A crucial part of a
person’s identity, therefore, is sourced through language and Country or Place. All this has important
implications for the framing of appropriate principles and protocols for the provision of schoolbased programs
in Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages. It also emphasises the need for ongoing
consultation with relevant language communities in developing school programs.
KAURNA
Ngaityu warra ngathaitya ngai. Ngaityu warra yaintya yartaana tarraitpayinthi. Warraitya
tampinthi yaintya yarta tampiapinthi.
My language is more than just a way to converse with me. It is my identity and the doorway to
understanding my culture as a whole. Understanding my language helps me to understand the
place around me and connects me to this country.
Vincent ‘Jack’ Buckskin, Cultural Mentor, Tauondi College and Kaurna language leader
Since 1788, most of the traditional languages have ceased to be languages of everyday communication
because many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were forced to stop speaking their languages as
a result of government policies aimed at assimilating communities into the nonIndigenous population.
However, communities across Australia are now working actively towards getting the languages back into
everyday use, and schools can play a key role in helping communities achieve this aim. Where languages are
used for everyday communication by whole communities across all generations, schools can provide
opportunities to maintain and strengthen these languages.
Through helping to reawaken Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, students develop
understanding of linguistic techniques and practices that apply to language revival and grow in their
understanding of Australia’s history and their own capacity to effect positive social change.
It is well demonstrated that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are strongly motivated to study their
own and other Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, and that enthusiasm for their
language studies often increases their engagement at school more generally.
The benefits of Aboriginal languages taught in schools can be astronomical. For example there is
one school our town with students from numerous different ethnic backgrounds. By teaching
Wiradjuri, the first culture of this country, the whole school community (including students,
teachers, parents) also becomes respectful of all cultures, so much that we boast zero racism.
Through learning to respect and trust our local Aboriginal culture, they become open to other
cultures as well.
Geoff Anderson, Parkes Wiradjuri Language Group
This Framework potentially caters for all Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages,
irrespective of the ecology of each language, whether it be a language of everyday communication used by a
community, a language at any point in the continuum of revival or one of the many creole languages that have
evolved through the history of language contact in Australia. At present there are two major creole languages:
Kriol and Torres Strait Creole.
To cater for differences between the ecologies of the languages and the communities who are owners and
custodians of the languages, and to cater for students who come from a variety of learner backgrounds, the
Framework has three pathways:
First Language Learner Pathway (L1)
Second Language Learner Pathway (L2)
Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR).
The pathway approach recognises that the two key variables are ‘the learner’ and ‘the nature of the
language’.
The Framework is designed to be flexible. When developing languagespecific curricula and programs,
aspects of the content and achievement standards from across the pathways can be selected, adapted and
modified in ways that best suit the particular language and its context and learners.
Just as the languages have changed over time, and most rapidly since 1788, so have Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander communities. The Framework takes into account that the study of Aboriginal languages and
Torres Strait Islander languages is as much about what it is to be an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
person today as it is about ancient traditions and social, cultural and linguistic continuity with the past.
Ngoeymun yadayl ngoeymun muruygungu ngapa koeyma maykuykuya mulupa
gethawoeyamoeydhin. Ngoeymun moeginakoezin ngoeymun muruygaw yadayl
guythwayamoeyngu. Ngoeymun ya, na ngoeymun igililnga. Ngoeymun ya ngoeymun pawaw
muydhoedhazinga.
Ngoeymun moeginakoezil na ngoeymun yangu ngulaygasimoeyn, thana ngoeymun pawal a
igililmayl mina ridhapa gasamoeyn. Thana na ngoeymun yangu koerawayg, thana ngoeymun
pawal a igililnga mamu mina gasamoeyginga a thoelathoeyayginga.
Thonar ina thanamulpa lak ngoeymun muruygaw yangu ngurpay ayman, thana setha ngoeymun
yadaylgal moerali koey moebaygal matha igililmayl; na bal ngoeymun muruygaw yadayl matha
karngemipu mura goeygiya pawpa bangal.
Our languages were handed down through many generations from our first ancestors. Our
children have lost our ancestors’ languages. Our language is our way of life. Our language is the
centre piece of our culture.
When our children get to know our languages, they get to strongly understand our culture and
our way of life. If they don’t know our languages, they don’t get to fully grasp and understand our
culture and our way of life.
Dana Ober, Torres Strait Linguist
Guiding principles
Appropriate consultations with relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities are always central to
the development of languagespecific curricula and the provision of language learning programs in schools.
The following guiding principles and protocols are integral to the development and provision of language
curricula and programs at all stages of development, implementation and evaluation.
Principles
Each Aboriginal language or Torres Strait Islander language is recognised as belonging to a group of people
who are its owners or custodians. This means that permission and consent must be sought from the owners
when developing languagespecific curricula and planning language programs, including visits, excursions to
the Country/Place and use of cultural material as part of the teaching and learning program.
Sufficient time and resources should be allowed for thorough and ongoing consultation processes in
accordance with local contexts and situations. Often there will be more than one Aboriginal or Torres Strait
Islander language represented in the local setting, so a decision needs to be reached as to which language or
languages will be developed and taught and who is appropriate to teach and learn the language(s). The
ultimate authority regarding the choice of language rests with the local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
community.
Protocols
A comprehensive survey of the local language situation should be conducted before a languagespecific
curriculum is developed or a language program is commenced. The development of a languagespecific
curriculum that is not the language of the land also requires consultation with both the local community and
the community of the language.
The curriculum development team at either school or systems level needs to identify the appropriate persons
in the local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community to consult. These would typically be local
Elders, traditional owners, individuals with historical links to the language, and relevant local community
organisations. Issues to be considered might include:
whether the proposed language is the language of the land on which it will be learnt
the proportion of students in the proposed program identifying directly with the language
the availability of appropriate human resources for developing and teaching the language
the level of documentation and resources available for the language, including issues of copyright
and Indigenous cultural and intellectual property.
Allowance should be made for the possibility that a different language to that preferred by the curriculum
development team or the school may eventually be requested and/or chosen by the local community, or that
there may be no agreement within the local community as to choice of language. In cases where there is no
agreement, the curriculum development or learning program would not proceed.
Schools and state and territory education systems and authorities should consult all local community
organisations that have interests and responsibilities in local language, school programs or community
governance. These organisations will include local language centres, health centres, land councils, native title
bodies, professional associations, representative bodies, networks of schools, local Aboriginal education
consultative groups or equivalent, groups of educators and any other relevant key stakeholders.
Schools should also ensure that language and cultural materials produced by their language programs are
kept in safekeeping places with appropriate deposit and access processes in place. In these ways schools
will be supporting communities to build and keep safe a range of resources for their language programs.
NGARRINDJERI
Ngarrindjeri ngulamaldar ngratun palaiambi, kar yuntiwarrun rawulinyeri thunggari wunyi kar
tambiwarrun kaltjar.
Ngarrindjeri students learning for the future, bringing together past language and keeping culture
alive.
Anita WanoSumner, Aboriginal Secondary Education Transition Officer, Victor Harbor
High School
Structure
Pathways
To cater for differences between the ecologies of languages and the communities who are owners and
custodians of those languages, and to cater for students who come from a variety of learner backgrounds, the
Framework has three pathways:
Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR).
This approach recognises that the two key variables are ‘the learner’ and ‘the nature of the language’.
The Framework is designed to be flexible in use for developing languagespecific curricula and programs.
Aspects of the content and achievement standards from the various learner pathways can be selected,
adapted and modified in ways that best suit a particular language, to ensure that the curriculum and
subsequent programs are appropriately pitched and to recognise the nature of the language, the nature of
the learners and the context of learning.
Languages studied in the First Language Learner Pathway (L1) are typically used in spoken form as the
language of everyday communication by whole communities across all generations.
Typically, but not exclusively, L1 programs will occur on Country/Place and will have constant involvement
from a variety of speakers from the community. A key expectation in the L1 pathway is that of students having
opportunities to interact with Elders and particular places on Country/Place.
Learners are typically Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children who have learnt the language from their
families as a first language and continue to use it naturally at home and play. Students may have varying skills
in other languages, including varieties of English.
The First Language Learner Pathway provides students with an opportunity to study a first language at
school. For these students, having the opportunity to learn their own language at school supports their
cognitive development and signals recognition of the value and status of their language and ways of using
and understanding language. Learning and using one’s own language at school also meets a widely held
community aim to strengthen students’ identity and their connection between their families, community and
Country/Place.
YANKUNYTJATJARA
Wai, ngayulu pukul mula waaka nyangatja ikuntananyi nganampa wangka wiru, nganampa
Wapar pulka tjuta munu Ananguku ara tjuta.
Wangka nganampa pulka mula kutjuliku.
Palya alatjika.
Hello, I am very pleased to see this work is recognising our beautiful language, our Ancestral
stories and our Aboriginal ways.
Our languages are very important for everyone.
Thank you very much
Karina Lester, Mobile Language Team, University of Adelaide
Students develop language skills to expand the domains of use in the language. This includes developing
skills in registers and genres not normally encountered in their family and home community; in effect, this may
involve the students in the creative development of new registers/genres, vocabulary and expressions in the
language. As well as continuing to develop, extend and strengthen oracy, a key feature of the First Language
Learner pathway is the development of written literacy.
The curriculum content and achievement standards in the First Language Learner Pathway are generalised in
order to cater for the range of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages that may be learnt as a first
language. The curriculum content and achievement standards will need to be adapted when developing
languagespecific curricula, and will need to be modified if the program occurs offCountry.
Languages studied in the Second Language Learner Pathway (L2) are typically languages used in spoken
form as the language of everyday communication by whole communities across all generations.
The second language learner pathway has been written on the assumption that learning will occur off
Country, involving students who are typically not from the language community and having little or no
experience of the language and culture. They are introduced to learning the language at school as an
additional, new language.
The language chosen for curriculum development should have a sizeable set of resources in a variety of
media, such as local documentaries, bilingual narrative and descriptive texts, and educational materials in
print and digital form. Learning is enriched and authenticated by interaction with visiting Elders and community
speakers, and where possible visits to Country/Place. Information and communications technologies provide
additional resources to support a range of language and culture experiences.
The Second Language Learning Pathway provides students with an opportunity to study a language that is
structurally very different from English and one from a culture quite distant from the Englishspeaking
mainstream. This develops a deeper appreciation of the nature and diversity of languages and cultures, and
supports the acquisition of knowledge and skills necessary to learn and understand an Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander language and its cultural context.
For students who are from the language community but who did not grow up speaking the language, it is an
opportunity to reaffirm their cultural identity through learning the language of their community.
The curriculum content and achievement standards in the Second Language Learner Pathway are
generalised in order to cater for the range of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages that may be learnt
as a second language. The content descriptions, content elaborations and achievement standards for the
Second Language Learner Pathway will need to be adapted for use with the particular language being taught
and will need to be modified if the program occurs onCountry or if the learners are from the language
community.
Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR)
The Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) provides opportunities for students to study Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander languages that are being revived by their owners or custodians and are in various stages of
revitalisation, renewal and reclamation.
LR covers a much broader range of language types and ecologies than either L1 or L2, and the vast majority
of Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages are included in the LR category.
Schools teaching the Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) will most likely be located broadly within the
geographical region of the language and culture, sometimes in towns and cities and other times in rural and
remote regions. Classes will likely include students who relate closely to the language and culture as well as
students with varying degrees of affiliation with the language and culture, including some with no connections
to the language and culture. A key expectation in the LR pathway is that students have opportunities to
interact with Elders and particular places on Country/Place.
Proper Language revival process needs that cultural knowledge, the cultural context and the
underpinning knowledge, to make it make sense. There’s no point in talking about that tree,
unless you really understand what that tree means. So yes, we’re doing Language revival, but
that underpinning knowledge is really important to that Language revival.
Doris Paton, Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages – Gunnai Language teacher
The Language Revival Learner Pathway draws on the Australian Indigenous Languages Framework (AILF)
and takes into account key variables such as: how much is known about and documented for the language;
the extent to which languages are used or remembered, ranging from languages no longer spoken (owners
often use the term ‘sleeping’) to those spoken fluently by members of the older generations; and the extent to
which languages have been reintroduced into the community of owners and custodians.
These variables give rise to the following broad categories of language revival:
Language Revitalisation: where there are fluent L1 speakers (typically members of the older
generation) but intergenerational transmission of the language has been interrupted. In this case,
younger generations may understand some of the language and may use some words and phrases
but they do not speak it as their first language. Examples of revitalisation languages include:
Walmajarri in the Kimberley, Yindjibarndi in the Pilbara, Meriam in the Torres Strait, Dyirbal in north
eastern Queensland, Wubuy (Nunggubuyu) in Arnhem Land, and Adnyamathanha (Yura Ngawarla)
in the Flinders Ranges. .
Language Renewal: where there are a number of adult speakers who use the language to varying
degrees in the community, but not ‘right through’, and where other language resources are drawn
upon. Examples of languages being renewed include: Noongar in southwest Western Australia,
Gumbaynggirr on the north coast of New South Wales, Ngarrindjeri on the Lower Murray Lakes in
South Australia, Djabugay in the Atherton Tablelands in northern Queensland and Yugambeh in
southern Queensland. .
Language Reclamation: where language revival by necessity relies primarily on historical
documentation of the language in the absence of active community knowledge of it. Examples of
reclamation languages include: Kaurna from Adelaide, Narungga from the Yorke Peninsula, Dharuk
or Eora (Iyora) from Sydney, Yuwibara from central Queensland, WembaWemba and Woiwurrung
from Victoria, and Awabakal from the Newcastle area in New South Wales.
Reviving our languages connects us to our country, to our Old People, to our stories, and our
belonging to each other and our ways of knowing. Reviving our language is our connection and
understanding of who we are, it isn’t a revival for now, it is our future generations to come.
A number of factors and variables need to be considered when developing a language revival curriculum:
What is known and documented about the language
Many languages may only be known from wordlists, which are typically of widely varying quality. Some may
have sketchy grammars; others may have recorded texts from which some grammar may be extracted;
some, which have slipped from everyday use, may have audio and film resources. In the case of poorly
documented languages where speakers no longer exist and sound or film resources were never made there
will be many gaps to fill. Source materials will need to be interpreted through comparison with each other and
with closely related languages, if indeed documentation of such languages exists.
Where there are still speakers of the revival language, fewer gaps will need to be filled and fewer assumptions
will need to be made, because the remaining speakers will be the arbiters of what is correct or not. It is not
unusual in such cases to have widely differing opinions about what is right, which may simply reflect
underlying dialect differences or language change. Where a language is only known from written, historical
records, there will be more need for interpretation and the application of historical and comparative linguistics
in rebuilding the language, with the understanding that the revived language will most likely never match
precisely the original language in structure, vocabulary and usage.
The extent to which languages are used or remembered
Revival languages also differ in relation to the extent to which they have been reintroduced into the
community of owners and custodians, for example:
the range of functions for which the language is now used (for example, private conversations,
written communication, digital messaging, social media)
the extent of its use in the public domain (for example, public speeches, Welcomes to Country,
Acknowledgements of Country, naming various public entities and institutions)
its use in educational programs (for example, at school or postschool level, in community schools,
involvement of nonIndigenous as well as Indigenous people)
the degree of development of contemporary resources (for example, alphabet books, dictionaries,
grammars, learner’s guides, readers, animations, radio shows, television shows, websites with
online language lessons, phone apps).
Some languages have only just begun their journey of revival, while others have advanced to a point where
initial generations of new first language speakers are beginning to emerge as parents use the revived
languages with their children.
For languages with limited documentation, English or another community language might be used in a
complementary fashion in school programs, for example, to fill in for missing words or expressions.
Alternatively, language owners and the general community may decide to sidestep these gaps altogether and
entirely avoid the use of English or other languages for these purposes.
Implications for developing language specific curricula and language programs
The curriculum content and achievement standards in the Language Revival Learner Pathway are
within this pathway.
The Language Revival Learner Pathway is pitched approximately at middleoftherange revival languages;
that is, those that no longer have fluent first language speakers but have sufficient resources, including a
grammar and dictionary, to enable a comprehensive, cumulative, rigorous and meaningful teaching program
to be developed. Where there are major gaps in knowledge or documentation relating to a language,
consideration needs to be given to how far the curriculum content and achievement standards can be realised
and sustained for longterm, cumulative learning. An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural studies
program may be a better option under circumstances of severe constraint.
Many teaching and learning programs will use the LR pathway for languages that have few, if any, speakers
and associated language community. It is conceivable that over time a language functioning well in revival
mode could develop a sufficiently substantial speech community across all generation levels for it to be taught
in either the L1 or L2 pathway. Until a revival language achieves this critical mass, however, the
recommended learning pathway is LR.
The willingness and interest that comes from the kids to learn my language fuels my motivation.
I’ve had a couple of students from other classes approach me and ask to teach their class
Kaurna too, because their siblings go home speaking the language and teach it to their families.
The children absolutely love it when I speak only in Kaurna – when it sounds natural and fluent.
You can see the amazement on their faces. They want to be able to speak like me, and so
conversing smoothly in Kaurna has become our main focus. It is so empowering.
Ngai Kaurna Warra wangkama, wakwakurna purtinthi. Parna Kaurna Warra numa nakunthi,
warra marltawiltarnima. Parna murki nakunthu! Parna padlurninthi ngairli wangkatitya. Kaurna
Warrarlu taingiwilta ngaini yungkunthi.
Taylor Power, Kaurna language teacher, Gilles Street Primary School, with Kaurna
translation assistance from Rob Amery, Head of Linguistics, University of Adelaide
The content descriptions, content elaborations and achievement standards for the Language Revival Learner
Pathway will need to be adapted when developing a languagespecific curriculum.
Languagespecific curriculum development for languages that are being revived, still have first languages
speakers, are regaining fluent speakers, or have substantial resources, could consider some aspects of the
content and achievement standards from the First Language Learner or Second Language Learner Pathways
. The L2 pathway could be used as a basis for curriculum development. In these instances, content
descriptions, elaborations and achievement standards would need to be adapted and modified to ensure that
the curriculum is appropriately pitched and to reflect the nature of the language, the nature of the learners,
and the context of learning.
The following table provides a summary of the three learner pathways.
Table 1: Summary of the three learner pathways
First Language spoken right through — full linguistic code
Language Substantial range of speakers across all generations
Learner Language used as the language of community
Pathway Learners typically Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children who
have learnt the language as a first language
Curriculum written on the assumption that L1 programs will occur
onCountry/Place
Second Language spoken right through — full linguistic code,
Language Substantial range of speakers across all generations
Learner Curriculum written on the assumption that L2 programs will occur
Pathway offCountry/Place and learners are typically not from the target
language community
Language Languages being revived by their owners and in various stages of
Revival revitalisation, renewal and reclamation
Learner Learners who relate closely to the language and culture as well as
Pathway learners with varying degrees of connection to the language and
culture and some with no connections
Curriculum written on the assumption that LR programs will typically
occur broadly within the geographical region of the language and
culture
Curriculum pitched approximately at middleoftherange revival
languages
NGARRINDJERI
Ngul! Nginti elun piltenggi, platjinggun po:rli. Ngumawi thunggaril piltenggiruwarrun. Kilium
yuntiwarrun ngumawi ru:wangk wunyi kaltjar. Tarnaulo kulyulainkun ngangelinti wunyi yarndel
inti.
Remember! You are a strong, proud Ngarrindjeri child. Your language makes you even stronger.
It connects you to your country and culture. So never be ashamed of who you are and where you
come from.
Phyllis Williams, Ngarrindjeri language teacher and Elder and MaryAnne Gale, support
linguist.
The Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages is written in the bands
Foundation – Year 2, Years 3–6 and Years 7–10. In the absence of pedagogical evidence across the country
for all these languages, these broad bands of learning provide maximum local flexibility in curriculum
development.
Strands, substrands and threads
The content of the Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages is organised
through two interrelated strands that realise the four aims. The two strands are:
exchanging meaning
Understanding: analysing language and culture as resources for interpreting and creating meaning.
1. communication
2. analysis of aspects of language and culture
3. reflection that involves, for example,
a. reflection on the experience of communicating
b. reflection on comparative dimensions of the different languages used by students (for
example, the first language in relation to the second language and self in relation to others).
A set of substrands has been identified within each strand, which reflects dimensions of language use and
the related content to be taught and learned. The strands and substrands do not operate in isolation, but are
each substrand differs for described languages, pathways and bands of learning.
Table 2: Relationship between strands and substrands

strand
Communicating: 1.1 Interacting orally and in writing to exchange ideas, opinions,

Socialising experiences, thoughts and feelings; participating in planning,
Using language for negotiating, deciding and taking action.
communicative purposes in
interpreting, creating and
exchanging meaning.
1.2 Obtaining, processing, interpreting and conveying
Informing information through a range of oral, written and multimodal
texts; developing and applying knowledge.
1.3 Engaging with real and imagined experience by participating
Creating in, responding to and creating a range of texts, such as
stories, songs, dances and paintings and visual designs.
1.4 Moving between languages and cultures orally and in
Translating writing, recognising different interpretations and explaining
these to others.
1.5 Identity Exploring and expressing their sense of identity as
individuals and as members of particular speech
communities and cultures.
1.6 Participating in intercultural exchange, questioning reactions
Reflecting and assumptions; considering how interaction shapes
communication and identity.
Understanding: 2.1 Understanding the language system, including sound,

Systems of writing, grammar and text.
Analysing and understanding language
language and culture as
resources for interpreting and
shaping meaning in
2.2 Understanding how languages vary in use (register, style,
intercultural exchange.
Language standard and nonstandard varieties) and change over time
variation and place.
and
change
2.3 Analysing and understanding the general nature and
Language function of language and culture, focusing on areas such as

strand
awareness the changing relationship of languages and cultures over
time, and the ability of new media and technologies to shape
communication.
2.4 The Analysing and understanding the role of language and
role of culture in the exchange of meaning.
language
and culture
2.5 Role of Analysing and understanding language building as a means
language to extend the potential of the language in the areas of
building vocabulary, expression and discourse, and developing
knowledge of linguistic techniques such as collecting,
describing and recording language.
of content in each substrand. These ‘threads’ are designed to capture: (1) range and variety in the scope of
learning; and (2) a means of expressing progression of content across the learning sequences.
Table 3: Summary of threads across the three learner pathways
Strand Sub Thread

strand
L1 L2 LR
Communicating 1.1 Socialising/interacting Socialising/interacting Socialising/interacting

Socialising
Taking Taking Taking

action/collaborating action/collaborating action/collaborating
Developing the Developing language Developing language

language of schooling for classroom for classroom
interaction interaction
1.2 Obtaining and using Obtaining and using Obtaining and using

Informing information information information
Conveying information Conveying information Conveying information
1.3 Participating in and Participating in and Participating in and

Creating responding to stories, responding to stories, responding to stories,
song, dance and visual song, dance and visual song, dance and visual
design design design
Creating and Creating and Creating and

performing performing performing
1.4 Translating/interpreting, Translating/interpreting Translating/interpreting

Translating transcribing and and explaining and explaining
explaining
Creating Creating bilingual texts Creating bilingual texts

bilingual/multilingual
texts
1.5 Identity People, kinship and Expressing identity Expressing identity
Strand Sub Thread

strand
L1 L2 LR
community

Country/Place
History/Story
1.6 Reflecting on Reflecting on Reflecting on

Reflecting intercultural experience intercultural intercultural
experience experience
Understanding 2.1 Sound and writing Sound and writing Sound and writing

Systems of systems systems systems
language
Grammar and Grammar and Grammar and

vocabulary knowledge vocabulary knowledge vocabulary knowledge
Ways of communicating Ways of Ways of

and creating text communicating and communicating and
creating text creating text
Links between Links between
language, kin and land language, kin and land
2.2 Variability in language Variability in language Variability in language

Language use according to social use according to social use according to social
variation and cultural context and cultural context and cultural context
and
change
The dynamic nature of The dynamic nature of The dynamic nature of
language language language
2.3 Linguistic landscape Linguistic landscape Linguistic landscape

Language and ecology and ecology and ecology
Strand Sub Thread

strand
L1 L2 LR
awareness

Protocols for working Protocols for working Protocols for working
with Aboriginal with Aboriginal with Aboriginal
languages and Torres languages and Torres languages and Torres
Strait Islander Strait Islander Strait Islander
languages languages languages
2.3 The The relationship of The relationship of The relationship of

role of language culture language culture language culture
language
and culture
2.4 Role of Maintaining and Maintaining and Processes and

language strengthening language strengthening protocols of language
building language building
Techniques of
language building
Concepts, processes and text types
Concepts
Concepts are the big ideas that students work with. The choice of the word ‘concept’ rather than ‘topic’ is
deliberate: it marks a shift from description to conceptualisation. The curriculum invites students not only to
describe facts or features of phenomena, situations and events but also to consider how facts and features
relate to concepts or principles. For example, a description of a house can lead to a consideration of the
concept of ‘home’ or ‘space/place’; a description of a landmark or waterway can lead to a consideration of the
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander concept of ‘Country/Place’ or ‘Kinship’. This shift is necessary because
concepts lend themselves more fruitfully to intercultural comparison and they engage students in personal
reflection and more substantive learning.
Language revival is listening to the land, language revival is understanding knowledge and
language revival is our connection to ways of knowing. It is for the future generation to come.
The key concepts for Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait islander languages and knowledge include:
Country/Place: links to land, water, sea, sky
Identity: individual, social, cultural
Relationships: family and kinship, skin, totem, moiety, sections
History/Story/Journey
Community life: past and present
Ecology: management of natural resources, landcare
Natural environment: seasons and cycles, topigraphical features of the region, landforms, plants
and animals, category systems, fire, water, night sky and stars, meteorological phenomena, tides
and the moon, bush tucker
Built environment: artefacts, tools, shelters/houses and urban environments
Artistic expression: storytelling, music and dance, visual design
Health and wellbeing: physical, spiritual, mental; cultural safety, body parts, age, change and
growth (social, emotional)
Language as system: sound, grammar, orthography, conventions in speaking, writing and signing,
ways of communicating
Register, variation and structure: age, gender, and relationshipappropriate language use;
regional variation; loans and cognates; creoles and young people’s talk; structural relatedness
Language ecology: language diversity, growth, endangerment
Language and cultural revival: language building, reconstruction, maintenance and development,
advocacy
Cultural protocols: values, respect, reciprocity.
Language revival gives knowledge, it strengthens our ways of knowing, and connects our future
generations to ways of thinking.
Processes
Processes include skills (for example, listening, speaking, reading, viewing, signing, writing, performing,
classifying, noticing), as well as higherorder thinking processes (such as, conceptualising, interpreting,
reasoning, analysing, explaining, comparing, reflecting) and the processes of collecting, describing and
recording language.
Texttypes
Texttypes include oral, written, visual and multimodal texts. Country/Place, sea and sky are also considered
by Communities to be texts. The selection of texts is important because they define and reflect past and
present, and linguistic and cultural identity, helping to make the people and experiences of a particular culture
distinctive. They also provide opportunities for intercultural dialogue.
Curricula developed from the Framework for particular Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages may
draw upon a variety of historical and contemporary types of text. Individual language teaching programs will
benefit from incorporating a diversity of support and enrichment materials and experiences, community
knowledge and individual expertise, all of which serve as texts.
Oral texts provide the rich experience and engagement characteristic of live performance, and may range
from the relatively free forms of informal storytelling and yarning to the more canonically fixed forms of song
and associated dance and ceremony. The performance of oral texts encourages interactive learning at all
stages and for all orientations of language learning; they are the forms of expression in which Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander cultures excel and which are intrinsic to their communicative structures and styles.
Visual texts are also key texts to guide learning of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. These may
include ephemeral works, such as ground paintings, tracks left by ceremonial dancers, body painting as well
as visual design in more permanent forms worked onto stone, wood, canvas or sporting guernseys. These
texts are often collaborative in origin, identifying specific knowledge of Country/Place, linking groups of people
and transmitting knowledge to community, and, increasingly, to wider Australian and international audiences.
Ground paintings, for example, are traditional expressions of the interactions between humans, History,
ancestors, and the environment.
Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are known virtually only through written texts, usually in
the form of archival material dating from previous generations when the language was more widely known
and used. Presentday owners of these languages may choose to research the texts to retrieve what can be
known about them. By so doing they seek to bring them back to a life and culture in which performance once
more assumes its central role, and in which everyday forms of the spoken language can be adapted for
contemporary life. For these programs in revival languages, historical texts form a crucial starting point for
developing new language forms and uses, even though available written texts may vary greatly in detail and
accuracy.
Archival material for revival languages, however, may be skewed by the interests, intentions and biases of
original recorders and writers; for example, a language may have a substantial grammar recorded for it but
large areas of missing lexicon, because it was not of interest to the original recorders. On the other hand,
early literacy work with firstlanguage speaker communities may have spawned a flourishing vernacular
literacy rich in socialising and informing styles, for example, letterwriting, but little material describing the
language structure.
Some languages may be spoken fluently only by the older generation, who therefore become the referenced
authors of new texts that reflect changing social and educational conditions and needs, and where the
purpose is to reengage younger generations in acquiring their language, thus ensuring its survival. The role
of Elders in these situations is fundamental.
Revival pathways developed for different languages will therefore potentially have access to a wide variety of
texts on which programs can be based: some fixed in the archives and some living and everchanging; some
comprehensively descriptive of the internal structure and resources of the language but needing to be
enlivened with conversational detail; and some voluble but masking underlying structures needed to generate
new language for young learners.
Multimodal and digital media texts have assisted greatly in the transmission of Indigenous knowledge and
taxonomies and in the artistic expression of contemporary personal and cultural identity, with a
responsiveness often approaching the living nature of traditional oral transmission. There are interactive
maps and seasonal calendars describing Country, digital animations depicting Story and Journey, and
hyperlinked texts integrating several texttypes, all available on personal digital devices small enough to travel
with the learner. By engaging in these enhanced texts, learners develop a set of multiple literacies that
support not only the learning and transmission of Australia’s precious linguistic heritage but the acquisition of
techniques and attitudes to learning that boost learners’ achievements across the whole curriculum.
Language learning and literacy development
Languages play a crucial role in the educational experience of students and in the curriculum as a whole.
Given the diversity of students in Australian schools, it is important to recognise that a range of languages is
used either as part of the formal curriculum or as part of learners’ socialisation and experience in and out of
school.
Learners bring to school their experience of their first language(s), the one(s) they use for initial socialisation
in family or community. For the majority, this is English. For many others, it can be a range of different
languages. Learners also encounter the language or languages of instruction at school. For most learners in
Australian schools, this is English. For many students, this language of instruction is not the same as their first
language. These students may learn through English as an additional language or dialect (EALD) programs.
In contemporary understandings of language acquisition and learning, importance is placed on the role of the
languages through which individual learners socialise and learn. All learners have their own repertoires of
linguistic and cultural experience and capabilities. These are variously developed by both the experience of
schooling and broader social community experience. These repertoires are an integral part of each learner’s
identity, of what they bring to the experience of learning an additional language as part of their school
curriculum.
While the curriculum for languages primarily addresses the processes involved in learning languages, this
learning cannot be separated from the development of learners’ more general educational experience and
communicative repertoires. A relational and holistic approach to languages education and to learning and
using multiple languages ensures that learners develop their overall language capabilities and knowledge,
which impacts on their overall conceptual and communicative development.
In various kinds of bilingual programs, students are afforded an opportunity to learn through the medium of
English and another language (learners’ first or additional language). These programs are of particular value
in ensuring that learners continue to develop capabilities in at least two languages that are of value and
relevance to them, in terms of conceptual development, communicative capabilities and identity formation.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities recognise the importance of literacy for their children. They
support literacy education programs that are founded on the principle of establishing literacy in their children’s
first language, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages used in their communities. Literacy in
English is regarded as concomitant on first establishing students’ literacy in this first language. Although many
bilingual programs in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are designed to help students’ transition
into learning in English, their fundamental value is in the development of bilingual literacy. Strengthening the
bilingual literacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students contributes significantly to improving overall
academic achievement and success.
Using the Framework
The Framework is general in its structure and approach because it needs to be applicable to all Aboriginal
languages and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia, across the full range of language ecologies. As a
consequence, curriculum content and achievement standards are pitched at a higher level of generality than
in languagespecific curricula in order to cater for the full range of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
languages that may potentially be learnt within a particular pathway.
The next stage of Australian Curriculum development for Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander
languages may lead to the development of some languagespecific exemplars of content and achievement
standards to be included in the Framework in order to support and guide the process of developing specific
content and achievement standards for specific languages.
Developing languagespecific curricula for particular
Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander
languages
It is intended that the Framework be used by state and territory education jurisdictions, schools and
communities to develop languagespecific curricula and programs. Any languagespecific curriculum
development must be undertaken with appropriate consultation with language owners or custodians and
development must be undertaken with appropriate consultation with language owners or custodians and
members of the relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander communities, as outlined in the Principles and
Protocols section of this Framework. Consideration must be given to the availability of appropriate human
resources to develop the curriculum and to the level of documentation and resources available for the
particular language.
The curriculum development team will include members of the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community
whose language is the focus, as well as curriculum specialists, language experts and languageteaching
practitioners, as necessary.
Determining the appropriate pathway
In selecting the pathway that will be used as a base for development of languagespecific curricula,
consideration should be given to the nature of the language, the nature of the learners, and the context of
learning, for example:
the ecology of the language and the nature of the speech community
the profile of learners and the degree of affiliation with the language
the likelihood of the program occurring on or off Country/Place.
The Framework is designed to be flexible in use. When developing languagespecific curricula and programs
the curriculum development team can select, adapt and modify aspects of the content and achievement
standards from across the pathways in ways that best suit the particular language, its context and its learners.
For example, languagespecific curriculum development for languages that are being revived, still have first
language speakers, are regaining fluent speakers, or have substantial resources, could potentially adapt and
modify some aspects of the content and achievement standards from the LR, L2 and L1 pathways.
The Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages is written as a Foundation –
Year 10 learning sequence and presumes continuous learning of the same language across the bands
Foundation – Year 2, Years 3–6, and Years 7–10.
The content and achievement standards will require modification if the languagespecific curriculum is to be
written for different entry points, for example, developing a curriculum for a Year 7 entry point.
Context Statement
A context statement will be developed for each specific language to describe the distinctiveness and nature of
that language, including its use in the community, the place of the language in Australian education, the
nature of learning the language, and the diversity of students who will be learning the language.
Content and Achievement Standards
In developing a languagespecific curriculum, the generalised content and achievement standards within a
particular pathway may need to be adapted and modified to reflect the nature of the language, the nature of
the learners, and the context of learning. This includes adapting band descriptions, content descriptions,
content elaborations, and achievement standards.
Languagespecific examples such as concepts, key words and phrases should be included in the content and
achievement standards. The use of languagespecific examples provides teachers with a point of reference
when developing programs and provides indications of pitch and expected levels of performance in language
use and understanding.
Content elaborations develop aspects of each content description: illustrations, descriptions or examples to
indicate opportunities for learning. They are intended as complementary support material. They are neither
indicate opportunities for learning. They are intended as complementary support material. They are neither
prescriptive nor comprehensive. The elaborations included for each pathway of the Framework allow for the
various ecologies of languages, the various contexts of learning, and the diversity of learners within a
particular pathway. This is particularly the case for the LR pathway.
Languagespecific curriculum developers should select, adapt and modify elaborations in ways that best suit
the particular language and its context and learners, or should create particular content elaborations to
accompany the content descriptions for the specific language.
Developing teaching and learning programs
The Australian Curriculum: Languages has been developed for languageassubject programs (where a
language is studied as a subject as part of the school curriculum). Schools and jurisdictions will allocate a
larger number of hours in implementing contentbased programs (where the content from another learning
area is taught in the target language) and bilingual programs.
I feel that there's a genuine respect and appreciation from the school community for the
language and what I'm doing. They make me feel like they're lucky to have me. Their
encouragement and determination to help me and help keep Kaurna thriving amazes me. I feel
like we share the same passion. And that's so comforting to me.
Taylor Power, Kaurna language teacher, Gilles Street Primary School
The Australian Curriculum: Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages is
designed to achieve four aims that are realised through two interrelated strands: communicating and
understanding. In developing teaching and learning programs, the two strands are integrated to ensure
holistic learning and to attend to active language use and the development of related knowledge,
understandings and reflective capabilities.
The set of strands and substrands capture a range of dimensions of language use. As such, they are
designed to capture the scope; that is, the range and variety of content to be experienced and learned by
students. Teachers will need to design teaching and learning programs by drawing on the content
descriptions from a number of substrands, and integrate these to create meaningful learning experiences for
their particular learners. The emphases across the strands and substrands may vary for different languages,
bands and pathways, and for different program contexts. Since the content descriptions indicate the nature
and scope of the learning over severalyear spans, teachers will need to make decisions about what aspects
of the content descriptions will be taught in what year of their program. Year by year, programs can then be
used to inform the development of shortterm programs (that is, one term/several weeks).
Taken together, band descriptions, content descriptions, content elaborations, and achievement standards
provide an overall sense of ‘level’ of, or expectations about, language teaching and learning at a given
moment in time and over time. They give a sense of the level of complexity at which student learning can be
pitched, and in relation to assessment they provide a reference point for making judgements about students’
progress in learning. Teachers will make decisions about pedagogies that best meet the learning needs of
their particular students and that best reflect the context of their particular program.
Languages
Page 600 of 1359

Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages First Language Learner Pathway (L1) Years F–10 Sequence
The nature of the learner, the pathway and particular language
languagespecific curricula, and will need to be modified for programs occuring offCountry.
Students enter the early years of schooling with wellestablished skills in spoken forms of the language along
with a growing knowledge of local community and culture. In addition they may have varying skills in other
languages, including varieties of English. School is often the first place these children encounter written
language as a systematic means of communication.
Language learning and use
As well as continuing to develop oracy, a key feature of the First Language Learner Pathway is the
development of literacy and extending language use in additional domains, particularly relating to the school
context. Children build a vocabulary for thinking and talking about school topics, routines and processes, and
expand their knowledge and understanding by exploring Country/Place with Elders and community members
and by engaging with stories and other texts in the language.
Children learn about the concepts of kin, social groupings and how these are connected to the natural
environment. They learn about their own songs, stories, dances and designs and their own place in the
kinship system.
From Foundation to Year 2 children are learning how to interact with people in new contexts, share with
others, and participate in more structured routines and activities. They learn about school, teacher and
community expectations in terms of ‘right’ behaviour and ‘right’ ways of talking.
The curriculum builds on children’s interests and sense of enjoyment and curiosity, with an emphasis on
active and experiential learning and confidence building. Creative play provides opportunities for using the
language for purposeful interaction in some less familiar contexts. Imaginative activities, games, music and
songs, movement and familiar routines provide essential scaffolding and relevant contexts for language
development.
Students are supported to use the language for different language functions and in different domains, such as
asking and responding to questions on a range of topics, expressing feelings, following instructions, working
together for a common purpose, and taking turns in games and simple shared learning experiences.
They learn to recognise how the sounds of the language and its intonation are encoded in writing. They begin
to understand how the language works, comparing and contrasting it with other known languages and
learning how it fits into the diversity of regional and national languages.
The transition from spoken to written language is scaffolded through shared exploration of simple texts and
language features. Children progress from supported comprehension and use of a small number of high
frequency and personally significant sight words to more elaborated texts that take account of context,
purpose and audience. They use grammatical, cultural and contextual cues to comprehend texts and engage
in communicative interactions. They progress from writing by tracing and copying, to independently forming
legible letters. Writing skills progress from the ability to label images and copy highfrequency words to co
construct simple texts using familiar vocabulary, language features and structures. Children begin to develop
familiarity with different types of texts in different genres.
with access to Elders and other speakers living in the same community for additional enrichment and
authentication of the learning experience. Interacting with Country/Place to explore the environment with
Elders and other community members is essential to learning at all stages, but particularly in the early years,
when learning is grounded in the familiar, and understanding of the role of language as lived experience is
important.
Texts and resources
Country/Place and the community are the most important resources for learning and are the origin of most of
the texts and communicative situations offered to learners.
Children engage with a variety of spoken, visual, written and digital texts. They listen and respond to teacher
talk, share ideas, and join in with song, dance, story, rap, as well as with various forms of play, performance,
conversational exchanges and activities mediated by language. Printed and digital texts include stories,
shared Big Books, wall charts and teachergenerated materials such as games, flashcards and items from the
community and local environment. They engage with visual texts such as designs on body, bark and sand,
and etchings and carvings on wood and rock.
Level of support
provision of multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing; and
continuous cueing, feedback, response and encouragement. Use of recount, experiencing and retelling in oral
and written formats assists in establishing early literacy.
The role of languages
The language of study is the principal medium of instruction in First Language Learner Pathway classrooms,
while other known languages play a complementary role, such as for translating and creating
bilingual/multilingual texts.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with peers, the teaching team and visiting Elders/community members to share information,
thoughts and feelings about family, friends, community, activities, events and experiences
[Key concepts: family, community, friendship, personal world, experience, responsibility, safety; Key
processes: interacting, sharing, describing, recounting]
(ACLFWC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
interacting with peers, the teaching team and visiting Elders and community members, using appropriate
ways of talking, including terms of respect and forms of address, and using sign language as appropriate
sharing and describing recent events, favourite pastimes and personal experiences, for example, a
sporting event, a fishing or hunting trip, a trip to a waterhole, calling in on family or visiting a neighbouring
community
collaboratively recounting experiences they have shared together, for example, trips to the bush or town,
school events, sports days, meeting special guests
engaging in class and small group discussions, listening to others and exchanging ideas on topics such
as healthy eating, safe behaviours, who to ask for help, responsibilities at home, school and in the
community
talking in appropriate ways about feelings, thoughts, wants and emotions, for example, looking at
pictures of people and discussing how they might be feeling or what might have happened to them;
talking about what makes them happy, embarrassed, ashamed, angry or afraid and discussing possible
strategies or responses when they experience such feelings
identifying trusted people in their community who can help them stay safe and healthy, and rehearsing
ways of asking for help in a range of different scenarios
Participate in shared tasks and activities that involve following instructions, making things and cooperating
with peers
[Key concepts: family, cooperation, play; Key processes: participating, active listening, following
instructions, making, turntaking]

Elaborations
listening to, remembering and following instructions from an Elder/community member, for example, how
to make traditional tools or prepare traditional foods
collaborating with others in art and craft activities, for example, gathering and using traditional materials
such as ochre, nuts, twigs, bark, seeds, shells, feathers; decorating musical instruments/artefacts;
making bush toys
participating in traditional and contemporary games, tasks and activities that involve turntaking,
guessing, matching and choosing objects, bush tucker collecting, sand story telling
working collaboratively with peers and the teaching team, for example, to adapt and perform action
songs, make a class Big Book, design posters with a health or behavioural message, create a display,
create and perform an item for school assembly
practising personal skills such as active listening and showing selfdiscipline and respect for others in
interactive group situations
using appropriate phrases and expressions for turntaking in games and activities
grouping and sorting bush food such as meat, food grubs, artefacts, leaves and tools into appropriate
cultural categories
giving directions, for example, to guide others to locations or through an obstacle course
Participate in conversations and interactions that involve behaviours such as active listening, showing
interest, asking questions and contributing ideas, information
[Key concepts: routine, consideration, contribution, appropriateness; Key processes: active listening,
participating, responding, following instructions]

Elaborations
participating in routine classroom exchanges, such as responding to the class roll, asking and answering
questions, making requests and expressing opinions in appropriate ways
encouraging and praising others using appropriate language and interaction behaviours
negotiating and following class rules and demonstrating understanding of
class/school/teacher/community expectations in relation to respectful relationships, right behaviour, and
right ways of talking in class and at school
negotiating with class members and members of the teaching team, using respectful language for
agreeing or disagreeing and considering how others might respond before expressing their views
building vocabulary and language forms for thinking and talking about school topics and routines
participating in and contributing to class discussions using appropriate strategies for turntaking
using ways of talking and listening that are appropriate to particular activities, for example, sitting and
listening to a story, paying attention to what the teacher is doing, joining in interactions such as singing or
playing
learning and using appropriate language and actions to communicate their feelings in different situations
Informing
Locate/ discover/identify key information about Country/Place and community by exploring Country/Place
and listening to stories from Elders and community members
[Key concepts: Country/Place, natural environment, Indigenous knowledge, the past, community life, health
and wellbeing; Key processes: listening, reading, mapping, reading Country/Place, exploring, observing,
recording, describing, classifying]

Elaborations
listening and responding to Elders and community members telling stories about aspects of the past, for
example, bush toys and children’s games, hunting, fishing and gathering food, how food was prepared
and cooked, implements used, animals that were eaten, ways of travelling from place to place, kinds of
dwellings, how water was found
describing and recording different weather and seasons of their Country/Place in a picture diary or a
series of paintings, annotating them with changes that occur throughout a year, including the seasonal
behaviour of animals and what plants grow in particular seasons
learning to read Country/Place with Elders’ guidance, for example, by looking for telltale signs such as
animal tracks and fruit fall, migratory birds, turtle tracks, animal behaviour, fresh diggings around a lair
recognising and drawing and labelling different animal tracks
investigating/exploring Country/Place with Elders/community members or park rangers, for example, by
identifying different trees, plants, animals and insects, making leaf and bark rubbings, observing how
different bush foods grow and are used, observing different animal behaviour, such as hiding by
camouflaging, taking photos or drawing and writing captions and comments to make a class book
observing and describing different plants, for example, parts of the plant, plant size and shape of leaves
and seeds, where/how they grow
observing and describing animals/living creatures, how they move, where they live (for example, in
burrows and nests), what they eat, naming body parts, how they reproduce
classifying animals, plants and natural objects from the environment, using appropriate cultural
categories, for example, edible/nonedible, meat/non meat, salt water/fresh water, day/night animals,
wood/rock, rough/smooth, hard/soft, things that live in trees, in water, plants that grow together/alone
identifying, naming, and labelling key places and topographical features such as creeks, springs, rocky
outcrops, water sources, estuaries, reefs, desert landforms, using some location and directional terms
such as up, down, near, north, south, east, west
describing the direction and location of familiar places (near and far, above and below, beside and
opposite)
identifying and labelling some important places in the built environment, for example, dwellings,
settlements, community store, health clinic, art centre, ranger station, school, places to play, roads and
tracks, describing and explaining their purpose and role and who works there
naming and discussing key ceremonies and social and cultural events, the times of year at which they
occur and associated activities in the community
viewing local photos, videos, books, IndigiTUBE, to find information about cultural practices such as
musical instruments used, performance paraphernalia
recording how frequently/ for what purposes they visit particular places, representing information on a
graph or table with teacher guidance
identifying, talking about and describing artefacts, describing how they are used, how they are made and
maintained, what materials they are made from
labelling, drawing and matching inside and outside body parts
learning and using vocabulary and expressions related to healthy living and eating, personal hygiene and
fitness
Give factual information about family, friends, Country/Place and community using simple statements and
descriptions, captioned drawings and photos
[Key concepts: daily routines and activities, events, Country/Place, community life ; Key processes:
labelling, captioning, describing, contributing, recounting]

Elaborations
representing aspects of their daily routines using different modes of expression, for example, by writing
captions, descriptions or attaching word bubbles to drawings
creating a pictorial story to describe activities and routines they do at home, at school, in the community
contributing to a shared recount, such as a class photo story to report on an event, for example, a
hunting trip, a school visit, an excursion or school or community celebration
creating posters to convey important messages, for example, in relation to health and wellbeing, caring
for Country/Place
Creating
Participate in shared listening to, viewing and reading of texts, identifying and describing favourite
elements, main characters and key events and responding through singing, dancing, drawing, movement
and action
[Key concepts: storytelling, response; Key processes: responding, performing, sharing, expressing; Key
text types: songs, raps, dances, traditional and contemporary stories, paintings and visual design, video
clips (IndigiTUBE)]

Elaborations
participating in shared reading of traditional and contemporary stories and responding, for example, by
sequencing and captioning pictures, drawing events in sequence, retelling and reenacting with props or
actions
predicting the content/meaning of narrative texts such as picture books, including titles, covers and
illustrations, and giving reasons for their predictions
illustrating and describing main characters and key events in stories, songs and performances
discussing their favourite characters or events in familiar stories, songs, performances, making simple
evaluative statements and comparing each other’s responses to the texts
identifying key animals, birds and other characters in stories, songs, performances and dances,
recognising and describing particular patterns of movement and discussing the significance of particular
dance elements
listening to Elders/community members telling stories from the local area, and responding by retelling
parts of the story, for example, in the sand, in dot paintings, or through performance
listening to Elders/community members tell stories, identifying which stories belong to which natural
features in the region/Country/Place and the significance of particular animals and natural species
identifying, naming and describing significant sites, landforms and other features of Country/Place
through which a travelling story passes
identifying and discussing key messages expressed in stories, song, dance and visual design
reading contemporary texts and recreating elements in new imaginative ways, using oral language,
visual design, dance, digital technologies and performance
Create and present shared stories, songs and performances using familiar words and expressions that
allow for exploration and enjoyment of language
[Key concepts: story, performance; Key processes: creating, narrating, retelling, singing, dancing, drawing,
performing, shakealeg; Key text types: songs, raps, dances, stories, paintings and visual design,
performance]

Elaborations
making a shared Big Book or digital text based on an event, experience or selected characters or
elements of favourite texts, using drawing, labelling, captioning and describing
creating own stories by sequencing a series of pictures and adding captions or commentary, or by
creating a storyboard with labels
reenacting or retelling simple stories, episodes or interactions with props, actions and gestures
creating new versions of contemporary songs and raps, substituting words and phrases such as animal
names, places, geographical features, changing settings and adding characters, incorporating non
verbal forms of support such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions
creating new dance sequences, paintings and visual designs to tell a story, incorporating elements of
traditional design
Translating
Translate words and expressions used in everyday contexts and situations, from the language into other
known languages and vice versa
[Key concepts: similarity, difference, gesture, sign language; Key processes: noticing, translating,
explaining]

Elaborations
translating common words, expressions and gestures used in everyday contexts and situations from the
language into other known languages and vice versa, using classroom resources such as word banks,
wall charts, visual dictionaries, word lists and pictures
playing matchingpair games using words and phrases used in everyday conversations in the language
and in other languages
showing others how different signs and hand talk are used if applicable and explaining basic signs for
things from the natural environment, for example, water, animals
explaining symbols and their meanings to others
recognising that every language has its own words, sounds and gestures that it uses to make meaning
Create simple print, oral, digital bilingual/multilingual texts, such as songs, wall charts, labels for the
classroom, class rules, timetables
[Key concepts: meaning, code, bilingualism; Key processes: creating, matching, captioning, sequencing]

Elaborations
creating bilingual/multilingual word lists, wall charts, picture dictionaries, using vocabulary encountered in
texts such as school signs and notices, songs and storybooks
creating simple bilingual texts, for example, school/classroom signs, school/classroom rules, timetables,
charts, labels for objects used in the classroom and in the community
creating sets of matching bilingual word cards
creating and performing short bilingual/multilingual chants, songs, raps that move between the language
and other known languages
performing simple presentations for the school community that involve elements from both the language
and other known languages, such as a contribution to an assembly or a performance for the wider
community
writing bilingual/multilingual captions for a photographic display about a class event or experience, such
as sports day, caring for the school environment, reading night
Identity
Learn about and understand the concepts of kin, social groupings and relationships, and how these are
connected to the natural environment
[Key concepts: identity, relationship, kinship, family terms; Key processes: identifying, categorising,
representing, explaining, creating]

Elaborations
creating poster/kinship chart/tree depicting own family and labelling with appropriate kinship terms for
immediate and extended family members
using sign language for kinship terms and immediate families (if appropriate)
identifying self as belonging to part of a family and/or social group, such as a footy group, representing
relationships through drawing pictures, adding captions to photos or creating digital presentations
identifying skin names of self and immediate family members
recognising their own clans and other subgroupings and the symbolic representation of these, for
example, totems and personal relationships with plant/ animal species and Country/Place
talking about family names, given name/s, skin names and moiety as appropriate, for example, maternal
versus paternal grandparents, presence or absence of birth order names, and other ways of referring to
people
categorising names of students in the class into clans, moieties and other subgroupings, and where
appropriate their affiliations with the natural environment, for example, salt versus fresh water, north
versus south wind
learning from Elders appropriate ways of interacting with others and behaving according to kin and other
social groupings
identifying elements of their behaviours or relationships that mark their individual or community identity
inviting grandparents from different family groups to come and talk about family
identifying relationships and connections between themselves and other students in the group,
considering the nature of groups and subgroups within the school and larger community
creating family history/life stories, identifying values and practices that keep families strong, such as
working together
Identify with Country/Place and understand connections between Country/Place and individuals and groups
[Key concepts: Country/Place, kinship, social groups, identity, connections; Key processes: identifying,
naming]

Elaborations
identifying which Country/Place belongs to their mother’s side and which to their father’s side
identifying and naming features of Country/Place that belong to their own family and kinship groups,
using drawings, photos or presentations to explain to others
using appropriate language and behaviour when approaching particular sites of significance and other
elements of Country/Place, for example, whispering, silences, making one’s approach known
acknowledging that their first language is a birthright which establishes their identity with respect to their
Country/Place and its traditions
Identify their own songs, stories, dances and designs and their links to kinship systems
[Key concepts: identity, kinship, History, story; Key processes: identifying, describing, talking about]

Elaborations
identifying, listening to and talking about stories, songs and dances from their own traditional
Country/Place and subgroupings
describing body markings, designs and paintings relevant to their own identity
talking about how people are linked to song, story, dance and design through kinship systems
describing how story links plants, animals, people and protocols for visiting country
Reflecting
Notice how using the language and other known languages, including English, involve some different ways
of communicating and behaving
[Key concepts: language, culture, context, similarity, difference, respect; Key processes: noticing,
describing, comparing, responding]

Elaborations
noticing which languages they use in which contexts, for example, at home, when playing with friends,
when talking with grandparents, at school when talking to teachers, at the community store, during visits
to specific places on Country/Place
describing how it feels to use the language in the classroom compared to using it at home or in the
community
developing language for talking about language and culture, for example, using terms such as
‘difference’, ‘Country’, ‘behaviour’, two ways’, and considering questions such as ‘Why is … like this?’ and
‘Why do people….?’
considering how they communicate with different friends and family members who speak different
languages
Understanding
Systems of language
Use and recognise the sounds, intonation and rhythms in the spoken language and learn how sounds and
words relate to written language
[Key concepts: sound system, writing system, sound‒symbol correspondence, conventions; Key processes:
listening, recognising, reading aloud]
(ACLFWU014 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising the sounds and syllables of familiar spoken words
learning with the visual support of writing how speech sounds join to form syllables, morphemes and
complete words and phrases
learning that the writing system represent sounds and meanings, associating individual sounds or a
range of sounds with particular letters and combinations of letters
recognising the letters of the alphabet and knowing that there are lower and uppercase letters and that
letters are arranged from left to right
noticing that different languages may share similar speech sounds
using knowledge of sound–symbol correspondences to isolate and read syllables, morphemes and
familiar words
recognising highfrequency sight words and morphemes
recognising special alphabetic conventions, for example, digraphs representing a single sound, diacritics
that alter the regular value of a letter
using morphemes and syllabification to break up simple words and using visual memory to write more
complex or less familiar words
checking for inclusion of relevant punctuation, including capital letters for sentence beginnings, full stops,
question marks and exclamation marks
learning that written text in the language has conventions relating to words, spaces between words,
layout on the page
using known words in writing and spelling new or less familiar words using developing visual and
morphemic knowledge
reading texts aloud showing knowledge of sound–symbol relationships
Understand and use a developing vocabulary including topical and classificatory language, recognising the
function of different word types in the language
[Key concepts: word function, word order, patterns, rules; Key processes: identifying, recognising, noticing
patterns, observing]
Elaborations
understand and use vocabulary relating to familiar and unfamiliar topics, including synonyms and older
words that might not currently be used so often
understanding that words have different functions, for example, words for things, words for actions
identifying common word classes, for example, noun, verb, using available terminology from the
language as appropriate
recognising that sentences are key units for expressing ideas
recognising common prefixes and suffixes in the language and how they change a word’s function
learning new words for everyday contexts and for a growing number of school and community contexts
recognising that the language may have words in common with nearby languages
observing some words in the language that are not found in English and vice versa
Recognise there are many ways of communicating messages in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
languages
[Key concepts: communication, narrative; Key processes: recognising, identifying, comparing]

Elaborations
understanding that there are different ways of telling a story, such as Elders yarning, through song,
dance and music and associated visual design and spectacle, and through painting (body, bark, rock,
sand)
recognising that communication also occurs through sign language
understanding that texts have a purpose, for example, traditional stories, including hunting and travelling
stories, paintings, songs and dances
understanding Country/Place as a text
identifying some features of narratives, for example, they are usually about journeys across
Country/Place, involving landforms, people, animals and plants
recognising that writing, like speech, is rulebound and involves following the conventions of different
types of text
noticing how texts such as storybooks are sequenced and organised, for example, by identifying the
main title and connections between pictures and written text
understanding that texts can take many forms; that they can be very short, for example, a sign, or quite
long, for example, a story, song or multimodal presentation
recognising that written texts are made up of words, groups of words and illustrations or images that
together make meaning
Recognise that different words and language forms are used to address and communicate with people
according to relationship and situation
[Key concepts: kinship, context; Key processes: noticing, recognising, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing that different forms of address and kinship terms are used depending on the relationship
between participants
recognising that the way a person is related to another affects how he or she speaks and behaves with
that person, as in the case of motherinlaw talk or avoidance relationships, such as poison cousins
recognising that ways of speaking vary according to context and situation, for example, language used
when interacting with peers during playground games is different to that used with the teaching team in
school
recognising that language used in particular interactions can vary between cultural contexts, for example,
the different use of kin categories in the language
learning to use a different tone and style of language with different people
recognising that there may be different languages spoken in the community which can be distinguished
by listening carefully
Recognise that languages borrow words from each other
[Key concepts: relatedness, wordborrowing; Key processes: identifying, recognising, comparing]

Elaborations
recognising words in the language that are borrowed from English
recognising that some words in the language have come from other Indigenous languages
noticing that some words used in Australian English have come from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
languages, for example, ‘billabong’, ‘dingo’, ‘kangaroo’
Language awareness
Recognise that their language is part of broader regional and national language diversity
[Key concepts: linguistic diversity, language shift; Key processes: identifying, recognising]

Elaborations
identifying regions, places and communities where the language is spoken
mapping the different languages spoken in the class to create a language map or wall chart
identifying immediate neighbours and the languages they speak, recognising shared vocabulary across
groups of neighbouring languages
recognising that there are many different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia, for
example, by viewing Language maps of the region, the state and the whole of Australia
recognising the ecological regions of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, for example,
desert, coastal, rain forest, subalpine, riverine and seas
recognising that some Indigenous languages in Australia are strong, while others are endangered or in
the process of being revived or reclaimed
Understand that language belongs to communities, and that language learning requires respectful and
appropriate behaviour
[Key concepts: ownership, belonging, respect; Key processes: demonstrating, applying]

Elaborations
understanding that each Aboriginal language or Torres Strait Islander language is recognised as
belonging to a group of people who are the language owners or custodians
demonstrating and applying respectful and appropriate behaviours, including appropriate language
forms, in the presence of visiting Elders/community members
Notice that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live and
what is important to them
[Key concepts: Country/Place, Language, Culture, symbol; Key processes: noticing, recognising,

Elaborations
between generations; that it includes observables such as ways of cooking and ways of greeting,
symbols such as flags and colours, and unobservable elements such as beliefs and values, ways people
think about themselves and others and relationship with the environment
recognising that beliefs and behaviours are woven into languages and cannot be separated from them
noticing how respect for Elders and Country/Place is built into the language
recognising significant symbols and features in the language and culture, for example, in song, visual
design, dance moves
recognising that languages encapsulate values held about land and Country/Place, for example, caring
for Country/Place
noticing how gestures and body language differ between cultures, for example, in relation to the use or
avoidance of eye contact
noticing similarities and differences in language that relate to culture, such as the names of foods and
animals particular to the climate and environment, and in cultural practices, such as the sharing involved
in extended families, special times, storytelling and yarning
noticing that using the language and using English involve different ways of communicating, and
considering what this reveals about cultural values or traditions
Role of language building
Recognise how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are transmitted from generation to
generation
[Key concepts: oral transmission, language maintenance and development; Key processes: noticing,
recognising, considering, valuing]

Elaborations
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been maintained through an oral
rather than a written tradition
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been maintained and passed down
through generations by means of storytelling, performances, songs and viewing Country/Place as text
recognising that language speakers are the most important primary source of language knowledge
considering why learning an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language at school is important in
maintaining and strengthening language use
The achievement standards for the Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander
Languages First Language Learner Pathway are generalised in order to cater for the range of languages that
may be learnt as an L1 in the school context. The achievement standards will need to be adapted for use for
specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teaching team, Elders, community members and each other to
share information about family, friends, community activities and events. They use appropriate ways of
talking, including terms of respect, forms of address and sign language. They participate in routine classroom
exchanges and collaborative activities, such as pair, group and class discussions, asking and responding to
questions and taking turns. They make relevant suggestions during class writing activities when the teacher is
acting as a scribe. They identify key information about Country/Place under the guidance of Elders and
community members and demonstrate this understanding by describing habitats, plants, animals and
seasonal changes, by classifying plants, animals and natural objects into categories, and by naming and
describing key social and cultural events. They respond to texts such as stories, songlines, dance and visual
art through singing, dancing, drawing, action and movement, demonstrating understanding by identifying and
describing characters, sequencing events, and retelling parts of the story. Students use familiar words and
expressions to create and present shared stories, songs and performances, drawing on their own
experiences and knowledge and providing details about characters or events. They make short presentations
consisting of a few connected sentences on familiar and learned topics. They read aloud short shared texts
with familiar vocabulary, highfrequency sight words and supportive images. They use knowledge of sounds
and letters, highfrequency words, sentence boundary punctuation and directionality to help them make
meaning when reading. Students use family terms and skin names for immediate family members as
appropriate and demonstrate appropriate ways of interacting and behaving according to kinship structures
and social groupings. They demonstrate understanding of connections between Country/Place and individuals
and groups by identifying and naming features of Country/Place that belong to their own family and kinship
groups. They identify their own links/cultural affiliations, for example, to stories, totems, dances and designs.
Students link most sounds of the language to written symbols and conventions. They use knowledge of
sound‒symbol relationships to read and recognise highfrequency words and use simple metalanguage to
describe basic elements of language forms and structures. They recognise that messages in Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander languages can be communicated in a number of ways, such as Elders’ storytelling or
through song, dance, visual design and signing. Students know that different words and language forms are
used to address and communicate with people according to relationship and situation. They recognise that
there are many different languages spoken in their class, community and region. They describe how the
language has been passed down from one generation to the next, and recognise that language use reflects
where and how they live and what is important to them.
Years 3 to 6 Level Description
languagespecific curricula, and will need to be modified for programs occuring offCountry.
Learners at this level are expanding their social networks, experiences and communicative repertoire in the
language. They benefit from varied, activitybased learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and
makes connections with other areas of learning. The curriculum ensures that learning experiences and
activities are flexible enough to cater for learner variables while being appropriate for learners' general
cognitive and social levels.
Students interact with peers, the teaching team, Elders and community members in a variety of learning
experiences and activities. They continue to build vocabulary that relates to a wider range of domains, such
as curriculum areas that involve some specialised language use.
Students engage in a range of listening activities and build oral proficiency through responding to rich
language input and opportunities to engage in meaningful communicative activities. They follow instructions,
exchange information and express ideas and feelings related to their immediate environment and personal
worlds. They participate in shared tasks, performance and play.
Students’ development of written literacy progresses from supported comprehension and use of high
frequency and personally significant sight words to more elaborated simple texts which take account of
context, purpose and audience. The development of reading skills and textual knowledge is supported
through interaction with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts, including sign language as
appropriate.
At upper primary level, learners use the language for a widening range of purposes: collaborating, creating,
performing and responding to resources and experiences. They have greater control of vocabulary and
grammatical resources and use an increasingly sophisticated range of nonverbal strategies to support
communication. Shared learning activities develop social, cognitive and language skills and provide a context
for purposeful language experience and experimentation.
Oracy development includes listening to a range of varied language input from different sources and building
more elaborated conversational and interactional skills. These include initiating and sustaining conversations,
reflecting on and responding to others’ contributions, making appropriate responses and adjustments, and
engaging in debate and discussion. Individual and group oral presentation and performance skills are
developed through researching and organising information, structuring and resourcing presentation of
content, and selecting appropriate language to engage a particular audience.
At this level, there is focused attention on language structures and systems. Learners draw on more
established grammatical and lexical resources to compose and comprehend more complex language. With
support they build increasing cohesion and complexity into their writing in terms of both content and
expression. They use ICT to support their learning in more independent and intentional ways and make
comparisons between the language they are learning and other languages they speak or are learning,
including English.
Learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team. Additional enrichment and
authentication of learning experience is provided through interactions with Elders and other speakers living in
the community. Interacting with Country/Place and exploring the environment with Elders and other
community members is essential to learning at all stages. Students may also have access to community
facilities and functions, such as the health clinic, art centre, coast patrol, local interpretative centre, and the
office of the park ranger or land council.
Elders and community members may teach about cultural elements of language and communication, such as
genderdifferentiated roles, working separately with male and female students when appropriate.
Students may have some access to speakers of the language or related languages in other communities and
regions through digital technologies.
Texts and resources
Country/Place and the community are the most important resources for learning the language. They are the
origin of most of the texts and communicative situations students engage with.
Learners interact with a growing range of spoken, visual, written and digital texts, including photographs,
maps, oral histories, community texts such as posters from health clinics, community notices, landcare
programs, songs, raps, dances, stories, painting and visual design, music, video clips and films.
Level of support
While learners work more independently at this level, ongoing support is incorporated into task activity and the
process of learning is supported by systematic feedback and review. Formfocused activities build student’s
grammatical knowledge and support the development of accuracy and control in written language.
Opportunities to use this knowledge in meaningful activities build communicative skills, confidence and
fluency. Tasks are carefully scaffolded: teachers provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts
and resources needed to manage and complete learning activities; make time for experimentation, drafting
and redrafting; and provide support for selfmonitoring and reflection. Discussion supports learning and
develops children’s conceptual frame for talking about systems of language and culture.
While learners are becoming more autonomous and independent at the upper primary years, ongoing
support is still needed, including explicit instruction, structured modelling and scaffolding, and provision of
appropriate stimulus materials and timely feedback. Learning experiences incorporate implicit formfocused
language learning activities and examples of texts and tasks.
The language of study is the principal medium of instruction in First Language Learner Pathway classrooms.
Other known languages play a complementary role, for example, used when translating, creating
bilingual/multilingual texts or comparing and contrasting writing systems, language structures and language
features and use.
Years 3 to 6 Content Descriptions
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with others, sharing and comparing experiences, personal perspectives and points of view on
topics related to immediate environment and personal world
[Key concepts, family, community, relationships, interaction protocols, experience, health and wellbeing,
personal and cultural safety; Key processes: sharing, participating, recounting, discussing]

Elaborations
using appropriate ways of talking and interacting in different social situations or with different social
groups, including talking to people from different areas/Countries/Places or to people in positions of
authority, senior people
recounting and sharing stories of personal experiences, journeys or discoveries, for example, hunting,
tracking, navigating, road trips, trips to town, football matches, significant milestones, social and cultural
activities and celebrations
participating in class, group and paired discussions about shared experiences and topics of interest,
learning how to listen to others, to compare experiences, contribute ideas and provide feedback, noticing
and talking about how the same event can be presented from different perspectives
sharing and explaining personal opinions and attitudes about school, entertainment, sporting and leisure
activities
identifying and discussing behaviours, practices, facilities and events that contribute to their own physical
and spiritual health and wellbeing and that of the class, school and community, for example, identifying
how important people in their life influence them to act or behave in healthy, safe and culturally
appropriate ways
discussing and evaluating protective behaviours to stay safe in different situations, including near water
or roads, in the bush or when a person or situation makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe
identifying and discussing traditional ways of preventing sickness and staying healthy
discussing shared values that they see as being important to family, school and community, for example,
reciprocating, respect, care for the land/sea/water and community
persuading others in the class to consider a particular point of view or action
engaging in conversations and discussions with guest speakers, using culturally appropriate interaction
protocols such as active listening behaviours, asking questions and offering opinions and ideas
sharing and explaining opinions about issues of shared interest, for example, parental, school and
community expectations, peer pressure and intergenerational perspectives, identifying possible points of
agreement or tension
engaging in online discussions with other young language learners to exchange information about
cultural practices, experiences and shared interests, for example, leisure activities, community life, music
and sport
recognising listener and speaker roles and the role of assumed and shared knowledge in everyday
communication
Plan and participate in collaborative activities and events, negotiating and performing different roles and
responsibilities that are appropriate to local cultural traditions
[Key concepts: collaboration, experience, shared decision making; Key processes: making arrangements,
designing, making, planning, suggesting, negotiating]

Elaborations
participating with Elders/community members in local cultural traditions and activities, such as, tracking,
hunting, gathering and preparing food, looking for schools of fish, searching for honey ants, digging
soakages, using hand signs as appropriate
following instructions from Elders, for example, cooking bush tucker, making different traditional tools,
weaving baskets, collecting beans or shells to make necklaces, making bush shampoo, recording,
remembering and explaining the processes to younger students
collecting resources used for cultural practices in the bush under supervision of Elders, for example, oil,
greases, ochre, feathers
planning and negotiating roles for a class event, such as a cookup, class display or performance,
making a short video or presenting a schoolassembly item, planning and conducting an interview with a
special class guest
working together on collaborative tasks that involve negotiation and shared decisionmaking about
content and design, for example, designing posters or menus for special events, designing a class
garden, creating picture books for ‘buddy’ classes
working together to design posters or web pages to promote a school or community event
conducting, recording and presenting observations and findings of collaborative science experiments, for
example, monitoring the movement of cane toads
working with visual, print and digital modes of expression to create texts such as invitations to/programs
for a class performance or event, for example, a reading night
collaborating to design an item such as a language flag, artefact or logo that incorporates elements of
importance to the language community
Participate in classroom interactions that involve some changes to ways of communicating at school and
the development of learning related language and interaction patterns
[Key concepts: interaction patterns, cooperation, domains of language use, agreement/disagreement,
reflection; Key processes: working together, contributing, enquiring, building language, monitoring,
clarifying, acknowledging, explaining]

Elaborations
discussing differences between ways that they are expected to listen and speak in class and ways they
do so in home and community
identifying particular domains of language use, words and expressions used at school which may be
unfamiliar, such as terms related to particular content areas or interactions between teachers and
students
taking on different roles in group and pair work, for example, being leader, recorder, time monitor, or
reporting back to the larger group or providing feedback to others about their roles
using sign language for interactions in the classroom as appropriate
formulating different types of questions to ask a class visitor, such as open and closed questions and
when, why and how questions
building the language of classroom interaction, for example, by asking relevant questions, prompting and
checking individual and group understanding, using descriptive and expressive language when
recounting experiences
developing language that supports planning of learning tasks and activities, organising resources,
monitoring and recording learning experiences, such as clarifying and explaining, giving opinions,
justifying, reporting results of group discussions
acknowledging others’ ideas and opinions and indicating agreement or disagreement in nonjudgemental
ways
developing language to evaluate and reflect on their own learning, for example, describing how they feel
when they are learning a new skill, strategies they use to persevere until they are successful, identifying
ways they use their strengths to help themselves and others
Informing
Gather, organise and compare information from a range of sources relating to Country/Place, community
and past and present ways of living
[Key concepts: past and present, natural environment, caring for Country/Place, social and cultural events,
health and wellbeing; Key processes: enquiring, investigating, comparing, describing, tracking, mapping,
measuring, charting, explaining, analysing]

Elaborations
listening to stories of the past from Elders and community members, for example, accounts of where they
grew up, what they did, their way of life, where they visited, how they communicated, practices such as
the use of smoke in healing and purification, funeral practices, what values were important, how
knowledge was transmitted; making comparisons with their own experience and contemporary life and
discussing how daily lives have changed
comparing traditional and contemporary roles in the community, for example, those of store keeper,
nurse, teacher, park ranger, traditional healer and people responsible for Law, song and dance
examining and analysing a range of sources, such as photographs, maps and oral histories, to collect
information about people, places and events in their community’s past and present to develop an
annotated timeline or other visual representation of significant changes to community life, for example,
contact history, modifications to water supply, establishment of the community store, clinic and school,
introduction of currency, changing community and school policies with respect to language learning
comparing photographs that reflect changes from the past to the present in a specific environment or
location, identifying elements of both change and continuity
creating charts, pictorial stories, maps, digital and oral presentations to represent and to explain
elements of past times
describing the seasons, identifying and recording indicators of seasonal and weather changes, for
example, behaviour of animals, reptiles, birds, insects, plants; changes in wind direction, charting
different forms of plants during the seasons, such as flowering, fruiting, shedding of bark, night sky and
star formations; developing their own (class) seasonal calendar
measuring daily meteorological data, for example, temperature, humidity build up, rainfall, wind direction,
sun intensity, times of tides, and constructing charts, column and picture graphs to record gathered
information
investigating and describing how seasons and weather and availability of natural water sources affect
people’s lives and practices
researching information about practices that care for Country/Place, for example, waterhole
management and protection, fire management, species management
observing and reading signs of Country/Place, such as the presence of bees, changing colours of bark,
different tracks, tides, seaweed dumps, burnt ground, regeneration of vegetation, special (warning) calls
of birds, ripening of fruit, changes in the night sky
using appropriate cultural categories to classify different types of plants and parts of plants and their
uses, for example, what different parts of plants are used for, which parts/plants are poisonous,
presenting findings in chart, poster, table, graphic or digital form
undertaking plant and animal surveys, for example, by recording details of plants that grow at school, in
the community, on the side of the road, in the bush, of animals found in communities, on the roads, in the
uplands, and of their habitats
observing and presenting information through photos, captions and commentary on how different bush
foods grow in different ways, for example, underground, on a vine or on a bush
investigating with Elders some common bush medicines, talking about how they are used for different
purposes, recording details through photos, pictures, diagrams, captions, descriptions and commentary
making and recording observations of how living things such as insects, frogs or plants develop through
their life cycles, recognising the effect on these cycles of different environmental factors
mapping Country/Place in various forms, for example, on paper, in sand or mud, labelling key
topographical features and infrastructure, key community facilities, indicating distances and describing
Country/Place from a birdseye view
creating a calendar of key social and cultural events and activities in the community, for example,
important celebrations, football matches, dog vaccinations, cattle mustering, annual school dances
visiting the arts centre and learning how to make and decorate artefacts and make paint
investigating the languages used and roles played by people in different community contexts, such as the
store manager, administrator, arts coordinator, health worker, ranger, traditional healer, tour guide,
mechanic, interpreter, Law person, cattle ringer
surveying peers and community members on various topics, for example, favourite television programs,
football teams, sports or bands, after school activities/time spent in those activities, languages spoken;
presenting results in chart, graph or digital format
conducting facetoface or online interviews or surveys with peers, family members or community
contacts to compare accounts of similar experiences
naming and explaining inside and outside body parts, for example, stomach, blood, bone
reading/viewing/ listening and obtaining information from community texts such as posters from health
clinics, school magazines or community notices
comparing and surveying healthy ways of eating, identifying what is available from the community store
and which healthy foods they like to eat
extracting key points from a range of spoken, written or digital texts such as posters, charts or brochures
on topics such as health, wellbeing and cultural safety, and discussing key messages
keeping a diary of food consumption over a week, classifying types of food consumed, analysing how
much bush food is in their daily diet
visiting the health clinic to gather information about services the clinic provides and general health issues
Convey information on specific topics using formats such as oral or digital presentations, displays,
diagrams, timelines, narratives, descriptions and procedures
[Key concepts: Country/Place, community life, identities; Key processes: creating, editing, presenting,
profiling, sequencing]

Elaborations
collecting information about each other’s likes, dislikes or interests to create a class profile, chart or
database, using checklists, surveys or question cues
creating a class book or digital display about topics they have been studying in their language classes
and/or other curriculum areas
writing narratives about their community’s past and present based on researched facts, characters and
events
creating and editing a presentation that includes text, images and sounds to record and explain aspects
of life in their school, community, region
constructing a multimedia profile of their school and community
recounting an event, an experience or a journey, for example, a hunting trip, providing details such as
how they travelled, who was with them, what animals they tracked and sighted, who cooked the animal
writing procedural texts, for example, to explain how to prepare and cook bush tucker, how to make
tools, how to decorate artefacts, how to play a favourite computer game, sport or playground game
creating profiles to present to the class of significant people, for example, favourite sports personalities,
music groups, celebrities, community leader/negotiator/spokesperson
introducing a guest speaker or visitor to the class, providing information on their background, purpose of
visit, achievements
collaboratively planning, rehearsing and delivering short presentations, providing key details in
chronological sequence
creating texts such as flyers, posters or posts on the school website to advertise an upcoming event
describing milestones or significant events in their lives that have shaped their identity, for example, by
creating timelines or visual representations
Creating
Listen to, read and view a variety of texts, describing and discussing key elements, ideas, characters,
events and messages, making connections with own life and experiences
[Key concepts: visual design, representation, journey; Key processes: participating, describing, predicting,
recalling, responding, listening, shared/guided reading; Key text types: songs, raps, dances, traditional and
contemporary stories, paintings and visual design, video clips]

Elaborations
participating in and responding to shared and guided reading of traditional and contemporary texts, for
example, by retelling or reenacting the story to others in spoken, written, or multimodal form, by creating
a timeline of events or a profile of a favourite character
creating digital profiles of characters they enjoy in texts, providing physical and character descriptions
and examples of their ways of communicating and behaving
conveying understanding of plot and sequence in texts, for example, by recreating a sequence using a
storyboard, labelling key events or creating a timeline with supporting commentary
describing and discussing characters, main ideas, events and settings of different texts and exploring
how language is used to present these features in different ways
participating in shared and guided reading of texts, making predictions about the development or flow of
ideas, using contextual and visual cues and responding to questions about characters, ideas and events,
sharing and comparing reactions and responses
listening to Elders/community speakers telling stories and singing songs, interpreting signs and gestures,
talking about key messages and using correct protocols to ask clarifying questions; understanding the
significance and role of storytelling and singing in traditional and contemporary times
making connections between their own lives and experiences (as members of families and communities)
and the events represented in traditional stories
recognising that there are different ways of telling a story, for example, through dance and paintings, and
discussing the uniqueness of symbols, colours, stories and feelings represented and reflected in dances
and paintings from different regions of Country/Place
interpreting and explaining artistic traditions and visual design, for example, paintings, etchings, rock art,
etching or dance, interpreting messages conveyed through these forms
discussing key messages, social values and traditional Histories expressed in stories, songs and dance
in oral, print and digital formats
responding to a creative contemporary text by manipulating the original to create a new version, for
example, resequencing events, adding a new element, changing location or character, or creating an
alternative ending
understanding and discussing the importance of story and informal yarning and their role in transmitting
language, culture and traditional knowledge
retelling stories to feature different places, species or social groups
composing a review of a song, story, cartoon, IndigiTUBE clip or television program, providing positive
and negative critique, using modelled language and textual features
participating in shared reading experiences, selfcorrecting when the reading does not make sense,
using pictures, context, meaning, phonics and grammatical knowledge to help comprehension
Create, present and perform expressive and imaginative texts that involve different modes of presentation,
such as stories, dance, skits or video clips, based on a stimulus concept, theme or resource
[Key concepts: imagination, entertainment; Key processes: imagining, creating, experimenting, performing,
storytelling; Key text types: raps, songs, dances, performances, digital texts, video clips, skits, paintings and
visual design]

Elaborations
creating and performing imaginative texts such as stories, songs, raps and skits based on a stimulus
concept, theme or resource, and incorporating elements of humour to entertain others
experimenting with different ways of telling stories, using a range of different texts and modes of
presentation, for example, oral texts, photo stories, ebooks, dance, visual design or digital texts,
incorporating cultural elements, symbols and conventions as appropriate
creating imaginary characters, places or animals and presenting them through performance, digital
display or visual representation
creating and presenting real or imaginative texts, incorporating humorous and expressive language to
entertain younger audiences, for example, audio Big Books, puppet plays, cartoons, short video clips or
voki animations, selecting language and images that enrich the visual or listening experience
telling the story of a real or imagined journey involving a variety of characters, places and events
reading a storyboard and retelling the information in their own words
composing dialogues between real/imagined characters in challenging or amusing situations, using
expressions and behaviours that convey emotion or humour
creating a video clip to launch a real or imagined product designed to appeal to their peer group
Translating
Translate short texts from the language into other known languages and vice versa, including the register
of sign language, noticing words or expressions that are not easy to translate and identifying elements
which require explanation rather than literal translation
[Key concepts: equivalence, meaning, culturespecific concepts; Key processes: identifying, translating,
transcribing, predicting, deducing, selecting, comparing, explaining]

Elaborations
translating a range of familiar texts, for example, information from the health clinic, songs, reports,
recounts, using visual and print dictionaries, word lists and pictures
transcribing short, simple spoken texts, such as instructions or procedures, for example, making a
coolamon or fishtrap, digging for honey ants, identifying words and phrases that have more than one
literal meaning
showing others how different signs and hand talk are used and explaining their meaning and symbolism
explaining visual design and performances to others, including the use of symbolism
translating texts such as songs and stories, identifying culturespecific concepts and expressions that do
not easily translate into English, for example, language related to artefacts, landforms, traditional foods,
kinship terms of address, name substitutes
identifying and explaining concepts, practices and expressions in the language which do not easily
translate into English, and vice versa for example, the number system, time, terms for colour, daily and
seasonal cycles, kinship terms, environmental sounds and elements such as noises made by different
birds
translating and matching words to describe family and relationships in the language and English, finding
examples of words that have no English equivalents
identifying and working out the meaning of unfamiliar English words and expressions used in other
curriculum areas, including technical language, and discussing how they would explain their meaning in
the language, for example, paper, bunsen burners, safe houses, GPS, photocopying, clicking and
dragging
identifying and discussing contexts in their community where translators and interpreters are required
demonstrating and explaining to others elements of nonverbal communication in the language that
require interpretation, such as hand talk, sign language, facial expressions, eye contact, lip pointing
Create bilingual/multilingual texts for the classroom and the school community, such as records of
excursions and shared learning experiences, songs, photo stories, posters, brochures, maps
[Key concepts: bilingualism, expression; Key processes: creating, performing, describing, codemixing]

Elaborations
creating bilingual/multingual signs, posters, notices and labels to be displayed in the classroom and
around the school
creating a bilingual/multingual brochure about their community for a visitor, including a map of key
features, protocols, cultural information
creating bilingual/multingual texts such as cartoons, songs, photostories, reflecting on how different
meanings are communicated in different languages for different audiences
creating bilingual/multingual texts to promote school or community events, such as, invitations,
brochures, digital presentations, posters, maps, newsletter items
creating bilingual//multingual resources for ‘buddy classes’, for example, stories, animations, games
creating bilingual//multingual captions and commentaries for a school display, for example, an art display
Identity
Describe kinship relations as a system and explain its role in determining social behaviour
[Key concepts: identity, relationship, kinship, family terms, social groupings/subgroupings, story, behaviour,
ways of talking; Key processes: investigating, explaining, describing, categorising]

Elaborations
working with Elders to map community–wide links between families according to traditional kinship
systems, for example, skin, clan, moieties, other social groupings
explaining how moieties, skin groups or other social groupings form patterns through the generations
investigating and explaining appropriate behaviours for different relationships, such as friends,
boyfriends/girlfriends, right skin marriage partners and inlaws
identifying and categorising personal and family names, for example, names affiliated with the land,
sea/water or sky, names belonging to a moiety or other social groupings
investigating and discussing the meanings of personal and family names and of other ways of referring to
people
designing visual representations, such as concept maps, posters, slide presentations with captions, to
identify and explain group memberships, for example, friendship, family, sporting, interest and community
groups, discussing what such memberships mean to their sense of identity
using appropriate behaviours and ways of talking in specific kinship relationships, for example, using
avoidance language, name substitution, respecting name/word taboos, averting gaze
talking about ways their community expresses elements of identity, for example, behaviours associated
with sporting teams, coastal versus inland communities, community events
considering the role identity plays in contributing to individual, peer group and community health and
wellbeing
identifying markers of identity that may be important across other cultures, for example, elements of
language or behaviours associated with family, community, location, age or gender
Interact with Country/Place, for example, by discussing roles within the family, ownership, custodial and
totemic affiliations, and links between History, social groups and natural species
[Key concepts: Country/Place, identity, significance, family, Dreaming/History, totemic affiliation, role
connections; Key processes: identifying, naming, describing]

Elaborations
identifying and naming traditional Country/Place of parents and grandparents
naming and describing features of Country/Place that belong to different family and kinship groups
recognising that certain places have special significance to certain social groups and represent special
bonds between people, place and story
learning from Elders about their own developing roles and responsibilities with respect to caring for
Country/Place
identifying the traditional owners and managers of tracts of Country/Place and their roles in respect to
Country/Place
Describe and explain behaviour, rights and responsibilities in relation to the kinship ownership of songs,
stories, dances and designs
[Key concepts: identity, rights, responsibilities, ownership, behaviour; Key processes: describing,
explaining, discussing]

Elaborations
identifying and explaining how art forms, such as body paintings, designs, paintings, funeral poles, songs
and dances, identify people and places
explaining how different family members have different responsibilities in the performance of ceremonies,
traditional performances and other social and cultural events
explaining how ceremonial body designs, songs, dances and paintings are determined by family, skin,
other subgroups and story
identifying and explaining the significance of stories that belong to particular social groups and of natural
features, including animals and natural species
understanding that ownership of songs, stories, dances and designs is determined by traditional kinship
and other social groupings, place, History and story
listening to Elders’ traditional stories, making links between people, stories, songs of Country/Place and
the social importance of connections to History
Reflecting
Notice and describe similarities and differences in ways of using language and interacting with people when
communicating in the language and in other known languages, including English
[Key concepts: language, culture, values, similarity and difference, communication, emotion; Key
processes: noticing, comparing, describing, reflecting]


Elaborations
recognising cultural differences in ways of showing attitudes or expressing feelings when using the
language, English or other known languages, for example, ways of showing respect, being polite,
thanking or showing sympathy
describing how they communicate differently in the language, English or other known languages when
interacting with different people, for example, with Elders, friends, parents, teachers, administrators,
health professionals
comparing how they refer in the language and in English to other people, such as younger relatives,
authority figures, inlaws
noticing how respect is shown to Elders in the community, for example, through the use of terms of
address and expressions of deference, and comparing this to terms and expressions used in other
languages and cultures
reflecting on the range of gestures and other forms of nonverbal behaviour used when communicating
in the language or other languages
reflecting on situations where they switch between the language, English and other known languages,
discussing why they do this, for example, when talking about different issues or topics, such as sport,
food, music or social media
reflecting on the experience of being bilingual/multilingual, identifying benefits of knowing more than one
language and considering whether moving between languages affects their sense of identity or
‘belonging’
comparing observations about how interacting in the language feels different to interacting in English,
identifying different ways of socialising or communicating that seem to be culturespecific
Understanding
Systems of language
Compare and use the patterns of speech sounds, intonation and rhythm in the language and learn the
written forms of these and associated conventions
[Key concepts: sound system, writing system, intonation, rhythm, sound–symbol correspondence,
punctuation, conventions, alphabetic order; Key processes: listening, recognising, comparing, reading
aloud, transcribing]

Elaborations
linking written morphemes, words and phrases with the spoken forms of the language
linking written devices/techniques to spoken differentiation between statements, questions, requests,
exclamations, as well as to beginnings, pauses and ends
understanding how to use sound–symbol relationships and knowledge of spelling rules, compound
words, prefixes, suffixes, morphemes and sound changes
recognising that there are constraints in the ways speech sounds may be ordered to form words, for
example, sounds allowed at the beginnings and ends of words, what consonants may cluster together
making onetoone correspondences between speech sounds, morphemes, words, phrases and
sentences and their representations in written texts
using knowledge of sound–symbol correspondences to read syllables and familiar words, phrases,
sentences and extended texts out loud
identifying words from the language that have been borrowed by English, noting any difference in
pronunciation that occurs as English words
paying attention to consistency in spelling, checking spelling using dictionaries and other standard
sources
identifying different uses of commas in texts, including to separate clauses and items in a list
recognising and using alphabetic ordering as a storing and sorting device
noticing the role of parts of the mouth, nose and throat in the production of speech sounds
recognising the difference between vowels and consonants and the role of vowels in syllables
transcribing elements of spoken language using their knowledge of the language and its writing system
identifying words in the language they think would be difficult for a nonspeaker to transcribe
Understand and describe the word formation processes in the language, including the use of prefixes and
suffixes
[Key concepts: word formation, word class, grammatical person and number, negation, metalanguage; Key
processes: noticing, comparing, applying, understanding, modifying meaning]
Elaborations
increasing and developing vocabulary across domains of language use, including synonyms and different
forms, giving examples of the common word classes in the language and in other known languages
including English, such as examples of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs
describing how word classes are treated differently in the language and in other known languages,
including English, for example, the use of:
number in nouns and pronouns (singular, dual, plural)
tense and mood in verbs (affixation and separate words)
case in nouns and adjectives and case agreement
order of words in sentences
discussing the formation of words, for example, the addition or change of a suffix or prefix to convey
different meanings
recognising that languages from the same region may have words in common and identifying patterns in
such sets of shared words
understanding that languages have systematic structures and are rulebound
understanding that rules vary between languages, for example, in relation to wordformation, word order
at phrase and sentence level
making comparisons and identifying patterns in and between languages, for example, free and fixed
word order, tense in verbs, use of affixes versus prepositions
noticing similarities between particular vocabulary sets in languages from the same region, such as
words for body parts
developing metalanguage for talking about language, for example, noun phrases, word order, suffixes,
prefixes, tense, transitivity
identifying in which areas of vocabulary the language has many more words than English, and vice
versa, explaining possible reasons for this
demonstrating main topical areas of vocabulary, for example, groupings of natural species, cardinal
directions, kinship system, and contrast these with English vocabulary groupings
Understand that texts such as stories, paintings, songs and dances have a distinct purpose and particular
language features, and understand and apply text conventions
[Key concepts: purpose, language features; Key processes: recognising, identifying, distinguishing,
applying, linking]

Elaborations
distinguishing the purpose of a text and its features, for example, narratives are usually about journeys
across Country/Place and convey explanations of features of Country/Place, mudmaps are for
conveying basic directions
investigating the purpose and use of sign language, for example, for hunting, for recently bereaved, for
communicating at a distance, for restricting who can understand the message
applying emerging knowledge of text conventions using classroom models, for example, determining
points in written versions of oral texts at which commas, full stops and paragraph breaks might be used;
accommodating in written texts the repetition and parallelism that characterise oral texts
recognising language features typically associated with familiar texts, for example, the use of imperatives
in games, instructions and procedures, and the use of past tense in traditional narratives and recounts
linking ideas using appropriate grammatical forms, for example, connectives, serialisation, embedding
sequencing content according to text structure
recognising the role played by different elements in texts to contribute to meaningmaking, for example,
the layout, title, illustration and use of punctuation in a picture book or the use of speech bubbles in a
cartoon
noticing differences between spoken and written texts, for example, by comparing a written story with a
spoken version of the same story
becoming familiar with the conventions of a range of text types, for example, narratives and instructions
Understand that speakers vary language forms and styles according to kin relationship and context
[Key concepts: kinship, respect, register, silence, taboo; Key processes: observing, examining, explaining,
investigating, noticing, recognising]

Elaborations
observing how language is used to establish, maintain and reflect kinbased relationships
recognising and using specific ways of communicating messages that are linked with relationships, for
example, indicating respect within families and extended kinship groups by avoiding direct eye contact,
using indirect references and the use of silences and gestures
investigating word taboo and reasons for its existence
observing that verbal interactions can be more or less formal to suit the relationship between speakers,
for example, relaxed, joking styles used with some kin compared to respectful, restrained language used
with others
noticing differences in the ways speakers communicate with different people, for example, with young
children, with unfamiliar adults or with Elders
reflecting on how they communicate with their own family and friends and with people less close to them,
noticing differences in their language use and communicative behaviour
recognising that older people in the community use some different words to talk about familiar things
explaining differences in the ways language is used in different situations, for example, talking to their
siblings, participating in cultural performances, talking in a big group
Recognise that languages change over time
[Key concepts: language shift, language loss, borrowing and relatedness; Key processes: identifying,
recognising]
Elaborations
identifying and discussing words in the language that have been borrowed from other languages to
describe new concepts, for example, words for new things such as, technological innovations
understanding that language and culture together continually change as a result of contact with other
Language awareness
Explore the language situation of their community and the diversity of language situations in Australia
[Key concepts: change, sign; Key processes: recognising, discussing, investigating]

Elaborations
identifying immediate neighbours and the languages they speak, noting differences and similarities with
their own language, shared vocabulary and regional variations in language structure and use
investigating the distribution of speakers of the language across Australia, and the use of the language in
the media, for example, in TV programs, films, IndigiTUBE
understanding the current situation and status of the language and how strong it is across generations
recognising how the language has been transmitted across generations and how it has been recorded,
discussing reasons for different spellings of words within the language
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are in various states of maintenance,
development and revival, and investigating the historical reasons for such variation
investigating language revival programs, for example, processes and protocols involved, success stories
and challenges, and considering what these efforts mean to the communities
understanding that the language is among the small number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
languages still spoken across all generations
exploring how physical and biological environments affect linguistic ecology
recognising that some words are shared across several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages,
understanding why there might be differences in spelling
Understand that the use of stories and names in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages is
culturally determined
[Key concepts: cultural safety; Key processes: recognising, observing, discussing]

Elaborations
understanding that there are open and closed versions of stories and ceremonies
observing and discussing protocols surrounding the retelling and sharing of stories
understanding that specific people as custodians of songs, stories and dances have the right to share
these
understanding that certain people have the authority to give strangers access to certain areas of
Country/Place
Reflect on how a community’s ways of using language are shaped by values and beliefs
[Key concepts: Country/Place, cultural expression, transmission, value, belief, spirituality; Key processes:
observing, making connections, discussing, investigating]


Elaborations
showing awareness that languages carry cultural ides and values, for example, through culturespecific
words, styles of addressing people, use of silence, speech prohibitions, respect, landlanguage
associations, and nonverbal communicative behaviours
identifying terms of address or expressions that reflect community values and traditions, for example, at
ceremonies, during sorry business, when visiting other Countries, or when visiting significant sites on
Country/Place
recognising/noticing how family and community values and behaviours, such as familiarity, mutual
obligation, reciprocity, deference or respect and caring for Country/Place are conveyed in the language
recognising that the language has various social, spiritual and cultural functions in their community
recognising that in each culture there are general rules about what to say and do, when, where, with
whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture
comparing elements of communication, such as the role of silence or eye contact, in different cultural
contexts and exchanges
understanding that people ‘read’ intercultural experiences in different ways depending on their own
cultural perspectives, recognising the validity of different perspectives and questioning notions of ‘right’ or
wrong’ ideas
investigating how their community expresses its relationship with the natural environment through
language, for example, with seasons, stars, reef, rivers, waterholes, plants and animals
understanding that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are storehouses of
cultural, environmental and social knowledge
recognising that song and song language play a central role as keepingplaces of knowledge
understanding that the language has a rich oral literature, which recounts the important journeys and
events associated with totemic ancestors/important Elders, and understanding that these stories also
map the land and the values of the culture
understanding and discussing the importance of story and the role of storytelling in transmitting language
and culture
discussing the fact that concepts may be culturespecific, for example, referencing how relationships are
structured, how time and quantity are expressed, how elements such as land, sea/water and sky are
viewed, spatial awareness
identifying how the language categorises things differently from English, for example, in relation to
generic and specific words for plants and animals, such as ‘tree’ or ‘kangaroo’ and, considering reasons
for such differences
Understand ways the language and culture can be maintained and strengthened in changing contexts
[Key concepts: language maintenance and development ; Key processes: discussing, exploring,
considering, investigating, language building]

Elaborations
exploring ways that language and culture have been maintained and strengthened in their community, for
example, by using the language in families and school language programs, storytelling, writing,
recording, archiving material, media services, songs and music, visual design
recognising the existence of materials such as audiotapes and visual and historical documents available
through community organisations and in local, state and national archives, libraries, literature production
centres, language centres and bilingual schools
exploring some of the complexities and challenges involved in keeping oral traditions strong and
understanding the role they can play in this process
documenting and storing texts they have created themselves in appropriate safekeeping places
Years 3 to 6 Achievement Standards
Languages First Language Learner Pathway are generalised in order to cater for the range of languages that
may be learnt as an L1 in the school context. The achievement standards will need to be adapted for use for
By the end of Year 6, students use spoken and written language to share and compare experiences, personal
perspectives and points of view on topics related to their immediate environment and personal, cultural and
social worlds. They use appropriate ways of talking when interacting in different social situations and with
different social groups, and apply principles and protocols of cultural safety when engaging with cultural
property. Students participate in class discussion, asking questions to clarify content and to offer opinions and
ideas and taking into account other perspectives. They locate, classify and compare information from a range
of sources relating to Country/Place, community, culture, environment and past and present ways of living.
They interact with Country/Place under the guidance of Elders and older family members, making and
recording observations in different formats, reading signs, classifying natural objects according to Indigenous
cultural categories and mapping key topographical features. They respond to stories, songs, dances and
artistic expression by describing how events, characters and settings are depicted through sound, image and
performance, by interpreting messages conveyed through these forms and by sharing opinions, responses
and reactions. They understand that ownership of songs, stories, dances and designs is determined by
traditional kinship and other social groupings, as well as by place, History and story. Students create, with the
support of models, a variety of spoken, written and multimodal texts for different purposes and audiences.
They use descriptive and expressive language to write narratives and expressive and imaginative texts, and
to recount experiences. They use specialised language to present information on specific topics, for example
by presenting researchbased factual reports. They use procedural language, for example to explain how to
prepare and cook food, how to make tools, decorate artefacts or play a game. They apply their grammatical
and vocabulary knowledge and their understanding of spelling and punctuation conventions in a range of
sentence and text types. They translate familiar texts, identifying and explaining culturespecific concepts and
expressions. They create bilingual/multilingual texts for the school community on a range of topics. They
explain the family basis of the kin and skin systems and their role in determining social behaviour. They
elaborate their own positions and identities within these systems, explaining their roles and responsibilities
with respect to caring for family, land/sea/water. They explain links between ceremonies, people, stories and
ancestral areas of Country/Place. They identify places which have special significance to particular sub
groups in the community and which represent special bonds between people, place and story.
Students know that the language has its own rules for pronunciation, spelling and grammar and they apply
this knowledge to predict the sound, spelling and meaning of new words and to create their own texts. They
read aloud with developing fluency and intonation. Students use metalanguage to explain language features
and elements, using appropriate grammatical terms and making comparisons with English and other known
languages. They explain how language use is adjusted to suit different contexts, situations and relationships,
for example, registers of deference and respect, avoidance language, speaking to the side, indirect
references, generational differences and the use of silence. They provide examples of how languages change
over time by identifying words borrowed from English and other languages, including words that are similar to
or borrowed from neighbouring Indigenous languages. Students understand that Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander languages are in various states of maintenance, development and revival and can explain some
historical reasons for this. They recognise the importance of maintaining and strengthening Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander languages for their community and for the broader Australian community and describe
ways that language and culture have been maintained and strengthened in their community. They reflect on
their own ways of communicating, discussing how these might be interpreted by others.
Languages
Language Revival Learner Pathway
(LR) Years F–10 Sequence
Page 643 of 1359

Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) Years F–10 Sequence
Strait Islander languages being revived by their owners or custodians and which are in various stages of
Schools offering the Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) will most likely be located broadly within the
geographical region of the language and culture, sometimes in towns and cities, other times in rural and
remote regions. Classes will likely include students who relate closely to the language and culture, as well as
students with varying degrees of affiliation with the language and culture, and some students who have no
connections with either the language or culture. A key expectation in the LR pathway is that of students
having opportunities to interact with Elders and particular places on Country/Place.
the extent to which it is languages used or remembered, ranging from languages no longer spoken (owners
often use the term ‘sleeping’) to those spoken fluently by members of the older generations; and the extent to
which it has been reintroduced into the community of owners and custodians.
Language Revitalisation : where there are fluent L1 speakers (typically members of the older
generation) but where the intergenerational transmission of the language has been interrupted.
Younger generations may understand some of the language and may use some words and phrases
but do not speak it as their first language. Examples of revitalisation languages include Walmajarri
in the Kimberley, Yindjibarndi in the Pilbara, Meriam in the Torres Strait, Dyirbal in northeastern
Queensland, Wubuy (Nunggubuyu) in Arnhem Land, and Adnyamathanha (Yura Ngawarla) in the
Flinders Ranges.
Language Renewal : where there are a number of adult speakers who use the language to
varying degrees in the community, but not ‘right through’, and where there are other language
resources to draw upon. Examples of languages being renewed include Noongar in southwest
Western Australia, Gumbaynggirr on the north coast of New South Wales, Ngarrindjeri on the Lower
Murray Lakes in South Australia, Djabugay in the Atherton Tablelands in northern Queensland, and
Yugambeh in southern Queensland.
Language Reclamation : where language revival, by necessity, relies primarily on historical
reclamation languages include Kaurna from Adelaide, Narungga from the Yorke Peninsula, Dharuk
A number of factors and variables will need to be considered when planning for a language revival curriculum
or program, and further information on these is presented in the context statement for this pathway and in the
section Using the Framework.
Children enter the early years of schooling with established communication skills in one or more languages
and varying degrees of acquisition of early literacy. Learning typically focuses on learners’ immediate world of
family, home, school, friends and local environment. They are learning how to socialise with new people,
share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school.
The language is learnt in parallel with English language and literacy. Learning in the two areas progresses at
very different levels, but each supports and enriches the other.
As the program is likely to be on Country/Place, links can be made to local places of significance, local
families, and local histories.
The language is used as much as possible in classroom interactions, routines and activities, supported by the
use of visual and concrete materials, gestures and body language. At this stage, there is a focus on play and
imaginative activities, games, music, movement and familiar routines, which provide scaffolding and context
for language development.
Oral language is developed through listening to the sounds, shapes and patterns of the language, through
activities such as rhymes, songs, clapping and action games, and through imitating and repeating sounds in
aural texts and as modelled by the teaching team, visiting Elders and community speakers.
Learners experiment with simple formulaic expressions, singleidea phrases and with one or twoword
responses to prompts and cues. As they progress to using language for interactions such as greetings, asking
for help, talking about self, friends and family, or asking and answering questions, they notice that language
behaves differently in different situations. Creative play provides opportunities for exploring these differences
and for using language for purposeful interaction.
Students learn about Country/Place and community by interacting with Elders and community members, by
exploring Country/Place, and by engaging with stories, songs and other texts such as videos, maps, and
pictures. They learn about the concepts of kin and social groupings.
Students learn to use appropriate respect terms and to demonstrate respectful and appropriate behaviour
when interacting with Elders, community speakers and community texts. Learners for whom the language is
their heritage language develop a stronger sense of their own group and individual identity through the study
of the language and culture.
Students learn to recognise letters that represent the sounds of the language. They write by tracing and
copying, forming letters legibly. They learn to read and write words and sentences independently, using
modelled language, for example, matching pictures with single words, labels and captions. The use of
repetition and recycling in instruction helps children to identify highfrequency words and simple phrases and
to recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts.
Students begin to understand how the language works, and compare it with English and other known
languages. They understand its place in the context of broader regional and national language diversity. They
learn about their role in developing resources for the language, for example by working with the community
language team to create new games and songs in language, understanding how such efforts support the
language to grow.
supplemented by some access to Elders and others affiliated with the language for additional enrichment and
authentication of the learning experience. Interacting with Country/Place and exploring the environment with
Elders and other community members is essential to language learning at all stages, but is particularly
important during this early establishment phase, when learning is grounded in the familiar and understanding
of language as lived experience is so important.
Texts and resources
Country/Place and its associated community are the most important resources for learning. They are the
origin of most of the texts children engage with.
Texts include a variety of spoken, visual, written and digital resources, which are short, clearly structured, and
supported by visuals and paralinguistic elements such as tone of voice, facial expression, body gesture. They
include repetition and recycling of structures and vocabulary. Children listen and respond to teacher talk,
share ideas and join in with songs, stories and different forms of play, performance, conversations and other
languagemediated activities. Print and digital texts include word lists, place names, stories, shared Big Books,
songs, photos, videos, environmental maps and wall charts. Teachergenerated materials include games and
items from the community and local environment. Some texts involve English or another community language
in a complementary role, filling in for items or expressions that have not yet been reconstituted in the
language. Other texts will be bilingual, with no mixing of languages.
Level of support
Learning is supported via the provision of experiences that are challenging but achievable with appropriate
scaffolding and support. This involves modelling, monitoring and moderating by the teacher; provision of
multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing learned language;
and continuous cueing, feedback, response and encouragement.
Learners are encouraged to use the language whenever possible in class interactions and daily routines with
the teaching team, Elders and community members. Maximal use of the language will increase learners’
language proficiency and enhance the language revival process.
English and other known languages are used for explanation and discussion, allowing learners to talk about
differences and similarities they notice between the language and their first language(s) and culture(s), to ask
questions about language and culture, to consider how they feel when they hear or use the language, and to
talk about how they view different languages and the people who speak them. This introduction to the ‘meta’
dimension of intercultural learning develops the ability to consider different perspectives and ways of being as
mediated by language.
For revival languages that are at the ‘beginning’ end of the revival spectrum, English or another community
language might be used in a complementary fashion, for example, to fill in for missing words or expressions.
Alternatively, language owners and the community in general may decide to sidestep these gaps altogether,
thus avoiding the need to use other languages for these purposes.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with each other, the teaching team and visiting Elders/community members, using language and
gestures to greet and talk about self and family
[Key concepts: self, family and relationships; Key processes: interacting, sharing]

Elaborations
participating in everyday exchanges, such as greeting and leave taking
interacting with the teaching team and visiting Elders/community speakers, using appropriate protocols
such as respect terms, behaviour and forms of address
introducing and describing self, family, friends, favourite objects and pets, using familiar and modelled
language, supported by visual props such as drawings, photos
listening to questions (such as what, who, where) about self, family, friends and immediate environment
and responding with words and actions, including gesture
Participate in guided group activities, such as games, songs and simple tasks, using movement and
gestures to support understanding and to convey meaning
[Key concepts: cooperation, play; Key processes: turntaking, matching, choosing, cooperating, following
instructions]

Elaborations
participating in games, tasks and activities that involve turn taking, guessing, matching and choosing
objects using modelled questions and responses
participating in action games and songs by matching actions to words
following instructions by moving around or locating objects in the classroom
accompanying Elders to gather traditional materials, such as nuts, twigs, bark, seeds, shells for use in
craft related language activities
working collaboratively on a class performance or activity
working collaboratively to adapt and perform action songs, for example, by changing lyrics, substituting
words and phrases based on modelled patterns, rehearsing and performing songs with appropriate
gestures and actions
grouping and sorting natural objects from Country/Place, for example, leaves, stones, shells according to
culturally appropriate categories
Interact in classroom routines and respond to teacher instructions
[Key concepts: routine, instruction; Key processes: participating, responding, following instructions]

Elaborations
participating in routine exchanges, such as, asking and answering questions, responding to the class roll,
describing the weather, requesting classroom objects, participating in school and class
creeds/affirmations
responding to and using routine classroom language, for example, ‘sit down’, ‘stand up’, ‘listen!’ ‘look this
way’, ‘tidy up’
following instructions in language related to transition activities, for example, ‘form a circle’, ‘get into
groups of three’, ‘put on your hat’, ‘line up’
responding to requests and instructions in verbal and nonverbal ways, such as movement, gesture and
action, for example, in class and outdoors, in games and songs, or on visits and excursions
Informing
Discover key information about Country/Place by exploring Country/Place and listening to stories from
Elders and community members
[Key concepts: natural and built environment, community life, Indigenous knowledge; Key processes:
listening, observing, identifying, sorting, matching, labelling]

Elaborations
discovering places in the local area that have Indigenous names, such as streets, suburbs, parks, rivers,
public institutions
visiting Country/Place to identify and name key topographical features, for example, creeks, springs,
rocky outcrops, estuaries, reefs, desert landforms, taking photos and labelling them to create a class
book
listening to Elders/community members sharing knowledge about Country/Place, identifying and
recording key words and vocabulary
identifying, naming and labelling salient features of the built environment, for example, dwellings, public
buildings, school, places to play, ports and roads
recording the weather and seasons of the Country/Place throughout the year in a picture diary or through
a series of captioned paintings, including the seasonal behaviour of animals and what plants grow in
particular seasons
naming, labelling and sorting into culturally appropriate categories elements from the environment such
as bush foods, animals, plants and natural objects, classifying in terms of distinctions such as,
edible/nonedible, meat/non meat, salt water/fresh water, day/night animals, rough/smooth, hard/ soft,
learning to read Country/Place with Elders’ guidance by looking for signs such as animal tracks and fruit
fall, migratory birds, turtle tracks, animal behaviour, fresh diggings around a lair, appearance of whales
locating specific words and familiar phrases in texts such as charts, lists, photos, maps, and using the
information to complete guided oral and written tasks
naming, labelling, drawing and matching outside body parts
learning and using vocabulary and expressions related to healthy living and eating
Give factual information using simple statements, gestures and captions
[Key concepts: Country/Place, community life; Key processes: labelling, describing, presenting, recounting]

Elaborations
using some location terms to talk about the Country/Place for example, up, down, near, far and using
topographical words such as swamp, soakage, reef
presenting information about elements associated with Country/Place, for example, animals, plants, food,
artefacts, using modelled sentences, matching captions to pictures and fillingingaps activities
contributing to a shared recount about an event such as sports day, an excursion, a class visit from an
Elder, a visiting performance group from the Country/Place, a community celebration, for example, by
making a Big Book, creating a display, digital presentation or class photo story
labelling aspects of daily routines, selecting captions or attaching word bubbles and sharing information
with others
developing a pictorial story to describe activities and routines at home, at school, in the community
Creating
Participate in shared listening to, viewing and reading of texts and respond through singing, miming, play
acting, drawing, action and movement
text types: songs, dances, stories, paintings and visual design, video clips (IndigiTUBE)]

Elaborations
performing songs or stories that include repeated phrases, rhythms and nonverbal forms of expression,
such as clapping, gestures, facial expressions and dance
participating in shared reading of stories, responding through mime captioned drawings, dance, play
acting and other forms of expression
visiting important sites on Country/Place and listening to Elders/community members tell stories, and
responding by drawing, labelling, reenacting with puppets, props or actions
identifying key animals, birds and other characters in stories, songs, performances and dances
listening to Elders/community members tell stories and identifying which stories belong to which natural
features in their region/Country/Place, including animals and natural species and recognising their
significance
identifying and naming significant places, landscapes and topographical features on Country/Place
through which travelling stories/storylines pass
identifying key messages expressed in stories, song, dance and visual art, for example, rules for living
responding to simple questions about characters and events in imaginative and expressive texts such as
stories, songs, dances
Create and present shared stories, songs and performances, using familiar words and patterns and
support materials
[Key concepts: story, performance; Key processes: retelling, singing, reenacting, dancing, drawing,
performing; Key text types: songs, dances, stories, paintings and visual design, performances]

Elaborations
making a shared Big Book based on an event, experience or performance, labelling, captioning and
drawing key elements
creating own stories by sequencing a series of pictures with captions or by creating a storyboard with
labels, using modelled language and repetitive phrases
reenacting or retelling simple stories, episodes or interactions, using puppets, props, actions or gestures
and modelled language
creating digital texts based around familiar contexts and characters using images and captions
creating their own songs/raps, or new versions of contemporary songs/raps by substituting words and
phrases such as animal names, places, geographical features, adding elements such as characters or
places, incorporating nonverbal supporting elements such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions
creating dances, paintings and visual designs appropriate to the Country/Place
Translating
Translate frequently used words and phrases, using visual cues and resources such as word lists
[Key concepts: similarity, difference, meaning; Key processes: translating, noticing, identifying, explaining]

Elaborations
using classroom resources such as word banks/lists, wall charts, visual dictionaries, and pictures to
translate the meaning of single words and common expressions
playing matchingpair games using everyday words and expressions from the language and from English
translating and explaining in English the meaning of words, phrases and gestures used in everyday
contexts and situations
noticing elements of the language that are the same in English, such as the alphabet and some sounds
explaining symbols and their iconographies
Create simple oral, print or multimodal bilingual texts for the classroom environment, such as captions,
signs, labels and wall charts
[Key concepts: meaning, bilingualism; Key processes: labelling, captioning, displaying, matching]

Elaborations
creating bilingual picture word lists, dictionaries, and class reference books of words and their meanings
creating bilingual texts for the school community, such as signs or notices
performing presentations for the school community that involve elements from the language and from
English, such as a contribution to an assembly or a performance for Grandparents’ Day
creating bilingual resources for classroom learning activities, such as sets of word cards for matching
games
writing captions for a photographic display to show parents/others about a class event or experience,
such as sports day or caring for the environment activities
Identity
Describe aspects of self, such as family, school/class and language/s spoken, considering how these
contribute to their sense of identity
[Key concepts: identity, self, family, belonging; Key processes: describing, explaining, identifying]

Elaborations
describing self and their family, for example, by drawing pictures of immediate family members or
creating a family tree and labelling it with appropriate kinship terms
identifying self in relation to different groups, such as family, class or peer group, and representing these
relationships through drawing captioned pictures, photos or digital presentations (Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students may be able to depict their totems/moieties and other affiliations)
exploring the idea of collective identity through symbols and practices such as Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander flags, items of dress, use of colours and patterns
noticing and comparing their own choices and use of words or expressions from different languages
when communicating in English
recognising the relationship between language, place and family in the formation of identity in Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities
Reflecting
Notice how using different languages involves some different ways of communicating and behaving
responding]

Elaborations
capturing and sharing their impressions when singing songs, dancing, reading stories or playing games
in the language, for example, by responding to teacher prompts in language or English, such as, What
do you hear? What do you see? What do you notice about…? Why do you think that? How is this
similar/different to…?
noticing similarities and differences between the language and English/other known languages in relation
to cultural elements, such as the names of foods and animals particular to the climate and environment;
and in cultural practices, such as sharing in extended families, special times, storytelling, yarning
considering how they communicate with different friends and family members who have different
language backgrounds
describing how it feels to use the language in the classroom and with visiting Elders and community
members
Understanding
Systems of language
Learn the different sounds of the language and link these to written symbols and conventions
[Key concepts; pronunciation, intonation, writing; Key processes: imitating, noticing, distinguishing, reading
aloud]
Elaborations
noticing and distinguishing sounds of the language and matching these with written symbols
recognising when the language is being spoken and distinguishing sounds of the language from English
sounds and other known languages
experimenting with sound patterns in song, noticing how words and expressions can be separated into
syllables to fit different tunes and rhythms
reading texts aloud to strengthen their familiarity with sound–symbol relationships, experiment with
rhyme and alliteration and with written representations of these features
recognising and imitating intonation patterns associated with statements and questions, and
understanding how these are distinguished in writing
learning that writing systems represent sounds and meanings, and becoming familiar with how the
alphabet associates individual sounds/ a range of sounds with particular letters/ combinations of letters
noticing the shared alphabetic base of the language, English and other languages, with some differences
learning the conventions associated with the written form of the language, such as spaces between
words, direction of writing and page layout, and comparing these with written forms of English and other
known languages
associating written forms of morphemes, words and phrases with spoken forms of the language
Recognise the function of different word types and understand basic elements of language structures
[Key concepts: word function, word order, patterns, rules; Key processes: identifying, recognising, noticing]
Elaborations
understanding that words in the language have different functions, for example, words for things, words
for actions, and that these functions are also found in other languages, such as English
identifying people, places, things and events using:
nouns, for example, family, kinship, plants/ animals, items in immediate natural and built
environments
pronouns, for example, personal, interrogative, kinship, demonstrative
verbs for simple actions, states and processes
terms to qualify, quantify, classify or compare things, for example, size, colour, number
adverbs, for example, of location, time and manner
simple forms of negation
becoming aware of how word order may differ from English, for example, noun + qualifier vs qualifier +
noun, ‘child happy’ vs ‘happy child’
recognising the use of common affixes on nouns, for example, the man’s dog’’, to the river’’, in the sea’’
learning the use of common affixes on verbs, for example, to indicate tense or mood
understanding and using metalanguage to describe word types, for example, noun, pronoun, verb
understanding that some parts of the language may have fallen into disuse and not be known today
noticing that new words can be formed from within the language itself, rather than borrowed from other
languages
noticing that compared to English some words may be left out (ellipsis), or must be included or repeated
in phrases and sentences, for example, “(it) went”, “big (dog) ate (it)”
languages
[Key concepts: communication, narrative; Key processes: recognising, identifying]

Elaborations
understanding that there are different ways of telling a story, such as Elders yarning, through song,
dance, music and associated visual design and spectacle, and through painting (body, bark, rock, sand)
understanding that texts have a purpose, for example, greetings, Welcome to Country/Acknowledgement
of Country/Place, traditional stories, paintings, songs and dances that convey communitywide messages
identifying some features of stories, for example, the fact that they are often about journeys across
Country/Place, involving landforms, animals and plants
main title and the connections between pictures and text
recognising that communication can also occur through sign language
Identify elements of the kinship system and its links to place and natural species
[Key concepts: kinship and totemic relationships, place, ceremonial expression; Key processes: identifying,
recognising]

Elaborations
using kinship charts to identify kinship terms for immediate family, comparing with terms used in own
family
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have their own personal relationships with
animal species and natural phenomena
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a personal relationship with language
and place
identifying skin names, moieties and other groupings where appropriate
identifying which stories belong to which natural features, including animals, plants, topographical
features and recognising their significance
according to relationship and context
[Key concepts: kinship, context; Key processes: noticing, recognising]

Elaborations
recognising that the way someone is related to others affects how he or she speaks to them
when interacting with peers during playground games is different to that used with the teaching team and
with visiting Elders/community members
the use of titles in English compared to kin categories in the language
Notice that languages borrow words from each other
[Key concepts: relatedness, borrowing; Key processes: identifying, recognising, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander words and phrases used in everyday Australian life, for
example, koala, euro, billabong, dingo
recognising that some words in the language have come from other languages
recognising words in English that have been borrowed from other languages
Language awareness
Recognise that the language is part of the broader regional and national language diversity
[Key concepts: linguistic diversity, relationship; Key processes: identifying, recognising]


Elaborations
identifying/recognising Indigenous languages in the environment, for example, street names, names of
parks
example, by viewing Language maps of their region, their state and the whole of Australia
identifying neighbouring Indigenous languages of their region
recognising that linguistic diversity in contemporary Australia includes Indigenous as well as non
Indigenous languages, and that Australia has many languages, for example, by identifying languages
used by different classmates by creating a class profile or language map
recognising that some Indigenous languages in Australia are strong, while others are endangered or in
the process of being revived or reclaimed
recognising shared vocabulary across groups of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages, for
example, words such as ‘hand’, ‘water’, ‘crow’
Understand that language belongs to communities, and that language learning requires the application of
respectful and appropriate behaviour
[Key concepts: ownership, custodianship, belonging, respect; Key processes: demonstrating, applying]

Elaborations
demonstrating and applying respectful and appropriate behaviours, including appropriate language
forms, in the presence of visiting Elders/community members and during visits to important sites
understanding the purpose of Welcomes to Country/Acknowledgements of Country, and talking about
their experiences of participating in Welcomes and Acknowledgements, for example, at school, sporting
events, festivities
[Key concepts: Country/Place, language, culture, symbol; Key processes: noticing, recognising,

Elaborations
between generations; that it includes observable elements, such as ways of cooking or greeting, symbols
such as flags and colours, as well as things that are not observable, such as beliefs and values, people’s
ways of thinking about themselves and others and relating to their environment
recognising that in each culture there are general rules of what to say and do, when, where and with
recognising that beliefs and behaviours are woven into and expressed through languages, and cannot be
separated from them
recognising significant cultural symbols and features in the language, for example, in song, visual design,
dance moves
recognising that languages encapsulate values held about lands, waters and sky, for example, in
expressions and concepts such as Caring for Country
Recognise that learning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages can provide language revival
benefits to communities
[Key concept: language ownership, language revival; Key processes: identifying, engaging]

Elaborations
understanding that language is communally owned and therefore owners must be consulted regarding
any use of it, including learning it in school
identifying and engaging with local identities/personalities/people who are involved in language revival
efforts
considering why learning an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language is important in Australia
Build the resources of the language by creating, performing and recording new texts, and by creating new
contexts for its use
[Key concepts: language ownership, language revival; Key processes: noticing, building resources]

Elaborations
using the language in performances at school and wider public community events
building language resources, for example, by creating posters and/or language/cultural displays, and by
working with the community language team to create new games and songs in the language
noticing that new words can be formed from within the language itself, rather than through borrowing
words from other languages
Languages LR pathway are generalised in order to cater for the wide range of languages which may be learnt
as an LR within the school context. The achievement standards will need to be adapted for use for specific
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages.
The Achievement Standards in the Language Revival Learner Pathway will be shaped by the current progress
of language revival for a particular language, and by the amount of vocabulary and variety of language
structures available for teaching and learning.
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teaching team, Elders and community members to talk about
themselves and family, using familiar modelled language and gestures. They use appropriate protocols when
interacting with Elders and community speakers, such as appropriate forms of address, terms of respect and
behaviour. They use movement, gestures and modelled questions and responses to participate in guided
group activities, for example, collaborating to adapt and perform action songs. They interact in familiar
classroom exchanges, using routine classroom language, movement, gesture and action, for example when
requesting objects, responding to simple questions, following instructions. They identify key information about
Country/Place, under the guidance of Elders and community members. They use simple statements, gestures
and written captions to demonstrate their understanding of Country/Place, for example, by naming bush
foods, animals, plants and natural objects, and by classifying and labelling these into culturally appropriate
categories. They identify places in the local area which have names in the language. They respond to texts
such as stories, songs, dance and visual art through singing, miming, playacting, drawing, action and
movement. They demonstrate their understanding by identifying key animals, birds and other characters or by
retelling/describing elements of images, performances or stories. Students use familiar words, patterns and
support materials to create and present shared stories, songs and performances. They translate and explain
the meaning of symbols, words, simple phrases and gestures used in everyday contexts and situations. They
create simple bilingual texts for the classroom environment. They identify markers of their own identity, such
as family, school/class membership and language/s spoken, and compare these to the importance of Place,
family and relationships in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Students identify similarities and
differences in the ways people communicate and behave in different languages and cultures
Students are familiar with most sounds in the target language and can link these to written symbols and
writing conventions. They use metalanguage to describe basic structures of the language, recognising that
some elements may have fallen into disuse and be unknown today. They understand that messages in
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages can be communicated in a number of ways, such as Elders’
storytelling, or through song, dance and visual design. Students identify elements of the kinship system when
appropriate, and recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have their own personal
relationships with Place, natural species and phenomena. They identify which stories belong to which natural
features, including animals and plants. They know that different words are used to address and communicate
with different people, depending on relationship and situation. They identify words in the language that have
been borrowed from other languages. They recognise that many different languages are spoken at their
school, in their local community, and in other parts of Australia. They identify how language use reflects where
and how they live and what is important to them. Students identify the importance of learning Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander languages, including the benefits to communities of language revival. They recognise
that new words can be formed from within the language itself and work with the community language team to
build resources for the language, such as new games and songs.
Strait Islander languages being revived by their owners or custodians and which are in various stages of
Schools teaching the Language Revival Learner Pathway (LR) will most likely be located broadly within the
geographical region of the language and culture, sometimes in towns and cities, at other times in rural and
remote regions. Classes will likely include students who relate closely to the language and culture, students
with varying degrees of affiliation with the language and culture, and students who have no connections to
either the language or culture. A key expectation in the LR pathway is that of students having opportunities to
interact with Elders and particular places on Country/Place.
the extent to which it is used or remembered, ranging from no longer being spoken (owners often use the
term ‘sleeping’) to being spoken fluently by members of the older generations; and the extent to which the
language has been reintroduced into the community of owners and custodians.
Language Revitalisation: where there are fluent L1 speakers (typically members of the older
generation) but the intergenerational transmission of the language has been interrupted. Younger
generations may understand some of the language and may use some words and phrases but do
not speak it as their first language. Examples of revitalisation languages include Walmajarri in the
Kimberley, Yindjibarndi in the Pilbara, Meriam in the Torres Strait, Dyirbal in northeastern
Queensland, Wubuy (Nunggubuyu) in Arnhem Land, and Adnyamathanha (Yura Ngawarla) in the
Flinders Ranges.
Language Renewal: where there are a number of adult speakers who use the language to varying
degrees in the community, but not ‘right through’, and where other language resources are drawn
upon. Examples of languages being renewed include Noongar in southwest Western Australia,
Gumbaynggirr on the north coast of New South Wales, Ngarrindjeri on the Lower Murray Lakes in
South Australia, Djabugay in the Atherton Tablelands in northern Queensland, and Yugambeh in
southern Queensland.
Language Reclamation: where language revival, by necessity, relies primarily on historical
reclamation languages include Kaurna from Adelaide, Narungga from the Yorke Peninsula, Dharuk
A number of factors and variables will need to be considered when planning for a language revival curriculum
or program, and further information on these is presented in the context statement for this pathway and in the
section Using the Framework.
At this level children are developing awareness of their social worlds and of their membership of various
groups. They are widening their social networks, experiences, and communicative repertoires, and gaining
greater awareness of the world around them. They benefit from varied activitybased learning that builds on
their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other learning areas.
Learners interact with peers, the teaching team, Elders and community members in a variety of learning
experiences and activities, using as much language as possible and incorporating sign language as
appropriate. Learners use formulaic phrases to participate in classroom routines, presentations and
structured conversations. They respond to teachergenerated questions about texts, participate in games,
and follow instructions and procedures.
They focus on aspects of their personal worlds and are introduced to content related to the Country/Place and
language community.
The development of oral proficiency relies on rich language input. Learners engage in a lot of listening,
developing activelistening and comprehension skills by using contextual, grammatical, phonic and nonverbal
cues. They extend their oral fluency by focusing on sentencelevel intonation and stress, including elements
of sign language as appropriate.
Learners participate in shared and guided reading and learn to apply their knowledge of key words and
textual features to predict the meaning of unfamiliar language. They use modelled language to create new
texts. They require opportunities to extend their language use, for example, by connecting sentences and
expanding vocabulary, to the extent made possible by the resources available in the revival language.
Learners are expanding their knowledge of vocabulary and sentence construction. They develop
metalanguage for describing additional aspects of the target language and exploring how it works.
Learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team, with additional enrichment and
authentication of the learning experience provided through access to Elders and other speakers living in the
same community. Interacting with Country/Place to explore the environment and learn about Country/Place
with Elders and other community members is essential to learning the language. Students may also have
access to community centres, such as interpretative museums or art and language centres.
Texts and resources
Country/Place and the community are the most important resources for learning and are the origin of most of
the texts children engage with.
Learners interact with a growing range of spoken, visual, written and digital texts that use as much language
as possible. These include historical documents, photographs, maps, songs, raps, performance, stories, local
environmental and social programs, painting and visual design. Additional teachergenerated materials
include games and items from the community and local environment. Some texts will include the use of
English or another community language in a complementary role, for example by filling in for items or
expressions that have not yet been reconstituted in the language. Other texts will be bilingual, without mixing
languages.
Level of support
The primary source of support for learners is the teaching team, who provide instruction, explanation,
examples, modelled language use, repetition, reinforcement, and feedback on student work. Tasks and
activities are carefully scaffolded and resourced, with sufficient time allowed for experimentation, drafting and
redrafting. Learners are provided with opportunities for practice and with guidance in using dictionaries, word
charts, vocabulary lists and historical documents.
Learners are encouraged to use the language whenever and to the extent possible in class interactions and
daily routines with the teaching team, Elders and community members. Maximal use of the language will
increase learners’ development of language proficiency and enhance the process of language revival.
English and other known languages are used for explanation and discussion, allowing learners to talk about
differences and similarities they notice between the language and their first language(s) and culture(s), to ask
questions about language and culture, to consider how they feel when they hear or use the language, and to
talk about how they view different languages and the people who speak them. This introduction to the ‘meta’
dimension of intercultural learning develops the ability to consider different perspectives and ways of being as
mediated by language.
For those revival languages that are at the ‘beginning’ end of the revival spectrum, English or another
community language might be used in a complementary fashion, for example, to fill in for missing words or
expressions. Alternatively, language owners and the community in general may decide to sidestep these
gaps altogether, thus avoiding the need to use other languages.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with peers, the teaching team and visiting Elders/community members about aspects of personal
worlds, such as experiences at school, home, everyday routines, interests and activities
[Key concepts: relationship, kinship, family, experience; Key Processes: describing, sharing, responding,
recounting]

Elaborations
describing self in relation to daily routines, family and friends, pastimes and aspects of school and home
life
sharing and reflecting on learning experiences, such as visits, meetings, school and community activities
with class members, using gestures, illustrations and graphics to support commentary
recounting specific events or experiences, using familiar and modelled language
asking and responding to questions to identify/describe features of people, plants, animals and items in
the environment, for example, by referring to colour, size, number, location
talking about aspects of their personal worlds, such as interests and leisure activities
describing other people, such as family members, friends and teachers, for example, by identifying their
kin relationship
showing interest in and respect for others, for example, by expressing praise or encouragement
expressing personal experiences and future plans, using modelled sentence patterns
Participate in guided tasks that involve following instructions, making things, cooperating with peers,
planning for and conducting shared events, activities or school performances
[Key concepts: collaboration, planning, performance; Key processes: compiling, planning, rehearsing,
making]

Elaborations
participating in excursions with Elders and community members to experience story places or keeping
places, listening to associated stories
visiting community centres, art centres or language centres and recording the experiences, for example,
by developing a digital presentation or photostory
working with Elders/community members to develop a short ‘Welcome to Country/Place’ and/or
‘Acknowledgment of Country/Place’ to use at formal school functions or community events
working together on collaborative tasks, such as designing posters, menus or invitations for special
events, designing class bush tucker or a garden, creating picture books for buddy classes
interacting with Elders/community speakers, following instructions, for example when making an artefact,
creating an art work or preparing bush tucker, using hand signs as appropriate
participating in and sharing responses to local cultural events and celebrations
participating in national celebrations and significant events, for example, NAIDOC Week, Reconciliation
Week, Harmony Day, labelling and captioning photos for a class display and sharing responses through
class discussion
creating a skit, performance or action game to introduce a buddy class to aspects of the language and
associated culture, for example, individual words, gestures or expressions associated with common
exchanges such as introductions, items and artefacts
engaging in shared tasks which involve planning and collaborating, for example, preparing, rehearsing
and conducting public presentations and performances, such as an item for a school assembly or a
digital presentation about a significant event
giving directions, for example, to guide others to specific locations
Participate in everyday classroom activities and routines, such as responding to questions and requests,
asking permission, requesting help
[Key concepts: routine, interaction; Key processes: responding, contributing, enquiring]

Elaborations
using rehearsed phrases and sentences to initiate and respond to language used in familiar classroom
routines and exchanges, such as requesting a drink, asking permission to leave the classroom,
borrowing equipment using rehearsed phrases and sentences
recognising and rehearsing interjections or fillers used in everyday conversations
asking simple questions and responding with simple statements, for example, asking for help, providing
repetition or clarification
enquiring about and describing the location of classroom items and materials
preparing and displaying a set of agreed classroom procedures
participating in class activities that involve vocabulary, actions, signed expression or board/digital games
Informing
Gather, record and classify information from a range of sources from Country/Place, historical documents
and contemporary resources
[Key concepts: community life, leisure, environment, Indigenous knowledge, health, wellbeing; Key
processes: identifying researching, compiling, presenting, tabulating, categorising, giving directions]

Elaborations
finding out the origins of Indigenous names, for example, of streets, city parks, rivers, public institutions,
social programs in their area
labelling, ordering and classifying natural objects from the environment according to Indigenous
taxonomies
obtaining information from a variety of sources about the natural environment, for example, by listening
to visiting Elder/community members, reading, viewing, consulting historical resources and photos, and
presenting findings in chart, poster, table, graphic or digital form
reading, viewing or listening to simple texts such as posters, signs, historical documents, word lists,
answering questions by selecting from options and filling in gaps
viewing a demonstration, for example, of cooking bush tucker, cooking in an earth oven, and recording
key words/phrases related to processes associated with the collection and preparation of food
surveying peers and community members on different topics, for example, favourite television programs,
video games, foods, football teams, sports or bands, after school activities/time spent in those activities,
languages spoken; and presenting results in chart, graph or digital formats
labelling, drawing and matching inside and outside body parts
observing and reading signs of Country/Place with the guidance of Elders/community speakers, for
example, the presence of bees, dragonflies, changing colours of bark, different tracks, tides, seaweed
dumps, regeneration of vegetation, special (warning) calls of birds, turtle mating, ripening of fruit,
changes in the night sky; and recording these details through photos, pictures, diagrams, captions,
simple descriptions and commentaries
classifying different types of plants/parts of plants and their uses, for example, what different parts are
used for or which are poisonous, presenting findings in chart, poster, table, graphic or digital form
mapping Country/Place in various forms, for example, on paper, in sand or mud, labelling key
topographical features and infrastructure and making simple statements about their locations in relation
to other places, for example, east, west, near, far, other side of…
investigating and discussing where appropriate the meaning of personal and family names of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander origin
surveying and comparing healthy ways of eating, for example, by identifying what is available from the
school canteen and listing which healthy foods they like to eat, recording and presenting results in chart,
graph or digital format or by giving an oral presentation
diagrams
[Key concepts: Country/Place, community life; Key processes: creating, presenting, profiling]

Elaborations
talking about Country/Place, using a range of location and direction terms
presenting information about events and activities in Country/Place through spoken, print and digital
forms
creating a profile of a prominent community figure, for example, a sports personality, community
leader/negotiator/spokesperson, a musician or artist
organising and presenting information relating to language and culture, for example different expressions
of storying, art or dance, using simple sentence structures, familiar vocabulary and concrete materials
creating a video clip that incorporates captions and commentary to demonstrate procedures for activities
such as preparing and cooking bush tucker, making tools, decorating artefacts, playing a favourite
computer game, sport or playground game
creating texts such as flyers, posters or posts on the school website to advertise an upcoming event
Creating
Listen to, read and view different real and imaginative texts, identifying and making simple statements
about key elements, characters and events, and interpreting cultural expressions and behaviours
recalling, responding, listening, shared/guided reading; Key types: songs, dances, stories, paintings
recalling, responding, listening, shared/guided reading; Key text types: songs, dances, stories, paintings
and visual design, video clips]

Elaborations
recalling, illustrating and describing main characters and events in stories, songs and performances, for
example, by selecting descriptive modelled statements as captions to their pictures or responding to
questions, such as, Who? Where? How long? What?
participating in shared and guided reading/listening/viewing of real and imaginative texts, for example by
making predictions about the development or flow of ideas, using contextual and visual cues, responding
to questions and comparing responses to different characters, ideas and events
storyboard, labelling key events or creating a timeline
mapping sites, landforms and other features of Country/Place through which a travelling story/storyline
passes
listening to Elders/community members tell stories on Country/Place, interpreting hand signs and
gestures, retelling parts of the story, for example, in sand, through painting or by performing, using a
combination of words/phrases, illustrations, movements and visual props
listening to Elders/community members telling stories from their local area, and responding by retelling
parts of the story
interacting/engaging with artistic expression/techniques appropriate to Country/Place, such as paintings,
drawings, etchings, sculptures and dance, interpreting messages conveyed through these different forms
discussing key messages expressed in stories, songs and dance, such as social values and rules for
living, comparing them to messages conveyed by stories in other cultures and languages
responding to a specific creative text by adapting the original to create a new version, for example, by re
sequencing events, adding new elements, changing time, location or character, or creating an alternative
ending
understanding and discussing the importance of story/ storytelling in transmitting and maintaining
language and culture
Create and present real and imaginative texts suitable for a particular audience, using familiar expressions
[Key concepts: imagination, entertainment, audience; Key processes: imagining, creating, experimenting,
performing, storytelling; Key text types: raps, songs, dramatic performances, digital texts, video clips, skits,
paintings and visual design]

Elaborations
creating and performing their own stories, songs and skits, incorporating nonverbal elements to
enhance audience comprehension and entertainment, for example, gesture, facial and vocal expression
experimenting with different ways of telling stories, using a range of different texts, for example, oral
texts, photo stories, ebooks, dance, visual design, drawings on soft and hard surfaces
creating, performing and presenting imaginative texts such as skits, songs and raps, using digital
techniques
creating real or imaginary characters, places or animals and presenting them through performance,
digital display or visual representation
incorporating onomatopoeic sounds into written/performed texts to enrich the texts and to entertain
readers/the audience
creating imaginative texts to entertain younger audiences, for example, audio Big Books, puppet plays,
performances for the school or community, cartoons, video clips, vokis or animation, selecting language
and images that enrich the visual or listening experience
creating shared art work (visual or performative) to tell a story, using symbols and expressive techniques
appropriate to Country/Place
Translating
Translate simple texts from the language to English and vice versa, identifying elements which require
interpretation rather than translation and involve cultural references
[Key concepts: equivalence, meaning, translation; Key processes: translating, predicting, selecting,
comparing]

Elaborations
using visual or print dictionaries, word lists and pictures to translate simple familiar texts such as labels,
signs, captions, charts, posters, applying knowledge of grammatical rules and context, for example, by
locating word stems or by removing affixes
translating texts, identifying culturespecific concepts and expressions that do not easily translate into
English, for example, language related to artefacts, place names, landforms, kinship relations
explaining to others culturespecific words that do not easily translate, such as language associated with
artefacts, implements and kinship terms of address
identifying words and phrases that have more than one literal meaning
explaining the meaning of art works and performances to others, including the use of symbolism
Create bilingual texts for the classroom and the school community, such as songs, picture dictionaries,
captions for images and displays, photo stories
[Key concepts: bilingualism, expression; Key processes: performing, describing, codemixing, captioning]

Elaborations
creating bilingual wall charts or picture dictionaries with captions and simple descriptions in English to
explain language words and related cultural ideas
performing bilingual versions of familiar songs, for example by alternating lines/verses between the two
languages
creating bilingual texts such as posters and songs, and discussing how to represent meaning in different
languages for different audiences
creating bilingual texts such as brochures, posters or invitations to inform others about upcoming events
Identity
Explore their own sense of identity, including elements such as family, friends, interests, membership of
groups, and consider markers of identity that may be important across all cultures
[Key concepts: identity (individual and group), kinship, community, membership; Key processes: creating,
representing, discussing, comparing]

Elaborations
creating a class wall chart or family tree, labelling with appropriate kinship terms (Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students may be able to source information about their totems/moieties and other
affiliations from home, family and community sources)
investigating and discussing, as culturally appropriate, the meaning of personal, family and other names
and their significance as markers of identity
working with Elders to map communitywide links between families according to known kin links
designing visual representations, such as concept maps, posters or captioned slide presentations, of
their group memberships, for example, friendship, family, sporting, interest and community groups,
moieties, and discussing what such membership means to their sense of identity
creating a profile to capture their sense of personal identity, for example, through an avatar or montage,
using key words and expressions and commenting on the significance of particular events, influences or
interactions
considering how their individual upbringing and experiences impact on their assumptions/attitudes when
participating in intercultural interactions, for example, in relation to notions of leisure/free time or family
and community responsibilities
talking about ways local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities express elements of their
shared identity, for example, through behaviours associated with sporting teams, distinctions between
coastal versus inland communities, through community events and profiling of identities from their
community
noticing and comparing their use of words or expressions from different languages when communicating
in English and discussing how this relates to their sense of identity
monitoring their development as learners of the language, for example, by recording learning
experiences, reflections in blogs, learning logs or journals
identifying markers of identity that may be important across all cultures, for example, family, community,
location, language, age, gender
exploring the concept of collective identity by designing an item, such as a language flag or artefact, that
incorporates elements of importance to the language/community
Reflecting
Notice and describe ways in which the language and associated communicative behaviours are similar or
different to other known languages and cultures

Elaborations
noticing how respect is shown to Elders in the community, through practices such as terms of address
and expressions of deference, and comparing to practices associated with other languages and cultures
noticing aspects of communication and cultural expression characterised or reflected in language stories,
songs, visual design, dance or audio/visual media such as IndigiTUBE, and reflecting on/comparing their
individual responses to these elements
comparing their own and each other’s reflections on the experience of participating in and learning the
language, and considering whether their attitudes or understandings have in some respects changed
through the experience
comparing observations about how interactions in the language feel different to interactions in English
and other known languages, identifying different ways of socialising or communicating that seem to be
culturespecific
Understanding
Systems of language
Distinguish and produce the speech sounds of the language, understanding how these are represented in
writing
[Key concepts: punctuation, upper and lower case letters, diacritics, intonation, spelling; Key processes:
identifying, discriminating, noticing,listening, reading]
Elaborations
identifying meaningful sounds, syllables and morphemes in words and phrases
confirming sound–symbol correspondences in the language by reading syllables, morphemes and words
for meaning
using conventions of the written language, for example, punctuation, capitalisation, diacritics, digraphs, to
support links with the spoken language
identifying morphemes, words and phrases in speech and matching these with their written forms
paying attention to consistency in the spelling of the language, with direct reference to the sound system
of the language
noticing variations in pronunciation of the same word by different speakers and discussing whether this
can be reflected in the spelling of the word
recognising that in some cases the original sound/parts of the sound of some words in the language may
be unknown, considering possible reasons for this
understanding that other languages may suggest historical pronunciations for the language
learning that very similar languages may have different spelling systems, and how this may mask
similarities of their sound systems
recognising which speech sounds are not typical for the language, and which sounds are very common,
identifying where these can occur in words
using knowledge of sound–symbol correspondences to read familiar and new words out aloud from their
written forms
noticing the various roles of the speech organs in the production of sounds in the language, and
comparing these with English and other known languages
Expand vocabulary in the language through wordformation processes and recognise and use simple
language structures
[Key concepts: word formation, word class, grammatical person and number, negation, metalanguage; Key
processes: noticing, comparing, applying, understanding, modifying meaning]
Elaborations
exploring known word formation processes, for example, changing a word with the addition or change of
a suffix or prefix to convey different meanings
constructing expressions that refer to people, places, things and events using:
nouns and adjectives in phrases, for example, compound nouns, reduplications and
nominalisations, adjectives without an associated noun
sentences without verbs, for example, ‘This (is) my bag’
pronouns, for example, personal, kinship, demonstrative and interrogative in all persons and
numbers
determiners and quantifiers, for example, ‘some’, ‘every’, ‘other’, ‘few’, ‘much’, ‘all’, and words for
groups
marking to indicate possession and other types of association, for example, ‘Let’s go for water’
transitive and intransitive verbs
verbs of stance used in existential expressions, for example, ‘There is a creek lying near the
road’
verbs to talk about actions, processes, thoughts and feelings
moods of verbs, including statements, questions, imperatives, commands, intention, purpose,
likelihood, reported speech
negation
expressing time, manner, attitude and place according to available language resources, such as:
tenses, including past, present and future/nonpast
temporal expressions, for example, day–night cycle, lunar and seasonal cycles, ‘before’, ‘after’,
‘soon’, ‘recent’, ‘long ago’, expressions for cosmological time
expressions of frequency, for example, ‘often’, ‘always’, ‘once’, ‘briefly’
attitudinal particles, for example, ‘maybe’, ‘it is said’, ‘what do you say?’, ‘would you mind?’, ‘you
see’
locational cases, for example, ‘in’, ‘an’, ‘at’, ‘near’, ‘besides’, ‘to’, ‘towards’, ‘from’
adverbs of manner, location and time, for example, ‘again’, ‘more’, ‘in turn’, ‘too late’, ‘as well’
structuring and linking clauses, for example, using coordination, subordination, embedding
understanding that rules vary between languages, for example, in relation to wordformation, word order
at phrase and sentence level
making comparisons and identifying patterns in and between languages, for example, free and fixed
word order, tenses in verbs, use of affixes versus prepositions
words for body parts, kinship terms
developing metalanguage for talking about language, for example, noun phrases, suffixes, prefixes,
tense, transitivity, using resources from both the language and English
Understand that texts such as stories, paintings, songs and dances have distinct purposes and particular
language features
[Key concepts: text, features, purpose; Key processes: recognising, identifying, distinguishing, applying,
linking]

Elaborations
distinguishing the purpose and characteristic features of different types of texts, for example, stories are
usually about journeys across Country and convey explanations about why features of Country exist and
are important
understanding that for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages conventions of written text
are in the process of being developed
in games, instructions and procedures, and the use of past and habitual tenses in stories
linking ideas using appropriate grammatical forms and processes, for example, connectives, serialisation,
embedding
cartoon
investigating the purpose and use of sign language in various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
languages, for example, for hunting, for recent bereavement, for communicating at a distance, for
restricting who can understand the message
Recognise how kin relationships link people, Place and story
[Key concepts: kinship system, ways of talking, human relationships, interrelatedness; Key processes:
recognising, interpreting, discussing

Elaborations
interpreting kinship charts to identify kin terms for wider family groupings, and comparing these with
terminology used in other languages and cultures, for example, for maternal versus paternal
grandparents, the presence or absence of birth order names
discussing links between people, stories and Country/Place and the social importance of connections to
History
recognising that certain places have historical and contemporary significance to the community,
representing special bonds between people, Place and story
understanding that songs, stories and other forms of artistic expression can be recreated/traced and
contextualised in contemporary circumstances
Understand that speakers vary language forms according to kin relationship and context of situation
[Key concepts: kinship, respect, register, silence, taboo; Key processes: observing, examining, explaining,
investigating; noticing, recognising]

Elaborations
noticing word taboo in Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages
observing that expressions can be made more or less formal or casual to suit the relationship between
speakers
noticing differences in language use and communicative behaviour
[Key concepts: regional languages, language shift, language loss, borrowing, relatedness; Key processes:
identifying, recognising, comparing]

Elaborations
identifying words that are the same as or similar to neighbouring languages
understanding ways in which languages influence one another, for example, language shifts, shared
writing systems, loan words
discussing loan words that have been incorporated from other languages to describe new concepts, for
example, words for new things, including technological innovations
Language awareness
Explore the language situation of language communities and the diversity of language contexts in Australia
[Key concepts: change, sign, context; Key processes: recognising, discussing, investigating]

Elaborations
investigating the nature and state of health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages across
Australia and in their region
recognising that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are multilingual, and discussing
reasons for this
learning about the current language situation in the language: its state of health, the nature of the speech
community and generational differences, and discussing reasons for these characteristics
development and revival, and investigating the diversity of historical causes for this
recognising how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been transmitted and recorded
across generations
recognising shared vocabulary across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, and
understanding why there might be variations in spelling
recognising dialectal differences and similarities within languages
investigating ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are used in the local region
and in the wider Australian community, for example, in the media, in art galleries, festivals, on public
transport
[Key concepts: ownership, custodianship, cultural safety; Key processes: recognising, observing,
discussing]

Elaborations
recognising and using principles and protocols of cultural safety when engaging with cultural
material/property, such as names of things, peoples and places, visual and aural recordings, art work
understanding how and when Welcomes and Acknowledgements are required and who is entitled to
deliver them
connections in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
[Key concepts: Country/Place, cultural expression and transmission, values, beliefs, spirituality; Key
processes: observing, making connections, discussing, investigating]

Elaborations
understanding the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and cultures in caring for
Country/Place and the environment
investigating how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples express their relationship with the natural
environment through language, for example, words/expressions associated with seasons, stars, winds,
reefs, rivers, waterholes, plants and animals
gaining understanding through discussions with Elders of the importance and significance of Welcome to
Country/Place
understanding that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are keeping places for
recognising that song and song language play a central role as keeping places of knowledge
understanding that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages have a rich oral literature,
which recounts epic journeys and events associated with totemic ancestors/cultural heroes, and that
these stories map the land and embody values and mores of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
cultures
understanding and discussing the importance of story and the role of storytelling in transmitting
recognising ways in which cultural values are expressed in language, for example, through forms of
address, speech prohibitions and styles, language of respect, land–language associations and non
verbal communicative behaviours
observing that concepts may be culturespecific, for example, expressing spatial awareness, how
relationships are structured, how time and quantity are expressed, how land, water, sea and sky are
viewed
recognising that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages have various social, spiritual
and cultural functions within communities
Identify available resources and protocols to be followed when building language
[Key concept: language revival, language building, language resources, keeping places, protocols; Key
processes: identifying, locating, discussing]

Elaborations
identifying and locating available language resources suitable for language building, for example, living
speakers and rememberers, visual, aural and written documents, archival material
identifying the existence and location of keeping places for texts and resources as language is rebuilt, for
example, in the community, national archives, purposebuilt interpretative centres
understanding that there are protocols to be followed when building language, such as consulting and
involving language owners who may want to determine how the language expands into new domains of
use
discussing potential limits and constraints of school language programs in relation to building language
learning about language building efforts in their community and the role of particular groups in this
process, for example, by visiting the local language centre, history museum or by inviting people involved
in the process to talk to the class
identifying language revival programs in other regions and reporting on processes used and resources
developed
finding examples of language revival in the categories of language revitalisation, language renewal and
language reclamation, and consider what these examples contribute to the processes of language
building
understanding how language revival serves to enrich Australia’s linguistic and cultural resources
Understand how the language has been recorded in the past, and how this affects language building
processes
[Key concepts: language revival, language resources, linguistic techniques, documentation, keeping places,
protocols; Key processes: identifying, discussing, language building]

Elaborations
understanding how the language was recorded in the past, by whom and for what purposes
understanding the techniques of how the language was recorded in the past, what this means to the
language and how it has affected current representation of the language
understanding reasons for different spellings of words within the language, for example, how sounds may
have been misheard, meanings been misunderstood and other unintentional errors introduced in the
documentation process of the language
understanding how language resources such as living speakers, recorded texts and archival information
are used in the language building process
identifying gaps in the vocabulary of the language, considering what responses may be necessary
helping to build a community of learners–speakers who use the language, for example, by teaching
younger members of the school community and/or classes in local primary schools
Languages LR pathway are generalised in order to cater for the wide range of languages which may be learnt
as an LR within the school context. The achievement standards will need to be adapted for use for specific
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
The Achievement Standards in the Language Revival Learner Pathway will be shaped by the current progress
of language revival for a particular language and the amount of vocabulary and variety of language structures
available for teaching and learning.
By the end of Year 6, students use familiar language and modelled sentence patterns to share information
about aspects of their personal worlds, such as their family and friends, interests, everyday routines and
activities. They interact appropriately with Elders and community speakers and apply principles and protocols
of cultural safety when interacting with Country/Place and engaging with cultural material such as artefacts,
works of art, texts and performances. Students ask and respond to simple questions, request help, repetition
or clarification, and respond to questions and requests using rehearsed phrases and sentences. Whenever
possible they use the language to interact and collaborate in games and other activities, including the use of
hand signs as appropriate. They interact with Country/Place to gather information and knowledge and
demonstrate their understanding of Country/Place, for example, by explaining the origins and meanings of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander names of streets, parks, public institutions and social programs. They
label, order and classify natural objects, animals and plants, by making simple statements about key features.
They identify features of landforms, infrastructure and built environment, identifying places which have special
significance to community. Students listen to, read and view a range of resources in the language, such as
historical documents, stories, photos, images and art works, and demonstrate understanding of content by
locating, recording and interpreting key words and phrases, and locating key points of information. They
present information they have obtained that relates to language, culture, environment and community
personalities, using short sentence structures, familiar vocabulary, photos and concrete materials. They
demonstrate understanding of stories, songs, visual design and performance, for example by mapping sites,
landforms and features through which a travelling story or songline passes, or by selecting and writing simple
modelled statements to describe main characters and events. They create their own texts and works of art to
tell a story, incorporating illustrations and visual props, significant symbols and techniques appropriate to
Country/Place.
Students use simple, formulaic language to retell excerpts from stories and to create new songs and stories,
understanding their role in helping to build a community of learnerspeakers who use the language. They
apply their knowledge of grammar and vocabulary to translate short texts, such as word lists, labels, songs
and historical texts, explaining culturespecific concepts and expressions that do not translate easily into
English. They create bilingual texts for the classroom and school community that explain words and
associated cultural ideas. Students identify markers of identity across cultures, and recognise the importance
of language, Country/Place and culture to the identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They
reflect on their own cultural identity in light of their experience of learning the language, considering how their
ideas and ways of communicating are influenced by their own cultural backgrounds.
Students know that the language has its own pronunciation, spelling and grammar. They apply this knowledge
to predict the sound, spelling and meaning of new words. They use metalanguage for language explanation,
for making comparisons with English forms and other known languages, for reflecting on the experience of
learning the language and culture, and for explaining the purpose and techniques of language building. They
describe different ways of communicating in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, for example,
through story, song, sign and artistic expression. Students know that use varies according
through story, song, sign language and artistic expression. Students know that language use varies according
to age, relationships and situation, and they identify and explain kin terms in particular Aboriginal or Torres
Strait Islander languages where it is appropriate. They provide examples of how languages change over time.
They recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are in various states of maintenance,
development and revival and can give some historical reasons for this. They explain the current situation of
the language they are learning, including details about what is known about it, its current usage, generational
differences and revival plans. They explain the importance of maintaining, strengthening and reviving
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages for specific communities and for the broader Australian
community. They demonstrate their understanding of the link between language, culture, Country and Place
by working with the community language groups to develop a short ‘Welcome to Country/Place’ and/or
‘Acknowledgement of Country/Place’ to present at formal school functions or community events. Students
describe language building efforts in their community. They explain protocols for language building, such as
consulting and involving language owners. They identify contemporary and historical language materials that
may assist communities with language building efforts and the challenges involved in using these. They
understand their own role in helping to build a community of languagelearner speakers and in the
development of new language resources. They explain how the language was recorded in the past, by whom
and for what purpose, and can give reasons for some different spellings of words within the language.
Students know that the language is primarily oral and explain the importance of story and storytelling in
transmitting language and culture. They recognise that ownership of songs, stories, dances and designs is
determined by traditional kinship and other social groupings, place, History and Journey. They know that
language in its various forms carries Indigenous knowledge in the context of Country/Place.
Languages
(L2) Years F–10 Sequence
Page 682 of 1359

Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages Second Language Learner Pathway (L2) Years F–10 Sequence
The second language learner pathway has been written on the assumption that learning will occur offCountry
involving students who are typically not from the language community and have little or no experience of the
language and culture. They are introduced to learning the language at school as an additional, new language.
Second Language Learner pathway will need to be adapted for use with the particular language being taught
community.
and varying degrees of early literacy acquisition. For young students at this level, learning typically focuses on
the immediate world of their family, home, school, friends and local environment. They are learning how to
socialise with new people, share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school.
The language is learnt in parallel with English language and literacy development. Learning in the two
languages progresses at very different levels but each supports and enriches the other.
The language is used in classroom interactions, routines and activities and is supported by the use of visual
and concrete materials, gestures and body language. At this stage, there is a focus on play and imaginative
activities, games, music, movement and familiar routines, which provide scaffolding and context for language
development.
Oral language is developed through listening to the sounds, shapes and patterns of the language, through
activities such as rhymes, songs, clapping and action games and through imitating and repeating sounds in
aural texts as modelled by the teaching team, visiting Elders and community speakers.
Learners experiment with simple formulaic expressions and with one or twoword responses and singleidea
phrases to prompts and cues. As they progress to using language for interactions such as greetings, asking
for help, talking about self, friends and family, or asking and answering questions, they notice that the
language behaves differently in different situations and that speakers communicate in some ways that are
different from their own. Creative play provides opportunities for exploring these differences and for using
language for purposeful interaction.
Students learn about Country/Place and community by interacting with visiting Elders and community
speakers when possible, and by engaging with stories and songs and other texts such as videos, maps and
pictures. They learn about the concepts of kin and social groupings, and how these are symbolised in the
natural environment.
Students learn to use appropriate respect terms and to demonstrate respectful and appropriate behaviour
when interacting with Elders, community speakers and community texts.
Learners will recognise the same alphabet they are learning for writing English. They write by tracing and
copying, forming letters legibly. They learn to read and write words and sentences independently using
modelled language, for example, matching pictures with single words, labels and captions. The use of
repetition and recycling in instruction helps children to identify highfrequency words and simple phrases and
to recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts.
They begin to understand how the language works, to compare it with English and to understand its place in
relation to regional and national language diversity.
supplemented by some access to visiting Elders and community speakers. Information and communications
technologies (ICT) resources provide additional access to language and culture experience.
Texts and resources
Children engage with a variety of spoken, visual, written and digital texts, which are short, clearly structured
and supported by visuals and paralinguistic devices, for example, tone of voice, facial expression, gesture,
with much repetition and recycling of structures and vocabulary. They listen and respond to teacher talk,
share ideas and join in with song, dance, story and rap, and various forms of play, performance,
conversational exchanges and activities mediated by language. Print and digital texts include stories, shared
Big Books, songs, visual designs, photos, videos, environmental maps and wall charts and teachergenerated
materials such as games, flashcards and items from both the local community and the target language
community.
Level of support
provision of multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing learned
language, and continuous cueing, feedback, response and encouragement.
Learners are encouraged to use the language being learnt whenever possible in class interactions and daily
routines with the teaching team, visiting Elders and community speakers. Using English for explanation and
discussion allows learners to talk about differences and similarities they notice between the language and
their first language(s) and culture(s), to ask questions about language and culture, to consider how they feel
when they hear or use the language and to talk about how they view different languages and the people who
speak them. This introduction to the ‘meta’ dimension of intercultural learning develops the ability to consider
different perspectives and ways of being as mediated by language.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with each other, the teaching team and visiting Elders/community speakers using simple language
and gestures for greeting and farewelling, talking about self and family
[Key concepts: self, family, relationships; Key processes: interacting, sharing, listening]

Elaborations
participating in everyday exchanges, such as greeting and farewelling
interacting with the teaching team and visiting Elders/community speakers using appropriate protocols
such as respect terms, behaviour and forms of address, including, for example, using assigned kinship
roles
introducing and describing self, family, friends, favourite objects and pets using familiar and modelled
language, supported by visual props, for example, drawings, photos
listening to questions (such as what, who, where) about self, family, friends and immediate environment,
and responding with words and actions, including gesture
expressing likes and dislikes using simple statements
Participate in guided group activities such as games, songs and simple tasks, using movement and
gestures to support understanding and to convey meaning
[Key concepts: cooperation, play; Key processes: turntaking, matching, choosing, cooperating, following
instructions]

Elaborations
participating in games, tasks and activities that involve turn taking, guessing, matching and choosing
objects using modelled questions and responses
participating in action games and songs by matching actions to words
following instructions by moving around or locating objects in the classroom
using rehearsed language to collaborate and follow instructions, for example, in craft activities using
traditional materials such as nuts, twigs, bark, seeds, shells
working collaboratively to decide on a class performance, activity or action
working collaboratively to adapt and perform action songs, for example, by changing lyrics, substituting
words and phrases based on modelled patterns, rehearsing and performing songs with appropriate
gestures and actions
Interact in classroom routines and respond to teacher instructions
[Key concepts: routine, instruction; Key processes: participating, responding, following instructions]

Elaborations
participating in routine exchanges such as asking and answering questions, responding to the class roll,
describing the weather, requesting classroom objects
responding to and using routine classroom language, for example, ‘sit down’, ‘stand up’, ‘listen!’ ‘look this
way’, ‘tidy up’ in the target language
following instructions related to transition activities, for example, ‘form a circle’, ‘get into groups of three’,
‘put on your hat’, ‘line up’
responding to requests and instructions in verbal and nonverbal ways, such as movement, gesture and
action, for example, in class and outdoors, in games and songs, or on visits and excursions
Informing
Locate specific words and familiar phrases in texts such as charts, lists, photos, maps, and use information
to complete guided oral and written tasks
[Key concepts: natural and built environment, community life, Indigenous knowledge; Key processes:
identifying, selecting, sorting, matching, labelling, mapping Country/Place]

Elaborations
identifying, naming, and labelling key topographical features of the target language region, for example,
creeks, springs, rocky outcrops, estuaries, reefs, desert landforms, by viewing environmental maps,
photos, videos and objects
listening to an Elder/community speaker sharing knowledge about Country/Place and recording key
information
identifying and labelling significant features of the built environment, for example, dwellings, settlements,
community store, health clinic, school, places to play, roads and tracks
locating key information about the target language region, for example, weather, seasons, daily and
seasonal behaviour of animals, using resources such as charts, photos, videos, films, visual prompts and
by listening to visiting Elders/community language speakers
naming, labelling and sorting bush foods, animals, plants and natural objects from the environment into
culturally appropriate categories, such as, edible/nonedible, meat/non meat, salt water/fresh water,
day/night animals, rough/smooth, hard/soft
describing aspects of shared knowledge about the target language region, for example, by pointing to
places on a map or at pictures of food sources, plants and animals
identifying and labelling animal tracks in the sand, dirt or mud
labelling, drawing and matching body parts
Give factual information using simple statements and descriptions, gestures, and captions
[Key concepts: Country/Place, community life; Key processes: labelling, describing, presenting, recounting]

Elaborations
using some location terms to talk about and describe the region of the target language, for example, up,
down, near, far and using topographical words such as swamp, soakage, reef
presenting information about the target language region, for example, in relation to animals, plants, food,
artefacts, using modelled sentences, matching captions to pictures and filling in gaps
collaboratively recounting details about shared events, such as sports day, excursions, a class visit from
an Elder, a visiting performing group from the target language community, for example, by making a
BigBook, digital presentation or display
labelling aspects of daily routines, selecting captions or attaching word bubbles and sharing the
information with others
developing a pictorial story to describe typical activities and routines at home and at school
Creating
Participate in shared listening to, viewing and reading of texts and respond through singing, reciting,
miming, playacting, drawing, action and movement
text types: songs, raps, dances, traditional and contemporary stories, paintings and visual design, video
clips (IndigiTUBE)]

Elaborations
performing songs or stories that include repeated phrases, rhythms and nonverbal forms of expression,
such as clapping, gestures, facial expressions and dance
participating in shared reading of traditional and contemporary stories, responding through mime,
drawings with captions, matching captions to images, dance, playacting and other forms of expression
listening to Elders/community speakers tell stories and responding by drawing, labelling and captioning or
reenacting with puppets, props or actions
identifying key animals, birds and other characters in stories, songs, performances and dances and
identifying the significance of particular dance or performance elements
identifying and naming significant places, landscapes and topographical features through which travelling
stories pass
identifying key messages expressed in stories, song, dance and visual art, for example, rules for living
responding to simple questions about characters and events in texts such as stories, songs, dances
Create and present shared stories, songs and performances using familiar words and patterns and support
materials
[Key concepts: story, performance; Key processes: retelling, singing, reenacting, dancing, drawing,
performing; Key text types: songs, dance, stories, paintings and visual design, performances]

Elaborations
making a shared Big Book based on an event, experience or performance
creating own stories by sequencing a series of pictures with captions or by creating a storyboard with
labels, using modelled language and repetitive phrases
reenacting or retelling simple stories, episodes or interactions with puppets, props, actions or gestures,
using modelled language
creating digital texts based around familiar contexts and characters, using pictures and captions
creating simple songs or new versions of contemporary songs and raps, for example by substituting
words and phrases, such as animal names, places or geographical features, adding characters,
incorporating nonverbal forms of support, such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions
creating new dance sequences, paintings and visual designs, using models from the target language and
culture
Translating
Translate frequently used words and phrases using visual cues and resources such as word lists
[Key concepts: translation, similarity, difference, meaning; Key processes: noticing, identifying, translating]

Elaborations
using classroom resources such as word banks, wall charts, visual dictionaries, word lists and pictures to
translating and explaining in English the meaning of target language words, phrases and gestures used
in everyday contexts and situations
explaining to others culturespecific words, for example, names of artefacts or implements, kinship terms
of address
noticing elements of the target language and of English that are the same, such as the letters of the
alphabet and some sounds
showing others how different signs and hand talk are used and explaining basic signs for elements of the
natural environment, for example, water, animals
explaining symbols and their iconographies to others
Create simple oral, print or multimodal bilingual texts for the classroom environment, such as captions,
labels and wall charts
[Key concepts: meaning, bilingualism; Key processes: labelling, captioning, displaying, matching]

Elaborations
creating picture word lists and picture dictionaries and contributing to bilingual class books of words and
their meanings
creating bilingual texts for the immediate environment, for example, school/classroom signs
performing presentations for the school community that involve both target language and English
language elements, such as a contribution to an assembly or a performance for Grandparents’ Day
creating sets of word cards in the target language and in English and playing matchingword games
writing captions, with support, for a photographic display to show parents/others about a class event, an
experience such as sports day or a project to care for the school environment
Identity
Describe aspects of self, such as family, school/class and language/s spoken, noticing how these different
elements contribute to one’s identity
[Key concepts: identity, self, family, belonging; Key processes: describing, explaining, identifying]

Elaborations
describing self and drawing pictures of family or creating a family tree, labelling with appropriate kinship
terms for immediate family members
identifying self as belonging to a family, class or peer group, representing these relationships through
captioned pictures or photos or by creating digital presentations
exploring the concept of collective identity, for example by considering the symbolic meaning of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, items of dress, use of colour and patterns
describing friends, favourite places, objects and languages they know/ are learning as markers of their
identity
noticing and comparing their use of words or expressions from different languages when communicating
in English
recognising the relationship between language, place and family in the formation of identity in Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities and comparing these to relationships in their own lives
Reflecting
Notice what is similar or different to their own language and cultural expression when interacting with
songs, stories, games, pictures and artistic expression from the target language and culture
responding, reflecting]


Elaborations
responding to teacher prompts in the target language or English, for example, What do you see?...or
What do you notice about…? Why do you think that …? ‘How is this similar / different …? to capture and
express their impressions when viewing images or videoclips, singing songs, dancing or reading stories
from the target language region
comparing aspects of the lives of children in their own communities with those of children in target
language communities as represented in digital images, video clips, IndigiTUBE and stories, for example,
comparing ways of playing games, eating food, telling stories, or interacting at school, at home and in the
community
noticing similarities and differences in language that relates to culture, such as names of foods and
animals particular to different climates and environments; and in cultural practices, such as sharing
involved in extended families, special times, storytelling, yarning
Understanding
Systems of language
Notice and imitate characteristic sounds, intonation patterns and rhythms of the target language(s) and
how these relate to the written language
[Key concepts: pronunciation, rhythm, intonation, writing; Key processes: imitating, noticing, distinguishing,
reading aloud]

Elaborations
noticing and distinguishing sounds of the language and matching these with written symbols
distinguishing sounds in the language from English sounds and recognising when the target language is
being spoken
experimenting with pronunciation to capture and produce speech patterns within and across single words
and phrases
recognising, imitating and distinguishing between intonation patterns in statements, questions,
commands, requests, exclamations and song, and noticing how these are distinguished in written
language
learning that writing systems represent sounds and meanings, and becoming familiar with the alphabetic
principles that associate individual sounds/ a range of sounds with particular letters/ combinations of
letters
noticing that English and the target language share the same alphabetic base
associating spoken language with written morphemes, words, phrases and sentences
recognising alphabetic conventions particular to the target language, for example, digraphs representing
a single sound, diacritics that alter the regular value of a letter
experimenting with sounds in songs and noticing how syllables can be separated to fit different tunes and
rhythms
reading texts aloud, showing knowledge of sound–symbol relationships
Notice types of words in the target language and understand and use some elements of the target
language structure
[Key concepts: word function, word order, variation, patterns, rules; Key processes: identifying, recognising,
noticing]

Elaborations
identifying people, places, things and events using:
nouns, for example, relating to family, kinship, items in the immediate natural and built
environments
pronouns, for example, personal, interrogative, kinship and demonstrative
verbs for simple actions, states and processes
terms to qualify and quantify, for example, size, colour, number, or to classify or compare things
adverbs, for example, of location, time and manner
simple negation
identifying particular forms and structures in the language, for example, those that specify, identify and
describe objects and actions, time and place; those that state ownership, ask questions, convey
commands
noticing that compared to English and other known languages some words may be left out (ellipsis), or
must be included or repeated in phrases and sentences, for example, “(it) went”, “big (dog) ate (it)”
becoming aware how word order may differ from English or other known languages, for example, noun +
qualifier vs qualifier + noun, ’child happy’ vs ’happy child’
recognising the use of common affixes to nouns, for example, ’the man’s dog’, ’to the river’, ’in the sea’
recognising the use of common affixes on verbs, for example, to indicate tense and mood
recognising influences across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, for example, shared
words
understanding and using elementary metalanguage to describe word types, for example, noun, pronoun,
verb
languages
[Key concepts: communication, narrative; Key processes: recognising, identifying]

Elaborations
understanding that there are different ways of telling a story, such as Elders yarning, song, dance and
music and associated visual design and spectacle, and through painting (body, bark, rock, sand)
recognising that communication can also occur through sign language; identifying and using basic signs
for things from the everyday environment
understanding that texts have a purpose, for example, greetings, Welcome to Country/Acknowledgement
of Country/Place, traditional stories, paintings, songs and dances convey communitywide messages
identifying some features of narratives, for example, they are usually about journeys across Country,
involving landforms, animals and plants
recognising that writing, like speech, is rulebound and involves following the conventions according to
text type
main title and connections between pictures and text
Identify elements of the kinship system and its role in linking story and natural species and phenomena
[Key concepts: kinship, totemic relationships, place, cultural practices; Key processes: identifying,
recognising]

Elaborations
using kinship charts to identify kinship terms for immediate family, comparing with terms used in their own
family
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have their own personal relationships with
animal species and natural phenomena
recognising that people have a personal relationship with place, for example, birth place
identifying skin names where appropriate
understanding that ceremonial body markings, designs and paintings are determined by family, skin and
story
identifying which stories belong to which natural features, including animals and natural species, and
discussing their significance
according to relationship and context
[Key concepts: kinship, context, relationship; Key processes: noticing, recognising]

Elaborations
recognising that the way someone is related to others affects how he or she speaks to them
when interacting with peers during playground games is different to that used with the teaching team and
with visiting Elders/community speakers
the use of titles in English compared to kin categories in the target language
Recognise that languages borrow words from each other
[Key concepts: relatedness, word borrowing; Key processes: identifying, recognising, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing and describing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander words and phrases used in everyday
Australian life e.g. jarrah, koala, euro, dingo, billabong
recognising words in the target language that are borrowed from English
recognising that some words in the target language have come from other Aboriginal/Torres Strait
Islander languages
Language awareness
Identify the region of the target language and notice how it is part of the broader regional and national
language diversity
[Key concepts: linguistic diversity, language revival; Key processes: identifying, recognising]

Elaborations
identifying regions, places and communities where the target language is spoken
identifying immediate neighbours of the target language wherever it is spoken
example, by viewing Language maps of their region, their state and the whole of Australia
recognising general geographic types of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, including the
target language region, for example, desert, coastal, rain forest, subalpine, riverine and seas
recognising that linguistic diversity in contemporary Australia includes Indigenous as well as non
Indigenous languages, and that Australia has many languages, for example, by identifying languages
used by classmates by creating a class profile or language map
recognising that some Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia are strong,
while others are endangered or in the process of being revived or reclaimed
recognising shared vocabulary across groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, for
example, ‘hand’, ‘water’, ‘crow’
Understand that language belongs to communities and that language learning requires the application of
respectful and appropriate behaviour
[Key concepts: ownership, belonging, respect; Key processes: demonstrating, applying]

Elaborations
demonstrating and applying respectful and appropriate behaviours, including the use of appropriate
language forms, in the presence of visiting Elders/community members
understanding the purpose of Welcomes to Country/Acknowledgements of Country and talking about
their experiences of participating in welcomes and acknowledgements, for example, at school, sporting
events, festivities
[Key concepts: Country/Place, Language, Culture, symbol; Key processes: noticing, recognising,

Elaborations
between generations; that it includes observables such as ways of cooking and ways of greeting,
symbols such as flags and colours, as well as invisible elements such as beliefs and values, how people
think about themselves and others, and how they relate to their environment
recognising that in each culture there are general rules of what to say and do, when, where and with
recognising that beliefs and behaviours are woven into languages and cannot be separated from them
recognising significant symbols and features in the target language, for example, in song, visual design,
dance moves
recognising that languages encapsulates values held about land and Country, for example, caring for
Country
Recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are transmitted from generation to
generation
[Key concept: oral transmission; Key processes: noticing, recognising, considering, valuing]

Elaborations
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been maintained through an oral
rather than a written tradition
recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages have been maintained and passed down
through generations by means of storytelling, performance, songs and viewing Country/Place as text
recognising that language speakers are the most important primary source of language knowledge
considering why learning an Aboriginal language/Torres Strait Islander language is important to the
school community and considering how this promotes Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander
languages more generally
Languages Second Language Learner Pathway are generalised in order to cater for the range of languages
that may be learnt as an L2 in the school context. The achievement standards will need to be adapted for
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teaching team, visiting Elders and community members to talk
about themselves, family, friends and immediate environment using familiar language supported by gestures.
When interacting with Elders and community speakers, they use appropriate forms of address and terms of
respect. They use movement, gestures and rehearsed language to participate in guided group activities, such
as adapting and performing action songs. They interact in familiar classroom routines by responding to
requests, following instructions and using routine classroom language, for example, to request classroom
objects. Students listen to, read, view and comprehend texts that are short, clearly structured and supported
by visuals and paralinguistic elements, for example, tone of voice, facial expression, gesture and repetition
and recycling of structures and vocabulary. They demonstrate their understanding of the target language
region, for example, by making simple statements and giving descriptions of animals, food and artefacts,
labelling and sorting these into categories, or by pointing to key topographical features on a map or at
pictures of food sources, plants and animals in response to questions. They respond to texts such as stories,
songs, dance and visual art through singing, miming, playacting, drawing, action and movement. They
demonstrate understanding by naming key characters, significant places, landscapes or topographical
features and by identifying key messages. Students use familiar words, patterns and support materials to
create and present shared stories, songs and performances. They translate and explain in English the
meaning of target language words, simple phrases and gestures used in everyday contexts and situations.
They create simple bilingual texts for the classroom environment, such as captions, labels and wall charts.
They identify markers of their own identity, such as family, school/class and language/s, and compare these to
the importance of language, place and family in the formation of identity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities. Students identify similarities and differences in the ways they interact when
communicating in English and the target language.
Students distinguish between the sounds of the target language and English and link sounds to written
symbols and conventions. They use simple metalanguage to describe elemental structures of the target
language, such as word order and word types. They identify how messages in Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander languages can be communicated in a number of ways, such as Elders’ storytelling or through song,
dance and visual design. Students identify kinship terms used for immediate family members and recognise
that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have their own personal relationships with place, natural
species and phenomena. They identify which stories belong to which natural features, including animals and
natural species. They know that different forms of address and kinship terms are used and depend on
relationship and context. They identify some words in the language that have been borrowed from other
languages. They identify regions, places and communities where the target language is spoken and
recognise that there are many different languages spoken in their class, their local community and in
Australia. They recognise that language speakers are the most important primary source of language
knowledge and that language use reflects where and how people live and what is important to them.
The second language learner pathway has been written on the assumption that learning will occur offCountry
involving students who are typically not from the language community and have little or no experience of the
language and culture. They are introduced to learning the language at school as an additional, new language.
Second Language Learner pathway will need to be adapted for use with the particular language being taught
community.
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social worlds and of their membership of various
groups. They are widening their social networks, experiences and communicative repertoires. They are
gaining greater awareness of the world around them. They benefit from various forms of activitybased
learning that build on their interests and capabilities, and make connections with other learning areas.
Learners use formulaic phrases in the target language to participate in classroom routines, presentations and
structured conversations with the teaching team, peers, visiting Elders and community speakers. They
respond to teachergenerated questions about texts, participate in games, and follow instructions and
procedures.
They focus on aspects of their personal worlds and are introduced to content related to the target language
Country/Place and the communities where it is spoken.
The development of oral proficiency relies on rich language input. Learners engage in different types of
listening and develop activelistening and comprehension skills using contextual, grammatical, phonic and
nonverbal cues. They extend their oral fluency by focusing on sentencelevel intonation and stress.
They participate in shared and guided reading and learn to apply their knowledge of key words and textual
features to predict the meaning of unfamiliar language. Learners use modelled language to create new texts
and to extend their language use through expanding and connecting sentences to express more complex
ideas and situations. To support their developing knowledge of vocabulary and sentence construction,
learners continue to build metalanguage for describing aspects of the target language and how it works.
Learning occurs largely through interaction with peers and the teaching team. Learners may have some
access to visiting Elders and community speakers, opportunities to communicate with peers in the target
language region using technology, perhaps visit the target language region themselves, or view touring
performances or art displays from there.
Texts and resources
Learners engage with a growing range of visual, spoken, written and digital texts, such as photographs,
maps, bush calendars, seasonal charts, posters, songs, raps, dances, stories, paintings and visual design
accompanying performance, video clips and films.
Level of support
The primary support for learners is the teaching team, which provides instruction, explanation, examples of
modelled language use, repetition, reinforcement and feedback on student work. Learning experiences and
activities are carefully scaffolded and resourced, with sufficient time allowed for experimentation, drafting and
redrafting. Learners need practice and guidance in using resources such as dictionaries, word charts,
vocabulary lists and exemplars when translating and creating texts.
Learners use the target language for classroom routines and language learning tasks, for listening to, reading
and viewing texts and in interactions with the teaching team, visiting Elders and other community speakers.
The language of response varies according to the nature and demands of the learning experience, with the
target language used primarily for communicating in structured and supported tasks and English and other
known languages used for openended, comparative tasks that develop learners’ understanding of language
and culture.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with peers, the teaching team and visiting Elders/community speakers about aspects of their
personal worlds, such as experiences at school, home, everyday routines and favourite pastimes, interests
and activities
[Key concepts: relationship, kinship, family, experience; Key Processes: describing, sharing, responding,
recounting]

Elaborations
describing self in relation to daily routines, family and friends, pastimes and aspects of school and home
life, using familiar and modelled language
sharing and comparing their responses to learning experiences such as visits or school and class
activities, using gestures, illustrations and graphics to support the elaboration of meaning
asking and responding to questions to identify or describe features of people, creatures and objects in
the environment, for example, by referring to colour, size, number, location
corresponding with young target language learners in other contexts in print or digital form, asking and
answering factual questions about self, their class, interests, leisure activities, likes and dislikes
giving opinions about aspects of their personal worlds, such as interests and leisure activities
describing other people, such as family members, friends and teachers, for example, by identifying their
kin relationship, physical appearance and characteristics/qualities
showing interest in and respect for others, for example, by expressing praise or encouragement
expressing personal experiences, feelings and plans, using modelled sentence patterns
Participate in guided tasks that involve following instructions, making things, cooperating with peers,
planning for and conducting shared events or activities or presenting at a school performance
[Key concepts: collaboration, planning; Key processes: compiling, rehearsing, presenting, making]

Elaborations
working with others to take action, such as producing a poster or invitation for a special event or creating
a bush tucker garden
interacting with Elders/community speakers, following instructions/procedures, for example, to make an
artefact, create an art work or prepare bush tucker, including hand signs as appropriate
discussing young people’s interests and preferences in different contexts, such as favourite activities,
foods, television programs, computer games, how they get to school, leisure activities at different times
of the year, languages they speak at home
participating in national celebrations and significant events, for example, NAIDOC Week, Reconciliation
Week, Harmony Day, then reflecting or reporting on the experience, for example by labelling and
captioning photos for a class display
creating a skit, performance or action game to introduce a buddy class to aspects of the target language
and culture, for example, protocols for introducing others, individual words or expressions that have
particular social/cultural significance, common items and artefacts and gestures
engaging in shared tasks which involve planning and collaborating, for example, preparing, rehearsing
and conducting public presentations and performances, such as an item for a school assembly or a
digital presentation about a significant event
giving directions, for example, to guide others to locations or through an obstacle course
Participate in everyday classroom activities and routines, such as responding to questions and requests,
asking permission, requesting help, praising or complimenting one another and apologising
[Key concepts: routine, interaction; Key processes: responding, contributing, enquiring]

Elaborations
initiating and responding to language for classroom routines and needs, such as requesting a drink,
asking permission to leave the classroom, borrowing equipment, using rehearsed phrases and
sentences
recognising and rehearsing interjections or fillers commonly used in conversations
asking and responding to questions with simple statements, for example, asking for/providing help,
repetition or clarification, asking how/explaining how to say or write something
praising, complimenting and encouraging one another and apologising
enquiring about and describing the location of classroom items and materials
contributing to the creation and display of a set of class rules
participating in class activities such as word, board, movement or digital games
expressing preferences among different offered options
Informing
Gather, classify and compare information from a range of sources associated with the target language
Country/Place, community and daily life
[Key concepts: community life, leisure, environment, Indigenous knowledge, health and wellbeing; Key
processes: identifying, researching, compiling, presenting, tabulating, categorising, giving directions]

Elaborations
labelling, ordering and classifying natural objects from the environment using, Indigenous categories
obtaining information from a variety of sources about characteristic elements of the target language
region, such as habitats and life cycles of different animals/birds or insects; bush plants, water supply,
night sky and stars, for example, by listening to visiting Elder/community speakers and presenting
findings in chart, poster, table, graphic or digital form
viewing, reading and interpreting texts such as bush calendars and seasonal charts, identifying features
of seasons, weather patterns, plant cycles, animal behaviour and associated activities and comparing
these with other seasonal calendars
reading, viewing or listening to simple community texts such as posters from health clinics, school
magazines, community notices, answering questions by selecting from options and filling in gaps
viewing a demonstration, for example, cooking bush tucker, cooking in an earth oven, recording key
words and phrases related to the processes of collecting and preparing
extracting key points from a range of spoken, written or digital texts such as posters, charts or brochures
on topics such as health, wellbeing and cultural safety, discussing key messages and relating to them to
issues in their own situations
giving and following directions, for example, how to get to key community facilities such as the store,
football ground or school, using maps or images of the relevant area
locating information about social and cultural events in the target language community, such as the time
of year they occur and associated activities, presenting findings in chart, poster or digital form
obtaining and compiling information from children in the target language community about aspects of
their daily lives, using facetoface or digital modes of communication, and presenting findings to others
surveying peers and community members on different topics, presenting results in chart, graph or digital
format, for example, favourite television programs, video games, foods, football teams, sports or bands,
after school activities/ hours spent in those activities, languages spoken in their homes and communities
diagrams, timelines and guided descriptions
[Key concepts: Country/Place, community life; Key processes: creating, presenting, profiling]

Elaborations
talking about Country/Place, using a range of location and direction terms
presenting information in spoken, print and digital form about the target language region, events and
daily activities
using a range of methods to record and display information about the target language region, drawing on
local practices used by the target language community to represent Country/Place
creating a profile of a prominent community figure, for example, a sports personality, community
negotiator/spokesperson, musician, artist
organising and presenting information relating to aspects of target language traditional and
contemporary culture, for example, art, dance, sports, artefacts, using simple sentence structures,
familiar vocabulary and concrete materials
Creating
Listen to, read and view different real and imaginative texts, identifying and making simple statements
about key elements, characters and events, and interpreting cultural expressions and behaviours
recalling, responding, listening, shared/guided reading; Key text types: songs, raps, dances, traditional and
contemporary stories, paintings and visual design, video clips]

Elaborations
recalling, illustrating and describing main characters and events in stories, songs and performances, for
example, by selecting descriptive modelled statements as captions to their pictures and responding to
questions, such as, Who? Where? How long? What?
reading, listening to and viewing texts, using contextual and visual cues to make predictions about the
development or flow of ideas, responding to questions and sharing opinions about characters, ideas and
events
storyboard, labelling key events or creating a timeline
mapping sites, landforms and other features of Country through which a travelling story passes
listening to Elders/community speakers tell stories, interpreting signs and gestures, retelling the story to
others in spoken, written or multimodal form, using a combination of key words and phrases, illustrations
and visual props
interacting/engaging with and interpreting artistic traditions and visual designs associated with the target
language community, for example, paintings, sculptures, dance
discussing key messages, such as social values and rules for living, that are expressed in stories, songs
and dance in oral, print, digital and performance formats, comparing to messages conveyed by similar
texts in their own cultures
responding to a creative contemporary text by manipulating the original to create a new version, for
example, by resequencing events, adding new elements, changing locations or characters, or creating
alternative endings
understanding and discussing the cultural importance of story and the role of storytelling in transmitting
Create and present imaginative texts that use familiar expressions and modelled language for a range of
audiences
[Key concepts: imagination, entertainment; Key processes: imagining, creating, experimenting, performing,
storytelling; Key text types: raps, songs, performances, digital texts, video clips, skits, paintings and visual
design]

Elaborations
creating and performing own stories, songs and skits, including the use of paralinguistic elements such
as gesture and facial expression, to enhance audience comprehension and entertainment
experimenting with different ways of telling stories, using a range of different texts, for example, oral
texts, photo stories, ebooks, dance, visual design, drawings on soft and hard surfaces
creating, performing and presenting imaginative texts such as skits, songs and raps, using digital
techniques and both rehearsed and spontaneous language
creating and presenting real or imaginary characters, places or animals through performance, digital
display or visual representation
incorporating onomatopoeic sounds into written/performed texts to enrich the texts and entertain others
creating imaginative texts to entertain younger audiences, for example, audio Big Books, puppet plays,
performances for the school or community, cartoons, short video clips or vokis, selecting language and
images that enrich the visual or listening experience
creating shared art work (visual/ performing) to tell a story, using selected elements, symbols and
conventions from the target language culture/community as appropriate
recounting stories about their own family and community, using different styles of presentation
Translating
Translate simple texts from the target language into English and vice versa, identifying elements which
require interpretation rather than translation and involve cultural references
[Key concepts: equivalence, meaning; Key processes: translating, predicting, selecting, comparing]

Elaborations
using visual or print dictionaries, word lists and pictures to translate simple familiar texts, such as labels,
captions, charts, posters, applying knowledge of grammatical rules and understanding of context to
assist in translation, for example, by identifying word stems or removing affixes
translating texts, identifying culturespecific concepts and expressions that do not easily translate into
English, for example, language related to artefacts, place names, kinship relations, name substitutes
interpreting terminology for parts of the body and their metaphoric use in relation to landscape and
artefacts, drawing comparisons with English or other languages
identifying words and phrases that have more than one literal meaning
showing others how different signs and hand talk are used and explaining their meaning and symbolism
interpreting art works and performances to others, including the use of symbolism
Create bilingual texts for the classroom and the school community, such as songs, picture dictionaries,
photo stories, captions for images and displays
[Key concepts: bilingualism, expression; Key processes: performing, describing, codemixing, captioning]

Elaborations
creating bilingual wall charts or picture dictionaries with captions, stickers and simple descriptions in
English to explain target language words and related cultural ideas
performing bilingual versions of familiar songs, alternating between the two languages and switching key
words in repeated phrases or refrains
creating bilingual texts for the classroom and the school community, for example, posters, songs and
online newsletter items, discussing with others how to represent meaning in different languages for
different audiences
creating bilingual texts such as brochures, posters or website posts to inform others about upcoming
events
Identity
Interact with others, noticing how ways of communicating with and responding to each other shape and
reflect identity
[Key concepts: identity, kinship, community, membership; Key processes: creating, representing,
comparing]

Elaborations
developing a class wall chart or creating family trees, labelling with appropriate kinship terms for
extended family members
using visual representations such as concept maps, posters or captioned slide presentations to identify
group memberships, for example, friends, family, sporting, interests and community groups, discussing
what such associations contribute to their sense of identity )
creating a profile to capture their sense of self, for example, through an avatar or montage, using key
words and simple expressions to comment on the significance of particular events, relationships or
experiences
considering how their own upbringing and experiences impact on assumptions they bring to in
intercultural interactions, for example, in relation to concepts such as leisure and free time, family and
community responsibilities, reflecting on whether these assumptions have changed in the process of
learning the target language
noticing and comparing their own and each other’s ways of communicating, identifying elements that
reflect cultural differences or influences of other languages
monitoring their own development as a learner of the target language, for example, by recording learning
experiences and reflections in blogs, learning logs or journals
identifying markers of identity that may be important across all cultures, for example, family, community,
location, language, age, gender
Reflecting
Notice and describe some ways in which the target language and associated communicative behaviours
are similar or different to their own language(s) and forms of cultural expression

Elaborations
noticing how respect is shown to Elders in the community through practices such as terms of address
and expressions of deference, and comparing to practices associated with their own languages and
cultures
noticing and describing similarities and differences between target language and AustralianEnglish
language and communicative behaviours used in certain social situations, for example, forms of address,
the use of body language, intonation, facial and vocal expression and eye contact; etiquette associated
with meal times, expressions used when leaving or returning home
identifying elements of communication and cultural expression represented in target language stories,
songs, visual design, dance or audio/visual media, such as IndigiTUBE, and responding by sharing/
comparing individual responses to these
comparing their own and each other’s reflections on the experience of learning the target language,
considering whether their attitudes or understandings have changed in any respects
Understanding
Systems of language
Produce sounds, stress, intonation patterns of the target language, using developing phonemic awareness
linked to the writing system
[Key concepts; punctuation, upper and lower case letters, diacritics, intonation, spelling; Key processes:
identifying, discriminating, noticing,listening, reading]

Elaborations
discriminating meaningful sounds, morphemes and intonation patterns in words, phrases, statements,
questions, commands, requests and exclamations
using knowledge of sound–symbol correspondences in the language to identify morphemes, words and
phrases in speech and to match these with their written forms
using appropriate conventions of the written language, including punctuation, capitalisation, diacritics,
digraphs to support links with spoken language
paying attention to consistency in target language spelling with reference to the sound system of the
language
using knowledge of sound–symbol correspondences to read familiar and new words out aloud from their
written forms
noticing the various roles of the speech organs in the production of sounds in the language and
comparing these with the pronunciation of English and other known languages
Expand vocabulary in the target language through wordformation and building processes, and recognise
and use simple structures
[Key concepts; word formation, word class, grammatical person and number, negation; Key processes:
noticing, comparing, applying, understanding, modifying meaning]

Elaborations
understanding the concept of word formation, for example, how a word changes meaning and form with
the addition/change of a suffix or prefix to convey different meanings
constructing expressions referring to people, places, things and events in building and varying
messages, using:
nouns and adjectives in phrases for people, characters, places and objects, for example,
compound nouns, reduplications and nominalisations, adjectives used without an associated
noun
sentences without verbs, for example, ‘this (is) my bag’
different types of pronouns, for example, personal, kinship, demonstrative and interrogative in all
persons and numbers
determiners and quantifiers, for example, ‘some’, ‘every’, ‘other’, ‘few’, ‘much’, ‘all’, and words for
groups
marking to indicate possession and other types of association, for example, ‘let’s go for water’
appropriate use of transitive and intransitive verbs
verbs of stance used in existential expressions, for example, ‘there is a creek lying near the road’
verbs to talk about actions, processes, thoughts and feelings
moods of verbs including statements, questions, imperatives, commands, intention, purpose,
likelihood, reported speech
negation
expressing time, manner, attitude and place, using:
tenses, including past, present and future/nonpast
temporal expressions, for example, relating to day–night cycle, lunar and seasonal cycles,
‘before’ and ‘after’, ‘soon’, ‘recent’, ‘long ago’
expressions of frequency, for example, ‘often’, ‘always’, ‘once’, ‘briefly’
sentencelevel attitudinal particles, for example, ‘maybe’, ‘it is said’, ‘what do you say?’, ‘would
you mind?’, ‘you see’
locational cases, for example, ‘in’, ‘an’, ‘at’, ‘near’, ‘besides’, ‘to’, ‘towards’, ‘from’
adverbs of manner, location and time, for example, ‘again’, ‘more’, ‘in turn’, ‘too late’, ‘as well’
structuring and linking clauses, for example, relating to coordination, subordination, embedding
understanding that languages are rulebound and systematic
understanding that rules vary between languages, for example, in relation to wordbuilding and word
order at phrase and sentence level
making comparisons and identifying patterns in and between languages, for example, in relation to free
and fixed word order, tenses in verbs, the use of affixes versus prepositions
words for body parts
developing metalanguage for talking about elements of language, for example, noun phrases, suffixes,
prefixes, tense, transitivity
Understand that texts such as stories, paintings, songs and dances have a distinct purpose and particular
language features, and understand and apply text conventions
[Key concepts: purpose, genre, text features; Key processes: recognising, identifying, distinguishing,
applying, linking]

Elaborations
distinguishing the purpose of a text and its features, for example, narratives are usually about journeys
across Country and convey explanations about why features of Country exist and are important, while
mudmaps are for conveying basic directions
investigating the purpose and use of sign language, for example, for hunting, for recent bereavements,
for communicating at a distance, for restricting who can understand the message
understanding and using a combination of signs to convey a message
understanding that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages are primarily oral and
conventions of written text are being developed
applying emerging understanding of text conventions using classroom models, for example, determining
points in written versions of oral texts at which commas, full stops and paragraph breaks might be used
accommodating features such as repetition and parallelism that characterises oral texts in written
language
in games, instructions and procedures, and the use of past and habitual tense in traditional narratives
and recounts
linking ideas using appropriate grammatical forms, for example, connectives, serialisation, embedding
cartoon
Understand the core role of the kinship system in social behaviour and the relationship between Place,
History and society
[Key concepts: kinship system, ways of talking, human relationships, interrelatedness; Key processes:
recognising, interpreting, discussing]

Elaborations
interpreting kinship charts to identify kin terms for wider family groupings and comparing these with their
own languages and cultures, for example, maternal versus paternal grandparents, presence or absence
of birth order names
recognising that individuals may belong to certain types of subgroups, for example, moiety, clan and skin
and identifying these
understanding that interactions and behaviour, including ways of talking, are patterned by kinship
structures
discussing the links between ceremonies, people, stories and Country/Place and the social importance of
connections to History
recognising that certain places have special significance to the community, representing special bonds
between people, place and story
understanding that ownership of songs, stories, dances and designs is determined by traditional kinship,
other social groupings, place, History and story
Understand that speakers vary language forms according to kin relationship and context of situation
[Key concepts: kinship, respect, register, silence, taboo; Key processes observing, examining, explaining,
investigating; noticing, recognising]

Elaborations
recognising that there are specific ways of communicating messages that are linked with relationships,
for example, deference and respect within families and for respected kin, such as speaking on the side,
using indirect references, silences, gestures, eye contact, different registers and modes
investigating word taboo and reasons for their existence
observing that expressions can be made more or less formal and more casual to suit the relationship
between speakers, for example, relaxed, joking styles used between brothersinlaw
noticing differences in the ways in which both target language speakers and English speakers
communicate with different people, for example, with young children, with unfamiliar adults or with Elders
[Key concepts: regional languages, language shift, language loss, borrowing and relatedness; Key
processes: identifying, recognising]
Elaborations
identifying words that are the same as or similar to words in neighbouring languages
understanding ways in which languages influence one another, for example, language shift, language
loss, shared writing systems and concepts, loan words
discussing loan words that have been incorporated from other languages to describe new concepts, for
example, words for new things, including technological innovations
Language awareness
Explore the language situation of target language communities and the diversity of language situations in
Australia
[Key concepts: language communities, language transmission, language maintenance and development,
language revival, change, sign; Key processes: recognising, discussing, investigating]

Elaborations
investigating the nature of the distribution of target language speakers across Australia, the nature and
extent of target language use in Australia, the use of the target language in the media, for example, TV
programs, films, IndigiTUBE
learning about the current situation of the target language: its state of health and the nature of the
speech community, particularly in relation to generational differences
recognising that many community members are multilingual and discussing the reasons for this
recognising that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages may have two or more
regional varieties and consider reasons for this
recognising how the target language has been transmitted across generations and how it has been
recorded, understanding reasons for different spellings of words within the target language
development and revival and investigate the diversity of historical reasons for this
investigating language revival programs, for example, associated processes and protocols, success
stories and challenges, and what these efforts mean to the communities
understanding that the target language is among the small number of languages still spoken across all
generations
investigating the intergenerational transmission of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
recognising that some words are shared across several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages,
understanding why there might be differences in spelling
[Key concepts: cultural safety, protocol; Key processes: recognising, observing, discussing]

Elaborations
understanding that there are open and closed versions of stories and ceremonies
recognising and using principles and protocols of cultural safety when engaging with cultural
material/property, such as names of things, peoples and places, visual and aural recordings, including art
work and family homes
connections in an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander language
[Key concepts: Country/Place, cultural expression and transmission, values, beliefs, spirituality; Key
processes: observing, making connections, discussing, investigating]

Elaborations
understanding the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and cultures in caring for
Country/Place and the environment
investigating how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples express their relationship with the natural
environment through language, for example, in relation to seasons, stars, reef, rivers, waterholes, plants
and animals
understanding the importance and significance of Welcome to Country/Place, for example, through
discussions with Elders
understanding that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are storehouses of
recognising that song and song language play a central role as storehouses of knowledge
understanding that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages have a rich oral literature,
which recounts the epic journeys and events associated with totemic ancestors/cultural heroes, and
understanding that these stories map the land and embody the values and mores of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander cultures
understanding and discussing the importance of story and the role of storytelling in transmitting language
and culture
recognising ways cultural values are expressed in language, for example, through forms of address,
speech prohibitions and styles, respect, land–language associations and nonverbal communicative
behaviours
observing that concepts may be culturespecific, for example, capturing how relationships are structured;
how time and quantity are expressed; how land, water, sea and sky are viewed, spatial awareness
recognising that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages have various social, spiritual
and cultural functions in communities
identifying how the target language categorises things differently from English, for example, generic
words and specific words for animals and plants, such as ‘kangaroo’ and ‘tree’, and consider reasons for
this
Understand ways the target language and culture can be maintained and strengthened in changing
contexts
[Key concepts: language maintenance, and development ; Key processes: discussing, exploring,
considering, investigating, language building]

Elaborations
exploring ways that language and culture have been maintained and strengthened in the target language
communities, for example, using the language in families and school language programs, storytelling,
writing, recording, archiving material, media services, songs and music, visual design
recognising that there are target language materials, such as audiotapes, visual and historical
documents, available through community organisations and in local, state and national archives and
libraries
exploring some of the complexities and challenges involved in keeping oral traditions strong
Languages Second Language Learner Pathway are generalised in order to cater for the range of languages
that may be learnt as an L2 in the school context. The achievement standards will need to be adapted for use
for specific Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages.
By the end of Year 6, students share information about aspects of their personal worlds, such as their family
and friends, interests, everyday routines and experiences, using familiar language and modelled sentence
patterns. They interact appropriately with Elders and community speakers, and apply principles and protocols
of cultural safety when engaging with cultural material such as artefacts, works of art, texts and performances.
When interacting in the classroom, they ask and respond to questions, request help, repetition or clarification,
and respond to requests and instructions. Students locate key points of information and messages in a range
of spoken, written, visual and multimodal sources associated with the target language region, community and
culture. They demonstrate their understanding of the language region, community and culture, for example,
by labelling, organising and classifying natural objects, plants and animals from the environment, identifying
and describing key features and landforms, seasonal characteristics, and aspects of traditional and
contemporary ways of life. Students view, read and listen to stories, songs, dances and artistic traditions, and
demonstrate understanding, for example, by describing characters and events, creating timelines, explaining
iconographies and identifying key messages, comparing these to messages conveyed by stories in their own
cultures. They recognise that ownership of songs, stories, dances and designs is determined by kinship and
other social groupings. They know that song and story carry Indigenous knowledge in the context of
Country/Place and family. Students use simple and formulaic language, with the support of structured models,
to create short informative and imaginative connected texts in various modes and formats. They translate a
range of community texts, such as signs, notices, health charts, posters, relying on key words, and they
identify and describe culturespecific concepts and expressions. They create bilingual texts for the classroom
and school community that explain target language words and related cultural ideas. They identify markers of
identity across cultures and recognise the importance of language, Country/Place and culture to the identity
and future aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students reflect on their own cultural
identity in light of their experience of learning the language, explaining how their ideas and ways of
communicating are influenced by their own cultural backgrounds.
Students know that the target language has its own pronunciation, spelling and grammar, and they apply this
knowledge to predict the sound, spelling and meaning of new words and expressions. They use
metalanguage for language explanation, for making comparisons with English forms, and for reflecting on the
experience of learning the target language and culture. They identify the distinct purpose, language features
and conventions of texts such as stories, paintings, songs and dances. Students demonstrate understanding
of core elements of the kinship system and its role in social behaviour, by identifying and explaining kin terms,
recognising that everyone belongs to certain types of subgroups and recognising that interactions are
patterned by these structures. Students know that language use must be adjusted to suit different contexts,
situations and relationships. They provide examples of how languages change over time by identifying words
and phrases borrowed from English and other languages, including words that are similar to or borrowed from
neighbouring Indigenous languages. Students recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages
are in various states of maintenance, development and revival and can give some historical reasons for this.
They identify connections between identity and cultural values and beliefs, and explain the importance of
maintaining and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages for the particular community
involved and for the broader Australian community. They make connections with their own experience when
talking about languages and cultures.
Languages Framework for Classical
Languages
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The Australian Curriculum: Languages Framework for Classical Languages
Framework for Classical Languages How the Subject
works
Nature and purpose of the Framework
Classical languages are distinct within the languages learning area of the Australian Curriculum. While they
have ceased to be languages of everyday communication, Classical languages provide a key to the literature,
history, thought and culture of the ancient worlds and societies that produced them. Each is removed from the
others in time and place and boasts its own often large and rich body of ancient literature.
The Framework for Classical Languages (the Framework) is the first national curriculum document for Years
7–10 to guide the development of curricula and teaching and learning programs for a range of Classical
languages in these years of schooling. By providing a national framework, it is intended that future
educational development in Classical languages will result in curricula and school programs that are nationally
consistent.
The purpose of the Framework is to guide the development of languagespecific curricula or teaching and
learning programs for Classical languages. The Framework was used to develop the curricula for Latin and
Classical Greek. Taken together, the Framework and the languagespecific curricula for Latin and Classical
Greek may be used as the basis for state and territory education and school authorities to develop language
specific curricula, or for schools to develop teaching and learning programs for other Classical languages,
including those that are offered in Australian schools (Classical Hebrew and Sanskrit) and others, such as
Classical Chinese.
Rationale
The study of Classical languages allows students to enter and explore ancient worlds that have shaped
contemporary life and societies. Authentic engagement with seminal works of great literature and antiquities
gives direct access to ancient ways of living in and viewing the world, and an appreciation of the languages,
cultures, literatures and traditions that are derived from those of ancient societies.
Studying Classical languages enables students to develop their understanding of how language works as a
system, enhances their capability to communicate and extends their literacy repertoires. It acquaints students
with basic philological principles, such as consistent sound changes between related languages and the ways
in which vowels shift within a language. Students become familiar with many complex linguistic operations and
with the metalanguage used to denote different usages and structures. Such principles can be applied to the
study of other languages, ancient or modern, related or distant. Students are able to increase their
understanding of the workings of languages they seek to learn, and those already in their background.
The study of Classical languages exercises students’ intellectual curiosity; strengthens their cognitive,
analytical and reflective capabilities; and enhances creative and critical thinking. Students develop skills in
research, communication, selfmanagement and collaboration – skills that are essential in preparing for life at
school and beyond. Through their reading, analysis and translation of texts, students of Classical languages
develop their thinking processes, such as close attention to detail, precision, accuracy, memory, persistence
and logic. When translating, students make sense of ancient ideas, experiences, values and attitudes, giving
prominence to shades of meaning, thus increasing their dexterity of thought. Through the focus on analysis
and precise translation of texts, students develop their capacity to learn in a systematic and disciplined
manner.
Studying Classical languages enhances students’ enjoyment and understanding of their own and other
cultures. Students examine the language used to denote values in different cultures, both ancient and
modern, and understand the diversity that exists, and has always existed, in cultural values. They gain a deep
understanding of literature dealing with enduring moral and social issues, such as the conflict between
individual freedom and the common good of society; the role of the family; discrimination based on race,
gender or religion; or the causes of revolution. Through critical reflection on and comparisons with the history,
culture, values and practices of the ancient world, learning Classical languages contributes to students’
development as responsible citizens, locally and globally.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Framework for Classical Languages aims to develop the knowledge,
understanding and skills to ensure students:
engage with the language, history and culture of the Classical world through interaction with texts
understand language, culture and learning and their relationship, through the medium of ancient
texts and artefacts, and thereby develop intercultural understanding
understand how their own experiences of learning a Classical language extend their ways of
viewing, engaging in and interpreting the contemporary world.
These three aims are interrelated and provide the basis for the two organising strands: Engaging with texts
and Understanding.
Structure
To reflect current custom, practice and the needs of learners in Australian schools, the Framework has been
developed for Years 7–10.
The following interrelated strands are derived from the aims, and describe different facets of learning the
language, and understanding and reflecting on these processes:
Engaging with texts: engaging with the language, culture and history of the Classical world through
the interpretation, analysis and translation of (language) texts
Understanding: analysing Classical language and culture as resources for understanding meaning
and interpreting the ancient and modern worlds.
A set of substrands has been identified within each strand; the substrands reflect dimensions of language
learning, through which the content is organised. The strands and substrands do not operate in isolation but
are integrated in relation to language use for different purposes in different contexts.
of content in each substrand. These threads are designed to capture, firstly, a range and variety in the scope
of learning and, secondly, a means of expressing progression of content across the learning sequence.
Table 1 identifies the strands, substrands and threads.
Table 1: Framework for Classical Languages strands, substrands and threads
Strand Substrand Description Threads
Engaging with texts: 1.1 Engaging with people and ideas Engaging with people

Engaging with the language, Accessing in the ancient world through and ideas in the
culture and history of the the ancient texts that reveal language use ancient world, by
Classical world through the world and social and cultural practices reading, analysing and
interpretation, analysis and through interpreting
translation of (language) texts (language) (language) texts
texts
Conveying information
and ideas about
ancient society and
culture
1.2 Engaging with and responding Responding to

Responding to (language) texts as literature (language) texts as
to texts literature
Responding to
(language) texts
through reading aloud,
reciting or performing
1.3 Translating (language) texts Translating and

Translating into English, comparing explaining (language)
different interpretations of the texts
same text and explaining these
to others Comparing and
evaluating translations
Understanding: 2.1 Understanding the language Sound and writing

Analysing Classical language Systems of system, including sound, systems
and culture as resources for language writing, grammar, vocabulary
understanding meaning and and text structure Grammatical system
interpreting the ancient and
Vocabulary acquisition
modern worlds
and building
Text structure and
organisation
2.2 The Understanding how languages (Language) in the

powerful vary in use (register, style, ancient world and its
influence of standard and nonstandard linguistic legacy
language varieties) and change over time
and culture and place. Cultural legacy of the
ancient world in the
modern world
2.3 The Understanding the relationship Relationship between

role of between language and culture language and culture
language
and culture
Strand Substrand Description Threads

2.4 Questioning reactions and Reactions to engaging
Reflecting assumptions in response to with the ancient world
engaging with the Classical
world, and considering how this Identity as language
affects own identity and world learner
view
Concepts, processes, texts and text types
Concepts
Concepts are the ‘big ideas’ that students work with in engaging with Classical languages. The choice of the
word ‘concept’ rather than ‘topic’ is deliberate: it marks a shift from description to conceptualisation. The
curriculum should invite students not only to describe facts or features of phenomena, situations and events,
but also to consider how facts and features relate to concepts or principles. For example, a description of a
house can lead to a consideration of the concept of ‘home’ or ‘space’. This shift is necessary because it is
concepts that lend themselves most fruitfully to intercultural comparison and engage learners in personal
reflection and more substantive learning.
Key concepts for Classical languages include:
language
culture
experience
representation (words, icons, symbols)
equivalence
nation (origins, social order, politics, religion)
citizenship
relationship (family, community, government)
history and historical appreciation
attitude, value and belief
power
aesthetics
time (the past in the present)
modernity
tradition
linguistic evolution
interconnection across concepts
intercultural comparisons.
Further examples of concepts for languages can be found in the Australian Curriculum: Languages
Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum Design.
Processes
Processes include skills (reading, listening, writing) as well as higherorder thinking processes, such as
translating, interpreting, obtaining, presenting, informing, conceptualising, analysing, reasoning, connecting,
explaining and comparing, evaluating, simplifying, rephrasing, intertextualising, decentring, empathising,
mediating and reflecting.
Texts and text types
Texts are central to curriculum development, as all work in language learning can be seen as textual work.
The selection of texts for Classical languages is important because they define and reflect the linguistic and
cultural identity of the ancient world. Classical languages texts may be synthetic, modified or authentic; they
may be in oral, written, digital or multimodal form. Text types for Classical languages include narratives,
stories, texts in the public domain, speeches, rhetoric, poetry, plays/drama, written translation, oral
interpretation, discussion and explanation.
Using the Framework to develop languagespecific curricula or programs for Classical
languages
It is intended that the Framework will be used by state and territory jurisdictions to develop languagespecific
curricula, or by schools and communities to develop teaching and learning programs for Classical languages
other than Latin and Classical Greek. The Framework has been designed to be applicable to the range of
Classical languages that are currently or could be offered in Australian schools.
Educational jurisdictions, schools and communities may use the Framework in differing ways. This is to be
expected, and is consistent with the Framework as a document of guidance. The Framework allows the
freedom to be creative and innovative in devising teaching and learning programs which will engage, excite
and challenge students. The curricula and programs that are developed using the Framework should be
stimulating, enjoyable and challenging, reflecting students’ increasing maturity and offering them inspiration to
engage closely with cultures and societies that are removed in time and place from their own, and are a
bridge between the contemporary world and the civilisations of the ancient world.
The languagespecific curricula for Latin and Classical Greek may also be used to support and guide the
process of developing curricula or programs for other Classical languages.
In developing languagespecific curricula or programs, the following aspects of the curriculum will need to be
modified or developed.
A context statement that describes:
the place of the language and the heritage of the ancient society
the place of the language in Australian education
the nature of learning the language
the learning pathway and curriculum design.
Band descriptions for Years 7–8 and Years 9–10 that outline:
the nature of the learners
language learning and use
contexts of interaction
texts and resources
features of target language use
level of support
the role of English.
Content descriptions for each thread that describe the knowledge, understanding, skills, key
concepts and key processes that teachers are expected to teach and students are expected to
develop at each band level.
Content elaborations that elaborate on aspects of each content description: illustrations,
descriptions or examples to indicate possibilities for teaching. These are intended as
complementary support material. They are neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Content
elaborations may include:
contexts of language use
further detail on dimensions of the content description
aspects of relevant linguistic and cultural knowledge
key language
possible tasks and experiences
connections across concepts.
Achievement standards for Year 8 and Year 10 that describe what students are typically able to
understand and do having been taught the curriculum content for the respective band. Across Years
7–10, the set of achievement standards should describe a broad sequence of expected learning.
The sequence of achievement standards should give teachers a framework of growth and
development in the language area and help teachers plan and monitor learning and make
judgements about student achievement.
Languagespecific examples such as concepts, key words and phrases are included in the content
elaborations and achievement standards. The use of languagespecific examples gives teachers a point of
reference when developing programs and provides indications of pitch and expected levels of performance in
language use and understanding.
More information about these aspects of the curriculum can be found in the Australian Curriculum: Languages
Foundation to Year 10 Curriculum Design.
Glossary
Crasis
A contraction in which two vowels merge into one, making one word out of two (Classical Greek).
Oratory
The oral delivery of ideas in a persuasive style.
Assonance
Repetition, usually of the same vowel sound or diphthong in nonrhyming words that are found close
together, for example, longo sermone (i.e. a correspondence of vowel sounds, but not of consonants).
Synthetic text
Text in Classical Greek or Latin written in modern times to assist reading comprehension for a diversity of
learners.
Paradigm
The listing of the inflected forms of noun, pronoun, adjective or verb; an example of a conjugation or
declension showing a word in all its inflected forms.
Diphthong
Two vowel sounds pronounced together in a single syllable to form a new vowel sound.
Hybrids of Greek and Latin
Words or expressions in English that combine elements of Classical Greek and Latin (for example,
‘television’).
Enclitic
A particle attached to a preceding word.
Alliteration
The repetition of the same consonant sound especially at the beginning of words or syllables.
Responding
Engaging with a literary text. ‘Responding’ involves identifying, selecting, describing, comprehending,
imagining, interpreting, analysing and evaluating.
Case
A grammatical term that describes the inflected form of a noun, pronoun or adjective by which its function in
a clause can be identified.
Metrical effects
The special effects created by poets through a choice of words that varies the light and heavy syllables in
their verse.
Contract verbs
Verbs with stems ending in a short vowel (α, ε, ο). The vowel is absorbed in Attic Greek, but may be written
in full in Homeric Greek and other dialects.
Inflection
A change that expresses one or more grammatical meanings through a prefix, suffix or infix, or some other
internal variation, for example, a vowel change.
Conjunction
A word that joins other words, phrases or clauses in logical relationships, for example, contrast, time, cause
or comparison; conjunctions include coordinating conjunctions and subordinating conjunctions (for example,
and, but, because, although, when, since).
Transliteration
The conversion of a text from one script to another.
Genres
The categories into which texts may be grouped (for example, epic, satire, love poetry, epigram, ode,
oratory).
Literary features
The ways in which writers express their ideas to create an impact on their audiences, for example, to
persuade or to entertain.
Artefact
Something made or shaped by humans for their use, such as a stone tool, metal sword or letter, usually of
historical interest.
Mood
There are two types of usage–
Grammatical: the form of a verb which shows whether it is indicative, imperative, subjunctive or optative
(Classical Greek).
Literary: the emotional atmosphere or perspective created by a writer.
Euphemism
The substitution of a mild expression for one thought to be harsh or offensive.
Voice
There are two forms–
Grammatical: the form of the verb that shows its relation to the subject i.e. active or passive voice.
Literary: the individual writing style of an author or a narrator.
Juxtaposition
The placement of two or more concepts, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side by side for a
particular purpose (for example, for rhetorical effect or to highlight contrast).
Periodic sentence
A long sentence with several clauses designed to arouse interest or suspense by keeping the meaning
unclear until its end especially by postponing the main verb.
Repetition
A word, phrase, part of a sentence or line of verse that is repeated to emphasise its significance. Repetition
can be used as a rhetorical device.
Nested clause
A clause that interrupts another clause.
Rhetorical device
Language designed deliberately to evoke emotion or persuade an audience (for example, imagery,
metaphors, repetition, rhetorical questions).
Evidence
What can be learnt from a historical source to help construct a historical narrative. In the Classical
languages curriculum, ‘evidence’ also means the support from a written text provided for an opinion about
its literary qualities.
Supine
The fourth principal part of a Latin verb from which some other forms can be predicted, and from which
many English words can be derived.
Periods of Roman history
Roman history is conventionally divided into The Monarchy (753–509 BCE), the Republic (509–27 BCE)
and the Empire (27 BCE – 510 CE).
Authentic text
Text in Classical Greek or Latin written in ancient times.
Modified text
Text in Classical Greek or Latin written in ancient times, with omissions or parts rewritten to cater for the
diversity of learners (ie abridged or adapted text).
Ecphrasis
A graphic, often dramatic, description of a visual work of art, either real or imagined inserted into a
narrative, particularly epic poetry (also known as ekphrasis).
Declension
A group of nouns, adjectives, or pronouns that share a variation of form by which their number and case
can be identified.
Tone
The attitude or feeling the writer expresses through choice of words and/or literary devices, for example,
solemn, playful, defensive or sinister.
Conjugation
A group of verbs that inflect in the same way, often featuring a particular vowel.
Restored pronunciation
Reconstruction, based on research, of the way in which Classical Greek or Latin is believed to have been
spoken in ancient times.
Elision
The suppression of a vowel (and the letter m in Latin) at the end of a word when the following word begins
with a vowel.
Context
The general social, historical and cultural conditions in which an ancient text was written, or the wording
surrounding an unfamiliar word that an audience uses to deduce meaning. Context may also refer to the
setting of an extract of text within a literary narrative.
Gnomic statement
An observation or sentiment in the form of a proverbial saying (Classical Greek).
Deponent verbs
Verbs which have passive forms but active meanings.
Root
A word/word element that cannot be reduced to a smaller unit, and from which other words are formed, for
example, duc in reducere.
Sentence
A group of words with a finite verb that can stand alone to make a statement, give a command or ask a
question.
a simple sentence has only one finite verb;
a compound sentence has two or more main clauses of equal grammatical status, usually introduced by a
coordinating conjunction such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘or’;
a complex sentence has one or more subordinate clauses that are dependent on another clause, usually
introduced by a subordinating conjunction such as ‘when’, ‘because’ or ‘if’.
Mycenaean
Anything relating to ancient Mycenae or Mycenaean Greeks (15th – 13th century BCE).
Hyperbole
Extravagant exaggeration, not intended to be taken literally.
Word order variation
The placement of a word or a significant concept in an unexpected position, such as at the beginning or
end of a sentence or line of verse, to draw the audience’s attention to it.
Languages French
Page 731 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages French
French How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the French language and culture in
French is a major world language, spoken as the first language in more than two dozen countries on five
continents and as an official language in 33 countries. First language speakers include the 67 million
inhabitants of mainland France; those living in the territorial communities of New Caledonia, French
Polynesia, and the Wallis and Futuna Islands, as well as in French overseas departments such as French
Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and the island of Réunion; 80 percent of the inhabitants of Québec; and
significant communities in Luxembourg, Belgium, Monaco, Switzerland and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo. There are also many Frenchbased creole languages, such as Haitian, developed through French
colonial contact. French is a language of diplomacy, used by many international organisations, and is the
dominant working language at the European Court of Justice. French culture has contributed to the shaping
of global movements and traditions associated with domains such as the arts, cinema, philosophy and cultural
theory, as well as fashion, design, food and wine.
Australia and the Frenchspeaking world have significant shared history and strong contemporary
connections. First French arrivals in the eighteenth century were explorers, followed by small numbers of
prisoners, refugees and government officials who involved themselves in trade, commerce and agriculture.
Migrants from maritime regions such as Aquitaine and Normandy arrived in the early nineteenth century,
followed by French recruits to the Victorian gold rush (1852–71). Many stayed and settled as agriculturalists,
winemakers, traders and tradesmen. By the beginning of the twentieth century there was an established
French community in the colony, with its own chamber of commerce, Frenchlanguage newspaper, major
shipping interests and involvement in the growing wool trade. The ends of both world wars brought further
migrants, including war brides of Australian servicemen, and people taking advantage of the government
assisted passage scheme at the close of World War II. The gaining of independence by French colonies in
the 1950s and 1960s saw numbers of French families choosing to migrate to Australia rather than return to
France. The past five decades have continued to see a steady movement of migrants between France and
other Frenchspeaking countries and territories and Australia, with approximately 0.5 percent of the Australian
population identifying as having French ancestry.
Current links between Australia and the Frenchspeaking world are strong, characterised by bilateral
relationships in trade and investment, educational exchanges, research and development in science and
technology, humanitarian and environmental initiatives, and communications, strategic and defence priorities.
The Pacific region is a particularly important focus of bilateral engagement. France is a leading destination for
Australian travellers, and a partner in workexchange opportunities in hospitality, tourism and international
relations. Large numbers of young Australians visit France and other Frenchspeaking countries each year on
student or working visas.
The place of the French language in Australian
education
French has been taught in Australian schools and universities since the 1880s. Originally offered with Italian
and German as a modern language option alongside classical languages, it was valued as an important
academic and cultural discipline and a means of accessing the intellectual and cultural heritage of France.
The move to communicatively based approaches to teaching in the 1970s, together with improved
communications and travel opportunities, increased interest in French as an option for more learners. As
Asian languages joined European languages in school programs, numbers of students learning French
declined, but French continues to be studied at all levels across all states and territories and is currently the
third most widely studied language in schools. Wider community interest in learning French is strong, as
evidenced by enrolments in courses offered by regional branches of the Alliance Française and the
proliferation of informal communitybased French conversation groups and language clubs.
The nature of French language learning
French is an IndoEuropean language and belongs to the family of Romance languages derived from the
spoken Latin language of the Roman Empire. It is closely related to English, due to the shared influence of
Latin and to the fact that French was the official language of the English court, administration and culture for
300 years after the Norman Conquest in the eleventh century. This involvement with French contributed
significantly to the developing English language. There are more than 1700 words that are used in both
languages (for example, danger, saint, magazine, tact). In this sense French is already partly familiar to
Englishspeaking learners. This familiarity supports early stages of learning.
French uses the same Roman alphabet as English, although its pronunciation of the letters differs significantly
and the use of accents on some letters is an additional complexity for Englishspeaking learners. There are
many similarities between the two grammatical systems, such as the same basic subjectverbobject order,
but also differences, such as in the use of tenses, the gendering of nouns and adjectives, the marking of
plural forms of nouns and adjectives, and the use of articles and capital letters. The sound system is usually
the main challenge for Englishspeaking learners, including as it does some novel sounds (such as the
pronunciation of the letters r and u), letters which are silent, and unfamiliar liaisons and intonation and rhythm
patterns.
The diversity of learners of French
French programs in Australian schools are offered to a range of learners, including some who are following
immersion or partial immersion programs. Many are monolingual English speakers who are learning French
as their first experience of another language. A relatively small number have existing connections with
French, either as background speakers, second or thirdgeneration French Australians, or through
professional, personal or other forms of connection. For learners from language backgrounds with very
different grammatical and vocabulary systems such as Chinese or Korean, learning French will represent
similar challenges to those which frame their experience of learning English as their language of schooling;
but these learners have the advantage of having developed skills and understandings associated with
learning and using additional languages.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages for French is pitched to second language learners; that is, to the
dominant cohort of learners in the current Australian context for whom French is an additional language. It
has been developed according to two main learning trajectories for these learners, Foundation to Year 10
Sequence and Years 7–10 (Year 7 Entry) Sequence. Teachers will use the curriculum to cater for learners of
different backgrounds by making appropriate adjustments to differentiate learning experiences for these
students.
For students learning French for the first time in a school language program, a key dimension of the
curriculum involves understanding the cultural dimension that shapes and is shaped by the language. The
curriculum is designed with an intercultural language learning orientation to enable students to participate
meaningfully in intercultural experiences, to develop new ways of seeing and being in the world, and to
understand more about themselves in the process.
Languages French
Page 735 of 1359

French Years F–10 Sequence
and varying degrees of early literacy capability. For young students, learning typically focuses on their
immediate world of family, home, school, friends and neighbourhood. They are learning how to socialise with
new people, share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically they
have little to no experience of French language and culture.
French language learning and use
French is learnt in parallel with English language and literacy. Learning in the two areas progresses at very
different levels but each supports and enriches the other. French is used in classroom interactions, routines
and activities, supported by the use of visual and concrete materials, gestures and body language. At this
stage, there is a focus on play and imaginative activities, games, music, movement and familiar routines,
which provide scaffolding and context for language development. Oral language is developed through
listening to the sounds, shapes and patterns of French through activities such as rhymes, songs, clapping and
action games, and through imitating and repeating sounds modelled by the teacher and aural texts. Learners
experiment with simple formulaic expressions and one or twoword responses to prompts and cues. As they
progress to using French for interactions such as greetings or asking and answering questions, they notice
that language behaves differently in different situations and that French speakers communicate in some ways
that are different to their own. Creative play provides opportunities for exploring these differences and for
using French for purposeful interaction, for example, asking for help, sharing ideas, challenging each other or
expressing surprise.
Learners interact with each other and the teacher, with some access to wider school and community
members. Information and communications technologies (ICT) resources provide additional access to French
language and culture experience, connecting learners’ social worlds with those of Frenchspeaking children in
different contexts. Students may also encounter ideas about France and the French language outside the
classroom, through travel, the media or popular culture.
Texts and resources
Learners engage with a variety of spoken, visual and written texts. They listen and respond to teacher talk,
share ideas and join in stories, songs, play and simple conversations. Written and digital texts include stories,
wall charts and Big Books, and teachergenerated materials such as games, labels, captions and flashcards.
Writing skills progress from tracing and copying highfrequency words to writing modelled words and
sentences independently (for example, greeting cards, captions or labels) and cocreating shared resources
such as word walls or storybooks.
Features of French language use
Students become familiar with the sound systems of the French language, including pronunciation, rhythm,
pitch and stress. They learn to pronounce individual letters and letter combinations, including unfamiliar
sounds such as eau, u, è, é, ou, r and g. They recognise and use the intonation patterns that distinguish
between statements, questions and exclamations. They use simple basic sentence structure and learn to
write single words and simple phrases, noticing the use of accents and how these change the sound of
letters. They become familiar with the idea of grammatical gender and know how to use singular and plural
forms. They notice similarities and differences between French and English and begin to develop curiosity
around the idea of difference and culture.
Level of support
Rich language input characterises the first stages of learning. Learners are supported via the provision of
experiences that are challenging but achievable, with high levels of scaffolding and support. This includes
modelling, monitoring and moderating by the teacher, providing multiple and varied sources of input and
stimulus, regular opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing, and continuous cueing, feedback,
response and encouragement.
The role of English
Learners are encouraged to use French whenever possible, with the teacher providing rich and supported
language input. English is used as a medium of instruction and for explanation and discussion. This allows
learners to talk about differences and similarities they notice between French and their first language(s) and
culture(s), to ask questions about language and culture, and to consider how they feel when they hear or use
French and about how they view different languages and the people who speak them. This introduction to the
‘meta’ dimension of intercultural learning develops the ability to consider different perspectives and ways of
being.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with each other and the teacher using simple language and gestures for exchanges such as
greetings and farewells, thanks and introductions, and for talking about self and family
[Key concepts: self, family, home, friendship; Key processes: interacting, greeting, thanking, describing]
(ACLFRC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
introducing themselves and responding to greetings, for example, Comment t’appellestu? Je
m’appelle…; Ça va, Emilie? Ça va bien, merci
using simple descriptive or expressive statements to describe themselves and to express likes,
preferences or feelings, for example, moi, j’ai cinq ans; je suis australien; j’aime le sport; moi, je préfère
la danse; je suis très content
recognising and responding to simple questions on topics such as home, school or pets, using
supporting intonation and gestures, for example, Qui estce? C’est Maman. Qu’estce que c’est? C’est la
chaise. Où est…? Il est…C’est un chien? Mais non…C’est un chat!
using formulaic French phrases for everyday interactions such as thanking, apologising, and offering
wishes or congratulations, for example, Merci!…oh, pardon; bon appétit; bonne fête! bravo!
Participate in guided group activities using simple repetitive language in songs, rhymes, games and
transactions
[Key concepts: play, performance, action learning, exchange; Key processes: participating, performing,
taking turns, requesting]

Elaborations
singing and adapting rhymes, action songs and raps (Tourne, tourne petit moulin), lullabies (Fais dodo)
and counting songs (Un éléphant se balançait)
creating class activities or projects that involve naming, labelling and illustrating, such as a garden, a pet
rock collection or favouritephotos wall
participating in tasks involving exchanging, sorting and classifying objects and attributes such as shapes,
colours and numbers, using simple question forms and affirmative/negative responses, for example, Tu
as un 7? Oui, voilà. Et toi, tu as un 10? Non, j’ai un 6
taking turns in games and action songs that involve choice and negotiation, for example, choosing or
exchanging matching cards or playing memory games such as Au marché (donnemoi deux pommes, s’il
te plaȋt; donnemoi deux pommes et trois carottes…)
Recognise and respond to classroom interactions such as opening and closing of lessons, transition
activities, and giving and following instructions
[Key concepts: roles, routines, rules, interactions; Key processes: listening, observing, cooperating,
responding]

Elaborations
using French for everyday routines such as roll call or naming the day of the week (for example,
aujourd’hui c’est lundi), opening and closing lessons (for example, singing: Bonjour, mes amis/Au revoir,
mes amis), or transition activities, for example, on fait un grand cercle…
responding to instructions or directions through actions, gestures or verbal responses, for example,
Lèvetoi, regardezmoi, écoutez, doucement!
asking for information or for a turn, for example, Madame … Qu’estce que c’est? Et moi?
interacting with each other during learning activities, for example, Donnemoi le crayon. Voilà/voici…
merci
Informing
Identify key points of information in simple texts
[Key concepts: text, meaning, context; Key processes: decoding, guessing, making meaning]

Elaborations
recognising symbols, words and phrases of written French, for example, labels, titles and captions
shared reading of texts such as Big Book stories about familiar events or contexts (for example, Les amis
de la ferme or Raconte et Chante), using pictures, intonation and contextual clues to predict meaning
and identify key characters and events
making connections between information in written texts and images, for example, naming toys and
games in toy catalogues such as Jouets pour les tout petits, selecting and listing items and prices
identifying key points in a range of spoken, written or digital texts by actions such as miming and drawing,
or onscreen pointing, clicking or dragging (for interactive programs such as Petit Pont)
Convey factual information about self, family, friends and possessions, using simple statements, gestures
and support materials
[Key concepts: self, family, school; Key processes: naming, labelling, showing, describing]

Elaborations
labelling or naming classroom items and resources or personal possessions, for example, la table, la
chaise, l’ordinateur, la carte
contributing to a class photo story, for example, writing and reading aloud captions to own photos (Je
suis triste/content/fâché) and points of personal information (J’aime le chocolat; je suis petite; j’ai un chat
noir)
using simple sentence structures, familiar vocabulary, concrete materials and supporting gestures to talk
about self and the immediate environment, for example, Je suis à l’école; j’ai les yeux verts; voici ma
chaise et voilà mon sac; j’ai un tracteur rouge
drawing aspects of daily routines (for example, le petit déjeuner, la récréation, le sport), and writing
captions or attaching word bubbles
Creating
Engage with a range of imaginative texts through action, dance, drawing and other forms of expression
[Key concepts: imagination, response, character, expression; Key processes: responding, acting, dancing,
expressing]

Elaborations
listening to or viewing French versions of familiar stories such as Le Navet Géant or Boucle d’Or et les
Trois Ours, comparing French expressions at key points in the story with English language versions, and
reenacting with puppets, props and actions
performing poems, rhymes or simple stories that include repeated phrases and rhythms to emphasise
key points, for example, chanting ‘Au Loup!’ in Au Loup, or ‘Ça va pas, non!’ in Je veux pas aller à l’école
making simple evaluative statements about favourite characters in stories, rhymes or songs, for example,
Il est magnifique! J’adore Minou! Elle est sympa!
recreating stories, rhymes and songs through mime, dance, or drawings with simple written captions
Participate in shared performance and presentation of stories, songs or nursery rhymes, playing with sound
patterns, rhyming words and nonverbal forms of expression
[Key concepts: rhythm, expression, pronunciation; Key processes: chanting, miming, drawing, dancing]

Elaborations
performing songs, rhymes and action stories using nonverbal forms of expression such as clapping,
gestures and facial expressions to support the making of meaning
creating and presenting own Big Books, storyboards or digital texts based on imaginary scenarios in
familiar contexts (for example, Petit Ours Brun fait un tour à notre classe), building on key words and
phrases, and using punctuation to guide intonation and drawings to support written text
creating rhythms for difficult or complicated phrases or intonation patterns, such as Comment t’appelles
tu? Qu’estce que tu manges pour le petit déjeuner? Le chocolat chaud
Translating
Translate simple French words, phrases and gestures for family and friends, noticing how they may have
similar or different meanings in English or other known languages
[Key concepts: language, vocabulary, meaning; Key processes: demonstrating, explaining, comparing]

Elaborations
recognising that every language has its own words, sounds and gestures to make meaning, and using
French and/or English to name familiar objects and conduct simple conversations, translating when
necessary to help others understand
sharing and interpreting simple expressions and songs with friends and family, for example, showing
them how to sing Joyeux anniversaire or explaining how to use appropriate greetings for different times
or occasions, such as Salut, Bonsoir or Bonne fête
demonstrating and explaining hand gestures, intonation patterns or facial expressions that accompany
language or stand alone, for example, shrugs or exclamations such as Bof! Mais non! Ouf! Oh là là!
Create simple print or digital texts that use both French and English, such as labels, word banks, wall
charts or ID cards
[Key concepts: vocabulary, translation, meaning; Key processes: naming, comparing, copying]


Elaborations
collecting French and English words that are similar or identical and have the same meaning but are
pronounced differently, for example, la police, la table, la routine, six
designing and using bilingual fiches personnelles with identifying details supplied in both languages, for
example, nom, prénom(s), ȃge, mes amis sont…, j’habite…, j’aime…
writing captions in French and in English for a photographic display to record a class event or experience
such as sports day, school camp or pets day
making own bilingual picture dictionaries with captions, stickers and simple descriptions to explain
culturespecific terms such as la bise, le goûter or la rentrée
Reflecting
Notice how using French feels and sounds different to using own language(s) and involves behaviours as
well as words
[Key concepts: language, culture, difference; Key processes: noticing, considering, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing French ways of talking and behaving that appear different to own ways, finding examples in
children’s stories such as Marie de Paris or Je veux pas aller à l’école or in recordings of French
speaking children in different contexts
comparing aspects of Australian and French children’s lifestyles, such as ways of playing games, buying
and eating food or interacting with family members, for example, school cantine meals, daily greetings in
the family
using French versions of spontaneous exclamations or interactions, for example, Aïe! instead of ouch!, or
ça va! plus hand gestures or facial expressions when responding to a greeting
including some French words and expressions in English conversation when it feels appropriate (for
example, bon…voilà, pardon, merci, attention!), noticing changes in behaviour, voice or body language
when speaking French
Describe themselves, the people they are close to and the ways they communicate, using simple
statements and gestures
[Key concepts: identity, self, communication; Key processes: describing, explaining, presenting]

Elaborations
making simple statements about themselves, including where they come from, their age and
appearance, for example, je suis australien et italien, j’habite à Darwin, je suis fils unique, je suis petit et
mince
identifying languages they speak or are familiar with, for example, je parle vietnamien, anglais et
français, comparing ways of interacting in familiar situations in different languages
noticing their own use of words, expressions or behaviours that make them who they are, such as using
words from different languages, ways of celebrating or talking that may not be familiar to other people
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise and reproduce the sounds and rhythms of spoken French, noticing how they are produced and
how they are represented in words and symbols
[Key concepts: pitch, stress, intonation, letters, pronunciation; Key processes: listening, distinguishing,
reading, recognising]
(ACLFRU012 Scootle )

Elaborations
building phonic awareness by recognising and experimenting with sounds and rhythms, focusing on
those that are novel and initially difficult such as u (tu), r (très rapide) and ion (attention!)
listening closely to distinguish between sounds such as bon, bien and beau or chien, chat and champ
understanding that intonation patterns create different meanings, as in the distinction between
statements, questions and exclamations (Tu as six ans. Tu as six ans? Tu as six ans!)
developing pronunciation, phrasing and intonation skills by singing, reciting and repeating words and
phrases in context
becoming familiar with the French alphabet, noticing similarities and differences to English, for example,
doublev, igrec, and the possible confusion between g and j
Understand some first elements of French grammar, such as simple verb and gender forms, definite
articles, pronouns and prepositions
[Key concepts: words, sentences, grammar, patterns, rules; Key processes: recognising, naming, selecting]

Elaborations
understanding the French subjectverbobject structure (je mange la pomme; tu as le cahier) and the
different patterns of adjectivenoun order, with some adjectives coming before and some coming after
the noun (le beau manteau, la grande école, le papillon rose)
noticing and using definite and indefinite articles in singular or plural forms (for example, la fille, le
concert, les croissants; un chapeau, une chaise, des amis), including the l’ form for nouns beginning with
a vowel or letter h, for example, l’hiver, l’école
becoming aware of grammatical gender, noticing and using masculine or feminine forms of nouns and
adjectives, for example, le chien, la maison, le petit garçon, la petite fille, le copain, la copine
using appropriate pronouns to identify people, for example, Je m’appelle Adam, et toi, tu t’appelles
comment? C’est lui?
recognising and using some prepositions in simple sentence structures, for example, elle est devant la
maison, je suis sous la chaise
developing number knowledge for numbers 0–20 and ordinals (premier, deuxième)
responding to and using simple imperative verb forms, for example, viens ici! écoutez bien!
using singular forms of common verbs in the present tense (for example, je suis chinois, tu as trois
frères, il aime le football, Papa est grand) and some forms of irregular verbs such as aller, venir and faire
using simple questions and statements, for example, Qu’estce que c’est? Qui estce? Tu t’appelles
comment? C’est un poisson. Je préfère les fraises
Understand that language is organised as ‘texts’, which take different forms and use different structures
and features to achieve their purposes
[Key concepts: genre, text, meaning; Key processes: noticing, applying]

Elaborations
understanding that texts can be spoken, written, digital, visual or multimodal and that they can be very
short (Stop! or a hand gesture to signify Arrête!) or much longer (Il était une fois…)
recognising that different types of text have different features (for example, rhythm and repetition in
action songs and rhymes) and use different language, for example, formal or informal forms of address
(Bonjour, Monsieur; Merci beaucoup, Madame; Salut, Annie!)
comparing similar texts in French and English such as counting games or street signs, identifying
elements in the French texts which look or sound different
developing a language to talk about language and texts (metalanguage), and naming familiar types of
text (story, poem, recipe, list) and talking about how they work, for example, using the storystarter Il était
une fois…; rhyming and repeating words in songs such as Trois p’tits chats…
Understand that French speakers use language differently in different situations, such as in playground
games, at home with the family or in the classroom
[Key concepts: language as social practice, language conventions; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing that different kinds of language are used in different situations and with different people, for
example, exchanges between children and parents (Un bisou, Papa! Je t’aime, ma puce!) and
exchanges between children and unfamiliar adults (Bonjour, Madame, comment ça va?)
understanding that language varies according to context and situation, for example, language used for
play with friends (vasy! bravo! cours! à moi!) is less formal than language used with teachers (Pardon,
Monsieur Falcon; je suis désolé; je m’excuse...)
understanding that language forms such as greetings vary according to the time of day or the occasion,
for example, bonjour, bonsoir, bonne nuit, bonne année, bon anniversaire
understanding that language associated with particular interactions can vary in different cultural contexts,
for example, the use of first names in Australian or American English compared to the use of titles and
family names in French or Japanese
Understand that all languages continuously change through contact with each other and through changes
in society
[Key concepts: language, change, word borrowing; Key processes: noticing, comparing, listing]

Elaborations
understanding that languages and cultures change in response to new ideas and social and cultural
developments (globalisation)
recognising that languages borrow from each other, that many French words are used in English (for
example, ‘croissant’, ‘menu’, ‘chauffeur’, ‘chef’, ‘ballet’) and many English words are used in French, for
example, le weekend, le parking, le cowboy
understanding that some languages are continuously growing while others, such as many Indigenous
languages throughout the world, are endangered or being revived
Recognise that Australia is a multilingual society with speakers of many different languages, including
French
[Key concepts: multilingualism, culture, community; Key processes: discussing, observing, mapping]

Elaborations
understanding that the world contains many different languages spoken by many different communities
of speakers and that most people in the world speak more than one language
Islander languages, Asian languages and world languages

exploring the different languages used by peers in their class, for example, by creating a language map
with greetings in each language represented in the class
recognising that French is an important world language, spoken in many countries in the world apart
from France, including Australia
Understand that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live
and what is important to them
[Key concepts: language, culture, meaning; Key processes: noticing, asking questions, reflecting,
explaining]

Elaborations
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, how it involves visible elements (such as ways of eating or symbols
such as flags) and invisible elements, such as how people live, what they value, and how they think about
themselves and others
understanding that learning French involves ways of using language that may be unfamiliar (for example,
using merci when refusing an offer), and also some ways of behaving and thinking that may be
unfamiliar, for example, the importance of food in some family and regional traditions, or ways of
expressing or describing feelings or relationships
noticing features of French language interactions in some texts and contexts (for example, photos,
storybooks or video clips) that may be similar or different to own ways of communicating
identifying ways of communicating and behaving associated with Australian contexts, for example,
Nippers, rip spotting, body boarding; multicultural days in primary schools
By the end of Year 2, students interact with teachers and each other through actionrelated talk and play.
They exchange greetings such as Bonjour! Comment ça va? Très bien, merci and respond to question cues
with single words or set phrases such as Qu’estce que c’est? Un éléphant. Tu veux un croissant? Non, merci.
They choose between options when responding to questions such as Tu veux le rouge ou le bleu? They
make meaning using visual, nonverbal and contextual cues such as intonation, gestures and facial
expressions. They mimic French pronunciation, approximating vowel sounds and consonant combinations
with some accuracy. They identify key words in spoken texts, such as names of people, places or objects.
They use modelled examples and formulaic language to convey factual information at word and simple
sentence level, such as making statements about themselves, their class and home environment, the weather
or date. They write simple texts such as lists, labels, captions and descriptions. Students use some pronouns,
prepositions and simple present tense forms of regular verbs.
Students identify ways in which spoken French sounds different to English and know that it uses the same
alphabet when written. They identify words that are written the same in both languages but pronounced
differently. They know that French is the language used in France and also in many other regions of the
world. They know that language is used differently in different situations and between different people. They
identify differences and similarities between their own and other’s languages and cultures.
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social worlds and of their memberships of various
groups including of the French class. They are developing literacy capabilities in English, such as writing in
the Roman alphabet, and this assists to some degree in learning French. They benefit from varied, activity
based learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of
learning.
French language learning and use
A balance between language knowledge and language use is established. Activities that focus on grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation are integrated with purposeful, varied communicative activities. The
development of oral proficiency at this stage continues to rely on rich language input. Learners engage in a lot
of listening, developing activelistening and comprehension skills, using contextual, grammatical, phonic and
nonverbal cues. The language they hear is authentic with modification, involving familiar vocabulary and
simple structures. The balance between listening and speaking gradually shifts as learners are supported to
use the language themselves in familiar contexts and situations. They exchange simple ideas and
information, negotiate predictable activities and interactions, and participate in shared tasks, performance and
play. They continue to build vocabulary that can be adapted for different purposes. They control simple
grammatical forms with some accuracy to communicate in familiar contexts.
The context in which students interact is primarily the language classroom and the school environment, with
some sharing of their learning at home. They also have some access to wider communities of French
speakers and resources through virtual and digital technology. The familiarity and routine dimension of the
classroom context provide scaffolding and opportunities for language practice and experimentation.
Texts and resources
Learners develop literacy skills through interacting with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal
texts. Imaginative and interactive texts such as picture books, stories, puppet play, songs and computer
games introduce them to the expressive and cultural dimensions of French. Procedural, informative and
descriptive texts, such as timetables, tuckshop orders or class profiles, show how language is used to
organise, to describe and to ‘get things done’. Learners may have access to resources developed for children
in France, such as television programs, advertisements or web pages, as a way of developing cultural
knowledge.
Features of French language use
Learning French contributes to the process of making sense of the children’s worlds that characterises this
stage of development. As they encounter French language and culture they understand that French and
English have many similarities and also some interesting differences. They notice features of French
communication such as the use of gestures, facial expressions, intonation patterns and polite forms of
address. They make comparisons with their own ways of communicating. This leads them to think about
identity and difference and about what it means to speak more than one language.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support. This is primarily provided by the teacher, who provides
instruction, explanations, examples, repetition, reinforcement and feedback. Tasks and activities are carefully
scaffolded and resourced. Time is allowed for experimentation, drafting and redrafting. Learners are
supported to selfmonitor and reflect on their learning.
The role of English
Learners are supported to use French as much as possible for classroom routines, social interactions,
structured learning tasks, and language experimentation and practice. English is used for discussion,
explanation and reflection, enabling learners to develop a language for sharing ideas about language and
culture systems. It enables them to ask questions to support their learning and to reflect on the experience of
moving between languages and cultures. Using both French and English in the classroom develops a sense
of what it means to be bilingual.
Communicating
Socialising
Participate in routine exchanges such as asking each other how they are, offering wishes and sharing
information about aspects of their personal worlds
[Key concepts: communication, politeness, friendship; Key processes: interacting, listening, questioning,
responding]

Elaborations
exchanging greetings in different contexts, for example, Bonjour, Madame Patou, comment allezvous?
Salut, Nicole, ça va? Pas mal, et toi?
offering wishes for particular occasions, situations or times of day, for example, Bonne nuit, Papa!
Bonjour, Messieurs; Bonne fête, Hafiz! A demain, Mademoiselle; A bientȏt! Bonne année! Bon courage!
exchanging information about self, family, friends or interests, building vocabulary, using simple
statements and cohesive devices such as the conjunctions et, mais and ou, and experimenting with
gestures (for example, shrugging, thumb/fingers gesture for l’argent), intonation and expression, for
example, J’ai deux soeurs et j’ai un frère; j’aime les sports et les voyages — mais j’adore la musique!
using common responses to frequently asked questions or comments (for example, très bien, voilà, oui,
bien sûr, d’accord), imitating modelled intonation and stress patterns
asking and answering questions relating to concepts such as time, place or number, including days of the
week, months and seasons, for example, Ça fait combien? Ça fait cinq; Quelle heure estil? Il est dix
heures; Aujourd’hui c’est vendredi? Non, c’est jeudi; En hiver il fait très froid
exchanging simple correspondence such as notes, invitations or birthday cards in print or digital form
Make statements, ask questions and collaborate in shared tasks such as science experiments, cooking or
craft activities, building collections or swapping items
[Key concepts: collaboration, creativity, discovery; Key processes: contributing, collecting, exchanging]

Elaborations
making simple recipes such as crêpes or croques monsieur, using imperative verb forms (ajoutez,
mélangez, versez, servez) and vocabulary for ingredients and quantities (la farine, le beurre, le lait, 100
grammes, un verre de...)
creating own instructional or procedural tasks such as making a model or designing treasure hunts, for
example, Où se cache le trésor?
playing games that involve active listening, memory or information exchange, for example, Jacques a dit,
Jeu de 7 familles, Loto
working together in collaborative tasks such as designing a poster for a specific event, composing a
menu or creating a picture book, sharing decisions about content, vocabulary and design, for example,
ceci ou cela? qu’estce que tu préfères? là ou là? petit ou grand?
swapping or borrowing from each other’s language resources such as word lists to complete shared
learning tasks, for example, building an action wall or making adjectivesnakesentences (le chien est:
petit, noir, fatigué, triste; Maman est: grande, mince, belle, gentille)
Follow the teacher’s instructions and use simple questions, statements and gestures to support own
learning, such as asking for help or permission or attracting attention
[Key concepts: learning strategies, support; Key processes: requesting, clarifying, responding]

Elaborations
responding to instructions such as Encore une fois; montremoi; chantez plus fort; regarde les photos,
écoutez, écrivez/tapez la phrase
requesting help or clarification, for example, Je ne comprends pas; répétez s’il vous plaȋt; j’ai une
question…
negotiating turns (for example, C’est à toi? Non, c’est à moi), and praising and evaluating each other, for
example, Super! Pas mal. Bon travail! Excellent! Bravo!
developing and displaying classroom rules and routines, deciding on priorities such as le respect, la
politesse and la coopération
using appropriate language to ask for help or to attract attention, for example, Monsieur, s’il vous plaȋt!
Je ne comprends pas
rehearsing words, phrases or interjections which can be used as ‘hooks’ or fillers in conversation, such
as ah bon … voilà…eh bien…alors
Informing
Locate specific points of information in different types of texts relating to social and natural worlds
[Key concepts: community, family, friends, environment; Key processes: focused reading, information
selection and organisation]

Elaborations
collecting information about different animal species (for example, les insectes, les animaux
domestiques/sauvages), and creating a display with names and appropriate adjectives, for example, la
fourmi — minuscule; le lion — féroce
listening to short spoken texts with some unfamiliar language, identifying points of information, for
example, the name and number on a recorded phone message, the age of a child interviewed, some
items on a recorded shopping list
locating information relating to school activities in a French context (for example, l’emploi du temps, la
lecture, l’orthographe, le vocabulaire, les mathématiques) and comparing with own daily schedule
‘finding French’ at home or in the community to create collections or displays, for example, French words
used in English language advertisements, shop signs, recipe books or menus
Present factual information about self, others, and home and school life, using graphic support such as
photos, maps or charts
[Key concepts: home, school, information; Key processes: selecting, presenting, comparing]

Elaborations
using simple descriptive language and supporting resources to introduce family members and friends,
identifying relationships (c’est mon cousin/ma sœur/ma grandmère/mon copain) and cultural
backgrounds (il est chinois/espagnol/australien)
collecting information about each other’s likes, dislikes or interests, using checklists, surveys or question
cues such as combien de…? à quelle heure…? to create a class profile, chart or database, for example,
les sports préférés, les plats de choix
presenting information on events or topics of possible interest to French children of their own age (for
example, les fêtes d’anniversaire, les vacances or les copains), using multimodal resources and realia
support and building vocabulary to describe actions and feelings
creating a class book or digital display about topics they have been studying in French and/or other
curriculum areas, for example, les animaux sauvages au zoo/dans la nature
Creating
Participate in interactive stories and performances, acting out responses, identifying favourite elements,
and making simple statements about characters or themes
[Key concepts: response, action, expression; Key processes: participating, imagining, interpreting]

Elaborations
interacting with characters in stories, songs or cartoons such as Samsam or Titou, for example, by
writing invitations, paying simple compliments (Viens chez moi! J’adore ton chapeau!) or preparing
questions for an interview (Tu as quel ȃge? Estce que tu aimes le fromage?)
viewing excerpts from imaginative texts such as Ratatouille, listening for key words and phrases, picking
up cultural cues, and choosing vocabulary to describe key characters, for example, Rémi: un rat,
gastronome, chef, intélligent; Emil: un rat, le frère, gros, gourmand; Linguini: jeune home, timide,
maladroit, bête
collecting and using favourite exclamations, words or expressions from different imaginative and
expressive texts, for example, Terrrrible! Ça y est! Pas vrai!
reading simple narratives and responding to images that evoke positive or negative emotions such as
affection, sadness or anger, and making connections with their own experiences by using stem
statements such as Je suis folle quand…; Je suis contente si…; J’ai peur de…
Create short imaginative texts that allow for exploration and enjoyment of language
[Key concepts: fantasy, imagination; Key processes: experimenting, playing, creating, performing]

Elaborations
creating short imaginative texts designed to amuse or entertain, such as fantasy stories featuring
imaginary creatures with names created out of two or more real animal names, for example, le
chevaloon, le lapinat, les moutaches
producing and presenting picture/digital books or short scripted plays or animations that use favourite
French words and expressions to build rhythm or rhyme
creating and performing alternative versions of stories or action songs, using voice, rhythm and gestures
to animate characters, or using support materials such as drawings or story maps to create visual
context
Translating
Translate highfrequency words and expressions in simple texts such as captions, story titles or recurring
lines in a story, noticing which ones are difficult to interpret
[Key concepts: translation, meaning, culture; Key processes: noticing, explaining, comparing]


Elaborations
identifying and comparing key words in French and English versions of favourite stories (for example, La
chenille qui fait des trous and The Very Hungry Caterpillar; La vieille dame qui avala une mouche and
The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly), and comparing rhythms and vocal effects in the two versions
playing matchingpair games with French and English word cards, for example, Le Calendrier, matching
words in both languages for days of the week, months and seasons
collecting and using French words and expressions which do not translate easily into English (for
example, bon appétit, bon voyage, voilà!) and French words used by English speakers, for example,
‘café’, ‘éclair’, ‘mousse’, ‘chic’
finding English words in French texts (for example, l’Internet, le sandwich), and considering how French
speakers might pronounce the English words and why they are not translated
Create bilingual versions of texts such as picture dictionaries, action games or captions for images
[Key concepts: translation, meaning; Key processes: selecting, codemixing, explaining]

Elaborations
participating in Circle Time sessions, helping each other to use as many French words and expressions
as possible
creating bilingual picture dictionaries, using colourcoded captions to identify words that are identical,
similar or different
creating captions for images in simple bilingual storybooks modelled on texts such as Oops and Ohlala
(A la plage, Vive l’école!)
alternating between French and English versions of games such as Un…deux...trois…soleil and What
time is it, Mister Wolf? or Caillou, papier, ciseaux and Rock, paper, scissors
creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community (for example, posters, library displays or
online newsletter items), and discussing how to represent meaning in different languages for different
audiences
Reflecting
Notice what looks or feels similar or different to own language and culture when interacting in French
[Key concepts: communication, difference, respect; Key processes: noticing, comparing, reflecting]

Elaborations
identifying elements of French language that feel most different to their own usual ways, including
pronunciation of some sounds, gestures such as la bise, or facial expressions, and describing to each
other what they are confident in doing in French, what they feel unsure of and what they most enjoy
talking about how it feels to use a different language
experimenting with respectful gestures and forms of communication, such as shaking hands or using
titles such as Madame and Monsieur
Explore their own sense of identity, including elements such as family, friends and interests, and ways of
using language with different people
[Key concepts: identity, friends, groups; Key processes: noticing, describing, identifying]

Elaborations
using simple words and expressions selected from word banks and modelled statements to create
personal profiles, highlighting key characteristics and features, for example, je suis australien et grec, je
suis sportif, je suis courageuse, je parle anglais et grec, j’ai beaucoup de cousins
noticing how they communicate with each other, their families, teachers and other adults, identifying
differences in behaviour and language and explaining reasons for these
talking about identity and language use, and creating visual representations of their own memberships of
families, friendship groups and communities, for example, ma famille, mon équipe, ma classe
reflecting on the experience of becoming bilingual (or in the case of some learners plurilingual),
considering what advantages this brings and whether it impacts on identity
Understanding
Systems of language
Experiment with the pronunciation of vowel sounds, letter combinations and intonation patterns, and
recognise and write highfrequency words and expressions in familiar contexts
[Key concepts: pronunciation, accent, spelling, writing; Key processes: alphabetic recognition,
discriminating sounds, recognising words]

Elaborations
creating an alphabet bank, collecting words that begin with each letter, for example, H: l’hiver, l’homme,
l’hôtel; M: mai, mardi, le mouchoir; P: le pain, Papa, le poisson
recognising and practising the most common vowel sounds, such as ou (vous, jour), oi (toi, voiture), on
(bonbon, mon), ai (aimer, j’ai), ain (train, demain) and eau (chȃteau, beau)
observing differences in pronunciation of word endings shared with English such as tion and ent, for
example, attention, situation, commencement, accident
understanding that some letters blend to make single sounds (such as ille, eau or qu), that some final
consonants in French words are usually silent (for example, le rat, le tapis, vert, chez) and some are
usually pronounced (for example, chic, actif)
Notice and apply elements of French grammar such as word order, gender and singular/plural forms,
adverbs, pronouns and prepositions in simple spoken and written texts
[Key concepts: sentence, gender, number; Key processes: recognising, applying, naming]

Elaborations
developing a metalanguage in French for talking about language, using terms similar to those used in
English, such as le verbe, l’adjectif, l’adverbe, la conjonction and le vocabulaire
observing the relationship between subject pronouns and verb endings, using je/tu/il/elle + present tense
of verbs associated with familiar actions and environments, for example, il chante bien, je suis fatigué, tu
aimes le yaourt, elle est en classe
expressing negation in simple sentence structures and colloquial expressions, for example, je ne sais
pas; elle ne mange pas; tu ne viens pas? Pas du tout!
understanding the difference between definite and indefinite articles, and how to refer to a specific or
unspecific person, place or object, for example, tu manges la pomme, j’achète un livre, une vȃche
énorme, le climat français
understanding the function of verb moods, recognising and knowing how to use statements, simple
questions and imperatives, for example, Tu peux commencer; je peux commencer? Commence!
using an increasing range of adjectives (for example, bizarre, magnifique, formidable), including
additional gender forms, for example, blanc/blanche, gros/grosse
using some adverbs to elaborate on simple verb statements, for example, elle mange lentement, je
chante doucement, il parle très vite
using additional prepositions to indicate direction or location, for example, à gauche, à droite, à côté de
strengthening vocabulary knowledge by making connections with known words (for example, triste, la
tristesse; le marché, le supermarché, le marchand), recognising word patterns and building word
clusters, for example, number knowledge to 60+, words associated with food, family members or sports
Notice differences between simple spoken, written and multimodal French texts used in familiar contexts,
and compare with similar texts in English.
[Key concepts: mode, medium, language features; Key processes: noticing, comparing, describing,
explaining]

Elaborations
noticing and applying features of familiar types of texts such as greetings, requests, weather reports or
recipes through activities such as ‘genreswapping’; that is, transferring features associated with one
genre to a different one, for example, greetings that sound like announcements (Attention, Madame,
commentallez vous!) or weather reports that read like recipes (Un litre de pluie, six nuages…)
recognising how different textual elements combine to make meaning (for example, the images, font and
script of a web page; the layout, title and illustrations in a picture book; the highlighting of names, dates
and times on an invitation), and copying and creating templates to store as learning resources
analysing features of simple spoken and written texts in French, such as a verbal greeting or a written
postcard (noting, for example, the sequencing of the message, terms of address and ways of signing
off), and comparing with similar texts in English
Understand that different ways of using French reflect different regions and countries, different
relationships and different ways of making meaning
[Key concepts: variation, register, tenor; Key processes: observing, explaining]

Elaborations
recognising that there are many different varieties of French spoken in different countries and regions,
involving different accents, dialects and vocabulary, for example, un pain au chocolat/une chocolatine in
the south of France
understanding how changes in voice and body language can change the meaning of words, for example,
Tu aimes les devoirs? (simple question) versus Tu aimes les devoirs? (expressing surprise, disbelief);
C’est mon petit frère (statement) versus C’est mon petit frère! (pride)
finding examples of shortened noun forms in colloquial French (such as le resto, le frigo, le foot, le prof),
comparing with the use of abbreviations in Australian English (such as ‘brekkie’, ‘ambo’ and ‘arvo’), and
considering when or how they are used
Understand that languages change over time and influence each other, and that French has influenced
many languages, including English
[Key concepts: influence, change, exchange; Key processes: identifying, classifying, interpreting]

Elaborations
considering differences in how groups of people communicate, such as younger or older people, girls
and boys, and how new words and expressions are constantly being invented or borrowed from other
languages
collecting French words used in English (for example, le restaurant, le café, le chauffeur, le ballet, le
croissant), and comparing how they are pronounced by French and English speakers
discovering some of the English words used by French speakers (for example, le coach, le blog,
l’Internet, le football, le corner, le burger, le denim), and considering if they are the same kinds of words
as those borrowed from French into English
exploring how languages mix with each other to invent new words or expressions, for example, le
franglais, le texto
‘finding French’ at home or in the community to create a class collection or display, for example, French
products, labels or words used in English language advertisements, shop signs, recipe books or menus
Know that French is an important global language used by communities in many countries around the
world and that it has connections with several other languages
[Key concepts: global language, culture, identity, communication; Key processes: collecting data, mapping,
grouping]

Elaborations
knowing that French is spoken in many regions of the world (for example, le Québec, le Sénégal, le
Maroc, la Suisse, le Monaco, la Nouvelle Calédonie), with different accents and dialects
understanding that French has close connections to other languages which have shared histories and
many similar words, for example, English, French, Italian and Spanish (‘the bank’, la banque, la banca, el
banco; ‘art’, l’art, l’arte, el arte)
identifying ways in which French language and culture influence the lives of Australians
Notice differences between French, Australian and other cultures’ practices and how these are reflected in
language
[Key concepts: culture as process and practice, beliefs, values; Key processes: identifying, describing,
discussing]

Elaborations
identifying cultural symbols such as art forms, flags, national dishes or sporting emblems associated with
different francophone countries and regions (for example, le tricolore in France, le Fleurdelisé in Québec,
le Kanak in la Nouvelle Calédonie), and comparing with different Australian cultural expressions and
symbols, for example, flags, sporting logos, national celebrations, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander arts
understanding that language carries information about the people who use it and that common
expressions often reflect cultural values, for example, French terms of affection used with children often
relate to either food or animals (mon petit chou, mon lapin)
exploring how and why some languages have more words related to particular things than other
languages do, for example, AustralianEnglish words associated with surfing (‘bomb’, ‘barrel’, ‘tube’,
‘snaking’), or French words for different kinds of breads and cakes (une baguette, une ficelle, une
religieuse, un millefeuille)
learning how to talk about culture and language, using terms such as ‘meaning’, ‘difference’ and
‘behaviour’, and thinking about values, ideas and traditions which sit inside language, for example,
responding to prompts such as: What does it mean when…? What is the difference between…? Why do
you think that people…?
By the end of Year 4, students interact with teachers and each other through classroom routines, action
related talk and play. They exchange greetings and wishes, respond to familiar instructions and to questions
such as Qu’estce que c’est? and Qu’estce que tu fais? They share simple ideas and information, express
positive and negative feelings (for example, Je suis très contente; Je n’aime pas la pluie) and ask for help,
clarification and permission. They interpret visual, nonverbal and contextual cues such as intonation,
gestures and facial expressions to help make meaning. They make statements using the present tense and
present + infinitive form about self, family and interests (for example, Je suis australien et italien; J’habite à
Brisbane; Je vais partir demain). They approximate the sounds, rhythms and pitch of spoken French. They
comprehend simple, spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts, using cues such as context, graphics,
familiar vocabulary and language features. They use modelled sentence structures to compose short original
texts such as descriptions, captions or simple narratives, using conjunctions such as et and mais, and
prepositions such as sous, sur and devant. They use vocabulary related to familiar contexts and their
personal worlds, and apply gender and number agreements in simple constructions (for example, une petite
maison, les grands chiens).
Students know that French is a significant language spoken in many parts of the world, including Australia;
that it is similar to English in some ways (for example, it has the same alphabet and basic sentence structure
and many shared words) and different in other ways (such as in the use of titles, gestures, some new sounds
such as r and u and gender forms). They know that languages change over time and influence each other.
They identify French words used in English (such as menu, mousse) and English words used in French (such
as le weekend, stop!). They demonstrate understanding of the fact that language may need to be adjusted to
suit different situations and relationships (for example, formal and informal language, different text types).
They explain how French has its own rules for pronunciation, nonverbal communication and grammar. They
use terms such as verb, adjective and gender for talking about language and learning. Students identify ways
in which languages are connected with cultures, and how the French language, like their own, reflects ways of
behaving and thinking as well as ways of using language.
Languages German
Page 762 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages German
German How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the German language and culture in
German is an official language of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Belgium, Luxembourg and
in South Tyrol in Italy. It is also used as an official regional or auxiliary language in a number of other countries
in Europe, and in Namibia in Africa. As one of three procedural languages for the European Union and the
first language of 120 million Europeans, the German language showcases the cultural diversity and range of
these Germanspeaking communities. In particular, the interplay between culture and language can be seen
in the global influence of the past and contemporary achievements of Germanspeaking communities in
architecture, the arts, engineering, philosophy, recreational pursuits, and scientific innovations, particularly
those related to environmental sustainability. The conceptual understandings that sit behind this influence are
reflected in the selection of text types and key concepts through which students will have opportunities to use
German actively.
The place of the German language in Australian
education
German has been taught in schools, universities and communities in Australia since the mid1800s and by the
1930s was a wellestablished part of the Australian educational landscape. As well as being a core element of
the tradition of a broad humanistic education, German can also be seen as a cultural marker of the waves of
immigration from Western Europe. Migration from Germanspeaking countries is ongoing, thus continuing the
contribution that German speakers have made in shaping Australian culture from the time of the first German
settlements.
Strong partnerships have developed with organisations such as the GoetheInstitut, the German Embassy,
the GermanAustralian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Bavarian Youth Ring student exchange
organisation (BJR) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), to provide solid support for the
teaching and learning of German in Australia.
The nature of German language learning
German and English are both derived from the Germanic branch of the IndoEuropean language family and
share many similar lexical items (cognates) as well as grammatical features. Consequently, a native speaker
of English has some immediate access to spoken and written German, and from an early stage learners can
engage with authentic texts. Modern German also borrows from modern English, for example, der Computer,
as does English from German, for example, ‘kindergarten’. German is a pluricentric language with different
standards and regional varieties.
German is a largely phonetic language with many of the same sounds as English, and the same Roman
alphabet. In addition to the standard 26 letters, there is the use of the Umlaut (Ä/ä, Ö/ö and Ü/ü) and the
The Australian Curriculum: Languages German
alphabet. In addition to the standard 26 letters, there is the use of the Umlaut (Ä/ä, Ö/ö and Ü/ü) and the
Eszett (ß). A major difference in orthography from English is the capitalisation of all nouns, a feature that
assists the comprehensibility of written texts.
German is well known for its morphological creativity in forming long words through compounding. The
German language has two different forms of address, formal and informal, dependent on the relationship
between the communicators. German speakers generally rely more heavily than native speakers of Australian
English on the use of the imperative to effect action, thus sometimes appearing to be more direct.
Other distinctive features of German are noun gender (masculine, feminine or neuter) and the case system.
Changes in the articles of nouns and in pronouns and adjective endings mark the four cases, indicating
subject and direct and indirect objects, as well as possession. Marking cases in this way leads to flexibility in
word order which is not possible in English. Sentences may appear long to English users, but the case
markers and clear and consistent punctuation rules aid comprehension.
The diversity of learners of German
The cohort of learners of German in Australian schools generally comprises students who are second
language learners.
Within this pathway, learners demonstrate a range of degrees of exposure to and experience in German.
Some learners will have little familiarity with German, although they will most likely have experience of English,
another Germanic language; others will have German heritage or a family member who has knowledge of
German and/or connections with Germanspeaking countries.
There are a number of different types of schools in Australia that cater for a range of pathways. In addition,
communitydriven earlyyears playgroups are growing in number. Mainstream school provision for
background learners is limited, although there are some notable examples of bilingual programs which also
cater for nonbackground students. There are also several complementary providers for German, including
distance education and community schools.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages, Foundation to Year 10 – German is pitched to second language
learners; that is, to the dominant cohort of learners of the language in the current Australian context.
Teachers will make appropriate adjustments to the curriculum to cater for learners of different backgrounds
and differentiate learning experiences for these students.
Languages German
Page 765 of 1359

German Years F–10 Sequence
with others and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically they have little to no
experience of German language and culture.
German language learning and use
At this stage, games, music, movement, familiar routines, and imaginative activities such as roleplays provide
essential scaffolding and relevant contexts for language development. Learners engage with the sounds,
shapes and patterns of German through activities such as rhymes, songs, clapping and action games. They
identify and use simple formulaic expressions, one or twoword responses to prompts and cues, and non
verbal German communication strategies. They learn to write by tracing and copying, forming letters legibly.
They learn to write words and simple sentences independently using modelled language, for example, by
matching pictures with single words, labels or captions.
The primary context of interaction is the language classroom, as learners interact with the teacher and with
one another. Their use of German relates primarily to classroom routines and activities, draws on curiosity
about the world around them, and engages their interest in play, movement and games.
Texts and resources
Learners engage with a variety of spoken, written and digital texts. They listen and respond to teacher talk,
share ideas, and join in stories, songs, play and simple conversations. Physical, virtual and digital resources
provide access to additional German language and cultural interactions, connecting learners’ social worlds
with those of their peers in other Germanspeaking contexts.
Features of German language use
Learners become familiar with the sounds and rhythms of German, approximating the pronunciation and
phrasing of single words and short phrases, including distinctive sounds such as ch, r, th, u and z, and
diphthongs such as au, ei, eu and ie. They use simple basic sentence structures and familiar vocabulary for
everyday functions such as greetings, asking and answering questions, responding to instructions, and
participating in games, performances and simple shared tasks. They learn to write single words and simple
phrases, noticing the use of the Eszett and how an Umlaut changes the sound of vowels. They notice
similarities and differences between German and English. They use modelled language to produce their own
short texts and to interact. They begin to notice that language behaves differently in different situations and
that German speakers communicate in some ways that are different from their own. As they communicate
about differences and similarities, they begin to understand that they are part of a connected world. This
introduction to the reflective dimension of intercultural language learning begins to develop an understanding
of culture.
Level of support
Support is provided through visual and tactile materials such as pictures, realia, objects and charts, and
through the use of gesture and movement. The teacher provides prompts, cues, and opportunities for
repetition and recycling to help learners identify and remember frequently used words and simple phrases.
Learners rely on modelled language, scaffolded tasks, feedback and encouragement to build their language
capability.
The role of English
Learners are encouraged to use German whenever possible, particularly when engaging in classroom
interactions and routines. The teacher uses German as much as possible for instruction. English is used for
explanation and discussion, allowing learners to communicate about differences and similarities they notice
between German and their own language(s), to ask questions about language and culture, and to consider
their experience of learning German.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact and socialise with peers and teacher to exchange greetings and information about self and family,
and express likes and dislikes
[Key concepts: self, family; Key processes: interacting, greeting, thanking]
(ACLGEC103 Scootle )

Elaborations
exchanging simple greetings, thanks and good wishes using formulaic expressions, adjusting language
to suit the situation, for example, Ich heiße ... und du? Guten Morgen! Auf Wiedersehen! Danke! Alles
Gute zum Geburtstag! Frohe Weihnachten! Guten Appetit!
using simple statements to describe themselves and to express likes and dislikes, for example, Ich bin
fünf. Ich wohne in … Ich mag … (nicht).
sharing ideas about people and belongings, for example, Mein Teddy heiβt … Das ist meine
Schwester/mein Ball.
Participate in guided group activities using simple repetitive language in songs, rhymes, games and
transactions
[Key concepts: play, performance, action learning; Key processes: participating, taking turns]

Elaborations
participating in songs, rhymes and chants by singing and using actions, for example, Kopf, Schulter, Knie
und Fuß; 1, 2, Polizei
playing games such as Hatschi Patschi, Hier ist Platz, Lotto and Stille Post and using associated
language, for example, related to turntaking (Wer ist dran? Ich bin dran) and forming groups using
numbers or colours (Blau ist hier; Gruppe 2 ist hier)
following a model to create a shared digital/online text, such as adding key information on a class
invitation (Wann? Was? Wer? Wo?)
making choices in routine activities such as the selection of a song from the class songbook, for example,
responding to the question Was singen wir heute?
Recognise and respond to instructions and questions about activities, games and classroom routines, and
make polite requests
[Key concepts: roles, routines; Key processes: following instructions, participating, listening]

Elaborations
responding with actions/gestures to questions such as Wo ist … ? and instructions such as Bitte
aufstehen, (Klasse 1)! Hände auf den Kopf! Alle zusammen! Achtung!
recognising and responding to simple questions, using supporting intonation and gestures, for example,
Wer/Was ist das? Das ist … ? Ist das … ? Nein, das ist ...
using German for everyday routines such as roll call (Hier bin ich) or naming the day of the week (Es ist
Montag)
following simple directions supported by gestures to locate items in the classroom or playground, for
example, links, rechts, auf dem Boden, hinter Peter, unter dem Tisch
responding to and making polite requests, for example, Ich möchte … , bitte. Bitte schön!
Informing
Identify key words and information in simple shared texts related to personal worlds
[Key concepts: literacy, text; Key processes: locating, matching, ordering]

Elaborations
recognising symbols, words and phrases of written German, for example, labels, titles and captions
recognising key words in stories, rhymes or songs, using intonation and visual cues such as gestures
demonstrating understanding by labelling, pointing, matching, clicking, dragging, drawing, miming, facial
expressions and actions
locating specific words and expressions, for example, in spoken texts by clapping or raising hands, and in
written texts by pointing to or highlighting the word(s)
ordering/matching items of information in relation to different texts, such as responding to questions
about story, for example, Wer ist das? Er hat drei Brüder und wohnt in …
Convey factual information about self, family and possessions through pictures, labels, captions and short
descriptions, using familiar words and modelled language
[Key concepts: identity, belonging; Key processes: naming, labelling, describing]

Elaborations
using key words and simple phrases to annotate a picture, diagram or photo for public display
contributing to a digital photo story on Meine Klasse, for example, writing and recording captions to own
photos (Das bin ich. Ich heiße… und ich bin… Das ist meine Mami. Sie ist nett)
using simple sentence structures, familiar vocabulary, supporting resources and gestures to
communicate about self and the immediate environment, for example, Ich bin im Kindergarten. Ich bin in
Klasse 1. Das ist mein Kissen.
conveying aspects of shared knowledge about German language and culture, such as by pointing to
places on a map or pictures of symbols or typical foods, for example, Das ist Deutschland. Die Flagge ist
SchwarzRotGold.
Creating
Engage with a range of imaginative texts through action, dance, singing, drawing, shared reading and
collaborative retelling
[Key concepts: imagination, performance, setting; Key processes: participating, responding]

Elaborations
responding to imaginative print and digital texts, such as stories, rhymes or cartoons, by performing
excerpts of texts or creating their own texts, using repetitive actions, gestures and words/sentences, and
sequencing pictures from the text to reflect the correct order of events
expressing a personal opinion of a text, for example, Das ist lustig/komisch/langweilig
drawing their favourite character or scene from stories, rhymes, songs or cartoons such as Schnappi and
attaching/writing a simple evaluative statement, for example, … ist fantastisch. Ich mag …
performing the story of a book, for example, Wir gehen auf Bärenjagd, Der Baum und das Mädchen,
Weißt du wie lieb ich dich hab?
reading or viewing English and German versions of a familiar print or digital text such as ‘Spot’/Flecki or
‘Bob the Builder’/Bob der Baumeister, and noticing similarities and differences
responding in German or English to questions about a text, for example, Wer ist das?; War das eine gute
Idee?; Und dann … ?
contributing to a collaborative retelling of a text using prompts such as pictures, cutouts or puppets
Express ideas and experiences in a variety of ways using familiar words and modelled language, such as
through imaginative roleplay, mime, drawing, oral discussion or scaffolded writing activities
[Key concepts: roleplay, discussion, imagination; Key processes: performing, expressing]

Elaborations
using story maps to share an imaginative experience such as what they would eat over a week, for
example, like the caterpillar in Die kleine Raupe Nimmersatt, using digital technologies
creating and presenting own Big Books in German based on a familiar Australian text such as ‘Tiddalick’
or ‘Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree’
creating short dialogues, for example, between dolls, puppets and toys, using familiar modelled language
Translating
Share with peers and family what they know in German, identifying different words and expressions,
moving between languages depending on the audience
[Key concepts: representation, difference; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
distinguishing between German and English in spoken and written form (Ist das Deutsch oder Englisch?),
considering factors such as pronunciation, capitalisation of nouns, and the use of cursive script in some
texts for children
comparing greetings and terms for numbers, family members and familiar objects in German, English
and other known/common languages, and noting similarities
comparing the words on bilingual signs around the school, such as Spielplatz/playground,
Schulkantine/tuckshop
interpreting/translating from German into English greetings and other learnt language items for new
students or nonGerman speakers
teaching a family member some German, for example, greetings, how to play a German game or sing a
German song
Create print or digital texts such as labels, posters, word banks and wall charts for the immediate learning
environment in both German and English
[Key concepts: vocabulary, representation; Key processes: sorting, matching, noticing]

Elaborations
collecting German and English words that are similar or identical in spelling and have the same meaning
but are pronounced differently, for example, Baby, singen, braun, Klasse
making and displaying labels for common objects in the classroom and home
compiling and displaying illustrated class German–English and English–German dictionaries or alphabet
posters of classroom language and key vocabulary
Reflecting
Notice similarities and differences when using German compared to own language, such as how it feels,
sounds and looks, and involves behaviours as well as words
[Key concepts: language, culture, difference; Key processes: noticing, comparing, observing]

Elaborations
recognising that some German language use is similar to English, such as greetings used according to
the time of day and the formality of a situation, for example, Guten Morgen and Morgen! Tag! Hallo!
noticing similarities and differences in cultural practices and stating own reactions to the language used,
for example, Das ist anders/gleich when noticing such things as how a child beginning school is
celebrated in a Germanspeaking country with a Schultüte or how a German speaker wishes others luck
with Daumen drücken
describing how it feels to use German, such as when singing a song or hearing German spoken by
others, and noticing differences in behaviour, voice or body language when speaking German
comparing aspects of Australian and German children’s lifestyles, for example, ways of playing games,
buying or eating food, interacting with family members and participating in school life
Express aspects of self, such as family, school/class, age and language(s), noticing how these are part of
one’s sense of identity
[Key concepts: self, identity; Key processes: expressing, describing, noticing]

Elaborations
identifying self as part of a family, class or peer group, and representing these relationships in a variety of
ways, such as through drawing pictures or by adding captions to photos
describing what languages they know and are learning, for example, Ich kann Englisch und Arabisch. Ich
lerne Deutsch
eliciting and giving personal information that signals identity within home and school contexts, including
age and appearance, characteristics, class and school, for example, Ich bin sechseinhalb.; Ich habe
braune Haare. Ich bin in Klasse 1F
investigating the question ‘Where do I belong at school?’ by analysing and describing various ways that
schools identify different groups within a school, such as by class levels (Foundation to Year 6), different
classroom teachers, different play areas, wearing of school uniform, or changing rights and
responsibilities
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise and reproduce the sounds and rhythms of spoken German, including distinctive sounds
[Key concepts: pronunciation, intonation; Key processes: listening, imitating, recognising]
(ACLGEU114 Scootle )

Elaborations
those that are novel and initially difficult such as ch (ich or acht), u (du), r (rot) and z (zehn)
phrases in context
developing familiarity with the German alphabet and sound–letter correspondence through singing das
Alphabetlied, identifying and naming letters, tracing words, and playing alphabet and spelling games
such as Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst using initial sounds or Galgenmännchen
understanding that although German and English use the same alphabet there are additional symbols in
German: the Umlaut to alter the pronunciation of particular vowels (ä, ö, ü) and the Eszett (β)
noticing that all nouns are capitalised in German
Understand some first elements of German grammar, such as simple verb forms, definite articles and
pronouns, to identify and describe people and objects in the family and school domains
[Key concepts: word order, connections, gender; Key processes: noticing patterns, making connections,
selecting]

Elaborations
noticing that German has multiple words for ‘the’ and ‘a/an’
identifying people, animals and things using an article and a concrete noun (der Lehrer, eine Freundin)
or a pronoun (ich, du, er, sie, es, wir)
using the possessive adjectives mein/e and dein/e or a form of haben and an indefinite article to express
a relationship to a person or object, for example, Das ist mein Bleistift; Ich habe einen Bruder
describing people, animals or objects using bin/bist/ist and an adjective, for example, Ich bin klein; Der
Bär ist braun; Das Buch ist neu
understanding and describing actions using verbs such as gehen, kommen, machen, malen, lesen,
schreiben, sehen, singen, spielen and wohnen
negating verbs and adjectives using nicht
understanding and using some question words and the intended/related answer in limited contexts,
including was (an object), wer (a person), wie (manner), wo (a place), wann (a time) and wie viele
(quantity)
understanding the location or origin of a person or object, such as hier, links and rechts, and prepositions
such as auf, aus, hinter, in, neben and unter
gaining awareness of vocabulary referring to time, such as days, months, time of day (Morgen,
Nachmittag, Mittag) and o’clock time, for example, Es ist drei Uhr.
gaining awareness of terms referring to quantities of people and things, including cardinal numbers (0–
20) and mehr, viel/e, nichts and kein/e
Understand that language is organised as ‘texts’, which take different forms and use different structures
and features to achieve their purposes
[Key concepts: structure, form; Key processes: noticing, recognising, comparing]

Elaborations
understanding that texts can be spoken, written, digital, visual or multimodal, and that they can be very
short (Stopp!, or a hand gesture to signal Komm her!) or much longer
recognising that different types of texts have different features, for example, rhythm and repetition in
action songs and rhymes
comparing similar texts in German and English, such as counting games or simple maps, identifying
elements in the German texts which look or sound different
identifying familiar text types such as songs, rhymes, picture books, games, family trees and tables, and
naming key features, for example, Titel, Seite and Bild
Recognise that in German, as in English and other languages, there are different ways of greeting and
interacting with people
[Key concepts: register, language conventions, social practice; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
recognising different forms of address and greeting, depending on time of day and the gender and social
status of participants, for example, first names with peers (Tag, Luke!) and Guten Morgen, Frau Stein! for
the teacher
recognising that there can be different forms of address for the same person, for example, Mama, Mutti,
Mami, Mutter
understanding that the level of detail required can vary depending on the context, for example, Ich bin 5;
Ich bin 6 Jahre und 3 Monate alt; Ich bin fast 7.
Recognise that Australia has speakers of many different languages, including German, and that German
and English borrow words and expressions from each other
[Key concepts: multilingualism, culture, community; Key processes: observing, exploring, recognising]

Elaborations

exploring the different languages used by their family or peers, for example, by creating a language map
with greetings in each language represented in the class
recognising that German is an important world language spoken in many countries in the world apart
from Germany, including Australia
recognising that English and other languages have borrowed German words, for example, Hamburger,
Kindergarten and Glockenspiel, and that many words are shared across languages, for example,
‘computer’, ‘bus’, ‘taxi’ and ‘auto’
Notice that the languages people use relate to who they are and where and how they live
[Key concepts: place, culture; Key processes: noticing, exploring]

Elaborations
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, how it involves visible elements, such as ways of eating or symbols
such as flags, and invisible elements, such as how people live, what they value, and how they think about
understanding that learning German involves ways of using language that may be unfamiliar, for
example, using Guten Appetit before commencing a meal or using danke when refusing an offer
noticing expressions and terms that are used in Australian contexts, such as for foods, animals, sports
and activities, for example, ‘sausage roll’, ‘Vegemite’, ‘joey’, ‘possum’, ‘Little Athletics’
understanding that gestures differ across cultures, for example, shaking hands is generally more
common in Germanspeaking countries than in Australia and omission to do so may be considered
impolite from a German perspective
By the end of Year 2, students interact with teachers and peers through actionrelated talk and play. They
introduce themselves, exchange greetings and farewells, for example, Ich heiße … Auf Wiedersehen! and
express likes and dislikes. When interacting, they use short formulaic expressions, for example, Morgen!
Danke! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Frohe Weihnachten! Guten Appetit! and make simple statements, such as
Das ist … Ich wohne in … Ich mag … They use repetitive language and respond to simple instructions when
participating in games, shared activities and classroom routines. They use visual, nonverbal and contextual
cues such as intonation, gestures and facial expressions to help make meaning, and reproduce some
distinctive sounds and rhythms of spoken German, including ch, u, r and z. Students identify specific words
and information, such as names of people, places or objects, in simple shared texts related to personal
worlds. They convey factual information about self, family and possessions at word and simple sentence level.
They respond to and create simple spoken and written texts, using modelled examples and
formulaic language. They use short phrases and simple sentences to identify and describe people and
objects in the family and school domains such as der Lehrer, eine Freundin, Das ist mein Stift, including some
pronouns, for example, ich, du, er, sie, es, wir and possessive adjectives, mein/e, dein/e. They use nein and
nicht for negation, and verb forms bin, bist and ist, with an adjective. Students explain the meaning and use of
different German words and expressions, and create texts in German and English for their immediate learning
environment. They identify similarities and differences between German and their own language(s) and
culture(s), noticing that using a language involves behaviours as well as words.
Students identify ways that German sounds different to English but recognise that it uses the same alphabet.
They identify some words that are written the same in both German and English but pronounced differently.
They identify features of different types of texts. They give examples of words that German and English
borrow from each other and from other languages, and identify different ways of greeting and interacting with
people. They make connections between the languages people use and who they are and where they live.
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social world and membership of various groups,
including that of the German class. They have developed initial literacy in English, and this assists to some
degree in learning German, such as writing in the Roman alphabet. They benefit from varied, activitybased
learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
German language learning and use
The development of oral proficiency at this stage continues to rely on rich language input in different modes
and from different sources. Learners build active listening and comprehension skills, using contextual,
grammatical, phonic and nonverbal cues. Language is authentic with some modification, involving familiar
vocabulary and simple structures. The balance between listening and speaking gradually shifts as learners
are supported to use the language themselves in familiar contexts and situations, exchanging simple ideas
and information, and participating in predictable activities and interactions, shared tasks, performance and
play. They continue to build vocabulary that can be adapted for different purposes, and to use simple
grammatical forms with some accuracy to communicate in familiar contexts.
A balance between language knowledge and language use is established by integrating focused attention to
grammar, vocabulary building, pronunciation, and nonverbal and cultural dimensions of language use with
opportunities for purposeful communication.
The contexts in which learners interact in learning and using German are primarily local – the classroom,
school, home and community – with some access to wider communities of German speakers through
audiovisual and digital technologies.
Texts and resources
Learners develop literacy skills and textual knowledge through supported engagement with a range of
spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative texts (such as picture books, fairy tales, puppet
plays, songs and digital games) involve the expressive and cultural dimensions of language. Procedural,
informative and descriptive texts (such as recipes, annotated posters, and family and class profiles) show how
language is used for a variety of purposes.
Features of German language use
Learners notice features of German communication such as the use of gestures, facial expressions and
intonation patterns. They become familiar with the idea of grammatical gender and become familiar with how
to use singular and plural forms. Learning German contributes to the process of making sense of their
personal/social worlds that characterises this stage of learners’ development. As they encounter German
language and culture they make comparisons with their own language(s) and culture(s) and consider their
own ways of communicating. This leads to exploring concepts of identity, commonality and difference, and to
becoming aware of themselves as communicators in particular cultural contexts and communities.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support. Formfocused activities build learners’ grammatical
knowledge and understanding, developing accuracy and control in spoken and written German. Teachers
provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts and resources needed to manage and complete
the task; make time for experimentation, drafting and redrafting; and provide support for selfmonitoring and
reflection.
The role of English
Learners use German for classroom routines and structured learning tasks, and for listening to and viewing
German texts. English is used for class discussions, such as noticing and discussing aspects of German
language and culture; for comparing English and German languages and cultures; and for reflecting on the
process of learning another language.
Communicating
Socialising
Share information with peers and teacher about aspects of their personal worlds such as friends, home,
favourite objects and activities
[Key concepts: friendship, identity; Key processes: describing, expressing]

Elaborations
exchanging information about their siblings, homes, pets and activities, for example, Ich habe einen
Bruder und zwei Schwestern. Wir haben einen Hund und vier Vögel. Kannst du gut schwimmen? Ich
wohne in einer Wohnung und ich habe eine Katze.
using common responses to frequently asked questions or comments (sehr gut, das stimmt, ich auch, ich
nicht, igitt!), imitating modelled intonation and stress patterns
asking and answering questions relating to concepts such as time, place, number, days of the week,
months and seasons, for example, Wann spielst du Basketball? Wer hat im August Geburtstag? Wo
spielst du Hockey? Wie viele Hobbies hast du?
Participate collaboratively in shared class experiences and transactions
[Key concepts: participation, creativity; Key processes: exchanging, negotiating, planning]

Elaborations
creating a shared digital photo story after a class activity or event such as a visit to a German restaurant
following procedures and instructions with peers, for example, how to create a Hampelmann or
Lebkuchenhaus
preparing a German item for a school performance, for example, Schnappi or Kleiner Hai song, Hänsel
und Gretel play
conducting real or simulated transactions such as a ‘picture swap’ or choosing a present for a friend, for
example, Lara mag Puppen. Was kostet die Puppe?
Participate in everyday classroom activities, responding to questions, instructions and requests, asking for
clarification or assistance and making simple statements about own and others’ learning
[Key concepts: support, learning strategies; Key processes: requesting, clarifying, responding]

Elaborations
asking and responding to questions related to a learning activity or lesson, for example, Wie bitte? Ich
verstehe das nicht. Welche Seite? Wie sagt man das auf Deutsch? Wie spät ist es? Bist du fertig?
apologising, making polite requests (including attracting attention), and asking for assistance and
permission, for example, Tut mir Leid! Entschuldigung, Frau Lenz! Hilfe, bitte!; Darf ich bitte auf
dieToilette gehen?
commenting on own and others’ learning, for example, Super! Tolle Arbeit! Gut gemacht!
Informing
Obtain and process information from peers and texts related to personal, social and natural worlds
[Key concepts: community, family, friends; Key processes: reading, listening, selecting, organising]

Elaborations
gathering information about a fellow student or German speaker relating to family, home, interests and
abilities, and compiling the information in a modelled format, such as Steckbrief
obtaining information about lifestyles in Germanspeaking countries (homes, schools, climate, pets,
geography) from shared and independent reading of simple digital texts
collecting information about different animal species (Haustiere, Wildtiere, Waldtiere, australische Tiere),
and creating a display with names and appropriate adjectives, for example, Der Löwe ist mutig und stark.
identifying points of information in short spoken texts with some unfamiliar language, for example, the
name and number on a recorded phone message, the age of a child interviewed, some items on a
recorded shopping list
comparing information about activities and practices across cultures, for example, reading, viewing or
listening to texts related to aspects of school life such as timetables, canteen menus, extracurricular
activities and sports
working in groups to obtain and use factual information from texts related to other learning areas, for
example, completing a simple science experiment, naming countries and significant land features, or
recording distances using geography skills
Present information in modelled spoken and written texts relating to personal, social and natural worlds
[Key concepts: family, friends; Key processes: describing, presenting, collating]

Elaborations
introducing family members and friends, identifying relationships and cultural backgrounds (Das ist mein
Opa. Er kommt aus China.), using simple descriptive language and supporting resources to enhance
meaning
collecting information about one another’s likes, dislikes or interests, using checklists, surveys or
question cues to present a class profile, chart or database, for example, Lieblingstiere, Lieblingssport,
Lieblingsserie, Lieblingsmusik
selecting information gained from print, visual or digital texts to design a class book or digital display, for
example, details of animals and their habitats and/or food from a zoo website or a children’s
documentary film about wild animals (Der Affe wohnt im Dschungel)
Creating
Respond to imaginative print and digital texts in a variety of ways such as by acting out events, identifying
favourite elements and making simple statements about characters
[Key concepts: character, events; Key processes: describing, retelling]

Elaborations
using modelled structures and picture prompts to retell the basic plot of a narrative, or making simple
summary statements, for example, Shrek und Fiona sind im Schloss.
creating a profile of a favourite character from a text, including features such as Name, Alter, mag/mag
… nicht, Aussehen and Bild
creating a timeline of the main events of a story using pictures, words and/or simple sentences
using a thinking tool to respond to an imaginative text in various ways, such as describing what emotions
they feel listening to the story, for example, Das macht mich glücklich/traurig/nervös
acting out a text with a repetitive plot and/or dialogue, for example, Das Rübenziehen
Create imaginative texts such as simple plays, poems and stories, using formulaic expressions and
modelled language as well as simple visual supports
[Key concepts: fantasy, entertainment, amusement; Key processes: performing, creating, presenting]


Elaborations
collaborating to create and perform a new version of a traditional or contemporary text, for example, the
script of a play for the German fairy tale Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten
creating and performing a puppet play involving a German character and an Australian character, such
as die Maus (Die Sendung mit der Maus) meeting Bananas in Pyjamas or an Igel meeting an echidna,
using modelled German language
using digital technologies to create and illustrate short imaginative texts designed to amuse or entertain,
such as Mein Traumhaus (Ich wohne in einem Schloss. Mein Schloss ist sehr alt, groβ und schön) or
fantasy stories featuring imaginary creatures
producing and presenting illustrated or multimodal texts using a modelled structure, for example, an
acrostic poem based on their first name or Elfchen
Translating
Compare aspects of German and English language, such as vocabulary, sounds and rhymes, and cultural
information, and share with peers and family
[Key concepts: meaning, interconnection; Key processes: comparing, interpreting, explaining]

Elaborations
comparing and matching key words in German and English, such as names for Germanspeaking
countries and some cities (Deutschland/Germany, Wien/Vienna) and animals
listening to the way animal sounds are represented in German, such as in Das kleine Küken animation,
and comparing them with English and other languages, for example, Ein Hahn macht, kikeriki, ein Hund
macht, wau wau
sharing an item relating to German language and culture through the school newsletter, at an assembly
or in a library display, such as an Ostereierwettbewerb and Osterbaum, or electronically displaying links
to digitally produced student items such as movies or phototext collages
comparing the Australian and German ways of writing a postal address, for example, in German the
Hausnummer appears after the street name and the Postleitzahl appears before the suburb/town
Produce texts such as signs, class word lists and picture dictionaries in both German and English for the
classroom and school community
[Key concepts: vocabulary, translation; Key processes: labelling, matching, translating]


Elaborations
making and using individual word lists, and print and digital dictionaries, for example, using digital tools
producing classroom signs such as Bitte mach die Tür zu! Hier sind die Scheren/Klebestifte/Stifte!
creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, such as posters, library displays or online
newsletter items
Reflecting
Notice and describe what looks or feels similar or different to own language and culture when interacting in
German
[Key concepts: communication, difference, respect; Key processes: noticing, comparing, describing]

Elaborations
recognising that there are similarities and differences between German and English ways of showing
politeness, for example, the use of family names after Frau and Herr, responding to danke schön with
bitte schön, shaking hands
noticing how own language use influences expectations about German language use, for example,
wanting to use one word for ‘you’, and not expecting to capitalise all nouns
considering how aspects of own language might be understood from a German perspective, for example,
culturespecific expressions such as ‘school assembly’, ‘kick a footy’, or eating ’brekky’
noticing that there are alternative ideas and ways of interacting to those offered by one’s own language
and culture
exploring how language is linked to a place, time and people, and what they do together, for example, by
examining the meanings and associations they make with words and expressions such as zu Hause,
Pausenbrot and Spielplatz
Describe their own experiences of learning and using German and explore their sense of identity, including
elements such as family, cultural heritage and friends
[Key concepts: self, family, friends; Key processes: exploring, comparing, identifying]

Elaborations
comparing own experiences of learning German with peers’, and imagining what aspects of English a
German speaker might find challenging and why
participating in an online discussion about learning and using another language, reflecting on the
experience of becoming bilingual (or, in the case of some learners, plurilingual), and considering what
advantages this brings and whether it impacts on identity
comparing learning a language at school with another context for learning a language, such as at home,
at community language school or on holiday
communicating about identity and language use within the family context, such as positioning self within
the family and identifying own and family members’ heritage, for example, Ich bin Australier/in. Mein
Opa kommt aus Griechenland.
identifying family traditions and possessions that stem from another culture, such as opening presents on
Christmas Day or Heiligabend, learning folk dancing, or having a German grandparent’s name
Understanding
Systems of language
Experiment with the pronunciation of vowel sounds, letter combinations and intonation patterns, and
recognise and write highfrequency words and expressions in familiar contexts
[Key concepts: pronunciation, intonation, accents; Key processes: distinguishing sounds, recognising,
practising]

Elaborations
recognising and practising short and long vowel sounds, initial consonants and blends, for example, ja,
rot, singen, Sport, Winter, zwei
recognising and using the Umlaut and Eszett to pronounce and write familiar German words
understanding that intonation patterns create different meanings, as in the distinction between
statements, questions and exclamations (Du bist acht. Du bist acht? Du bist acht!)
encoding and decoding familiar German words using alphabetic knowledge of single letters, consonant
clusters (sch) and vowel combinations (au, ei, eu, ie), applying learnt memory aids such as ‘when E and I
go walking, the second one does the talking’
Notice and apply elements of German grammar such as gender and singular/plural forms, adjectives,
adverbs, pronouns and word order in simple spoken and written texts
[Key concepts: word order, connections, syntax, cases; Key processes: noticing patterns, making
connections]

Elaborations
recognising the link between a noun’s gender and its definite/indefinite article and nominative pronoun in
relation to people, for example, der Bruder, ein Bruder, er
using the nominative and accusative indefinite articles to denote an unspecified person or object, for
example, Rotkäppchen hatte einen Korb.
comparing pluralisation of nouns in German and English, and using die for plural nouns in German, for
example, der Apfel/die Äpfel
describing a relationship using a possessive adjective, for example, mein/e, dein/e, sein/e, ihr/e
understanding and using pronouns to refer to people, for example, ich, du, er, sie (singular); wir, ihr, sie
(plural); Sie heißt Anna. Sie heißen Ben und Sarah.
using the correct verb form associated with a noun or pronoun or combination thereof, for example, Die
Lehrerin singt ein Lied; Herr Schwarz trinkt Kaffee; Sie spielt Tennis; Mein Freund und ich sprechen
Englisch.
using present tense forms of irregular verbs such as haben and sein and recognising similarities to the
English verbs ‘to have’ and ‘to be’
describing capabilities and preferences using limited forms of the modal verbs können and mögen, for
example, Ich kann gut schwimmen. Er mag Cricket. Wir möchten eine Party machen.
understanding and describing current and recurring actions using verbs such as essen, fliegen, fressen,
laufen, leben, schwimmen, sprechen and trinken
understanding and describing past events using the simple past tense of familiar verbs such as war,
hatte, ging, sah, spielte and machte
joining words, phrases and sentences using und, oder and aber
understanding the meaning of and using common time phrases and cohesive devices, for example,
gestern, heute, dann and zuerst
understanding and formulating questions using subject–verb inversion, for example, Magst du Sport?
understanding and using a range of question words and the intended/related answer, for example,
woher, welcher and wie viel
locating events in time with regard to days, months, seasons and ‘half past’ time, for example, Ich spiele
im Winter Fußball. Die Schule beginnt um halb neun.
describing location formulaically using prepositional phrases such as im Wasser, in der Luft, auf dem
Land, neben dem Tisch or auf der linken Seite
using ordinal numbers to give the date, for example, Heute ist der dritte Juli. Er hat am siebten August
Geburtstag.
referring to quantities of people and things (including money) using cardinal numbers up to 100
Identify the purposes of familiar personal, informative and imaginative texts such as maps, calendars and
fairy tales, and explain how particular features of such texts help to achieve these purposes
[Key concepts: text function, structure, features of texts; Key processes: classifying, comparing, explaining]

Elaborations
classifying a range of digital and other texts such as fairy tales, recipes, instructions, advertisements,
greeting cards, maps or songs according to their purpose(s) (such as to entertain, describe or instruct),
discussing and justifying choices in English
comparing wall calendars from a Germanspeaking country and Australia in terms of structure, public
holidays, pictorial representation of seasons, and cultural influences
identifying and comparing the features of different types of texts, such as a cookery book, a picture
storybook or a comic
discussing the structure of shared reading texts, identifying sentences, questions, answers and greetings
(Satz, Frage, Antwort and Gruß), and recognising how different textual elements such as title, layout,
script and images combine to make meaning
Recognise some of the common variations in German as it is used in different contexts by different people
[Key concepts: variation, register; Key processes: noticing, comparing, exploring]

Elaborations
noticing that the teacher uses different words for ‘you’ when addressing one or more students, for
example, Setz dich, Peter! Setzt euch, Kinder!
comparing ways in which language changes according to purpose and text type, for example, differences
in amount of language, tone and layout between a dialogue and a list of instructions
investigating the different names used to address the one person in various contexts (‘James Brown from
3M’, ‘Jimmy’, ‘mate’, ‘kid’), and considering when, by whom and why different names are used, reflecting
on the effect a name choice can have on shaping the relationship between the speakers
exploring questions such as why we have greetings and what different greetings tell us, for example, time
of day, relationship with the speaker, and background of the speaker
Recognise that German and English are related languages and that German is an important European and
global language
[Key concepts: global language, culture, identity; Key processes: identifying, exploring, researching]

Elaborations
exploring some similarities between Germanic languages, such as Dutch, English and German cognates
recognising that German is an official language of the ‘DACHL’ countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland,
Liechtenstein) as well as in Belgium, Luxembourg and South Tyrol
finding examples of German used at home or in the community and creating a class collection or display,
for example, products, labels or words used in English language advertisements, shop signs, recipe
books or menus
Make connections between culture and language use, for example, by identifying vocabulary and
expressions that reflect cultural values, traditions or practices
[Key concepts: connections, values, traditions; Key processes: identifying, describing]

Elaborations
comparing terms across Germanspeaking cultures, for example, Liebchen/Liebling, mein Schatz,
Spitznamen
recognising that language carries cultural ideas, for example, Sommerbeginn, which is officially 1
December in Australia but 21/22 June in Europe; hitzefrei (‘heatfree’), referring to the practice of
dismissing students early from school if a certain temperature is reached or forecast; or Wald, the setting
in many German fairy tales
recognising character traits and values, such as those of animal characters in German stories, for
example, the wolf in Rotkäppchen, and comparing them with familiar Australian stories
learning how to communicate about culture and language using terms such as ‘meaning’, ‘difference’ and
‘behaviour’
discussing parallel expressions such as ‘G’day’/Tag, ‘morning tea’/Kaffeepause and ‘Bless
you’/Gesundheit
By the end of Year 4, students interact with teachers and peers in classroom routines, actionrelated talk and
play. They respond to instructions and use formulaic expressions to interact, ask questions, seek assistance,
and make statements related to their personal worlds, for example, bitte schön; Ich bin dran; Welche Farbe?
Wie viele Geschwister hast du? Mein Lieblingsspiel ist Lotto. They reproduce German short and long single
vowel and diphthong sounds, including Umlaute, and Eszett, and initial consonants and blends, for example,
Post/los, mein, die, Bruder/Brüder, heißen, ja, rot, singen, Sport, Winter, zwei. They answer questions related
to their personal worlds with factual information, and respond to imaginative texts by identifying favourite
elements, sequencing main events and producing short scaffolded summaries. They create short, simple
sentences from modelled language and use coordinating conjunctions, for example, und, aber, oder, to
compose short original texts. They use some forms of common regular verbs in the present tense, (for
example, heißen, kosten, spielen, wohnen), some irregular verb forms, (for example, bin, bist, ist, sind, hast,
hat), and limited forms of modal verbs, (for example, kann, mag, möchte, muss), simple past tense verbs, (for
example, hatte, ging, war) and the accusative case, (for example, Ich habe einen Hund.). They respond to
and use interrogatives, such as was, wann, wer, wie, wie viele, wo and some ja/nein questions. They refer to
time, manner and place using familiar words and phrases, for example, morgen, sehr gut, im Wald. They
compare aspects of German and English language and culture that are reflected in texts they have viewed,
listened to or read and they create texts in German and English for the classroom and school community.
They identify ways in which culture influences aspects of communication in routine exchanges such as
greetings, and describe their own sense of identity, including elements such as family, cultural heritage and
friends.
Students identify German as an important European and global language and give examples showing how it
is related to English. They differentiate statements, questions, imperatives and exclamations according to
intonation, sentence structure and punctuation. They identify the purpose of the Eszett and show how the
Umlaut alters the pronunciation of particular vowels (ä, ö, ü). They identify single letters, some consonant
clusters (sch) and vowel combinations (au, ei, eu, ie). They identify the audience and purpose of familiar
personal, informative and imaginative texts. They give examples of how language use varies according to the
participants, purpose and context of an exchange. They give examples of how language and culture are
intrinsically linked, and identify cultural values, traditions or practices that are conveyed in words and
expressions they and others use.
Languages Hindi
Page 791 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Hindi
Hindi How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Hindi language and associated
cultures in Australia and the world
Hindi is an official language of India and Fiji. It is the most widely spoken language of the Indian subcontinent
and is also widely spoken throughout the world in countries that include the United States, the United
Kingdom, Canada, Mauritius, the Gulf countries and Australia. The language and associated cultures have
evolved over time due to processes such as colonialism, globalisation and technological change, and to
India’s geopolitical and historical position in the world.
The languages of India belong to several language families. Modern Hindi evolved into a distinct language in
the New IndoAryan Period (from the 11th–12th century). Current understandings of the language are based
on the idea of there being a Modern Standard Hindi (मानक िहंद ी), based on the Khari Boli dialect spoken in the
Delhi area and written in Devanagari script. More broadly, the notion of Hindi also includes a variety of dialect
forms that are not covered by this curriculum, such as Braj Bhasa ( ज भाषा) and Avadhi (अवधी), which have
their own distinctive grammatical standards. Following independence in 1947, the Indian Government
instituted a standardisation of grammar, using the Devanagari script to standardise orthography and bring
about uniformity in writing. The Constituent Assembly adopted Hindi as the Official Language of the Union on
14 September 1949, now celebrated each year as Hindi Day.
Hindi follows a consistent set of grammatical standards that derive from the same roots as classical Sanskrit.
Its vocabulary includes elements not only from Sanskrit but also from Persian, Arabic, Dravidian, other Indian
languages and from world languages such as Turkish, Portuguese and English. The lexicon comprises of
words taken directly (तៀ�म words) and derived from Sanskrit (त埭�व words), as well as other languages. Like all
languages, Hindi has multiple registers and freely uses loan words in different registers of speech and writing.
Popular everyday registers incorporate many words derived from Persian and Arabic and increasingly
incorporate English loan words and expressions.
Hindi is the first language of a large proportion of the population of India and is spoken by more than half the
overall population. It is an official language in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal
Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. By virtue of its role as a
lingua franca, Hindi has also developed regional dialects, such as Bambaiya Hindi in Mumbai, Dakhini in parts
of Telangana and Bangalori Urdu in Bangalore, Karnataka. Hindi’s role as a lingua franca is evidenced in
many forms of popular culture, such as music and film.
Hindi has been an important element of Indian educational systems, both as a first and second language and
as a language of instruction. In nonHindi states, Hindi may be learnt as the third language.
Significant Indian migration to Australia began in the 1980s and continued through the 1990s. The majority of
migrants come to Australia through family connections, and the number of skilled migrants continue to grow.
According to the Australian Census, in 2011 there were 111,352 Hindi speakers in Australia. Most Indians are
multilingual and Hindi is one of the most widely spoken languages in the Australian Indian community.
The place of the Hindi language in Australian education
The community’s commitment to maintain and to express Hindi identity through language, culture and religion
is reflected in the strength of Hindi language use in home and community contexts and in wellestablished
afterhours Hindi school programs. Since 2007, there has been an increase in numbers of students learning
Hindi, primarily in community language schools and weekend language schools in New South Wales, Victoria
and South Australia. Some programs are now offered in mainstream schools, including programs that cater
for second language learners. Total student numbers are relatively low, but increasing enrolments reflect the
growing Indian community in Australia and the Australian Government’s commitment to support linguistic
diversity in the community and to develop capabilities in the languages of the region, including Hindi (Australia
in the Asian Century white paper 2012).
The nature of Hindi language learning
Hindi language learning in the context of this curriculum reflects the profile of the cohort of learners for whom
it is designed. They are background language learners, with different levels of familiarity with the language
and associated cultures. For many, this existing capability is more oral than literacybased, and initial
challenges associated with learning relate primarily to literacy development. Modern Standard Hindi is written
in the Devanagari script, which is also used for Sanskrit, Marathi and Nepali. It is a phonetic script, which
accurately represents the sounds and syllabic structure of Hindi. Study of the script involves learning the 13
sounds classified as vowels in their long and short forms and the 33 consonant sounds, distinguished
between unaspirated and aspirated consonants and of retroflex and dental ‘ta’ and ‘da’ sounds. There are five
Persian and Arabic consonant sounds used in Hindi and represented in script, as well as two ‘flapped’ forms
of retroflex ‘r’ sounds. The syllabic structure of Hindi is represented in Devanagari by a system where vowels
following consonants are represented by symbols called matra, and two or more consonants can be
combined in a syllable without intervening vowels by conjunct forms of consonants.
Learning the Hindi grammatical system is supported by the regularity of key elements. These include a
normative subjectobjectverb sentence structure and the use of postpositions that impact on agreements with
nouns, pronouns and adjectives. Sociolinguistic aspects of Hindispeaking communities are reflected in
aspects of the grammar, such as the system of three levels of pronouns for ‘you’ and linguistic variations that
indicate levels of respect. Hindi is a highly inflected language. All nouns are grammatically masculine or
feminine, so adjectives agree with nouns, and verbs show agreement for both number and gender. Actions
are distinguished not only by time and manner of performance but also through a distinction between habitual
actions and actions completed at a particular time. Learning Hindi involves some complexities at higher levels
of study, as learners need to understand complex combinations of verbs and the use of causative verb forms,
and to recognise ways in which Hindi draws on Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic in the formation of complex
compound words in higher registers of speech.
The Hindi language used in the Australian Curriculum reflects the use of Hindi in contemporary times,
engaging learners in the full range of contexts in which the language is presently used in India and Australia.
The diversity of learners of Hindi
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Hindi is pitched to background language learners, the dominant
cohort of learners in the Australian context. Students vary significantly in terms of language and cultural
experience, variability being defined in part by home language environments, generational language shifts
and parental cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Learners may be first, second or thirdgeneration
Australians. Some may have established literacy skills in Hindi; others will use Hindi in the home or community
alongside other languages; others will extend their use of it to social or friendship groups. Others may have
learnt the language in large part from forms of mass media, such as Bollywood productions, music and
popular fiction. Some have more receptive than productive language capabilities.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Hindi has been developed according to two learning sequences:
Foundation – Year 10, and Years 7–10 (Year 7 entry). Teachers will use the curriculum to cater for learners of
students.
The intercultural language learning orientation of the curriculum explores the cultural dimension that shapes
and is shaped by languages. Background learners of Hindi already have lived experience of this relationship,
‘living between’ Hindi and English in the Australian context. The curriculum provides opportunities for analysis,
explicit focus and reflection on this lived experience and further opportunities for students to participate in
intercultural experiences, to extend their ways of perceiving and being in the world, and to understand
themselves and others as culturally, biculturally and interculturally situated.
Languages Hindi
Page 795 of 1359

Hindi Years F–10 Sequence
The nature of learners
Children in this pathway enter the early years of schooling with established oracy skills in Hindi, English and
sometimes other languages or dialects. There will be variation in terms of proficiency in Hindi, depending on
variables such as home language environment, generational language shift and parental cultural and
linguistic background. Children will have varying degrees of literacy capability in both/either Hindi and/or
English, and share the experience of belonging to worlds in which languages play a key role. Cognitive and
social development at this stage is exploratory and egocentric. The curriculum builds on children’s interests,
sense of enjoyment and curiosity, with an emphasis on active learning and confidence building. Hindi is learnt
in parallel with English language and literacy, which for some children will be being learnt as a second or
additional language. Learning in the two areas differs significantly but each supports and enriches the other.
Hindi language learning and use
Rich language input characterises the first stages of learning. Children are familiar with the sounds and
patterns of Hindi, and their fluency and accuracy are further developed through activities such as rhymes,
songs, clapping and action games. Children identify and use highfrequency expressions and phrases, and
recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts. They use culturally appropriate nonverbal strategies,
and produce statements and expressions in response to prompts and cues. They are supported to use Hindi
for different language functions, such as asking and responding to questions, expressing wishes, responding
to directions, and taking turns in games and simple shared learning activities. They notice that the languages
that they know are used differently in different situations and that they themselves communicate differently in
some situations when using Hindi, English or other languages. Creative play provides opportunities for
exploring these differences and for using Hindi for purposeful interaction in some less familiar contexts.
Children interact with each other and the teacher, with some access to wider school and community
members. Information and communications technology (ICT) resources provide additional access to Hindi
language and associated cultural experience, connecting children’s social worlds with those of Hindispeaking
children in communities other than their own. Hindi is the dominant language used in classroom interactions,
routines and activities, supported by the use of English when required. The early stage of language and
literacy development is supported by use of concrete materials and resources, gestures and body language.
Play and imaginative activities, games, music, movement and familiar routines provide essential scaffolding
and context for language development.
Texts and resources
talk, share ideas and join in songs, rhymes, stories and chants, and various forms of play and simple
conversational exchanges. Written and digital texts include stories, shared Big Books, wall charts and teacher
generated materials, such as games, labels, captions and flashcards.
Features of Hindi language use
Children’s familiarity with the spoken form of Hindi supports their introduction to the written form of the
language. They make connections between speech and writing, and are introduced to the Devanagari script,
recognising and reproducing written forms of the 13 sounds classified as vowels and the 33 consonant
sounds. They become familiar with the syllabic structure of the script and the use of matra and conjunct forms
of consonants. They recognise basic elements of grammar, such as the subjectobjectverb order of
sentences, the placing of adjectives before nouns, सुंद र लड़की, छोटा बᖡ�ा, रं गिबरं गी िततली, agreements for
number and gender, म�, हम, मेरा, तु ारा, variable use of pronouns and postpositions and the use of simple
number and gender, म�, हम, मेरा, तु ारा, variable use of pronouns and postpositions and the use of simple
verbs to describe actions, गाना, खाना, खेलना, दौड़ना. Writing skills progress from labelling and copying familiar
words and phrases to coconstructing simple texts using familiar vocabulary, language features and sentence
structures. As children learn to adjust language to suit different purposes and situations, they begin to
understand how culture shapes language use. They compare how they feel when they use different
languages and how they view different languages and people who use them. This introduction to the meta
dimension of intercultural learning develops the ability to ‘decentre’, to consider different perspectives and
ways of being, and to become aware of themselves as communicators and cultural participants.
Level of support
Learning is supported via the provision of experiences that are challenging but achievable with appropriate
multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing; and continuous
cueing, feedback, response and encouragement.
The role of English
While learners are encouraged to use Hindi whenever possible, English is used when appropriate for
discussion, comparison, reflection and explanations. Mixing the two languages is common at this level; it
reflects children’s experience in their home communities.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with teacher and peers to exchange greetings, talk about themselves and their families, to express
thanks, wishes, feelings and preferences
[Key concepts: self, family, home, wishes; Key processes: interacting, greeting, describing]
(ACLHIC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
greeting and farewelling each other and the teacher using appropriate expressions and body language,
for example, joining both hands and bowing the head while saying नम े and using terms, such as िफर
िमलगे and गु जी
using appropriate greetings in different contexts, for example, अ ािपका जी! आप कैसी ह? नम े िवनोद, तुम कैसे

हो?
introducing and describing themselves, their friends and family members, for example, मेरा नाम किवता है। ये
मेरे िपताजी ह। ये ब त दयालु ह। ये मेरी माता जी ह। ये ब त सु र ह। ये मेरे बड़े भाई ह। ये ब त प र मी ह। यह मेरी छोटी
बहन है। इसका नाम सुध ा है। यह पाँच साल की है।
exchanging phrases used in everyday social interactions, such as thanking, apologising or offering
congratulations, for example, ध वाद; शुि या; माफ़ करना; बधाई हो; ब त अ े ! वाह! ा बात है!
using simple statements to express likes or dislikes, preferences or feelings, for example, मुझ े खेलना पसंद
है। मुझ े िकताब पढ़ना पसंद नही ं है। म उदास ँ l म ब त ख़ुश ँ l
expressing wishes for different kinds of occasions and events, for example, िदवाली की शुभ कामनाएँ ; ईद
मुब ारक; ज िदन की बधाई
asking and answering questions about each other’s daily routines at home and at school, for example,
तु े ँ अपने खाली समय म ा करना पसंद है? म आठ बजे सो जाता ँ l तुम िव ालय कैसे जाते हो?
Participate in guided activities, such as songs, games, simple tasks and transactions, using movement,
gestures, pictures and concrete materials to support meaning
[Key concepts: play, performance, action learning; Key processes: participating, playing, describing]

Elaborations
participating in songs, rhymes and chants, imitating and repeating sound patterns and experimenting
with alliteration and rhyme, for example, मछली जल की रानी है; लकड़ी की काठी; चंद ा मामा दू र के; नानी तेरी मोरनी को;
रे मामा रे मामा रे
participating in traditional and contemporary games such as खोखो, िपट्ू ठ, िग ीडं डा, कब ी that involve

repetitive phrases and behaviours, for example, भागो; ज ी करो; गद पकड़ो; ब त अ े ; शाबाश!
using appropriate phrases and expressions when taking turns in games such as साँप और सीढ़ी; कैरम बोड,
for example, तु ारी बारी; अब म पासा फकता ;ँ गोिटयाँ चलो।
responding to instructions by using actions such as forming groups, taking up positions or
placing/removing objects in activities that involve concepts such as space, time and memory
participating in activities that involve competing and guessing, matching or choosing objects, using
modelled questions and responses and phrases such as म जीत गया; तुम हार गए; बाहर फको; अब कौन ढू ँ ढेगा;
चलो दौड़ लगाते ह; बे ईमानी मत करो
swapping items or describing and classifying objects and attributes such as shapes, colours and
numbers, for example, तु कौन सा रं ग चािहए? अगर तुम मुझ े लाल कंचे दो तो म तु नीले कंचे दे दू ँ गा।
Recognise and respond to classroom routines and interactions, such as opening and closing of lessons,
transition activities, following instructions and taking turns
[Key concepts: routines, directions, interactions; Key processes: listening, responding, interacting]

Elaborations
using and responding to language that structures routines such as opening and closing of lessons, for
example, नम े ब ो, बै ठ जाओ; िकताब खोलो; जी, ठीक है। अपने अपने आई पैड्स िनकालो; पाठ ख़ आ; अब तुम सब जा
सकते हो; कल िमलग
participating in daily classroom interactions such as roll call, naming the months and days of the week
and describing the weather, for example, परसों २० जून है; कल सोमवार है; आज ब त सद है।
following instructions in learning activities, for example, िकताब म िलखो; बारी बारी पढ़ो; चार का समूह बनाओ; गोल
घेरा बनाओ और बै ठ जाओ; बै ग ज़मीन पर रखो; कृपया खड़े हो जाओ
using appropriate language to apologise or make excuses, for example, माफ़ कीिजए, मुझ े दे री हो गई ोंिक

…, or to ask for help, for example, मुझ े समझ नही ं आया, ा आप मेरी मदद कर सकते ह?
responding with actions, gestures or verbal responses to teacher instructions such as धीरे बोलो; ान से

सुनो; मेरी ओर दे खो; बात मत करो; चुपचाप बै ठो
Informing
Locate specific phrases and points of information in simple texts such as charts, lists, stories and songs,
and use the information to complete guided oral and written tasks
[Key concepts: information, meaning, context, text; Key processes: making meaning, predicting, identifying]

Elaborations
listening for specific information in stories, rhymes or songs, such as लाला जी ने केला खाया; एक कौआ ासा था;
चूहा और शेर, using intonation, gestures and facial expressions to help understanding
recognising simple written words in familiar contexts, such as labels, captions and story titles
participating in shared readings of Big Book stories about familiar events or contexts, for example, पंचत
की कहािनयाँ, using pictures, punctuation, intonation and contextual clues to predict meaning, and recording
words associated with main characters and events
identifying key points in simple spoken, written or digital texts by miming, drawing, onscreen pointing,
clicking or dragging
Use simple statements, gestures and support materials to convey factual information about self, family,
friends and the immediate environment
[Key concepts: self, interests, environment; Key processes: naming, labelling, describing, presenting]

Elaborations
labelling or naming classroom items, resources and personal possessions, for example, मेज़, कुस ,
क ू टर, पिसल, ब ा
contributing to a class photo story by creating and reading captions to their own photos, for example, म
ख़ुश/उदास ।ँ , or by presenting points of personal information, मुझ े चॉ ट
े पसंद है। मेरे पास एक काली िब ी है। म
एक अ ी ि केट खलाड़ी lँ
using simple sentence structures, familiar vocabulary and supporting gestures to talk about themselves
and their immediate environment, for example, मेरे पास एक लाल गाड़ी है। म ाथना करने मंिदर / म द / गु ारे /
िग रजाघर जाता ँ l
representing aspects of their daily routines by writing captions to drawings/pictures or attaching word
bubbles, such as ू ल जाना, दोपहर का खाना, पाक म खेलना।
participating in ‘Show and Tell’ by presenting and commenting on items of personal interest, for example,
मेरा पालतू जानवर; मेरा मनपसंद खलौना
Creating
Participate in imaginative texts such as stories, rhymes, puppet shows, lullabies or action songs, and
respond through singing, dancing, drawing, movement and action
[Key concepts: rhythm, expression, character, response; Key processes: singing, responding, drawing,
evaluating; Key text types: stories, songs, poems, rhymes]

Elaborations
participating in songs, rhymes, lullabies, and poems, for example, ल ा ल ा लोरी, दू ध की कटोरी, चंद ा है तू मेरा
सूरज है तू, हम होंगे कामयाब, रा ीय गान, using facial expressions and gestures to convey meaning
listening to and viewing Hindi versions of familiar Englishlanguage stories, such as ख े अंगरू , लालची

िब याँ, गांध ी जी के तीन ब र, comparing words and expressions in each language at key points of the story
responding to stories, rhymes, puppet shows and songs, such as कछु आ और खरगोश; चंद ा मामा दू र के, गाँध ी जी

के तीन बं द र through drawing or painting, facial expression or movement
comparing their responses to favourite characters or events in stories, rhymes or songs by making
simple evaluative statements, such as मुझ े 'चालाक ब र' कहानी म ब र पसंद है ोंिक उसने िब यों को चालाकी से
मूख बना िदया
responding to rhythmic features by using movement, facial expressions and gestures to convey meaning,
for example, by learning and performing the Indian and Australian national anthems जन गण मन
Play with sound patterns, rhythm and rhyme to interpret and adapt Hindi stories, poems and songs that
involve familiar language and nonverbal forms of expression
[Key concepts: performance, rhythm, expression; Key processes: performing, imagining, creating,
presenting; Key text types: songs, plays, mime, puppet shows, drawings, poems]

Elaborations
performing songs, rhymes, and action stories, for example, आलूकचालू, पानी बरसा छम छम छम, हाथी राजा कहाँ
चले, using nonverbal expression such as clapping, head gestures and facial expressions to convey
meaning and express emotion
creating own poems, puppet shows or rhymes by adapting favourite stories to perform at a school or
community event, for example, ‘चु ू मु ू थे दो भाई; लोककथाएँ
creating and presenting own Big Books, story boards or digital texts based on selected characters or
elements of favourite texts
recreating stories, rhymes and poems through mime, dance or captioned drawings
experimenting with devices such as alliteration, word play or repetition to add to the enjoyment of songs,
stories and poems
Translating
Explain the meaning of simple Hindi words, phrases and gestures, noticing similarities or differences with
English or other known languages
[Key concepts: language, meaning, translation; Key processes: noticing, comparing, translating, explaining]

Elaborations
recognising that every language has its own words, sounds and gestures that it uses to make meaning
translating and explaining the meaning of Hindi words and expressions often used by children of their
age, for example, अ ा!, comparing with expressions they use in similar situations in English
translating simple classroom texts, such as captions, signs, word lists, charts
demonstrating body language, gestures or facial expressions that they use with families and friends
when speaking Hindi, such as moving the head in different ways to mean different things
explaining why particular forms of behaviour accompany interactions such as greetings in Hindi, for
example, touching the feet of elders while saying णाम to show respect, and receiving blessings
Create simple spoken, print or digital texts for the classroom that combine Hindi and English, such as
songs, captions, picture dictionaries, wall charts or labels
[Key concepts: bilingualism, vocabulary, translation; Key processes: creating, comparing, matching,
comparing]

Elaborations
creating and performing bilingual versions of nursery rhymes such as धोबी और िचिड़या; alternating verses
in Hindi and English
creating a bilingual picture dictionary for classroom use, labelling items in both languages
creating sets of matching vocabulary cards in Hindi and English and playing Matching Pairs or Memory
creating captions in Hindi and English for photos or images to create simple bilingual storybooks in print
or digital formats
creating a personal ID card with details in both Hindi and English, for example, नाम, कद, आँ खों का रं ग, ज

ितिथ: ‘name’, ‘height’, ‘eye colour’, ‘date of birth’
Reflecting
Notice and describe ways in which they use Hindi and English and how these involve different words and
behaviours
[Key concepts: meaning, culture, difference; Key processes: noticing, comparing, reflecting, describing]

Elaborations
noticing differences in ways they communicate with friends and family in Hindi and English, such as using
different forms of address in Hindi for relatives on a father’s or mother’s side of the family, for example,
बु आ जी for a father’s sister and मौसी जी for a mother’s sister; and using first names in English when
addressing parents of their friends
noticing which language they choose to use in which contexts, and when they mix or switch between
Hindi, English or other languages, for example, when playing with friends, interacting with grandparents
or reciting prayers
noticing aspects of Hindi that relate to culture, such as using terms like दीदी when speaking to a woman
who is older but not yet old enough to be addressed as माताजी
describing how it feels to use Hindi in the classroom compared to using it at home or in their community
developing language for talking about language and culture, for example, using terms such as
‘difference’, ‘behaviour’ and ‘culture’, and considering questions such as लोग ऐसा ों/िकसिलए करते ह?
Use simple statements, gestures and support materials to identify themselves as members of different
groups, including their family, community and school
[Key concepts: identity, self, community, culture; key processes: describing, representing, comparing,
reflecting]

Elaborations
sharing information about their family background, such as country or region of origin, languages and
dialects spoken in the home and where extended family members live
representing their membership of family, peer or community groups through pictures or captions to
photos
discussing the role of Hindi in their lives, for example, in family relationships, in special events or things
they like to do
describing how it feels to use Hindi in different contexts, for example, when singing or playing games or
when listening to other people using the language
considering their personal cultural identity, for example, by discussing how ‘Australian’ or ‘Indian’ they feel
in different situations
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise the relationship between the sounds and patterns of pronunciation and elements of the
Devanagari script, including the representation of long and short vowels, consonants and conjuncts
[Key concepts: pronunciation, characters, writing; Key processes: listening, distinguishing, reciting, writing]
(ACLHIU012 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising and reproducing the sounds and letters of spoken and written Hindi
building phonic awareness by recognising and experimenting with sounds and focusing on those that are
new and initially difficult, such as त, थ, ग, घ, ट, द, ध।
learning how the Hindi sound system is conventionally represented in the Devanagari system by the use
of 13 letters classified as vowels (अअः) and 33 consonants (कह and ड़ढ़)
developing pronunciation skills by singing, reciting, reproducing and mimicking alphabetic elements in
context
understanding how vowels are pronounced without any obstruction of air coming out of the mouth and
consonants are pronounced with obstruction of air by different parts of the mouth
recognising that a line on the top of written letters joins them to make words and establishes spaces
between words बस, घर। अब घर चल।
practising the writing of Devangari letters ‘hanging’ from a line, noticing the difference between this and
English, where letters are written above the line क ख ग a, b, c
recognising the matra form of vowels, such as ि◌, ◌ी, and distinguishing long and short vowel sounds,
such as ि◌, ◌ी
identifying and practising pronunciation of vowel sounds with consonants, for example, कइ/िक, कई/की
identifying and practising pronunciation of vowel sounds with consonants, for example, कइ/िक, कई/की
understanding the formation of conjunct consonants such as , ,
Understand elements of Hindi grammar, such as the subjectobjectverb sentence structure, question,
answer and statement forms, agreements for gender and number, the use of pronouns and postpositions
and of verbs in relation to actions and commands
[Key concepts: grammar, sentences, patterns, rules; Key processes: noticing, identifying, explaining]
Elaborations
identifying people by using pronouns, such as तुम, तू, आप, म, मेरा, तु ारा।
understanding and responding to imperative verb forms, such as बै ठ जाओ, यहाँ आओ, मेरी बात सुनो।
exploring how to use singular and plural forms, such as म, हम, मेरा, तु ारा
referring to objects using cardinal numbers, for example, एक, दो, पाँच, सात
noticing that adjectives are used to describe people, objects or places and are usually placed before the
noun, for example, सुंद र लड़की, छोटा ब ा, रं गिबरं गी िततली
understanding the role of different words for asking questions, such as कहाँ? कौन? कब? ा?
expressing negation, for example, नही ं, मत, ना
learning the structure of simple statements and questions, based on models such as तुम मेरे साथ चलो। तुम
कैसे हो?
understanding that verb forms change according to gender and number, for example, लड़का गाता है। लड़की
गाती है। लड़के गाते ह।
describing actions using simple verbs, such as गाना, खाना, खेलना, दौड़ना
understanding the use of commands and post positions as in मुझको दीिजए। राम से लीिजए। वहाँ पर रखो।
Understand that language is organised as ‘texts’ that take different forms and use different structures to
achieve their purposes
[Key concepts: text, meaning, language features; Key processes: recognising, comparing, describing]
Elaborations
understanding texts as different forms of communication that can be spoken, written, digital or visual,
recognising that they can be very short, for example, को, or much longer, for example, तुम ज़रा ठहर जाओ।
recognising that different types of texts have different features, for example, repetition and rhythm in
action songs and rhymes, listing of items on a shopping list
using metalanguage to talk about texts, for example, by naming different genres, such as lullabies,
stories, rhymes, tongue twisters, and by describing typical features, for example, ‘कहािनयों की शु आत …’,
‘गाने अ र …’,
noticing how familiar texts, such as poems or stories, are sequenced and organised, for example, by
identifying titles, connections between pictures and written texts or familiar opening lines, such as एक
समय की बात है...
Recognise that different words, expressions and gestures are used by Hindi speakers to interact with
different people in different situations
[Key concepts: language variation, respect, difference; Key processes: noticing, selecting, adapting]

Elaborations
recognising that language they use at home or when playing with friends is sometimes different to
language they use in school, for example, addressing each other as तू/तुम rather than the more respectful
form of आप, or using the informal pronunciation of ये/वो rather than the formal pronunciation यह/वह
recognising that children in their class may use different words and expressions that come from different
dialects and languages
understanding that different forms of address are used to greet different people, for example, addressing
elders as आप, equal or younger people as तुम and being addressed by older relatives as जीते रहो
understanding that different greetings are used with people from different community and religious
groups, for example, नम े/नम ार to a Hindu, अ लाम अलैकुम to a Muslim and सत् ी अकाल to a Sikh
Recognise that all languages change over time and borrow words and expressions from each other
[Key concepts: language change, wordborrowing; Key processes: noticing, comparing, identifying]
Elaborations
recognising that languages borrow words and expressions from each other and that Hindi includes many
words that originated in languages such as Persian, Arabic and English
identifying loan words and expressions from English used in Hindi, understanding that they may be
pronounced differently in the two languages, for example, phone is pronounced as फ़ोन, dollar is
pronounced as डालर
finding examples of Hindi words that are used in other languages, for example, ‘yoga’ (योग), ‘sari’ (साड़ी),
‘khaki’ (खाकी), ‘pyjama’ (पायजामा)
noticing words that they use in their everyday lives that come from different languages
Recognise that Australia is a multicultural society with communities of speakers of many different
languages including Hindi
[Key concepts: culture, multiculturalism, diversity, family, community; Key processes: observing, noting,
describing, comparing]

Elaborations
understanding that there are many different languages in the world and in the Australian community and
that many people speak more than one language
exploring the range of languages spoken in Australia, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
languages
identifying different languages and dialects used by children in their class or friendship groups, for
example, by creating a language map with greetings in each language
identifying different languages that they come into contact with in their extended family and communities
[Key concepts: language, culture, meaning; Key processes: noticing, comparing, reflecting]

Elaborations
noticing how gestures and body language differ between cultures, such as the way Hindi speakers move
their heads when saying अ ा; fold their hands and bow when saying नम े to an older person; touch the
feet of elders and say णाम; hold the ear lobe when apologising
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, how it involves visible elements, such as dressing, eating and dancing,
and invisible elements, such as attitudes and values, for example, the use of the expression िफर िमलगे
when leaving, to avoid the finality associated with ‘goodbye’
noticing similarities and differences in how they communicate in Hindi in the classroom and in their
homes, for example, बे टा, बे टी; being called मु ा, मु ी
learning to talk about language and culture and how they are connected by responding to prompt
questions such as आप ा सोचते ह … आपको ों लगता है िक लोग …?
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teacher and peers to exchange greetings and talk about
themselves and their families, for example, नमे, आप कैसे हΏ?, मेरा नाम गीता है, आप का ा नाम है? मेरे घर म चार लोग
हΏ। मेरा एक भाई है। मेरी एक बहन है। ये मेरे िपताजी हΏ। ये बत अे हΏ। ये मेरी माता जी हΏ। ये बत सु#र हΏ। ये मेरे बड़े भाई हΏ। यह
मेरी छोटी बहन है। इसका नाम सुध ा है। यह पाँच साल की है. They express thanks, likes and dislikes, feelings and wishes,
for example, मुझ े आइस ीम अी लगती है। आप को ा अा लगता है? मΏ आप से नाराज़ ँ। मुझ े खेलना पसंद है। मुझ े िकताब
पढ़ना पसंद नही ं है। मΏ उदास ँ । मΏ बत ख़ुश ँ. They use repetitive language when participating in guided activities
and responding to classroom routines, for example, नमे, बो बै ठ जाओ, िकताब खोलो। जी अा, ठीक है। अपनी
िकताब िनकालो। पाठ ख़‫ל‬ आ। अब तुम सब जा सकते हो। कल िमलग। नमे। धŵवाद. When speaking, they use the
sounds and patterns of the Hindi language, for example, त ,थ ,ग ,घ ,ट,ठ ,द ,ध.They identify words and phrases
in simple texts and locate and share specific points of information about their immediate environment using
illustrations and gestures to support meaning, for example, मेरे पास एक लाल गाड़ी है। मΏन े एक पीला फूल दे खा। मेरी
िकताब बत भारी है। मΏन े अपने प͵रवार के साथ खाना खाया। मेरे घर के सामने एक बस ॉप है। मΏ ाथ^ना करने मंिदर/ म߿द / गु¥ारे
/ िगरजाघर जाता ँ. They respond to imaginative texts that have listened to, viewed or participated in through
singing, drawing, movement and action, and use illustrations, familiar language and nonverbal forms of
expression to interpret and adapt Hindi stories, poems and songs. Students use familiar words and phrases,
for example, बै ठ जाओ। यहाँ आओ। वहाँ जाओ। इधर बै ठो। उधर जाकर खड़े हो। इस जगह पर मत कूदो। चलो उधर चल. They
use basic rules of word order, and gender and number agreement in simple sentences, for example, लड़का
खड़ा है। लड़की खड़ी है। लड़के जा रहे हΏ। लड़िकयाँ जा रही हΏ। बे टा खाना खा रहा है। बे टे खाना खा रहे हΏ, बे िटयाँ खाना खा रही हΏ. They
translate and interpret frequently used words and simple phrases, and create word lists, labels and captions
in Hindi and English for the classroom environment. Students identify themselves as members of different
groups and describe different words and behaviours they use when communicating in Hindi and English.
Students make connections between spoken Hindi, including vowels, consonants and conjuncts, and the use
of Devanagari script, and join characters to form simple words. They distinguish between question, answer
and statement forms, for example, आप कहाँ जा रहे हΏ? तुम कैसे हो? ा आप मेरे साथ चलग? े वहाँ कौन है? आप वहाँ ों जा
रहे हΏ? They identify the use of pronouns, postpositions and verbs in relation to actions and commands. They
identify features of familiar texts. They distinguish between the language spoken by different Hindi speakers in
different contexts and situations, such as at home with family or at school with the teacher.Students name
some of the many languages that are spoken in Australia, including Hindi, and give examples of simple words
in English that have been borrowed from Hindi, such as पायजामा, योग, साड़ी, ख़ाकी. They identify how language
usage reflects where and how people live and what is important to them.
The nature of learners
At this stage, children are developing cognitive and social capabilities that allow for increased control of their
own learning. They are able to conceptualise and reason, and have better memory and focus. This is a stage
of social experimentation, with children referencing themselves against their peers. They are more
independent and less egocentric, enjoying both competitive and cooperative activities. They benefit from
varied, activitybased learning, which builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with
other areas of learning.
Hindi language learning and use
Children interact with peers and the teacher in classroom routines and a variety of learning experiences and
activities. They engage in a lot of listening, and build oral proficiency through the provision of rich language
input and opportunities to engage in communicative activities where grammatical forms and language
features are purposefully integrated. The language they use and hear is authentic with some modification.
Vocabulary is familiar and and structures are simple. Children follow instructions, exchange simple information
and express ideas and feelings related to their personal worlds. They negotiate interactions and activities and
participate in shared tasks, performance and play. They read and create short texts on topics relevant to their
interests and enjoyment, such as family, pets, favourite activities or food. They continue to build vocabulary
that relates to a wider range of domains, such as areas of the curriculum that involve some specialised
language use. The language used in routine activities is reused and reinforced from lesson to lesson in
different situations, making connections between what has been learnt and what is to be learnt.
The contexts in which students interact in learning and using Hindi are primarily local: the classroom, school,
home and community, with some access to wider communities of Hindi speakers and resources through
virtual and digital technology. The development of oral proficiency is similar in many ways to their parallel
development of English language and literacy and continues to rely on rich language input in different modes
and from different sources.
Texts and resources
Learners engage primarily with a variety of teachergenerated materials, stories, songs, puppet shows and
games, and with materials produced for young Hindi learners such as computer language games, cards and
readers. They may also have access to materials developed for children in India and other Hindispeaking
regions of the world, such as television programs, advertisements or web pages, as a means of broadening
cultural knowledge and awareness of diversity of language experience.
Features of Hindi language use
Children recognise and apply elements of Hindi grammar, such as the use of tenses, गया था, जाऊँगा, जा रहा ,ँ
खाया था, खा रहा ,ँ खाऊँगा, possessive adjectives to express ownership, मेरी पु क, तु ारा ब ा, and pronouns for
places and objects, यहाँ, वहाँ, यह, वह. They understand the use of constructions related to compulsion,
conditional sentences and compound verbs to indicate capabilities or completion of actions. Children’s
development of literacy skills progresses from supported comprehension and use of familiar and personally
significant sight words to working with more elaborated texts that take account of context, purpose and
audience. The development of reading skills and textual knowledge is supported through interaction with a
range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts, such as picture books,
rhymes, stories, puppet play, songs and games, engage the expressive and cultural dimensions of language.
Procedural, informative and descriptive texts, such as negotiated classroom rules, tuckshop orders or family
and class profiles, show how language is used to ‘get things done’. A balance between language knowledge
and language use is established by integrating focused attention to grammar, vocabulary building,
pronunciation, and nonverbal and cultural dimensions of language use with communicative and purposeful
learning activity.
Children talk about differences and similarities they notice between Hindi, English and other languages they
know, and also between cultural behaviours and ways of communicating.
Learning Hindi in school contributes to the process of making sense of the children’s worlds which
characterises this stage of development. Children are increasingly aware that the Hindi language is used not
only in their own community in Australia and in India, but also in many other places around the world. As they
engage consciously with differences between languages and cultures, they make comparisons and consider
differences and possibilities in ways of communicating in different languages. This leads them to explore
concepts of identity and difference, to think about cultural and linguistic diversity, and about what it means to
speak more than one language in the contemporary world.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves continued extensive support. Formfocused activities build children’s
grammatical knowledge and develop accuracy and control in spoken and written Hindi; opportunities to apply
this knowledge in meaningful learning experiences build communicative skills, confidence and fluency. Tasks
are carefully scaffolded: teachers provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts and resources
needed to manage and complete the activity; make time for experimentation, drafting and redrafting; and
provide support for selfmonitoring and reflection.
The role of English
The teacher and learners use Hindi wherever possible in classroom interactions and learning activities.
English is used for discussion, reflection and explanation when appropriate, for example, when considering
the nature and relationship of language and culture, or in tasks which involve bilingual work that includes
comparison and analysis of Hindi and English. Discussion in Hindi and English supports learning, develops
children’s conceptual frames and builds metalanguage for talking about language and culture systems. The
process of moving between languages consolidates their already established sense of what it means to be
bilingual or multilingual and provides opportunities for reflection on the experience of living interculturally in
intersecting language communities.
Communicating
Socialising
Engage in simple interactions such as asking and answering questions or issuing and responding to
invitations, and exchange information about their interests, activities and personal worlds
[Key concepts: communication, information, leisure, interests; Key processes: interacting, exchanging,
describing]

Elaborations
exchanging different types of correspondence such as greeting cards or invitations, using modelled
language such as नए साल की बधाई; राखी की शुभ कामनाएँ ; ईद मुब ारक; शुि㓚�या; तु�恎� भी; िश�क िदवस शुभ हो
exchanging information about interests, experiences, leisure activities and community events, building
descriptive vocabulary and using statements such as मुझ े ि㓚�केट खेलना अ恑�ा लगता है ㋜�ोंिक …; गृह काय瀝� करने के
बाद म㓚� टीवी दे खता 㑝�ँ। नहा कर म㓚� पूजा करता 㑝�ँ। ज焙�ी जाग कर म㓚� इले炘�␌�ॉिनक खेल खेलता 㑝�ँ l हर रिववार म㓚� मंिदर जाता 㑝�ँ। सभी
लोग बड़े ही उ⍗�ाह के साथ बै साखी मेले जाते ह㓚�।
asking each other about recent events or significant occasions, using language associated with time,
location and frequency, for example, तुम निनहाल कब जाते हो? म㓚� हर साल गम� की छु ि⚊�यों म恎� निनहाल जाता 㑝�ँ; आप
ि㓚�समस कैसे मनाते ह㓚�?; होली के �ोहार म恎� रं ग ㋜�ों लगाया जाता है?
responding to frequently asked questions or comments, using appropriate intonation, gestures and short
responses, such as ठीक है; जी हाँ; िनि�त 둜�प से; िब㆘�ुल ठीक
asking each other about their personal worlds, for example, आपका ज瀜� कहाँ ㋛�आ था? ㋜�ा तुम घर पर िहंद ी
बोलते हो? तु�ारे िपताजी ㋜�ा काम करते ह㓚�? आपके दोꢝ� कौनह㓚�? ㋜�ा तुम अपनी दादी से �ार करते हो? आप अपने पालतू कु懂�े
की दे खभाल कैसे करते ह㓚�?
Participate in shared learning activities and transactions, such as science experiments, cooking or craft
activities, creating displays or swapping items
[Key concepts: roles, collaboration, learning experiences, transactions; Key processes: negotiating,
creating, transacting]

Elaborations
negotiating roles and responsibilities when collaborating in shared learning experiences, using
expressions such as थोड़ा म㓚� िलखता 㑝�ँ बाकी तुम िलखो। म㓚� काटता 㑝�ँ, तुम िचपकाओ। वाह! यह अ恑�ी बात है। ㋜�ा तुम
क♝��ू टर पर काम करना चाहते हो?
making shared decisions about content, vocabulary and design when working together to create digital
displays or posters for special events, such as �तं疛�ता िदवस; पया瀝�वरण िदवस; वािष瀝�क खेल िदवस; �恑�ता अिभयान
following procedures/giving instructions for activities such as cooking, craft activities or science
experiments, using language forms such as imperative verbs and measurement terms, for example, 100
⑈�ाम आटा, सबसे पहले पानी िमलाओ; कढ़ाई म恎� तेल गरम करो; एक च�च नमक डालो; गोल कागज़ काटो; बीच से मोड़ो; धागे से
बाँध ो
using tokens that represent Indian and Australian currencies to carry out simulated transactions in
different contexts
Respond to questions, directions and requests and use simple questions and statements to ask for help or
permission, attract attention and check understanding
[Key concepts: directions, response, support; Key processes: interacting, responding]

Elaborations
using appropriate language to ask for help, information or to attract attention, for example, यह ㋜�ा है? मुझे
समझ नही ं आया। ㋜�ा आप मेरी मदद करे ग恎�? िव�ालय का खेलिदवस कब है?
interacting with each other to complete learning activities and check on understanding, for example, मुझे
पैन दो। ㋜�ा यह सही है? अपने िह瑑�े का काय瀝� ज焙�ी समा� करो।
responding to directions when playing games, completing work or getting ready for class, for example,
मुझ े एक बार िफर से िदखाएँ । ज़ोर से गाओ। वा㋜� िलखो। इसे �ान से सुनो। इन िच疛�ों को दे खो। एक सीधी पं瓚�� म恎� खड़े हो जाइए।
praising and encouraging each other during learning activities, for example, ब㋛�त बिढ़या! बु रा नही ं है। ठीक

ठाक है।
using interaction skills such as questioning, responding and interpreting nonverbal clues when working
collaboratively
Informing
Locate and organise information in different types of spoken, written and visual texts relating to personal,
social and natural worlds
[Key concepts: information, natural world, physical world, daily life; Key processes: listening, reading,
identifying, classifying]

Elaborations
listening to short spoken texts that contain some unfamiliar language, such as announcements or
directions for a game or task, identifying specific points of information
collecting information from print or digital resources about selected topics, such as animal species,
famous places, national flags or world geography, to create captioned displays with simple descriptive
statements, for example, ितरं गा झंडा; संकट⑈�ꢝ� जानवर; िव瓛� के सबसे ऊँचे पव瀝�त
locating information from a range of multimedia materials relating to school routines and activities in Hindi
language contexts, comparing with school life in Australia, for example, the ‘midday meals’ scheme in
India compared to school canteens in Australia
finding Hindi language at home or in the community to create language resources for their own use in
different contexts and situations, for example, collecting Hindi words in Englishlanguage advertisements,
menus or shop signs, such as roti, naan, mela.
using digital/online resources to collect information about children’s outofschool daily activities in Hindi
speaking communities in different contexts
Present simple information about home, school and community, using visual support such as photos, maps
or charts
[Key concepts: family, communication, identity; Key processes: surveying, describing, presenting, reflecting]

Elaborations
using simple descriptive language and supporting resources to introduce family members and friends
and to identify relationships with them, for example, मौसी; चाचा, providing details such as age, religion,
occupation or regional backgrounds, for example, वह ऑ㓋�␌� ेिलयाई है। उसकी उ⒌� तीस साल की है।
presenting information they have collected about each other’s likes, dislikes or interests to create a class
profile, chart or database, using checklists, surveys or question cues
presenting information via picture stories or multimodal displays on events or topics of potential interest
to Hindispeaking children of their own age in other contexts
working together to design posters or web pages to promote a cultural event or regional profile
creating a class book or digital display about topics they have been studying in Hindi and/or other
curriculum areas, for example, इꢝ�ेमाल की जा चुकी वꢝ�ुओ ं से कुछ और बनाना; जीवनच㓚�; िव瓛� संगीत
Creating
Engage with creative and imaginative texts such as stories, rhymes, dance and action songs, identifying
favourite elements and acting out key events or interactions
[Key concepts: imagination, character, plot; Key processes: responding, identifying, creating, evaluating;
Key types: films, stories, myths, puppetry]
Key text types: films, stories, myths, puppetry]

Elaborations
reading, listening to and viewing stories, children’s TV programs, excerpts from films, identifying and
describing favourite elements, ideas and events
viewing excerpts from traditional texts such as जातक कथाएँ , explaining key elements, for example, नमꢝ�े/
नम㌘�ार; चरण 捙�श瀝�, आशीवा瀝�द
adopting and adapting styles and ideas from writers or artists that they enjoy to create their own
imaginative texts, for example, a skit based on a scene from a favourite story
demonstrating understanding of plot and sequence in imaginative texts by creating a storyboard or
timeline
describing favourite animal characters in Panchatantra Stories, comparing with the role of animals in
stories from other world cultures
discussing favourite characters or events in familiar traditional texts such as दादी माँ की कहािनयाँ
exploring rhythms, sound patterns and alliteration of Hindi, for example, by creating their own tongue
twisters similar to क�ा पापड़ प瑛�ा पापड़
Create simple imaginative texts, such as dialogues, storyboards, puppet shows or songs that encourage
exploration and enjoyment of language
[Key concepts: expression, humour, entertainment, enjoyment; Key processes: creating, performing,
experimenting; Key text types: poems, songs, puppet shows, animations, stories]

Elaborations
creating variations on Hindi poems or songs that include repetitive phrases, established rhythms, rhymes
and actions
using puppets to create dialogues between characters from favourite stories or fables
creating their own simple storyboards or picture books, using captions and dialogue
designing and creating Voki animations that use expressive, entertaining and humorous language
imitating the style and structure of a favourite song to create their own song that explores different
combinations of sounds and rhythms
acting out elements of events such as the Rakhi festival, using traditional expressions and culturally
appropriate behaviours, such as भाई की कलाई पर राखी बांध ना
drawing their own versions of characters encountered in imaginative texts and selecting simple
descriptive statements as captions to their pictures
Translating
Translate simple texts such as rhymes, captions, story books or familiar social interactions, noticing words
and expressions that are difficult to translate
[Key concepts: meaning, translation, interpretation, culture; Key processes: translating, noticing, reflecting,
explaining]

Elaborations
translating popular children’s rhymes into English, for example, चूँ चू ँ करती आई िचिड़या; चंद ा मामा, noticing
words that are difficult to translate or explain
identifying Hindi words or expressions that do not easily translate into English, for example, आँ खों का तारा
translating exchanges between characters in favourite stories from Hindi into English
discussing the meaning of traditional Hindi phrases used on special occasions, comparing how similar
wishes are expressed in English, for example, जीते रहो
translating lines from cartoon or comicstrip characters such as िपंकी और बबली, noticing how meanings
sometimes get changed or confused when translated into another language
Create simple bilingual texts, such as signs, notices or captions for displays in the classroom and wider
school community
[Key concepts: bilingualism, translating, meaning, pronunciation; Key processes: composing, discussing,
selecting]

Elaborations
creating bilingual captions for a photographic or digital display to show parents or other student groups
designing a flyer for a class event or performance that uses both Hindi and English, considering how to
convey information and ideas in each language
creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, such as a school map or signs indicating
appropriate behaviour
generating parallel Hindi and English versions of classroom texts such as timetables, menus or
instructions for activities or games
matching and sequencing words and pictures in Hindi and in English to complete speech bubbles in
digital or print versions of short conversations or picture stories
Reflecting
Recognise that ways of communicating in different languages reflect ways of behaving and thinking
[Key concepts: culture, communication, respect, values, difference; Key processes: noticing, reflecting
comparing, describing]

Elaborations
recognising differences in attitudes or ways of expressing feelings when using Hindi or English, for
example, when being polite and respectful, when thanking or sympathising with people or when
exchanging wishes on special occasions
identifying nonverbal aspects of communication in Hindi that may be unfamiliar to nonHindi speakers,
such as the way that older relatives greet children by holding their hand over the child’s head and saying
जीते रहो, or shaking the head from side to side or back and forth to show varying levels of agreement
recognising how the Hindi language reflects traditions and social distinctions to do with how people are
regarded in society, how old they are or what religion they practise, for example, the use of the honorific
particle जी after a surname to show respect or after an individual name to show affection
discussing how Australian behaviours and expressions might be understood or misunderstood by
newcomers to the language and culture, for example, the use of terms such as ‘bushwalking’ or ‘arvo’, or
expressions such as ‘she’ll be right’ and children’s use of first names with some adults
comparing how they communicate in Hindi, English or other languages when they are interacting with
different people, such as elders, friends, strangers, parents, small children
Talk about their individual and group sense of identity and how this is expressed through the different
languages they use
[Key concepts: language, culture, identity, community; Key processes: reflecting, comparing, analysing,
representing]

Elaborations
talking about how they feel when using English, Hindi or other languages and whether there are some
things that feel more natural in one language than in the other
demonstrating gestures or behaviours that they feel ‘belong’ in Hindi but not in English or vice versa
sharing opinions about whether they have a different sense of identity when they are using different
languages
creating drawings or photo displays that show their connections with family, friendship groups and
communities, writing captions of words or phrases that they associate with each group
considering the importance to their identity of speaking Hindi to some people, such as older relatives or
members of the wider Hindispeaking community
observing themselves and reporting to each other how they use Hindi and English in different contexts
and for different purposes, identifying favourite expressions or gestures in each language
Understanding
Systems of language
Build phonic awareness and pronunciation skills through singing, reciting and experimenting with sounds;
develop familiarity with the use of the underdotted characters representing loan sounds in Hindi and
conventions governing punctuation marks in written script
[Key concepts: pronunciation, sounds, loan words; Key processes: identifying, distinguishing, recording]
Elaborations
creating an alphabet bank, collecting words beginning with each letter, for example, कमल, कसरत, कोयल।
imitating the discrimination of unaspirated and aspirated sounds, for example, कख, दध।
understanding that the sound and letter correspondence is the same in written and spoken Hindi, that
there are no silent letters or more than one sound for any one letter, apart from the letters ह, य and व,
whose pronunciation is influenced by their context
understanding that Hindi vowels can be pronounced with a nasal quality added to them which is
represented by either a चं� िबं दु or a small dot (िबं दु ) above the headstroke, for example, हाँ, म㓚�
recognising how to distinguish between nasal vowel sounds and nasal consonants, and the rules that
govern how to represent nasal consonant combinations in words such as गंगा, पंजाब, ठं ड/ठ닋�, बं द /ब甙� and
तु�ारा
recognising that there are loan words in Hindi from languages such as English, Persian, Arabic, Turkish
and Portuguese, and learning how the underdotted characters क़, ख़, ग़, ज़, फ़ are used to represent such
loan sounds
recognising how pitch, stress and rhythm help to convey meaning even when individual words are
unfamiliar
Recognise and apply elements of grammar, such as noun and adjectival forms, conjunctions, gender and
number markers, verb tenses and compound forms, and constructions related to compulsion
[Key concepts: grammar, tense, gender, number; Key processes: recognising, applying, naming]
Elaborations
describing objects using concrete nouns related to home, school and local environments, for example,
forms of transport मोटरकार, रे लगाड़ी, food items चावल, रोटी, दाल and classroom objects कुस�, मेज़, प恎�िसल
describing quantity using cardinal numbers, such as पाँच रोिटयाँ, दस िगलास
using appropriate forms of tenses, for example, गया था, जाऊँगा, जा रहा 㑝�ँ, खाया था, खा रहा 㑝�ँ, खाऊँगा
using adjectives to describe characteristics or qualities of a person or object, such as nationality, shape
and colour, and noticing that they change with gender and number, for example, छोटा लड़का, छोटी लड़की,
छोटे लड़के
using possessive adjectives to express ownership, for example, मेरी पुꢝ�क, तु�ारा बꢝ�ा
creating simple sentence structures such as म㓚� पढ़ता 㑝�ँ।
using pronouns for places and objects, for example, यहाँ, वहाँ, यह, वह
recognising that punctuation in English is the same as in Hindi apart from the use of capital letters and a
different symbol for a full stop
using conjunctions to link elements of sentences or phrases, for example, और, या, लेिकन
constructing questions to seek information, for example, ㋜�ों? कैसे?
identifying regular forms of gender and number
understanding how actions completed at a particular time in the past are described using perfective
tenses and how ने is used as the agent marker for transitive verb actions in these tenses
tenses and how ने is used as the agent marker for transitive verb actions in these tenses
showing how actions are performed by using compound verb forms such as in म㓚�न े काम ख़� कर िदया, दु कान

बं द हो गई।
understanding the distinctions in levels of compulsion implied in statements like मुझ े जाना चािहए। मुझ े जाना है।

मुझ े जाना पड़ता है।
Notice differences between simple spoken, written and multimodal texts used in different contexts,
comparing with similar texts in English
[Key concepts: genre, language features; Key processes: identifying, comparing, distinguishing]
Elaborations
recognising features of familiar genres of Hindi texts, such as digital books or puppet shows, video clips
or children’s songs
recognising differences between the layout and language features of different types of texts and formats,
such as िच疛�कथाएँ and लोककथाएँ
the layout, title, illustration and punctuation in a picture book or the use of repetition and rhyme in poems
and chants
recognising differences in spoken and written forms of everyday texts, such as greetings or wishes, for
example, आपको ब㋛�तब㋛�त बधाई हो (spoken) and हािद瀝� क शुभकामनाएँ (written), comparing with similar
differences between spoken and written texts in English
Understand that the way the Hindi language is used varies according to the age, gender and background of
speakers and that it involves different dialects and accents
[Key concepts: standard language, variation, status, relationship; Key processes: noticing, comparing,
differentiating]

Elaborations
understanding that there is a standard form of Hindi called मानक िहंद ी which is used in writing and spoken
by many people, and also many spoken dialects that differ from region to region, for example, 瑛�ज भाषा,
अवधी
reflecting on how they communicate with family and friends and people less close to them or in authority,
noticing differences in word choice, gestures and communicative behaviour
comparing language used among different family members, such as grandparents, parents and siblings,
noticing words that reflect status or position in the family, for example, addressing older siblings as आप
rather than तुम
comparing language use at home and school, for example, by identifying differences in ways of thanking
someone or asking for help; the use of nicknames or terms of affection such as राजा बे टा, रानी िबिटया
making personal connections with different language dialects spoken in regions of India, in Fiji, Mauritius
and other parts of the world
understanding the importance of using appropriate language when interacting with different people, for
example, the use of ultraformal language such as बै िठएगा when speaking with elders or strangers
Understand that the Hindi language is influenced by and in turn influences other languages and cultures
[Key concepts: change, influence, contact; Key processes: identifying, investigating]
Elaborations
understanding the influence on Hindi of different languages over different times, for example, the use of
English words such as ‘postbox’, ‘railway station’, ‘bus’, ‘school’
identifying more examples of Hindi words or expressions that are commonly used in English, such as
‘verandah’ from बरामदा, ‘bandana’ from बांध ना
identifying how words from Sanskrit, PersoArabic and English are used in different contexts to mean
related concepts such as ‘concern/anxiety’: Sanskrit िचंता; Arabic िफ़㓚�; and ‘tension’, English टे 抈�शन
finding examples of expressions in Hindi that include words from English or other languages, for
example, ㋜�ा यह आपका फ़ाइनल उ懂�र है?
Understand that Hindi is an important regional and international language used by speakers who are often
multilingual in different contexts around the world
[Key concepts: multilingualism, accent, dialect; Key processes: mapping, grouping, identifying]

Elaborations
understanding that Hindi is used by communities of speakers in many regions of the world beyond their
immediate and extended family
talking to people they know in their families, at school and in the wider community about the languages
they speak and how they use them
understanding that Hindi is one of many languages spoken in India and other communities around the
world, and that most Hindi speakers also speak other languages
recognising that there are many different Indian languages spoken in India and other regions of the
world, involving different dialects, accents and vocabulary
Recognise the relationship between language and culture, for example, by identifying expressions,
gestures or forms of address associated with different cultural practices
[Key concepts: nonverbal language, politeness, culture, traditions; Key processes: discussing, describing,
comparing, reflecting]

Elaborations
understanding that languages carry cultural ideas and values, as in the use of words such as दे सी as
opposed to िवदे शी, the use of blessings by older people to children, the use of indirect forms of language
such as कोई बात नही ं as a way of deflecting a difficult situation
identifying forms of address or expressions associated with cultural events or celebrations that reflect
values and traditions, for example, बधाई हो
noticing how family values such as familiarity, politeness or respect are expressed in Hindi and
associated behaviours, for example, addressing cousins or distant male siblings as भइया; the concept of
जूठा
identifying words and expressions that reflect cultural beliefs, practices and traditions, such as offering of
皎�साद to God, offering to God or visitors फूल, िमठाई, फल, पानी पीिजए to guests when they visit
noticing that some Australian terms and expressions are only meaningful in the Australian context and
have no equivalent in Hindi, for example, ‘fair go’, ‘she’ll be right’
recognising words and expressions in Hindi that reflect traditions and distinctions that are not easily
translated into English, for example, forms of address such as �ामी जी for a religious leader, गु�जी for a
male teacher, बाबाजी for an older male person and राम राम as a mode of greeting in villages
By the end of Year 4, students interact with the teacher and peers to share information about their interests,
activities and personal worlds, for example, नम े, मुझ े अपने दो ों के साथ खेलना अ恑�ा लगता है, मुझ े ि㓚�केट खेलना अ恑�ा
लगता है ㋜�ोंिक …, गृह काय瀝� करने के बाद म㓚� टीवी दे खता 㑝�ँ, नहा कर म㓚� पूजा करता 㑝�ँ,हर रिववार म㓚� मंिदर जाता 㑝�ँ ,हम सब िमल कर
काम करते ह㓚�। मेरे प㑛�रवार म恎� पाँच लोग रहते ह㓚�। म㓚� रोज़ अपने भाई के साथ खेलता 㑝�ँ। आपकी सहायता के िलये ध वाद ।They use
formulaic expressions to participate in simple transactional exchanges and shared activities, for example, मेरे
साथ आओ, हम िमल कर काम कर恎� ग।म㓚� िलखता 㑝�ँ, यह यहाँ रखो, थोड़ा म㓚� िलखता 㑝�ँ बाकी तुम िलखो। म㓚� काटता 㑝�ँ ,तुम िचपकाओ। वाह!
यह अ恑�ी बात है। ㋜�ा तुम क ू टर पर काम करना चाहते हो? They use simple questions and statements to follow
instructions, respond to questions, ask for help and permission and seek clarification in everyday classroom
routines, for example, यह ㋜�ा है? मुझ े समझ नही ं आया। ㋜�ा आप मेरी मदद करे ग恎�? यहाँ आओ, िफर से कहो। ध वाद, सब
आराम से बै ठो। ू ल कब शु둜� हो रहे ह㓚�? ू ल का खेलिदवस कब है? When speaking and reading aloud, they use
features of Hindi pronunciation and intonation. Students locate and organise information relating to their
personal, social and natural worlds from different types of texts and present information about home, school
and community in simple texts, using visual support, such as photos, maps or charts. They respond to
imaginative texts by acting out key events or interactions and identifying favourite elements, and create simple
imaginative texts, such as dialogues, puppet shows and songs. They use vocabulary related to school, home
and the local environment, for example, चावल, रोटी, दाल, घर, कमरा, दरवाज़ा, घडी, कुस�, मेज़, िकताबे , छा疛�, प恎�िसल, बोड瀝� ,
पढ़ाई, िलखना, बोलना, पौधा, पेड़, फूल, घास, झूला, मोटरकार, रे लगाड़ी. Students use key grammatical forms and
structures, such as verb tenses, nouns and adjectives, gender and number markers and conjunctions, for
example, गया था, गयी, आऊँगी, आये, लड़का, लड़की, छोटा लड़का, छोटी लड़की, और, या, लेिकन, इसिलये, ㋜�ोंिक in simple
spoken and written texts. They translate simple texts, such as captions and songs, identify words and phrases
that are difficult to translate, and create simple bilingual texts for the classroom and school community.
Students describe how the way they communicate reflects ways of behaving and thinking. They share their
experiences of communicating in Hindi and Englishspeaking contexts and describe how their individual and
group sense of identity is expressed in the languages they use.
Students identify and use Hindi sound and writing patterns, such as underdot characters and punctuation
conventions, for example, क़, ख़, ग़, ज़, फ़. They identify levels of compulsion implied in statements such as मुझे
जाना चािहए। मुझ े जाना है। मुझ े जाना पड़ता है. They identify ways that texts differ according to mode and context and
compare Hindi texts with similar texts in English. They identify similarities and differences between various
Hindi dialects and explain how age, gender and social position influence language use. Students provide
examples of how the Hindi language has been influenced by and has influenced other languages. They
investigate the use of Hindi and the nature of Hindi speakers in the international context. They compare Hindi
and English language use and cultural practices, identifying culturespecific terms and expressions.
Languages Indonesian
Page 824 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Indonesian
Indonesian How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Indonesian language and culture in
The languages of the Indonesian archipelago have been used in Australia since contact several centuries ago
between the peoples of the islands now known as Indonesia and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples of northern Australia. Trade between these peoples left lasting effects on languages, cultures and
communities, such as in Makassar and Arnhem Land, which continue to this day.
Indonesian — or Bahasa Indonesia as it is known by Indonesian speakers — is spoken by approximately 230
million people throughout the Indonesian archipelago. Closely related dialects of the same language, usually
called Malay, are used in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and southern Thailand. Modern Indonesian and Malay
trace their origins to Old Malay, which was used in the Srivijayan empire during the seventh century and later
in the powerful trading kingdom of Malacca. As a language of trade, Malay spread throughout the
archipelago. The colonial rulers of the Dutch East Indies used Malay for treaties, administration and, from the
late nineteenth century onwards, education of the local people.
In 1928, Indonesia’s nascent nationalist movement declared that there would be a single national language as
the language of Indonesian unity. Following independence in 1945, Bahasa Indonesia was adopted as the
new nation’s official language; it became the medium of instruction and an area of study in all schools.
Successive generations of Indonesians have now been educated in Indonesian, and for the majority it is one
of a number of languages that are used for communication.
Following the countries’ experience of being allies during World War II, close ties were forged between
Indonesia and Australia, and many Indonesians arrived in Australia to study as part of the Colombo Plan,
which was designed to educate a professional class in order to advance a stable, democratic Indonesia. A
number of Indonesians settled in Australia and formed small communities in various capital cities. These
communities currently remain small but are steadily growing, with numbers of tertiary students and families
from Indonesia living and studying in Australia.
The ties between Australia and Indonesia continue to develop, with an increasing number of Australians
(almost one million in 2012) travelling to Indonesia, for leisure, business and education purposes; numbers of
Indonesians visiting Australia are also increasing. Indonesia currently has Australia’s largest overseas
diplomatic presence, and Australia is the only country outside of Indonesia to host two specialist Indonesian
language and cultural centres, known as Balai Bahasa; these provide Indonesian language study for the
Australian community.
The place of the Indonesian language in Australian
education
Indonesian has been taught in Australian schools and universities since the 1950s. Today Australia is the
largest provider outside of Indonesia itself of Indonesian language education for schoolaged children. In fact,
Australia is recognised as a world leader in expertise on the Indonesian language and Indonesian language
education.
Historically the demand for Indonesian language study in Australian schools has been driven by the Australian
Government rather than as a direct response to the language maintenance needs of local speakers of the
language. Since its introduction, a number of government policy initiatives have supported the teaching of
Indonesian, largely for economic and national security reasons. The introduction of Indonesian language
studies in 1955 was in response to the Australian Government’s concerns about regional stability in Asia.
During the 1990s, with growing national interest in trade with Asia, the Australian Government introduced the
National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy, which enabled a major
expansion of Indonesian in schools, particularly in the primary sector. Indonesian rapidly became the third
most studied foreign language in Australian schools. The NALSAS ended in 2002; however, its aims to
encourage young Australians to study one of four targeted Asian languages were reignited through the
National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program (2008–2012), which renewed an economic and
strategic focus on Asia. In recent years, the commitment of the Australian Government to the teaching and
learning of Indonesian in schools has continued, as reflected in documents such as the Australia in the Asian
Century White Paper (2012) and election policy announcements.
The nature of Indonesian language learning
Indonesian is a standardised language that is the official language of government, education, business and
the media. It has been and continues to be shaped (for example, in terms of lexicon, grammatical structures
and idiomatic usage) by other languages, most significantly Javanese, Dutch, Arabic and English. Colloquial
forms of Indonesian, such as bahasa seharihari and bahasa gaul, are used for informal daily interactions.
Indonesian is written using the Roman alphabet, and there is a clear correlation and a degree of consistency
between its sound and its written form. This feature generally makes it easy for speakers of English as a first
language to predict how to say, read or write Indonesian words. It has a number of sounds that require
learning, such as the trilled r, the ch sound of the letter c, the combined vowel sounds ai and au, the
distinction between ng and ngg, and the glottal stop k when it is a final syllable.
Indonesian grammar is characterised by a system of affixation where prefixes and suffixes attached to base
words form new words belonging to different word classes or with changed grammatical function. The most
common among these that are relevant to this curriculum are the noun and verb forms using the prefixes
ber, me, pe and ke, and the suffixes kan, i and an.
There is a significant distinction between oral and written, as well as formal and informal, Indonesian. Written
language, for example, follows grammatical rules of affixation, whereas spoken language often drops affixes,
and vowels are often reduced to single sounds; for example, the formal hijau often appears informally as ijo.
Spoken language is also frequently meshed with local languages and slang forms.
A major feature of Indonesian is its extensive pronoun system, which can be quite simple in its initial stages
(for example, saya, Anda, kamu) but becomes increasingly complex, with multiple forms according to
situations and contexts of use. In addition, the use of objectfocus construction is marked, and it is frequently
used in both spoken and written contexts to create distance between the agent and the action.
Language features are strongly embedded in the cultural worldview that underpins and shapes the language.
For example, Indonesia is a unified nation within which there are multiple languages; cultural, religious and
ethnic groups; and geographical and political regions. The sense of diversity is reflected in the national motto,
Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (‘Unity in Diversity’).
The diversity of learners of Indonesian
Most recent figures show that there are approximately 190 000 learners of Indonesian in Australian schools,
with the majority in primary schools: F–6 (123 538), 7–10 (64 333) and 11–12 (3713). These figures reflect a
relatively strong base for Indonesian in primary schools in particular. The majority of students who study
Indonesian at primary school do not continue with the language at secondary school due to factors such as
lack of availability of the language or opting to study a different language. Secondary school also represents a
new entry point for learners who have not previously studied Indonesian.
The majority of learners of Indonesian in Australian schools are second language learners, with smaller
numbers of background learners and first language learners. The Australian Curriculum: Languages for
Indonesian is pitched for the majority of the cohort of learners of Indonesian for whom Indonesian is an
additional language (referred to in the Australian Curriculum as second language learners). The curriculum
has been developed according to two main learning sequences for these learners, Foundation to Year 10
Sequence and Years 7 to 10 (Year 7 Entry) Sequence.
For students learning Indonesian for the first time in a school language program, a key feature of learning the
language is understanding the cultural dimension that shapes and is shaped by the language. The curriculum
is designed with an intercultural language learning orientation to enable students to participate in intercultural
experiences, develop new ways of perceiving and being in the world, and understand themselves in the
process.
Languages Indonesian
Page 828 of 1359

Indonesian Years F–10 Sequence
with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically they have little to no
experience of Indonesian language and culture.
Indonesian language learning and use
In these years there is an emphasis on developing learners’ oral language to enable them to participate in
class activities such as shared reading, chants, rhymes, songs and games. They repeat sounds, particularly
of vowels, the letter c (ch) and r (trilled), as modelled by the teacher and aural texts. Learners use formulaic
language and singleidea phrases. They will recognise the same alphabet as they are learning for writing
English and need to observe that some letters have different sounds (for example, c = ch). Learners write by
tracing and copying, forming letters legibly. They learn to write words and sentences independently using
modelled language, for example, matching pictures with single words, labels and captions.
The primary context for interaction is the language classroom, with the teacher of Indonesian, and peers or
buddy classmates. Learners’ use of Indonesian primarily relates to classroom routines and activities, drawing
on their curiosity about the world around them and their interest in play, movement and games.
Texts and resources
Written texts include children’s stories and big books, and teachergenerated materials such as pictures with
labels and descriptions. Learners listen to, read and view texts, including digital forms such as videos, songs
and children’s programs. They respond to teacher generated resources such as cloze, substitution or
matching exercises, and produce texts such as captions and recounts using formulaic language, for example,
Pada hari…, saya…
Features of Indonesian language use
Students are learning the sounds and written form of Indonesian. They are noticing similarities and
differences between Indonesian and English, such as similar vocabulary and word order and differences in
the position of adjectives and possessive pronouns Learners ask questions in English about Indonesia and
Indonesians. With teacher support, they discuss language and culture in terms of what is the same or
different and compare with ‘what is said and done’ in their own language and culture.
Level of support
Support is provided through visual and tactile materials, such as pictures, realia, objects and charts, and the
use of gesture and movement. The main source of support is the teacher’s talk, such as questions and
statements, explanations, prompts, recycling of language, stories and feedback. Learners rely on modelled
language and scaffolded tasks to create their own texts, for example, choosing words to complete sentences
or using pictures to sequence captions.
The role of English
Indonesian is used in class interactions and daily routines such as opening and closing of lessons. Indonesian
is used by the teacher to model new language, process texts and guide interaction, for example, Ini siapa?, Di
mana Hasan? English is used when describing aspects of language and culture such as word order and
cultural practices.
Communicating
Using language for communicative purposes in interpreting, creating and exchanging meaning.
Socialising
Interacting orally and in writing to exchange, ideas, opinions, experiences, thoughts and feelings; and
participating in planning, negotiating, deciding and taking action.
Participate in structured play and class activities, exchanging with peers and teacher greetings and
information about self, family and interests
[Key concepts: self, family; Key processes: playing, imitating]
(ACLINC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning how to greet others at different times of the day using appropriate forms of address and body
language, for example, Selamat pagi Ibu/Bapak
using different senses to express feelings, opinions and reactions, for example, saya senang/tidak
senang, saya suka/tidak suka, saya melihat, saya mendengar
introducing and giving descriptions of self, family members, pets and favourite objects, for example,
Nama saya…, Anjing saya… Bapak saya tinggi
Participate in guided group activities such as games, songs and simple tasks, using movement, gesture
and pictures to support meaning
[Key concept: play; Key processes: singing, chanting, drawing]

Elaborations
creating pictures or craft and giving descriptions in order to express ideas, for example, ini…saya, anjing
saya besar
participating in songs and chants by singing and performing actions, for example, Topi Saya Bundar,
Lingkaran Kecil and Di Sini Senang
following instructions by moving around or locating objects in the class, for example, Ambillah satu blok,
Carilah teman
expressing preferences, such as by choosing objects, for example, saya mau…, saya suka…
Participate with teacher and peers in class routines and activities, including following instructions and taking
turns
[Key concepts: routine, sharing; Key processes: shared reading, following instructions]

Elaborations
responding to classroom instructions, for example, duduklah, berdirilah, diamlah, lihatlah, maju, klik di
sini
giving peers reminders, for example, cuci tangan dulu, pakai topi, makan dulu, jangan lari di kelas,
berbaris
participating in routine exchanges such as saying the date, responding to the class roll, expressing
thanks, greeting and taking leave, for example, Sampai jumpa Ibu/Bapak
playing with others, asking for help or permission (for example, boleh saya…?, Giliran siapa?), and using
numbers to form groups, for example, Buatlah kelompok empat orang
participating in games and activities requiring turntaking, for example, gadogado, lompat tali, siapa dia,
kelereng and board games such as congklak
Informing
Obtaining, processing, interpreting and conveying information through a range of oral, written and
multimodal texts; developing and applying knowledge.
Locate specific words and familiar phrases in texts such as charts, lists and songs, and use information to
complete guided oral and written tasks
[Key concepts: literacy, numeracy; Key processes: selecting, sorting, matching]

Elaborations
demonstrating early literacy skills by labelling, matching, clicking and dragging, drawing, miming and
using actions
locating and using information to describe, name, draw and trace
classifying and categorising information gained from others, such as about family members and favourite
foods, toys and games, for example, Suzi suka apel, tiga murid main computer, saya ada dua blok
using contextual and visual cues while reading with the teacher, for example, using illustrations and
printed/audio narrations when reading big books or digital books
expressing factual information about qualities such as colour, number, size and shape (for example, tiga
pensil, meja putih, buku besar) through interactive play with objects, such as water play, colour mixing
and play dough
expressing sensory responses, for example, melihat, merasa, mendengar, mencium meraba…
Give factual information about self, family and significant objects using labels, captions and descriptions
[Key concepts: self, favourite; Key processes: describing, showing]

Elaborations
recounting with the class details about shared events such as sports day, excursions, a class visit or
holidays, for example, Pada hari Jumat, kami ke museum
participating in ‘show and tell’, presenting topics of daily life and personal interest, for example, Saya ke
pantai, Ini kelinci, dia putih
describing aspects of shared knowledge about Indonesia, such as by pointing to places on a map or at
pictures of foods, flora and fauna, for example, Ini pulau Bali, Itu rambutan, Orang utan di pohon
using key words and phrases to describe aspects of a video clip, photo story, or excerpt from a television
program such as Jalan Sesama (the Indonesian version of Sesame Street), for example, Huruf hari ini,
huruf H
Creating
Engaging with imaginative experience by participating in responding to and creating a range of texts, such
as stories, songs, drama and music.
Participate in shared reading and playacting, and respond through singing, chanting, action and
movement
[Key concepts: character, story; Key processes: playing, choral reading; Key text types: fairy tale, fable,
comic, cartoon, song, rhyme]

Elaborations
participating in shared reading, sharing opinions and responding to questions about possibilities, for
example, saya suka…; dia nakal; dia berlari
describing what is entertaining or appealing in imaginative texts, such as the characters, story or
illustrations in books, songs, cartoons or comics, for example, Herman lucu; Saya suka si kancil
responding to imaginative texts such as stories, rhymes and songs through playacting, illustrating or
movement
participating in shared performance such as of poetry and songs
interacting with a character or puppet in an imaginary situation or setting, for example, Siapa nama
kamu? Kamu nakal!
Use familiar words, phrases and patterns to create captions and participate in shared performances and
games
[Key concept: performance; Key processes: performing, singing, dancing; Key text types: chant, song,
poster, puppet show]

Elaborations
creating own version of a story by sequencing a series of pictures with captions or by creating a
storyboard with labels using modelled language, for example, Pada hari Senin, si ulat makan…
creating a new part of a text such as changing a character or adding an extra verse in a song, for
example, by matching pictures and captions
making a shared big book based on an event, experience or shared text, for example, Ini hari kelas kita;
Pergi ke kebun binatang
Translating
Moving between languages and cultures orally and in writing, recognising different interpretations and
explaining these to others.
Translate familiar words and phrases, using visual cues and word lists, noticing how words may have
similar or different meanings
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key process: noticing]

Elaborations
participating in shared reading of texts such as big books, and asking and answering questions about
unfamiliar words and the number of words in translated texts, for example, Ada berapa kata? Apa kata
ini?…sama atau tidak?
using visual dictionaries, word lists and pictures to translate meanings and compare similar or different
meanings
noticing aspects of Indonesian and English that are the same, such as the alphabet and some sounds
discussing culturespecific words and practices (for example, mandi, guling) and terms of address, for
example, Ibu/Bapak for teachers and parents
Create captions, labels and statements for the immediate learning environment in both Indonesian and
English
[Key concepts: etiquette, respect, equivalence; Key processes: labelling, displaying]

Elaborations
writing captions, with support, for a photographic display to show parents/others about a class event or
experience such as sports day or keeping a class pet, for example, Ini kelas kami di kolam renang; Ini
marmot kelas kami, namanya Henry
as a class, writing instructions for Indonesian children on how to perform a game, noticing what can and
cannot be translated easily, for example, duck duck goose
making own bilingual/picture dictionaries, captions, signs, labels and descriptions to convey culture
specific ideas such as sawah, sepak takraw, lapangan futbal
showing others how different gestures are used and discussing what they mean, for example, beckoning
with all fingers and with palm down
Reflecting
Participating in intercultural exchange, questioning reactions and assumptions; and considering how
interaction shapes communication and identity.
Notice what may look or feel similar or different to own language and culture when interacting in Indonesian
[Key concepts: communication, respect; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
recognising ways in which Indonesian differs from English, for example, greetings depend on the
strength/position of the sun; siblings are identified in relation to position in the family (for example, Kak
(older sibling)); and ways of showing politeness may differ, for example, using first name for a teacher
(Ibu Lynda)
noticing similarities and differences in language that relates to culture, such as the names of foods and
animals particular to the climate and geography; and in cultural practices, such as extended families
living together and attitudes towards pets, for example, that Muslims generally don’t keep dogs as pets
noticing and recalling information by responding to teacher prompts in Indonesian or English (for
example, Kamu melihat apa? or ‘What do you notice about…?’) when viewing television programs, video
clips of children’s stories, or pictures of families, homes and schools
developing language to discuss aspects of language and culture, for example, terms such as ‘country’,
‘groups of people’, sama/beda, or asking in English: ‘Why is…like that?’
describing how it feels to use Indonesian, for example, when singing a song or hearing Indonesian
spoken by others
Describe aspects of self such as family, school/class, gender and language/s, noticing how these are part
of one’s identity
[Key concept: self; Key processes: describing, noticing]

Elaborations
identifying self as part of a family, class or peer group (for example, ini saya, saya dari Australia, saya
lakilaki) and representing these relationships through drawing pictures or by adding captions to photos
describing friends and favourite places, such as who they play with at lunch, and favourite objects, for
example, saya suka kucing; ini boneka saya
acknowledging special characteristics and talents of self and others, for example, saya pandai; dia
bermain tenis
describing what languages they know and are learning, for example, Bisa berbahasa Indonesia
Understanding
Analysing and understanding language and culture as resources for interpreting and shaping meaning in
Systems of language
Understanding the language system, including sound, writing, grammar and text.
Reproduce the sound and spelling of the vowels and the letters c (ch) and trilled r, and recognise that
Indonesian is written using the Roman alphabet
[Key concept: pronunciation; Key processes: reading aloud, mimicking]
(ACLINU012 Scootle )

Elaborations
imitating Indonesian pronunciation, for example, vowels, trilled r, c (ch) and the unaspirated sounds p, t
and k
noticing that statements, commands and questions have different intonations
experimenting with sounds and emphasis such as onomatopoeic words related to animal or human
sounds, for example, meong or ngeong (meowing), citcit (tweeting), gonggong (barking) and hacciihh
(sneezing)
Recognise questions, commands and simple subjectfocus sentences, and develop vocabulary for people,
places and things in their personal world
[Key concepts: possession, word order; Key processes: naming, noticing patterns]

Elaborations
identifying people using pronouns (ibu, ayah, bapak, adik, kakak), referring to pets (anjing, kucing), and
using concrete nouns for objects (buku, tas, pintu)
describing possession using word order in familiar phrases, for example, nama saya…, ibu saya…
greetings and farewelling others, for example, Selamat pagi/siang/sore/ malam, sampai jumpa
specifying location using prepositions, for example, di atas, di bawah, di dalam, di belakang
describing actions using simple verbs, for example, makan, duduk, minum, suka, tidur
interacting using auxiliary verbs, for example, ada, mau, tahu, boleh, bisa
understanding different question words and the anticipated answer, for example, siapa? (people), apa?
(objects, actions), di mana? (location), berapa? (quantity)
using imperatives to tell others to do something, for example, Duduklah, Lipat tangan, Tepuk tangan
referring to numbers of things using cardinal numbers (nolsepuluh puluh, belas)
describing the colour, size, shape and character of a person, place or thing using noun–adjective
phrases, for example, buku merah, anjing besar, kucing kecil, bapak tinggi, saya pendek, adik lucu
joining words or phrases using conjunctions, for example, dan, tetapi
referring to things using demonstratives ini and itu, for example, Ini buku merah
negating verbs and adjectives using tidak
expressing modality, for example, mau, ingin, boleh, bisa
Understand that language is organised as ‘text’, and recognise features of texts such as songs, chants,
labels and captions
[Key concept: text; Key processes: recognising, identifying]

Elaborations
recognising that sentences have parts, such as subject, verb and object
observing features of familiar texts such as greetings in a conversation, the chorus in a song, or rhyme in
a song/poem
understanding that texts have a purpose, for example, recounts are ways of describing past events
(Pada suatu hari…) and greeting cards can convey feelings (Saya cinta padamu)
Understanding how languages vary in use (register, style, standard and nonstandard varieties) and
change over time and place.
Recognise that ways of greeting and addressing others may change according to cultural norms
[Key concepts: appropriateness, respect; Key processes: noticing, selecting]

Elaborations
knowing that different terms of address are used for teachers and friends, for example, Ibu/Bapak/kamu
understanding that language varies in formality depending on the people involved, for example, Hai
versus Selamat pagi
recognising that greetings vary according to the time of day, for example, Selamat pagi/siang/sore/malam
Develop awareness that Indonesian and English borrow from each other.
[Key concept: borrowing; Key process: observing]

Elaborations
knowing that Indonesian and English use the same alphabet
recognising that Indonesian has some loan words from English, such as komputer and televisi, and that
English has some from Indonesian, such as ‘orangutan’, ‘satay’ and ‘sarong’, with some changes in
spelling
keeping a class record of words in Indonesian that are borrowed from other languages, including loan
words from Aboriginal languages, Torres Strait Islander languages
Analysing and understanding the role of language and culture in the exchange of meaning.
Notice that the languages people use and the way they use them relate to who they are and where and
how they live.
[Key concepts: norm, culture; Key process: making connections]

Elaborations
recognising that Indonesian is the language spoken in Indonesia, a country that is one of Australia’s
neighbours in a region known as ‘Asia’
noticing similarities and differences between Indonesian and Australian lifestyles and language use, for
example, tidur siang, bantal guling, bringing hands to forehead when greeting the teacher
exploring different cultural practices and related language use through games, for example,
suten/suwitan, Semut, gajah, orang, and Hom Pim Pah
recognising words that reflect aspects of culture, for example, the names and sounds of distinctive flora
and fauna such as orangutan, komodo and cicak, and artefacts such as the flag (sang merahputih) and
national emblem (garuda)
noticing that particular AustralianEnglish terms and expressions have no equivalent in Indonesian, for
example, ‘koala’, ‘meat pie’, ‘farm’
By the end of Year 2, students interact with teachers and peers through play and actionrelated language.
They use greetings such as Selamat pagi/siang and respond to instructions such as Berdirilah, Masuklah
through actions. Students pronounce the vowel sounds, and c (ch). They respond to questions (for example
Apa? Siapa? Berapa?) with responses that include ya/tidak, verbs such as ada/mau/suka/bisa/boleh, and/or
names and numbers (up to ten). They identify specific words or items in oral and written texts such as names
of objects and people, and respond by using actions or drawing or labelling a picture. They present factual
information at word and simple sentence level, such as lists, labels, descriptions and sharing/news reports,
relying on formulaic language and modelled examples. They show comprehension and create simple texts
such as a description, story or comic by matching pictures and captions. They use vocabulary related to their
class and home environments. Students use simple verbs such as lari, main, makan and use the pronouns
saya, kamu and Pak/Bu to address others. Students comment on similarities and differences in meanings of
words, noticing that some cannot be readily translated, for example, takraw. They comment on aspects of
using Indonesian and express feelings about learning Indonesian.
Students know that Indonesian is written using the same alphabet as English but that some sounds are
different. They know that they communicate in English (and possibly other languages) and that Indonesian is
spoken in a country called Indonesia. They identify Indonesian words that are similar to English, for example,
buku, komputer and es krim. Students identify some distinctive Indonesian words such as komodo, durian and
kancil. They know that language and culture are related.
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social world and memberships of various groups,
including of the Indonesian class. They have developed initial literacy in English, and this assists to some
degree in learning Indonesian, such as writing in the Roman alphabet. They benefit from varied, activity
based learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of
learning.
Indonesian language learning and use
Learners participate orally in classroom routines and tasks, and share ideas about how Indonesian works.
They respond to teachergenerated questions about texts, participate in games and give brief presentations
about topics such as family, pets, or a favourite game or object. Learners follow instructions, read stories and
captions, and use computer games for word building and language exercises. They participate in shared
reading and create texts such as descriptions, captions and simple reports using modelled language.
The context in which learners use Indonesian is primarily the language classroom and the school
environment, with some sharing of their language learning at home. They may also have some access to
Indonesian speakers and resources through audiovisual and digital technologies.
Texts and resources
Learners typically interact with teachergenerated materials, games and songs, and materials produced for
learning Indonesian, such as computer games, cards and readers. They may be exposed to texts developed
for children in Indonesia, such as television programs, advertisements or web pages, as a way of developing
their cultural awareness.
Features of Indonesian language use
Learners are increasingly aware that Indonesian is used by millions of speakers who do not have English as
their first language. They notice and question aspects of Indonesian language and culture such as sounds,
gestures and word order. They are developing a wide range of vocabulary and simple conjunctions to
generate their own ideas in structured tasks. They explore cultural traditions and practices and the language
associated with these.
Level of support
The primary support for learners is the teacher of Indonesian, who provides instruction, explanation,
examples, repetition, reinforcement and feedback. Learners create their own texts based on modelled
language and teacher guidance. Supports also include word lists, pictures, body language, realia and
multimedia equipment.
The role of English
Learners use Indonesian for classroom routines and structured learning tasks, and listening to and viewing
Indonesian texts. They are supported by the teacher to notice and discuss aspects of Indonesian language
and culture, and compare Indonesian to other known languages and cultures. English is used for class
discussions when noticing, comparing and reflecting on both English and Indonesian languages and cultures.
Communicating
Using language for communicative purposes in interpreting, creating and exchanging meaning.
Socialising
Interacting orally and in writing to exchange, ideas, opinions, experiences, thoughts and feelings; and
participating in planning, negotiating, deciding and taking action.
Share with peers and teacher information about aspects of personal world such as daily routines, home,
and favourite objects and pastimes
[Key concepts: routine, occasion; Key processes: describing, sharing]

Elaborations
sharing information about self related to daily routine, family and friends, pastimes and aspects of school
and home, for example, Saya tinggal di Darwin dengan keluarga saya. Rumah saya besar, Saya bermain
bola basket, Saya suka es krim
describing items and experiences of personal significance such as birthdays, for example, hari ulang
tahun
interacting with others, such as through greeting cards and shared digital spaces, using language related
to special occasions and wellwishing, for example, Selamat Hari Ulang Tahun, Selamat Hari Raya
recounting events and sharing feelings with others, using modelled language, for example, Waktu saya
sakit; Saya senang bermain komputer
Contribute to class activities such as solving a problem, creating a display or conducting a role
play/scenario
[Key concept: collaboration; Key processes: problem solving, participating]

Elaborations
participating in class routines such as taking the roll, saying the day and date, and describing the weather
and the day’s schedule
working with others to take action, such as creating a model with captions, producing a poster or
invitation for a special event, or designing an Indonesian garden, for example, following instructions,
Tolong ambil itu, Mari ikut saya ke…, Minta air, Ayo tanam jagung/sayur
preparing, rehearsing and conducting public presentations and performances, such as an Indonesian
item for assembly, or a presentation about significant event
interacting with the teacher and peers by asking and responding to questions and generating ‘small talk’,
for example, Apa kabar? Siapa menonton film itu?
participating in group activities such as roleplays, asking and responding to questions and invitations (for
example, Mau ke mana?; Mau ikut?), and negotiating with others to make decisions such as choosing
ways to get around in Indonesia, for example, Mau naik apa? Saya mau naik becak. Berapa ongkosnya?
Respond to questions, instructions and requests, and participate in routine exchanges
[Key concepts: respect, sopan santun; Key processes: interacting, responding]

Elaborations
initiating and responding to instructions and classroom routines and games, for example, Angkat tangan;
Giliran saya
making and responding to requests (for example, Boleh pinjam…?, Permisi…), and asking for
rephrasing, repetition and clarification, for example, Maaf Bu, apa artinya…? Mohon ulangi
contributing to preparing and displaying a set of class rules, for example, Jangan berlari di ruang kelas
using Indonesian for daily activities, such as creating and following Indonesian signs and instructions in
the classroom and around the school
Informing
Obtaining, processing, interpreting and conveying information through a range of oral, written and
multimodal texts; developing and applying knowledge.
Obtain and share information from peers and texts related to family, home, routines and interests
[Key concepts: routine, pastimes; Key processes: selecting, tabulating, categorising]

Elaborations
gathering information about activities of others, such as surveying peers about time spent on activities,
for example, Berapa jam menonton televisi/membaca buku/bermain komputer/bermain
olahraga/makan/belajar/tidur?
compiling information and reporting it to others, for example, making a shared class graph showing
popular leisure activities during the year
comparing information about activities and practices across cultures, for example, reading, viewing or
listening to texts related to aspects of school life such as timetables, canteen menus, extracurricular
activities and sports
working in groups to obtain and use factual information from texts related to other learning areas, for
example, completing a simple science experiment, naming countries and significant land features, or
recording distances using geography skills
Present information about school and neighbourhood using tables, lists and descriptions
[Key concept: data; Key processes: informing, organising]

Elaborations
gathering information from home, school and local environment to present to others, for example, a
display or presentation on rumah saya, di sekolah kami…
reporting information obtained from public texts such as brochures, signs and lists
presenting information about aspects of culture such as lifestyle, diet or use of transport (for example,
Naik apa ke sekolah? Saya naik…), using statistics and visual supports
Creating
Engaging with imaginative experience by participating in responding to and creating a range of texts, such
as stories, songs, drama and music.
Listen to, read and view creative texts such as rhymes, songs and stories, identifying characters and acting
out events
[Key concepts: character, plot; Key processes: performing, recounting; Key text types: fable, legend, song,
children’s television]

Elaborations
reading, listening to and viewing texts, through shared and guided reading, and responding to questions
about characters, ideas and events, including by illustrating and captioning aspects of texts
expressing personal opinions about and reactions to creative texts using artefacts, for example, using a
puppet or mask to give an opinion about a character in a story or song
using movement or actions to reinforce meaning in texts such as a television program, song or game
sequencing texts, such as by creating a storyboard using pictures and captions
Create texts such as dialogues and stories, using formulaic expressions and modelled language
[Key concepts: humour, imagination; Key processes: presenting, creating; Key text types: play, poem]

Elaborations
creating texts with others for public display, such as participating in a mock talent show, performing a
wayang scene or a rap, using both rehearsed and spontaneous language
creating texts to share with younger learners, such as big books, roleplays or comics, including digital
texts such as vokis, DVDs and slideshows, for example, Harimau menangis; Kodok cari teman
producing individual imaginative texts such as comics, diary entries and stories using modelled language,
to express own ideas and imagination
Translating
Moving between languages and cultures orally and in writing, recognising different interpretations and
explaining these to others.
Translate using textual cues such as pictures, layout and key words to predict meaning, and comment on
the nonequivalence of words due to cultural differences
[Key concepts: gist, meaning; Key processes: translating, predicting]

Elaborations
translating Indonesian texts such as public signs to understand gist and noticing how meaning changes
when translating into English such as sense of politeness
identifying and explaining expressions which do not easily translate into English, for example, Selamat
siang, Sudah mandi?
comparing translations of Indonesian creative works (such as an advertisement, anthem or extract of a
wayang script), noticing how words such as Tanah Air, sedikitsedikit have more than a literal meaning
Produce texts such as descriptions and signs in both Indonesian and English for the school community
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key processes: describing, captioning]

Elaborations
preparing descriptions in both Indonesian and English about familiar topics, using modelled language
and choosing from word lists, and discussing differences in language with the teacher
creating bilingual texts for the classroom and the school community (for example, posters, songs and
online newsletter items), discussing with others how to represent meaning in different languages for
different audiences
Reflecting
Participating in intercultural exchange, questioning reactions and assumptions; and considering how
interaction shapes communication and identity.
Communicate in Indonesian using routine phrases and expressions, recognising that such language
reflects cultural practices and norms
[Key concepts: politeness, etiquette; Key processes: experimenting, connecting]

Elaborations
recognising differences between Indonesian and English ways of showing politeness, for example,
making requests and expressing gratitude (Tolong…, Terima kasih, Boleh saya…?), and recognising
what may be viewed as impolite, such as pointing with the forefinger, folding arms, touching someone’s
head, or blowing nose with handkerchief and keeping it in your pocket
trying out respectful gestures such as bending when passing between people, nodding while greeting
others, and using a soft handshake when meeting others
participating in interactions associated with particular Indonesian practices, for example, etiquette
associated with eating such as waiting to be invited to eat (Silahkan makan) and not eating with left hand
noticing how own language influences expectations about Indonesian language, for example, perceiving
word order as ‘back to front’ compared to English, wanting to use one word for ‘you’, feeling the need to
say ‘thank you’ often
discussing how Australian terms and expressions might be understood from an Indonesian perspective,
for example, ‘bushwalking’, ‘kick a footy’ or ‘lamington’
Interact with others and noticing how identity matters, such as in use of terms of address, who and what is
included, and what language is used
[Key concept: membership; Key processes: interacting, noticing]

Elaborations
sharing personal details with others and making choices about what aspects of identity to include, for
example, Saya berasal dari… Saya berumur…, tahun, Saya anggota klub…, Saya anak ke…di keluarga
saya
designing visual representations of relationships to others and memberships of groups, for example,
using a concept map, poster or slide presentation with captions to show friendships, family, teams and
interest groups
comparing own ‘family culture’ with that of peers and considering how family can impact on identity,
offering reasons for similarities and differences, for example, Bapak saya suka sepeda motor. Saya juga!
interacting in Indonesian with others beyond the classroom, for example, using it as a secret code with
friends, showing off their language skills to teachers, and teaching parents and siblings words, phrases
and songs
creating a self profile such as an avatar or montage with selfintroduction, and making choices about the
design, content and language used
Understanding
Analysing and understanding language and culture as resources for interpreting and shaping meaning in
Systems of language
Understanding the language system, including sound, writing, grammar and text.
Recognise and reproduce pronunciation conventions, including loan words from English and intonation for
questions, statements and commands.
[Key concept: intonation; Key processes: imitating, discriminating sounds]

Elaborations
making connections between Indonesian and English sounds, for example, c is the ch sound in ‘cheese’;
g is the hard g in ‘gun’ but never soft as in ‘germ’; k is a soft sound if it appears at the end of a word as in
tidak, kakak
knowing that using the imperative form lah with appropriate intonation softens its force and shows
consideration, for example, Berbarislah, Angkatlah tangan
recognising different intonation for statements and questions, for example, Kamu suka apel (with falling
intonation) and Kamu suka apel? (with rising intonation)
identifying onomatopoeic words such as those related to transport, for example, tuttut (car horn), brum
brum (bus), jesjes (puffing train), kringkring (bike bell)
Develop understanding of ways to express possession and describe qualities of people and objects, and
expand vocabulary related to personal and social world
[Key concepts: action, sequence; Key processes: describing, relating, predicting]

Elaborations
describing people and animals using pronouns, gender and adjectives of character, for example, dia,
mereka, teman, kakak lakilaki, adik perempuan, kakek, nenek; kaki, tangan, mata; kucing, marmot,
burung; gemuk, kurus, tinggi, senang, sedih, marah; and describing weather using adjectives such as
panas, dingin, hujan, mendung, cerah
describing places (for example, kolam renang, taman, toko, pantai, sekolah, rumah, desa, gereja, pura,
mesjid) and movement using prepositions (for example, dari, ke, dengan, pada) and adjectives, for
example, kiri, kanan
describing objects using concrete nouns related to home, school and local environment, for example,
forms of transport (sepeda, mobil, bis, kereta api, becak, delman, dokar, bendi) and items such as foods
(semangka, kelapa)
describing quantity using cardinal numbers (puluh, ratus) and ordinal numbers using ke prefix, and
making plurals by duplicating, for example, bukubuku
describing actions using simple base verbs (for example, tinggal, bangun, mandi, naik) and ber verbs,
for example, bermain, berjalan, bersepeda, berenang
recognising imperatives, for example, Angkat tangan, Buka bukumu, Ayo cepat!
seeking information using questions, for example, kapan, dari mana, ke mana?
linking ideas using conjunctions, for example, karena, tetapi
locating events in time (for example, hari ini, kemarin, besok, sudah, belum) and using days of the week
and months, for example, Pada hari…
understanding the rules for subjectverbobject sentence construction (for example, Saya tinggi, Saya
bermain…, Saya makan…) and possessive word order, for example, Adik lakilaki saya…, Tas teman
Herman…
giving praise, gratitude and encouragement, for example, coba, Bagus sekali!, terima kasih banyak
recognising that the same rules of punctuation apply as in English, for example, using capital letters and
full stops for sentences
Recognise that texts such as stories, games and conversations have particular features
[Key concept: genre; Key processes: observing patterns, distinguishing]

Elaborations
recognising language features typically associated with texts, for example, the use of imperatives in
games and time markers in stories
comparing features of different text types, for example, differences in purpose or in the amount and kinds
of language between a conversation and a story
noticing differences between written and spoken texts (for example, comparing a written story with a
spoken version), or comparing how texts within the same mode can differ, for example, a birthday card
and an email message
Understanding how languages vary in use (register, style, standard and nonstandard varieties) and
change over time and place.
Understand that language varies according to age, gender and social position, such as place in the family
[Key concept: status; Key processes: observing, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing differences between formal and informal language such as greetings (Hai for friends and
Selamat pagi… for adults), or that Ibu/Bapak replaces ‘you’ when speaking to adults and that kamu is not
appropriate
comparing advertisements, such as for games or toys, for different age groups and genders
recognising appropriateness of gestures to accompany language when addressing teachers, friends or
visitors to school
analysing how the language of texts such as invitations and greeting cards can vary depending on the
occasion and the degree of closeness of the relationship between people
Recognise that Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia and is one of many languages in the Asia
Pacific region
[Key concept: official language; Key process: understanding]

Elaborations
understanding that Indonesian is a standardised language and is used in official contexts such as for
government, the media and education and that it also borrows from other languages, often with modified
spelling (for example, televisi, komputer, kursi, topi, telepon, kecap)
identifying examples of how Indonesian has influenced Australian English (for example, ‘sarong’, ‘gong’,
‘satay’, ‘batik’, ‘orangutan’)
showing awareness of Indonesian as a ‘real’ language in use in the world, one of multiple languages in
the AsiaPacific region and in the Australian community
Analysing and understanding the role of language and culture in the exchange of meaning.
Make connections between cultural practices and language use, such as specific vocabulary and
expressions
[Key concept: diversity; Key processes: comparing, connecting]

Elaborations
noticing how gestures differ between cultures, for example, Indonesian people beckon with palm down
and moving all fingers
understanding that meanings of facial expressions can vary across cultures and that the same
expression can convey various emotions, for example, in Indonesia smiling may also reflect confusion,
shyness, nervousness, embarrassment or offence
showing awareness that language carries cultural ideas, for example, upacara compared to ‘assembly’;
padi/beras/nasi compared to ‘cooked/uncooked rice’; and kaki lima, becak, and warung and congklak,
which have no equivalent in English
recognising character traits and values in Indonesian stories, for example, animal heroes in fables are
native animals in Indonesia, Si Kancil and Harimau, and comparing these to familiar Australian stories
analysing which aspects of own language use might seem ‘strange’ from an Indonesian perspective and
why, for example, practices such as barbecuing and Australian Rules football, and names for native
animals, currency and foods
By the end of Year 4, students interact in classroom routines and structured interactions with teachers and
peers. They reproduce the sounds of au (for example, mau) and g (for example, gemuk) and the final sound
k (for example, tidak). Students follow instructions (such as Duduklah or Bukalah bukumu), make requests
and respond with actions. They respond to questions such as Di mana? Kapan? Apakah?, by using simple
phrases. They engage with texts, relying on graphics, key words and examples to support understanding, and
respond using formulaic language. Students present factual information in texts through, for example,
describing, listing and using tables. They work with modelled language to create their own texts, such as
sequencing pictures and statements to create a comic and using word lists to complete a paragraph or simple
story. Students use vocabulary related to school (such as buku, pensil, kursi), home (such as rumah, kamar,
mobil) and some interests (such as suka main komputer, berenang, naik sepeda) to create simple informative
and descriptive texts. They describe amounts using cardinal numbers with belas and puluh, and create plurals
by doubling nouns. Students state preferences using Saya [tidak] suka…, and use adjectives, including
adjectives of size and colour (for example, besar, merah, tinggi, lucu), following the noun. They create
subjectfocus sentences, and use simple possessive word order such as teman saya or rumahnya, the
prepositions di and ke, and the conjunction dan. Students translate texts using word lists and dictionaries,
identifying words and expressions that do not have wordtoword equivalence, such as ‘footy’ or becak. They
observe how language use, including their own, is influenced by culture and notice how it can influence
intercultural experiences.
Students differentiate statements from questions according to intonation. They state that possessive word
order in Indonesian differs from English. Students know that language use varies according to who is using it
and with whom such as kamu for friends and Bu/Pak for teachers, and that some terms have specific cultural
meanings, such as pronouns derived from family terms (for example, Bapak/Pak, Ibu/Bu). They make
comparisons between Indonesian and English, particularly identifying similarities and differences in cultural
practices related to daily routines and special occasions.
Languages Italian
Page 852 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Italian
Italian How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Italian language and culture in
Italian, also known as Standard Italian or italiano standard, is the official language of Italy, the Vatican City,
San Marino and parts of Switzerland. It is also an official language of the European Union, and a major
community language in countries such as Australia, Luxembourg, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Uruguay
and Argentina, and in parts of Africa.
Italian is, and has been for many years, one of the major community languages in Australia.
The place of the Italian language in Australian
education
Italian has been taught in Australian schools and universities since the 1930s. Initially it was offered alongside
French and German as a ‘language of culture’, and Italian curricula borrowed a strong literary and
grammatical emphasis from the precedent of Latin. Italian was an important area of academic study providing
access to the rich literary, musical and artistic heritage of Italy, with less attention paid to actual
communication or contemporary culture. The distance between this academic approach to Italian learning
and the realworld experiences of Italianspeaking communities was considerable.
In addition to the presence of Italian learning in schools, in the 1960s the Italian community established
extensive Saturday morning schools to provide Italian language learning for their children. In the 1980s,
Italian learning and teaching in Australia increased significantly, especially in primary schools, as a result of
policies supporting multiculturalism, in particular the release of the National Policy on Languages (1987),
which strongly promoted linguistic and cultural pluralism. In this decade, Italian community organisations
established ‘insertion’ programs, hosted within regular day schools, to supplement the weekend and after
hours classes directly run by communities. This coincided with a new emphasis in all language teaching and
learning on linking school language learning directly to language use in communities, moving away from
traditional grammar or literatureoriented to more communicatively oriented programs. The focus in these
communicative programs was on learning language for use in ‘real’ everyday interactions.
The nature of Italian language learning
Italian belongs to the Romance family of languages and is closely connected to its ‘sibling’ languages of
Spanish, Portuguese and French. It also has many commonalities and connections with English, sharing
many Latinderived words and using the same Roman alphabet. The meaning of many Italian words can be
instantly recognised through their similarity to English. There are points of difference between Italian and
English grammars — for example, variations in word order, tense use, the use of articles, and the gendering
in Italian of nouns and adjectives — but overall the Italian language is not linguistically or culturally ‘distant’ for
Englishspeaking learners. Phonologically, Italian is relatively accessible to the Englishspeaking learner. It is a
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Italian
Englishspeaking learners. Phonologically, Italian is relatively accessible to the Englishspeaking learner. It is a
mostly phonetic language, pronounced generally as it is written, which is especially helpful in the development
of listening and speaking skills. There is clear emphasis on all syllables, and intonation follows regular
rhythms and patterns.
As Italian is widely spoken in Australia, many opportunities exist to hear and use the language in reallife
situations, as well as through the Italian media in Australia and in actual and virtual connections with Italian
communities in Italy and beyond.
There are also regional dialects of Italian that are used in local contexts both in Italy and beyond. Some
students may bring their experience of the use of regional dialects to the Italian classroom.
The diversity of learners of Italian
Learners of Italian in Australian schools come from a wide range of backgrounds, and include learners for
whom this represents a first experience of learning Italian; learners who have existing connections with Italian,
most directly as background Italian speakers, as second or thirdgeneration Italian Australians; and learners
who may have experience in a related variety of Italian or another Romance language.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages — Foundation–Year 10 Italian is pitched to second language learners
as the dominant group of learners of the Italian language in the Australian context. Teachers may use the
Italian F–10 curriculum to cater for learners of different backgrounds by making appropriate adjustments.
Languages Italian
Page 855 of 1359

Italian Years F–10 Sequence
have little to no experience of Italian language and culture.
Italian language learning and use
Students use Italian for social interactions such as greetings, asking and answering simple questions,
responding to instructions, singing songs, and taking turns in games and simple shared tasks. The focus is on
listening to the sounds, shapes and patterns of Italian through activities such as rhymes, songs, clapping and
action games. Repetition and recycling help children to identify frequently used words and simple phrases,
and to recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts. They identify and use Italian nonverbal
communication strategies and experiment with formulaic expressions and one or twoword responses to
prompts and cues. Through creative play and actionrelated talk, children begin to notice that language can
behave differently in different situations and that Italian speakers communicate in some ways that are
different from their own. Students are encouraged to notice that they are part of a connected world which
includes many languages and cultures, and they begin to become aware of themselves as communicators in
particular cultural contexts and communities.
Children interact with each other and the teacher, with some access to wider school and community
members. Virtual and digital resources provide access to additional Italian language and cultural experiences,
connecting learners’ social worlds with those of Italianspeaking children.
Texts and resources
The transition from spoken to written language is scaffolded through shared exploration of simple texts and
language features. Children progress from supported comprehension and a small number of highfrequency
and personally significant sight words and phrases to more elaborated simple texts which include a context,
purpose and audience. They use graphophonic, grammatical, cultural and contextual cues to comprehend
texts and communicative interactions. Writing skills progress from labelling and copying words, to writing
simple texts using familiar vocabulary, and language structures and features. Written texts that students
experience include children’s stories, big books, descriptions, recounts and labels.
Features of Italian language use
Students focus on the sounds of the alphabet, in particular the vowel sounds, and ‘c’ (ciao) and ‘ch’ (Chi?),
and on intonation patterns and the use of accents. Students are also introduced to nouns and pronouns. They
learn simple sentence structure using subject–verb–object order as well as how to form questions. They
explore the idea of masculine and feminine gender, how to use singular and plural forms, the negative form
non and the placement of adjectives.
Level of support
Students’ learning is highly experiential and activityrelated, and is supported by the use of concrete materials
and resources, visual supports, gestures and body language. Scaffolding includes modelling, monitoring and
moderating by the teacher; provision of multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting,
recycling and reviewing; and continuous cues, feedback and encouragement.
The role of English
Children are encouraged to use Italian whenever possible. They use English to talk about differences and
similarities they notice between Italian, English and other known; about how they feel when they hear or use
Italian; and about how they view different languages and the people who speak them. English is used by both
the teacher and learners for talking about the language and about learning, and for noticing, questioning and
explaining.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with the teacher and peers to greet, to introduce themselves, and to name and describe favourite
things, friends, family members and special talents, through actionrelated talk and play
[Key concepts: self, family, friendship; Key processes: participating, playing, observing]
(ACLITC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
using simple greetings relevant to the time of day, the celebration or event, and their relationship to the
person, for example, Ciao! Buongiorno! Arrivederci! Tanti auguri! Buona Pasqua. Buon Natale
introducing themselves, for example, Come ti chiami? Mi chiamo …, e tu? Quanti anni hai? Ho sette
anni, e tu? Come stai?
naming family members and friends, for example, mio fratello Carlo; il papà Tom
understanding single words and simple phrases, and indicating comprehension through actions such as
pointing to an object, selecting a picture card or flashcard to demonstrate the phrase heard, and
matching games in digital form, for example, personal objects: la cartella, la bambola, la palla; school
objects: il quaderno, la matita, i colori, il banco; toys and games: il treno, la bicicletta
indicating possession (as set phrases), for example, la mia penna, il mio cane, il mio papà, la mia
mamma
answering simple questions with short spoken and written responses and using flashcards, word lists,
posters, photos and multimedia slides, for example, Quanti anni hai? Hai un animale?
talking about and describing people and belongings, using familiar formulaic expressions, for example,
Questo/a è,. Ecco il mio pallone
talking about simple actions in the present tense, for example, Gioco a football, Mangio la pizza
using formulaic phrases, for example, Grazie! Prego. Scusa. Per favore. Bene. Molto bene. Perché?
Buon appetito!
expressing satisfaction/dissatisfaction, for example, Sì; no; mi piace; non mi piace
copying words and reading them aloud, matching pictures and words, or choosing from sentences
provided to express ideas, for example, È Marco. È grande. È bravo
imitating Italian speech, using Italian patterns of intonation, pronunciation and stress, and incorporating
appropriate gestures and body language
Participate in shared action with peers and teacher, contributing ideas through key words, images,
movement and song
[Key concept: exchange; Key processes: sharing, deciding together]

Elaborations
contributing to collective activities such as creating a class vegetable garden or photo display of a recent
excursion or visit, by labelling and illustrating
contributing to guided, shared decisions, such as about a classroom display or a class party, for example,
mi piace il rosso; io porto i biscotti
playing games, for example, counting games, sorting and order games, number games, tombola
making simple choices, based on given options, for example, Vuoi leggere questo? Giochi dentro o fuori?
Participate in real or simulated transactions using simple language and gestures in activities and games
involving buying and selling
[Key concept: exchange; Key processes: exchanging, describing]

Elaborations
participating in a guided roleplay in a shop or at the market, for example, una banana per favore… ecco
…; un gelato per favore; Ecco il gelato
selecting between given options relating to foods, toys or classroom items, for example, Posso avere …?
Vuoi …? Cosa vuoi? Voglio una pesca. E tu, cosa prendi?
Participate in classroom routines, games, instructions and shared activities
[Key concepts: routine, play, sharing, reward; Key process: expressing preferences]

Elaborations
responding to classroom instructions, for example, In piedi!, Seduti! In cerchio! Insieme. Qui. Attenzione!
Non parlare, silenzio; alza la mano
using Italian for everyday classroom routines, for example, morning greetings or roll call, Ciao!
Presente/assente; birthday song, Tanti auguri
using simple gestures to add emphasis to expressions such as sì, no, bene!, così così
participating in class activities and following instructions, for example, Siediti/Sedetevi, per favore. Apri il
quaderno. Chiudi la porta, Tira la palla
Informing
Locate specific items of information in texts using early literacy skills
[Key concepts: text, observation, number, meaning; Key processes: noticing, decoding, selecting]

Elaborations
participating in shared reading with the teacher, using contextual and visual clues such as illustrations in
resources such as big books or digital books to decipher meaning
demonstrating understanding by using early literacy skills such as labelling, naming, pointing, matching,
clicking and dragging, describing, drawing, tracing and miming
identifying words in written Italian
responding to questions eliciting specific details about participants, objects (size, colour) or events, for
example, C’è il gatto? Sì/no. C’è il treno? Sì/no. È verde? Sì/no. Il treno è rosso? Sì/no. La pasta è
buona? Sì/no
Give factual information about known people, everyday objects, family celebrations and personal
experiences
[Key concepts: self, ownership/possession, celebration; Key process: conveying information]

Elaborations
giving descriptive information using simple structures, for example, È la mia mamma. La mia mamma è
alta. È il cane. L’uccello ha il becco
identifying the main idea or describing an event based on images, for example, naming what they see (la
festa, la scuola, lo zoo, la spiaggia, l’estate, il picnic)
participating in ‘show and tell’, for example, Questa è la mia bambola. Si chiama Teresa
sequencing pictures to describe events, guided by the teacher
describing aspects of their immediate world by drawing and writing captions, such as:
people, for example, Ecco la mamma/mio fratello; É la mamma, Mario è il mio amico
objects, for example, Ho dieci matite. Ho la bambola, Si chiama Belinda
family celebrations, for example, Oggi è il compleanno della nonna. Tanti auguri, nonna!
places, for example, La casa di Tina è grande
Creating
Participate in shared reading/viewing of short imaginative texts and respond by drawing, miming,
performing and other forms of expression
[Key concepts: story, imagination, response, character; Key processes: participating, responding,
predicting, performing; Key text type: narrative/story]

Elaborations
participating in shared reading of books and digital texts, and deciphering the meaning of a story using
illustrations, sounds and animation
making predictions about characters and plot from the cover and illustrations, and at various points in the
text before reading on
illustrating a shared class big book, for example, È un uccello. È verde. L’uccello vola. La farfalla è gialla.
La rana è verde. La zebra è bianca e nera
sharing feelings about a book/video clip by participating in simple ‘reviews’, writing their names under one
of the following statements: Mi piace; Mi piace molto; Non mi piace
taking on the persona of a character through play
reciting and performing chants, rhymes and songs, adding music and actions to support meaning of their
own performances, for example, the farfallina counting rhyme: Farfallina bella bianca, vola vola e mai si
stanca, vola vola sempre in su, farfallina non c’è più; resti fuori proprio tu
Create stories and perform imaginary experiences
[Key concepts: performance, expression; Key processes: miming, performing]

Elaborations
drawing illustrations and using captions, for example, making a big book or photo story, as guided by the
teacher
performing an imagined event to entertain others
matching or sequencing pictures to create a story
Translating
Share with others what they can express in Italian, and explain how meanings are similar or different
[Key concepts: code, translation; Key processes: comparing, explaining]

Elaborations
identifying when Italian or English is being used in the classroom
comparing Italian and English songs and rhymes, noticing similarities and differences, for example, in
numbers, in some words for family, animals and toys
explaining to others the meanings of particular words and when they are used, for example, ciao
demonstrating and explaining specific gestures used in Italian
Create a personal or shared record of ‘interesting’ words in Italian
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key process: comparing]

Elaborations
collecting Italian and English words that are the same (for example, banana or similar, for example,
pigiama
collecting Italian words used in English, for example, ciao, opera, pasta, spaghetti
creating a picture dictionary
Reflecting
Begin noticing what is ‘new’ or ‘interesting’ in Italian language and culture and recognising similarities and
differences between Italian and Australian cultural practices and related language use
[Key concepts: self, other, respect; Key processes: noticing, identifying]


Elaborations
viewing images of home, school and neighbourhood in Italy and Australia, and choosing from word lists
to express reactions
noticing, recalling and responding to teacher prompts, such as Cosa vedi? Cosa pensi di …?
noticing similarities and differences in language use in Italian and English
expressing reactions to using Italian, for example, ‘I like it when …’ or ‘That word sounds like …’
Identify and describe aspects of self in relation to others
[Key concepts: family, self, identity; Key processes: connecting, relating, observing]

Elaborations
recognising themselves as belonging to groups (for example, my friends, my Italian class, my school, my
family, my community), and noticing the different languages that are spoken by friends in their class, for
example, Sono australiano. Parlo inglese e cinese
Understanding
Systems of language
Reproduce the sounds of the Italian language (ACLITU013 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning to reproduce Italian sounds and intonation patterns through imitation, repetition and
experimentation
pronouncing the Italian alphabet, particularly vowel sounds, rolled ‘r’, the ‘c’ as in ciao and the ‘ch’ as in
chi?, noticing similarities and differences with English
noticing that words which have accents stress the final letter, for example, papà, città
Notice and use some aspects of the Italian language system, including gender forms, simple sentence
structures and the placement of adjectives (ACLITU014 Scootle )

Elaborations
noticing definite and indefinite articles with nouns, for example, la casa, una casa; il giardino, un giardino
noticing that Italian words end mostly with vowels to mark gender and number; observing that some
words which do not end with a vowel are the same in English, for example, computer, robot, yogurt, sport
noticing that adjectives are used to describe people, objects or places and are usually placed after the
noun, for example, la penna rossa
observing gender in patterns of naming, for example, Paolo/Paola, Alessandro/Alessandra
exploring how to use singular and plural forms
understanding different words for asking questions, for example, Chi? Quando? Quanti?
identifying people using pronouns, for example, io, tu, lui, lei
noticing that the verbs essere and avere are used when giving personal information about state or
identity, for example, Ho due fratelli, sono basso, Ho 6 anni, Ho gli occhi verdi, sono alto
learning simple verbs to describe actions and using them in formulaic expressions, for example, Mi piace
cantare/giocare; Ti piace questo giocattolo?
understanding and responding to imperatives, for example, Vieni qui!
learning the structure of simple statements and questions based on models, for example, lo sono Anna.
Non sto bene. È un gatto? Sìcomptue è un gatto
expressing negation, for example, Non mi piace, Non ho un cane.
Understand that language is organised as texts (ACLITU015 Scootle )

Elaborations
joining words or phrases using conjunctions, for example, e
recognising features of text types such as stories and letters
Recognise that different words are used in Italian to address and greet different people according to
relationship, setting and time of the day (ACLITU016 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning to choose which form of address or greeting to use, according to gender and the relationship
between participants, for example, using first names with peers (Ciao Isabella) but greeting the teacher
with Buongiorno signora; using Caro/Cara in greeting cards
understanding that greetings vary according to the time of day or the occasion, for example, Buongiorno,
Buonasera, Buon compleanno
Recognise that Italian and English borrow words from each other (ACLITU017 Scootle )

Elaborations
noticing words in Italian that are the same as in English, for example, computer, sport
noticing Italian words and phrases used in everyday life in Australia, for example, in the world of food
(gelato, spaghetti), music (opera, forte, piano) and the arts (fresco)
observing that some of the Italian words which do not end with a vowel are also used in English, for
example, robot, yogurt
Understand that Italian is one of many community languages spoken in Australia including Aboriginal
languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, Asian languages and world languages
(ACLITU018 Scootle )

Elaborations
understanding that Italian is the national language of Italy and is spoken in Italianspeaking communities
around the world
experiencing the sounds, texts and images of different languages and cultures to develop an
understanding of different languages used in the Australian community
noticing the different languages used by peers in their class and in their local community
Notice and reflect (mainly in English) on different cultural practices and the specific ways of using language
in different cultures (ACLITU019 Scootle )

Elaborations
observing through visual and audiovisual resources such as video clips and photos that members of
Italianspeaking communities may do everyday things differently to themselves, for example, shaking
hands, kissing on cheek, starting a meal with Buon appetito
responding to guiding questions through which they reflect on experiences, such as greeting and
socialising with others, or discussing aspects of school routines or family life, for example, What do you
think about this? How would it feel if you were there/doing that? How do you feel about …? Is it the same
or different in Italy and Australia?
understanding that culture influences representations of sounds such as those made by animals, for
example, bau bau (dog), pio pio (chicken), gru gru (pig)
By the end of Year 2, students use Italian to communicate with their teacher and peers through actionrelated
talk and play. They demonstrate comprehension by responding both verbally and nonverbally. They imitate
simple words and phrases. They respond to familiar games and routines such as questions about self and
family (for example, Come ti chiami? Dove abiti?), and choose among options, for example, in response to
questions such as Vuoi il gelato o la caramella? They produce learnt sounds and formulaic expressions (for
example, È bello! Non mi piace), or partial phrases, often providing only part of the required response in
Italian or using a key word to convey a whole idea. They experiment with and approximate Italian
pronunciation, for example, producing vowel sounds and ‘c’ and ‘ch’ pronunciation with some accuracy. They
differentiate between statements and questions according to intonation. They make meaning using
paralinguistic and contextual support such as pictures, gestures and props. They write descriptions, lists,
labels and captions, using familiar words and phrases selected from modelled language, for example,
rearranging sentence patterns such as Ho sei anni. Sono bravo. Il gelato è buono.
Students know that Italian is the national language of Italy. They identify the 21 letters of the Italian alphabet.
They know that simple sentences follow a pattern, and that nouns require an article and are gendered either
masculine or feminine. They demonstrate understanding of the different ways of addressing friends, family
and teachers/other adults. They identify patterns in Italian words and phrases and make comparisons
between Italian and English. They know that languages borrow words from each other and provide examples
of Italian words and expressions that are used in various Englishspeaking contexts. They identify similarities
and differences in the cultural practices of Italians and Australians. They understand that they have their own
language(s) and culture(s), and that they are also learners of Italian language and culture.
groups including the Italian class. They are developing literacy capabilities in English, such as writing in the
Roman alphabet, which assists to some degree in learning Italian. They benefit from varied, activitybased
Italian language learning and use
The development of oral proficiency requires rich language input in different modes and from different
sources. Children develop active listening skills and respond through actionrelated talk. They strengthen their
comprehension skills, using contextual and grammatical cues as well as phonic and nonverbal cues. The
language they encounter is authentic, with modification when necessary, involving familiar vocabulary and
simple structures. Children are supported to use the language themselves in familiar contexts and situations,
such as exchanging simple ideas and information, negotiating predictable activities and interactions, and
participating in shared tasks, performance and play. They continue to build vocabulary which can be adapted
for different purposes, and to control simple grammatical forms to communicate in familiar contexts.
The contexts in which learners interact in using and learning Italian are primarily local: the classroom, school,
home and community, with some access to wider communities of Italian speakers and resources through
virtual and digital technologies.
Texts and resources
Children develop literacy skills and textual knowledge through supported interaction with a range of spoken,
written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts (such as picture books, stories, puppet
plays, songs and games) engage the expressive and cultural dimensions of language. Procedural,
informational and descriptive texts (such as negotiated classroom rules, planned activities, and family and
class profiles) encourage students to use language to ‘get things done’.
Features of Italian language use
Students experiment with pronunciation and intonation in Italian, noticing similarities and differences with
other familiar languages. They focus on structures and grammatical rules such as those relating to the use of
possessive pronouns, prepositions and negation. They extend their knowledge of definite and indefinite
articles, and of gender and singular/plural forms.
As they encounter Italian language and culture they make comparisons with their own language(s) and
culture(s) and consider their own ways of communicating. This leads to exploring concepts of commonality
and difference, and of identity, and to thinking about what it means to speak more than one language.
Level of support
Children’s grammatical knowledge and accuracy in spoken and written Italian are developed both through
formfocused activities and through opportunities to apply this knowledge in meaningful task activity, as they
build their communicative skills, confidence and fluency. Teachers provide models and examples; introduce
language, concepts and resources needed to manage and complete tasks; make time for experimentation
and drafting; and provide support for selfmonitoring and reflection.
The role of English
The use of English, when appropriate, provides support opportunities for discussion and exploration of ideas
which help children to build a conceptual frame and metalanguage for talking about language and culture,
and about their experiences as learners moving between languages and cultures.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact and socialise with the teacher and peers to exchange personal information and describe people,
places, things and everyday routines relating to self, school and home
[Key concepts: routine, home; Key processes: describing, interacting, responding]

Elaborations
exchanging personal information and responding to questions about self, family, leisure, neighbourhood,
daily experiences and food, for example, Da dove vieni? Da Torino. Sono italiano, e tu?; Chi sei? Chi è
…? Sono …, e tu?; Lui/lei è …, …è mio padre. Questo/a è …, e questo/a? È mio fratello. Dove abiti?
Abito in via.../a …, e tu?
describing self and friends, for example, Sono biondo/alto/grasso; …è bruno; … è giovane, … ha gli
occhi/il naso/la bocca + adjective, for example,Il nonno è simpatico, Ha gli occhi molto grandi
describing location, for example, the position of objects in the home (Il vaso è sopra il tavolo; l’albero è a
sinistra; l’auto è dentro il garage)
describing things and routines, for example, La camicia è rossa/nuova/piccola. A pranzo mangio ..., bevo
...
describing time, including days of the week and months, as well as ieri, oggi, domani, ora, dopo; Che ore
sono? Sono le … Quando? Venerdì, Alle dieci
Participate in collaborative action in class experiences and activities
[Key concepts: occasion, community; Key processes: describing, inviting]

Elaborations
participating in organising a shared lunch in Italian (for example, Who will bring what? Who will invite
parents? Facciamo un dolce. Chi porta lo zucchero? Chi porta le mele?) or a shared performance for
assembly or guests, for example, Ti piace? Chi dobbiamo invitare? Facciamo un poster
creating invitation cards for a party, performance or class event, for example, Caro…Vieni alla nostra
festa/recita/riunione! Il giorno…Alle ore ….Luogo/Presso
following procedures and instructions together, for example, recipes such as una macedonia di frutta, or
making a model of an Italian garden or piazza
Participate in everyday transactions to obtain goods
[Key concepts: need, desire; Key processes: deciding, negotiating]

Elaborations
writing a shopping list based on resources such as online supermarket catalogues, and doing the
shopping in a real or simulated situation
requesting goods, for example, Posso avere un gelato? Posso avere il pennarello?
participating in a visit to the local market to buy ingredients for making minestrone, or participating in
ordering food at the school canteen, for example, Io prendo un panino con il formaggio. E tu, cosa
prendi?
Participate in everyday classroom activities by asking permission, requesting help, asking how to say or
write something, asking for repetition, praising or complimenting
[Key concepts: collaboration, school life; Key processes: negotiating, discussing, connecting]

Elaborations
asking permission, for example, Posso? Posso prendere/fare/parlare/avere qualcosa? Sì/no. Non è
possibile. Non adesso
requesting help, for example, Come? Aiuto, per favore
asking how to say or write a word, for example, Come si dice …? Come si dice in italiano? Come si scrive
…?
asking for repetition, for example, Non ho capito, Puὸ ripetere?
praising and complimenting, for example, Bravo/a! Ottimo! È bello/molto bello! Esatto!
responding to a partner’s questions, for example, Di che colore è la maglia? Qual è il tuo/suo gioco
preferito?
connecting with and reacting to peer responses, noticing different perspectives
Informing
Obtain and process factual information about people, routines, responsibilities and interests
[Key concepts: routine, events, time; Key processes: identifying, recording, categorising, selecting]

Elaborations
surveying classmates or responding to questionnaires about likes, interests, routines and activities (for
example, Ti piace ...? Mi piace/non mi piace. Qual è il tuo libro preferito? Qual è il tuo programma
televisivo preferito?), tabulating the results, and presenting information in various forms, such as class
profiles, birthday charts or summaries of findings, for example, Dieci bambini giocano a tennis e tre a
basket
generating questions such as Quanti … A che ora? Dov’ è la festa?
reading profiles and other information about children in different cultural contexts, in print and digital form
ordering and categorising information, for example, cibi sani e cibi poco sani
asking and responding to questions that address information such as participants, characteristics of a
person, and dates, times and locations of events of interest to the class, for example, la domenica; il dieci
giugno; ha trentasette anni; è alto e forte; è grandissima; ha due ali; abita a Milano
Give factual information about people, objects, places and events in texts supported by graphics or
illustrations
[Key concepts: information, fact; Key processes: describing, presenting]

Elaborations
creating texts in oral, print or digital form to provide information about:
people, for example, Ha i capelli lunghi e ricci; ha gli occhi neri; fa il farmacista; abita a Napoli;
pets and animals, for example, Mi piace … perchè … . Mangia …, Vive …;
places, for example, describing pictures and creating brochures of Italian resorts and cities
(questa è Firenze; vedo il Ponte Vecchio, il fiume Arno, la cupola. È molto bella!)
events, for example, describing a party or school celebration (C’è la CocaCola; c’è il regalo e c’è
la torta)
creating posters to inform others of a special event
planning and giving short presentations on topics such as holidays, favourite computer games or
favourite playground, using a combination of language and images (for example, photos, illustrations,
captions, diagrams) to report information
Creating
Listen to, view and read a range of imaginative texts for children, and discuss messages and impressions
[Key concepts: story, drama, message; Key processes: viewing, reading, predicting, describing, discussing;
Key text types: narrative, song, poetry]

Elaborations
experiencing different types of children’s texts (for example, Lo Zecchino d’Oro, video clips on
Suonolandia and RAI Junior); appreciating elements of humour and drama, use of sound effects, and
facial expressions; and responding to the characters and events depicted in the texts, for example, È
strano, È buffo. La storia parla di …, La canzone parla di
presenting the Pinocchio and La Pimpa stories and commenting on the characters, discussing reasons
and consequences (for example, è disobbediente); writing messages to their favourite character in a
story or children’s television program, for example, Mi piace/non mi piace la canzone/il quadro. Il
documentario è interessante.
sharing feelings and ideas about texts (for example, La storia/canzone parla di …e di … Non mi piace …)
and making connections between their own experiences and those of characters and places
encountered in creative stories or images
experimenting with voice to animate characters and using movement/drama to give expression to events
in texts, for example, acting out scenes from a story, taking the role of a character
Create short, simple imaginative texts for different audiences
[Key concepts: character, narrative; Key processes: interacting, creating]

Elaborations
making up rhymes and nonsense phrases in playing with the Italian language
creating new versions of wellknown songs by substituting the words, for example, Per fare un tavolo
could become Per fare un cavolo, ci vuole …
making picture storybooks (including digital versions) with captions to share with younger students
creating a story based on a set of images (for example, Il papà si alza. Il papà mangia. Il papà parte);
matching or sequencing a set of images
creating greeting cards, for example, Caro/Cara …; … Saluti da …
Translating
Translate texts to compare meanings and share understandings about aspects of Italian language and
culture that are different from English
[Key concepts: translation, comparison; Key processes: translating, explaining]

Elaborations
translating words, phrases and captions, and describing how meanings may change across languages
explaining the ideas contained in texts to someone unfamiliar with Italian, for example, lunch, alla mensa
scolastica; le vacanze estive; la passeggiata
becoming familiar with using bilingual dictionaries and online translators
Create simple bilingual texts
[Key concepts: meaning, equivalence; Key processes: comparing, explaining]

Elaborations
creating simple bilingual texts for different purposes and audiences, for example, school/classroom signs,
captions for a school event or a class/school display of ‘homes around the world’ or ‘classrooms around
the world’
exploring meanings between Italian and English using picture dictionaries created for self or younger
learners
Reflecting
Compare experiences, noticing how these are influenced by language and culture and how readily they
may be expressed in Italian
[Key concept: assumption; Key process: comparing]

Elaborations
reflecting on cultural differences between everyday life in Italy and Australia, for example, asking how
their school day would change if they went to primary school in Italy or what they would find interesting
about sharing a lunch with an Italian family, and why; and considering what they would tell a visiting
Italian child about how their own family celebrates Christmas, and explaining their choices
noticing the influence of important events such as religious celebrations on childhood experiences (for
example, le lezioni settimanali di catechismo, la Prima Comunione, andare alla Scuola Media) and
connecting these to their own experiences
recognising similarities in the Italian and Australian schooling systems (for example, la maestra, l’aula, il
cortile), and differences (for example, il bidello, la mensa, il giardino, le scale), and noticing that the
Italian school day is different for cultural reasons
noticing similarities between Australian and Italian cultures in major celebrations like Christmas (l’albero
di Natale) and Easter (l’uovo di cioccolata), as well as differences, for example, the presence of il
presepe at Christmas, and the presence of la sorpresa dentro all’uovo di cioccolata at Easter
noticing how their own language use influences expectations about Italian language use, such as seeing
word order as ‘back to front’, for example, la macchina rossa = the red car
discussing distinctive social and cultural practices such as celebrations, for example, Santo Stefano,
Ferragosto, Carnevale or Pasquetta
considering messages in Italian children’s stories and making comparisons with own experiences, for
example, Is that the same or different for me? What would I do or say in that particular situation?
considering own and others’ cultural assumptions about home, school and leisure, and how these may
be different in an Italian context
Express aspects of own identity reflected in various group and community memberships, including their
developing bilingual identity
[Key concept: membership; Key process: representing]

Elaborations
describing memberships of a wider network such as a club, country or languagespeaking community
(including being a learner of Italian), using textual and visual representation
using Italian to express aspects of personal identity such as name, nationality, languages spoken,
interests, and memberships of teams/groups
recognising own special talents and those of others
considering their own perspective on personal experiences of Italian language and culture by asking
questions such as: Am I familiar with this? Have I experienced something like this? What does this mean
for me? Is this similar to or different from my experience? How? In what ways?
Understanding
Systems of language
Experiment with pronunciation and intonation and use rules of spelling (ACLITU032 Scootle )

Elaborations
developing pronunciation between sound blends in Italian in comparison to English, for example, sc
followed by h or i/e (schiavo, piscine, pesce); letter combinations such as gn in lavagna and gnocchi, and
gl in figlio and famiglia
learning to recognise the silent h as applicable to the verb avere and for borrowed words, for example,
hockey, hotel
noticing the differences in intonation between statements, questions, exclamations and commands
understanding that an accent may change the meaning of the word, for example, è and e, il papà, il Papa
applying punctuation and capitalisation rules when writing, for example, omission of capitals with days of
the week and months of the year
Use key grammatical structures to form simple sentences, including the use of possessive pronouns,
prepositions, definite and indefinite articles, and gender and singular/plural forms (ACLITU033 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying gender, singular and plural in the regular form
observing gender in patterns of naming, for example, Paolo/Paola and Alessandro/Alessandra, but that
Luca, Andrea and Simone are all male names in Italian
using singular and plural, recognising that some singular nouns do not follow the regular
masculine/feminine pattern, for example, la mano, il papà
using the definite and indefinite articles and understanding how to specify a particular person or object,
for example, la mamma, una mamma; il quaderno, un quaderno; l’arancia, un’ arancia
using personal pronouns in context, for example, Chi ha finito? Io!
learning to conjugate common regular verbs in the present tense, for example, giocogioca, mangio
mangiamo
expressing negation, for example, voglio/non voglio
expressing preferences and reasons for preferences, for example, mi piace ... perché
using cardinal numbers to tell the time and for dates and ages; using ordinal numbers such as primo,
secondo, etc.
using adjectives to describe characteristics or qualities of a person or object, such as nationality, shape
and colour (for example, Chiara è italiana), and noticing that they change with gender, for example, la
macchina rossa, il libro rosso,
using prepositions to indicate location or direction, for example, a casa, a Roma, in città, a sinistra, sopra
il tavolo, sotto il banco
using possessive adjectives to express ownership, for example, la mia casa, la tua famiglia, il tuo
cappello, mia nonna
using suffixes to add nuance, for example, ino (fratellino, piccolino) or etto (poveretto, casetta)
creating simple sentences in the subject–verb–object pattern, and linking ideas using conjunctions such
as e and ma
Recognise how grammatical structures are used to form simple texts (ACLITU034 Scootle )

Elaborations
creating paragraphs for a range of texts, including descriptions, cards, letters or emails
recognising how ideas are sequenced in simple texts (for example, prima, dopo), noticing patterns in the
organisation of texts, for example, sequence in a narrative
noticing some commonalities between particular text types in Italian and English, for example, greeting
cards have a front cover with images or photos specific to the occasion, an opening and closing address,
and a written message
Understand that language use varies according to the participants’ age, gender and relationship, and the
context of use (ACLITU035 Scootle )

Elaborations
noticing differences between spoken and written texts
choosing appropriate formal and informal language for greetings, farewells and good wishes in social
interactions, for example, Ciao Angela/Buongiorno Signora. Come stai?/Come sta? Questo/a è … ti
presento ... Piacere!
identifying the meaning of conventional expressions used socially in Italian and the different contexts in
which they are used, for example, Permesso? — Avanti! Grazie. — Prego; Per favore/per piacere. Buon
appetito! A domani!
Understand that languages change with use over time (ACLITU036 Scootle )

Elaborations
maintaining a record of loan words from English to Italian and from Italian to English, noting how
borrowing relates to cultural change, for example, new terms for technologies, or the use of Italian words
in English advertisements or English words in Italian advertisements
observing language used across generations, such as by noticing differences in words used by
grandparents, parents and themselves, and suggesting why these differences occur
Understand that Italian is spoken in a variety of forms within and outside of Italy (ACLITU037 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising that Italian is one of the most widely used languages among the many languages spoken in
the Australian community
recognising that there is the standard language called ‘Italian’ as well as a number of different dialects
spoken throughout Italy and the Italian diaspora, and that these may be used in hybrid ways
discussing the influence of English words on the Italian language and considering why word borrowing
occurs, for example, English words incorporated into Italian (il tennis, i jeans, fare lo shopping, l’email)
and Italian words incorporated into English (espresso, bellissimo)
identifying cognates, for example, nouns such as cioccolata, cinema, pera, parco and stazione;
adjectives such as intelligente and interessante; and verbs such as arrivare, studiare, telefonare and
visitare
Compare and reflect on different cultural practices and the ways in which language use reflects culture
specific ideas (ACLITU038 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising similarities and differences between the meaning of signs and symbols in everyday life, for
example, use of Roman numerals, male/female signs, street signs (Senso Unico and Zona Pedonale),
currency
showing awareness that Italian language carries cultural ideas that have no equivalent in English
language and Australian culture, for example, Buon onomastico
beginning to develop a metalanguage for talking about language
making connections and comparisons between questions and responses among members of the class,
noting different perspectives
observing the connection between some names and regional and family connections or religion
By the end of Year 4, students comprehend a range of spoken, written, and multimodal texts on familiar
topics, including home life, friends and classroom activities. They use Italian to communicate and to interact,
for example, to exchange greetings and to address people, using appropriate language and pronunciation,
and often formulaic expressions. They ask and respond to simple questions, by selecting between
alternatives provided, by using short spoken responses which may consist of incomplete or partial Italian
phrases and structures, or by using a key word to convey a whole idea. They talk about self, family, people,
places, routine, school life and their own interests and preferences, for example, Com’è la tua casa? La mia
casa è grande, Ci sono due camere da letto e due bagni. Mi piace la mia camera da letto. They use short
sentences, reorganising known language to fit personal responses, for example, Giochi domani?Sì/no/Forse.
Students understand short written texts, using visual cues, prediction and questioning to decipher meaning.
They recall key ideas and events, recognise meanings, and respond meaningfully. Students create written
texts of a few sentences using familiar language and structures.
Students demonstrate an understanding of the fact that language is used differently in different situations and
contexts. They know the importance of using appropriate language when interacting in Italian, including
informal/formal language, and the use of titles and gestures. They vary their responses and statements by
choosing adjectives and adverbs, and by combining sentences. They demonstrate understanding of basic
Italian grammatical rules, such as the fact that nouns have masculine or feminine gender and singular and
plural forms, and that nouns, adjectives and articles need to agree. They identify similarities and differences in
the patterns of Italian language compared to English and other familiar languages. They create texts that
show understanding of how ideas are connected and how images support the meaning of texts. They make
connections to personal experience when describing characters, events or cultural practices and behaviours
encountered in texts. They identify cultural differences in ways of communicating and describe similarities and
differences between their own and other cultures.
Languages Japanese
Page 881 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Japanese
Japanese How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of Japanese culture and language in
Japanese is the official language of Japan, Australia’s northern neighbour in the Asia region. It is also widely
used by communities of speakers in Hawaii, Peru and Brazil, and learnt as an additional language by large
numbers of students in the Republic of Korea, China, Indonesia and Australia.
Australia has a significant number of Japanese national residents, particularly in the major cities on the
eastern seaboard. Japanese culture influences many areas of contemporary Australian society, including the
arts, design, technology, fashion, popular culture and cuisine. Japan has been a close strategic and economic
partner of Australia’s for more than 50 years, and there is ongoing exchange between the two countries in the
areas of education, trade, diplomacy and tourism. Japan is an important nation within Asia and a significant
contributor to economic, political and diplomatic relations in the region.
The place of the Japanese language in Australian
education
Japanese has been taught in Australia for more than 100 years and is widely taught as a second language in
Australian schools. The 1960s saw significant growth in the learning of Japanese, with the establishment of
many university programs that produced graduate language teachers who worked alongside nativespeaking
teachers to establish schoolbased programs. Increased trade and tourism activity between Japan and
Australia in the following decades strengthened interest in Japaneselanguage learning, and government
funding such as the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy (1994
2002) and the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program (NALSSP, 200812) contributed to
growth and further development in both the primary and secondary sectors. The strong relationship between
Australia and Japan has led to many collaborative projects in education and intercultural exchange. The
Japanese government and private foundations support the teaching and learning of Japanese in Australia
through funding professional learning and resource development centres and through involvement in
educational exchanges.
The nearparallel time zones and the geographical proximity of Japan to Australia facilitate access, interaction
and communication between the two countries. Student exchanges, community engagement such as sister
school and city relationships, and connections developed through other curriculum areas such as art, design
and literature provide opportunities for Australian learners of Japanese to interact with Japanese people and
to engage in cultural experience. Increasing numbers of students benefit from exchanges and incountry
experience. Technology provides many additional opportunities for interaction and exchange with Japanese
speaking people and cultures.
The nature of Japanese language learning
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Japanese
Japanese is the language used by the Japanese for education, business and media communication. Some
dialect variations are used in spoken interactions in different regions of the country.
Japanese is a phonetic language. Pronunciation is predictable, and new words can be pronounced easily
upon mastery of hiragana characters.
Japanese uses three scripts for writing: hiragana, the basic phonetic script representing the sounds of
Japanese; katakana, the companion phonetic script that is largely used for loan words; and kanji, Chinese
characters that represent meaning rather than sound (ideographs). The three scripts are used
interdependently. Hiragana is typically the first script learnt, with katakana and kanji first introduced in context
then taught systematically, contributing to script knowledge and competence. The many loan words from
other languages expressed through katakana reflect the impact of globalisation, technology and popular
culture on Japanese language and culture.
Japanese grammar is relatively uniform, with few irregularities, no grammatical gender, and predictable and
systematic conjugation of adjectives and verb tenses. There are some differences between Japanese and
English elements and patterns, such as the Japanese word order of subject–object–verb. This order forms
the basis of sentences that can then be enhanced by the addition of details usually placed before the main
items. Pronouns can be omitted and it is not always necessary to articulate the subject of a sentence.
Counting and numbering in Japanese involve using classifiers that reflect the nature of the item. Particles are
used to mark sentence elements and to indicate the nature of verbs.
An element of the language that may be unfamiliar to some Australian learners is the system of plain and
polite forms, which reflect hierarchical relations, social and businessrelated positioning and issues of respect
and status. Plain and polite forms are represented differently in both spoken and written language.
Conversational Japanese can be less formal than written Japanese, using shortened sentences, abbreviated
plain forms and some omitted particles.
Another feature of Japanese culture reflected in language use is the importance accorded to expressing
humility and maintaining harmony. Refusing or deflecting praise of self or family, deferential behaviour and
avoidance of direct disagreement or refusal are common characteristics of communicative interactions.
A key aspect of the curriculum involves understanding the cultural dimension that shapes and is shaped by
Japanese language. The curriculum is designed with an intercultural language learning orientation to enable
students to participate meaningfully in intercultural experiences, to develop new ways of seeing and being in
the world, and to understand more about themselves in the process.
The diversity of learners of Japanese
While learners of Japanese in Australian schools vary in terms of language backgrounds, cultural experience
and prior learning experience, they are predominantly second language learners. Classes may include
students with a background in Japanese or in a scriptbased Asian language. Some students will have had
exposure to Japanese language and culture through social interactions, travel or exchange experiences.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Japanese is pitched for the majority of the cohort of learners of
Japanese for whom Japanese is an additional language (referred to in the Australian Curriculum as second
language learners). The curriculum has been developed according to two main learning sequences for these
learners, Foundation to Year 10 Sequence and Years 7 to 10 (Year 7 Entry) Sequence.
Teachers will use the curriculum to cater for the range of different learner backgrounds described above by
making appropriate adjustments to personalise learning experiences for these students.
Languages Japanese
Page 884 of 1359

Japanese Years F–10 Sequence
immediate worlds of family, home, school, friends and neighbourhood. They are learning how to socialise with
have little to no experience of Japanese language and culture.
Japanese language learning and use
The initial focus is on listening to the sounds and patterns of Japanese through languagerich activities such
as rhymes, songs, clapping and action games. Repetition and recycling help children to identify frequently
used words, simple phrases and nonverbal communication strategies employed in greetings and other social
interactions. Learners experiment with simple responses to prompts and cues.
They are introduced to the scripts through initial exposure to highfrequency kanji, focusing on their
ideographic nature before learning the associated Japanese sounds. They learn hiragana using a playbased
approach that incorporates chanting, the use of mnemonics and a focus on the creative and crafted process
of writing Japanese kana. As they learn to read hiragana they draw on first language literacy skills such as
predicting the meaning of unfamiliar elements using contextual cues or by linking them to known elements.
Reading skills begin with recognition of single kanji or hiragana and progress to reading whole words and
familiar phrases. Writing skills progress from labelling pictures with single kanji and tracing and copying words
in hiragana to scaffolded writing of words and short phrases.
As they progress to using Japanese for functions such as asking and answering questions, responding to
classroom instructions, singing songs, and taking turns in games and simple shared tasks, children begin to
notice that language behaves differently in different situations and that Japanese speakers communicate in
some ways that are different from their own. They practise and repeat formulaic expressions and gestures
such as bowing that differ in Japanese from ways of communicating in English. Creative play provides
opportunities for exploring these differences and for using Japanese for purposeful interaction.
Children use Japanese to interact with one another and the teacher, with some access to wider school and
community members. Information and communications technology (ICT) resources provide additional access
to Japanese language and cultural experiences.
Texts and resources
share ideas, and join in stories, songs, plays and simple conversations. Written and digital texts include
stories, wall charts, Big Books, and teacherproduced materials such as games, captions and flashcards.
Features of Japanese language use
Learners become familiar with the sound systems of the Japanese language, including pronunciation and
rhythm. They learn to pronounce individual sounds and sound combinations. They understand basic word
order in simple sentences, indicate affirmative or negative responses, respond to requests, and notice
different levels of formality when addressing friends, family and teachers. They discuss similarities and
differences that they notice between Japanese and their first language(s) and culture(s), such as adjective–
noun patterns, adding か to ask a question, and ways of showing respect.
Level of support
appropriate scaffolding and support. This involves modelling and monitoring by the teacher, provision of rich
and varied sources of input, opportunities for recycling and reviewing, and regular cues, feedback, response
and encouragement. At this stage, play and imaginative activities, music, movement and familiar routines
provide the essential scaffolding for language development.
The role of English
While children are encouraged to use Japanese whenever possible, with the teacher providing rich and varied
language input, English is used as a medium of instruction, and for explanation and discussion. This allows
learners to discuss differences and similarities they notice between Japanese and their own language(s) and
culture(s), to ask questions, and to express their reactions to the experience of learning and using an
additional language.
Communicating
Socialising
Exchange greetings and introduce and share information about self with the teacher and peers using
simple language and gestures
[Key concepts: self, interaction, politeness, preferences; Key processes: greeting, interacting, introducing,
describing]
(ACLJAC109 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning how to greet others at different times of the day using appropriate gestures and forms of
address, for example, せんせい、おはようございます、さようなら、おはよう、じゃあね
using culturally appropriate titles, forms of address and levels of politeness in everyday interactions with
the teacher and peers, for example, Smith せんせい、ありがとうございます。 Tom くん、ありがと
う。Alisa さん、おめでとう。
introducing self, using formal spoken language and appropriate nonverbal language such as bowing, for
example, はじめまして、Hana です。どうぞよろしく。
using formulaic Japanese phrases for everyday interactions such as giving and receiving, thanking,
apologising and offering wishes or congratulations, for example, どうぞ、(どうも) ありがとう、すみませ
ん、がんばって
indicating likes and dislikes, using modelled statements such as いぬがすきです。わにがす

きじゃないです。
describing friends, favourite things and objects, using visual, concrete and digital support material, for
example, これはねずみです。ちいさいです。かわいいです。はいいろです。すいかです。
め
おいしいです。ちいさい目です。
responding to questions and indicating ownership, for example, だれのですか。わたしので
す。Ollie くん/ Sarah さんのです。わたしのえんぴつ（です）。
using formulaic expressions to convey emotions, for example, すごい、え～！、かわいい、やったー！
Participate in guided group activities such as games, songs and simple tasks, using movement, gestures
and pictures to support understanding and to convey meaning
[Key concepts: play, action learning, collaboration; Key processes: participating, turntaking, interacting]

Elaborations
singing and responding to action songs such as むすんでひらいて, ひげじいさん, きらきらぼし, おおきな
くりのきのしたで、or tongue twisters (早(はや)口(くち)言(こと)葉(ば)) such as
なまむぎなまごめなまたまご、あかパジャマきパジャマちゃパジャマ
playing じゃんけんぽん and using it in interactions such as turntaking
participating in games, tasks and activities that involve guessing, matching and choosing objects, such as
Bingo, Snap or Go Fish, using modelled questions and responses, for example,
うさぎですか。はい/いいえ。はい、うさぎです。
いいえ、うさぎじゃないです。
using formulaic phrases related to playing games, for example, つぎ、はい！、かった、まけた、ざ

んねん、あたり、はずれ
using rehearsed language to collaborate in craft activities, for example, のりをください。はい、どう
ぞ。
Participate in classroom routines such as addressing and responding to the teacher, opening and closing of
lessons, transition activities, following instructions, thanking and asking for help, using appropriate gestures
and behaviour
[Key concepts: routines, rules, interactions; Key processes: participating, responding, requesting,
apologising]

Elaborations
participating as a group in classroom routines such as opening and closing lessons, for example, せんせ
い、おはようございます。さようなら。, using appropriate gestures
understanding and responding to questions using まる/ばつ (○×) and はい/いいえ
understanding and responding to classroom instructions to play games, complete work or get ready for
class, for example, たってください、すわってください、かいてください、みてください、よ
んでください、きいてください。
requesting classroom objects, for example, noun をください、えんぴつがありますか。はい、

どうぞ。
giving one another reminders such as しずかに、すわって, using appropriate gestures
participating in routine exchanges such as responding to the class roll and apologising for arriving late,
for example, はい、います。Tia さんは、いません。やすみです。おくれてすみません。
Informing
Locate items of information in simple texts such as charts, songs, rhymes, video clips and anime to
complete guided tasks
[Key concepts: information, meaning, text, context; Key processes: listening, identifying, demonstrating,
making meaning]

Elaborations
listening for key words in stories, rhymes or songs, using visual cues such as gestures and facial
expressions to assist understanding
recognising simple kanji, hiragana or words in familiar contexts such as labels and titles
demonstrating early Japanese literacy skills by selecting the correct hiragana or kanji through labelling,
matching, clicking and dragging, drawing, mime and actions
listening to and/or viewing texts to obtain information such as colour (あか、あお、しろ、くろ、きいろ),
size (おおきい、ちいさい) and shape (まる、さんかく、しかく), and using this information in guided
activities such as drawing, building or collecting
listening to information about Japan, and demonstrating understanding by responding to questions such
にほん
as 日本ですか。しんかんせんですか。すしですか。はい/いいえ, for example, by pointing to
places on a map, such as Japan, Tokyo or Mount Fuji, or at pictures of different types of food
Convey factual information about self, family, friends and significant objects, using simple statements,
gestures and support materials
[Key concepts: self, family, immediate environment; Key processes: naming, labelling, presenting,
describing]

Elaborations
using digital technologies to help label and name personal items, classroom objects and shared
resources, for example, ほん、きょうしつ、つくえ、いす、まど
using simple sentence structures, familiar vocabulary, concrete materials and appropriate gestures to
provide information about self and immediate environment, for example, ぼくのえんぴつです。い
ぬがすきです。
presenting spoken information related to significant objects, using phrases such as わたし/ぼくの
noun です。 adjective です。これは noun です。
expressing factual information about qualities such as colour あか、あお、しろ、くろ、きいろ、 number
いちひゃく
一～百、size おおきい、ちいさい and shape まる、さんかく、しかく
making simple spoken statements about friends, family or favourite characters, for example, げんき、や
さしい、おもしろい、つよい、しずか, using images or support materials
Creating
Participate in shared listening to, viewing and reading of imaginative texts, and respond through singing,
chanting, miming, playacting, drawing, action and movement
[Key concepts: imagination, response, expression; Key processes: responding, performing, sharing,
expressing]

Elaborations
performing songs such as あたまかたひざあし、むすんでひらいて, rhymes, chants or simple stories that
include repeated phrases and rhythms and nonverbal forms of expression such as clapping, gestures
and facial expressions
using simple language structures and supporting drawings or actions to describe and respond to
imaginary characters or experiences, for example, おばけ/おに/かっぱ/たぬき/ようかいです。
participating in shared reading and viewing of print and digital imaginative texts, sharing opinions and
responding to prompt questions such as だれですか。ちいさいですか。おおきいですか。か
わいいですか。
making simple statements about favourite characters in stories or songs, for example, やさしいかわいい
こわいつよい
responding to Japanese versions of familiar children’s stories and folk tales, comparing expressions at
key points in the story with Englishlanguage versions, and reenacting with puppets, props or actions
Participate in shared performances and presentations of stories, songs, chants and rhymes
[Key concepts: performance, narration, image, rhythm; Key processes: acting, creating, composing,
expressing]

Elaborations
reenacting or retelling simple stories or interactions with puppets, props, actions or gestures, using
modelled language such as おむすびころりん、ももたろう
creating digital texts based around familiar contexts and characters using pictures and captions
creating/recreating simple songs, poems and rhymes using spoken and written language as well as non
verbal forms of support such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions
Translating
Translate words and familiar phrases used in everyday situations from Japanese into English and vice
versa, noticing how some words are shared between Japanese and English
[Key concepts: meaning, translation, explanation; Key processes: translating, demonstrating, interpreting]

Elaborations
explaining to others the meaning and use of simple expressions such as greetings that are used for
different times and occasions, for example, おはようございます、いただきます
using classroom resources such as word banks, visual and online dictionaries, word lists and pictures to
identifying Japanese expressions and practices that do not translate readily into English, for example, き
もの、おべんとう、せんせい、～さん、～くん, using two hands for giving and receiving and まる/ばつ
(○×)
finding examples of Japanese words used in English, for example, ‘sushi’, ‘karate’, ‘origami’, and
explaining what they mean
identifying key words in children’s stories or songs, for example, むかしむかし、おわり, and providing
English translations or explanations of meaning
Create simple print or digital bilingual texts for the classroom environment, such as captions, labels and
wall charts
[Key concepts: meaning, vocabulary, bilingualism; Key processes: creating, matching, selecting]

Elaborations
performing simple presentations for the school community that involve both Japanese and English
language elements, such as a contribution to an assembly performance for Grandparents’ Day
creating bilingual wall charts or picture dictionaries with captions, stickers and simple descriptions in
English to explain Japanese words and expressions that have particular cultural meaning
writing parallel captions in Japanese and English for a photographic display of a class event such as a
sports carnival or pets’ day or about a topic such as caring for the school environment
creating sets of word cards in English and Japanese and playing matching games such as Memory or
Snap
Reflecting
Notice and describe some ways in which Japanese language and communicative behaviour are similar or
different to own language(s) and cultural forms of expression
[Key concepts: language, culture, similarity and difference, respect; Key processes: noticing, comparing,
considering]

Elaborations
comparing Japanese ways of showing respect and being polite with how this is done in their own
language(s), for example, by using titles such as Sensei, bowing, and accepting objects with both hands
comparing aspects of Australian and Japanese children’s lifestyles, such as ways of playing games じゃ
んけん、eating food (using chopsticks and formulaic language) or addressing family members and
friends
experimenting with using Japanese in spontaneous interactions, for example, いたい、すごい、ぺこぺ
こ、がんばれ,、noticing any changes in the use of voice or body language and communicating how this
feels
Use simple statements and gestures to express aspects of self, such as membership of family, friendship,
gender, school/class or cultural groups
[Key concepts: identity, self, group, communication; Key processes: describing, explaining, identifying]

Elaborations
making simple statements about themselves, such as their name and age, for example, ぼくは Sam
です、9 さいです。
identifying themselves as part of a family, class or peer group ぼくはおとうとです。おねえさん

は< 15 さいです。, for example, by representing these relationships through drawing pictures or a
family tree, adding captions to photos or creating digital presentations
noticing and comparing their own use of words or expressions from different languages when
communicating in English
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise sounds and rhythms of spoken Japanese, and learn how sounds are produced and represented
in the three different scripts
[Key concepts: mora, rhythm, intonation; Key processes: listening, distinguishing, recognising]
(ACLJAU120 Scootle )

Elaborations
はく
recognising the concept of the basic unit of sound in Japanese (‘mora’: モーラ or 拍), for example, いい
え has three moras
understanding that the independent nasal sound ‘n’ (ん) has a mora of its own, for example, こんにちは
understanding that when pronouncing Japanese it is important to keep the length of each mora even
noticing that statements and questions have different intonation patterns
Recognise and copy some hiragana and a few highfrequency kanji
[Key concepts: script, kana, kanji, phonemic awareness, meaning; Key processes: recognising, tracing,
copying]

Elaborations
understanding that the Japanese language uses three different scripts depending on word origins and
the context of language use
understanding that one kana represents a basic unit of Japanese sound
ひびにち
understanding that each individual kanji represents meaning as well as sounds, for example, 日、日、日,
whereas one kana or one letter of the English alphabet does not represent individual meaning
しょうけいもじやまかわくちめうえ
recognising some kanji, for example, numbers and 象形文字 (pictographs) such as 山、川、口、目、上
recognising the 46 basic hiragana, using supports such as mnemonic clues
tracing and copying kanji and kana
tracing and copying their own name in katakana or hiragana
identifying known hiragana within a word and using that to predict the meaning
noticing that Japanese can be written vertically or horizontally
Understand the structure of basic sentences in Japanese and recognise some key elements of Japanese
grammar
[Key concepts: grammar, vocabulary, syntax; Key processes: recognising, describing, indicating]

Elaborations
knowing common forms of greetings, for example, おはようございます、おはよう, and noticing the
different levels of formality
identifying genderspecific pronouns わたし and ぼく
understanding the use of common suffixes such as さん or くん or titles such as せんせい to address and
refer to other people, for example, Luke くん and White せんせい
understanding basic word order in simple sentences, for example, noun がすきです。りんごが
すきです。, adjective + noun です。おおきいいぬです。
understanding how to specify items using the possessive particle の, for example, わたしのかぞ

く、 Sarah さんのほん、おばあさんのいえ
いちにさんひゃく
referring to numbers of things using cardinal numbers 0–100: 一、二、三 … 百
learning to describe the colour あおです。size おおきいです。 and shape まるです。of things
understanding different question words such as だれ、なに、どこ and the sentenceending particle か
recognising and responding to a request using verb ください, for example, きいてください。and す

わってください。
indicating affirmative and negative responses using はい and いいえ
using some culturally specific parallel phrases related to giving and receiving, for example, どうぞ and あ
りがとう
learning to use common onomatopoeia such as ぺこぺこ and わんわん
building vocabulary to describe and label familiar and immediate objects and environments
Understand that language is organised as ‘text’, and that different types of texts, such as storybooks,
songs, chants, labels or rhymes, have different features
[Key concepts: text, meaning, genre, metalanguage; Key processes: recognising, identifying, describing]

Elaborations
understanding texts as different forms of communication that are spoken, written, digital or visual, and
recognising that they can be very short, for example, たって, or much longer, for example, たってくだ
さい。
recognising that different types of texts have different features, for example, repetition and rhythm in
action songs and chants
beginning to use metalanguage to talk about texts, identifying and naming familiar types of texts, such as
‘story’, ‘list’, ‘song’, ‘rhyme’ and ‘tongue twister’, and describing features, for example, stories usually
have a story starter (むかしむかし), while songs usually have rhyming and the repetition of words
main title and the connections between pictures and text
Recognise that there are differences in how language is used in different cultural and social contexts, such
as ways of greeting and addressing people
[Key concepts: variation, context, culture; Key processes: exploring, identifying, comparing]

Elaborations
exploring how language is used differently in Japanese to reflect different relationships, for example,
parent–child exchanges おはよう、いってらっしゃい、いってきます、ただいま、おかえり,
communication with peers なに？, and teacher–child interactions なんですか。
understanding that language use varies according to the context and situation, for example, こんにち
は。 and もしもし。
understanding that language forms such as greetings vary according to the time of day or the occasion,
for example, おはよう、こんにちは、こんばんは
understanding that language used in particular interactions can vary between cultural contexts, for
example, the use of titles in Japanese (～さん、～せんせい) compared to the informal use of names in
Australian English
Recognise that Japanese and English borrow words and expressions from each other and from other
languages
[Key concepts: language, change, word borrowing; Key processes: noticing, recognising, classifying]

Elaborations
noticing that languages borrow words from one another and that both Japanese and Australian English
include many words and expressions from other languages
recognising that Japanese uses many loan words from English and other languages, such as ペン、テレ
ビ、ピンク, and that these are pronounced differently by Japanese speakers
recognising that English loan words in Japanese are written in katakana and sound like a familiar word in
English, for example, レモン、ピザ、アイスクリーム
creating a class record of Japanese words that are used in English and other languages, such as ‘judo’,
‘origami’, ‘sushi’ and ‘manga’, and comparing how these words are pronounced in the two languages
Understand that language and culture are closely connected
[Key concepts: language, culture, meaning; Key processes: noticing, reflecting, questioning]

Elaborations
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, how it involves visible elements, such as ways of eating or symbols
such as flags, and invisible elements, such as how people live, how they think about themselves and
others and how they relate to their environment
understanding that learning and using Japanese involves becoming familiar with some different ways of
communicating, for example, いただきます、ごちそうさま, and also some ways of thinking about things
and behaving that may be unfamiliar
noticing similarities and differences between classroom interactions in Japanese and English, for
example, referring to the teacher using only せんせい
understanding that culture and cultural behaviours are woven into languages and cannot be separated
from them, for example, it is possible to bow without a spoken greeting in Japanese but not to greet
without bowing
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teacher and peers through play and actionrelated language.
They use formulaic expressions and appropriate gestures in everyday interactions such as exchanging
greetings and farewells, for example, おはようございます、おはよう、こんにちは、さようなら、また、あし
た, thanking and apologising, and giving and receiving, for example, どうぞ、どうも. They use visual, non
verbal and contextual support such as pictures, gestures, facial expressions and props to make meaning of
simple texts. When listening to simple repetitive spoken texts, they identify key words such as names or
numbers of objects or people, and demonstrate comprehension by actions, drawing or labelling. They
respond to instructions through actions, for example, きいてください。みてください。, and respond to
questions, for example, だれなにどこ with single words and set phrases and by selecting images or objects,
for example, いぬですか。ねこですか。. They present information about themselves, their family,
friends and favourite things at word and simple sentence level, using formulaic and modelled language. They
describe people and objects using adjectives to indicate colour, shape and size, for example, あかいりん
ご、おおきい、まるい. They indicate ownership by using, for example, だれのですか。わたし/ぼくの
です。 They mimic Japanese pronunciation, intonation and rhythm through shared reading and singing.
Students recognise and begin to write single kanji, such as 人, 木, 山、川、月、日、一、ニ、三, the 46
hiragana symbols, and some hiragana words such as くち、ねこ、あお、しかく. They demonstrate
understanding of hiragana as well as kanji by actions such as matching, labelling and sorting. They translate
and interpret examples of everyday Japanese language use and cultural behaviours such as the exchange of
greetings or thanks, terms of address and some formulaic expressions and behaviours.
Students identify the three different scripts in Japanese, hiragana, kanji and katakana. They understand that
hiragana represents the basic units of Japanese sound and apply that knowledge in their communication.
They know that kanji represents meaning as well as sounds, and that katakana is used for borrowed words.
They know that stroke order in writing characters is important. Students identify patterns in Japanese words
and phrases and make comparisons between Japanese and English, for example, the word order in
greetings, such as Smith せんせい、and in simple sentences, such as おりがみがすきです。ぞうはお
おきいです。. They provide examples of different ways of addressing friends, family and teachers or other
adults. They use pronouns, such as わたし/ぼく, and titles/suffixes, such as ～せんせい/～さん/～くん, to
address different people. They identify Japanese words that are often used in Englishspeaking contexts, for
example, ‘sushi’, ‘origami’ and ‘karate’. They give examples of Japanese words and phrases that have been
borrowed from other languages, such as ピンク、テレビ、パン. They identify similarities and differences
between Japanese and their own languages and cultures.
groups, including of the Japanese class. They are further developing literacy capabilities in English, and while
this highlights differences between writing in alphabetic and characterbased languages, it also assists to
some degree in learning Japanese. They benefit from varied, activitybased learning that builds on their
interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
Japanese language learning and use
The development of oral proficiency at this stage continues to rely on rich language input in different modes.
Learners listen and respond by actions to build active listening and comprehension skills. They participate in
classroom routines and tasks and use some spontaneous language to describe feelings related to classroom
activities. They participate in games and activities and engage with texts through teachergenerated questions
and prompting. They give short presentations related to their personal worlds, including simple descriptions.
With support they create labels, captions and short sentences. Language experience and input include
authentic texts with some modification, familiar vocabulary and simple sentence structures. Children are
supported to expand their use of the language in familiar interactions and situations, such as exchanging
simple information and participating in shared tasks, performances and play. They continue to control simple
grammatical forms and build vocabulary that can be adapted for different purposes. Students learn the use of
diacritic marks to create voiced sounds. They learn to produce and pronounce characters with the support of
flashcards, mnemonics, digital games and exercises. They read and write words written in hiragana and in
highfrequency kanji with support and scaffolding. There is a combined focus on grammar, vocabulary
building, pronunciation, and nonverbal and cultural dimensions of language use through purposeful
communicative activities and experiences.
The context in which learners interact is primarily the language classroom and the school environment, with
some access to wider communities of Japanese speakers and resources through digital technology.
Texts and resources
written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts such as picture books, stories, puppet
plays, songs and games develop the expressive and cultural dimensions of language. To support the
development of cultural knowledge, learners may have access to resources developed for Japanese children,
such as storybooks, songs, television programs or interactive games.
Features of Japanese language use
Learners recognise the predictable nature of pronunciation in Japanese and apply their knowledge of sound–
letter associations to spell new words. They recognise and use elements of grammar such as simple verb
forms, adjectives, interrogatives and some particles to understand and create simple spoken and written
texts. They use appropriate word order and sentence structures, including time, counter classifiers, and
present, past and negative forms. Learning Japanese contributes to learners’ general literacy development
and to the process of making sense of their worlds that characterises this stage of their development. As they
encounter elements of Japanese language they make comparisons with their own language(s) and culture(s)
and consider their own ways of communicating.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support. Tasks are carefully scaffolded. Teachers provide models
and examples; introduce language, concepts and resources needed to manage and complete the task; make
time for experimentation, drafting and redrafting; and provide support for selfmonitoring and reflection.
Learners use the hiragana chart as a systematic framework to support reading and writing.
The role of English
Learners are supported to use Japanese as much as possible for classroom routines, social interaction,
structured learning tasks and language experimentation and practice. English is used for discussion,
explanation and reflection, enabling learners to develop a language (metalanguage) for sharing ideas about
language and culture systems and experience. Using both Japanese and English in the classroom develops
awareness of what it means to be bilingual.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with the teacher and peers to exchange information about self, family, friends and favourite things,
and likes and dislikes, and to express praise, support and respect for others
[Key concepts: communication, information, self, family, respect; Key processes: introducing, interacting,
describing]

Elaborations
introducing self using formal spoken language and appropriate nonverbal language such as bowing, for
きゅう
example, はじめまして、 Julie です、九さいです、おんがくがすきです、どうぞよろしく
exchanging information and building vocabulary to communicate about self, friends or family, using
simple statements such as かぞくは六人です。おとうさんとおかあさんとおねえさん
とぼくといもうととあかちゃんです。いもうとは五さいです。おかあさんはやさ
しいです。
asking and answering factual questions relating to concepts such as time, place or number, using
formulaic structures and familiar expressions, for example, かぞくはなんにんですか。3 人で
ごがつ
す。いつですか。五月です。なんじですか。三じです。どこですか。
showing interest in and respect for others, such as by expressing praise or encouragement, using
formulaic expressions, for example, だいじょうぶ？たいへん？むずかしい？すごい（です）ね、やさしい
ね、おもしろいね、じょうずですね、かっこいいね、たのしかった？
communicating about activities and shared experiences, for example, place にいきました。 food
をたべました。 drink をのみます。 activity/sports をしましょう/しました。おいしかったで
す。
Participate in guided tasks that involve following instructions and cooperating with peers, such as sports
and craft activities
[Key concepts: collaboration, participation, task, performance; Key processes: following instructions,
rehearsing, performing, presenting]

Elaborations
participating in guided tasks involving instructions and peer cooperation, such as group/pair language
activities, games and sports, for example, せんせい says, ふくわらい、じゃんけんぽん, What’s the time,
Mr Wolf?
following procedures for activities such as cooking, modelmaking or origami, understanding instructions
such as はんぶんにおって、ここにおいて、あつめて
participating in classroom routines, such as taking the roll はい、います。いいえ、いません。, naming
the months and days of the week and describing the weather, for example, きょうは月よう日で
す。はれです。
preparing, rehearsing and conducting presentations and performances, such as a Japanese item for
assembly or a digital presentation about a significant event
かうた
working collaboratively to adapt and perform action songs, for example, by changing lyrics (替え歌)
based on modelled patterns, rehearsing and performing songs with appropriate gestures and actions
Follow teacher instructions and directions by responding to questions and requests, and use simple
questions and statements to ask permission and to show interest and appreciation
[Key concepts: interaction, negotiation, response; Key processes: responding, requesting, rehearsing]

Elaborations
participating in classroom interactions, for example, by responding with comments such as Matt くん
はいません。 Todd くんと Sally さんはやすみです。 Ella さんもやすみです。
using appropriate formulaic expressions and gestures to contribute to interactions, for example, しつれい
します。おねがいします。
asking for help or clarification, for example, すみません。もういちど。, and negotiating turntaking, for
example, ちょっとまって。 Matilda さんのばん。どうぞ。
responding to teacher instructions such as ペアになってください。三人グループになって

ください。ならんでください。大きいこえで。
recognising and rehearsing interjections or fillers in conversations, for example, ええとすみません。ほん
とう? そうですね。
Informing
Locate and process specific points of information in familiar types of written, spoken, multimodal and
digital texts associated with people, places and objects
[Key concepts: information, research, data; Key processes: locating, collecting, classifying, recognising]


Elaborations
finding examples of Japanese language at home or in the community to create a class collection, display
or digital database of terms related to recipes, toys, gadgets or menus
viewing or listening to a simple community text such as a weather report, recognising key words such as
はれ、くもり
identifying features of seasons and tracking the progress of seasonal weather changes on a map of
Japan, for example, reports of さくら、つゆ、こうよう
gathering information about one another’s home life and activities, for example, by surveys on pets,
sports, activities, families, or likes and dislikes, using graphs to display results
viewing or reading simple print or digital texts such as advertisements, catalogues, menus or packaging
to locate key points of information in relation to elements such as product, number, price, target audience
or capacity for recycling
Present factual information relating to familiar home, community and cultural contexts, using graphic and
digital support such as photos, tables, lists and charts
[Key concepts: family, relationships, routines; Key processes: describing, explaining, annotating]

Elaborations
かあ
describing family members and friends, identifying relationships such as お母さん, using simple
とう
descriptive, modelled language and supporting resources, for example, これはわたしのお父さ
とうとう
んです。Ken です。お父さんはやきゅうがすきです。お父さんはやさしいです。
creating a display such as a chart, diorama, mini book or digital presentation to showcase elements of
their Japanese language learning, for example, ぼく/わたしのふでばこ、ぼく/わたしのかばん
labelling aspects of their daily routines, selecting captions or attaching word bubbles, including
しち/なな
expressions of time, for example, waking in the morning with a clock displaying 七じ and the words おは
ようございます。
Creating
Participate in and respond to imaginative texts such as interactive stories and performances, for example
by acting out responses or making simple statements to identify and compare favourite characters and
elements
[Key concepts: response, expression; Key processes: participating, imagining, creating, interpreting]

Elaborations
viewing excerpts from texts such as anime and children’s television programs, listening for key words and
familiar phrases and interpreting cultural expressions and behaviours
collecting favourite exclamations, words or expressions used in imaginative and expressive texts in oral,
print and digital formats, such as へえー、うそー、あれ？、うーん、どうしよう、こまった、できた、や
ったー！、おめでとう、がんばって、すごい、いいよ、だめ and using them in their own communicative
exchanges in similar modes
drawing their own versions of characters encountered in imaginative texts, and selecting simple
descriptive modelled statements as captions to their pictures
sequencing elements of imaginative texts such as cartoons or simple narratives, for example, by creating
a storyboard using pictures and captions
recognising character traits or behaviours in texts such as anime, manga and children’s stories that
reflect Japanese culture and traditions
Create and present imaginative texts for a range of audiences that use familiar expressions and modelled
language and allow for exploration and enjoyment of language, cultural expression and performance
[Key concepts: fantasy, imagination, dramatisation; Key processes: imagining, creating, experimenting,
performing]

Elaborations
creating imaginary characters, places or animals, and presenting them through performance, digital
display or visual representation, for example, みみが大きいです。かわにいます。
food/object をたべます。とてもこわいです。おばけやしきです。たくさんおばけがいま
す。目が大きいです。あしがありません。
incorporating onomatopoeic sounds such as どきどき、ぺこぺこ、ぴかぴか、にこにこ into
written/performed texts to enrich the texts and to entertain others
taking on the role of a character from a story, manga or anime, and responding to questions such as す
きなたべものはなんですか。 noun がすきですか。なんさいですか。
creating, performing and presenting imaginative texts such as skits, songs and raps
Translating
and explain simple interactions in Japanese, noticing linguistic and cultural features
Interpret and explain simple interactions in Japanese, noticing linguistic and cultural features
[Key concepts: meaning, culture, translation, interpretation; Key processes: identifying, explaining,
interpreting, comparing]

Elaborations
explaining features of Japanese language protocols such as the use of formulaic expressions, for
example, いってきます、ただいま, counter classifiers, and the indication of politeness by using です
explaining and modelling culturespecific practices and formulaic language, such as apologising for being
late by waiting at the entrance/door, bowing and using the expression おくれてすみません。しつれい
します。
demonstrating and explaining hand gestures, body language or facial expressions that work with
language or stand alone in Japanese communication, such as beckoning with fingers pointing
downwards, or waving a hand in front of the face to signal a negative response
using visual, print or online dictionaries, word lists and pictures to translate simple familiar texts such as
labels or captions
Create bilingual versions of familiar texts such as songs, conversations, picture dictionaries, captions for
images and displays, or photo stories
[Key concepts: bilingualism, expression, codemixing; Key processes: translating, performing, creating,
adapting]

Elaborations
including some Japanese words, exclamations or phrases when interacting in English in simple games or
exchanges that involve feelings or reactions, for example, いたい, あぶない, oh that was fun, でもまけ
た。 Anne さん, that was すごい！
performing bilingual versions of familiar songs such as ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It …’, alternating
between the two languages and switching key words in repeated phrases
creating personal print or digital bilingual dictionaries that include visual cues and representations
creating simple activities or action songs that involve alternating or combining repeated words or phrases
in Japanese and English, such as verbs, question words or months of the year, for example, せんせい
says
Reflecting
Notice what is similar or different to own and when interacting in Japanese in different
Notice what is similar or different to own language and culture when interacting in Japanese in different
contexts and situations
[Key concepts: respect, culture, similarity and difference, communication; Key processes: identifying,
explaining, experimenting, reflecting]

Elaborations
noticing how respect is shown to teachers and classmates through practices such as apologising for
‘interrupting’ when entering a room, しつれいします、おくれてすみません, expressing humility by not
going first or putting oneself forward どうぞ, or not using さん for self
practising ways of accepting compliments or praise in Japanese, for example, by saying いいえ instead
of ありがとう。, and comparing this with what they would do in a similar situation in their own
language(s)
noticing differences between Japanese and AustralianEnglish language used in certain social situations,
for example, いただきます、ごちそうさまでした, before and after meals, and ただいま、おかえりなさ
い, when leaving or returning home, including forms of address and the use of body language, intonation
and expression
considering how some aspects of Australian ways of communicating such as greetings, responding to
thanks or using direct eye contact may be interpreted by people from a Japanese cultural background
Notice how ways of communicating and behaving reflect identity and relationships
[Key concepts: identity, community, family, culture; Key processes: selecting, creating, representing,
comparing]

Elaborations
using digital resources to create a selfprofile such as an avatar or montage to exchange with a potential
Japanese friend, selecting key words and simple expressions from word banks and modelled statements
that capture their sense of themselves, and comparing their choices and how they think about their
identity
sharing ideas about their family cultures, creating visual or digital representations of their families,
friendship groups and communities, and listing key terms and expressions associated with each group
noticing and comparing their own and one another’s ways of communicating, identifying any elements
that reflect cultural differences or influences of other languages, including those from the Asia region
Understanding
Systems of language
Understand that hiragana symbols can be combined to represent words
[Key concepts: consonant, vowel, kana, foot, mora, rhythm, pronunciation; Key processes: recognising,
differentiating, demonstrating]

Elaborations
recognising that there are 19 distinct consonants in Japanese (k, g, s, sh, z, j, t, ch, ts, d, n, h, f, b, p, m,
y, r, w) and five vowels (a, i, u, e, o)
understanding the system of basic Japanese sound combinations, that is, a vowel can be attached to
most consonants to produce a kana
understanding that vowel length can differentiate words in Japanese, for example, ‘e’ (え) for a picture
and ‘ee’ (ええ) for ‘yeah’
recognising the concept of the minimum unit of rhythm in Japanese (‘foot’ or フット) and that one foot in
Japanese consists of two moras, for example, ごちそうさま is pronounced as a threefoot word ごち・そ
う・さま
demonstrating understanding of the differences in pronunciation of English and Japanese versions of
loan words such as バナナ、ペット、サッカー
Recognise the systematic order within the hiragana character set; commence hiragana script writing and
recognise and write frequently used kanji
[Key concepts: character, kana and kanji, stroke order, font; Key processes: recognising, tracing, reading,
writing]

Elaborations
learning how to use the character chart as a systematic framework for reading and writing
understanding that there is a stroke order for both kana and kanji
recognising that Japanese has various printed fonts and that handwritten forms of several characters
differ from the printed versions in most fonts, for example, き、さ、ふ、ら、り
learning to read and write words using kana
Understand and identify elements of basic grammar and sentence structure and interaction patterns
[Key concepts: verb conjugation, particles, word order, vocabulary, counter; Key processes: describing,
indicating, identifying, questioning]

Elaborations
developing metalanguage for communicating about language, using concepts such as parts of speech,
for example, ‘noun’, ‘verb’ and ‘adjective’
understanding the rules of Japanese word order (subject + object + verb), the use of associated particles
は、を、と、も、に, and the use of が in formulaic expressions, for example, noun がすきです。
describing actions using verb ます form, for example, すしをたべます。
understanding the rules for conjugating verbs, such as ～ます、～>ましょう、～ました、～ません
understanding that Japanese uses name + suffix instead of pronouns when referring to other people, for
example, John くん、はなさん、 Grant せんせい
indicating time and frequency using expressions such as まいにち、ときどき
describing people, animals, places and things using adjective–noun phrases, for example, 大きい目、
おいしいもも
understanding time words associated with days of the week, months of the year and seasons
building vocabulary that relates to familiar environments in daily life and personal worlds and that can be
used for crosscurricular content learning
beginning to use counters in Japanese, for example, ～人、～さい、～月
telling time using ～じ/ ～じはんです。なんじですか。
seeking information using question words such as なに、なん、いつ、どこ and だれ and the sentence
ending particle か, for example, なにがすきですか。なんさいですか。なんにんです
か。いつですか。
Recognise that texts such as stories, games and conversations have particular language features and
textual conventions
[Key concepts: text, genre, language features, mode; Key processes: comparing, analysing, recognising]


Elaborations
recognising features of familiar genres of Japanese texts such as picture books, digital books or games,
video clips or songs
recognising differences between the layout and language features of different types of texts, including た
てがき, よこがき
cartoon
recognising patterns in simple spoken or written texts in Japanese, for example, in relation to the use of
particles, verb endings and other frequently occurring features
Understand that language varies according to the age and relationship of those using it, and according to
the situation in which it is being used
[Key concepts: register, context, variation; Key processes: observing, recognising, reflecting]

Elaborations
observing that Japanese expressions can be made more or less formal with very slight changes, for
example, おはよう and おはようございます、はし and おはし、なまえ and おなまえ、to suit the
relationship between speakers
noticing differences in the ways in which both Japanese and English speakers communicate with different
people, for example, with young children, with unfamiliar adults or with elderly people
recognising that familial terms such as おじいさん and おばあさん are often used in place of ‘old man’ or
‘old woman’ in both folk tales and daily conversation, and considering why this might be so
Recognise that Japanese is the official language of Japan and one of the major languages of the Asia
Pacific region
[Key concepts: language status, standard language, multilingualism; Key processes: recognising,
comparing, classifying]

Elaborations
understanding the status of Japanese as the official language of Japan, a major language in the Asia
Pacific region, a world language and an Australian community language
understanding that there is a standardised form of Japanese, and that different dialects are spoken in
different regions of Japan
comparing the language profile of Japan with the multilingual nature of Australian society, which includes
speakers of Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, Asian languages and world
languages

Understand that the ways people use language reflect where and how they live and what is important to
them
[Key concepts: cultural expression, values, respect, gestures; Key processes: observing, comparing,
discussing, interpreting]

Elaborations
expressions often reflect cultural values, for example, the importance of respect for older people is
reflected in terms of address in Japanese
exploring additional elements of ‘culture’, such as what is valued in different communities, contexts and
environments, or different approaches to teaching and learning in school, understanding formulaic
expressions that reflect cultural values, for example, いってきます、いってらっしゃい、きをつけて
noticing how politeness and respect are conveyed in Japanese language and behaviour, such as how
body language and gestures can replace language, for example, bowing as an apology or as a request
to be excused
learning to discuss culture and language by responding to prompt questions such as ‘What do you
notice?’ ‘Why do you think that …?’ ‘How is this similar / different …?’
identifying terms, expressions and ways of communicating associated with Australian contexts that might
need explaining to Japanese children, for example, using first names when addressing adults, colloquial
expressions such as ‘no worries’ or ‘footy’, and terms associated with Indigenous cultures, such as ‘the
Dreaming’
By the end of Year 4, students interact with the teacher and peers in regular classroom routines and
structured interactions. They understand and respond to instructions related to classroom organisation and
activities, for example, ペアになってください。大きいこえでいってください。. They use
formulaic and rehearsed language to exchange information about their personal worlds and in familiar
interactions such as praising or encouraging one another, for example,
がんばって. They use language spontaneously in simple familiar communicative exchanges, for example, や
ったー！だいじょうぶ？. They respond to simple questions using short spoken statements, for example, い
つですか。なにがすきですか。. They use counter classifiers in response to questions such as な
にんがつ
ん人、なん月、なんじ、なんさい. Students identify specific items of information, such as facts about or key
characteristics of people, when listening to or viewing texts such as short stories, weather reports or video
clips. They use cues such as context, visual images and familiar vocabulary to assist comprehension. They
create short spoken informative and descriptive texts related to their personal world with the support of
modelled language, scaffolded examples and resources such as word lists. They describe people and events
using adjectives, timerelated vocabulary and appropriate verb forms, such as ます、ましょう、ました and ま
せん. They read and write the 46 hiragana, including long vowels (for example, おとうさん、おおきい), voiced
sounds (for example, かぞく、たべます), and blended sounds as formulaic language (for example, きょう、
でしょう), as well as highfrequency kanji such as 月、日、先生. They apply word order (subject–object–verb
) in simple sentences. They comprehend short written texts such as captions, labels, signs and stories that
use familiar and repetitive language. They translate simple texts using classroom resources such as charts or
word lists, noticing that some words and expressions do not translate easily. Students identify examples of
cultural differences between ways of communicating in Japanese and in their own language(s).
Students identify both vowel and vowel–consonant sounds of hiragana, recognising that vowel sounds can be
elongated and that this can change meaning. They identify ways in which rhythm is used to chunk phrases
within a sentence. Students use the hiragana chart to support their reading and writing, recognising its
systematic nature. They demonstrate awareness of the predictable nature of pronunciation. They know the
role of particles, for example, は、を、と、も、に; the rules for simple verb tense conjugations; and how to
create questions using the sentenceending particle か. They understand and use the rules and phonetic
changes that apply to counter classifiers, for example, はっさい、ひとり、ふたり. They identify language
variations that occur according to the age and relationship of participants, and according to the situation, for
example, なまえ/ おなまえ、はし/ おはし. They demonstrate their understanding of the importance in
Japanese of nonverbal communication such as the use of gestures, for example, bowing to replace words
and to communicate meaning. Students identify ways in which Japanese language reflects ways of behaving
and thinking.
Languages Korean
Page 912 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Korean
Korean How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Korean culture and language in
Korean is the language of one of Australia’s important neighbours in the Asian region and is spoken by
around 80 million people in the Korean Peninsula and worldwide. With the rapidly growing popularity of and
interest in Korean culture across the world, the number of people learning Korean is also growing fast in many
countries in Asia, Oceania, the North and South Americas, Europe and Africa. In Australia, Korean is spoken
by more than 150 000 people, and the presence of the Korean culture and language, together with Korean
brands of hightechnology products, is increasingly evident in various sectors of society.
Australia and the Republic of Korea have established and reinforced peopletopeople relationships through
cultural and educational exchanges for more than half a century. The first recorded contact between Australia
and Korea took place in the late 19th century through Australian missionaries visiting the Korean Peninsula. In
the early 20th century, there was a period when contact between the two countries was not possible due to
the Japanese colonial rule over Korea. With the end of World War II and Australia's participation in the United
Nations Commissions on Korea (UNCOK) in 1947 and in the Korean War (1950–1953), the two countries
formed a strong bond and have established a strong trade partnership. With an increasing awareness of the
need to expand the partnership to other sectors, awareness of the need to better understand the country and
culture, and to learn the language, has also increased as opportunities for exchanges and collaborations are
expanding to education, science and technology, culture, media, sports, leisure, tourism and community
activities. Visitors from Korea, including primaryaged students on study trips, may provide young Australian
learners of Korean with opportunities for rich cultural and linguistic experiences.
The place of the Korean language in Australian
education
There have been a number of government policy initiatives that have supported the teaching of Korean in
Australian education since it was introduced to Australian schools in the early 1990s. During the 1990s, with
growing national interest in trade with Asia, the Australian Government introduced the National Asian
Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy. Later, the aims of NALSAS were reignited
through the National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program, which ran from the late 2000s until
the early 2010s with a renewed economic and strategic focus on Asia, encouraging young Australians to
study Korean, one of four targeted Asian languages. In recent years, the commitment of the Australian
Government to the teaching and learning of Korean in schools has continued as is evident in documents such
as South Korea: Country Strategy (Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2013).
With the support of the Australian Government for learning and teaching Korean in Australian schools and
growing interest in Korean culture and opportunities to encounter Koreans and Korean products, there is an
increasing demand for Korean language education from the community. Among young learners in Australia,
there has been a significant increase in the popularity of Korean culture, including traditional and youth/pop
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Korean
culture, as seen in frequent performances of traditional Korean dance and music and in the surge of
popularity of Kpop (Korean pop). There is also an increasing awareness of possible career opportunities for
those who have attained a high level of proficiency in the Korean language and a sound intercultural
understanding.
The nature of Korean language learning
The Korean language has its own alphabetic writing system called Hangeul. Hangeul consists of 24 basic
letters, comprising 14 basic consonants and 10 basic vowels. Learning Hangeul involves learning how to
combine consonants and vowels to produce a syllable in Korean, which corresponds to a syllabic block in its
written form. As students learn Hangeul, they also learn about its philosophical, scientific, linguistic and
cultural underpinnings, where the three elements of vowel letters (•, ㅡ, ㅣ) symbolise the three respective
elements in oriental cosmology – heaven, earth and human – and consonant letters symbolise the shapes of
the speech organs: lips, teeth, tongue and throat. Students’ learning is enhanced by understanding the
importance of Hangeul’s creator, King Sejong the Great, who, in the 15th century, believed that his people’s
wellbeing was directly related to literacy and could be enhanced through the creation of a writing system that
would represent their spoken language.
Korean is an agglutinative language. Students learn how to agglutinate various particles or suffixes to
nominals or verb stems to express a range of grammatical, semantic or pragmatic information. The word
order of Korean is subject–object–verb (SOV); however, learners also learn that word order in Korean is
flexible as long as the verbfinal rule is observed, and that contextually understood elements may be left
unexpressed in Korean discourse. Honorifics are one of the important features of Korean. Students learn how
to use Korean to express their thoughts with cultural bearing through the systematic use of honorifics and
through nonverbal behaviour that corresponds to the chosen honorific. The Korean language easily
incorporates words from other languages. Students learn about Korean culture as well as how to use the
language in culturally appropriate ways.
The diversity of learners of Korean
Australian students have multiple, diverse and changing needs that are shaped by different individual,
personal and learning histories as well as personal, cultural and language backgrounds. Learners of Korean
in Australia can be identified in three major groups: second language learners (learners who are introduced to
learning Korean at school); background language learners (learners who may use Korean at home, not
necessarily exclusively, and have knowledge of Korean language and culture to varying degrees); and first
language learners (learners who have had their primary socialisation as well as initial literacy development in
Korean, and use Korean at home as their first language).
The Australian Curriculum: Languages, Foundation to Year 10 for Korean is pitched to second language
learners. The curriculum has been developed according to two main learning sequences for these learners:
Foundation – Year 10, and Years 7–10. Teachers will use the Korean F–10 curriculum to cater for learners of
students.
For students learning Korean for the first time in a school language program, a key component of their
learning is to understand the cultural dimension that shapes and is shaped by the language. The curriculum is
designed with an intercultural language learning orientation to enable students to participate meaningfully in
intercultural experiences, to develop new ways of seeing and being in the world and to understand more
Languages Korean
Page 915 of 1359

Korean Years F–10 Sequence
with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically, they have little to no
experience of Korean language and culture.
Korean language learning and use
Korean language learning at this stage is focused on developing learners’ oral language and familiarising
learners with the language through interaction involving enjoyment, imagination and action. Through
classroom routines and actionrelated activities such as playing games, dancing, singing and chanting,
students learn and use Korean to socialise with others and explore the primary world around them. Non
verbal expressions such as miming, movement and gestures are an important part of students’ learning.
Children begin to hear single words, phrases and short simple texts in Korean, relating them to concrete
objects and people seen and known in their immediate environment, to what they feel and do, and to topics
about self, home, family, and classroom activities. They listen to, use and experiment with simple formulaic
language for routines such as greetings, introductions and classroom language, and become familiar with
meaningful sounds in Korean. With the introduction of Hangeul, children become further aware of the
relationships between sounds and letters, and between syllables and syllable blocks in Korean speech and
script. As their phonological awareness increases, they begin to develop literacy in Korean, identifying simple
Korean words in short texts through activities such as shared/supported reading or sight word games. They
start to write Hangeul by copying or tracing words, and later coconstruct longer texts such as chants and
rhymes. Through the repeated use of simple patterns where basic key particles, verb endings and honorific
elements are used, children notice that some Korean grammatical elements and rules are different from those
of English. As students use simple language patterns with culturally appropriate gestures or body language,
they recognise elements of Korean culture such as politeness embedded in the Korean language and its use,
and become aware that there are different ways to communicate using languages other than their own.
The primary context for students’ interaction is the language classroom, with the teacher of Korean language
and peers. Students may have some access to Koreanspeaking peers in wider school or community settings.
Their use of Korean primarily relates to classroom routines and activities, drawing on their interest in play,
movement and games and on their curiosity about the world around them.
Texts and resources
Learners have exposure to a variety of spoken, visual and written/digital texts. They listen and respond to
teacher talk, and take part in songs, play, stories and simple conversations. Written and digital texts include
picture books, wall charts, Big Books and teachergenerated materials such as games, labels, captions and
flashcards. Writing development is supported through tracing and copying simple words as sight words and
short modelled sentences in texts such as greeting cards or captions, and through cocreating shared
resources such as word walls or storyboards.
Features of Korean language use
Students become familiar with the sound system of the Korean language, recognising Korean pronunciation
as being different from that of their own language/s. They learn to pronounce syllable blocks as part of sight
words, recognising the association between simple vowel and consonant sounds with their corresponding
letters. They recognise, use and distinguish simple Korean intonation patterns for statements and questions.
They become familiar with and use the pattern of simple basic sentences such as those with –요 at the end,
and notice similarities and differences between Korean and English. They begin to develop curiosity about
Korea and Korean people and about different ways of making meaning using Korean.
Level of support
Children need rich language input and their learning is supported with the ample provision of scaffolding and
language modelling. They need opportunities to build and test hypotheses about the Korean language and
culture, to review, recycle and revise them, and to adjust their use of the Korean language and understanding
of Korean culture. Attention to diversity in students’ learning needs and backgrounds, and to the provision of
continuous encouragement, cues, feedback and opportunities for learners to reflect, support these hypothesis
building and testing processes. As the main source of target language input, the teacher provides ample
models and examples of the Korean language and culture with the support of visual cues and resources such
as pictures, realia, objects and charts.
The role of English
While the teacher and learners are encouraged to use Korean wherever possible, English is used for
discussion, reflection, questions and explanations relating to complex ideas or aspects of languages or
cultures, and in tasks which involve moving between the two languages, such as bilingually naming objects or
images.
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By the end of Year 2, students interact with peers and teachers through play and actionrelated talk,
exchanging greetings and introducing themselves (for example, 안녕하세요?; 안녕?; 저는 ...이에요/예요 used
as a set phrase) with gestures. They respond to question cues (such as 뭐예요?) by naming objects with
single words (for example, 눈! 코! 입! 고양이!) or using short, simple sentences as set phrases (for example,
눈이에요, 고양이예요). They respond to teacher instructions such as 따라 하세요, 일어나세요 by imitating the
teacher’s actions or speech, and to the teacher’s simple closedended questions by giving short answers
such as 있어요/없어요 or 네/아니요. They make simple requests using … 주세요 and thank each other or the
teacher using 고맙습니다 with appropriate gestures. They mimic and approximate Korean pronunciation of
simple words, and locate and read specific words such as names of people or objects provided in familiar
types of short texts. Students present simple information relating to themselves, their friends or everyday
objects, using simple words and set phrases. They create and perform their own simple texts using modelled
examples and formulaic language. Students use vocabulary related to their class and home environments.
They use the personal pronoun 저, basic particles –은/는, –이/가 and –을/를 as part of formulaic chunks
ending with –어/아요 or –이에요/예요 (for example, 저는 고양이가 없어요). They match simple Korean and
English texts written in Hangeul and English such as 로버트 and Robert, and identify familiar objects in both
languages. Students explain aspects of Korean language and culture in everyday language use, such as
ways of greeting and thanking, identify differences or similarities to their own language/s and culture/s, and
discuss the experience of learning and using the Korean language.
Students discriminate Korean sounds and script from those of English and other languages. They identify the
syllable block as the unit of writing and associate individual syllable blocks with their pronunciations. They
identify their own names written in Korean using syllable blocks (for example, 로버트, 마크) and pronounce
them using Korean sounds. Students identify –요 at the end of a sentence as indicating some polite meaning.
They identify 저 as referring to self and 저는 as an equivalent to ‘I’ in a sentence. They choose between –이에
요 and –예요 when they construct a sentence using a copula (for example, 재키예요; 마이클이에요). They
identify Korean language as the language of Korea and as one of the many languages used in Australia and
in the world. Students identify some loan words from other languages and Korean words used in Australia and
other countries. Students identify differences and similarities between their own and others’ languages and
cultures.
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social world and membership of various groups,
including of the Korean class. They have developed initial literacy in English and this helps to some degree in
learning Korean. They benefit from varied, activitybased learning that builds on their interests and capabilities
and makes connections with other areas of learning.
Korean language learning and use
Learners interact with peers and the teacher in classroom routines and a variety of classroom activities. They
build oral proficiency with provision of rich language input and ample opportunities to rehearse modelled
language in communicative activities where grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation are purposefully
integrated. They develop understanding of the alphabetic nature of Hangeul and read words that consist of
syllable blocks with 받침. They exchange simple information, feelings and ideas related to their personal
worlds, finding commonalities and acknowledging differences between each other. The language they use
and hear is in simple structures and with familiar vocabulary. They follow instructions, respond to questions
and read and create short texts on topics relevant to their interests and enjoyment such as family, pets or
favourite sports or food, and those drawn from other learning areas. They explore ideas and values important
to Korean culture through shared tasks such as shared reading of Korean folktales. The language used in
routine activities is reused from lesson to lesson in different situations, making connections between what
has been learnt and what is to be learnt.
The primary context of interaction in Korean is the classroom, where Korean is used as much as possible.
Learners have access to resources and authentic texts in Korean via virtual and digital technology and are
encouraged to share their learning at home where possible. They experience authentic Korean language and
culture through community activities, for example, with Koreanspeaking neighbours or at Korean festivals.
Texts and resources
Learners engage primarily with a variety of teachergenerated materials, stories, games and songs, and with
materials produced for young learners of Korean such as interactive computer language games, cards and
readers. They may also have access to materials developed for children in Korea, such as television
programs, advertisements or web pages, as a means of developing cultural awareness and language
experience.
Features of Korean language use
Learners are increasingly aware that the Korean language is used not only in Korea and in the Korean
community in Australia, but also in many other places around the world. They make connections and
comparisons, and look for differences and similarities between Korean and English. They begin to make
connections between speech and writing in Korean and understand that Korean is a system that works
differently from English. They differentiate sounds of Hangeul syllable blocks, and their literacy in Hangeul
develops with a growing phonological awareness and understanding of Hangeul as an alphabetic system.
They notice features of key grammatical forms and structures that they use as part of formulaic or set
phrases, and understand that such phrases are required elements in Korean sentences in order to make
sense. They are increasingly aware that a verb comes at the end of a Korean sentence and use basic
common action and descriptive verbs with the informal polite ending –어/아요 and its honorific form –(으)세요
as appropriate. They create short texts using familiar words relating to their expanding interests and basic
grammatical forms and structures. They develop understanding that the same word may be used in different
meanings according to the context. Through continuous use of Korean with culturally appropriate gestures
and body language, they become increasingly aware of the interdependency of language and culture, and
begin to establish their identity as a learner of Korean, mediating between Korean language and culture and
the familiar world of their own, exploring and comparing cultural norms embedded in everyday interactions in
Korean and in their own language/s.
Level of support
The primary support for learners is the teacher of Korean, who gives instruction, explanation, examples,
models, reinforcement, encouragement and feedback. Formfocused instructions are integrated into task
based activities for grammar and vocabulary learning. Support also includes material resources such as word
lists, pictures, Hangeul charts, realia and multimedia resources.
The role of English
Learners use Korean for classroom routines, familiar interactions, and structured learning tasks and for
listening to and viewing Korean texts. English is used where appropriate for instruction, explanation and
discussion, while learners may move between Korean and English, for example, when they discuss or
compare aspects of Korean and English language and culture, or when they create bilingual texts.
Communicating
Socialising
Socialise and build relationships with peers and teacher through the exchange of personal information in
relation to self, friends and family members
[Key concepts: friendship, occasions, celebration; Key processes: expressing, sharing]
(ACLKOC134 Scootle )

Elaborations
asking and answering questions relating to personal information about themselves,each other, friends,
family members, favourite things and special talents, for example, 누구예요? 몇 살이에요?
interacting with each other, for example, by using 나/저도 좋아요; 아, 그래요? as set phrases in action
related exchanges and shared activities such as games, including interactive computer games, roleplays
and composing chants/rhymes
exchanging simple correspondence such as notes,invitation or birthday cards in print or digital form
Participate in collaborative tasks and shared experiences such as creating and playing simple language
games or dialogues that involve simple negotiation, or preparing and presenting a group display
[Key concepts: participation, cooperation; Key processes: problemsolving, contributing]

Elaborations
asking and responding to questions in group activities such as number games, for example, using 몇이에
요? and … 이에요/예요, for example, 삼이에요 to form a group with those who have the same number
card
negotiating requests using simple Korean expressions, for example, 지우개 있어요?; 아니요, 없어요; 빌려
주세요; 네, 여기 있어요
preparing, rehearsing and carrying out presentations,such as a Korean item for school assembly, or a
digital presentation about a significant cultural event or celebration, for example, Taegeukgi, taekwondo
Participate in everyday classroom activities such as responding to teacher’s instructions, attracting
attention and asking for repetition
[Key concepts: instructions, respect; Key processes: interacting, expressing]


Elaborations
getting a turn to ask a question, for example, 질문 있어요
requesting repetition, for example, 다시 해 주세요
following instructions given in Korean, for example, 해 보세요, 들으세요, 쓰세요, 말하세요, 읽으세요
answering teacher’s questions, 이게/저게/그게 뭐예요? (given as a set phrase), in a short Korean
sentence as a set phrase, for example, 그게/그건 책상이에요
praising or complimenting each other, for example, (아주) 잘했어요
Informing
Identify topics and key points of factual information in short spoken, written, digital and multimodal texts
related to familiar contexts, routines and interests
[Key concepts: routines, pastimes; Key processes: selecting, categorising, recording]

Elaborations
gathering information about other people’s activities, for example by surveying peers about weekend or
dailyactivities, for example, 주말에 뭐 해요? 수영해요; 오늘 뭐 해요? 학교에 가요
compiling information and reporting it to others, forexample, by making a shared class graph showing
popular leisure activities
listening to short spoken texts with some unfamiliar language, identifying points of information, for
example, the name and number on a recorded phone message, the age of a child interviewed
obtaining and using factual information from print, digital or multimodal texts related to other learning
areas, for example, completing a simple science experiment, naming countries and significant land
features, or recording distances using geography skills
Present information gathered from different types of texts relating to people, objects, places and events
[Key concepts: home, school, information; Key processes: organising, informing, presenting]

Elaborations
reporting on information gathered from sources including online resources such as interviews, surveys or
brochures, using different media including those in digital formats such as drawings, posters and
captioned photos
using simple descriptive language and supporting resourcesto introduce family members and friends,
identifying relationships (우리 엄마예요; 친구예요) and cultural backgrounds (호주 사람이에요;한국 사람
이에요)
creating a class profile from information collected from each other, for example, creating a chart or
database to identify favourite sports, food, or colours (크리켓, 불고기,빨간색)
presenting information on events or topics of possible interest to Korean children of their own age (for
example, 생일, 방학), using multimodal resources and realia support and building vocabulary to describe
actions and feelings
Creating
Participate in and reflect on imaginative experiences such as digital interactive stories or video clips,
identifying characters, main ideas and events, and sharing feelings or ideas by acting out responses or
expressing preferences or opinions
[Key concepts: character, plot; Key processes: shared reading, performing, recounting]

Elaborations
listening to, viewing and reading text in different formats, including digital texts such as video clips,
paintings and stories, for example, Korean traditional tales (해님달님, 흥부와 놀부)
participating in shared reading and responding to questions about characters, ideas and events, for
example, by illustrating and captioning aspects of the texts
playing mime games using characters from imaginative stories experienced
sharing imaginative experiences in short statements about aspects such as characters, settings or
events (흥부가 착해요)
using movement or actions to reinforce meaning in texts such as television programs, songs or games
Create and perform simple imaginative and expressive spoken and written texts such as dialogues or
collaborative stories, using formulaic expressions and modelled language
[Key concepts: imagination, humour; Key processes: presenting, composing]

Elaborations
composing, modifying and completing own versions of skits, chants and songs, with teacher’s guidance
and scaffolding, and the stimulus of different imaginative texts and experiences
creating individual texts such as comics, diary entries and short stories, using modelled language to
express own ideas and imagined experience
producing and presenting picture/digital books or short scripted plays or animations that use favourite
Korean words and expressions
creating and performing alternative versions of stories or action songs, using voice, rhythm and gestures
to animate characters, or using drawings or story maps to create visual context
Translating
Translate simple Korean words and expressions for peers, teachers and family, noticing how they have
similar or different meanings when translated to English or other languages
[Key concepts: specificity, commonality, meaning; Key processes: explaining, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing different aspects of Korean and English language and culture, such as naming conventions (for
example, 박준호 versus ‘JohnSmith’) and explaining differences such as order and spacing
noticing Korean in texts such as signage and labels, and producing their equivalents in English
translating Korean texts such as public signs to understand the gist, noticing how meaning changes when
translated into English, as in the case of expressions of politeness
identifying words that change their meaning according to the context, for example, 집(home/house: 집에
가요, 우리 집이에요), or 있어요 (have … /there is (are) … :저는 지우개가 있어요; 제니 있어요?)
Create simple bilingual resources for their learning and for the school community
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key processes: selecting, relating, describing]

Elaborations
producing a parallel bilingual word list by identifying known Korean words or expressions and relating
them to English equivalents, and vice versa, noticing that direct translation sometimes does not work
preparing descriptions in both Korean and English about familiar topics, using modelled language and
choosing vocabulary from word lists, discussing differences in expression between the two languages
with the teacher
creating bilingual texts for the classroom and the school community using digital technologies (for
example, posters, songs and online newsletter items), sharing ideas about how to represent meaning in
different languages for different audiences
Reflecting
Share own experiences of communicating and using language/s, noticing how these are influenced by their
own culture/s
[Key concepts: openmindedness, politeness; Key processes: experimenting, reflecting, connecting]

Elaborations
reflecting on different ways of naming, greeting and addressing someone (for example, by first name or
title, including (non)use of honorifics and aspects of body language such as eye contact) and on the
issue of appropriateness in both Korean and Australian cultures
reflecting on each others’ ways of communicating and their appropriateness in Korean or nonKorean
contexts, for example, using 언니/누나 and 오빠/형 for older siblings in Korean versus using their first
names in English as terms of address
sharing ideas about how some Australian terms and expressions might be understood from a Korean
perspective, for example, ‘bushwalking’, ‘kick a footy’ or ‘lamington’
Associate themselves with wider networks such as clubs, countries or languagespeaking communities, and
reflect on how being a Korean language user broadens these networks
[Key concepts: membership, profile; Key processes: describing, identifying]

Elaborations
identifying various groups they belong to and reflecting on themselves as members of multiple groups
appreciating their additional identity as a learner of the Korean language and culture and their expanded
role in their own network
creating own profile using spoken, written or digital forms of expression to identify roles in or
memberships of various groups, including their identity as a person knowing more than one language
describing themselves as members of various groups by profiling themselves with drawings of their
friends, family, class and school, naming them using 친구, 우리 가족, 우리 반 and 우리 학교
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise characteristics of Korean pronunciation and intonation patterns, the alphabetical nature of
Hangeul, and the structural features of individual syllable blocks including 받침
[Key concepts: sound discrimination, word recognition, syllable, syllable block, 받침, alphabetic system; Key
processes: recognising, exploring, experimenting, relating]
(ACLKOU145 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning sets of Korean vowels and consonants
discriminating between sounds in Korean, for example, 가/카/까; 다/타/따; 바/빠/파; 사/싸; 자/차/짜; 내/네;
너/노
experimenting with Hangeul consonants and vowels to construct/deconstruct syllable blocks, for
example, ㅊ + ㅏ ◊ 차; ㄱ + ㅏ + ㅇ ◊ 강; ㅅ+ ㅜ ◊ 수; ㄱ + ㅗ + ㅁ ◊ 곰
identifying how pronunciation and intonation are used in spoken, written and multimodal texts, for
example, 좋아요; 아주 좋아요; 좋아요?
Understand and use key grammatical forms and structures such as basic pronouns and case markers and
the polite verb ending –어/아요 in own simple language production, and recognise politeness embedded in
humble or honorific forms such as 저 and –(으)세요
[Key concepts: grammar, sentence; Key processes: sequencing, relating, predicting]

Elaborations
constructing sentences with an –어/아요 ending on topics of personal interest in simple structures with
support such as scaffolding, modelling or cues and in meaningful contexts, for example, 저는 사과를 먹어
요
using –(으)세요 for different types of sentences (such as statements, questions, requests or commands)
and recognising the honorific meaning embedded in −세−
using 저 and 나 to refer to self and understanding different contexts where they are used
using a structure, a noun or pronoun + a case marker/particle (–은/는, –이/가, –을/를, –에, –도) as a set
phrase, for example, 저는, and understanding differences in meanings
understanding that 이게, 저게 and 그게 refer to objects without naming and that they are subjects in
sentences, for example, 이게 뭐예요?
asking simple questions about a person, object or number using abasic question word such as 누구/누가,
무엇/뭐 or 몇, for example, 지금 뭐 해요? 누구예요?
Recognise and use vocabulary to describe familiar people, objects and places, and basic routines,
including Sino and pure Korean number words with basic counters, words for colours, names of sports
[Key concepts: meaning, function, objects, people, number systems, action, state, quality; Key processes:
identifying, naming, describing, qualifying]

Elaborations
using number expressions with appropriate counters, for example, 한 개, 두 마리, 세 명, 아홉 살, 삼학년
using basic common action and descriptive verbs to describe their daily lives or preferences, for
example, 가요, 일어나요, 들어요, 해요, 좋아요, 나빠요, 착해요
using vocabulary related to school (for example, 학교, 책, 지우개, 친구), home (for example, 집,가족, 엄
마, 아빠), sports and leisure activities (for example, 방학, 수영, 캠핑)
using vocabulary to describe familiar objects or people, for example, 빨간색 가방
using some adverbs as part of formulaic language, for example, 지금/오늘/주말에 뭐 해요? 아주 잘 했어
요
Recognise differences in language features and text structures in different types of texts, including those in
digital form, used in familiar contexts
[Key concepts: language features, mode, purpose; Key processes: observing patterns, distinguishing]

Elaborations
identifying familiar text types in different modes and using them in activities such as converting dialogues
to chants
recognising language features typically associated with particular texts, for example, the use of
imperatives in games
noticing differences between written and spoken texts (for example, comparing a written story with a
spoken version), or comparing how texts within the same mode can differ, for example, a birthday card
and an email message
Build understanding of the variability of use in Korean, for example, in relation to the age and
Build understanding of the variability of language use in Korean, for example, in relation to the age and
relationship of participants
[Key concepts: relationships, age; Key processes: identifying, routinising]

Elaborations
greeting and taking part appropriately in familiar situations, for example, with peers and with the teacher,
identifying differences of contexts and addressees, for example, 안녕?; 안녕하세요?; 안녕히 가세요/계세
요; 잘 가/있어
recognising the appropriateness of gestures to accompany language when addressing teachers, friends
or visitors to school
Understand that languages change over time and influence each other through contact and cultural
exchanges
[Key concepts: language change, influence; Key processes: observing, identifying, discussing]

Elaborations
viewing images of the original version of 훈민정음 and recognising that some letters in the original are
not used in modern Korean, for example, •, ᅙ, ᅀ
reflecting on and discussing which languages Korean might have influenced and might have been
influenced by over time, for example, Chinese, Japanese, English, French and Italian
Reflect on and share their experience when using Korean and when using own language/s, recognising
cultural elements that may cause different feelings
[Key concepts: culture, identity, attitudes; Key processes: identifying, comparing, reflecting]

Elaborations
reflecting on contexts where cultural elements are embedded in language use in Korean (for example,
bowing when saying 안녕하세요?) and comparing this with equivalent contexts and ways of using
language in English
recognising that 우리 means ‘my’ when used with certain words, for example, 우리 가족, 우리 나라, and
sharing their ideas/experience about such use
Compare and reflect on different ways of using language in everyday situations in Korean, Australian and
other cultures, sharing ideas about possible reasons for the differences and variations
[Key concepts: difference, expression, importance; Key processes: identifying, distinguishing, connecting]

Elaborations
recognising the importance of politeness explicitly expressed in Korean and comparing this with English,
for example, 만나서 반가워요 versus ‘Nice to meet you’
expressions often reflect cultural values important to that language community
reflecting on individual words which may be interpreted differently by people who do not know Korean
culture, for example, 우리 집, 우리 선생님
identifying nonverbal expressions that are typical or expected in communication in different cultures, for
example, eye contact, bowing, nodding, pointing
By the end of Year 4, students use Korean to interact in classroom routines, actionrelated talk and play with
teachers and peers. They exchange personal information relating to aspects such as age or interests, using
simple questions and short statements as set phrases (for example, 몇 살이에요? 아홉 살이에요; ...이/가 좋아
요? 네, 좋아요). They use formulaic language to express rapport with others (for example, 아, 그래요? 나도 좋
아요). Students respond to instructions for familiar classroom routines and activities taking required actions
(for example, 해 보세요, 들으세요, 읽으세요) and to simple questions (for example, 이게 뭐예요? 누구예요? 몇
이에요? 오늘 뭐 해요?) with set phrases ending in –이에요/예요 or 어/아요 (for example, 책상이에요; 벤이에
요; 구예요; 학교에 가요). They ask for repetition (for example, 다시 해 주세요) and for a turn to ask a question
(for example, 질문 있어요) and negotiate requests using simple language (for example, … 있어요?; 네, 있어
요/아니요, 없어요; 빌려 주세요; 여기 있어요). Students identify key words or topics from simple oral, visual
and written texts, using cues such as context, graphics, familiar vocabulary and language features to support
understanding. They present simple information in texts in different formats and create and perform their own
texts with the support of modelled language and other resources. Students approximate the sounds, rhythms
and intonations of spoken Korean and write familiar words in Hangeul with some accuracy. They create
simple sentences in their speech and writing, using basic case markers (such as –은/는, –이/가, –을/를, –에)
and a particle –도 as an inseparable part of a formulaic structure: a noun/pronoun + a case marker/particle
(for example, 저는 …, 집에 …, 나도 …). They use common action verbs and descriptive verbs (such as 가다,
일어나다, 듣다, 좋다) as part of formulaic expressions ending in –어/아요 or its honorific form –(으)세요,
varying intonation contours for statements, questions (with or without a question word), requests or
commands. They ask simple questions about people, objects or numbers, using question words such as 누구/
누가, 무엇/뭐 and 몇. They use contractions of demonstrative pronouns and –이 (for example, 이게, 저게 and
그게), as formulaic chunks, and vocabulary related to school (such as 학교, 책, 지우개), home (such as 집, 엄
마, 아빠) and sports and leisure activities (such as 방학, 수영, 크리켓). They use vocabulary for major colours
(such as 빨간색, 파란색, …) and number expressions, choosing between native Korean and SinoKorean
number systems up to 10 as appropriate, using counters to describe ages (for example, 아홉 살), school
years (for example, 사 학년) and numbers of objects (for example, 한 개), animals (for example, 두 마리) or
people (for example, 세 명). Students match known Korean words or expressions with their English
equivalents and create simple bilingual texts of familiar objects with support. They understand that meaning
may change through translation across languages and exemplify words that could be translated differently
according to context (such as 집: house/home; … 있어요: I have …/there is (are) …). They identify different
social networks they belong to such as clubs or languagespeaking communities and compare their past and
current intercultural capability with reference to the experience of learning Korean.
Students discriminate between meaningful sounds in Korean which are not distinguished in English or other
languages such as /ㄱ/ versus /ㅋ/ versus /ㄲ/ or /ㅐ/ versus /ㅔ/, and associate the pronunciation of simple
words with their script. Students differentiate statements from questions according to intonation. They identify
simple consonant and vowel letters in Hangeul and combine them to construct a syllable block. They create
short texts using syllable blocks combined together to form a word. They apply their understanding of Korean
and English having different grammatical systems by using appropriate word order (subjectobjectverb) and
case–marked formulaic chunks (for example, 저는, 사과를) in simple Korean sentences. They identify
differences between Korean and English in some aspects of language use such as naming conventions or
ways of addressing people. They apply their understanding of the importance of politeness in using Korean
and select the appropriate form of language to acknowledge age and social relationships when greeting (for
example, 안녕? versus 안녕하세요?; 안녕히 가세요/안녕히 계세요 versus 잘 가/잘 있어). They identify aspects
of language use in both Korean and English that people from other cultures might or might not regard as
appropriate, such as ways of greeting or (not) making eye contact during interactions.
Languages Modern Greek
Page 932 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Modern Greek
Modern Greek How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Modern Greek language and culture in
Modern Greek is the official language of Greece and Cyprus. It is spoken throughout the world – wherever
there are Greekspeaking communities. One of the major characteristics of the extensive Greek Diaspora is
the maintenance of the Greek language and culture, especially in Australia, the United States, Canada,
Britain, Germany, countries of Latin America and Africa, and areas around the Black Sea, the Balkans, the
Mediterranean and the Middle East. Modern Greek is also one of the official languages of the European
Union.
The Hellenic civilisation and language have significantly shaped Western civilisation, particularly in the areas
of science, the arts, architecture, medicine, mathematics, literature, politics and philosophy. Modern literature
and thought in particular have been influenced by the works of Homer and the ancient Greek playwrights,
philosophers and historians. The Greek language gives expression to a rich and varied culture and tradition
and is still used widely in many fields to coin new terms. The study of the etymology of English words with
Greek origins helps in not only the understanding of English and other languages, but also a broad range of
other areas of study.
The first Greek people who came to Australia arrived in the 1820s and since then there have been waves of
Greek migration to Australia, in particular throughout the early 1900s and prior to World War II. The largest
periods of mass migration occurred between the 1950s and 1970s. The migrants’ need to maintain Greek
identity through language, culture and religion contributed towards the Greek language flourishing in the
home and in the delivery of Greek in afterhours school settings.
Historically, Greeks have made and continue to make a significant contribution to the development and
enrichment of Australian society, not only in the areas of commerce, agriculture, industry, trade, education,
the arts, medicine, law, politics, government and scientific research, but also in cultural and lifestyle
influences.
The place of the Modern Greek language in Australian
education
After the early settlement of Greeks in Australia, afterhours community schools were set up to teach the
language, predominantly to children of Greek immigrants. From the 1970s, due to government policies
supporting multiculturalism, Modern Greek programs were introduced at all levels in the Australian education
system, including tertiary level, offering all students regardless of their background the opportunity to study
Modern Greek.
Modern Greek is currently taught across all school sectors and contexts.
The nature of Modern Greek language learning
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Modern Greek
The nature of Modern Greek language learning
The modern standard version of Modern Greek (Neoelliniki: Νεοελληνική) is the demotic form of the written
and spoken language and is the official language taught worldwide. It is an alphabetic (nonRoman)
language, with 24 letters, and has remained relatively unchanged since ancient times. Modern Greek is a
phonetic language, with a simple form of accentuation and highly structured grammar and syntax. Although
many English words are derived from Greek, the language structure is very different. There are, for example,
marked differences in the use of articles, gender agreement for adjectives and nouns, verb conjugations,
declensions of nouns and variations in word order. These distinctive features influence how Modern Greek is
taught in the classroom. They will be seen through the key text types and processes chosen as a vehicle to
develop learners’ understanding of them and in the context for interactions through which learners will
develop the skills for their sustained use.
The diversity of learners of Modern Greek
Due to the passage of time, shifting trends in migration and the changed nature of the learner, Modern Greek
is no longer the exclusive domain of students of Greek background. Learners of Modern Greek in Australian
schools come from a diversity of backgrounds, including learners for whom this represents a first experience
of learning Modern Greek. Learners of Modern Greek may also be background speakers or second, third or
fourthgeneration Australians who may have connections to the customs and traditions of their heritage but
whose linguistic knowledge may be limited or nonexistent.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages for Modern Greek is pitched to second language learners, the
dominant cohort of learners in the Australian context. There are two learning pathways for students: the
Foundation to Year 10 Sequence and the Years 7–10 (Year 7 Entry) Sequence. Teachers will use the
curriculum to cater for learners of different backgrounds by making appropriate adjustments to personalise
learning experiences.
For students learning Modern Greek for the first time in a school language program, a key dimension of the
curriculum involves understanding the cultural dimension that shapes and is shaped by the language. The
curriculum is designed with an intercultural language learning orientation to enable students to participate
meaningfully in language and cultural experiences, to develop new ways of seeing and being in the world, and
to understand more about themselves in the process.
Languages Modern Greek
Page 935 of 1359

Modern Greek Years F–10 Sequence
new people, share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically, they
have little to no experience of Modern Greek language and culture.
Modern Greek language learning and use
Modern Greek is learnt in parallel with English language and literacy. While the learning of Modern Greek
differs from the learning of English, each supports and enriches the other. Modern Greek is used in classroom
interactions, routines and activities, supported by the use of materials and resources, gestures and body
language. At this stage, there is a focus on play, imaginative activities, games, music, dance and familiar
routines, which provide scaffolding for language development. Learners listen to the sounds and patterns
specific to the Modern Greek language and try to reproduce them through activities such as rhymes, songs,
clapping and action games. Repetition and consolidation help learners to identify highfrequency words and
simple phrases, and to recognise the purpose of simple texts. Learners identify and use Modern Greek non
verbal communication strategies, including gestures, and experiment with one or twoword responses and
simple expressions when prompted. They progress to using Modern Greek for functions such as greeting,
asking and answering questions (Πώς σε λένε; Τι κάνεις; Τι κάνετε;), responding to directions (έλα, έλατε,
κάθισε, καθίστε, σήκω, σηκωθείτε), singing songs, and taking turns in games and simple shared tasks. There
is a natural transition from spoken to written language. Learners use a variety of cues, including images,
context and frequently used word patterns, to comprehend texts and communicate.
Learners interact with each other and the teacher within the learning environment. The use of information and
communication technologies (ICT) enriches the experience of Modern Greek language and culture by
providing alternative modes of learning, numerous resources and opportunities to access authentic language
in different contexts.
Texts and resources
Learners engage with a variety of spoken, written and visual texts such as traditional children’s songs and
nursery rhymes, stories from big books, plays and interactive resources. Writing skills progress from alphabet
recognition to tracing, labelling and copying letters, then to constructing simple, short texts using familiar
vocabulary.
Features of Modern Greek language use
Learners become familiar with the sound system of the Modern Greek language, such as syllables using
consonants and vowels, and new sounds, such as the guttural γ, ρ and γκ and ξ and ψ in words. They learn to
identify and write letters, words and simple sentences using the Greek alphabet, making comparisons with the
English alphabet. They begin to notice that Modern Greek speakers may communicate in ways which are
different to their own, and that language can be used in a variety of ways.
Level of support
Rich language input characterises the first stages of learning. Learning experiences are supported by the
teacher through scaffolding, modelling, cueing, monitoring, feedback and encouragement. Multiple and varied
sources of input and stimulus are used, including visual cues and resources such as pictures, realia, objects,
maps and charts.
The role of English
Modern Greek is used whenever possible as the medium for class interaction. English is used for discussion
and explanation. This allows learners to share ideas about differences and similarities between Modern Greek
and other languages and cultures, and how language and culture are interconnected, giving them
opportunities to consider perspectives other than their own and to reflect on their learning.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with peers and teacher using simple language and gestures for exchanges such as greetings and
farewells, thanks, introductions and sharing information about self and family
[Key concepts: self, relationship, social exchange, naming; Key processes: greeting, interacting,
introducing]
(ACLMGC103 Scootle )

Elaborations
using greetings relevant to the time of day, καλημέρα, χαίρετε, καλησπέρα, καληνύχτα, celebration or
event, χρόνια πολλά, and relationship to the other person, for example, γεια σου, γεια σας
introducing self and others, for example, Με λένε ... Εσένα;/Εσάς; Εσένα πώς σε λένε; Να η μαμά μου
sharing information about and describing self and others, for example, Είμαι έξι χρονών, Εσύ; Είμαι αγόρι,
Είμαι κορίτσι
using formulaic expressions in everyday situations, for example, παρακαλώ, ευχαριστώ, imitating Greek
speech, and incorporating appropriate gestures and body language
Participate in guided activities and simple exchanges, such as songs, rhymes, and games, using simple
repetitive language
[Key concepts: play, performance, action learning, exchange; Key processes: participating, performing,
taking turns]

Elaborations
singing and adapting rhymes, action songs, rap, lullabies and counting songs such as Γύρω, γύρω,
γύρω, μέσα, μέσα, μέσα ... έξω, έξω, έξω, Κεφάλι, χέρια, πόδια, Ένα, δύο, τρία κουνελάκια, Πάνω τα
χεράκια, Το δαχτυλίδι
performing actions when singing songs and chants
making simple transactions using modelled language such as Μια μπανάνα παρακαλώ, ορίστε,
ευχαριστώ, παρακαλώ, for example, in roleplaying
playing games such as matching pairs, memory games and bingo to reinforce vocabulary
Participate with teacher and peers in class routines and activities, such as following instructions and taking
turns
[Key concepts: routine, sharing; Key processes: shared reading, following instructions]

Elaborations
following classroom instructions, for example, σήκω, σηκωθείτε, έλα, ελάτε, ελάτε μέσα, καθίστε, Έλα εδώ,
Πήγαινε έξω, Κλείσε την πόρτα, Σβήσε το φως
participating in routine exchanges, such as opening and closing lessons, Καλημέρα παιδιά, Χαίρετε κυρία,
naming the day of the week, Σήμερα είναι Δευτέρα, responding to the class roll, εδώ, λείπει, παρών,
παρούσα and moving between activities, for example, Ελάτε, Καθίστε στη μοκέτα/στο χαλί
taking turns in games and action songs using repetitive language Σειρά σου, Έλα Άννα and songs such
as ‘Περνά περνά η μέλισσα, Η μικρή Ελένη, Γύρω γύρω όλοι’, ‘Beat the champ’, ‘Buzz’
Informing
Identify key words and information with guidance, in simple written, spoken, digital and visual texts
[Key concepts: language, texts; Key processes: listening, gathering, naming, grouping]

Elaborations
(hot and cold, the owl song)
identifying key words from different written and spoken texts by labelling, matching, selecting, miming
and using actions, for example, on an interactive whiteboard
obtaining information from multimodal texts to identify, describe, draw and name a variety of people and
objects
sorting and categorising information, using graphic representations such as tables, for example, to
record likes and dislikes; masculine, feminine and neuter words
Share and present information about self, family, friends and possessions, using gestures, labels, pictures
[Key concepts: self, family, friends; Key processes: naming, labelling, showing, describing]

Elaborations
using familiar vocabulary and simple sentences to create texts about self, family, friends and
possessions, such as a family album, a class picture dictionary or a family tree
contributing to classroom resources that involve naming, labelling and illustrating, using digital
technologies, for example, a favourite photos wall, a word wall
giving information about self, family, friends, and possessions by writing captions or attaching word
bubbles to drawings or photos, using digital technologies
using simple sentences and supporting gestures to communicate informally about self, friends and
favourite possessions, for example, Παίζεις νέτμπολ; lifting head/eyebrows to answer ‘no’, hand action to
show Έτσι κι έτσι, lifting head and shoulders to convey not knowing something
Creating
Participate in shared imaginative activities and respond in a variety of ways such as through predicting,
singing, chanting, playacting and movement
[Key concepts: character, story; Key processes: action learning, participating in shared reading]

Elaborations
reading shared imaginative digital and online texts, repeating words and rehearsed language patterns,
and making predictions about the storyline and characters, using cues from the heading, symbols,
pictures and words in the text
performing songs, chants and rhymes in response to an imaginative digital or online text, for example, Η
πολύ πεινασμένη κάμπια, experimenting with different expressive effects, such as using simple gestures
or different voices
interacting with a character or puppet in an imaginary situation or setting, for example, ‘Spot the dog’,
Πού είναι ο Σπότ; Τί κάνει ο Σποτ;
acting out their favourite character or event from a shared story and making simple statements, for
example, Είμαι η Μορμώ.
Create and participate in shared performances and imaginative activities using familiar words, phrases,
captions and language patterns
[Key concepts: imagination, expression; Key processes: performing, captioning]

Elaborations
creating and presenting Big Books, storyboards or digital texts based on imaginary scenarios in familiar
contexts, using images and captions, for example, Ο Σποτ ...
creating a puppet play or dramatic performance based on an experience or aspect of a story, song,
poem or cartoon, for example, Μορμώ
creating rhymes, nonsense phrases and songs using rehearsed language, adding Greek dancing,
clapping and gestures, for example, Όπα, Ποπό!
performing chants, rap, rhymes and songs, and using music and actions to support meaning, for
example, Περνά περνά η μέλισσα, Μια ωραία πεταλούδα, Αχ Κουνελάκι, Φεγγαράκι μου λαμπρό, Να το, να
το το αστράκι
Translating
Translate familiar words or phrases using visual cues or word lists, explaining the meaning of particular
words, gestures or expressions
[Key concepts: language, vocabulary, meaning; Key processes: demonstrating, explaining, comparing]

Elaborations
comparing words and phrases in Greek and in other known languages, observing similarities or
differences in terms, for example, the word for ‘mum’ is similar in many languages (mum – η μαμά,) and
the word for pineapple is ‘ananas’ in more than 25 languages
making comparisons between Greek and English words, noticing similarities, for example, το αλφάβητο,
το βάζο, ο Σεπτέμβριος, η σαλάτα, το λεμόνι, η μπανάνα
demonstrating to others the ways in which Greek people greet each other nonverbally and how body
language is used to communicate yes or no, ¬ bad, ‘What’s the problem?’, Why? and ‘Wow!’ Πoπό!
Create simple print or digital texts in Greek and English, such as captions and labels, for the immediate
learning environment
[Key concepts: meaning, equivalence; Key processes: labelling, displaying]

Elaborations
making and displaying labels in Greek for common objects in the classroom, for example, Η πόρτα, το
τραπέζι, τα μολύβια
compiling and displaying illustrated Greek–English and English–Greek picture or digital dictionaries
matching Greek and English words, for example, name tags, through playing games such as memory or
snap
Reflecting
Reflect on what sounds, looks or appears similar or different to own language and culture when interacting
in Greek

Elaborations
using some Greek expressions and spontaneous exclamations when interacting with peers, for example,
ποπό, έλα, άντε, γρήγορα, σταμάτα, μη μιλάς, μη μιλάτε, όπα!, μπράβο! and noticing differences in the use
of language, voice or body language
reflecting on differences in ways of communicating with each other in English and Greek, such as
greeting (kissing on both cheeks) and how body language is used to express yes or no or ¬ bad,
recognising that these gestures are not used in formal situations
describing the experience of using Greek, for example, when singing a song or hearing Greek spoken by
others
comparing aspects of own and Greek children’s lifestyles, such as interacting with family members, for
example, daily greetings in the family, main meal of the day
Describe aspects of self, such as family, school/class and language/s, recognising how these are part of
one’s identity
[Key concept: self; Key processes: describing, noticing]

Elaborations
identifying self as belonging to family, class or peer groups and representing these relationships through
drawing pictures or adding captions to photos, for example, Εγώ, Είμαι έξι, Να η οικογένειά μου, Να η
φίλη μου, Να ο σκύλος μου, Τον λένε Φρίξο
identifying languages they speak or are learning or with which they are familiar and stating with whom
they speak these languages
recognising own use of words, expressions or behaviours that make them who they are, such as words
from different languages, ways of celebrating or communicating that may not be familiar to other people
identifying how cultural symbols reflect identity, such as flags, national costumes, the owl as a symbol of
education, famous buildings and treasures, national emblems, sporting emblems/jerseys, and reflecting
on own identity
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise and reproduce the sounds and letters of the Greek alphabet, identifying how they are
represented in words, and read vowel–consonant combinations, including the most common
digraphs/diphthongs such as oυ and μπ
[Key concepts: stress, intonation, letters, pronunciation; Key processes: listening, reading, recognising]
(ACLMGU114 Scootle )

Elaborations
building phonic awareness by pronouncing and writing alphabet letters with familiar sounds, for example,
Οο, Ιι, Εε, Αα, Κκ, Ττ, Λλ, Ππ, Σσς, Μμ, Νν, Ηη, Υυ, Ωω, Ββ, Ζζ, Φφ, and building to more unfamiliar
sounds, for example Γγ, Ρρ, Δδ, Θθ, Ξξ, Ψψ, Χχ
experimenting with sounds, rhythms, intonation and stress
noticing that there are 24 letters in the Greek alphabet with individual names and that there are upper
case and lower case letters, seven vowels and 17 consonants, and that ‘ς’ (τελικό σίγμα) only appears on
the ends of words
locating and highlighting specific alphabet letters and accent marks in names, and categorising names
according to their first consonant
developing pronunciation and intonation skills by singing, reciting and repeating alphabet names in
context, for example, songs
focusing on those letters that are different and initially difficult and correctly pronouncing words starting
with the sounds Ψψ and Ξξ (ψάρι, ξύλο), recognising that these two sounds only appear in the middle or
at the end of words in English
recognising and making simple syllables from vowel–consonant combinations, for example, μα, με, μη, μι,
μο, μυ, μω and understanding that syllables can be joined together to make words such as αλάτι and
μάτι
recognising the most common digraphs, including ου as in μου and μπ as in μπαμπάς
Understand elements of grammar such as word order, verb forms and personal pronouns related to
questions, commands and short sentences, and develop vocabulary to describe self, friends and family
[Key concepts: grammar, sentence, word order; Key processes: naming, noticing patterns]

Elaborations
recognising the order of words in phrases and sentences, for example, η μαμά μου, Δεν κάνει κρύο, Nα η
θεία μου
observing that the accent mark indicates emphasis, for example, το βιβλίο, η γάτα, ο σκύλος
recognising that all nouns, in particular names in Greek, have an article and gender, for example, η Άννα,
το σκυλί, ο μπαμπάς
understanding that adjectives have gender, for example, κόκκινος, κόκκινη, κόκκινο, μεγάλος, μεγάλη,
μεγάλο, καλός, καλή, καλό
using adverbs to show where, for example, έξω, μέσα, εδώ, εκεί, πάνω, κάτω, γύρω
using simple adjectives and adverbs to enhance sentences, for example, Κάνει λίγο κρύο, Σ’ αγαπώ πολύ
μαμά! Το σπίτι είναι πολύ μεγάλο
using verbs in the first person to describe aspects of self, for example, Είμαι αγόρι, είμαι έξι, έχω γάτα
recognising terms for common everyday nouns, for example, η πόρτα, η καρέκλα, το σπίτι, ο μπαμπάς
responding to and issuing commands, for example, έλα εδώ, κάτσε κάτω
responding to questions which include verbs in the second person, singular or plural, such as Πόσω(ν)
χρονών είσαι; Τι κάνετε;
developing number knowledge for numbers up to 29 and using them in sentences such as Είμαι έξι
beginning to use conjunctions such as και
Recognise features of familiar spoken, written and visual texts, such as songs, labels and captions
[Key concept: text; Key processes: recognising, identifying]

Elaborations
listening to, reading and viewing different simple texts in Greek, understanding that texts can be short or
long; and spoken, written, digital, visual or multimodal; for example, songs, chants, labels, captions,
stories and dialogues
identifying Greek from a selection of spoken or written texts from other languages represented in the
classroom or in the school
comparing similar texts in Greek and English and noticing how they are the same or different, for
example, a counting song, street signs or labels at a market
Recognise that in Greek, greetings and forms of address vary according to such things as the time of day,
age, gender and relationship of participants
[Key concepts: register, relationships; Key processes: selecting, noticing]

Elaborations
using appropriate form of address or greeting depending on gender, age and social status of
participants, and time of day, for example, using Γεια σου or Τι κάνεις; with peers and Γεια σας or Τι
κάνετε; when speaking to adults, using Καλημέρα, Γεια σας, Χαίρετε, Καλησπέρα or Καληνύχτα depending
on the time of day, using first names when greeting friends but adding a salutation when addressing
teachers/adults: Γεια σας κυρία Αγγελική
recognising that there can be different forms of address for the same person, for example, μαμά, μητέρα
Recognise that Australia has speakers of many different languages, including Greek, and that languages
borrow words from each other and sometimes use the same alphabet symbols and vocabulary
[Key concepts: language, change, word borrowing; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
understanding that the 26 English alphabet letters (Latin/Roman alphabet), have their roots in the
Ancient Greek alphabet, recognising the similar order of letters and comparing lower and upper case
Greek and English alphabet letters
understanding that there are many everyday words and names in English that have Greek origins, for
example, alphabet, Chloe, disco, echidna, eucalyptus, hippopotamus, mathematics, school, story,
telephone, Timothy, Zoe
understanding that there are many technical/scientific words in English that have Greek origins, for
example, astronaut, chemist, dentist, disc, physiotherapist, telescope, thermometer
Recognise that the languages people use reflect their , such as who they are, where and how they
Recognise that the languages people use reflect their culture, such as who they are, where and how they
live, and find examples of similarities and differences between Greek and their own ways of communicating
[Key concepts: norm, culture; Key processes: making connections]

Elaborations
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, considering different lifestyles and symbols such as flags, including the
Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag
understanding that traditional cultures reflect conditions and resources in particular environments and
contribute to the sustainability of communities
exploring the significance of different cultural practices, activities and games, for example, using a
κομπολόι, making wreaths for 1 May, making masks or kites for Απόκριες
recognising words that reflect aspects of culture, for example, γλέντι, κέφι, χρόνια πολλά, όπα!
understanding that particular Australian English terms and expressions have no equivalent in Greek, for
example, ‘billabong’, ‘corroboree’, ‘the bush’
recognising features of Greek language interactions which may be similar to own ways of
communicating, such as politely speaking to an adult, or different from own ways of communicating, for
example, physical contact when farewelling someone
introduce themselves, (for example, Καλημέρα, Mε λένε Γιώργο) and their family and exchange greetings,
farewells, (for example, Γεια σου, Kαληνύχτα) and express thanks such as Eυχαριστώ πολύ. They use simple,
repetitive language when participating in shared activities and simple exchanges, respond to simple
instructions such as, Έλα εδώ, and imitate frequently used classroom language, for example, Όλοι μαζί,
Mπράβο, Kλείσε την πόρτα. When speaking, they reproduce distinctive sounds and letters of the Greek
language such as, γγάτα, ρνερό, μπμπαμπάς, ξξέρω, ψψάρι, ουμου. Students identify specific words,
such as names of people (for example, Ο Γιάννης), places (for example, το σχολείο) or objects (for example, η
γόμα), in simple spoken and written texts and respond to imaginative experiences through singing and
performing. They present information about themselves (for example, Το σκυλάκι μου), their family (for
example, Να η γιαγιά μου), friends (for example, οι φίλοι μου) and possessions such as, το βιβλίο μου, using
gestures and modelled language. They create simple texts, such as captions to images, using familiar words,
phrases and sentence patterns (for example, Σ’ αγαπώ μαμά). They use vocabulary related to their classroom
and family (for example, Η οικογένειά μου, Η τάξη μου). They recognise questions such as, Τι κάνετε; and
commands such as, Καθίστε κάτω, and use short sentences with appropriate word order, verb forms and
personal pronouns to communicate about themselves, their family and classroom (for example, Είμαι έξι, Να η
μαμά μου, Να το σχολείο μου). They translate frequently used words and simple phrases relating to their
immediate environment, using visual cues and identifying similarities and differences. They give examples of
ways the Greek language sounds and looks different from other languages that they bring to the classroom.
Students identify how letters of the Greek alphabet are represented in words and read vowel–consonant
combinations (for example, τα, τε, τη, τι, το, τυ, τω). They identify features of familiar texts such as songs,
labels and captions. They provide examples of the different titles and greetings that are used to address
people in different situations (for example, κύριε, κυρία). They list different languages that are spoken in
Australia and identify words in English that have been borrowed from Greek and vice versa. They identify
similarities and differences between Greek and their own language and culture.
groups including the Modern Greek class. They are further developing literacy capabilities in English, such as
writing in the Roman alphabet, and this helps to some degree in learning Modern Greek. They benefit from
multimodal, activitybased learning which builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with
other areas of learning, including English and other languages.
Modern Greek language learning and use
Learners interact with peers and the teacher in a variety of communicative activities where grammar,
vocabulary and pronunciation are purposefully integrated. They primarily engage in a variety of listening and
viewing activities, and understand familiar stories, songs and poems. Language use remains at a simplistic,
repetitive level within familiar and predictable contexts. Students use simple language structures, vocabulary
and phrases (Τι καιρό κάνει σήμερα; Χρόνια πολλά). They understand basic grammatical features such as the
position of the possessive pronoun (η μαμά μου), and the importance of the use of articles (η ΄Αννα), and
apply them in their own speech and writing. Specific language learning skills such as memory and
communication strategies are developed. Listening skills are developed further, and through constant
repetition and consolidation learners ask and respond to questions, give information, and read and write
simple texts. With extensive support, students use their imagination to create short songs, games and
performances. They discuss and begin to explore the significance of certain traditions, practices and values
and the language associated with these, such as 25η Mαρτίου, Απόκριες, 28η Οκτωβρίου.
The contexts in which learners interact in learning and using Modern Greek are primarily the classroom and
school, with some sharing of their learning at home. Students may have access to wider communities of
Greek speakers and resources through outofclassroom activities and the use of virtual and digital
technology. They work independently and cooperatively, further developing their sense of personal as well as
group identity.
Texts and resources
Learners develop literacy skills through interacting with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal
texts. Procedural, informative and descriptive texts, for example, recipes, weather reports and family
descriptions, show how language is used in different ways and for different purposes.
Features of Modern Greek language use
Learners begin to develop a metalanguage for understanding and discussing language features, and make
connections and comparisons between English and Modern Greek. For example, they understand that in
English there is one word for the definite article (‘the’), whereas in Greek the definite article changes
according to case, gender and number (ο, η, το, οι, οι, τα). Comparing the structures and patterns of Modern
Greek to those of English helps learners understand both languages, helping in the development of their
overall literacy skills. At this level, learners have control of writing the Greek alphabet letters.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support through scaffolding. Teachers model what is expected,
introduce language concepts and resources needed to manage and complete tasks, and make time for
experimentation, drafting and redrafting, providing support for selfmonitoring and reflection. Support includes
a range of spoken, written, visual and interactive resources, such as puppet plays, songs, YouTube clips and
digital games.
The role of English
Learners are encouraged to use Modern Greek as much as possible for classroom routines, social
interactions, structured learning tasks, and language experimentation and practice. English is used for
discussion, explanation and reflection, as learners become aware of the interdependence of Greek language
and culture and how these systems connect and compare to their own language and culture.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with peers and teacher to exchange personal information about everyday routines involving school
and home environment
[Key concept: everyday routines (home and school); Key processes: interacting, participating, exchanging]

Elaborations
asking and answering questions to exchange information about self and family, for example, Πού είναι ο
κύριος Παναγιώτης; Να τος. Πού είναι η μαμά σου;
asking for and sharing information about daily and classroom routines, for example, Πού είναι το μολύβι;
Εδώ. Τι μέρα είναι σήμερα; Σήμερα είναι Δευτέρα. Τι μήνας είναι; Είναι Μάρτιος, Τι ημερομηνία έχουμε
σήμερα; Έχουμε 18 Μαρτίου, Ποια εποχή έχουμε; Έχουμε καλοκαίρι, Τι καιρό κάνει σήμερα; Κάνει κρύο.
Bρέχει. Δε βρέχει. Ούτε κρύο, ούτε ζέστη.
using common responses and appropriate body language in response to frequently asked comments or
questions, for example, ναι, μ’αρέσει, δε μ’αρέσει, understanding that lifting the head means ‘no’ and is
used only in informal situations
exchanging simple correspondence such as notes, invitations or messages in print or digital form
Participate collaboratively in shared class experiences which involve planning and simple transactional
exchanges, such as cooking or craft activities, creating a display or taking part in a roleplay
[Key concepts: collaboration; creativity; Key processes: contributing, participating]

Elaborations
preparing, rehearsing and performing an item for an audience, such as a school assembly, another class
or parents
collaborating with peers οn tasks, such as designing a poster for a significant event, for example, 25η
Μαρτίου, Aπόκριες
following simple procedures and using modelled language for shared activities, such as making a simple
dish from a recipe (κουλουράκια, λουκουμάδες, φρουτοσαλάτα) and naming ingredients, or following
instructions in a craft activity
participating in a roleplay, for example, buying goods from a shop, using props (Καραγκιόζη, Τάκη the
bear) to engage in conversation
Participate in everyday classroom activities, such as asking for permission, requesting help, asking how to
say or write something, and praising or encouraging peers
[Key concepts: communication, support; Key processes: speaking, contributing, taking turns]

Elaborations
asking for permission and requesting help using set phrases, for example, Θέλω βοήθεια, ελάτε κυρία,
δεν καταλαβαίνω
asking how to say or write a word or expression, for example, Πώς το λένε;
praising and encouraging peers, for example, Μπράβο σου, Ωραία, Προσπάθησε, Έλα, Πάλι!
using words, phrases or interjections which can be used in conversation, for example, Α καλά, έτσι
μπράβο, Ποπό! Ωραία! Όπα!
Informing
Locate key information about everyday contexts and routines from written, spoken, digital and visual texts
[Key concepts: home, self, others; Key processes: identifying, selecting, recording]

Elaborations
surveying classmates regarding their likes, interests, routines and activities, and tabulating the results, for
example, in birthday charts or graphs
reading profiles and stories in print and digital form about people and animals, and creating a display with
names and short descriptions, for example, Το λιοντάρι είναι μεγάλο, Το ποντίκι είναι μικρό
locating information relating to school activities in a Greek context, for example, from a sisterschool, and
comparing with own daily schedule/routine
identifying points of information in short spoken texts with some unfamiliar language, for example, some
items on a recorded shopping list
Convey and present information about self, others, home and school life, using simple statements and
support materials such as photos, maps, digital texts and displays or charts
[Key concepts: home, school, information; Key processes: selecting, presenting]

Elaborations
creating print or digital texts to describe people, objects or their favourite pets/animals, for example, Να ο
Τάσος, Είναι δέκα χρονών, Του αρέσει να παίζει φούτμπολ, Είναι από την Ελλάδα, Μένει στην Αδελαΐδα, Το
σπίτι μου, Να η κουζίνα, Να το μπάνιο, Να το αρνάκι, Είναι μικρό
creating a class profile from information collected from peers, for example, creating a chart or database
to identify favourite sports, food or colours
presenting information on events or topics of possible interest to children of their own age in Greece or
Cyprus, using multimodal resources and authentic materials as support, such as menus, artefacts,
brochures, maps
selecting information gained from print, visual and oral texts to design a digital display model or class
book, for example, a class timetable or a map of their school for their sisterschool in Greece or Cyprus
Creating
Participate in shared imaginative activities and respond by acting out events, identifying favourite elements,
and making simple statements about characters
[Key concepts: response, action, expression; Key processes: participating, imagining, interpreting]

Elaborations
listening to, viewing and reading stories, such as Aesop’s fables, or stories by contemporary Greek
authors, in a range of text types, and responding to questions about characters, themes and events
comparing a Greek myth or legend to myths and legends of a country of the Asia region, such as China,
and highlighting the similarities and differences in characters, events and moral of the story
creating a timeline of the main events of a story using pictures, words and simple sentences
performing a scene from a Greek myth (Theseus and the Minotaur, Icarus, Hercules, Cyclops,
Persephone) using simple, modelled language
Create and perform short spoken and written imaginative texts such as dialogues or collaborative online
stories, using formulaic expressions and modelled language
[Key concepts: fantasy, humour, imagination; Key processes: experimenting, creating, performing]

Elaborations
creating and performing simple imaginative texts, using movement or drama to animate characters and
to give expression to events in texts, for example, acting out scenes from a story, adopting the profile of a
character, creating a dance to accompany songs
modifying texts such as songs, for example, by substituting words in a wellknown song or tune (Η Mικρή
Ελένη, Βγαίνει η βαρκούλα, ‘Bob the Builder’)
creating a new story such as a digital picture book using favourite characters from imaginative texts
(Ηρακλής, Μορμώ, Σποτ) and adding captions using formulaic expressions and modelled language, for
example, Μια φορά και έναν καιρό, Τέλος, Και ζήσαν αυτοί καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα.
Translating
Translate and interpret words, phrases and sentences used in familiar environments such as school and
home, recognising how they may have similar or different meanings to words in English or other known
languages
[Key concepts: equivalence, personal world; Key processes: translating, identifying, labelling]

Elaborations
playing matching games with Greek and English word cards, for example, days of the week, months,
seasons or vocabulary associated with weather
translating simple sentences into Greek, such as requests in the classroom, to understand the gist,
noticing how meaning changes when translating into English, as in the case of expressions of politeness,
for example, Ένα μολύβι, παρακαλώ or Θα ήθελα ένα μολύβι, παρακαλώ (A literal translation of Μπορώ
να έχω ένα μολύβι, σε παρακαλώ; would not be used in Greek.)
translating signs or phrases in familiar contexts from Greek into English, for example, street signs,
addresses, food labels (Δελφών 30, ΟΔΟΣ ΕΡΜΟΥ, ΦΡΕΣΚΟ ΓΑΛΑ, 4€), noting that some signs and
symbols are universal, for example, the ‘stop’ sign
Create simple bilingual resources such as picture dictionaries, action games or labels for the classroom
[Key concepts: translation, meaning; Key processes: selecting, explaining]

Elaborations
creating handmade or digital greeting cards in both Greek and English for different celebrations and
traditions, for example, Καλά Χριστούγεννα, Καλό Πάσχα
creating bilingual texts for different audiences, for example, signs for the school community, a bilingual
class digital dictionary, a word chart, a board game for a younger class
creating simple bilingual story books that include captions and images modelled on familiar texts, for
example, Spot the dog
Reflecting
Share own experiences of communicating in Greek, recognising how it involves behaviours as well as
words
[Key concepts: language, culture, difference; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
identifying elements of Greek language and culture that feel different to own language and culture,
including pronunciation of some sounds, gestures and facial expressions, for example, έτσι κι έτσι, μπα
discussing ways of communicating and their appropriateness in Greek and nonGreek contexts, for
example, polite and impolite ways of indicating ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to an adult, the acceptable practice of using
teachers’ first names, κυρία Άννα, κύριε Δημήτρη
describing to peers what they are confident about when using Greek, what they feel unsure of and what
they most enjoy
experimenting with respectful gestures and titles, such as using titles κυρία, κύριε
discussing how Australian terms and expressions might be understood from a Greek perspective, for
example, ‘bushwalking’, ‘kick a footy’ or ‘lamington’
Interact with others, noticing how identity matters, such as use of terms of address, who and what is
included and what language is used
[Key concepts: belonging, identity; Key processes: interacting, noticing]

Elaborations
recognising how they communicate with each other, their family, teachers and other adults, identifying
differences in behaviour and language and explaining why this happens
reflecting on the experience of becoming bilingual or multilingual, considering what advantages this
brings and whether it impacts on identity
creating a digital profile of aspects of their identity, for example, family, background, interests,
membership of the Greek language class
discussing which groups they belong to, for example, family, class, learners of Greek and making
connections and comparisons between own cultural perspectives and those of different cultural groups
interacting with teachers, other Greek speakers and class friends, and noticing aspects of speech,
behaviour and actions that are the same as or different to their own
Understanding
Systems of language
Experiment with the pronunciation and writing of the alphabet letters, recognising sound–letter
relationships, letter clusters and vowel–consonant combinations, using the accent mark to aid
pronunciation
[Key concept: sound and writing system; Key processes: identifying, recognising, repeating]

Elaborations
identifying and pronouncing the sounds of the Greek alphabet as well as the most common digraphs and
letter blends, for example, ου, αι, ει, οι (double vowels), μπ, ντ, γγ, γκ, τσ, τζ (double consonants), αυ, ευ
(vowel combinations)
practising letter clusters,for example, στρ, μπρ, in common words or in names, Στράτος, μπράτσο
beginning to recognise highfrequency words such as η, ο, το, μου, έχω, είμαι, είναι, θέλω, να
comparing markings on words in different languages, for example, αλάτι (Greek), français, (French),
váza (Czech), Grüße (German), niña (Spanish) and observing that the markings have different purposes
using the accent mark appropriately in Greek when writing, for pronunciation as well as meaning
applying appropriate punctuation marks such as full stop, comma (in lists), exclamation mark and
question mark
using different strategies to remember new sounds, for example, mnemonics
Recognise and use elements of Greek grammar, such as word order, gender and singular/plural forms, to
describe people, objects or events
[Key concepts: sentence, grammar, word order; Key processes: recognising, applying, naming]


Elaborations
beginning to describe and explain features of Modern Greek using metalanguage, for example, using the
terms masculine, feminine, neuter nouns, verbs, tenses, adjectives, conjunctions, in English or Greek
noticing the use of gender in Greek names, singular/plural, and articles, for example, Η Άννα, η γάτα, οι
γάτες, α ψάρια, ο μπαμπάς
using adjectives to describe characteristics or qualities (such as number, shape and colour) of a person
or object (noun), for example, τρία μικρά γουρουνάκια, and understanding that adjectives have gender,
for example, καλός, καλή, καλό, ψηλός, ψηλή, ψηλό, κόκκινος, κόκκινη, κόκκινο
creating simple sentences in the subject–verb–object order, for example, Το βάζο έχει λουλούδια
experimenting with compound sentences using conjunctions such as και and αλλά
using adverbs of place, for example, έξω, μέσα, πάνω, κάτω, μπροστά, πίσω, δίπλα
observing singular noun and plural noun endings, for example, γάτα, γάτες, σπίτι, σπίτια
understanding that some words can mean different things in different contexts, for example, μπάνιο can
mean ‘bathroom’, ‘bathtub’ or ‘swimming at the beach’
recognising the differences or similarities in word order in simple sentences, for example, μου αρέσει, δε
μου αρέσει
expressing negation in simple sentences, for example, Όχι, δεν το θέλω, δε μ’ αρέσει
expanding number knowledge up to 100
Recognise the linguistic features and structures of different texts used in familiar contexts, such as stories,
songs, recipes and conversations
[Key concepts: genre, textual features; Key processes: observing, identifying]

Elaborations
identifying the main features of a short narrative, for example, a song, rhyme or poem; and a simple
description or procedure, for example, a recipe, or a conversation
noticing the differences between texts within the same mode, for example, a birthday card and an email,
and between multimodal texts, for example, reading the lyrics of a song and hearing it being sung, or
reading a dialogue and acting it out
recognising how different textual elements combine to make meaning, for example, how the images,
font, script and layout of different texts combine to create a whole advertisement, web page, or picture
book
Understand that the context and purpose of interactions influence language choices
[Key concepts: change; register, variation; Key processes: observing, comparing]

Elaborations
recognising the differences between formal and informal language in social interactions, for example,
Γεια σου φίλε, Γεια σας κύριε, and how Greek people use body language when communicating, which
varies according to relationships
examining culturally appropriate phrases for different times of the day and for different purposes, for
example, καλή εβδομάδα, καλό μήνα, καλό καλοκαίρι, καλό απόγευμα, καλό μεσημέρι, χρόνια πολλά,
καλές γιορτές, καλή όρεξη, and considering phrases used in English in similar contexts
understanding how differences in gestures, register and tone are used to change meaning of speech, for
example, Είσαι καλά; or Τι κάνεις; can have multiple meanings
identifying how emphasis on words can change meaning, for example έλα has many meanings
depending on how it is said and used, Έλα εδώ, Έλα τώρα!, Έλα Άννα (στο τηλέφωνο)
recognising how the purpose of interaction, for example, command or invitation, can change the
emphasis on words
Understand that languages change over time and that they influence each other, recognising words in
English that are derived from Greek and words in Greek that are derived from other languages
[Key concepts: continuity, change; Key processes: identifying, processing]

Elaborations
recognising that the language used by the Ancient Greeks has developed into the Modern Greek
language and that the Greek language has influenced many languages including English
understanding that there is the standard language called ‘Modern Greek’ as well as a number of different
dialects spoken throughout Greece and the Greek diaspora
noticing that languages are fluid and everevolving and can be incorporated into and influence other
languages beyond their own (for example, Ancient Greek has influenced and still influences many
languages of the world)
viewing inscriptions on Ancient Greek tombstones (for example, from Vergina), coins (for example, from
from Alexander the Great or King Philip’s reign) and vases (for example, from the Hellenistic era)
recognising that some words in Greek are borrowed from other languages, for example, πάρτυ, χόμπυ,
μπάσκετ, κομπιούτερ
examining the etymology of everyday words in English which are derived from Greek morphemes/words
or from Greek myths (for example, aeroplane, Ajax, history, mathematics, Nike, school, story) and
discussing the extent to which this has occurred
Make connections between cultural practices and language use, for example, by identifying vocabulary,
behaviours and expressions which reflect cultural values, beliefs and traditions
[Key concepts: celebrations, symbolism; Key processes: understanding, identifying]

Elaborations
examining aspects of authentic Greek culture, for example, sugared almonds at weddings and baptisms,
βασιλόπιτα,τσουρέκι, their symbolism and the language associated with them
understanding concepts and values such as το γλέντι, and η παρέα , το πανηγύρι for example, during
Greek festivals, birthdays and name days
recognising and explaining to others the significance of some Greek cultural practices sustained over
time, for example, reasons for traditional Greek housing and events, for example, offering visitors food
and drink, το κέρασμα στη γιορτή
experiencing the importance of music and dance in Greek culture, as an expression of identity and
emotions (happiness, joy, sadness, national pride)
By the end of Year 4, students interact with the teacher and peers to share simple information about aspects
of their lives, such as school (for example, Mαθαίνω ελληνικά), home (for example, Το σπίτι μου είναι μεγάλο)
and everyday routines (for example, Παίζω μπάλα). They use formulaic expressions when participating in
classroom routines, collaborative activities and simple transactional exchanges, such as praising and
encouraging others (for example, Μπράβο σου), asking for help, seeking clarification (for example, Συγγνώμη,
κυρία), and requesting permission (for example, Μπορώ να πάω έξω;). They use features of Greek
pronunciation when asking questions such as, Πού είναι; , and making statements and exclamations (for
example, Ελάτε τώρα!), including use of the accent mark. Students locate information from spoken and written
texts related to everyday contexts and routines such as, Να το βιβλίο μου, Τη Δευτέρα παίζω τένις, and use
simple statements and support materials to present information about themselves (for example, Αγαπώ τη
μουσική, Είμαι οχτώ χρονών), others (for example, Πόσων χρονών είσαι;), home (for example, Μένω στο ...)
and school (for example, Να η τάξη μου). They respond to imaginative texts by discussing favourite elements,
acting out events and making simple statements about characters. They perform and create short imaginative
texts, using formulaic expressions and modelled language (for example, Πού είναι ο Φρίξος; Είναι …).
Students use vocabulary related to school, home and everyday routines such as, η πόρτα, το σπίτι, το σχολείο,
τα χόμπυ μου, η οικογένειά μου, and describe people, objects or events using adjectives and adverbs. They
use appropriate word order, gender, and singular and plural forms in simple spοken and written texts (for
example, Να η γάτα, Να ο γάτος, Να οι γάτες). They translate and interpret common words and frequently
used language relating to familiar environments (for example, Oρίστε Μαρία, Παρακαλώ), and create simple
bilingual resources for the classroom. They identify ways that their own language and the Greek language
reflect ways of behaving as well as words.
Students write letters of the Greek alphabet, and identify sound–letter relationships, letter clusters, vowel–
consonant combinations and the most common digraphs (for example, ου, αι, οι, ει, μπ, ντ). They identify the
structure and linguistic features of texts used in familiar contexts, such as stories, songs, recipes and
conversations (for example, Τέλος, Καλημέρα, Τι κάνεις;). They give examples of how language use varies
according to the context and purpose of the exchange (for example, Γεια σου / σας). They identify ways that
languages change over time, and how languages influence each other, providing examples of words in
English that are borrowed from Greek and words in Greek that are borrowed from other languages. They
compare Greek and English, identifying similarities and differences, particularly in vocabulary, behaviours and
expressions related to cultural practices, such as special occasions.
Languages Spanish
Page 960 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Spanish
Spanish How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Spanish language and the cultures of
Spanish speakers in Australia and in the world
Spanish is a global language spoken by approximately 500 million people across the world. Spanish evolved
from Latin on the Iberian Peninsula in around the ninth century, and travelled from Spain to the Caribbean
and to North, Central and South America as a result of the expeditions of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
The language has been enriched by many other languages, including Arabic, Basque, Greek, French, English
and the indigenous languages of the Americas.
Today, most Spanishspeaking countries are plurilingual, and the indigenous languages of these countries –
such as the Guaraní language of Paraguay, and Quechua, Aymara and more than 30 other languages in
Bolivia – are coofficial with Spanish. Spain also has other official languages besides Spanish, including
Catalan, Galician and Basque/Euskera.
The migration of Spanish speakers to Australia began in the nineteenth century and increased during the
twentieth century with people migrating from countries such as Spain, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador,
Nicaragua, Peru and Guatemala. Patterns of migration of Spanish speakers to Australia during the twentieth
century were influenced by a variety of factors, including economic and political circumstances. Migration from
Spanishspeaking countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico and Ecuador continues in the twentyfirst
century and is currently influenced by interest in tertiary education and employment opportunities presented
by trade agreements in sectors such as mining, agriculture, defence, technology and education. Due to this
steady history of migration from Spanishspeaking countries to Australia, Spanish remains an important
community language throughout Australia.
The place of the Spanish language in Australian
education
The universities were the first Australian educational institutions to undertake the formal teaching of Spanish.
By the end of the 1960s, Spanish language departments had been established in a number of Australian
universities.
Spanish language programs are currently available in all states and territories at all levels of schooling.
Programs are offered across all educational sectors, including community language schools and other after
hours providers. Many university and school Spanish programs provide opportunities for Australian students
to enrich their language learning through travel to Spanishspeaking countries.
The work of Spanishspeaking artists, musicians, writers and scientists is studied in a range of learning areas
across the curriculum in Australian schools. These works inform the selection of key types of texts and
learning experiences offered to students through the Spanish language curriculum. These crosscurricular
links make language learning more meaningful for students.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Spanish
The nature of Spanish language learning
As Spanish belongs to the family of Romance languages, derived from Latin, it has many lexical and structural
connections with English as well as other European languages. As a result of this relationship, knowledge of
Spanish can facilitate the learning of other languages from the Romance family, such as Catalan, Galician,
Italian, French, Portuguese and Romanian.
Distinctive characteristics and features of the Spanish language guide the teaching and learning of the
language in schools. The close correspondence between the written and spoken forms of Spanish assists
with spelling and the development of literacy in general as well as with speaking and listening skills.
Although the Spanish alphabet and writing system are similar to those of English, there are some differences
in these features that present challenges for Australian students. These features include the use of accents,
inverted question and exclamation marks at the beginning of questions and exclamations, and the distinctive
letter ñ.
Word order in Spanish differs from English, most noticeably in the positioning of adjectives after nouns.
Subject pronouns are often omitted in Spanish where they would be required in English. It is not necessary to
invert the subject and the verb to form a question, or to use auxiliary verbs in negative and interrogative
constructions, hence intonation and stress are important for making meaning.
The diversity of learners of Spanish
The majority of learners of Spanish in Australia are studying it as a second or additional language. There are
also a number of background learners of Spanish, who have varying degrees of prior knowledge of the
language. Most students from Spanishspeaking backgrounds are second or third generation, and in many
cases several languages are spoken in their home environment. Despite having some exposure to Spanish at
home, students may have varying levels of language and literacy skills. The Australian Curriculum:
Languages – Spanish Foundation to Year 10 has been developed for second language learners but is flexible
enough that teachers can adapt it to suit the varying needs of the full range of other learners in the
classroom.
Languages Spanish
Page 963 of 1359

Spanish Years F–10 Sequence
have little to no experience of Spanish language and culture.
Spanish language learning and use
The initial focus is on listening to the sounds and patterns of Spanish through languagerich activities such as
rhymes, songs, clapping and action games. Repetition and recycling help children to identify frequently used
words and simple phrases and to recognise the purpose of simple texts. Children identify and use nonverbal
communication strategies employed by Spanish speakers in greetings and other social interactions and
experiment with simple responses to prompts and cues. As they progress to using Spanish for functions such
as asking and answering questions, responding to instructions, singing songs, and taking turns in games and
simple shared tasks, they begin to notice that language can behave differently in different situations and that
Spanish speakers communicate in some ways that are different from their own. They practise and repeat
sounds (such as j, ll and r) which differ in Spanish from those in English. Creative play provides opportunities
for exploring these differences and for using Spanish for purposeful interaction, for example, asking for help
or expressing surprise.
The transition from spoken to written language is scaffolded through shared exploration of simple texts.
Children progress from supported comprehension and use of a small number of personally significant sight
words to more elaborated simple texts. Writing skills progress from labelling pictures and copying words to
constructing simple texts using familiar vocabulary and structures. As children learn to adjust language to suit
different purposes and situations, they begin to learn the important role of culture in shaping language use.
Learners use Spanish to interact with one another and with the teacher, with some access to wider school
and community members. Information and communication technologies (ICT) resources provide additional
access to Spanish language and cultural experience, connecting learners’ social worlds with those of Spanish
speaking children in different contexts.
Texts and resources
share ideas and join in stories, songs, play and simple conversations. Written and digital texts include stories,
wall charts, Big Books and teacherproduced materials such as games, captions and flashcards. Writing skills
progress from tracing and copying highfrequency words to independently writing modelled words and
sentences (for example, greeting cards or labels) and cocreating shared resources such as word walls or
storybooks.
Features of Spanish language use
Learners become familiar with the sound systems of the Spanish language, including pronunciation, rhythm,
pitch and stress. They learn to pronounce individual letters and letter combinations, and recognise and use
the intonation patterns that distinguish between statements, questions and exclamations. They use simple
basic sentence structures and learn to write single words and simple phrases. They become familiar with the
idea of grammatical gender and plural forms. They discuss differences and similarities they notice between
Spanish and their first language(s) and culture(s), as well as how they feel when they hear or use Spanish
and how they view different languages and the people who speak them. They begin to develop curiosity
around the idea of difference, culture and communication.
Level of support
appropriate scaffolding and support. This involves modelling and monitoring by the teacher, provision of rich
and varied sources of input, opportunities for recycling and reviewing, and regular cues, feedback, response
and encouragement. At this stage, play and imaginative activities, music, movement and familiar routines
provide the essential scaffolding for language development.
The role of English
While learners are encouraged to use Spanish whenever possible, with the teacher providing rich and varied
language input, English is used as a medium of instruction, and for explanation and discussion. This allows
learners to talk about differences and similarities they notice between Spanish and their own language(s) and
culture(s), to ask questions, and to express their reactions to the experience of learning and using an
additional language.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with teacher and peers to introduce self, greet and farewell others and describe friends, family and
favourite things
[Key concepts: self, family, friendship, belonging; Key processes: greeting, introducing, participating]
(ACLSPC109 Scootle )

Elaborations
greeting and farewelling others at different times of the day and in different contexts, using appropriate
forms of address, for example, ¡Hola amigos! ¡Buenos días profesora! ¡Buenas tardes abuela! ¡Hasta
mañana tía!
introducing and describing self, family members, friends and favourite things, animals and objects using
visual supports such as photos, pictures or digital images, for example, Me llamo Jorge; ¿Cómo te
llamas? Tengo un hermano pequeño; Me gusta la clase de español; Este es mi papá, Esta es mi mamá;
Mi perro es blanco y grande. Tengo una bicicleta verde
using simple statements to express likes and dislikes, for example, Me gusta Dora la exploradora; No me
gusta la sopa; Mi color favorito es el rojo
using formulaic expressions to offer congratulations or to express wishes related to special occasions, for
example, ¡Feliz Navidad! ¡Feliz cumpleaños! ¡Muy bien!
using simple gestures to accompany expressions such as así así, ¡ojo!, ¡no!, ¡qué problema!
Participate in guided group activities and simple transactions such as games, performances, songs and
rhymes, using modelled repetitive language
[Key concepts: play, action, exchange; Key processes: participating, performing, turntaking]

Elaborations
participating in games or activities that involve taking turns, making choices or swapping items, such as
number, timetelling or memory games (¿Qué hora es señor Lobo?, El escondite inglés, La vaca eres
tú), using language such as me toca; gané; te toca
contributing to class activities or projects that involve naming, illustrating and labelling, such as creating a
class garden, or a photo or digital display of a shared event or activity
participating in tasks involving exchanging, sorting and classifying objects and attributes such as shapes,
colours and numbers, using simple question forms and affirmative/negative responses, for example,
¿Tienes un triángulo amarillo? Sí, toma. ¿Tienes un círculo rojo? No, tengo un círculo azul
participating in songs and chants such as counting songs or rhyming games by singing and performing
actions, for example, Mi carita redondita, Había una vez un barquito chiquitito, Un elefante se
balanceaba
Recognise and respond to classroom interactions such as opening and closing of lessons, transition
activities, answering simple questions and following classroom instructions
[Key concepts: routines, roles; Key processes: following instructions, responding]

Elaborations
participating in class routines such as taking the roll and stating the day and date, for example, hoy es
lunes 26 de julio
interacting with one another during class activities, for example, vamos al recreo, ¿puedo ir al baño?
gracias, lo siento, por favor, dame el borrador
responding to classroom instructions through actions, gestures and verbal responses such as
siéntense/sentaos, silencio, escuchen/escuchad, recojan/recoged sus/vuestras cosas, formen un círculo,
todos de pie, levanta la mano
demonstrating and mimicking hand gestures, intonation patterns or facial expressions that accompany
language or stand alone, for example, shrugs or exclamations such as ¡Hala! ¡Uf!
Informing
Locate specific words and expressions in simple print, spoken and digital texts such as charts, lists, songs,
rhymes and stories, and use information to complete guided spoken and written tasks
[Key concepts: literacy, numeracy; Key processes: locating, selecting, sorting]

Elaborations
recognising symbols, words and phrases in written Spanish such as titles, labels and captions
participating in shared reading of print and digital texts such as Big Book stories about familiar events or
contexts (Los tres cerditos, Tico tango), using pictures, intonation and contextual clues to predict
meaning and identify key information
demonstrating comprehension of individual words and phrases in simple spoken, written and digital texts
by actions such as labelling, drawing, miming or onscreen pointing, clicking or dragging
responding to questions about participants and objects that elicit details such as size, colour, quantity or
place, for example, ¿De qué color es la casa…? La casa es azul. ¿Dónde está el gato? El gato está en
Lima. ¿Cuántos cerdos hay? ¿Tico es grande o pequeño?
Present factual information about self, family, friends and everyday objects using simple statements and
support materials
[Key concepts: self, family, favourite; Key processes: naming, labelling, showing]

Elaborations
labelling or naming personal possessions and classroom items and resources, for example, la mesa, mi
lápiz, tu cuaderno, la pizarra portátil
using simple statements, familiar vocabulary and concrete materials to talk about self and the immediate
environment, for example, Tengo el pelo largo. Estoy en mi clase. Mi hermana se llama Lucía. Este/a es
mi mejor amigo/a. Me gusta tocar el/la piano/flauta
contributing to shared understanding of aspects of the Spanishspeaking world through activities such as
pointing to places on a map or at pictures of foods, flora and fauna, for example, En México, la comida
es picante. Guinea Ecuatorial está en Africa. El lince es bonito
drawing aspects of daily routines (la merienda, los deportes, las tareas de la casa) and creating captions
or attaching word bubbles
using key words and phrases to describe aspects of a video clip, photo story or excerpt from a television
program such as Barrio Sésamo, for example, Hoy vamos a hablar de la letra ñ
Creating
Participate in shared reading, or viewing or listening to short imaginative texts and respond through mime,
drawing and dance
[Key concepts: character, story, imagination; Key processes: acting, expressing, choral reading]

Elaborations
reciting and performing chants and rhymes, for example, ‘El Renacuajo Paseador’ and ‘El lagarto y la
lagarta’, adding gestures such as clapping or dancing to support rhythm and expression
listening to, reading or viewing Spanish versions of familiar stories such as Los tres ositos or El patito feo,
identifying recurring expressions and reenacting elements with puppets, props or actions
responding to oral, print and digital imaginative texts such as stories, rhymes and songs through play
acting, illustrating or movement
making simple statements in response to favourite characters in stories, rhymes or songs, for example,
el lobo es feroz, el osito está triste, ¡Qué divertido!
Create and perform simple imaginative texts that involve repetitive language, experimenting with sound
patterns, rhymes and nonverbal forms of expression
[Key concepts: rhythm, expression, performance; Key processes: chanting, drawing, singing, dancing]

Elaborations
performing songs, rhymes and action stories using nonverbal forms of expression such as clapping,
gestures and facial expressions to support the making of meaning
creating and presenting a shared class story that involves repeated actions and audience involvement
creating a new version of wellknown stories, songs or rhymes such as Tengo, tengo, tengo by
substituting words, phrases and expressions
composing original short stories by matching or sequencing a series of pictures with captions or by
creating a storyboard with labels using modelled language
Translating
Translate frequently used words and simple phrases using visual cues and resources such as word lists
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key processes: identifying, noticing]

Elaborations
explaining to others the meanings and use of simple expressions such as greetings that are used for
different times and occasions, for example, ¡Buenos días! ¡Buenas tardes! ¡Buenas noches!
using classroom resources such as word banks/wall charts, visual dictionaries, word lists and pictures to
identifying words that look similar and have the same meaning in Spanish and English but are
pronounced differently (animal, tomate, fruta, violín, guitarra, mosquito), and considering why these
words are similar
demonstrating and explaining hand gestures, intonation patterns and facial expressions that accompany
Spanish words and phrases or can be used without language
Create simple print or digital texts that use both Spanish and English, such as labels, captions, wall charts
and picture dictionaries
[Key concept: equivalence; Key processes: labelling, captioning]

Elaborations
making personal bilingual picture dictionaries with captions, stickers and simple descriptions to explain
culturespecific terms such as merienda, doña, don, buñuelos
making bilingual greeting cards for celebrations such as Reyes, Dia de la Madre or Dia del Santo, using
greetings such as feliz día de la madre, feliz día de tu santo, or feliz día del maestro alongside equivalent
English greetings where culturally appropriate
creating an identity card that contains parallel personal information in Spanish and English, for example,
nombre/name, apellidos/last name(s), edad/age, Mis amigos son…/My friends are…, Vivo en…/I live
in…, Me gusta…/I like…
adding captions in Spanish and English for a photographic display of a class event or experience such as
sports day or school camp, for example, ¡De excursión en la granja! Nuestros experimentos de ciencia.
Aquí estamos comiendo ceviche
Reflecting
Recognise what aspects of songs, stories, rhymes and pictures from Spanishspeaking cultures may look
or feel similar or different to own language(s) and culture(s)
[Key concepts: language, culture, difference; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
comparing aspects of the lives of children in Australian and Spanishspeaking countries as represented
in print and digital images, video clips and stories, for example, ways of playing games, eating food, or
interacting at school or at home
using some Spanish words, expressions and exclamations when playing with one another, for example,
¡Ay! ¡salud! and noticing any differences in behaviour, use of voice or body language compared to when
using English
responding to teacher prompts in Spanish or English, for example, ¿Qué ves/notas? or ‘What do you
notice about…?’, to capture their impressions when viewing images or stories involving children in
Spanishspeaking contexts
Recognise themselves as belonging to groups, for example, ‘my friends’, ‘my class’, ‘my school’, ‘my family’
and ‘my community’
[Key concepts: self, identity, family, community; Key processes: noticing, describing]

Elaborations
making simple statements about themselves, including where they come from and what language(s) they
speak
identifying themselves as belonging to different groups, such as family, class or peer groups (Yo soy
australiana y chilena, Soy un niño/una niña. Estoy en la clase B), and representing these relationships
through drawing pictures, adding captions to photos, or digital text creation
comparing their own ways of communicating, including using any other languages with those of friends or
family members who speak different languages
considering whether there are any aspects of their ways of communicating that might be unfamiliar to
children from different cultural backgrounds
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise and reproduce the sounds and rhythms of simple spoken Spanish, noticing how they are
produced and how they are represented in writing
[Key concepts: phonic awareness, pronunciation; Key processes: reading aloud, listening, mimicking]
(ACLSPU120 Scootle )

Elaborations
becoming familiar with the Spanish alphabet, noticing that there is an additional letter as compared to
English, ñ
imitating Spanish sounds such as j in viaje, ñ in niño, b and v (vaca y boca), ll in calle, and rr in carro
noticing that statements and questions have different intonations, for example, Fernando no está.
¿Fernando no está?
phrases in context
experimenting with sounds in onomatopoeic words such as those related to animal sounds`, for example,
pío, (pájaro), quiquiriquí (gallo), miau (gato), guau (perro)
noticing differences in punctuation between Spanish and English, such as inverted exclamation and
question marks at the beginning of sentences
Notice and apply grammatical rules such as those relating to gender, simple verb forms and definite articles
when describing people, places, things and relationships
[Key concepts: syntax, word order; Key processes: naming, noticing patterns]

Elaborations
learning the structure of simple affirmative/negative statements and questions based on models, for
example, No tengo perro. Gloria come verduras. ¿María tiene cinco años?
recognising definite and indefinite articles with nouns, for example, la mesa, una mesa; el niño, un niño
noticing that adjectives usually follow nouns and are used to describe the colour, size, shape or
characteristics of a person, place or object, for example, la casa grande, el balón gris, la silla amarilla, un
auto azul, una mesa cuadrada, una niña alta
noticing and using singular masculine or feminine forms of nouns and adjectives, for example, el plátano
delicioso, la canción chilena
understanding and responding to basic familiar instructions and imperatives, for example, siéntate,
escucha, cierra la puerta, silencio
observing gender in patterns of naming, for example, Julio/Julia, Patricio/Patricia
using subject pronouns to identify people, objects or animals, for example, Yo, tú, él, ella
building vocabulary related to familiar environments (lápiz, casa, mamá, papá), and using cognates such
as animal, color, triángulo, familia…
learning simple verbs to express likes and dislikes, for example, comer, bailar, hablar, correr, jugar and
caminar, and using them in modelled and formulaic expressions such as No me gusta correr/caminar;
¿Te gusta este juguete?
using singular possessive adjectives, for example, mi casa, mi hermano, tu amiga
Understand that language is organised as ‘text’ and recognise features of familiar texts such as charts,
labels, rhymes and stories
[Key concepts: text, meaning, structure; Key processes: recognising, identifying]

Elaborations
understanding that texts can be spoken, written, visual or acted out and that they can be very short
(¡alto!) or much longer, for example, a song or story
observing typical features of familiar types of texts such as stories, greeting cards and nursery rhymes,
for example, the use of the storystarter Érase una vez…
understanding that texts have a purpose, for example, timetables indicate what happens when (guía de
horarios), recounts describe past events (Había una vez) and greeting cards convey feelings (Te amo/Te
quiero)
comparing familiar texts in Spanish and English, such as counting games or street signs, identifying
elements in the Spanish texts that look or sound different
Recognise that in Spanish different words and language forms are used to address and greet people
according to relationship, context and time of day
[Key concepts: language as social practice, context; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
understanding that different forms of language are used with different people, for example, appropriate
pronouns and forms of address such as tú, vos, doctor García, Doña Aura
understanding that language use varies according to context and situation, for example, language used
when interacting with peers during playground games is different to that used with teachers in class
(Hola, ¿qué tal?; Buenos días señora García, ¿cómo está?)
understanding that language exchanges in Spanish such as greetings vary according to the time of day
or the occasion, for example, Buenas tardes, Buenas noches, Felicidades. Feliz Año Nuevo
identifying social relationships between people observed interacting in Spanishlanguage materials such
as video clips or cartoons
Understand that the English and Spanish languages borrow words from each other
[Key concept: word borrowing; Key processes: noticing, listing]

Elaborations
recognising words in Spanish that are borrowed from English (email, chat, bacon) and words in English
that are borrowed from Spanish (patio, siesta, taco, tango, burrito, mosquito)
comparing how Spanish words that are used in everyday life in Australia (poncho, chocolate, tapas,
paella, chorizo) are pronounced by speakers of English and Spanish
Recognise that Spanish is one of many languages spoken around the world and in Australia
[Key concepts: multiculturalism, culture; Key processes: mapping, discussing]

Elaborations
understanding that the world contains many different languages spoken by many different communities
of speakers and that most people in the world speak more than one language
recognising that Spanish is an important world language, spoken in different forms in many countries in
the world, including Australia
understanding that many different languages are spoken in Australia, including Aboriginal languages and
Torres Strait Islander languages
Notice some differences and similarities in cultural practices between Spanish speakers and Australian
English speakers
[Key concepts: behaviours, cultural similarities and differences; Key processes: noticing, asking questions,
making connections]

Elaborations
exploring the meaning of culture: how it involves visible elements, such as ways of eating, or symbols
such as flags, and invisible elements, such as how people live, what they value, and how they think about
noticing similarities and differences between naming systems across languages and cultures represented
in the classroom, for example, the use of diminutives, nicknames, surnames and ways of referring to
family members (Juancito, Paquito; Nacho, Paco; Lola García Martínez; mi yayo/a, tato/a)
noticing expressions and terms in Australian English that reflect Australian lifestyles and cultures, such as
terms associated with food, the land, sports and leisure activities, for example, ‘backyard’ or ‘footy’
introduce themselves and exchange greetings such as Buenos días/tardes/noches, and farewells (for
example, hasta pronto). They use simple repetitive language and respond to simple instructions when
participating in classroom routines, games and shared activities, for example, Sal de aquí, Párate en la
puerta. They use visual, nonverbal and contextual cues such as intonation, gestures and facial expressions
to help make meaning, and reproduce distinctive sounds of the Spanish language, including the sounds for
the letters ll, ñ, rr/r g/j, c and y. Students identify specific words and expressions in simple texts, such as
names of people, places or objects. They convey factual information about self, family, friends and favourite
things at word and simple sentence level, for example, Mi casa es grande, Nuestro ordenador es pequeño,
Tu celular es nuevo. They respond to and create simple spoken and written texts using modelled examples
and formulaic language. Students use gender (for example, el pastel/la torta), simple verb forms (for
example, estudiar, comer, dormir), definite articles and vocabulary related to familiar environments to
describe people, places and things. Students translate frequently used words and simple phrases, using
visual cues and word lists (for example, clase, zapatos, camisa, teléfono/celular) and create simple print and
digital texts in both Spanish and English. They identify similarities and differences between English and
Spanish language and culture in songs, stories, rhymes and pictures.
Students know that Spanish uses the same alphabet as English when written, except for ñ as in mañana and
España. They identify features of familiar texts and give examples of how different titles are used to address
people in different situations (for example, Doña Josefa, Don José, Tía). They identify Spanish as one of
many languages spoken in Australia and give examples of words that English and Spanish have borrowed
from each other such as chat, ‘tortilla’, ‘fiesta’. Students identify differences and similarities between their own
and others’ languages and cultures.
groups, including the Spanish class. They are further developing literacy capabilities in English, such as
writing in the Roman alphabet, and this assists to some degree in learning Spanish. They benefit from varied,
activitybased learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas
of learning.
Spanish language learning and use
The development of oral proficiency at this stage continues to rely on rich language input in different modes,
including examples of different accents and varieties of Spanish in the Spanishspeaking world. Children
engage in a lot of listening and responding by actions, building active listening and comprehension skills.
Language is authentic with some modification, involving familiar vocabulary and simple structures. Children
are supported to expand their use of the language in familiar interactions and situations, such as exchanging
simple ideas and information, negotiating predictable activities, and participating in shared tasks,
performances and play. They continue to build vocabulary that can be adapted for different purposes, and to
control simple grammatical forms with some accuracy. Attention is focused on grammar, vocabulary building,
pronunciation, and nonverbal and cultural dimensions of language use through purposeful communicative
activities and experiences.
The contexts in which learners interact are primarily local: the classroom, school, home and community, with
some access to wider communities of Spanish speakers and resources via digital technology.
Texts and resources
written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts (for example, picture books, stories,
puppet plays, songs and games) develop the expressive and cultural dimensions of language. Texts such as
negotiated classroom rules, lists of planned activities, and family or class profiles show how language is used
to ‘get things done’. Learners may have access to resources developed for children in Spanishspeaking
countries, such as children’s television programs, storybooks or web pages, as a way of developing cultural
knowledge.
Features of Spanish language use
Learners recognise and use intonation patterns to express different meanings. They apply their knowledge of
sound–letter associations to spell new words. They recognise and use elements of grammar such as gender
and singular/plural forms, simple verb forms, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns and prepositions to understand
and to create simple spoken and written texts. Learning Spanish contributes to learners’ general literacy
development and to the process of making sense of their worlds that characterises this stage of their
development. As they encounter varieties of Spanish language and cultures represented in the Spanish
speaking world, they make comparisons with their own language(s) and culture(s) and consider their own
ways of communicating. This leads to exploring concepts of identity, commonality and difference, and to
thinking about cultural and linguistic diversity and about what it means to speak more than one language in
the contemporary world.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support. Learners are given a variety of opportunities to apply their
Spanish language knowledge in meaningful activities in order to build communicative skills, confidence and
fluency. Tasks are carefully scaffolded. Teachers provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts
and resources needed to manage and complete the task; make time for experimentation, drafting and
redrafting; and provide support for selfmonitoring and reflection.
The role of English
Learners are supported to use Spanish as much as possible for classroom routines, social interaction,
structured learning tasks and language experimentation and practice. English is used for discussion,
explanation and reflection, enabling learners to develop a language (a metalanguage) for sharing ideas about
linguistic and cultural systems and experience. Using both Spanish and English in the classroom develops
awareness of what it means to be bilingual.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with teacher and peers to exchange information about aspects of their personal world such as
school, home, everyday routines and favourite pastimes
[Key concepts: routine, home; Key processes: questioning, responding, describing]

Elaborations
asking questions and giving information about school and home, for example, ¿Quién es él? Es mi
amigo. ¿Qué hace tu mamá? Mi mamá es trabajadora social, ¿Qué deporte practica Miguel? Él juega al
fútbol, ¿Qué te gusta de tu escuela? Me gusta hablar con mis amigas en el patio
describing features, characteristics and locations of particular things or places, for example, Mi celular es
viejo, El parque está detrás de la escuela. La ciudad de México es gigante. ¿Dónde está la piscina? Está
a la izquierda del lago. Mi escuela es muy grande y está en Adelaida
using formal and informal greetings in spoken and written forms of communication, for example, Querida
abuela, Hola María
describing routines and favourite activities using expressions related to time and days of the week, for
example, voy al colegio todos los días, todos los martes practico tenis
exchanging information about family, friends or interests, using simple descriptive statements and
cohesive devices such as conjunctions, for example, Puedo correr pero no puedo nadar, Me gustan
Shakira y Ricky Martin porque bailan bien
Participate in collaborative tasks and experiences such as creating and presenting a display or
performance and following procedures and instructions
[Key concept: collaboration; Key processes: contributing, exchanging]

Elaborations
working together on tasks such as designing a poster for a special event, planning a puppet show, or
creating menus or picture books for ‘buddy’ classes, collaborating to make decisions about content,
vocabulary and design, for example, ¿Cuál quieres, ésta o ésa? Dame/toma/pásame el pegamento/la
goma...
working with visual, print and digital modes of expression to create invitations for a party, performance or
class event, for example, Querido/a amigo/a; Me gustaría invitarte a mi...... el 15 de enero ¡Te espero!
¡Nos vemos en mi casa! Gracias. Hasta pronto
preparing, rehearsing and conducting public presentations and performances such as an item in Spanish
for school assembly or a presentation to parents
following procedures and instructions for shared activities, for example, following a recipe for guacamole,
paper cutting decorations, making a cometa or papalote, or completing a simple science experiment
such as germinating a bean
Participate in everyday classroom exchanges such as responding to simple questions, asking permission,
requesting help, asking how to say or write something, asking for repetition and complimenting others
[Key concepts: cooperation, school life; Key processes: questioning, requesting, suggesting]

Elaborations
responding to simple questions, for example, by describing the weather and the day’s schedule, using
modelled language such as ¡Qué calor hace! Hoy tenemos español y música
asking how to say or write a word, for example, ¿Cómo se dice …? ¿Cómo se escribe …?
making and responding to requests (¿Me prestas…?, Permiso…, Habla más alto, cerrad vuestros libros;
pásame las tijeras, ¿dónde están los lápices?, ¿Puedo usar mi ordenador/computadora? Busca la
aplicación...en tu tableta), and asking for rephrasing or repetition, for example, Repita, por favor…
negotiating turntaking and complimenting their friends, for example, es mi turno/es tu turno… o muy
bien, felicitaciones/enhorabuena, bonito, excelente; buen trabajo
Informing
Gather and share information from peers and from texts relating to the Spanishspeaking world and to
areas such as home, school, routines, responsibilities and interests
[Key concepts: routine, events; Key processes: identifying, recording, questioning]

Elaborations
surveying classmates, for example, about likes and dislikes, interests or favourite things (¿Cuál es tu
videojuego/animal favorito? ¿Te gusta....? ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños (día/mes?)), tabulating the results
and presenting the information in various formats such as pie charts, lists, tables or a shared class graph
collecting information from media and print resources about aspects of the Spanishspeaking world
(different animal species, currency, indigenous languages/communities), presenting it to others in new
ways such as creating a digital display or spoken, print or visual presentation with names, descriptions
and captions, for example, la llama es blanca… La moneda de España es el euro... Los
indígenas/aborígenes de Chile son los mapuches
comparing information about activities and practices across cultures, for example, by reading, viewing or
listening to texts related to aspects of school life, such as timetables, canteen menus, extracurricular
activities or sports
working in groups to obtain and use information from print, visual or digital sources related to other
learning areas, for example, naming countries and significant land features, or recording distances using
geographical skills
Present information about personal or shared interests or experiences, using simple descriptive language
and supporting resources such as tables, lists and images
[Key concepts: experience, representation, culture; Key processes: describing, presenting]

Elaborations
creating a class book, visual/digital display or collection related to topics they have been studying in
Spanish and/or other curriculum areas, for example, recetas favoritas, animales, la naturaleza, “los
conquistadores”
presenting information on cultural events or topics likely to interest other children of the same age, for
example, a children’s salsa/flamenco/cueca competition
planning and giving short presentations in Spanish on topics such as holidays or favourite computer
games, using a combination of language and visual images such as photos, illustrations, captions and
diagrams, for example, Mis videojuegos favoritos son Minecraft y Candy Crush. Mis vacaciones en la
nieve: este es mi muñeco de nieve
Creating
Read, view and listen to stories, children’s television programs and songs and make simple statements
about characters, themes and reactions
[Key concepts: character, plot; Key processes: comparing, responding, experimenting]

Elaborations
reading, viewing and listening to a range of print, digital and oral texts through shared and guided
participation, for example, by responding to questions about characters, ideas and events or by
illustrating and captioning aspects of texts
expressing personal reactions to characters or events in texts such as children’s television programs,
stories and songs, using artefacts such as puppets or masks, for example, me gusta/no me gusta…¡Qué
asco! ¡Qué raro! Ellos son muy graciosos/divertidos; Ellas son muy graciosas/divertidas
commenting on culturally specific elements of stories or songs, for example, family relationships, the role
of music or performance, or values associated with children or older people
experimenting with voice and gestures to animate characters and with movement and action to act out
events in imaginative texts, for example, assuming a character from a text and participating in a dialogue
Create short imaginative texts such as dialogues and stories using modelled language
[Key concept: imagination; Key processes: experimenting, performing, creating]

Elaborations
creating simple imaginative texts to share with younger learners of Spanish, such as digital or print
storybooks, anagrams or shape poems, using modelled language and digital programs such as Vokis
using gestures, movements and facial expressions to enhance characterisation or effect in the
performance of action songs, raps or plays
contributing to shared writing activities such as a class story in response to an event or experience, for
example, a visit to the zoo or a virtual visit to a famous place
creating and performing alternative versions of or endings to known stories such as Caperucita verde or
action songs, using voice, rhythm and gestures to animate characters
experimenting with sounds, pronunciation and vocabulary to create alternative versions of familiar songs
or rhymes learnt in class, for example, ‘La vaca loca’, ‘La serpiente de tierra caliente’
Translating
Compare and explain simple texts or expressions in both Spanish and English, such as street signs,
advertisements, sayings and greetings
[Key concepts: gist, meaning; Key processes: matching, translating, comparing]

Elaborations
comparing Spanish expressions used in routine social interactions such as greetings with equivalent
English versions, identifying differences, similarities and cultural references, for example, ¿qué tal?/‘Hi!’,
chao/‘See you later’, ¡buen provecho!/‘Enjoy your lunch’
matching street signs from the Spanishspeaking world with equivalents found in Australia, for example,
Llamas en la carretera and ‘Koalas crossing’, No pisar el césped and ‘Keep off the grass’
using a picture or digital dictionary to find the meanings of simple words used in class, and comparing
English and Spanish versions of each word
playing matchingpair games with Spanish and English word cards, matching vocabulary for familiar
concepts or objects, for example, family members, or vocabulary related to food/eating
Create bilingual texts such as action games, songs, stories or photo captions, and identify and discuss
aspects of culture represented in the texts
[Key concepts: similarities, differences; Key processes: comparing, explaining]

Elaborations
creating simple bilingual storybooks modelled on texts such as Cuentos de la selva by creating captions
for a series of images, and noting differences and similarities between ways of interacting in Spanish or
English
creating simple illustrated bilingual texts that can be used by young learners of either English or Spanish,
presenting key information on a topic of interest such as el reciclaje or animales salvajes
creating simple action songs and games that include alternating repetitive phrases in Spanish and
English, for example, Simón dice/Amanda manda/Simon Says, Piedra, papel o tijeras/Rock, Paper,
Scissors
Reflecting
Interact in Spanish using simple phrases and expressions, recognising how language reflects cultural
practices

Elaborations
using Spanish expressions that convey politeness and respect (por favor... gracias, puedo), and
comparing how they feel when using them compared to using equivalent expressions in English or other
languages
noticing interactions when using Spanish that look or feel different to their ways of interacting in their own
language/culture, for example, language around mealtimes or in the classroom
selecting words or expressions in Spanish that they think would need to be explained to nonSpanish
speakers, for example, the use of family names or expressions associated with religion, or the use of
besitos to close a telephone conversation
talking about their reactions to using Spanish, identifying ways of communicating/behaving that feel
unfamiliar, enjoyable or difficult, for example, gestures or forms of politeness
Explore own sense of identity, for example, by discussing membership of groups such as a club, a country
or a languagespeaking community, and how these elements of identity are reflected in language use
[Key concepts: belonging, membership; Key processes: describing, representing]

Elaborations
talking about their own identity and language use and creating captioned representations of their
membership of clubs or groups (Voy al club de los scouts, Mi equipo es el mejor), their country (nuestro
país) or languagespeaking community (en mi idioma…)
reflecting on their experience of learning and using Spanish, considering prompt questions such as: Does
this feel unfamiliar? What does this mean to me? How is this different to my usual experience?
creating a selfprofile, using captioned photos, slide presentations, online internal school Vokis or
concept maps to highlight key characteristics, relationships and ways of using language, for example,
Tengo nueve años; Vivo en Sídney. Estudio chino los sábados
using simple words and expressions selected from word banks and modelled statements to create
personal profiles that highlight key characteristics and features of identity, for example, soy chino/a y
australiano/a, Hablo chino, inglés y un poco de español. Soy muy valiente
Understanding
Systems of language
Experiment with Spanish pronunciation, intonation and spelling rules, including patterns associated with
questions and statements
[Key concepts: intonation, spelling, accent; Key processes: discriminating sounds, recognising words]

Elaborations
playing games such as Word Bingo with more difficult sounds, for example, the letter c in camino/coco
compared to cero/cifra
learning to recognise the silent h as in hamaca, ahora and almohada and in loan words such as hotel
recognising and using different intonation for statements, commands, exclamations and questions, for
example, Rosa va a la escuela; ¿Rosa va a la escuela?; ¡Vamos todos! ¡Ay, ay, ay!
extrapolating from familiar sounds and contexts to spell new words, for example, predicting how to spell
Pablo having learnt the spelling of hablo
understanding that an accent may change the meaning of the word, for example, tú and tu, papa and
papá
noticing the function of accents in relation to stress and pronunciation, for example, café, teléfono, árbol
applying punctuation and capitalisation rules when writing, such as not capitalising days of the week,
months of the year or nationalities
understanding that some letters blend to make single sounds, such as GU in seguimos or QU in queso
Notice and apply elements of Spanish grammar such as gender, singular/plural forms, adjectives, adverbs,
verb forms, pronouns and prepositions in simple spoken, written and digital texts
[Key concepts: grammatical rules, patterns of language, gender; Key processes: recognising, applying]

Elaborations
specifying location or direction using prepositions such as en, encima, debajo, a la izquierda and a la
derecha, for example, La regla está en el estuche
using imperatives to tell others to do something, for example, date prisa, colorea el dibujo
using question words to seek information, for example, ¿Cómo te llamas? ¿Dónde está tu casa?
¿Cuántos hermanos tienes? ¿Quién es tu mejor amigo?
using a range of adjectives to describe appearance and to express feelings or personality, for example,
extraño, fantástico, estupendo, serio, responsable, inteligente
linking ideas using conjunctions such as y, o and pero
noticing the use of personal pronouns, for example, yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros/as, vosotros/as, ellos/as
using possessive adjectives in singular and plural forms, for example, nuestra clase, vuestra escuela, tu
abuela, mis amigos, tus compañeros
using cardinal numbers to describe quantity, to tell the time and for dates and ages, for example, tengo
cinco amigas, Son las tres en punto, Hoy es veintiuno de agosto, Tengo nueve años
using common verbs in familiar contexts, for example, ser and estar, dormir, estudiar and cantar
identifying and applying the use of singular, plural and gender forms in simple sentences, for example, la
motocicleta es negra, los bolsos son verdes
using words and expressions to locate events in time (hoy, ayer, mañana), to describe weather (Hoy
hace calor) and to name days of the week (Mañana es lunes)
using suffixes such as –ísimo/a and –ito/a to modify the meaning of nouns, adjectives and adverbs, for
example, lentísimo; graciosísimos; casita; gatito
building metalanguage to talk about grammar and vocabulary (singular, plural, masculino, femenino,
artículo, adjetivo, sinónimo…) and comparing with equivalent terms in English
Recognise that texts such as stories, emails and dialogues have particular characteristic features, and
notice similarities and differences between some Spanish and English versions
[Key concepts: language features, structure; Key processes: observing, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing differences between written and spoken forms of different types of texts in both Spanish and
English, for example, comparing a written story with a spoken one, or a letter with a phone call; and
recognising how elements of texts combine to make meaning, for example, the images, font and script of
a cartoon; the title, layout and illustrations in a picture book; and the highlighting of names, dates and
times on an invitation
comparing features of similar texts in Spanish and English, for example, greeting cards, interactive
games or tuckshop menus
Understand that language use varies according to the age and relationship of participants
[Key concepts: register, status; Key processes: observing, explaining]

Elaborations
reflecting on how they communicate with family and friends and with people less close to them, noticing
differences in language use and communicative behaviour
analysing how the language of texts such as invitations, apologies or greeting cards may vary depending
on the relationship between the sender and the receiver
noticing differences in the ways that Spanish and English speakers communicate with different people,
for example, with young children or with unfamiliar adults
Recognise that languages change with use over time and according to context
[Key concepts: influence, change, exchange; Key processes: identifying, classifying, comparing]

Elaborations
discovering English and Australian Aboriginal language words used by Spanish speakers (shopping,
tiquet, básquetbol, el eucalipto and canguro, bumerán), and considering the context of their use
finding examples of words and expressions that have been introduced into the Spanish language in
recent times, reflecting changes in interests and access to additional cultural experiences, for example,
Hacer zapping, cambiar de look, hacer footing.
Identify the variety of languages represented in the school, local community and general Australian
population
[Key concepts: community, diversity; Key processes: mapping, grouping]

Elaborations
identifying languages used by classmates, for example, by creating a class profile or language map with
greetings in each language
discussing the nature, history and importance of Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander
languages in the school community and in wider Australian society, and identifying the language of the
Country
exploring similarities and differences between the many languages spoken in Australia and represented
in the school, for example, by comparing the ways different languages use writing, sound/speech and
gestures to communicate
Discuss examples of ways in which the cultures of Spanish speakers influence everyday interactions such
as expressions of respect and affection
[Key concepts: culture as process and practice, values; Key processes: noticing, comparing, connecting]

Elaborations
expressions and conventions often reflect cultural values, for example, the explicit expression of affection
reflected in the use of diminutives (primita, mami, papito, hermanito), and the importance of religion
reflected in the use of names with religious associations (Rosario, Mercedes, Pilar)
learning how to talk about culture and language using terms such as ‘meaning’, ‘difference’ and
‘behaviour’, and thinking about values, ideas and traditions that sit inside language, for example,
responding to prompts such as: What does it mean when…? Why do you think people…?
By the end of Year 4, students interact with teachers and peers in classroom routines, actionrelated talk and
play. They use formulaic expressions when participating in classroom routines and collaborative activities,
such as complimenting others (for example, El bolso de Susana es hermoso), requesting help (for example,
Necesito ayuda con mi bicicleta) and seeking permission such as ¿Puedo ir al salón de informática?. They
interpret visual, nonverbal and contextual cues such as intonation, gestures and facial expressions to help
make meaning. They make statements using the present tense and the present + infinitive form (for example,
quiero cantar, quiero salir) about aspects of their lives such as school, home and everyday routines (for
example, Mi escuela está cerca de mi casa, Me gusta la clase de español). They approximate Spanish
pronunciation and intonation in simple statements. Students gather information relating to own and others’
lifestyles and present information at sentence level in simple texts. They make simple statements about
characters such as La bruja es amable, themes and their own reactions such as El payaso está triste in
response to imaginative texts. They use modelled sentence structures to compose short original texts using
conjunctions such as y, o, porque and pero, and prepositions such as a, con, de and en. Students use
vocabulary related to school, home and lifestyles (for example, divertido, alto, gordo, grande). They use
possessive adjectives (for example, mi libro, nuestro coche), adjectives (for example, extraño, fantástico),
singular and plural forms (for example, el árbol, la cafetería, las pelotas, los mensajes) and regular verbs (for
example, cantar, correr, vivir) in simple constructions. When writing, they apply punctuation and capitalisation
rules. They translate short texts, using word lists and dictionaries and create simple bilingual texts. They use
simple phrases and expressions that reflect cultural practices, for example, diminutives such as Sarita, gatico.
Students differentiate between statements, commands, exclamations and questions according to intonation.
They identify similarities and differences between some Spanish and English texts, recognising that familiar
texts have characteristic features. They give examples of how language use varies according to the age,
gender and relationship of participants, and of ways that languages change over time. They name some of
the many languages that are spoken in Australia, and identify languages represented in the class and local
community. They identify ways in which the cultures of Spanish speakers influence everyday interactions,
involving greetings such as hugging or kissing on both cheeks and polite expressions such as ¿Me pasa el
ipad por favor?
Languages Turkish
Page 990 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Turkish
Turkish How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Turkish language and culture in
Turkish is the official language of the Republic of Turkey and one of the official languages of Cyprus.
It originated many centuries ago in the Northern Siberian Altay Mountain Range. Nomadic people brought the
language with them as they expanded out to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and a
number of other countries. Today, Turkish is the most commonly spoken Turkic language worldwide.
The first written records of the Turkish language date back about 1,300 years, and originate from central Asia.
Turkish is also called Istanbul Turkish or Anatolian Turkish. As the language was developing, it was influenced
by the language spoken during the Ottoman Empire. Eventually, in 1928, the Ottoman alphabet was replaced
by the Latin alphabet by the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The new alphabet
made reading and writing of the language easier and resulted in significant increases in literacy levels in
Turkey. The Turkish Language Association, founded in 1932, worked to reform the language and to officially
standardise it among Turkish speakers. In the process, many loan words from other languages were removed
and many old Turkish words that had not been used for centuries were reintroduced.
Turkish Cypriot migration to Australia began in the late 1940s, the first migrants coming for work
opportunities. Numbers grew from 1963 onwards as a result of the conflict in Cyprus. Larger scale migration
from Turkey began once a bilateral agreement was signed in 1967 between the Turkish and Australian
governments. Migration from Turkey continued in the 1980s, involving family reunion programs and an
increase in general skilled and educational migration. While more than half of the migrant population settled in
Victoria, mostly in Melbourne, significant numbers also settled in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW), and
smaller numbers in other states and territories. Turkish is a strong community language in many major
Australian cities and in regional centres, such as Mildura and Shepparton in Victoria.
According to the Australian Census, in 2011 there were 59,624 Turkish speakers in Australia. The Turkish
speaking community in Australia includes people from Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Western Thrace and smaller
groups from other Turkic backgrounds.
The campaign of the Gallipoli Peninsula during World War I laid the foundations of what later developed as
strong, steadily growing Australian–Turkish connections. Tens of thousands of Australians, including Turkish
Australians, visit Gallipoli each year to pay tribute and to gain understanding of shared Australian–Turkish
history. The two countries enjoy strong contemporary connections, characterised by productive and steadily
developing economic and bilateral trade relationships, cultural exchange and consular cooperation.
The place of the Turkish language in Australian
education
Turkish has been taught in Australian schools since the 1950s. Originally offered by communitybased
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Turkish
organisations, it became part of the mainstream school curriculum in Victoria and NSW in the early 1970s.
Enrolments in Turkish language classes in some government and nongovernment schools and in community
language school programs in Victoria and NSW have increased in recent years. Some students from non
Turkish backgrounds now learn Turkish as a second language in school, and communitybased organisations
such as the Council of Adult Education offer Turkish language classes for adult learners wishing to develop
their language skills in particular domains of Turkish language use.
The nature of Turkish language learning
Turkish is a phonetic language with 29 letters derived from the Latin alphabet. Each letter represents only one
sound. The decoding of Turkish words is assisted by a familiarity with English or other languages that use the
Latin alphabet. Learning Turkish is also aided by the regularity of the grammatical system and the
agglutinated nature of the language (that is, the addition of suffixes to root words regulates grammatical
elements and generates new words and meanings, for example, the root word gör (see) becomes görmek (to
see) and gördüm (I saw)).
While Turkish uses the same Latin alphabet as English, the pronunciation of some letters differs significantly.
The use of diacritics on some letters represents an extra complexity. While the grammatical system is
comparatively regular, there are differences between it and languages spoken by some learners, for example,
the lack of gender forms and articles such as ‘the’ in English. The Turkish word order is subject + object +
verb; however, this may change in spoken language or when there is variation in required emphasis or
meaning, as when the word that is emphasised in terms of meaning is placed closest to the verb.
The diversity of learners of Turkish
The Australian Curriculum: Languages, Foundation – Year 10 (F–10) for Turkish is pitched to background
learners, the dominant cohort of learners in the current Australian context for whom Turkish is a background
but not necessarily the first language. Some students speak Turkish at home and have strong connections to
mainland Turkey, Cyprus and Turkic countries; others are second or thirdgeneration Turkish Australians,
with varying degrees of knowledge of Turkish language and culture; others are members of bicultural families,
who may use some Turkish at home.
Small numbers of students from other language backgrounds may be studying Turkish in schools. For such
learners, Turkish will represent similar challenges to those which frame their experience of learning English as
their language of schooling. Teachers will use the Turkish F–10 curriculum to cater for learners of different
backgrounds by making appropriate adjustments to differentiate learning experiences for these students.
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Turkish has been developed according to two learning sequences:
Foundation – Year 10, and Years 7–10 (Year 7 entry). Teachers will use the curriculum to cater for learners of
students.
The intercultural language learning orientation of the curriculum explores the cultural dimension that shapes
and is shaped by languages. Background language learners of Turkish already have lived experience of this
relationship, ‘living between’ Turkish and English in the Australian context. The curriculum gives students
opportunities for analysis, explicit focus and reflection on this lived experience and further opportunities to
participate in intercultural experiences, to extend their ways of perceiving and being in the world, and to
understand themselves as culturally, biculturally and interculturally situated.
Languages Turkish
Page 993 of 1359

Turkish Years F–10 Sequence
Children in this pathway enter the early years of schooling with established oracy skills in Turkish, English and
sometimes other languages or dialects. There will be variation in terms of proficiency in Turkish depending on
variables such as home language environment, generational language shift and parental cultural and
linguistic background. Children will have varying degrees of literacy capability in both/either Turkish and/or
English, and share the experience of belonging to worlds in which languages play a key role. Cognitive and
social development at this stage is exploratory and egocentric. The curriculum builds on children’s interests,
sense of enjoyment and curiosity, with an emphasis on active learning and confidence building. Turkish is
learnt in parallel with English language and literacy, which for some children will be being learned as a second
or additional language. Learning in the two areas differs significantly but each supports and enriches the
other.
Turkish language learning and use
Rich language input characterises the first stages of learning. Children are familiar with the sounds and
patterns of Turkish and their fluency and accuracy is further developed through activities such as rhymes,
songs, clapping and action games. Children identify and use highfrequency sentences and phrases, and
recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts. They use culturally appropriate nonverbal strategies,
and produce statements and expressions in response to prompts and cues. They are supported to use
Turkish for different language functions, such as asking and responding to questions, expressing wishes,
responding to directions, and taking turns in games and simple shared learning activities. They notice
differences between the languages they know and use, and differences in how they communicate in some
situations when using Turkish or English. Creative play provides opportunities for exploring these differences
and for using Turkish for purposeful interaction in some less familiar contexts.
Children interact with one another and the teacher, with some access to wider school and community
members. Information and communications technology (ICT) resources provide additional access to Turkish
language and cultural experience, connecting children’s social worlds with those of Turkishspeaking children
in communities other than their own. Turkish is the dominant language used in classroom interactions,
routines and activities, supported by the use of English when required. The early stage of language and
literacy development is supported by use of concrete materials and resources, gestures and body language.
Play and imaginative activities, games, music, movement and familiar routines provide essential scaffolding
and context for language development.
Texts and resources
talk, share ideas and join in songs, rhymes, stories and chants, and various forms of play and conversational
exchanges. Written and digital texts include stories, shared Big Books, walls charts and teachergenerated
materials, such as games, labels, captions and flashcards.
Features of Turkish language use
Children’s familiarity with the spoken form of Turkish supports their introduction to the written form of the
language. They become familiar with the Turkish alphabet and writing conventions, and are introduced to the
sound–letter correspondence of the 21 consonants and eight vowels that make up the alphabet. Writing skills
progress from labelling and copying highfrequency words to coconstructing simple texts using familiar
vocabulary, language features and structures such as subject–object–verb word order. They apply this order
to simple statements, imperatives and questions such as Ali gel. Ali okula gel. Ali okula geldi. Ali okula geldi
mi? They learn to describe things, such as colour, mavi, size, büyük/küçük, and shape, üçgen, and recognise
that adjectives come before nouns. They use cardinal numbers such as biryüz and ordinal numbers such as
birinci, ikinci, and use the ending ler/lar to express plurality with countable nouns such as çocuklar, ördekler.
They form affirmative and negative responses, such as evet, hayır, değil, doğru, yanlış, and use simple
suffixes and subject and possessive pronouns, for example, ben/benim, sen/senin, o/onun and evim/evimiz,
evin/eviniz, evi/evleri. They describe actions using simple verbs, such as otur, kalk, elini kaldır, koş, yürü, gel,
git, oku, yaz. As children learn to adjust language to suit different purposes and situations, they begin to
understand how culture shapes language use. They are supported to talk about differences and similarities
they notice between Turkish, English and other languages they know, and also between cultural behaviours
and ways of communicating. They talk about how they feel when they use different languages, and how they
view different languages and the people who use them. This introduction to the meta dimension of
and to become aware of themselves as communicators and cultural participants.
Level of support
Learning is supported via the provision of experiences which are challenging but achievable with appropriate
multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing; and continuous
cueing, feedback, response and encouragement.
The role of English
While learners are encouraged to use Turkish whenever possible, English is used, when appropriate, for
discussion, comparison, reflection and explanations. Mixing the two languages is common at this level and
reflects children’s experience in their home communities.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with the teacher and with peers to exchange greetings and share information about themselves,
noticing ways of using language that are similar or different at home and at school
[Key concepts: self, family, home; Key processes: interacting, greeting, describing]
(ACLTUC001 Scootle )

Elaborations
using simple greetings relevant to the time of day, context or relationship to the person, for example,
Merhaba! Günaydın! Tünaydın! İy褊� günler! İy褊� akşamlar! İy褊� geceler! Hoşça kal! Güle güle! Hoş geld褊�n褊�z!
Hoş bulduk!, noticing any differences between how they greet their teachers, family members and
friends, for example, Merhaba Ayşe! Nasılsın? Günaydın öğretmen褊�m! S褊�z nasılsınız?
using appropriate gestures and actions when greeting different people, for example, shaking hands,
kissing hands of elders and kissing people on both cheeks
introducing and describing themselves and others, for example, Adın ne? Ben褊�m adım …, Sen褊�n adın ne?
Bu ben褊�m babam. Babamın adı Aydın
describing familiar items, such as pets or favourite toys, and experiences that are important to them, for
example, Ben褊�m b褊�r köpeğ褊�m var. Onun adı M褊�nnoş. Ben褊�m en sevd褊�ğ褊�m oyuncak… Bugün ben褊�m doğum
günüm.
using everyday social exchanges, such as thanking someone, Teşekkür eder褊�m; apologising, Özür
d褊�ler褊�m; or offering wishes for particular occasions such as Doğum günün kutlu olsun! Bayramınız kutlu
olsun! Af褊�yet olsun! Geçm褊�ş olsun! Tebr褊�k eder褊�m!
comparing their likes and dislikes, for example, Ben ç褊�leğ褊� çok sever褊�m. Ben elmayı h褊�ç sevmem
Participate in guided activities such as songs, games, tasks and transactions, using movement, gestures,
pictures and concrete materials to support meaningmaking
[Key concepts: play, performance, action learning; Key processes: participating, playing, describing]

Elaborations
participating in activities that involve taking turns, making choices or swapping items, such as games
used to reinforce number and memory skills, for example, Jale sıra sende. Ş褊�md褊� ben褊�m sıram. Bu ben褊�m.
Bu sen褊�n. Bu Den褊�z’褊�n. Kaç top var?
participating in songs, poems and chants, such as counting or rhyming games, singing and performing
actions, for example, M褊�n褊� m褊�n褊� b褊�r kuş donmuştu, Çan çan ç褊�kolata, Sağ el褊�mde beş parmak, Kutu kutu
pense, El ele ver褊�n çocuklar
participating in tasks that involve exchanging objects and classifying attributes such as shapes, colours
and numbers, using simple question forms and affirmative/negative responses, for example, Ben kırmızı
karelerle çatı yapacağım. Yeş褊�l da褊�relerle ağaç yapalım. Ben sarı üçgenler褊� 褊�stem褊�yorum. Sende pembe
d褊�kdörtgen var mı? Hayır, yok. Mav褊� var
creating and describing pictures or crafted items, for example, Pamuktan kardan adam yapalım.
Düğmelerden göz yapalım. Burnuna turuncu çubuk koyalım.
following instructions by moving around or by locating or moving objects in the classroom, for example,
Kurşun kalem褊� masanın üstüne koy. Penceren褊�n yanındak褊� sandalyeye otur. Resm褊� arkadak褊� duvara as.
Recognise and respond to familiar classroom routines, such as the opening and closing of lessons,
transition activities, following instructions and taking turns
[Key concepts: routines, directions, interactions; Key processes: responding, requesting, participating]

Elaborations
participating in class routines, such as calling the roll, exchanging greetings and stating the day and date,
for example, Günaydın çocuklar! Nasılsınız? Ayşe! Buradayım öğretmen褊�m! Bugün 18 Ek褊�m 2015, Cuma
responding to instructions through actions, gestures and verbal responses such as Ayağa kalkın!,
Oturun! Konuşmak 褊�ç褊�n el褊�n褊�z褊� kaldırın! Sıraya g褊�r褊�n! Defterler褊�n褊�z褊� açın. Tabletler褊�n褊�z褊�n ekranını açın
asking for help, information or permission, for example, Bana yardım eder m褊�s褊�n, lütfen? Ben bunu
anlamadım. Ben de oynayab褊�l褊�r m褊�y褊�m? and responding to directions such as İk褊�şerl褊� gruplara ayrılın. B褊�z
褊�k褊�m褊�z b褊�r grupta olalım. Yerler褊�n褊�ze oturun. El ele tutuşun. Da褊�re şekl褊�nde durun. Şapkalarınızı g褊�ymey褊�
unutmayın. Teneffüse çıkab褊�l褊�rs褊�n褊�z
participating in Bayrak tören褊�, the routine singing of national anthems and the recitation of Andımız,
taking turns to lead
Informing
Locate key phrases and points of information in simple texts such as messages, announcements, charts,
lists or illustrated reference materials, and use the information to complete guided oral and written tasks
[Key concepts: information, meaning, context; Key processes: identifying, matching, creating]

Elaborations
demonstrating comprehension of individual words, phrases and sentences in simple spoken, written and
digital texts, for example, by labelling, drawing, miming or onscreen pointing, clicking or dragging
locating specific details about places, events or objects featured in picture books, charts or posters, for
example, by responding to questions such as, Masaldak褊� k褊�ş褊�ler k褊�mler? Nerede yaşıyorlar? Ney褊�
kutluyorlar? Bu masal b褊�ze ne anlatmak 褊�st褊�yor?
matching items from picture dictionaries or word lists to vocabulary sets associated with particular
categories, such as people, animals or food groups, for example, meyveler, sebzeler, evc褊�l hayvanlar,
ç褊�ftl褊�k hayvanları, vahş褊� hayvanlar
collecting information from texts such as charts, calendars, posters, timetables or tuckshop menus to
create their own resources, such as lists of favourite lessons, colours, animals or food
listening to spoken texts such as class and school announcements or recorded phone messages,
identifying key words and facts, such as names, places, numbers or times
Convey factual information about themselves, their family, friends and experiences using simple phrases,
gestures and support materials
[Key concepts: family, community, interests; Key processes: presenting, describing]

Elaborations
using a family album to talk about their extended family and community, for example, Bu ben褊�m dedem.
O b褊�z褊�mle yaşıyor. Dedem bana her gece k褊�tap okur … Bu b褊�z褊�m Türk bakkalı. Oradan s褊�m褊�t alırız
contributing to shared recounts of events, such as excursions, sports days or community celebrations, for
example, 23 N褊�san Ulusal Egemenl褊�k ve Çocuk Bayramı. Hayvanat bahçes褊�ne gez褊�
presenting information about their backgrounds and interests in ‘Show and Tell’, for example, Bugün ben
en sevd褊�ğ褊�m oyuncağı tanıtacağım, A褊�le fotoğrafını tanıt, Odanı tanıt
conveying basic information about a particular experience, for example, Kuzenler褊�mle mangal yapıyoruz,
using drawings with captions containing key words and simple phrases
working in pairs to gather and then present information about their partner to the larger group, for
example, Defne yüzmey褊� çok sever. Her pazar havuza g褊�der. O sporu çok sever.
Creating
Listen to, view and participate in readings of stories, rhymes or action songs, and respond through singing,
drawing, gesture and action
[Key concepts: story, imagination, response; Key processes: participating, responding, performing; Key text
types: story, puppetry, rhyme]

Elaborations
participating in shared readings of Turkish versions of familiar stories, such as Kırmızı Başlıklı Kız (Little
Red Riding Hood) or Aç Tırtıl (The Very Hungry Caterpillar), Ç褊�rk褊�n Ördek Yavrusu (The Ugly Duckling),
Kül Ked褊�s褊� (Cinderella) P褊�nokyo (Pinocchio), comparing with English versions and reenacting favourite
elements with puppets, props or actions
responding to stories such as Arı Maya, rhymes such as Komşu komşu hu hu and songs such as Küçük
Kurbağa, Al褊� Baba’nın Ç褊�ftl褊�ğ褊�, through actions, drawings and simple statements and expressions
viewing scenes of the shadow puppet play Karagöz ve Hacıvat, repeating key words and expressions
and drawing and describing the characters, for example, Hacıvat akıllı, b褊�lg褊�l褊� ve kurnaz b褊�r褊�s褊�d褊�r.
Hacıvat’ın s褊�vr褊� sakalı vardır. Karagöz b褊�lg褊�s褊�z ve kom褊�k b褊�r褊�s褊�d褊�r. Karagöz top sakallıdır
performing rhymes, tongue twisters, poems and songs that use repetition, gestures, mime and finger
puppet play to support language development, for example, Ben b褊�r küçük 褊�nsanım, Hem aklım var hem
canım … Portakalı Soydum, O p褊�t褊� p褊�t褊� karamela sepet褊�!
building vocabulary skills and developing appreciation of language by participating in shared readings of
simple stories that use repetition and recycling of phrases or actions, such as C褊�n Al褊�, Keloğlan
performing marching songs, for example, Türk Çocukları, Sol sağ sol sağ yarın bayram olsa, Hoş gelişler
ola, Dağ başını duman almış
viewing children’s TV programs, such as Sev褊�ml褊� Dostlar, Pepe, B褊�z İk褊�m褊�z, N褊�loya, and responding by
singing, chanting, mimicking and acting out favourite moments
Express imaginative experience in stories, songs, rhymes and puppet performances using sound patterns,
familiar language and nonverbal forms of expression
[Key concepts: character, rhythm, imagination; Key processes: composing, performing, presenting; Key text
types: story, songs, rhymes]

Elaborations
creating and drawing/captioning new situations or settings for popular characters from texts such as the
Keloğlan stories in print and digital forms
composing and performing their own simple rhymes and action songs that build on familiar language and
content and use nonverbal forms of support, such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions
composing original short stories by matching and sequencing a series of pictures with captions or by
creating a story board with labels using modelled language
creating and presenting their own Big Books or digital texts based on selected characters or elements of
favourite texts
Translating
Explain in English the meaning of everyday Turkish words, phrases and gestures, noticing which are similar
or different to equivalent words in English or other known languages
[Key concepts: translation, meaning, similarity, difference; Key processes: noticing, translating, comparing,
explaining]

Elaborations
translating simple words and expressions related to ‘Things I do everyday’, using matching word cards,
pictures, large print dictionaries, word lists and labels, noticing words that are similar in the two
languages, such as telev褊�zyon, radyo, yogurt, tren, taks褊�
explaining the English meaning of Turkish words and phrases used for greetings, apologies and
appreciations, such as hoş geld褊�n褊�z, hoş bulduk, geçm褊�ş olsun, merhaba, hoşça kal, günaydın, 褊�y褊� günler,
褊�y褊� akşamlar, 褊�y褊� geceler, and discussing how and when they are used
comparing and contrasting the meaning and sounds of key words and expressions that feature in Turkish
and English versions of popular children’s rhymes, games and songs, such as ‘Old MacDonald’ and Al褊�
Baba’nın Ç褊�ftl褊�ğ褊�, ‘Are you sleeping?’ and Tembel Çocuk Kalksana
demonstrating and explaining in Turkish gestures that are associated with cultural traditions, such as
greeting elders by kissing their hand and placing it on the forehead to show respect
noticing words or expressions in Turkish that are not easy to translate into English because they carry
different meanings, for example, Eller褊�ne sağlık. Çok yaşa! Sen de gör! Geçm褊�ş olsun!
Create simple bilingual print or digital texts, such as captioned picture dictionaries, wall charts, labels for the
classroom or ID cards
[Key concepts: meaning, code; Key processes: comparing, matching, translating]

Elaborations
creating individual bilingual picture dictionaries
matching and sequencing words and pictures in English and Turkish to complete speech bubbles in
digital or print versions of short conversations or picture stories
creating bilingual labels for objects used in the classroom and at home
creating illustrated lists of words and phrases in Turkish and English which are similar in sound and
meaning, for example, pol褊�s, ambulans, doktor, spor, müz褊�k, hob褊�
creating and performing short bilingual chants, songs and poems that move between Turkish and English
Reflecting
Notice how using Turkish and English involves some different ways of communicating and behaving
[Key concepts: communication, culture, self, difference; Key processes: noticing, comparing]

Elaborations
noticing which language they are more comfortable in and choose to use in particular situations, for
example, at home or on the phone with grandparents, at bayram or in the playground
identifying language or behaviours that fit well in their Turkish family or community context but not in
other contexts or situations, for example, kissing hands of older people and receiving spending money
during bayram
identifying gestures or body language that are used more often in Turkish than in English, for example,
raising the head to indicate ‘no’, tutting to indicate shock or upset, raising the index finger to ask
permission to speak in class
considering whether they feel different when using Turkish in the classroom to how they feel when using
it at home
reflecting on their impressions of cultural differences when viewing images, video clips, singing songs,
dancing or listening to stories from Turkishspeaking regions, responding to teacher prompts such as
Ney褊� farkett褊�n褊�z? Neden öyle düşünüyorsun? Farklılıkları ve benzerl褊�kler褊� nelerd褊�r?
Identify themselves as members of different groups, including their family, community and school, using
simple statements, gestures and support materials
[Key concepts: self, family, community, communication; Key processes: identifying, describing]

Elaborations
sharing information about their family background, such as their country or region of origin, languages
spoken at home and connections with extended family overseas, for example, Ben
Avustralyalıyım/Türküm. Türkçe konuşurum. A褊�lem İstanbul’dan geld褊�
creating selfprofiles, using drawings and captions or photos to identify their membership of different
groups and communities, for example, home, school, friendship or sporting groups
identifying words or expressions in Turkish that they particularly associate with their sense of home and
‘who they are’
designing a ‘class tree’ that reflects the linguistic and cultural diversity represented in their class
considering how they communicate with different friends and family members who speak different
languages
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise and reproduce the sounds and spellings of Turkishspecific phonemes, /ı/, /ğ/, /ö/, /ü/ /ş/ and /ç/
and make connections between spoken language, alphabetic elements and written forms of the language
[Key concepts: pronunciation, letters, sounds; Key processes: listening, distinguishing, reciting]
(ACLTUU012 Scootle )
Elaborations
becoming familiar with the Turkish alphabet and writing conventions, for example, by identifying sounds
and spelling of specific phonemes, such as, /ı/, /ö/, /ü/, /ç/, /ğ/, /ş/ and comparing them with English
sounds
understanding that intonation patterns create different meanings, as in the distinction between questions,
statements and exclamations, gel褊�yor musun? / gel褊�yorsun / gelsene!
differentiating between vowel and consonant sounds
experimenting with sounds in onomatopoeic words, such as those related to animal sounds, üüürüüü
(horoz), m褊�yav m褊�yav (ked褊�), möö (褊�nek), hav hav (köpek ), c褊�k c褊�k (kuş); comparing with the pronunciation
of equivalent animal sounds in English
developing pronunciation, phrasing, syllabification and intonation skills by singing, reciting and repeating
words and phrases in context
Recognise parts of speech and frequently used words in familiar contexts and understand the basic rules of
word order in simple sentences
[Key concepts: sentences, grammar, patterns; Key processes: recognising, naming, applying]
Elaborations
recognising the basic word order, subject–object–verb, and applying it in simple statements, imperatives
and questions, for example, Al褊� gel. Al褊� okula gel. Al褊� okula geld褊�. Al褊� okula geld褊� m褊�?
describing colour (mav褊�), size (büyük/küçük) and shape (üçgen), and recognising that adjectives come
before nouns
describing quantity, using cardinal numbers such as b褊�ryüz and ordinal numbers such as b褊�r褊�nc褊�, 褊�k褊�nc褊�
using the ending ler/lar to express plurality, mainly with countable nouns, such as çocuklar, ördekler
recognising question words and anticipating likely answers, for example, K褊�m? Ne? Nerede? Nereye?
K褊�mle? Ne kadar? Ne zaman? Nasıl? Hang褊�s褊�?
expressing affirmative and negative responses, such as evet, hayır, değ褊�l, doğru, yanlış
learning how to use simple suffixes and subject and possessive pronouns, for example, ben/ben褊�m,
sen/sen褊�n, o/onun and ev褊�m/ev褊�m褊�z, ev褊�n/ev褊�n褊�z, ev褊�/evler褊�
building vocabulary related to familiar environments, such as anne, k褊�tap, ked褊�, and using cognates, such
as ev, okul, a褊�le, hayvanlar
using prepositions to specify locations, for example, üstünde, altında, yanında, arkasında, önünde,
arasında, sağında, solunda
describing actions using imperatives and simple verbs, such as otur, kalk, el褊�n褊� kaldır, koş, yürü, gel, g褊�t,
oku, yaz
linking ideas using simple conjunctions, for example, ve, 褊�le, ama
Understand that language is organised as ‘texts’ that take different forms and use different structures to
achieve their purposes
[Key concepts: text, meaning; Key processes: recognising, selecting]
Elaborations
understanding texts as different forms of communication which can be spoken, written, digital or visual,
can be very short, for example, tekerleme, b褊�lmece, not, fıkra, eposta, or much longer, for example,
mektup, masal and h褊�kaye
understanding that different types of texts have different features, for example, repetition and rhythm in
action songs and chants such as Komşu komşu, Yağ satarım bal satarım, Portakalı soydum
beginning to use metalanguage to talk about texts, for example, by identifying text types, such as
b褊�lmece, tekerleme, masal, fıkra, and describing typical features, for example, masal starts with B褊�r
varmış, b褊�r yokmuş, evvel zaman 褊�ç褊�nde ... and ends with Gökten üç elma düşmüş, b褊�r褊� masalı anlatana,
b褊�r褊� d褊�nleyene, b褊�r褊� de bütün 褊�y褊� 褊�nsanlara; tekerleme and b褊�lmece both have rhymes and rhythms
noticing how familiar texts such as poems or stories are sequenced and organised, for example, by
identifying titles, connections between pictures and texts, or familiar lines, as in dua (call to prayers), 23
N褊�san ş褊�褊�rler褊� ve d褊�zeler/dörtlükler, Res褊�mlerle Atatürk’ün hayatı, Keloğlan res褊�mler褊� 褊�le başlıklar, Bayram
Günü
Recognise that different words, expressions and gestures are used by speakers of Turkish to address and
greet people in different contexts and situations
[Key concepts: variation, context, relationship; Key processes: noticing, comparing, adapting]

Elaborations
identifying different relationships between people by noticing how they speak to each other, for example,
in storybooks, real life conversations, puppet plays or video clips
understanding that different forms of Turkish are used by people in different contexts and relationships,
for example, the appropriate use of pronouns, sen and s褊�z, and honorifics, Orhan Bey, Ayla Hanım,
Sayın, Hakan Ağabey, Ceng褊�z Amca, Ayşe Teyze
understanding that interactions such as greetings vary according to time of day, occasion,degree of
familiarity and age of people involved, for example, günaydın, merhaba, 褊�y褊� akşamlar, Nasılsın? or
Nasılsınız? Ne haber? Ne var, ne yok? Selam!
understanding that gestures used in greetings vary according to degrees of familiarity and relationship,
for example, kissing hands of elders and placing hands on the forehead
recognising the importance of using either formal or informal language in any context, for example, never
using first names when addressing elders, such as teachers or parents
Recognise that different languages, including Turkish, borrow words and expressions from each other
[Key concepts: language change, word borrowing; Key processes: noticing, comparing, identifying]
Elaborations
recognising that languages continuously change and borrow from one another
recognising that Turkish uses loan words from English, such as 褊�nternet, TV, ceket, f褊�lm and futbol, and
that English uses words from Turkish, such as yoghurt, coffee, horde, kiosk, turquoise
creating a class record of Turkish words used in English, such as doner kebab, shish kebab, yoghurt,
dolma, cacik, comparing how these words are pronounced in the two languages
noticing words that come from different languages that students use in their everyday lives
[Key concepts: culture, meaning, language; Key processes: noticing, identifying, explaining]

Elaborations
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, how it involves visible elements, such as ways of dressing, eating and
dancing, and invisible elements, such as ways of thinking and valuing
recognising that there are words and expressions in Turkish that ‘belong’ to Turkish and not to English,
for example, Hoş bulduk, Çok yaşa, Sen de gör
noticing that some Australian terms and expressions only have meaning in the Australian context and
have no equivalent in Turkish, for example,’ the outback’, ‘bush tucker’, ‘Good on ya!’
noticing that using Turkish and using English involves different ways of communicating; considering what
this reveals about cultural values or traditions
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teacher and peers to share information about themselves and
to exchange greetings, for example, Merhaba! Günaydın! Tünaydın! İyi günler! İyi akşamlar! İyi geceler!
Hoşça kal! Güle güle! Hoş geldiniz! Hoş bulduk! They describe familiar objects and experiences that are
important to them, for example, Benim bir köpeğim var. Onun adı Minnoş. Benim en sevdiğim oyuncak,
Bugün benim doğum günüm, and compare likes and dislikes, for example, Ben çileği çok severim, Ben elmayı
hiç sevmem. They use repetitive language when participating in guided activities and use movement,
gestures, pictures and objects to support meaningmaking, for example, by singing and performing actions to
songs such as Mini mini bir kuş donmuştu. They respond to familiar classroom routines, such as the opening
and closing of lessons, and transition activities. They interact in classroom routines, by following instructions,
for example, Ayağa kalkın! Oturun! Konuşmak için elinizi kaldırın! Sıraya girin! Defterlerinizi açın,Tabletlerinizin
ekranını açın, and taking turns. When interacting, they reproduce the sounds of Turkish and use intonation to
distinguish between questions, statements and exclamations, for example, Geliyor musun? / Geliyorsun /
Gelsene! They locate key words and information in simple spoken and written texts, such as names of people,
places, or categories of objects, for example, meyveler, sebzeler, evcil hayvanlar, çiftlik hayvanları, vahşi
hayvanlar, and convey factual information about themselves, their family, friends and experiences, using
gestures, support materials and simple statements such as Bugün ben en sevdiğim oyuncağı tanıtacağım.
They respond to imaginative experiences through singing, drawing, movement and action, and create and
perform simple imaginative texts, such as adaptations to Turkish songs, puppet performances and texts such
as Keloğlan stories, using familiar language and nonverbal forms of expression. Students use vocabulary
related to familiar contexts, for example, anne, kitap, kedi, and cognates, such as ev, okul, aile, hayvanlar.
They use simple sentences with appropriate word order to communicate information about themselves.
Students translate the meaning of Turkish words, phrases and gestures used in everyday contexts and
situations, and create simple print or digital texts that use both Turkish and English. They identify differences
in the ways they communicate and behave in Turkish and Englishspeaking contexts, and identify themselves
as members of different groups, including the Turkish class and their family and community.
Students identify the sounds of the Turkish language and Turkish spellings of specific phonemes, for example,
/ı/, /ö/, /ü/, /ç/, /ğ/, /ş/. They identify parts of speech and basic rules of word order in simple sentences. They
identify similarities and differences in features and structures of different types of familiar texts. They provide
examples of different words, expressions and gestures that are used by speakers of Turkish to address and
greet people in different contexts and situations. They identify words and expressions that different
languages, including Turkish, have borrowed from each other. They identify how ways in which people use
language reflect where and how they live and what is important to them.
At this stage, children are developing cognitive and social capabilities that allow for increased control of their
learning. They are able to conceptualise and reason, and have better memory and focus. This is a stage of
social experimentation, with children referencing themselves against their peers. They are more independent
and less egocentric, enjoying both competitive and cooperative activities. They benefit from varied, activity
based learning which builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of
learning.
Turkish language learning and use
Children interact with peers and the teacher in classroom routines and a variety of learning experiences and
activities. They engage in a lot of listening, and build oral proficiency through responding to rich language
input and opportunities to engage in communicative activities where grammatical forms and language
features are purposefully integrated. The language they use and hear is authentic with some modification,
using familiar vocabulary and simple structures. Children follow instructions, exchange simple information and
express ideas and feelings related to their personal worlds. They negotiate interactions and activities, and
participate in shared experiences, performance and play. They read and create short texts on topics relevant
to their interests and enjoyment, such as family, pets, favourite activities or food. They continue to build
vocabulary that relates to a wider range of domains, such as areas of the curriculum that involve some
specialised language use. The language used in routine activities is reused and reinforced from lesson to
lesson in different situations, allowing learners to make connections between what has been learnt and what
is to be learnt.
The contexts in which students interact in learning and using Turkish are primarily local: the classroom,
school, home and community, with some access to wider communities of Turkish speakers and resources
through virtual and digital technology. The development of oral proficiency is similar in many ways to their
parallel development of English language and literacy, and continues to rely on rich language input in different
modes and from different sources.
Texts and resources
Learners engage primarily with a variety of teachergenerated materials, stories, songs, puppet shows and
games, and with materials produced for young Turkish learners, such as computer language games, cards
and readers. They may also have access to materials developed for children in Turkey and other Turkish
speaking regions of the world, such as television programs, advertisements or web pages, as a means of
broadening cultural knowledge and awareness of diversity of language experience.
Features of Turkish language use
Children’s development of literacy skills progresses from supported comprehension and use of high
frequency and personally significant sight words to understanding and applying basic grammatical features of
the language, such as simple verb tenses and verb moods, for example, recognising question and imperative
forms such as olay ne? Nerede geçti? Neler oldu? Neden oldu? Başla! Başlayabilirsin, Kalk! Kalkabilirsin!
Çabuk gel! They recognise in more detail the relationship between spoken and written language, applying
spelling patterns, the spacing rule and the principles of vowel harmony, for example, to question endings such
as alır mısın? alıyor musun? They use an increasing range of verbs, adjectives and adverbs to describe
actions, places and people, for example, mavi köşkte, Kısa saçlı biriydi, Çok dikkatli yürü and Dün sabah
geldi, simple conjuunctions to link ideas, ve, ile/(y)le, ama, çünkü, and prepositions to indicate direction, for
example, ileride, ortasında, üzerinde, köşesinde, aşağıda, yukarıda, doğu, batı, kuzey, güney. Children
develop metalanguage for talking about language, using terms such as isimler, fiiller, sıfatlar, zarflar, ekler
ismin halleri, zamirler. The development of reading skills and textual knowledge is supported through
interaction with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts, such
as picture books, rhymes, stories, puppet play, songs and games, engage the expressive and cultural
dimensions of language. Procedural, informational and descriptive texts, such as negotiated classroom rules,
tuckshop orders or family and class profiles, show how language is used to ‘get things done’. A balance
between language knowledge and language use is established by integrating focused attention to grammar,
vocabulary building, pronunciation, and nonverbal and cultural dimensions of language use with
communicative and purposeful task activity.
Learning Turkish in school contributes to the process of making sense of the children’s worlds which
characterises this stage of development. Children are increasingly aware that the Turkish language is used
not only in their own community in Australia and in Turkey, but also in many other places around the world. As
they engage consciously with differences between languages and cultures, they make comparisons and
consider differences and possibilities in ways of communicating in different languages. This leads them to
explore concepts of identity and difference, to think about cultural and linguistic diversity, and about what it
means to speak more than one language in the contemporary world.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves continued extensive support. Formfocused activities build children’s
grammatical knowledge and develop accuracy and control in spoken and written Turkish; opportunities to
apply this knowledge in meaningful learning experiences build communicative skills, confidence and fluency.
Tasks are carefully scaffolded: teachers provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts and
resources needed to manage and complete the activity; make time for experimentation, drafting and
redrafting; and provide support for selfmonitoring and reflection.
The role of English
The teacher and learners use Turkish wherever possible in classroom interactions and learning activities.
English is used for discussion, reflection and explanation when appropriate, for example, when considering
the nature and relationship of language and culture, or in tasks that involve bilingual work that includes
comparison and analysis of Turkish and English. Discussion in both languages supports learning, develops
children’s conceptual frames and builds metalanguage for talking about language and culture systems. The
process of moving between languages consolidates their already established sense of what it means to be
bilingual/multilingual, and provides opportunities for reflection on the experience of living interculturally in
intersecting language communities.
Communicating
Socialising
Participate in conversations about themselves and others, everyday routines and events at school and in
their local communities
[Key concepts: self, experience, community; Key processes: interacting, responding, comparing]

Elaborations
sharing information about themselves, such as details of their daily routines, family, friends and things
they like to do, for example, Şarkı söylemey៱� sever៱�m, Akşam k៱�tap okurum, Sabah erken kalkarım, Bazen
kardeş៱�m ៱�le oyun oynarım, Hafta sonunda futbol oynarım. Uyumadan önce d៱�şler៱�m៱� fırçalarım.
Uyandıktan sonra kahvaltı yaparım
asking and responding to questions about themselves and others, such as Kend៱�n៱� tanıtır mısın?
Nerel៱�s៱�n? A៱�len Avustralya’ya nereden geld៱�? Ben Türküm ve Avustralyalıyım. A៱�lem Avustralya’ya
İzm៱�r’den geld៱�
identifying wishes associated with key events in their community, such as Bayramınız kutlu olsun!
Mutluluklar d៱�ler៱�m. Kınan kutlu olsun! El៱�n៱�ze sağlık! Çok yaşa! and responding appropriately to
expressions of wishes such as Bayramınız kutlu olsun! – S៱�z៱�n de, Mutluluklar d៱�ler៱�m! / Kınan kutlu olsun!
– Teşekkür eder៱�m, El៱�n៱�ze sağlık! – Af៱�yet olsun, Çok yaşa! – Sen de gör!
asking and answering questions that involve concepts such as time, place or number, including days of
the week, months and seasons, for example, Saat kaç? Saat 5. Hang៱� mevs៱�mdey៱�z? Kış mevs៱�m៱�ndey៱�z.
Bugün ayın kaçı? Bugün ayın 20’s៱�. Adres៱�n ned៱�r? Adres៱�m...
exchanging simple written forms of correspondence, such as invitations, messages for birthdays,
Mother’s and Father’s Days, religious celebrations and national days, for example, Bayramınız mübarek
olsun! 23 N៱�san Ulusal Egemenl៱�k ve Çocuk Bayramınız kutlu olsun! Anneler günün kutlu olsun!
comparing their preferences, for example, Futbol yer៱�ne ten៱�s oynamak ៱�st៱�yorum, Ben៱�m en sevd៱�ğ៱�m
meyve muzdur. Ben k៱�razı muzdan daha çok sever៱�m.
Participate in shared learning experiences and transactions, such as science experiments, cooking or craft
activities, creating displays or swapping items
[Key concepts: collaboration, learning experiences, transactions; Key processes: negotiating, creating,
transacting]

Elaborations
working together on collaborative activities such as designing posters or menus for special events,
planning puppet shows or creating picture books for ‘buddy’ classes, negotiating and making decisions
about content, vocabulary and design, for example, K៱�m Karagöz olmak ៱�ster? Kuklaları kartondan
yapalım. Doğum günü davet៱�yes៱�n៱� k៱�m yazacak? Ben pastayı get៱�r៱�r៱�m
working with visual, print and digital modes of expression to create texts such as invitations to a party,
performance, class or community event, for example, bayram eğlences៱�, yıl sonu eğlences៱�
composing instructions for simple recipes such as kısır or çoban salatası, using imperative verb forms
such as yıka, doğra, karıştır and language for quantifying ingredients, for example, 3 domates, b៱�r demet
maydanoz, 100 gram peyn៱�r
conducting simple science experiments that involve asking and answering factual questions and
recording basic results
participating in group interactions such as role plays or simple interviews that involve asking and
responding to questions or invitations and providing insights to cultural experience or values, for
example, m៱�saf៱�r ağırlamak, huzurev៱�nde yaşlıları z៱�yaret etmek
participating in real or imagined transactions that involve requesting information, considering options and
buying or selling, for example, Elmanın k៱�losu ne kadar? Bana b៱�r pors៱�yon köfte, yanına da p៱�yaz lütfen
following instructions to create craft, artworks and designs adapted from Türk el sanatları, such as ebru
sanatı, hat sanatı, halıcılık, ç៱�n៱�c៱�l៱�k, for example, boya, kes, katla, yapıştır
Respond to questions, directions and requests from the teacher and each other, and use questions and
statements to ask for help or permission, to attract attention and to rehearse new language
[Key concepts: direction, support, learning experience; Key processes: interacting, responding]

Elaborations
responding to questions concerning topics such as the weather or the day’s schedule, using modelled
language such as Bugün hava nasıl? Bugün hava güneşl៱� ve sıcak! Bugün önce b៱�rl៱�kte b៱�r k៱�tap
okuyacağız, sonra b៱�r oyun oynayacağız
negotiating turns and complimenting their friends, for example, Sen kazandın! Tebr៱�kler! Ş៱�md៱� ben
oynayab៱�l៱�r m៱�y៱�m?
preparing and displaying classroom rules, routines or priorities, such as saygı, nezaket, ៱�şb៱�rl៱�ğ៱�
seeking clarification, attracting attention, asking for help or for something to be repeated, for example,
Anlayamadım, tekrar eder m៱�s៱�n៱�z? Bu kel៱�me nasıl okunur?
responding to directions and instructions when playing games, participating in dances or performances,
preparing for activities and completing work, for example, soldan sağa, sıranı bekle, ger៱� dön, karşılıklı
dur
Informing
Locate and organise information in spoken, written and visual texts relating to personal, social and natural
worlds
[Key concepts: information, natural world, physical world, daily life; Key processes: listening, reading,
identifying, classifying]

Elaborations
obtaining information from each other and their teacher about likes, dislikes and interests, for example,
en sevd៱�ğ៱�n hayvanlar, spor, ya da oyun, and presenting findings in formats such as individual/group
profiles, charts or graphs
recognising key phrases and sentences when viewing/listening to simple community texts such as sports
programs or announcements, for example, Göster៱� saat 7’de başlayacak, Kapılar b៱�r saat sonar açılacak,
Kapıda lütfen b៱�letler៱�n៱�z៱� göster៱�n, spor, takım, sporcular, oyunun kuralları
collating information about aspects of Turkey or Australia from texts such as magazines, brochures or
maps, for example, Türk៱�ye ve Avustralya’nın har៱�tadak៱� konumu, bölgeler៱�, başlıca ៱�ller៱�, ៱�kl៱�m៱�, göller៱�,
neh៱�rler៱� ve dağları
collecting information from texts such as advertisements, catalogues or menus about products, ranges
and prices to create a shared wish list of purchases or future excursions
locating information about children’s social activities in different Turkishspeaking regions of the world,
drawing comparisons with typically Australian activities and things they do in their own local community
context
Convey information about their home, school and community, using simple statements and support
materials such as photos, maps or charts
[Key concepts: information, topic, promotion; Key processes: sharing information, promoting, explaining,
informing]

Elaborations
presenting information to other children in the school or to their families about shared inclass projects,
for example, Okulumuzdak៱� sebze bahçem៱�z, sınıf ៱�ç៱�nde hazırladığımız zorbalığa hayır p៱�yes៱�
creating texts such as flyers, posters or posts on the school website to advertise special events such as
bayram kutlamaları, çokkültürlülük kutlamaları, okul kermes៱�, n៱�neler ve dedeler günü, Avustralya Tem៱�zl៱�k
Günü, Okula Yürüme Günü
presenting information in the form of a class profile, chart or database about each other’s likes, dislikes
or interests that they have collected using checklists, surveys or question cues
providing simple directions and clues in print, spoken or visual formats for activities such as a treasure
hunt or mystery tour, for example, sağa dön, sola dön, ៱�ler៱� g៱�t, düz g៱�t
explaining a favourite computer game, sport or playground game, highlighting key terms and supporting
information with pictures, gestures or demonstrations
creating a class book or digital display about their local environment, making connections with topics they
have been studying in other curriculum areas, for example, Mahallemdek៱� b៱�tk៱�ler: ç៱�çekler, ağaçlar
and/or okul bahçes៱�ndek៱� b៱�tk៱�ler…
presenting information via picture stories or multimodal displays on aspects of their lives that would
interest Turkishspeaking children of their own age in other contexts
Creating
Engage with imaginative texts such as stories, puppet shows, songs or dance, identifying favourite
elements and acting out key events or interactions
[Key concepts: imagination, expression, response; Key processes: responding, interpreting; Key text types:
stories, poems, fables, plays, songs]

Elaborations
using movement, facial expressions and actions to interpret meaning in texts such as Karagöz ve
Hacıvator Nasrett៱�n Hoca, identifying key messages, morals and amusing moments
acting out elements of classic texts narrated by the teacher, such as Ş៱�r៱�n Kız ve Üç Ayı, İk៱� İnatçı Keç៱�,
using facial expressions and actions to mirror emotions and emphasise meaning
participating in group recitals of poems on special occasions such as Mother’s Day, national days,
religious and cultural celebrations
participating in shared and guided reading of texts such as cartoons, poems, fairytales and fables,
responding to questions about characters, ideas and events
responding to words of songs through movement and dance, for example, Ah ben៱�m turnam, Yeş៱�l başlı
turnam ..., Pazara g៱�del៱�m...
responding to traditional songs and folk music such as halay, ç៱�ftetell៱�, S៱�l៱�fke’n៱�n yoğurdu, for example, by
using wooden spoons to mark rhythm and creating and narrating their own versions of the dance
Create simple imaginative texts, such as stories, dialogues, songs or chants, which allow for exploration
and enjoyment of language
[Key concepts: relationship, emotion, expression, rhythm; Key processes: creating, composing, adapting,
presenting]

Elaborations
using puppet characters from traditional texts such as Karagöz ve Hacıvat to create and enact
representations of relationships and experiences from their own worlds
collecting rhyming words and using them to create their own poems on selected topics, such as
mevs៱�mler, m៱�ll៱� bayramlar
composing dialogues between imagined characters in challenging or amusing situations, using
expressions and behaviours that convey emotion or humour and capture elements that are typical of the
context or experience
using models such as the nursery rhyme Komşu komşu to create and present a digital story or scripted
play that uses words and expressions to build rhythm and rhyme
creating simple rhymes, raps or songs that experiment with alliteration, repetition and word play
creating texts to share with younger learners, such as Big Books, comics or Vokis, incorporating
humorous and expressive language
adapting modelled examples of tongue twisters such as Al Şu Taka Tukaları Taka Tukacıya Götür to
experiment with a range of letter combinations and sounds
Translating
Identify common spoken Turkish expressions, words or gestures that translate/do not translate readily into
English and words that are used in both languages
[Key concepts: equivalence, translation; Key processes: comparing, translating, explaining]

Elaborations
translating and comparing familiar Turkish and English expressions, using bilingual and monolingual
dictionaries and identifying those that have no literal translation, such as başın sağolsun, darısı başına,
güle güle kullan, gözün aydın, hoş bulduk, Allahaısmarladık
translating and matching words to describe family members and relatives in Turkish and English, finding
examples of words that have no English equivalents, such as dayı/amca/en៱�şte, hala/yenge/teyze,
ağabey/abla
collecting and classifying words, phrases and expressions in Turkish that also exist in English, such as
TV, radyo, prens, prenses, identifying any differences in meaning or usage, for example, kiosk – köşk,
Ottoman – Osmanlı
playing matching pair games to reinforce Turkish and English words and phrases used in everyday
conversations, for example, ev ៱�le ៱�lg៱�l៱� kel៱�meler, y៱�yecekler, nesneler, haftanın günler៱�, aylar ve
mevs៱�mler, sorting the matched pairs into groups based on equivalence or nonequivalence
identifying expressions, words and phrases in Turkish children’s songs, poems and storybooks which
have no direct English equivalents, using dictionaries to work out ‘best fit’ translations, for example, from
the stories of Hacıvat ve Karagöz, the words sadaka and m៱�rasyed៱� in D៱�lenc៱� Hacıvat, the phrase
avucunu yalamak in Parayı K៱�m Buldu?, the expression Eller៱�n dert görmes៱�n in the children’s song
Postacı
Create simple bilingual texts such as signs, notices or captions for displays for the classroom and wider
school community
[Key concepts: meaning, bilingualism; Key processes: selecting, considering, creating]

Elaborations
building bilingual picture dictionaries, using vocabulary encountered in texts such as school signs and
notices, songs and storybooks
creating and sequencing captions in English for images in Turkish storybooks such as Karagöz ve
Hacıvat, Nasrett៱�n Hoca and Keloğlan
creating bilingual signs, posters, notices and labels in digital and print forms to be displayed in the
classroom and around the school
participating in bilingual story building, rhymes or games, for example, contributing alternating lines in
Turkish and English to a new or reconfigured story
Reflecting
Notice and describe differences and similarities in ways of using language and interacting with people when
communicating in Turkish and in English
[Key concepts: difference, similarity, respect, relationship; Key processes: observing, comparing,
explaining]


Elaborations
explaining to each other why they prefer to use either Turkish or English in particular situations or with
particular people
noticing similarities and differences in how they use Turkish in different contexts such as at home and in
the classroom, for example, using less/more formal language
comparing how people speak or refer to other people in Turkish and English, such as to older relatives,
classmates or teachers, for example, abla, ağabey, amca, teyze, öğretmen៱�m
identifying Australian English terms and expressions that might be difficult to understand for newly arrived
Turkish migrants, for example, ‘bushwalking’, ‘Good on you!’
comparing their impressions of aspects of children’s lives in different Turkishspeaking regions as
represented in video clips, television programs and stories, for example, ways of playing games,
preparing and eating food, telling stories or interacting at school, home or in the community
Explore their individual and group sense of identity and how this is expressed through the different
languages they use
[Key concepts: identity, self, community, membership; Key processes: reflecting, comparing, explaining]

Elaborations
demonstrating gestures or behaviours that they feel ‘belong’ with the Turkish language and are
associated with their sense of identity, comparing with other gestures or behaviours that they identify with
being Australian
talking about the relationship between identity and languages, creating drawings or photo displays that
show their connections with family, friendship groups and communities, with captions of words or phrases
that they particularly associate with each group, such as D៱�n៱� bayramlarda a៱�le ve akraba z៱�yaretler៱�,
Arkadaşlarla oyun oynarken, Huzur ev៱�nde yaşlılara k៱�tap okurken
discussing the importance to their own identity of speaking Turkish with some relatives, friends or
members of the wider Turkishspeaking community
observing themselves and reporting to each other how they use Turkish and English in different contexts
and for different purposes, identifying favourite expressions or gestures in each language
talking about how they feel when using English, Turkish or other languages and whether there are some
things that feel more natural in one language than in the other
Understanding
Systems of language
Understand and apply the principle of vowel harmony, experiment with Turkish pronunciation, intonation
and spelling patterns
[Key concepts: intonation, vowel harmony, pronunciation; Key processes: recognising, applying,
distinguishing]
Elaborations
learning about back (a, ı, o, u) and front (e, ៱�, ö, ü) vowels in Turkish and applying the vowel harmony
rule to highfrequency words
matching root words to suffixes to apply the rule of vowel harmony and to learn about exceptions to the
rule in relation to loan and compound words and to some Turkish words, such as bugün, kardeş and
kalem, which have changed their original forms
learning the pronunciation and spelling of highfrequency words with yumuşak g (soft g) ğ, as in yağmur
and ağaç, understanding that this sound is never used at the beginning of words
learning that Turkish syllables only have one vowel, and that apart from loan words, they never have
vowel sequences; applying this understanding through activities such as creating words by matching
different prefixes and suffixes
understanding spelling patterns, the spacing rule and the application of vowel harmony to question
endings such as alır mısın? alıyor musun?
understanding the use of an apostrophe for separating proper nouns from their inflectional suffixes, as in
Tarık’ın and İstanbul’da, Avustralya’nın
learning about the devoicing and doubling of final consonants, as in k៱�tap – k៱�tabı, kanat–kanadı, sokak
sokağa and g៱�tg៱�tt៱�m, sırsırrım
Understand and use key grammatical forms and structures, such as simple verb tenses, recognising how
grammatical forms and functions are represented through suffixation
[Key concepts: action, description, time; Key processes: recognising, selecting, applying]
Elaborations
describing quantity using cardinal numbers, yüz, ៱�k៱� yüz, üç yüz, b៱�n, and ordinal numbers using the ៱�nc៱�
suffix and its variations, b៱�r៱�nc៱�, ៱�k៱�nc៱�, üçüncü
understanding the function of verb moods, for example, by recognising and using questions to seek
information, such as Olay ne? Nerede geçt៱�? Neler oldu? Neden oldu? Ne zaman oldu? Kahramanlar
k៱�md៱�? and imperative forms such as başla! Başlayab៱�l៱�rs៱�n, Kalk! Kalkab៱�l៱�rs៱�n! Çabuk gel!
using a range of verbs, adjectives and adverbs to describe and elaborate on action, time, places and
people, for example, mav៱� köşkte, Kısa saçlı b៱�r៱�yd៱�, Çok d៱�kkatl៱� yürü and Dün sabah geld៱�
using a range of simple conjunctions to link basic ideas and action, for example, den önce, den sonra,
៱�le/(y)le, ama, çünkü
using simple and compound sentences
using comparatives and superlatives such as en and daha plus çok/az in order to talk about likes, dislikes
and interests
understanding and using (៱�)r, (u)r, (a)r simple present tense suffixes to express habitual actions and
facts, for example, Güneş doğudan doğar, batıdan batar and D៱�şler៱�m៱� fırçalarım, Erken yatarım, Erken
kalkarım
recognising and using simple verb tenses with negation and affirmation suffixes to form sentences such
as b៱�l៱�yorum/b៱�lm៱�yorum, okur/okumaz, uyudu/uyumadı, geleceğ៱�m/gelmeyeceğ៱�m, g៱�tm៱�ş/g៱�tmem៱�ş
understanding and using common interrogative pronouns such as k៱�m, hang៱�, ne, neden, kaç, Bu akşam
b៱�ze saat kaçta gel៱�yor? Doğum günü davet៱�yes៱�n៱� k៱�m yazacak?
identifying exclamations and exploring the range of emotions they express and the contexts in which they
are used, for example, Eyvah! Ya! Öf be!
understanding and using the simple past tense suffix d(៱�), for example, Annem çarşıdan ekmek aldı
understanding and using prepositions to indicate direction, for example, ៱�ler៱�de, ortasında, üzer៱�nde,
köşes៱�nde, aşağıda, yukarıda, doğu, batı, kuzey, güney
developing metalanguage for talking about language, using terms such as ៱�s៱�mler, f៱�៱�ller, sıfatlar, zarflar,
ekler ៱�sm៱�n haller៱�, zam៱�rler
using honorifics, such as Yaşar Amca, Ayşe Teyze
Notice characteristic features of simple spoken, written and multimodal texts that they use in their home
and community and of similar texts in English
[Key concepts: genre, language features; Key processes: identifying, comparing, distinguishing]

Elaborations
recognising features of familiar texts that they interact with at home and in school, such as digital books,
puppet shows, rhymes or children’s songs, for example, how Karagöz ve Hacıvat talk, rhyming words in
the song Küçük Kurbağa
recognising differences between the layout, language features and formats of different types of texts
such as masal, şarkı, ş៱�៱�r, mektup, makale, haber metn៱�
identifying and comparing characteristic elements in texts such as poems or fables, for example, kuklalar
ve gölge oyunları, ş៱�៱�rde kaf៱�ye, d៱�ze ve dörtlük, masallardak៱� ៱�nsanüstü k៱�ş៱�ler ve olaylar
recognising differences between spoken and written versions of texts such as greetings or farewells,
merhaba, hoşça kal; or how güle güle can be used in spoken texts, but Sevg៱�l៱� Ayşe Teyze and görüşmek
d៱�leğ៱�yle would be used in written texts
comparing familiar texts in Turkish and English and noticing features they have in common, for example,
the start of fairytales in English, ‘Once upon a time …’ compared to B៱�r varmış, b៱�r yokmuş, evvel zaman
៱�ç៱�nde ... in Turkish; rhymes, lines and verses in English and Turkish poems
distinguishing between different types of texts based on identified purpose and intended audience, for
example, differences between SMS mesajıtelefon görüşmes៱�, yazılı p៱�yeskukla oyunu, masalfıkra.
Understand that language varies according to factors such as the age, gender and social position of
speakers, and that it involves regional dialects and accents
[Key concepts: variation, status, relationship, standard language; Key processes: noticing, comparing,
differentiating]

Elaborations
understanding that language varies based on the age, gender and social relationships between
speakers, for example, ways of speaking to parents are different to ways of speaking to siblings, lütfen
yapma(yın)/yapmasana!
recognising how language used to greet, apologise and show appreciation with friends, family, elders and
less familiar people varies, for example, the use of first names only in greeting cards to friends compared
to the use of honorifics to older family members or authority figures, such as teyze, amca
noticing how people adapt language when speaking with young children, using expressions such as
beb៱�ş៱�m, c៱�c៱�, and how young children speak differently to adults and to older children, for example, using
the ending c៱�k as in annec៱�ğ៱�m ve babacığım when talking to parents
understanding that Turkish has a standard form spoken in Istanbul and many varieties involving different
accents, dialects and vocabulary spoken in different countries and regions in the world
discussing how accents and dialects vary between different Turkishspeaking communities and different
regions of Turkey
Recognise that languages change over time and that Turkish language is influenced by and also influences
other languages and cultures
[Key concepts: change, influence, time, contact; Key processes: comparing, investigating, identifying]
Elaborations
understanding that Turkish, like all languages, changes over time, for example, in the spelling and
pronunciation of certain words, such as alma/elma, ana/anne, karındaş/kardaş/kardeş, cevap/yanıt,
tab៱�at/doğa
recognising differences in language use across generations, for example, by comparing words and
expressions used by their grandparents and parents, such as sabah şer៱�fler៱�n៱�z hayırlı olsun, with some
of their own expressions, such as günaydın
finding English words used in Turkish, such as web s៱�tes៱�, Tw៱�tter, t៱�şört and bluc៱�n, considering
differences between these and the types of Turkish words used in English
identifying loan words from other languages, for example, tren, doktor, baklava, ç៱�kolata, sıfır, şeker,
t៱�yatro, balkon, discussing why particular kinds of words are more likely to be adopted
Make connections between Turkish language and culture, for example, by identifying words, gestures,
forms of address or expressions that reflect cultural values and practices
[Key concepts: culture, practice, values; Key processes: noticing, discussing, comparing, interpreting]

Elaborations
noticing that languages carry cultural information, for example, by identifying words or expressions used
by friends and family members in Turkish, English or other languages which only ‘work’ in that language,
for example, Güle güle kullan, Af៱�yet olsun, Helal olsun, Eller៱�ne sağlık
finding examples of forms of address or expressions associated with cultural events that reflect Turkish
values and traditions, for example, Dedec៱�ğ៱�m ៱�y៱� bayramlar, Allah kabul ets៱�n
noticing how values such as politeness, affection or respect are conveyed in Turkish, for example, by
comparing interactions in their family and home community with interactions they observe in nonTurkish
speaking families and communities, for example, yavrum, canım, b៱�r tanem, lütfen
recognising that in each culture there are general rules about what to say and do, when, where and with
By the end of Year 4, students interact with the teacher and peers to exchange information about themselves
and others, everyday routines and events at school and in their local Turkish and multilingual communities.
They ask and respond to questions to elicit information about each other, for example, Kendini tanıtır mısın?
Nerelisin? Ailen nereden geldi? Ben Türküm ve Avustralyalıyım. Ailem Avustralya’ya İzmir’den geldi and
identify wishes associated with events in their communities, for example, Bayramınız kutlu olsun! Mutluluklar
dilerim. Kınan kutlu olsun! They compare preferences, for example, Futbol yerine tenis oynamak istiyorum
and exchange simple written forms of social correspondence, such as invitations, messages for birthdays,
Mother’s and Father’s Days, religious celebrations and national days, for example, Bayramınız mübarek
olsun! 23 Nisan Ulusal Egemenlik ve Çocuk Bayramınız kutlu olsun! Anneler günün kutlu olsun!. They use
formulaic expressions to participate in shared tasks, activities and transactional exchanges such as working
together to organise an event, for example, Doğum günü davetiyesini kim yazacak? Ben pastayı getiririm.
They use modelled language to interact in classroom routines, such as responding to questions directions
and requests, for example, Bugün hava nasıl? Bugün hava güneşli ve sıcak! Bugün önce birlikte bir kitap
okuyacağız, sonra bir oyun oynayacağız, asking for help or permission, for example, Anlayamadım, tekrar
eder misiniz? Bu kelime nasıl okunur?, attracting attention and rehearsing new language. When interacting,
they use Turkish pronunciation and intonation and apply the vowel harmony rule to highfrequency words.
Students locate and organise key points of information in different types of spoken, written and visual texts
relating to personal, social and natural worlds and, with the assistance of support materials such as photos
and maps, present information about home, school and community. They respond to imaginative texts by
making simple statements about favourite elements and acting out key events and interactions. They create
simple imaginative texts using formulaic expressions and modelled language. Students use key grammatical
forms and structures, such as verbs, adjectives and adverbs, to describe and elaborate on action, places and
people, for example, mavi köşkte, Kısa saçlı biriydi, Çok dikkatli yürü and Dün sabah geldi and conjunctions to
link ideas. They express facts using simple present and past tense suffixes, and use negation and affirmation
suffixes to form simple sentences, for example, biliyorum/ bilmiyorum, okur/okumaz, uyudu/uyumadı,
geleceğim/gelmeyeceğim, gitmiş/gitmemiş. They translate and compare common Turkish and English
expressions, words or gestures and create simple bilingual texts for the classroom and community. Students
describe similarities and differences in ways of using language and interacting with people when
communicating in Turkish and English, and identify how their individual and group sense of identity is
expressed in the languages they use.
Students identify Turkish sound and writing patterns to pronounce and spell high frequency words. They use
simple metalanguage such as isimler, fiiller, sıfatlar, zarflar, ekler ismin halleri, zamirler to talk about language
. They identify ways that the features of texts differ according to mode and context, and compare Turkish
texts with similar texts in English. They provide examples of how language use varies according to age,
gender and social position, for example, lütfen yapmayın/yapmasana!/yapma!, and identify regional
differences in language use, including dialects and accents. They identify how languages change over time,
providing examples of Turkish words borrowed from other languages such as English and vice versa. They
make connections between Turkish language and culture, identifying culturespecific terms, expressions and
gestures.
Languages Vietnamese
Page 1022 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Languages Vietnamese
Vietnamese How the Subject works
Context statement
The place of the Vietnamese language and culture in
Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam. It is spoken by approximately 90 million people in Vietnam and
approximately four million Vietnamese people living in other countries around the world, with the majority
residing in the United States, Cambodia, France, Taiwan and Australia.
Vietnamese language and culture have evolved and continue to change over time due to processes such as
globalisation and technological change and in responsParagraphe to Vietnam’s geopolitical and historical
position in the world. The lasting influence of historical contact and exchanges between Vietnamese, Chinese
and French people can be seen in the Vietnamese lexicon, for example, SinoVietnamese words (từ Hán Việt)
such as phụ nữ, phi trường and hàng hải, and Vietnamese words of French origin such as cà rốt, xếp and ga
lăng. Chinese allusions (điển tích) are also common in classical Vietnamese literature. Westernisation,
globalisation and technological advances have also enriched the Vietnamese vocabulary, with new words
such as Tây hóa, lai căng, tự do cá nhân, nhật ký điện tử, mạng lưới toàn cầu and điện thoại thông minh.
In Australia the place of Vietnamese culture and language is defined by patterns of migration. The first major
wave of Vietnamese migration to Australia began in the mid1970s with the arrival of large numbers of
refugees following the fall of Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. In more recent years, the vast majority of
Vietnamese migrants have come to Australia through family connections, and there are growing numbers of
skilled migrants. The migrants’ need to maintain Vietnamese identity through language, culture and religion
contributed to the Vietnamese language flourishing in the home and being delivered in afterhours
Vietnamese school settings.
Vietnamese language and culture represent an important part of the linguistic and cultural diversity of
Australia. Vietnamese people have made and continue to make a significant contribution to the development
and enrichment of Australian society in areas such as commerce, agriculture, industry, health, the arts,
education, hospitality, tourism and international relations.
The place of the Vietnamese language in Australian
education
Since the 1990s, the place of the Vietnamese language in Australian education has benefited from expanding
diplomatic and trade relationships between Australia and its Asian neighbours. Since that time, there has
been an increase in the number of students studying Vietnamese in primary and secondary schools and in
afterhours Vietnamese language schools run by Vietnamese community organisations. The dramatic
increase of students studying Vietnamese reflects the growing Vietnamese community in Australia, as well as
government policies supporting multiculturalism.
The nature of Vietnamese language learning
The Australian Curriculum: Languages Vietnamese
The nature of Vietnamese language learning
The modern standard version of Vietnamese is Tiếng Việt. Vietnamese is a tonal language written in the
Roman alphabet with additional diacritics for tones. The tone system is a distinctive characteristic of
Vietnamese phonology; for example, a word may be repeated with any one of six tones to indicate six
different meanings (ma (ghost), má (mother), mà (but/that), mã (horse), mả (grave) and mạ (rice seedling)).
Consequently, pronunciation and intonation play a key role in the learning of Vietnamese, with a clear
correlation between sound and writing systems.
The importance of intercultural awareness in language learning is illustrated by distinctive features of
Vietnamese such as the complex system of personal pronouns, which is vital to building and defining
relationships, with use of the personal pronouns em, anh, chị, cô, ông, bà, con and cháu contingent on the
relationships between speakers in contexts of communication. The frequent use of idioms, proverbs, similes
and metaphors in both daily interactions and literature is another key feature of Vietnamese language use.
The diversity of learners of Vietnamese
The Australian Curriculum: Languages – Vietnamese is pitched to background language learners, the
dominant cohort of learners of Vietnamese in the Australian context.
The background language learner pathway has been developed for students who have been exposed o
Vietnamese language and culture, and who may engage in active but predominantly receptive use of
Vietnamese at home. The range of learners within the Vietnamese background language learner pathway is
diverse, defined for the most part by different waves of migration. Learners may be first, second or third
generation Australians, and their use of Vietnamese may extend beyond the home to involvement in
community organisations and events and to everyday interactions with Vietnamese friends. Other learners
may have been born in Vietnam, where they may have completed some education.
A key dimension of the Australian Curriculum: Languages – Vietnamese involves understanding the
interrelationship between language and culture. The curriculum is designed with an intercultural language
learning orientation to enable students to participate meaningfully in language and cultural experiences, to
develop new ways of seeing and being in the world from a bilingual perspective, and to understand more
Languages Vietnamese
Page 1025 of 1359

Vietnamese Years F–10 Sequence
Children enter the early years of schooling with varying degrees of early literacy capability in Vietnamese
and/or English. For young students, learning typically focuses on their immediate world of family, home,
school, friends and neighbourhood. They are learning how to socialise with new people in settings outside the
home, share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school.
Vietnamese language learning and use
Vietnamese is learnt in parallel with English language and literacy, with each supporting and enriching the
other. Vietnamese is used at home and in familiar Vietnamesespeaking settings, and in classroom
interactions, routines and activities, supported by the use of materials and resources, gestures and body
language. At this stage, there is a focus on play, imaginative activities, games, music, dance and familiar
routines, which provide scaffolding for language development. Repetition and consolidation help learners to
identify familiar and new words and simple phrases, and to recognise the purpose of simple texts. Learners
use Vietnamese for functions such as greeting, asking and answering questions (for example, Em chào
thầy/cô. Chào bạn. Bạn tên là gì? Tôi tên là Mai), responding to instructions (for example, Các em ngồi
xuống. Mở vở ra đọc với cô), and taking turns in games and simple shared tasks. There is a natural transition
from spoken to written language. Learners use a variety of cues, including images, context and frequently
used word patterns, to comprehend texts and to communicate.
The primary contexts for interaction in Vietnamese are the immediate environments of home and the
classroom. Learners use Vietnamese to interact with each other and the teacher within the learning
environment at school and with immediate family members at home. The use of information and
communication technologies (ICT) enriches the learning of Vietnamese language and culture by providing
alternative experiences, a range of resources, and opportunities to access authentic language in different
contexts.
Texts and resources
Learners engage with a variety of spoken, written and visual texts such as children’s songs and nursery
rhymes, stories from Big Books, plays and interactive resources. Writing skills progress from identifying the
alphabet and tone markers to tracing, labelling and copying letters, and then to constructing simple, short
texts using familiar vocabulary.
Features of Vietnamese language use
Learners become familiar with how the sounds and tones of the Vietnamese language are represented in
words and symbols. They practise pronunciation through activities such as singing Vietnamese folk songs
(đồng dao, ca dao), and experiment with sounds, single vowels, consonants, syllables, simple phrases and
sentences relating to pictures, objects and actions, for example, M cho mẹ, má, mèo, mua and H cho hoa
hồng, hát, học. Đây là cái nhà. Em bé đang ngủ. They learn to recognise the letters of the Vietnamese
alphabet and tone markers, making comparisons with the English alphabet, and write letters, words and
simple sentences, for example, Con thích ăn cơm. They share similarities and differences between the ways
they communicate in Vietnamese and English, and begin to recognise how language use changes according
to speakers and context.
Level of support
The classroom is a new context for communication, where learners rely on the teacher to assist their learning.
The teacher uses scaffolding, modelling, cueing, monitoring, feedback and encouragement to support
learning experiences. Multiple and varied sources of input and stimulus are provided, for example, bilingual
Big Books and picture books, subtitled cartoons and video programs, realia, objects, maps, charts and
gestures.
The role of English
Vietnamese is used as the medium for class interaction and to demonstrate and model new language
acquisition. English may be used to explain features of language and aspects of culture. Both English and
Vietnamese may be used when learners communicate about similarities and differences between Vietnamese
and other languages and cultures and reflecting on how they communicate and behave in Vietnamese and
Englishspeaking contexts.
Communicating
Socialising
Interact with peers and the teacher by introducing themselves and expressing needs, wishes, likes and
dislikes
[Key concepts: belonging, preferences; Key processes: greeting, expressing preferences]
(ACLVIC106 Scootle )

Elaborations
greeting and farewelling peers and the teacher using appropriate terms of address, gestures and body
language, for example, Em chào thầy/cô. Chào bạn. Tạm biệt
introducing themselves and asking questions to initiate interactions, for example, Chào bạn, tôi tên là
Lan. Còn bạn? Bạn tên (là) gì? Tôi bảy tuổi. Còn bạn, bạn mấy tuổi? Bạn có khỏe không?
using simple statements to describe themselves and express likes and dislikes, for example, Tôi tên là
Lan. Tôi sáu tuổi. Tôi thích ăn phở, and needs, for example, Tôi muốn uống nước
expressing thanks, for example, Cảm ơn bạn, offering wishes, for example, Chúc bạn sinh nhật vui vẻ,
and apologising (Xin lỗi)
Participate in guided group activities such as songs, rhymes, games and transactions, using modelled
repetitive language
[Key concepts: play, performance, action learning; Key processes: giving and following instructions, active
listening, speaking]

Elaborations
making simple requests using Làm ơn and expressing thanks with Cảm ơn
participating in songs, rhymes and chants by using repetitive language and actions, for example, Kìa con
bướm vàng, Tết đến rồi, Rước đèn tháng Tám
participating in traditional and contemporary games (for example, Tập tầm vông) or activities that involve
taking turns, making choices or swapping items, for example, forming groups using numbers or colours
for activities such as telling the time or counting or memory games (for example, Mấy giờ rồi ông sói ơi?)
Interact in classroom routines and activities by responding to questions, following instructions and asking
for permission
[Key concepts: roles, routines; Key processes: following instructions, listening, observing]

Elaborations
using Vietnamese for everyday classroom routines such as roll call (Dạ, Dạ có or Em chào thầy/cô)
responding with appropriate actions to the teacher’s simple instructions, such as Các em ngồi xuống. Em
hãy mở vở ra. Đọc chung với thầy/cô nhé, or following instructions to locate items, for example, trên,
dưới, trong, ngoài, ở giữa
asking for permission, for example, Thưa cô cho em đi vệ sinh. Bạn làm ơn cho tôi đi qua
responding to the teacher’s instructions and questions in class activities, using modelled language such
as Em có hiểu không? Dạ, em hiểu
using contextappropriate language to show politeness when interacting with the teacher, for example,
Thưa cô, Thưa thầy, Dạ, có. Vâng ạ. Xin lỗi cô em tới trễ. Xin phép cô cho em vào lớp
Informing
Identify key words and specific information related to their personal world in simple spoken, written,digital
and visual texts
[Key concept: personal world; Key processes: listening, viewing, identifying, locating]

Elaborations
identifying familiar words or concepts related to familiar people, for example, Ðây là ba. Ðây là mẹ và chị,
or everyday objects, for example, Đây là cái nhà. Đây là cái cổng. Đây là chiếc xe
viewing and/or listening to familiar texts such as posters, songs and short films to locate key words, for
example, bìa tranh minh họa, truyện tranh, từ điển bằng hình, trò chơi xếp hình, học vần tiếng Việt
demonstrating comprehension of words and short sentences in familiar texts by pointing, labelling,
matching, clicking and dragging, drawing and miming
using contextual and visual cues to identify main points when participating in shared reading of print and
digital texts
Share information about self, family, school and friends, using modelled sentence structures and
illustrations to support meaning
[Key concepts: self, family, school, friends; Key processes: describing, presenting]

Elaborations
labelling or naming classroom items and resources or personal possessions
describing self and the immediate environment, such as by writing or reading aloud captions to own
photos, using simple sentences, familiar vocabulary and visual, concreate and digital supports, for
example, Đây là tôi. Tôi là con trai. Đây là gia đình tôi. Đây là bạn thân của tôi
annotating pictures or photos using digital technologies and modelled language to describe people and
objects, for example, Cái nhà cũ. Cái áo mới
conveying aspects of their knowledge of their Vietnamese heritage, for example, by sharing a family
story, photo or object from Vietnam
Creating
Participate in shared reading, viewing of or listening to imaginative texts and respond through miming,
acting, matching pictures with text or answering questions
[Key concepts: imagination, response; Key processes: participating, listening, matching]

Elaborations
listening to, reading or viewing familiar Vietnamese imaginative texts such as stories (Mười hai con giáp),
rhymes (Thằng Bờm), and cartoons in digital form, participating in a collaborative retelling of the text
using prompts such as objects, pictures or cutouts, and sequencing pictures to show the correct order of
events
responding to spoken, or print and imaginative texts in digital modes through playacting, illustrating and
movement
drawing their favourite character or scene from rhymes, songs or stories, such as Thỏ và rùa, Cô bé
quàng khăn đỏ, and describing their favourite character, for example, Con thích con (rùa/ thỏ) vì nó
(chăm chỉ/lười biếng). Con không thích con (chó sói) vì nó (dữ tợn)
responding to questions about imaginative texts, for example, Câu chuyện này xảy ra ở đâu/nói về điều
gì? Trong truyện này gồm có những ai/các con vật nào? Chuyện gì xảy ra? Kết thúc ra sao?
Create and perform simple imaginative texts such as chants, songs and stories, using familiar language
and nonverbal forms of expression
[Key concepts: performance, expression; Key processes: experimenting, labelling, captioning]


Elaborations
composing and performing rhymes, songs or stories, illustrating meaning through the use of nonverbal
forms of expression such as clapping, gestures and facial expressions
creating a narrative through a photo story or animation by sequencing a series of pictures with captions
or by creating a storyboard with labels, using modelled language, for example, Ngày xửa ngày xưa, trong
một khu rừng/ngôi làng… có một gia đình/em bé
creating and presenting own Big Books or digital texts based on imagined scenarios in familiar contexts
expressing an experience through a puppet play or dramatic performance
Translating
Translate and interpret familiar Vietnamese words, phrases and expressions
[Key concepts: language, meaning; Key process: translating]

Elaborations
interpreting/translating greetings and other learnt words and phrases from Vietnamese into English, for
example, cảm ơn (thanks), tạm biệt (goodbye), chào (hello), xin lỗi (sorry)
sharing familiar Vietnamese phrases and expressions with friends and interpreting their meaning, for
example, Ngày mai gặp lại. Em tên gì? Em tên (là) Nam. Em bao nhiêu tuổi? Em bảy tuổi. Không có
chi/gì
using Vietnamese and English to name familiar objects and conduct simple conversations, translating
when necessary to help others understand
playing matching games with Vietnamese and English words from Big Books and picture books in print or
digital form
Create bilingual texts in both Vietnamese and English for the immediate learning environment such as
labels, captions, wall charts and other resources
[Key concepts: representation, equivalence; Key processes: labelling, captioning]

Elaborations
creating bilingual identity cards that contain personal information, for example, Đây là tôi. Tôi có mắt màu
đen. Tôi có tóc ngắn/‘This is me. I have brown eyes. I have short hair’
creating parallel cards (in English and Vietnamese) and playing matching games such as Memory or
Snap
creating bilingual resources such as illustrated Vietnamese–English and English–Vietnamese wall charts
or online flashcards for classroom use
creating bilingual captions in Vietnamese and English for a photographic display for the classroom about
a class event or experience such as a sports day, multicultural day or school camp
making and displaying labels in Vietnamese and English for classroom objects
Reflecting
Share opinions and ways of behaving when using Vietnamese in home and school contexts
[Key concepts: identity, membership; Key processes: identifying, comparing]

Elaborations
identifying the significance of particular gestures in Vietnamesespeaking contexts, noticing own level of
comfort with these, for example, making or not making eye contact when talking to older people
discussing one another’s ways of communicating and their appropriateness in Vietnamese contexts, such
as different ways of showing politeness, for example, when making requests (giùm, làm ơn), thanking
someone (cảm ơn nhiều, cảm ơn), bending when passing people, folding arms and/or nodding while
greeting people
sharing with peers what it is like to use Vietnamese, for example, when singing a song in class, speaking
Vietnamese with friends or family members, and using gestures, such as bowing when they say Con
chào ba mẹ. Cháu chào ông bà
Identify themselves as members of different groups, including the Vietnamese class, the school, their family
and the community, describing their roles within these groups
[Key concepts: self, roles, belonging; Key processes: recognising, connecting, describing]

Elaborations
listing various groups that they belong to, for example, family, school, class or clubs, and reflecting on
themselves as a member of these groups and the role they play in each one
identifying themselves as belonging to a particular cultural and/or language group, for example, ‘my
Vietnamese class’, ‘my Vietnamese school’ and ‘my community’, or ‘I speak Vietnamese’ (Tôi biết tiếng
Việt)
reflecting on how their own identity as a person who knows more than one language influences the role
they play in various groups
eliciting and giving information that signals identity in different contexts such as home and school,
including age and appearance, class and school, for example, compiling a personal profile consisting of
their Vietnamese name, age and animal sign, using simple words and modelled statements, such as Em
tên (là) Nguyễn Hoàng Nam. Em bảy tuổi. Em học lớp hai. Em tuổi con heo
Understanding
Systems of language
Recognise the sounds and tones of spoken Vietnamese, and notice how they are represented in words and
symbols
[Key concepts: sound systems, writing systems; Key process: recognising]
(ACLVIU117 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying the 29 letters of the Vietnamese alphabet by their names and sounds as well as the five tone
markers
letters that are similar in the English alphabet but produce different sounds in Vietnamese, for example, e
and i, d and đ
phrases
noticing that Vietnamese is a tonal language, and that pitch changes affect the meaning of words
understanding that although Vietnamese and English use the same alphabet there are additional
symbols/markers that create more letters in Vietnamese
developing familiarity with similarities and differences in Vietnamese sound–letter correspondence, such
as a, ă, â; e, ê; o, ô, ơ; u, ư; as well as c and k, i and y, s and x, and ch and tr
noticing that the same word with different tone markers has different meanings, for example, ma, mà,
má, mả, mã and mạ
exploring Vietnamese spelling strategies such as grouping words according to initial letters that represent
particular sounds, for example, h (hoa hồng, hát, học) or m (mẹ, má, mèo)
using single and consonant clusters, vowels and vowel clusters with tone markers to form and spell
words, for example, ta, la, tha, nga
recognising and using lower and upper case letters
Understand some first elements of Vietnamese grammar, such as personal pronouns, frequently used
nouns, adjectives, verbs and prepositions, and basic rules of word order in simple sentences
[Key concepts: syntax, vocabulary; Key process: recognising]

Elaborations
noticing that there are multiple forms of personal pronouns in Vietnamese compared to English, for
example, con, cháu, em, tôi, mình, anh, chị versus ‘I’ and ‘you’
using common adjectives such as to, nhỏ, cũ, mới, ngắn and dài to describe people, animals and objects,
noticing that nouns come before adjectives, for example, áo xanh
using common verb forms, for example, ăn, uống, chơi, ngủ, đọc, nghe, viết, hỏi, trả lời, nói, thích
recognising common prepositions relating to location, for example, trong, ngoài, trên, dưới, ở giữa
using vocabulary relating to time, such as days of the week (thứ Hai, thứ Ba, thứ Tư), months of the year
(tháng Giêng/tháng Một, tháng Hai, tháng Tư, tháng Chạp/Mười hai) and ‘o’clock time’ (một giờ, hai giờ)
developing vocabulary knowledge relating to the school context, for example, cái bảng, lớp học, giờ ra
chơi, ăn trưa, sân chơi, cổng trường, thư viện
recognising basic structures of closed and openended questions, for example, Em thích nghe truyện cổ
tích không? Tại sao em thích truyện ‘Cô bé quàng khăn đỏ’?
using some question words in familiar contexts, for example, ai, cái gì, ở đâu, bao nhiêu
recognising word order in simple sentences, noticing that the subject is placed before the predicate, for
example, Em + đi học
Explore different types of familiar texts, such as captions, labels, songs, rhymes and fairy tales, noticing
similarities and differences between text types
[Key concept: familiar texts; Key process: recognising]

Elaborations
examining different types of texts, such as signs, songs, captions, stories and dialogues, noticing that
they can be short or long, spoken, written, digital, visual or multimodal
sharing ideas about the purpose of different texts, such as a class timetable (to show the sequence of
lessons) or a story (to describe past events)
exploring similar text types in Vietnamese and English, for example, songs, street signs or labels on
goods at a market, and noticing ways in which they are similar or different
naming different types of familiar texts (story, poem, song) and discussing how they work, for example,
using the story starter Ngày xưa, hồi đó, lâu lắm rồi; or rhyming or repeating words in songs, such as
quác quác quác, quạc quạc quạc in the song ‘Một con vịt’
Recognise that there are variations in the way Vietnamese speakers greet and address different people
[Key concept: register; Key process: recognising]

Elaborations
recognising that greetings and terms of address in Vietnamese vary according to participants, for
example, bowing the head or saying dạ/thưa/kính thưa when interacting with elderly people
noticing how language varies according to the relationship between the speakers and the context of
communication, for example, the influence of relationships on the choice of personal pronouns (con chào
mẹ, cháu chào ông bà, em chào cô, em chào anh)
recognising that there can be different terms of address for the same person depending on their age and
relationship with the speaker, for example ông, bà, bác, cô, chú, anh, chị, em…
Recognise that Australia is a multilingual society and that Vietnamese is one of the major community
languages in Australia
[Key concept: language power; Key processes: understanding, recognising, comparing]

Elaborations
exploring and naming different languages that they have encountered in everyday life, for example,
languages of their parents, grandparents, neighbours or classmates

Understand that the ways in which people use language reflect their cultures, and relate to where and how
they live and what is important to them
[Key concepts: language, culture, identity; Key processes: understanding, noticing]

Elaborations
identifying gestures, words and phrases that reflect aspects of Vietnamese culture, for example, folding
arms, using both hands to offer something, and saying dạ, thưa, vâng ạ to show respect
identifying elements of Vietnamese cultural representation, such as flags, sporting emblems or cultural
items (for example, áo dài, nón lá and xíchlô) in paintings or pictures of landscapes, folk tales or movies,
and making comparisons with those of other cultures
exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, recognising that it involves visible elements such as ways of eating, for
example, how and why Vietnamese people use chopsticks and spoons instead of knives and forks (Ở
nhà em ăn bằng đũa), and invisible elements such as how people live, what they value, and how they
think about themselves and others
discussing how and why gestures can be interpreted differently in different cultures, for example, using
the fingers to beckon to others is considered appropriate in some cultures but impolite in Vietnamese
culture
By the end of Year 2, students interact with the teacher and peers through actionrelated talk and play. They
introduce themselves and others, and express thanks, likes and dislikes, needs and wishes, for example, Tôi
tên là Lan. Cảm ơn bạn. Tôi thích/ không thích … Tôi muốn ăn cơm. Chúc bạn sinh nhật vui vẻ. They use
modelled repetitive language when participating in games and shared activities, and interact in classroom
routines by responding to questions, following instructions and asking for permission, for example, Dạ, em
xong rồi. Các em hãy đọc theo cô. Thưa cô cho em đi uống nước. When interacting, they use the sounds and
tones of Vietnamese and distinguish between questions, such as Ai? Ở đâu? Khi nào? Có … không?, and
commands, for example, Đứng lên. They identify information and key words, such as names of people, for
example, cô An, bạn Hải; places, for example, trường, lớp; or objects, for example, cái bàn; and convey
information about themselves and their family, friends and school using modelled sentences and illustrations.
They respond to imaginative experiences through miming, acting, and answering questions, and create and
perform simple imaginative texts using familiar language and nonverbal forms of expression. Students use
familiar vocabulary related to the classroom and home environment. They use simple sentences with
appropriate word order to communicate information about themselves, for example, Tôi bảy tuổi, their family
and the classroom, for example, Đây là gia đình tôi/ lớp tôi. Students translate frequently used words and
simple phrases and create simple bilingual texts for the immediate learning environment. They describe the
experience of using Vietnamese and identify their roles as members of different groups, including the
Vietnamese class and their family and community.
Students identify the sounds and tones of the Vietnamese language in words and symbols. They identify
similarities and differences between different types of familiar texts. They provide examples of the different
titles and greetings that are used to address people in different situations. Students name some of the many
languages used in Australia, identifying Vietnamese as one of the major community languages. They identify
how the ways in which people use language reflect where and how they live and what is important to them.
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social worlds and of their membership of various
groups, including the Vietnamese class and community. They are further developing literacy capabilities in
both Vietnamese and English, as well as biliteracy capabilities. They benefit from multimodal, activitybased
Vietnamese language learning and use
Learners interact with family and the wider Vietnamesespeaking community, and at school with their peers
and the teacher in a variety of communicative activities. Specific languagelearning skills such as memory and
communication strategies are developed. Learners primarily engage in a variety of listening and viewing
activities, and understand familiar stories, songs and poems. They use Vietnamese in everyday interactions
such as seeking advice, asking for help and clarifying information or ideas, for example, Thưa cô, chữ ‘Việt’
đánh vần thế nào ạ? Làm ơn giúp tôi trả lời câu này. Thưa cô ‘lễ phép’ là gì ạ? They participate in discussions
such as sharing information about their routines and leisure activities, and their feelings about themselves and
their home, friendships and interests. They explore Vietnamese language and culture through
experimentation with Vietnamese rhymes (đồng dao, vè) and proverbs (tục ngữ). They listen to and view
children’s songs, music performances, television shows and films, and use their imagination to create simple
texts such as songs, dialogues and stories. They understand the function of basic grammatical features and
sentence structure, and apply this understanding when describing actions, people and objects in simple texts
such as messages, notes and emails to friends and relatives.
The contexts in which students interact in learning and using Vietnamese are primarily the classroom, school
and home. They have access to wider communities of Vietnamese speakers and resources through outof
classroom activities and the use of virtual and digital technology. They work both independently and
cooperatively, further developing their sense of personal as well as group identity, and of the cultural and
intercultural significance of family relationships.
Texts and resources
Learners develop biliteracy skills through interacting with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal
texts. Texts such as recipes, weather reports and family profiles show how language is used in different ways
and for different purposes.
Features of Vietnamese language use
Learners explore Vietnamese sounds and spelling strategies to further develop their speaking and writing
skills and initial understanding of their developing biliteracy. They compare the formation of Vietnamese and
English nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and prepositions to extend their vocabulary, and use simple
sentences to provide information about places (Nhà tôi ở gần trường học), people (Mẹ tôi có mái tóc dài),
events (Hôm qua là Tết Trung thu) and time (Tôi đi ngủ lúc 9 giờ tối). They begin to develop a metalanguage
for understanding and discussing language features, and make connections and comparisons between such
features in English and Vietnamese. Comparing the structures and patterns of Vietnamese with those of
English helps learners understand both languages, assisting in the development of their biliteracy skills.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support through scaffolding. Teachers model what is expected,
introduce language concepts and resources needed to manage and complete tasks, and make time for
experimentation, drafting and redrafting, providing support for selfmonitoring and reflection. Support includes
a range of spoken, written, visual and interactive resources, such as puppet plays, songs, video clips and
digital games.
The role of English
Learners use Vietnamese in classroom routines, social interactions, learning tasks and language
experimentation and practice. Vietnamese and English are used for discussion, explanation and reflection, as
learners become aware of the interdependence of Vietnamese language and culture and make comparisons
with other languages and cultures. They discuss and begin to explore connections between culture and
language use, and the significance of certain traditions and practices, for example, the use of ông, bà, ba,
mẹ, anh or chị to address older people or siblings in Vietnamese rather than addressing them by their first
names as in English.
Communicating
Socialising
Share with peers and the teacher information and experiences relating to self, family and friends
[Key concepts: self, family, friends; Key processes: exchanging, describing]

Elaborations
sharing personal information and asking questions to initiate conversations, for example, Tôi tuổi con
mèo. Bạn tuổi con gì? Gia đình tôi có năm người. Còn gia đình bạn có mấy người?
answering questions to provide information about self, family and friends using full sentences, for
example, Gia đình em có mấy người? Gia đình em có bốn người. (not Bốn người) Áo (của) em màu gì?
Áo em màu đỏ (not Đỏ)
using simple descriptive statements to share information about themselves, for example, Tôi có tóc ngắn
màu đen. Tôi thích màu xanh dương và xanh lá cây. Tôi có thể chạy nhanh nhưng không biết bơi
participating in simple spoken exchanges with peers about daily routines, for example, Bạn ở đâu? Bạn đi
đến trường bằng gì?, and personal interests, for example, Tôi thích chơi đá banh. Còn bạn thích môn thể
thao nào?
asking and answering questions related to time, place, number, days of the week, months and seasons,
for example, Hôm nay là thứ mấy? Mùa này là mùa gì?
Participate in collaborative tasks that involve planning and simple transactions
[Key concept: collaboration; Key processes: participating, contributing, transacting]

Elaborations
working together in collaborative tasks and sharing decisions about content, vocabulary and design, for
example, designing a poster for a special event or creating a shared online photo album with narration of
a class event
following procedures and instructions for shared activities, for example, making MidAutumn lanterns and
paper cranes, or following simple recipes such as lemonade or jelly, using imperative verbs (lấy, cắt, đổ,
rửa) and vocabulary for ingredients and quantities (nước quả, trái, bột, một lít, một kílô)
planning, rehearsing and producing a performance such as a song or dance for school assembly, and
interacting with guest speakers or classroom visitors during special occasions such as multicultural
festivals or Harmony Day
participating in short roleplays and games that involve taking turns, active listening, memory and
information exchange
Participate in everyday classroom activities by seeking clarification, advice and help from others
[Key concept: participation; Key processes: advising, requesting]

Elaborations
attracting attention to ask for assistance, for example, Thưa cô, em không hiểu. Thầy/cô làm ơn sửa bài
giúp em
seeking advice and help from others, for example, Thưa cô, bài này làm thế nào ạ? Bạn giúp mình trả lời
câu này với
using appropriate language to seek clarification, such as asking for something to be repeated, for
example, Xin thầy nhắc lại, or asking how to say or write a word or expression, for example, Thưa cô,
chữ ‘tiếng Việt’ viết thế nào ạ? Thưa thầy, câu này tiếng Việt nói thế nào ạ?
Informing
Locate and organise information relating to familiar contexts from a range of spoken, written, digital and
visual texts
[Key concepts: routines, pastimes; Key processes: identifying, listening, viewing, reading, organising]

Elaborations
gathering and organising information about others’ activities and interests, for example, surveying peers
on weekend or daily activities and tabulating the results
listening to short spoken texts with some unfamiliar language, such as a recorded phone message, and
identifying key points of information, for example, the name of the person calling, their contact details and
the gist of the message
collecting and sorting information from a range of texts in multimodal and digital forms about people,
objects or animals, for example, constructing a table that sorts animals into those they like and those
they don’t like and gives reasons for preferences (Tôi thích con gà vì nó cho mình trứng, thịt và lông. Tôi
không thích con rắn vì nó cắn đau)
Present information relating to familiar contexts in modelled spoken, written and visual texts in different
modes, including digital and multimodal
[Key concepts: time, home, neighbourhood; Key processes: presenting, selecting]

Elaborations
gathering information from a range of sources and reporting it in a different mode, for example,
captioned photographs, drawings and posters sharing information orally about routines and interests, for
example, giving a short speech about their daily life at home or their favourite songs or movies
presenting information about familiar topics using modelled language, such as a recount of a recent
school excursion or a set of instructions on pet care
conveying information about school and community events in written and multimodal texts, such as
annotated posters or digital storyboards, through scaffolding and guidance
reporting information to others, for example, presenting the results of a class survey on likes and dislikes
in relation to food and drink or leisure activities through a picture graph with annotations (Nhiều bạn trong
lớp mình thích ăn phở. Có 12 bạn thích ăn chả giò. Có vài bạn thích chơi quần vợt)
Creating
Respond to imaginative texts such as fables, folk tales, songs and stories by identifying favourite elements
and making simple statements about settings, characters and events
[Key concepts: setting, ideas, character, event; Key processes: responding, identifying]

Elaborations
reading, viewing and listening to a range of fiction texts such as short stories, children’s fables
(phim/truyện ngụ ngôn) and folk tales (truyện cổ tích), and retelling or summarising the basic plot and
making statements about the setting and main characters using descriptive language
creating a timeline of the main events of a story using words, pictures or simple sentences
performing a scene from a text such as a Vietnamese folk tale, for example, Tấm Cám, Hằng Nga và
Hậu Nghệ, using modelled language
discussing personal responses to imaginative texts, providing short statements about favourite elements
such as characters, settings or events
Create and perform imaginative texts such as captions, chants, raps, dialogues and stories, using formulaic
expressions, modelled and visual supports
expressions, modelled language and visual supports
[Key concepts: imagination, experience; Key processes: creating, performing]

Elaborations
expressing own ideas and imagined experiences in texts such as short stories, using modelled language
creating and performing simple imaginative texts such as action songs, dialogues or plays, using
gestures, movements and facial expressions to enhance characterisation or effect
creating an alternative version of a story, using pictures or online slideshows and photo albums, favourite
characters, formulaic expressions and modelled language, for example, Hồi đó, lâu lắm rồi, một ngày nọ,
một hôm, có một cậu bé/anh chàng
Translating
Translate and interpret words and expressions in simple Vietnamese and English texts, noticing similarities
and differences or nonequivalence of words and expressions
[Key concept: equivalence; Key process: comparing translations]

Elaborations
identifying words and expressions in Vietnamese and English that do not readily translate, for example,
phở, bánh chưng, áo dài, ‘bushwalking’, ‘the outback’
examining texts, including digital and multimodal texts, to identify how the meaning of words changes
according to context, for example, a common Vietnamese homonym such as đá, which may mean ‘to
kick’, ‘stone’ or ‘ice’ (as in trà đá); or the personal pronouns ‘I’ and ‘you’ in English, which can be
translated as ông, bà, cô, chú, anh, chị, em, con or cháu in Vietnamese
noticing the diverse ways in which meaning is conveyed in Vietnamese and English, and differentiating
between wordbyword translation and intended meaning, for example, Chúc (ông bà) sống lâu trăm tuổi
(‘I wish you long life’) and Chúc cháu bé ngoan ăn, chóng lớn (‘I hope the baby eats well and grows fast’)
translating signs or phrases in familiar contexts from Vietnamese into English, for example, street signs,
addresses and food labels, noting that some signs or symbols are universal, for example, the ‘Stop’ and
‘Peace’ signs, and the wifi and Olympic symbols
Create simple bilingual texts such as signs or notices, digital picture dictionaries and word banks for the
classroom and the school community
[Key concept: representation; Key processes: selecting, translating]


Elaborations
creating bilingual resources for use in the classroom or school, for example, digital picture dictionaries
and word lists, glossaries, or signs for the school environment
creating simple Vietnamese captions to accompany storybooks in English, such as Chú sâu đói bụng
(The Very Hungry Caterpillar), and reading them to younger students
alternating between Vietnamese and English versions of games such as Mấy giờ rồi ông sói ơi?/What
Time is it, Mr Wolf? and Oẳn tù tì, ra cái gì, ra cái này/Rock, Paper, Scissors
creating handmade or digital greeting cards in both Vietnamese and English for different celebrations
and traditions
Reflecting
Reflect on their experiences as Vietnamese background speakers when interacting in English and
Vietnamese, identifying differences in language use and behaviours
[Key concepts: culture, language, behaviour; Key processes: examining, connecting]

Elaborations
comparing their interactions in Vietnamese and English, noticing different behaviours and language used,
for example, using appropriate personal pronouns and adding the sound ơi after the names of family
members and friends to attract the person’s attention or show affection (Mẹ ơi, Hoa ơi), compared with
addressing friends in English by their first name (Chị ơi, ra đây chơi với em/Lan)
describing elements of Vietnamese language that are different to English, including pronunciation,
gestures and facial expressions, and sharing what they find difficult or awkward when using each
language
developing language for describing experiences of intercultural exchange in different contexts, for
example, Tôi thích nói tiếng Việt ở nhà hơn ở trường
Explore their own sense of identity, including elements such as family, background, experiences, and ways
of using language in Vietnamese and Englishspeaking contexts
[Key concepts: communication, identity; Key processes: reflecting, adjusting]

Elaborations
discussing the groups they belong to, including their family and Vietnamese cultural and language
groups, and reflecting on how membership of these groups affects their own sense of identity
creating texts that express their identity, including as a member of different cultural and/or language
groups, for example, their name in English and/or Vietnamese, their age in Vietnam and Australia (Mai
lên chín, tuổi ta. Mai mới tám tuổi tây)
mapping their personal profile by creating a chart, timeline or web document to highlight significant
experiences or events, for example, marking an event when they identified as Vietnamese, such as
Lunar New Year (Tết Nguyên đán)
noticing how they communicate with one another, their family, teachers and other adults, identifying
differences in behaviour in different contexts and with different people, and suggesting reasons for these
differences
Understanding
Systems of language
Experiment with pronunciation and spelling of Vietnamese vowels, consonants and tone markers
[Key concepts: pronunciation, spelling; Key processes: listening, distinguishing, applying]

Elaborations
identifying similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English pronunciation, and adapting
learnt spelling strategies from one language to the other
exploring the Vietnamese sound system and making connections between letters, sounds and tone
markers in words, for example, adding or changing tone markers to form new words (co, cò, có, cỏ, cọ)
recognising common Vietnamese sounds in words, for example, nguyên âm đôi, and using spelling
strategies to identify and produce words that have the same sounds, for example, ao: áo, táo, vào and
ơi: chơi, với, tới
analysing sounds such as diphthongs and triphthongs (nguyên âm đôi và nguyên âm ba) and rhyming
patterns (vần điệu) when listening to Vietnamese songs, and grouping words according to their
pronunciation and sounds, for example, uơi: cười, tươi, người and iên: liền, miền, điền, tiền
developing and applying spelling strategies when writing frequently used words and more difficult words,
for example, ưa, mưa, đưa, chưa, and forming new words, for example, cái, mái, lái, thái, trái
Develop knowledge of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs to describe actions, people and objects, and
express possession
[Key concepts: verb forms, adjectives; Key processes: noticing, applying]

Elaborations
exploring different types of nouns such as common nouns (bàn, tủ, mèo, chó), proper nouns (Hoa, Hải,
Việt Nam), single nouns (gà, bò, bàn), and compound nouns (đất nước, nhà trường, học sinh)
expressing possessive cases by using của + noun/pronoun, for example, con mèo/cái bàn/căn phòng
của tôi, cây thước/cái áo của bạn, and noticing cases when của can be omitted, for example, ba tôi, mẹ
tôi, bạn tôi, nhà tôi, phòng ba mẹ tôi
creating plural forms of nouns by adding another word in front of the stem word according to context, for
example, hai cái áo, những cái áo, nhà nhà, người người
understanding how time expressions are formed through the use of đang, đã, rồi, sẽ or hôm qua, ngày
mai, for example, Tôi đang ăn. Tôi đã sống ở đây hai năm. Tôi ăn rồi. Ngày mai tôi (sẽ) đi coi phim
using adverbs to modify actions, for example, chạy nhanh, đi chậm, học giỏi, hát hay
experimenting with the use of prepositions (trên, dưới, trong ngoài, ở giữa), for example, Con chim bay
trên trời means ‘The bird flies in the sky’, rather than the literal translation, ‘The bird flies above the sky’
understanding and applying appropriate word order in sentences, for example, recognising that
adjectives follow nouns (áo trắng), and experimenting with word order to see how meaning changes, for
example, Lan hay hát ≠ Lan hát hay
creating affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences, including closed and openended questions,
for example, Tôi thích ăn cơm. Ba mẹ không thích tôi coi phim nhiều. Bạn thích ăn cơm không? Bạn thích
ăn món gì? Tạo sao mình phải uống nước nhiều?
noticing that interrogatives (khi nào, ở đâu, bao nhiêu) can be placed at the beginning, in the middle or at
the end of questions, for example, Khi nào em đến? or Em đến khi nào?; Bao nhiêu tiền một nải chuối?
or Một nải chuối giá bao nhiêu tiền?
Recognise the features and purpose of a range of familiar texts such as stories, greeting cards, recipes,
advertisements and posters
[Key concepts: audience, text structure; Key processes: identifying, comparing, classifying]

Elaborations
classifying a range of texts such as stories, greeting cards, recipes, advertisements and posters
according to their purpose(s), for example, to entertain, to describe, to inform or to persuade, and
recognising language features typically associated with particular texts, for example, the use of
imperatives in recipes, time markers in stories, or recycling symbols on packaging
recognising how different textual elements such as titles or headings, layout, images and script combine
to make meaning in a text such as an invitation, web page or picture book
comparing features of simple spoken and written texts in Vietnamese, such as a verbal greeting or a
handwritten postcard, and comparing these with similar texts in English, noting, for example, the format
used to write the date and address and different ways of addressing people
Explore how language use varies according to the age, gender and relationship of participants and the
context
[Key concept: variation; Key processes: identifying, understanding]

Elaborations
identifying how language choices reflect politeness and respect, for example, Vietnamese children greet
their grandparents by saying Cháu chào ông bà ạ, not Tôi chào ông bà
observing different ways of showing politeness in different contexts and between different participants,
for example, requesting (làm ơn, cảm phiền), thanking (chân thành cảm ơn, thành thật cảm ơn, cảm ơn
nhiều), bending when passing people, folding arms and/or nodding while greeting people
making adjustments to language use when interacting with family and friends, for example, using
personal pronouns that relate to a person’s position in the family or to family relationships (chị/cô/bà,
anh/ông, anh Hai, chị Ba, cô Tư …)
exploring the diversity of Vietnamese nouns, pronouns and adjectives that are used to express gender
and age, for example, anh/chị, đàn ông/đàn bà, con gái/con trai, gà trống/gà mái, chó đực/chó cái, heo
con, bê
Recognise that languages change over time and influence one another
[Key concepts: loan words, dynamic systems, language variation; Key processes: observing, identifying]

Elaborations
exploring the influence of English on informal language used in daily interactions by Vietnamese people
in Australia, for example, đi ‘shop’, xem ‘TV’, nghe ‘radio’, dùng ‘internet’ and the use of terms such as
‘OK’, ‘hello’ and ‘shopping’
recognising that many Vietnamese words are derived from other languages, including French (ba
lê/‘ballet’, cà phê/‘café’), English (internet, căntin/‘canteen’) and Chinese (phụ huynh, tổ quốc)
understanding that some languages are continuously evolving, others are endangered, and some are
being revived, with particular reference to indigenous languages used throughout the world, including
Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages in Australia
reflecting on changes in language practices in modern Vietnamese, and making comparisons with
traditional Vietnamese, for example, sử ký and lịch sử, thầy u and ba mẹ, sư phụ and thầy cô
Make connections between cultural practices and language use, such as culturespecific terms or
expressions in Vietnamese and English
[Key concepts: behaviours, practices; Key processes: identifying, making connections]

Elaborations
discussing cultural similarities and differences between ways of interacting with different people, such as
peers, family members or teachers, in Vietnamese and Englishspeaking contexts
recognising the interconnections between cultural practices and language use in Vietnamese and
demonstrating cultural awareness when using Vietnamese, for example, using Dạ, thưa to indicate
politeness, or adding ông, bà, thầy, cô, … before Vietnamese names rather than addressing Vietnamese
adults only by their first names, to show respect
identifying traditional cultural practices and related language use that supports the sustainable
consumption of resources, for example, cất những túi nhựa đi chợ để dùng lại
recognising both the literal and cultural meanings of Vietnamese names and understanding Vietnamese
naming traditions, for example, that Vietnamese people traditionally list their family name first, then their
middle name, and their first (given) name last
exploring how language carries cultural ideas, such as Tết Nguyên đán, Tết Trung thu, đám giỗ, thôi nôi,
đầy tháng
learning metalanguage to discuss the relationship between language and culture in Vietnamese and
English, using metalanguage, for example, ý nghĩa (‘meaning’), sự khác biệt (‘difference’) and cách cư xử
(‘behaviour’)
By the end of Year 4, students use Vietnamese to interact with the teacher and peers to exchange information
and experiences relating to themselves, their family and friends. They use formulaic expressions to participate
in simple transactional exchanges and collaborative activities, and to seek clarification, assistance or advice in
everyday classroom routines, for example, Làm ơn cho biết. When interacting, they use features of
Vietnamese pronunciation, including tones, vowels and consonants. Students locate information relating to
familiar contexts and present it in modelled spoken, written and visual texts. They respond to imaginative texts
by identifying favourite elements and making simple statements about settings, characters or events, and
create simple imaginative texts using formulaic expressions and modelled language. Students use common
action verbs (for example, đi, ăn, ngủ, chơi, chạy, nói, cười, làm, học), adjectives (for example, đẹp, xấu, tốt,
đen, đỏ) and adverbs (for example, nhanh, chậm, hay, giỏi), to create short, simple sentences about their
routines and interests. They use vocabulary related to school, home and everyday routines. They use
appropriate word order and personal pronouns in simple spοken and written texts, for example, Đây là con
mèo con của tôi/anh/em/cháu. They translate and compare common Vietnamese and English expressions
and create simple bilingual texts for classroom use. Students describe how language involves behaviours as
well as words and share their experiences of communicating in Vietnamese and Englishspeaking contexts.
Students identify the tones of the Vietnamese language and use tone markers when writing. They identify the
features and purpose of a range of familiar texts. They provide examples of how language use varies
according to the participants, social context and situation (for example, cho em/tặng bạn/biếu bà một món
quà), and identify differences between ways of showing politeness in Vietnamese and Englishspeaking
contexts. They identify how languages change over time, providing examples of Vietnamese words borrowed
from other languages such as English and French. They compare Vietnamese and English language use and
cultural practices, identifying culturespecific terms and expressions.
English
Page 1050 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: English
English How the Subject works
The study of English is central to the learning and
development of all young Australians. It helps Curriculum introduction eng…
create confident communicators, imaginative
thinkers and informed citizens. It is through the
study of English that individuals learn to analyse,
understand, communicate and build relationships
with others and with the world around them. The
study of English plays a key role in the
development of reading and literacy skills which
help young people develop the knowledge and
skills needed for education, training and the
workplace. It helps them become ethical,
thoughtful, informed and active members of society. In this light, it is clear that the Australian Curriculum:
English plays an important part in developing the understanding, attitudes and capabilities of those who will
take responsibility for Australia’s future.
Australia is a linguistically and culturally diverse country, with participation in many aspects of Australian life
dependent on effective communication in Standard Australian English. In addition, proficiency in English is
invaluable globally. The Australian Curriculum: English contributes to nationbuilding and to
internationalisation.
The Australian Curriculum: English also helps students to engage imaginatively and critically with literature to
expand the scope of their experience. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have contributed to
Australian society and to its contemporary literature and its literary heritage through their distinctive ways of
representing and communicating knowledge, traditions and experience. The Australian Curriculum: English
values, respects and explores this contribution. It also emphasises Australia’s links to Asia.
The Australian Curriculum: English aims to ensure that students:
learn to listen to, read, view, speak, write, create and reflect on increasingly complex and
sophisticated spoken, written and multimodal texts across a growing range of contexts with
accuracy, fluency and purpose
appreciate, enjoy and use the English language in all its variations and develop a sense of its
richness and power to evoke feelings, convey information, form ideas, facilitate interaction with
others, entertain, persuade and argue
understand how Standard Australian English works in its spoken and written forms and in
combination with nonlinguistic forms of communication to create meaning
develop interest and skills in inquiring into the aesthetic aspects of texts, and develop an informed
appreciation of literature.
Texts
Texts provide the means for communication. They can be written, spoken, visual, multimodal, and in print or
digital/online forms. Multimodal texts combine language with other means of communication such as visual
images, soundtrack or spoken words, as in film or computer presentation media. Texts include all forms of
images, soundtrack or spoken words, as in film or computer presentation media. Texts include all forms of
augmentative and alternative communication; for example, gesture, signing, real objects, photographs,
pictographs, pictograms and braille. Texts provide important opportunities for learning about aspects of
human experience and about aesthetic value. Many of the tasks that students undertake in and out of school
involve understanding and producing imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, in media, everyday and
workplace contexts.
The usefulness of distinctions among types of texts relates largely to how clearly at each year level these
distinctions can guide the selection of materials for students to listen to, read, view, write and create, and the
kinds of purposeful activities that can be organised around these materials.Although many types of texts will
be easy to recognise on the basis of their subject matter, forms and structures, the distinctions between types
of texts need not be sharply defined or formulaic. The act of creating texts, by its nature, involves
experimentation and adaptation of language and textual elements from many different writing styles and
categories of texts. As a result, it is not unusual for an imaginative text to have strong persuasive elements, or
for a persuasive text to contain features more typically seen in informative texts, such as subheadings or
bullet points.
Communication processes
Listening, reading and viewing
These are the language modes or communication processes through which individuals process, decode,
comprehend, interpret and analyse spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. These processes share a
receptive approach to imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, as they involve retrieving literal
information, making and supporting inferences and evaluating information and points of view. When students
listen and respond to spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts, they apply topic knowledge, vocabulary,
word and visual knowledge to interpret the given information, with or without the aid of augmentative and
alternative forms of communication. They also use text processing skills and comprehension strategies to
receive, make and monitor meaning as it is being developed.
Speaking, writing and creating
These are the language modes or communication processes through which individuals express and create
spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts, including those made with the aid of augmentative and
alternative forms of communication. These processes share a productive approach to the creation of
imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, in spoken, print or digital forms, for an extensive range of
everyday, workplace and literary purposes. When students plan, draft and publish texts, they use applied topic
knowledge, vocabulary, word and visual knowledge to make considered and deliberate choices about text
structure and organisation to coherently express and develop ideas and communicate information in formal
and informal social contexts.
The English language
The Australian Curriculum: English provides students with a broad conceptual understanding of what a
language is, and its importance in and out of school. Language as a body of knowledge draws largely from
historical and linguistic accounts of the English language which draw attention to the ways in which languages
change, and to the distinction between language in use and language as system. These accounts
acknowledge that students’ cability to use grammar will exceed their ability to explicitly reflect on grammar.
Young children, for example, will use complex sentences before they can explain how these are structured.
These accounts, in describing language, also pay attention to the structure (syntax) and meaning (semantics)
at the level of the word, the sentence and the text.
at the level of the word, the sentence and the text.
The Australian Curriculum: English uses standard grammatical terminology but applies it within a contextual
framework, in which language choices are seen to vary according to the topics at hand, the nature and
proximity of the relationships between the language users, and the modes or processes of communication
available.
Literacy is language in use
There are many approaches to concepts of literacy, ranging from the traditional focus on print literacy to the
inclusive, multimodal and social basis for language use. The Australian Curriculum: English holds that literacy
serves the big and small practical, everyday communication purposes associated with living and participating
in societies such as contemporary Australia. Literacy is the capacity to interpret and use language features,
forms, conventions and text structures in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts. It also refers to the
ability to read, view, listen to, speak, write and create texts for learning and communicating in and out of
school. Literacy learning is based on the development of language and communication skills, social and
psychological growth, and critical and cultural knowledge. The Australian Curriculum: English draws broadly
from a range of approaches and emphasises:
fluency in lettersound correspondences of English
an expanding vocabulary and grasp of grammatical and textual patterns sufficient to understand
and learn from texts encountered in and out of school
fluency and innovation in listening to, reading, viewing and creating texts for different purposes and
contexts
the skill and disposition needed to analyse and understand the philosophical, moral, political and
aesthetic bases on which many texts are built
an interest in expanding the range of materials listened to, viewed and read, and in experimenting
with ways of expressing increasingly subtle and complex ideas to create effective and innovative
texts.
Language features, visual features and text structures
When creating and interpreting written, spoken and multimodal texts in the Australian Curriculum: English,
authors make choices about language features, visual features and text structures. These are the interrelated
elements which shape and support meaningmaking in texts. The choices and the effects they create vary
from text to text to suit different purposes and contexts. The features of language include language choices
such as vocabulary and punctuation, sound devices such as alliteration, and language devices in literary texts
such as imagery. In visual and multimodal texts, visual language choices include visual features such as
salience, social distance and camera angle. Various text structures enable different ways of organising
information and expressing ideas in texts, and include such structural elements as overviews, subheadings,
topic sentences, concluding paragraphs and causeandeffect statements. The choices that authors make in
language features, visual features and text structures work together to define the type of text and create
certain meanings and effects which shape the way that texts are interpreted, analysed and evaluated by their
audiences.
The appreciation of literature
There are many different ways to engage with literature, ranging from personal preferences for literature to
the way in which texts reflect the context of culture and situation in which they are created. The appreciation
of literature in one or more of these ways provides students with access to mediated experiences and truths
that support and challenge the development of individual identity. Through engagement with literature,
students learn about themselves, each other and the world.
English educators use many ways of categorising texts. The descriptions of texts used in the Australian
Curriculum: English are based on practical as well as conceptual considerations. The specific designation of a
strand labelled ‘literature’ is aimed at encouraging teachers working at all year levels not only to use texts
conventionally understood as ‘literary’, but also to engage students in examining, evaluating and discussing
texts in increasingly sophisticated and informed ‘literary’ ways.
The term ‘literature’ includes literary texts from across a range of historical and cultural contexts that are
valued for their form and style and are recognised as having enduring or artistic value. While the nature of
what constitutes literary texts is dynamic and evolving, they are seen as having personal, social, cultural and
aesthetic value and potential for enriching students' scope of experience. Literature includes a broad range of
forms such as novels, poetry, short stories and plays; fiction for young adults and children, multimodal texts
such as film, and a variety of nonfiction. Literary texts also include excerpts from longer texts. This enables a
range of literary texts to be included within any one year level for close study or comparative purposes.
The range of literary texts for study from Foundation to Year 10 comprises classic and contemporary world
literature. It emphasises Australian literature, including the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups. It also includes
texts from and about Asia.
The Australian Curriculum: English acknowledges a variety of approaches to the study of literature. Each
makes different assumptions about the purposes of literature study, the nature of literary texts and methods of
analysis. The Australian Curriculum: English draws on a number of approaches and emphasises:
enjoyable encounters with a wide variety of literary texts
the different ways in which literature is significant in everyday life
close analysis of literary works and the key ideas and values on which they are based; for example,
the detailed stylistic study of differing styles of literary work
comparisons of works of literature from different language, ethnic and cultural backgrounds
historical study of the origins, authorship, readership and reception of literary texts
exploration of the relationships between historical, cultural and literary traditions.
Teachers and schools are best placed to make decisions about the selection of texts in their teaching and
learning programs to address the content in the Australian Curriculum: English while also meeting the needs
of the students in their classes.
Links to lists of illustrative texts appropriate for students at different levels are provided below. These lists also
include texts relevant to the crosscurriculum priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and
Cultures, Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia and Sustainability.
Premiers’ reading challenges
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Queensland
South Australia
Victoria
(The Western Australian Premier's reading challenge is no longer active).
Other websites that may be of interest include
Children’s Book Council
AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource
Speech Pathology Australia
The Australian Curriculum: English Foundation to Year 10 is organised into three interrelated strands that
support students' growing understanding and use of Standard Australian English (English). Each strand
interacts with and enriches the other strands in creative and flexible ways, the fabric of the curriculum being
strengthened by the threads within each substrand.
Together, the three strands form an integrating framework of disciplinary knowledge and focus on developing
students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking and writing from
Foundation to Year 10. The three strands are:
Language: knowing about the English language
Literature: understanding, appreciating, responding to, analysing and creating literary texts
Literacy: expanding the repertoire of English usage.
Content descriptions in each of the three strands are grouped into substrands that, across the year levels,
present a sequence of development of knowledge, understanding and skills. The substrands are shown in
the table below.
Table1: Overview of sub strands and threads in the Australian Curriculum: English (F10)
Strands
Language Literature Literacy
Sub
strands Language variation and Literature and context Texts in context
and change
How texts reflect the Texts and the
threads
Language context of culture and contexts in which
variation and situation in which they they are used
change are created
Language for interaction Responding to literature Interacting with others
Language for Personal responses to Listening and

social the ideas, characters speaking
interactions and viewpoints in texts interactions
Evaluative Expressing preferences (purposes and
language and evaluating texts contexts)
Listening and
speaking
interactions
(skills)
Oral
presentations
Text structure and Examining literature Interpreting, analysing and

organisation evaluating
Features of literary texts
Purpose Language devices in Purpose and
audience and literary texts audience
structures of Reading
different types of processes
texts Comprehension
Text cohesion strategies
Punctuation Analysing and
Concepts of print evaluating texts
and screen
Expressing and developing Creating literature Creating texts

ideas
Creating literary texts Creating texts
Sentences and Experimentation and Editing
clause level adaptation Handwriting
grammar Use of software
Word level
grammar
Visual language
Vocabulary
Spelling
N/A N/A
Phonics and word
knowledge
Phonological and
phonemic
awareness
Alphabet and
phonic
knowledge
Spelling
Each strand contributes to the study of English its own distinctive goals, body of knowledge, history of ideas
and interests, and each relates to material worth studying in its own right. Teaching, learning and assessment
programs should balance and integrate the three strands to support the development of knowledge,
understanding and skills. The key focal point for a unit of work or a learning activity may arise from any one of
the strands, but the intention is that units and activities draw on all three strands in ways that are integrated
and clear to learners.
Language strand
In the language strand, students develop their knowledge of the English language and how it works. They
learn that changes in English are related to historical developments and the geographical differences of its
users over the centuries, and that there are many differences in dialect and accent. They learn how language
enables people to interact effectively, to build and maintain relationships and to express and exchange
knowledge, skills, attitudes, feelings and opinions. They discover the patterns and purposes of English usage,
including spelling, grammar and punctuation at the levels of the word, sentence and extended text, and they
study the connections between these levels. By developing a body of knowledge about these patterns and
their connections, students learn to communicate effectively through coherent, wellstructured sentences and
texts. They gain a consistent way of understanding and talking about language, language in use and
language as system, so they can reflect on their own speaking and writing and discuss these productively with
others. This strand informs the planning and conduct of teaching and learning activities in English and
provides resources that connect to key concepts and skills in the other strands.
Language variation and change: Students learn that languages and dialects are constantly
evolving due to historical, social and cultural changes, demographic movements and technological
innovations. They come to understand that these factors, along with new virtual communities and
environments, continue to affect the nature and spread of English.
Language for interaction: Students learn that the language used by individuals varies according
to their social setting and the relationships between the participants. They learn that accents and
styles of speech and idiom are part of the creation and expression of personal and social identities.
Text structure and organisation: Students learn how texts are structured to achieve particular
purposes; how language is used to create texts that are cohesive and coherent; how texts about
more specialised topics contain more complex language patterns and features; and how the author
guides the reader/viewer through the text through effective use of resources at the level of the
whole text, the paragraph and the sentence.
whole text, the paragraph and the sentence.
Expressing and developing ideas: Students learn how, in a text, effective authors control and use
an increasingly differentiated range of clause structures, words and word groups, as well as
combinations of sound, image, movement, verbal elements and layout. They learn that the
conventions, patterns and generalisations that relate to English spelling involve the origins of words,
word endings, Greek and Latin roots, base words and affixes.
Phonics and word knowledge: Students develop knowledge about the sounds of English
(phonemes) and learn to identify the sounds in spoken words. They learn the letters of the alphabet
(graphemes) and how to represent spoken words by using combinations of these letters. They
attend to the speech stream and learn that sentences are made up of words, and are introduced to
understandings about the complexities and subtleties of learning English. Students learn that
patterns and generalisations relate to the spelling of words in English and involve word origins,
prefixes and suffixes, visual and meaning strategies. Reading skills are inherently complex, have
infinite possibilities for use, and therefore require practice and application when students engage in
the receptive modes of communication (listening, reading and viewing) and the productive modes of
communication (speaking, writing and creating) not just in English, but across the curriculum. The
application of phonemic awareness and phonic knowledge to the development of reading,
especially from Foundation to Year 2, is of critical importance.
Literature strand
The literature strand aims to engage students in the study of literary texts of personal, cultural, social and
aesthetic value. These texts include some that are recognised as having enduring social and artistic value
and some that attract contemporary attention. Texts are chosen because they are judged to have potential for
enriching the lives of students, expanding the scope of their experience, and because they represent effective
and interesting features of form and style. Learning to appreciate literary texts and to create their own literary
texts enriches students’ understanding of human experiences and the capacity for language to deepen those
experiences. It builds students’ knowledge about how language can be used for aesthetic ends, to create
particular emotional, intellectual or philosophical effects. Students interpret, appreciate, evaluate and create
literary texts such as short stories, novels, poetry, prose, plays, film and multimodal texts, in spoken, print and
digital/online forms. Texts recognised as having enduring artistic and cultural value are drawn from world and
Australian literature. These include the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples, texts from Asia, texts from Australia’s immigrant cultures and texts of the students’ choice.
Each year level description in the Australian Curriculum: English Foundation to Year 10 gives information
about the nature of texts to be studied including appropriate types of texts and typical linguistic and structural
features. Across the years of schooling, students will engage with literary texts in spoken, written and
multimodal form, including digital texts, such as narratives, poetry, prose, plays and films.
Literature and context: Students learn how ideas and viewpoints about events, issues and
characters that are expressed by authors in texts are drawn from and shaped by different historical,
social and cultural contexts.
Responding to literature: Students learn to identify personal ideas, experiences and opinions
about literary texts and discuss them with others. They learn how to recognise areas of agreement
and difference, and how to develop and refine their interpretations through discussion and
argument.
Examining literature: Students learn how to explain and analyse the ways in which stories,
characters, settings and experiences are reflected in particular literary genres, and how to discuss
the appeal of these genres. They learn how to compare and appraise the ways authors use
language and literary techniques and devices to influence readers. They also learn to understand,
interpret, discuss and evaluate how certain stylistic choices can create multiple layers of
interpretation and effect.
interpretation and effect.
Creating literature: Students learn how to use personal knowledge and literary texts as starting
points to create imaginative writing in different forms and genres and for particular audiences. Using
print, digital and online media, students develop skills that allow them to convey meaning, address
significant issues and heighten engagement and impact.
Literacy strand
The literacy strand aims to develop students’ ability to interpret and create texts with appropriateness,
accuracy, confidence, fluency and efficacy for learning in and out of school, and for participating in Australian
life more generally. Texts chosen include media texts, everyday texts and workplace texts from increasingly
complex and unfamiliar settings, ranging from the everyday language of personal experience to more
abstract, specialised and technical language, including the language of schooling and academic study.
Students learn to adapt language to meet the demands of more general or more specialised purposes,
audiences and contexts. They learn about the different ways in which knowledge and opinion are represented
and developed in texts, and about how more or less abstraction and complexity can be shown through
language and through multimodal representations. This means that print and digital contexts are included,
and that listening, speaking, reading, viewing, writing and creating are all developed systematically and
concurrently.
Texts in context: Students learn that texts from different cultures or historical periods may reveal
different patterns in how they go about narrating, informing and persuading.
Interacting with others: Students learn how individuals and groups use language patterns to
express ideas and key concepts to develop and defend arguments. They learn how to promote a
point of view by designing, rehearsing and delivering spoken and written presentations and by
appropriately selecting and sequencing linguistic and multimodal elements.
Interpreting, analysing, evaluating: Students learn to comprehend what they read and view by
applying growing contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge. They develop more
sophisticated processes for interpreting, analysing, evaluating and critiquing ideas, information and
issues from a variety of sources. They explore the ways conventions and structures are used in
written, digital, multimedia and cinematic texts to entertain, inform and persuade audiences, and
they use their growing knowledge of textual features to explain how texts make an impact on
different audiences.
Creating texts: Students apply knowledge they have developed in other strands and substrands
to create with clarity, authority and novelty a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts that
entertain, inform and persuade audiences. They do so by strategically selecting key aspects of a
topic as well as language, visual and audio features. They learn how to edit for enhanced meaning
and effect by refining ideas, reordering sentences, adding or substituting words for clarity, and
removing repetition. They develop and consolidate a handwriting style that is legible, fluent and
automatic, and that supports sustained writing. They learn to use a range of software programs
including word processing software, selecting purposefully from a range of functions to
communicate and create clear, effective, informative and innovative texts.
Language modes
The processes of listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing – also known as language modes – are
interrelated, and the learning of one often supports and extends learning of the others. To acknowledge these
interrelationships, content descriptions in each strand of the Australian Curriculum: English incorporate the
processes of listening, speaking, reading, viewing and writing in an integrated and interdependent way.
Classroom contexts that address particular content descriptions will necessarily draw from more than one of
these processes to support students’ effective learning. For example, students will learn new vocabulary
through listening and reading and apply their knowledge and understanding in their speaking and writing as
well as in their comprehension of spoken and written texts.
Mode icons
Each content description is identified with all relevant language modes through the allocation of the following
icons:
English
Curriculum F10
Page 1061 of 1359

English Curriculum F10
The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy.
Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together, the three strands
focus on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking,
writing and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years,
and teachers will develop and strengthen these as needed.
In the Foundation year, students communicate with peers, teachers, known adults and students from other
classes.
Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read and view spoken, written and
multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is to entertain, as well as some texts designed to inform. These
include traditional oral texts, picture books, various types of stories, rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film,
multimodal texts and dramatic performances. They participate in shared reading, viewing and storytelling
using a range of literary texts, and recognise the entertaining nature of literature.
The range of literary texts for Foundation to Year 10 comprises Australian literature, including the oral
narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of
these two cultural groups, and classic and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.
Literary texts that support and extend Foundation students as beginner readers include decodable and
predictable texts that range from caption books to books with one or more sentences per page. These texts
involve straightforward sequences of events and everyday happenings with recognisable, realistic or
imaginary characters. Informative texts present a small amount of new content about familiar topics of
interest; a small range of language features, including simple and compound sentences; mostly familiar
vocabulary, known, highfrequency words and singlesyllable words that can be decoded phonically, and
illustrations that strongly support the printed text.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including pictorial representations,
short statements, performances, recounts and poetry.
Language
Understand that English is one of many languages spoken in Australia and that different languages may be
spoken by family, classmates and community (ACELA1426 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning that different languages exist; discussing the various languages encountered in the community
and at school; acknowledging the home languages of students who speak another language, and valuing
the ability to speak more than one language

recognising that some texts can include both Standard Australian English and elements of other
languages including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages

Language for interaction
Explore how language is used differently at home and school depending on the relationships between
people (ACELA1428 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning that language varies according to the relationships between people, for example between parent
and child, teacher and student, siblings, friends, shopkeepers and customers

learning that we use a different tone and style of language with different people

learning to ask relevant questions and to express requests and opinions in ways that suit different
contexts

Understand that language can be used to explore ways of expressing needs, likes and dislikes
(ACELA1429 Scootle )


Elaborations
recognising some of the ways we can use speech, gesture, writing and media to communicate feelings

recognising some of the ways emotions and feelings can be conveyed and influenced by visual
representations, for example in advertising and animations

Text structure and organisation
Understand that texts can take many forms, can be very short (for example an exit sign) or quite long (for
example an information book or a film) and that stories and informative texts have different purposes

Elaborations
sharing experiences of different texts and discussing some differences

discussing the purpose of texts, for example ‘This text will tell a story’, ‘This text will give information’

repeating parts of texts, for example characteristic refrains, predicting cumulative storylines, reciting
poetic and rhyming phrases

Understand that some language in written texts is unlike everyday spoken language

Elaborations
learning that written text in Standard Australian English has conventions about words, spaces between
words, layout on the page and consistent spelling because it has to communicate when the
speaker/writer is not present

Understand that punctuation is a feature of written text different from letters; recognise how capital letters
are used for names, and that capital letters and full stops signal the beginning and end of sentences

Elaborations
pointing to the letters and the punctuation in a text
commenting on punctuation encountered in the everyday texts, for example ‘That’s the letter that starts
my name’, ‘The name of my family and my town has a capital letter’

Understand concepts about print and screen, including how books, film and simple digital texts work, and
know some features of print, for example directionality (ACELA1433 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning about print: direction of print and return sweep, spaces between words

learning that Standard Australian English in written texts is read from left to right and from top to bottom
of the page and that direction of print may differ in other cultures, for example Japanese texts

learning about front and back covers; title and author, layout and navigation of digital/screen texts

learning about simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons
and dropdown menu

Expressing and developing ideas
Recognise that sentences are key units for expressing ideas (ACELA1435 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning that word order in sentences is important for meaning (for example 'The boy sat on the dog',
'The dog sat on the boy')

creating students' own written texts and reading aloud to the teacher and others

Recognise that texts are made up of words and groups of words that make meaning

Elaborations
exploring spoken, written and multimodal texts and identifying elements, for example words and images

Explore the different contribution of words and images to meaning in stories and informative texts

Elaborations
talking about how a ‘different’ story is told if we read only the words, or only the pictures; and the story
that words and pictures make when combined

exploring how the combination of print and images in texts creates meaning

Understand the use of vocabulary in familiar contexts related to everyday experiences, personal interests
and topics taught at school (ACELA1437 Scootle )

Elaborations
building vocabulary through multiple speaking and listening experiences

discussing new vocabulary found in texts

bringing vocabulary from personal experiences, relating this to new experiences and building a
vocabulary for thinking and talking about school topics

Phonics and word knowledge
Recognise and generate rhyming words, alliteration patterns, syllables and sounds (phonemes) in spoken
words (ACELA1439 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising and producing rhyming words when listening to rhyming stories or rhymes, for example
’funny’ and ’money’
identifying patterns of alliteration in spoken words, for example 'helpful Henry'
identifying syllables in spoken words, for example clapping the rhythm of ‘Monday’, ‘Jacob’ or ‘Sienna’
Recognise and name all upper and lower case letters (graphemes) and know the most common sound that
each letter represents (ACELA1440 Scootle )

Elaborations
using familiar and common letters in handwritten and digital communications
identifying familiar and recurring letters and the use of upper and lower case in written texts in the
classroom and the community, for example 'Tom went to the park.'
Understand how to use knowledge of letters and sounds including onset and rime to spell words

Elaborations
recognising the most common sound made by each letter of the alphabet, including consonants and
short vowel sounds, for example ‘pop’
breaking words into onset and rime, noticing words that share the same pattern, for example ‘pat’, ‘bat’
breaking words into onset and rime to learn how to spell words that share the same pattern, for example
‘pat’, ‘bat’, ‘tall’ and ‘fall’
building word families using onset and rime, for example ‘hot’, ‘got’, ‘not’, ‘shot’
Know how to read and write some highfrequency words and other familiar words (ACELA1817 Scootle
)

Elaborations
knowing how to write some highfrequency words recognised in shared texts and texts being read
independently, for example ‘and’, ‘my’, ‘is’, ‘the’ and ‘went’
knowing how to write students’ own names and those of other familiar people
Understand that words are units of meaning and can be made of more than one meaningful part

Elaborations
learning that words are made up of meaningful parts, for example ’dogs’ has two meaningful parts ’dog’
and ’s’ meaning more than one
Segment sentences into individual words and orally blend and segment onset and rime in single syllable
spoken words, and isolate, blend and manipulate phonemes in single syllable words (ACELA1819 Scootle
)

Elaborations
identifying and manipulating sounds (phonemes) in spoken words, for example ‘can’
identifying onset and rime in onesyllable spoken words, for example ‘dog’ and ‘big’
blending phonemes to form onesyllable spoken words, for example ‘sun’ is orally expressed as ‘sun’
and ‘bag’ is orally expressed as ‘bag’

Write consonantvowelconsonant (CVC) words by representing some sounds with the appropriate letters,
and blend sounds associated with letters when reading CVC words (ACELA1820 Scootle )

Elaborations
listening to hear that children use letters/sounds (when necessary) to help them read CVC words and
hear and record appropriate sounds associated with letters when writing CVC words, for example ‘kat’ for
‘cat’
Literature
Literature and context
Recognise that texts are created by authors who tell stories and share experiences that may be similar or
different to students’ own experiences (ACELT1575 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising that there are storytellers in all cultures

viewing stories by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander storytellers from online sources

comparing experiences depicted in stories with students’ own

engaging with texts that reflect the social and cultural groups to which students belong

Responding to literature
Respond to texts, identifying favourite stories, authors and illustrators
Respond to texts, identifying favourite stories, authors and illustrators (ACELT1577 Scootle )

Elaborations
talking about stories and authors, choosing favourites, discussing how students feel about what happens
in stories

engaging with the humour in some stories and repeating favourite lines, jokes and ideas

returning to preferred texts and commenting on reasons for selection

Share feelings and thoughts about the events and characters in texts (ACELT1783 Scootle )

Elaborations
talking about stories and authors, choosing favourites, discussing how students feel about what happens
in stories

using art forms and beginning forms of writing to express personal responses to literature and film
experiences

talking about people, events and ideas in texts, enabling students to connect them to their own
experiences and to express their own opinions about what is depicted

Examining literature
Identify some features of texts including events and characters and retell events from a text (ACELT1578
Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying some features of culture related to characters and events in literary texts, for example dress,
food and daily routines

listening, responding to and joining in with rhymes, poems, chants and songs
Recognise some different types of literary texts and identify some characteristic features of literary texts, for
example beginnings and endings of traditional texts and rhyme in poetry (ACELT1785 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising cultural patterns of storytelling, for example ‘Once upon a time’, ‘A long, long time ago’

Replicate the rhythms and sound patterns in stories, rhymes, songs and poems from a range of cultures
(ACELT1579 Scootle )

Elaborations
using music and actions to enhance appreciation of rhymes, poems, chants and songs

reciting rhymes with actions
Creating literature
Retell familiar literary texts through performance, use of illustrations and images (ACELT1580 Scootle )

Elaborations
drawing, labelling and role playing representations of characters or events

reciting rhymes with actions
using digital technologies to retell events and recreate characters from favourite print and film texts

Innovate on familiar texts through play
Innovate on familiar texts through play (ACELT1831 Scootle )

Elaborations
performing memorable actions or behaviours of favourite or humorous characters in texts
Literacy
Texts in context
Identify some familiar texts and the contexts in which they are used (ACELY1645 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising the meaning of symbols in everyday contexts, for example exit signs, logos, hearts and
flowers on greeting cards

Interacting with others
Listen to and respond orally to texts and to the communication of others in informal and structured
classroom situations (ACELY1646 Scootle )

Elaborations
listening to, remembering and following simple instructions

sequencing ideas in spoken texts, retelling well known stories, retelling stories with picture cues, retelling
information using story maps

listening for specific things, for example the main idea of a short statement, the details of a story, or to
answer a given question

participating in informal situations, for example playbased experiences which involve the imaginative use
of spoken language

participating in class, group and pair discussions about shared experiences including shared texts

asking and answering questions to clarify understanding

Use interaction skills including listening while others speak, using appropriate voice levels, articulation and
body language, gestures and eye contact (ACELY1784 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning how to use different voice levels appropriate to a situation, for example learning about ‘inside
voices’ and ‘outside voices’

learning to ask questions and provide answers that are more than one or two words

participating in speaking and listening situations, exchanging ideas with peers in pairs and small groups
and engaging in class discussions, listening to others and contributing ideas

showing understanding of appropriate listening behaviour, such as listening without interrupting, and
looking at the speaker if culturally appropriate

listening and responding to oral and multimodal texts including rhymes and poems, texts read aloud and
various types of digital texts

engaging in conversations with peers and adults in home language or dialect

asking and answering questions using appropriate intonation

speaking so that the student can be heard and understood

altering volume for inside and outside situations and when speaking to an audience

Deliver short oral presentations to peers (ACELY1647 Scootle )

Elaborations
sharing a personal experience, interest or discovery with peers in a semiformal situation

using visual cues to practise staying on topic

Interpreting, analysing, evaluating
Identify some differences between imaginative and informative texts (ACELY1648 Scootle )

Elaborations
talking about what is ‘real’ and what is imagined in texts

identifying and selecting texts for information purposes and commenting on how the text might help with
a task

Read decodable and predictable texts, practising phrasing and fluency, and monitor meaning using
concepts about print and emerging contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic knowledge (ACELY1649
Scootle )

Elaborations
navigating a text correctly, starting at the right place and reading in the right direction, returning to the
next line as needed, matching one spoken word to one written word

reading aloud with attempts at fluency and intonation

attempting to work out unknown words by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and phonic
knowledge

predicting what might happen on the basis of experience of this kind of text; at the sentence level
predicting the meaning on the basis of syntax and word meaning

Use comprehension strategies to understand and discuss texts listened to, viewed or read independently
(ACELY1650 Scootle )

Elaborations
talking about the meanings in texts listened to, viewed and read

visualising elements in a text (for example drawing an event or character from a text read aloud)

providing a simple, correctlysequenced retelling of narrative texts

relating one or two key facts from informative texts

finding a key word in a text to answer a literal question

making links between events in a text and students’ own experiences

making an inference about a character's feelings

discussing and sequencing events in stories

drawing events in sequence, recognising that for some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories the
sequence of events may be cyclical

Creating texts
Create short texts to explore, record and report ideas and events using familiar words and beginning
writing knowledge (ACELY1651 Scootle )

Elaborations
using imagemaking and beginning writing to represent characters and events in written, film and web
based texts

using speaking, writing and drawing to represent and communicate personal responses to ideas and
events experienced through texts

creating short spoken, written and multimodal observations, recounts and descriptions, extending
vocabulary and including some contentspecific words in spoken and written texts

using beginning concepts about print, sound–letter and word knowledge and punctuation to create short
texts

Participate in shared editing of students’ own texts for meaning, spelling, capital letters and full stops

Elaborations
rereading collaboratively developed texts to check that they communicate what the authors intended

Produce some lower case and upper case letters using learned letter formations (ACELY1653 Scootle )

Elaborations
adopting correct posture and pencil grip
learning to produce simple handwriting movements
following clear demonstrations of how to construct each letter (for example where to start; which direction
to write)
learning to construct lower case letters and to combine these into words
learning to construct some upper case letters
Construct texts using software including word processing programs (ACELY1654 Scootle )

Elaborations
using simple functions of keyboard and mouse including typing letters, scrolling, selecting icons and
dropdown menu
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of the Foundation year, students use predicting and questioning strategies to make meaning from
texts. They recall one or two events from texts with familiar topics. They understand that there are different
types of texts and that these can have similar characteristics. They identify connections between texts and
their personal experience.
They read short, decodable and predictable texts with familiar vocabulary and supportive images, drawing on
their developing knowledge of concepts of print, sounds and letters and decoding and selfmonitoring
strategies. They recognise the letters of the English alphabet, in upper and lower case and know and use the
most common sounds represented by most letters. They read highfrequency words and blend sounds orally
to read consonantvowelconsonant words. They use appropriate interaction skills to listen and respond to
others in a familiar environment. They listen for rhyme, letter patterns and sounds in words.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
Students understand that their texts can reflect their own experiences. They identify and describe likes and
dislikes about familiar texts, objects, characters and events.
In informal group and whole class settings, students communicate clearly. They retell events and experiences
with peers and known adults. They identify and use rhyme, and orally blend and segment sounds in words.
When writing, students use familiar words and phrases and images to convey ideas. Their writing shows
evidence of letter and sound knowledge, beginning writing behaviours and experimentation with capital letters
and full stops. They correctly form known upper and lowercase letters.
Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together, the strands focus
on developing students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing
and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and
teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.
In Year 1, students communicate with peers, teachers, known adults and students from other classes.
Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view and interpret spoken, written
and multimodal texts designed to entertain and inform. These encompass traditional oral texts including
Aboriginal stories, picture books, various types of stories, rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film, dramatic
performances and texts used by students as models for constructing their own texts.
Literary texts that support and extend Year 1 students as independent readers involve straightforward
sequences of events and everyday happenings with recognisably realistic or imaginary characters.
Informative texts present a small amount of new content about familiar topics of interest and topics being
studied in other areas of the curriculum. These include decodable and predictable texts which present a small
range of language features, including simple and compound sentences, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a small
number of highfrequency words and words that need to be decoded phonically, as well as illustrations and
diagrams that support the printed text.
Students create a variety of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including recounts, procedures,
performances, literary retellings and poetry.
Language
Understand that people use different systems of communication to cater to different needs and purposes
and that many people may use sign systems to communicate with others (ACELA1443 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising how and where signs and symbols are used and placed in students’ school and community

learning some signs in Auslan and finding out about ‘Hear a Book’ and Braille technologies for hearing
and visually impaired people

Understand that language is used in combination with other means of communication, for example facial
expressions and gestures to interact with others (ACELA1444 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising the effect of words, symbols, gestures and body language on the way communications are
received by others

Understand that there are different ways of asking for information, making offers and giving commands

Elaborations
learning the difference between questions and statements, requests and commands

learning about the difference between closed questions, for example 'Are you ready?', 'Did they enjoy
their holidays?' and open questions, for example 'What made this text so exciting?'

Explore different ways of expressing emotions, including verbal, visual, body language and facial
expressions (ACELA1787 Scootle )

Elaborations
extending students’ vocabularies for the expression of feelings and emotions

considering how others might respond before students express their views and how students might
respond to others’ views in civil and constructive ways

Understand that the purposes texts serve shape their structure in predictable ways

Elaborations
discussing and comparing the purposes of familiar texts drawn from local contexts and interests

becoming familiar with the typical stages of types of text including recount and procedure

using different types of texts, for example procedures (including recipes) and discussing the text
structure

Understand patterns of repetition and contrast in simple texts (ACELA1448 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying patterns of vocabulary items in texts (for example class/subclass patterns, part/whole patterns,
compare/contrast patterns, causeandeffect patterns, word associations/collocation)
discussing different types of texts and identifying some characteristic features and elements (for example
language patterns and repetition) in stories and poetry

Recognise that different types of punctuation, including full stops, question marks and exclamation marks,
signal sentences that make statements, ask questions, express emotion or give commands

Elaborations
using intonation and pauses in response to punctuation when reading

reading texts and identifying different sentencelevel punctuation

writing different types of sentences, for example statements and questions, and discussing appropriate
punctuation

Understand concepts about print and screen, including how different types of texts are organised using
page numbering, tables of content, headings and titles, navigation buttons, bars and links (ACELA1450
Scootle )

Elaborations
learning about how books and digital texts are organised including page numbers, table of contents,
headings, images with captions and the use of scrolling to access digital texts

Identify the parts of a simple sentence that represent ‘What’s happening?’, ‘What state is being described?’,
‘Who or what is involved?’ and the surrounding circumstances (ACELA1451 Scootle )

Elaborations
knowing that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: a happening or a state (verb), who or what
is involved (noun group/phrase), and the surrounding circumstances (adverb group/phrase)

understanding that a simple sentence expresses a single idea, represented grammatically by a single
independent clause (for example 'A kangaroo is a mammal. A mammal suckles its young')

Explore differences in words that represent people, places and things (nouns, including pronouns),
happenings and states (verbs), qualities (adjectives) and details such as when, where and how (adverbs)

Elaborations
talking about effective words that describe a place, person or event

learning how a sentence can be made more vivid by adding adjectives, adverbs and unusual verbs

Compare different kinds of images in narrative and informative texts and discuss how they contribute to
meaning (ACELA1453 Scootle )

Elaborations
talking about what is ‘real’ and what is imagined in texts, for example ‘This is the section about
platypuses in the book about mammals’

Understand the use of vocabulary in everyday contexts as well as a growing number of school contexts,
including appropriate use of formal and informal terms of address in different contexts

Elaborations
learning forms of address for visitors and how to use language appropriately to ask directions and for
information, for example on excursions

Manipulate phonemes in spoken words by addition, deletion and substitution of initial, medial and final
phonemes to generate new words (ACELA1457 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising words that start with a given sound, or end with a given sound, or have a given medial
sound, for example ‘bed’ and ‘leg’
replacing initial sounds in spoken words, for example replace the ‘m’ in ‘mat’ with ‘c’ to form a new word
‘cat’
deleting initial onset sound in spoken words, for example delete the ‘f’ from ‘farm’ to make a new word
‘arm’
substituting medial sounds in spoken words to make new words, for example ‘pin’, ‘pen’, ‘pan’
substituting final sounds in spoken words, for example substitute the ‘t’ in ‘pet’ with ‘g’ to form a new word
‘peg’
Use short vowels, common long vowels, consonant digraphs and consonant blends when writing, and
blend these to read single syllable words (ACELA1458 Scootle )

Elaborations
using knowledge of letters and sounds to write words with short vowels, for example ‘man’, and common
long vowel sounds, for example ‘cake’
using knowledge of letters sounds to write singlesyllable words with consonant digraphs and consonant
blends, for example ‘wish’ and ‘rest’
Understand that a letter can represent more than one sound and that a syllable must contain a vowel
sound (ACELA1459 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising that letters can have more than one sound, for example the letter ‘u’ in ‘cut’, ‘put’, ‘use’ and
the letter ‘a’ in ‘cat’, ‘father’, ‘any’
recognising sounds that can be produced by different letters, for example the ‘s’ sound in ‘sat’ and ‘cent’
Understand how to spell one and two syllable words with common letter patterns (ACELA1778 Scootle )

Elaborations
writing onesyllable words containing known blends, for example 'bl' and 'st'
Recognise and know how to use simple grammatical morphemes to create word families (ACELA1455
Scootle )

Elaborations
building word families from common morphemes, for example 'play', 'plays', 'playing', 'played',
'playground'
using morphemes to read words, for example by recognising the base word in words such as ‘walked’

Use visual memory to read and write highfrequency words (ACELA1821 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning an increasing number of highfrequency words recognised in shared texts and texts being read
independently, for example ‘one’, ‘have’, ‘them’ and ‘about’
Segment consonant blends or clusters into separate phonemes at the beginnings and ends of one syllable

Elaborations
saying sounds in order for a given spoken word, for example ‘spoon’ and ‘fist’
segmenting blends at the beginning and end of given words, for example ‘blue’ and ‘dust’
Literature
Discuss how authors create characters using language and images (ACELT1581 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying similarities between texts from different cultural traditions, for example representations of
dragons in traditional European and Asian texts

identifying how spiritual beings are represented in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories

identifying some features of characters and how particular words and images convey qualities of their
nature, for example some characters are portrayed as shy, others adventurous

discussing the characters of fictional animals and how they relate to those of humans

Discuss characters and events in a range of literary texts and share personal responses to these texts,
making connections with students' own experiences (ACELT1582 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing characters from books and films and whether these are lifelike or imaginary (for example
talking animals)

comparing characters and events in texts to students’ own experiences

Express preferences for specific texts and authors and listen to the opinions of others (ACELT1583
Scootle )

Elaborations
sharing favourite texts and authors and some reasons for preferences

discussing different texts and considering what is entertaining or appealing and why

using arts methods and role play to express personal responses to characters and events in stories

identifying who is telling the story in different texts

Discuss features of plot, character and setting in different types of literature and explore some features of
characters in different texts (ACELT1584 Scootle )

Elaborations
examining different types of literature including traditional tales, humorous stories and poetry

discussing similarities and differences between texts ( for example features of main characters in
different stories)

discussing features of book settings including time (year, season) and place (country or city, realistic or
imagined)

discussing how plots develop including: beginnings (orientation), how the problem (complication) is
introduced and solved (resolution)

Listen to, recite and perform poems, chants, rhymes and songs, imitating and inventing sound patterns
including alliteration and rhyme (ACELT1585 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring performance poetry, chants and songs from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and
Asian cultures

listening to and performing simple haiku poems about familiar topics such as nature and the seasons

Creating literature
Recreate texts imaginatively using drawing, writing, performance and digital forms of communication

Elaborations
creating visual representations of literary texts from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Asian cultures

writing character descriptions drawn from illustrations in stories

retelling key events in stories using oral language, arts, digital technologies and performance media

Innovate on familiar texts by using similar characters, repetitive patterns or vocabulary

Elaborations
imitating a characteristic piece of speech or dialogue, or the attitude or expression of favourite or
humorous characters in texts

Literacy
Texts in context
Respond to texts drawn from a range of cultures and experiences (ACELY1655 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring some of the meanings and teachings embedded in Dreaming stories

using drawing and writing to depict and comment on people and places beyond their immediate
experience

Engage in conversations and discussions, using active listening behaviours, showing interest, and
contributing ideas, information and questions (ACELY1656 Scootle )

Elaborations
listening for details in spoken informative texts
participating in informal and structured class, group and pair discussions about content area topics, ideas
and information

speaking clearly and with appropriate volume

interacting confidently and appropriately with peers, teachers, visitors and community members
learning to value listening, questioning and positive body language and understanding that different
cultures may approach these differently

formulating different types of questions to ask a speaker, such as open and closed questions and ‘when’,
‘why’ and ‘how’ questions

Use interaction skills including turntaking, recognising the contributions of others, speaking clearly and
using appropriate volume and pace (ACELY1788 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying turntaking patterns in group and pair work (for example initiating a topic, changing a topic
when appropriate, staying on task, supporting other speakers, eliciting responses, being supportive and
attentive listeners, asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback, prompting, checking
understanding, 'sharing the talking space')

participating in pair, group and class speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations
and class discussions, contributing ideas and listening to the contributions of others

taking turns, asking and answering questions and attempting to involve others in discussions

demonstrating active listening behaviour and responding to what others say in pair, group and class
discussions

experimenting with voice volume and pace for particular purposes including making presentations,
retelling stories and reciting rhymes and poems

attempting correct pronunciation of new vocabulary
Make short presentations using some introduced text structures and language, for example opening
statements (ACELY1657 Scootle )

Elaborations
reporting the results of group discussions


providing simple explanations about how to do or make something

giving short oral presentations about areas of interest or content area topics, speaking clearly and with
appropriate volume and using extended vocabulary and a growing knowledge of contentspecific words

Describe some differences between imaginative informative and persuasive texts

Elaborations
comparing and discussing texts identifying some features that distinguish those that ‘tell stories’ from
those that ‘give opinions’

selecting texts for a particular purpose or task, for example a website that will give information about
whales, a book that will tell a story about a possum

Read decodable and predictable texts using developing phrasing, fluency, contextual, semantic,
grammatical and phonic knowledge and emerging text processing strategies, for example prediction,
monitoring meaning and rereading (ACELY1659 Scootle )

Elaborations
using contextual and semantic knowledge to make predictions about a text’s purpose and content

combining knowledge of context, meaning, grammar and phonics to decode text

recognising most high frequency sight words when reading text

selfcorrecting when reading does not make sense, using pictures, context, meaning, phonics and
grammatical knowledge

reading aloud with developing fluency and intonation
Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning about key events, ideas and information
in texts that they listen to, view and read by drawing on growing knowledge of context, text structures and
language features (ACELY1660 Scootle )

Elaborations
using elements in books and screen texts, for example illustrations, diagrams, sound and movement, to
support reading

making connections between the text and students’ own experiences, and between information in print
and images

finding key information in a text

making inferences about characters’ feelings and motives

building knowledge about the topic of the text and learning new vocabulary before and during reading

making predictions from the cover, from illustrations and at points in the text before reading on

retelling the events or key information in the text orally, in writing and/or through digital or arts media

Creating texts
Create short imaginative and informative texts that show emerging use of appropriate text structure,
short imaginative and informative texts that show emerging use of appropriate ,
sentencelevel grammar, word choice, spelling, punctuation and appropriate multimodal elements, for
example illustrations and diagrams (ACELY1661 Scootle )

Elaborations
referring to learned knowledge of text structure and grammar when creating a new text

applying new vocabulary appropriately in creating text

learning how to plan spoken and written communications so that listeners and readers might follow the
sequence of ideas or events

beginning to consider audience in designing a communication involving visual components, selecting
images for maximum impact

Reread student’s own texts and discuss possible changes to improve meaning, spelling and punctuation

Elaborations
adding or deleting words on page or screen to improve meaning, for example adding an adjective to a
noun

reading the students’ own work aloud to listen for grammatical correctness: checking use of capital
letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks

checking for inclusion of capital letters and full stops

identifying words which might not be spelt correctly

beginning to use dictionaries and classroom charts to check and correct spelling of less familiar words

Write using unjoined lower case and upper case letters (ACELY1663 Scootle )

Elaborations
using correct posture and pencil grip
learning how each letter is constructed including where to start and the direction to follow
writing words legibly using unjoined print script of consistent size
Construct texts that incorporate supporting images using software including word processing programs

Elaborations
creating digital images and composing a story or information sequence on screen using images and
captions

adding images to digital written communications such as emails with pictures of self, classmates or
location

By the end of Year 1, students understand the different purposes of texts. They make connections to personal
experience when explaining characters and main events in short texts. They identify that texts serve different
purposes and that this affects how they are organised. They describe characters, settings and events in
different types of literature.
Students read aloud, with developing fluency. They read short texts with some unfamiliar vocabulary, simple
and compound sentences and supportive images. When reading, they use knowledge of the relationship
between sounds and letters, highfrequency words, sentence boundary punctuation and directionality to make
meaning. They recall key ideas and recognise literal and implied meaning in texts. They listen to others when
taking part in conversations, using appropriate language features and interaction skills.
Students understand how characters in texts are developed and give reasons for personal preferences. They
create texts that show understanding of the connection between writing, speech and images.
They create short texts for a small range of purposes. They interact in pair, group and class discussions,
taking turns when responding. They make short presentations on familiar topics. When writing, students
provide details about ideas or events, and details about the participants in those events. They accurately spell
highfrequency words and words with regular spelling patterns. They use capital letters and full stops and
form all upper and lowercase letters correctly.
In Year 2, students communicate with peers, teachers, students from other classes and community members.
and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is to entertain, as well as texts designed to inform and
persuade. These encompass traditional oral texts, picture books, various types of print and digital stories,
simple chapter books, rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film, multimodal texts, dramatic performances and
texts used by students as models for constructing their own work.
Literary texts that support and extend Year 2 students as independent readers involve sequences of events
that span several pages and present unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences.
Informative texts present new content about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the
curriculum. These texts include language features such as varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar
vocabulary, a significant number of highfrequency sight words and words that need to be decoded phonically,
and a range of punctuation conventions, as well as illustrations and diagrams that support and extend the
printed text.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts including imaginative retellings,
reports, performances, poetry and expositions.
Language
Understand that spoken, visual and written forms of language are different modes of communication with
different features and their use varies according to the audience, purpose, context and cultural background

Elaborations
identifying examples and features of different kinds of spoken, nonverbal, written and visual
communication from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and from several Asian cultures
within Australia, and associating those features with particular communities

recognising some phrases in the languages of the class and community, for example greetings and
expressions of politeness

Understand that language varies when people take on different roles in social and classroom interactions
and how the use of key interpersonal language resources varies depending on context (ACELA1461
Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring how terms of address are used to signal different kinds of relationships

exploring the differences between giving a presentation and talking to friends

exploring culturally specific greetings and expressions of politeness

Identify language that can be used for appreciating texts and the qualities of people and things

Elaborations
exploring how language is used to express feelings including learning vocabulary to express a gradation
of feeling, for example ‘happy’, ‘joyful’, ‘pleased’, ‘contented’

exploring in stories, everyday and media texts moral and social dilemmas; such as right and wrong,
fairness/unfairness, inclusion and exclusion; learning to use language to describe actions and consider
consequences

exploring how language is used to construct characters and settings in narratives, including choice of
nouns such as ‘girl’, ‘princess’ or ‘orphan’, and choice of adjectives such as ‘gentle’, ‘timid’ or ‘frightened’

Understand that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and language features that help the
text serve its purpose (ACELA1463 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying the topic and type of a text through its visual presentation, for example cover design,
packaging, title/subtitle and images

becoming familiar with the typical stages of text types, for example simple narratives, instructions and
expositions

Understand how texts are made cohesive through language features, including word associations,
synonyms, and antonyms (ACELA1464 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring how texts develop their themes and ideas, building information through connecting similar and
contrasting dissimilar things

mapping examples of word associations in texts, for example words that refer to the main character
Recognise that capital letters signal proper nouns and commas are used to separate items in lists

Elaborations
talking about how a comma can be used to separate two or more elements in a list, for example ‘At the
museum they saw a tiger, a dinosaur and two snakes’
Know some features of text organisation including page and screen layouts, alphabetical order, and
different types of diagrams, for example timelines (ACELA1466 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising how chapters and table of contents, alphabetical order of index and glossary operate to
guide access to information

learning about features of screen texts including menu buttons, drop down menus, links and live
connections

Understand that simple connections can be made between ideas by using a compound sentence with two
or more clauses usually linked by a coordinating conjunction (ACELA1467 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning how to express ideas using compound sentences

learning how to join simple sentences with conjunctions, for example ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘so’, to construct
compound sentences

Understand that nouns represent people, places, concrete objects and abstract concepts; that there are
three types of nouns: common, proper and pronouns; and that groups/phrases can be expanded
three types of nouns: common, proper and pronouns; and that noun groups/phrases can be expanded
using articles and adjectives (ACELA1468 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring texts and identifying nouns that refer to characters, elements of the setting, and ideas

exploring illustrations and noun groups/phrases in picture books to identify how the participants have
been represented by an illustrator

exploring names of people and places and how to write them using capital letters

building extended noun groups/phrases that provide a clear description of an item

Identify visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in
narratives, and consider how these images add to or contradict or multiply the meaning of accompanying

Elaborations
comparing two versions of the same story, for example ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, identifying how a
character’s actions and reactions are depicted differently by different illustrators

Understand the use of vocabulary about familiar and new topics and experiment with and begin to make
conscious choices of vocabulary to suit audience and purpose (ACELA1470 Scootle )

Elaborations
interpreting new terminology drawing on prior knowledge, analogies and connections with known words

Orally manipulate more complex sounds in spoken words through knowledge of blending and segmenting
sounds, phoneme deletion and substitution in combination with use of letters in reading and writing

Elaborations
blending and segmenting sounds in words, for example ‘brother’ or ‘cloudy’
deleting and substituting sounds in spoken words to form new words, for example delete the ‘scr’ in
‘scratch’, and then form new words ‘catch’, ‘batch’ and ‘hatch’
Understand how to use knowledge of digraphs, long vowels, blends and silent letters to spell one and two
syllable words including some compound words (ACELA1471 Scootle )

Elaborations
using knowledge of known words to spell unknown words, for example using the word ‘thumb’ to spell the
word ‘crumb’
exploring compound words by discussing the meaningful parts, for example the spelling and meaning of
‘homemade’ is informed by two smaller words ‘home’ and ‘made’
drawing on knowledge of lettersound relationships, for example breaking a word into syllables, then
recording the sounds heard and thinking about the letter patterns that represent the sounds
Build morphemic word families using knowledge of prefixes and suffixes (ACELA1472 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing how a prefix or suffix affects meaning, for example in the word ‘painter’ the suffix ‘er’ means
‘one who’, so a painter is ‘one who paints’

Use knowledge of letter patterns and morphemes to read and write highfrequency words and words
whose spelling is not predictable from their sounds (ACELA1823 Scootle )

Elaborations
using known words in writing and spelling unknown words using morphemic knowledge of letter patterns
and morphemes, for example the words ‘sometimes’, ‘something’ and ‘anything’

using known words in writing and spelling unknown words using morphemic knowledge of letter patterns
and morphemes, for example the words ‘one’, ‘once’, ‘only’ and ‘lone’

Use most lettersound matches including vowel digraphs, less common long vowel patterns, letter clusters
and silent letters when reading and writing words of one or more syllable (ACELA1824 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising when some letters are silent, for example ‘knife’ and ‘thumb’
providing the sound for less common lettersound matches, for example ‘ight’ and using them in writing
Understand that a sound can be represented by various letter combinations (ACELA1825 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising sounds that can be produced by different letters, for example the long ‘a’ sound in ‘wait’,
‘stay’, ‘able’ and ‘make’
Literature
Discuss how depictions of characters in print, sound and images reflect the contexts in which they were
created (ACELT1587 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring iconography of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures


recognising recurring characters, settings and themes in Dreaming stories experienced through texts,
films and online sources

discussing moral and teaching stories from varied cultures, identifying and comparing their central
messages

Compare opinions about characters, events and settings in and between texts (ACELT1589 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing each others’ preferences for stories set in familiar or unfamiliar worlds, or about people whose
lives are like or unlike their own

Identify aspects of different types of literary texts that entertain, and give reasons for personal preferences

Elaborations
describing features of texts from different cultures including recurring language patterns, style of
illustrations, elements of humour or drama, and identifying the features which give rise to their personal
preferences

connecting the feelings and behaviours of animals in anthropomorphic stories with human emotions and
relationships

drawing, writing and using digital technologies to capture and communicate favourite characters and
events

Discuss the characters and settings of different texts and explore how language is used to present these
features in different ways
features in different ways (ACELT1591 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing features of text settings including time, colours used to portray year, season, and place
(country or city) and how this impacts on the characters

describing plots including beginnings (orientation), how the problem (complication) is introduced and
solved (resolution), and considering how these features construct meanings

identifying features of imaginary or fantasy texts, for example magic powers, shifts in time

investigating Aboriginal stories, found from online sources, that explain physical features of the
landscape and identify and describe the common features of language used

comparing two or more versions of the same story by different authors or from different cultures,
describing similarities and differences in authors’ points of view

Identify, reproduce and experiment with rhythmic, sound and word patterns in poems, chants, rhymes and
songs (ACELT1592 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring poems, chants, rhymes or songs from different cultures which class members may bring from
home

learning to recite, sing or create interpretations of poems, chants, rhymes or songs from students’ own
and other different cultures

Creating literature
Create events and characters using different media that develop key events and characters from literary
texts (ACELT1593 Scootle )


Elaborations
creating imaginative reconstructions of stories and poetry using a range of print and digital media

telling known stories from a different point of view

orally, in writing or using digital media, constructing a sequel to a known story

Innovate on familiar texts by experimenting with character, setting or plot (ACELT1833 Scootle )

Elaborations
inventing some speech, dialogue or behaviour of favourite or humorous characters through imagining an
alternative event or outcome in the original text

Literacy
Texts in context
Discuss different texts on a similar topic, identifying similarities and differences between the texts

Elaborations
identifying examples and features of different kinds of spoken, nonverbal, written and visual
communication from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and from several Asian cultures
within Australia

comparing two or more versions of the same topic by different authors or from different cultures,
describing similarities and differences

Listen for specific purposes and information, including instructions, and extend students’ own and others'
ideas in discussions (ACELY1666 Scootle )

Elaborations
using spoken language for problem solving, and exploring ideas and concepts

listening for specific information and providing two or more key facts from an informative text spoken or
read aloud

listening to, remembering and responding to detailed instructions

Use interaction skills including initiating topics, making positive statements and voicing disagreement in an
appropriate manner, speaking clearly and varying tone, volume and pace appropriately

Elaborations
discussing appropriate conventions to use in group discussions

exploring ways to comment on what others say, including using sentence starters such as ‘I like the way
you…’, ‘I agree that …’, ‘I have a different thought…’, ‘I’d like to say something different…’

participating in pair, group and class speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations,
class discussions and presentations

demonstrating appropriate listening behaviour, responding to and paraphrasing a partner’s contribution
to a discussion, such as think/pair/share activities

asking relevant questions and making connections with personal experiences and the contributions of
others


brainstorming topics, contributing ideas and acknowledging the ideas of others

speaking clearly and with appropriate intonation
understanding how to disagree with a point of view or offer an alternative idea courteously

experimenting with presentation strategies such as pitch, volume and intonation

Rehearse and deliver short presentations on familiar and new topics (ACELY1667 Scootle )

Elaborations
adjusting presentation for different audiences

preparing and giving oral presentations, including reports of group discussions, using more formal
speech and specific vocabulary about content area topics

listening and responding to presentations, including those using multimedia, on familiar and learned
topics, recording key information, and connecting new and existing knowledge about a topic

Identify the audience of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts (ACELY1668 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying the main purpose of a text, including whether the author wants to entertain, explain or
persuade and considering how audiences might respond to those texts

Read less predictable texts with phrasing and fluency by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and
phonic knowledge using text processing strategies, for example monitoring meaning, predicting, rereading
and selfcorrecting (ACELY1669 Scootle )

Elaborations
using prior and learned knowledge and vocabulary to make and confirm predictions when reading text

using grammatical knowledge to predict likely sentence patterns when reading more complex narratives
and informative texts

using knowledge of sound–letter relationships and high frequency sight words when decoding text

monitoring own reading and selfcorrecting when reading does not make sense, using illustrations,
context, phonics, grammar knowledge and prior and learned topic knowledge

using grammar and meaning to read aloud with fluency and intonation

Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to analyse texts by drawing
on growing knowledge of context, language and visual features and print and multimodal text structures

Elaborations
making connections between the text and students’ own experiences and experiences with other texts,
comparing authors’ differing point of view on a topic

making connections between information in print and images

building on and using prior knowledge and vocabulary

making valid inferences using information in a text and students’ own prior knowledge

predicting, asking and answering questions as they read, and summarising and reviewing meaning

Creating texts
Create short imaginative, informative and persuasive texts using growing knowledge of text structures and
language features for familiar and some less familiar audiences, selecting print and multimodal elements
appropriate to the audience and purpose (ACELY1671 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning how to plan spoken and written communications so that listeners and readers might follow the
sequence of ideas or events

sequencing content according to text structure

using appropriate simple and compound sentence to express and combine ideas

using vocabulary, including technical vocabulary, appropriate to text type and purpose

Reread and edit text for spelling, sentenceboundary punctuation and text structure (ACELY1672 Scootle
)

Elaborations
reading their work and adding, deleting or changing words, prepositional phrases or sentences to
improve meaning, for example replacing an everyday noun with a technical one in an informative text

checking spelling using a dictionary

checking for inclusion of relevant punctuation including capital letters to signal names, as well as
sentence beginnings, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks

making significant changes to their texts using a word processing program ( for example add, delete or
move sentences)

Write legibly and with growing fluency using unjoined upper case and lower case letters (ACELY1673
Scootle )

Elaborations
using correct pencil grip and posture
writing sentences legibly and fluently using unjoined print script of consistent size
Construct texts featuring print, visual and audio elements using software, including word processing
programs (ACELY1674 Scootle )

Elaborations
experimenting with and combining elements of software programs to create texts

By the end of Year 2, students understand how similar texts share characteristics by identifying text structures
and language features used to describe characters and events, or to communicate factual information.
They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of
highfrequency sight words and images that provide extra information. They monitor meaning and selfcorrect
using knowledge of phonics, syntax, punctuation, semantics and context. They use knowledge of a wide
variety of lettersound relationships to read words of one or more syllables with fluency. They identify literal
and implied meaning, main ideas and supporting detail. Students make connections between texts by
comparing content. They listen for particular purposes. They listen for and manipulate sound combinations
and rhythmic sound patterns.
When discussing their ideas and experiences, students use everyday language features and topicspecific
vocabulary. They explain their preferences for aspects of texts using other texts as comparisons. They create
texts that show how images support the meaning of the text.
Students create texts, drawing on their own experiences, their imagination and information they have learnt.
They use a variety of strategies to engage in group and class discussions and make presentations. They
accurately spell words with regular spelling patterns and spell words with less common long vowel patterns.
They use punctuation accurately, and write words and sentences legibly using unjoined upper and lower
case letters.
In Years 3 and 4, students experience learning in familiar contexts and a range of contexts that relate to study
in other areas of the curriculum. They interact with peers and teachers from other classes and schools in a
range of facetoface and online/virtual environments.
and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and
persuade. These encompass traditional oral texts including Aboriginal stories, picture books, various types of
print and digital texts, simple chapter books, rhyming verse, poetry, nonfiction, film, multimodal texts,
dramatic performances and texts used by students as models for constructing their own work.
Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 3 and 4 as independent readers describe complex
sequences of events that extend over several pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of
familiar experiences. Informative texts include content of increasing complexity and technicality about topics of
interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. These texts use complex language
features, including varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of high
frequency sight words and words that need to be decoded phonically, and a variety of punctuation
conventions, as well as illustrations and diagrams that support and extend the printed text.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives,
procedures, performances, reports, reviews, poetry and expositions.
Language
Understand that languages have different written and visual communication systems, different oral
traditions and different ways of constructing meaning (ACELA1475 Scootle )

Elaborations
learning that a word or sign can carry different weight in different cultural contexts, for example that
particular respect is due to some people and creatures and that stories can be passed on to teach us
how to live appropriately

Understand that successful cooperation with others depends on shared use of social conventions, including
turntaking patterns, and forms of address that vary according to the degree of formality in social situations

Elaborations
identifying roles and collaborative patterns in students’ own groups and pair work (for example initiating a
topic, changing a topic through negotiation, affirming other speakers and building on their comments,
asking relevant questions, providing useful feedback, prompting and checking individual and group
understanding)

Examine how evaluative language can be varied to be more or less forceful (ACELA1477 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring how modal verbs, for example ‘must’, ‘might’,’ or ‘could’ indicate degrees of probability or
obligation

distinguishing how choice of adverbs, nouns and verbs present different evaluations of characters in
texts

Understand how different types of texts vary in use of language choices, depending on their purpose and
context (for example, tense and types of sentences) (ACELA1478 Scootle )

Elaborations
becoming familiar with typical structural stages and language features of various types of text, for
example narratives, procedures, reports, reviews and expositions

Understand that paragraphs are a key organisational feature of written texts (ACELA1479 Scootle )

Elaborations
noticing how longer texts are organised into paragraphs, each beginning with a topic sentence/paragraph
opener which predicts how the paragraph will develop and is then elaborated in various ways

Know that word contractions are a feature of informal language and that apostrophes of contraction are
used to signal missing letters (ACELA1480 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising both grammatically accurate and inaccurate usage of the apostrophe in everyday texts such
as signs in the community and newspaper advertisements

Identify the features of online texts that enhance navigation (ACELA1790 Scootle )

Elaborations
becoming familiar with the typical features of online texts, for example navigation bars and buttons,
hyperlinks and sitemaps

Understand that a clause is a unit of grammar usually containing a subject and a verb and that these need
Understand that a is a unit of usually containing a and a and that these need
to be in agreement (ACELA1481 Scootle )

Elaborations
knowing that a clause is basically a group of words that contains a verb

knowing that, in terms of meaning, a basic clause represents: what is happening; what state is being
described; who or what is involved; and the surrounding circumstances

Understand that verbs represent different processes, for example doing, thinking, saying, and relating and
that these processes are anchored in time through tense (ACELA1482 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying different types of verbs and the way they add meaning to a sentence

exploring 'doing' and 'saying' verbs in narrative texts to show how they give information about what
characters do and say

exploring the use of sensing verbs and how they allow readers to know what characters think and feel

exploring the use of relating verbs in constructing definitions and descriptions

learning how time is represented through the tense of a verb, for example 'She arrived’, ‘She is arriving’
and adverbials of time, for example ‘She arrived yesterday’, ‘She is arriving in the morning’

Identify the effect on audiences of techniques, for example shot size, vertical camera angle and layout in
picture books, advertisements and film segments (ACELA1483 Scootle )

Elaborations
noting how the relationship between characters can be depicted in illustrations through: the positioning of
the characters (for example facing each other or facing away from each other); the distance between
them; the relative size; one character looking up (or down) at the other (power relationships); facial
expressions and body gesture

observing how images construct a relationship with the viewer through such strategies as: direct gaze
into the viewer's eyes, inviting involvement and how close ups are more engaging than distanced
images, which can suggest alienation or loneliness

Learn extended and technical vocabulary and ways of expressing opinion including modal verbs and
adverbs (ACELA1484 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring examples of language which demonstrate a range of feelings and positions, and building a
vocabulary to express judgements about characters or events, acknowledging that language and
judgements might differ depending on the cultural context

Understand how to use lettersound relationships and less common letter patterns to spell words

Elaborations
using sound and visual spelling strategies to explore less common letter patterns after a short vowel, for
example words that end in ‘dge’ such as ‘badge’, ‘edge’, ‘fridge’, ‘dodge’ and ‘smudge’
using sound and visual spelling strategies to spell words with threeletter blends, for example ‘strip’
Recognise and know how to write most high frequency words including some homophones (ACELA1486
Scootle )

Elaborations
drawing on meaning and context to spell singlesyllable homophones, for example ‘break’ or ‘brake’ and
‘ate’ or ‘eight’
Understand how to apply knowledge of lettersound relationships, syllables, and blending and segmenting
to fluently read and write multisyllabic words with more complex letter patterns (ACELA1826 Scootle )

Elaborations
reading and writing more complex words with consonant digraphs and consonant blends, for example
‘shrinking’, ‘against’ and ‘rocket’
reading and writing consonant digraphs representing different sounds, for example ‘machine’, ‘change’
and ‘school’
Know how to use common prefixes and suffixes, and generalisations for adding a suffix to a base word

Elaborations
exploring generalisations for adding a suffix to a base word to form a plural or past tense, for example to
make a word plural when it ends in ‘ss’, ‘sh’, ‘ch’ or ‘z’, add ‘es’

Literature
Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the
authors’ reasons (ACELT1594 Scootle )

Elaborations
reading texts in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children/young people are the central
characters/protagonists and making links to students’ own lives, noting similarities

exploring the ways that the same story can be told in many cultures, identifying variations in the storyline
and in music (for example ‘The Ramayana’ story which is told to children in India, Indonesia, Thailand,
Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Tibet and Malaysia)

Draw connections between personal experiences and the worlds of texts, and share responses with others

Elaborations
discussing relevant prior knowledge and past experiences to make meaningful connections to the
people, places, events, issues and ideas in the text

exploring texts that highlight issues and problems in making moral decisions and discussing these with
others

drawing on literature from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander or Asian cultures, to explore commonalities of
experience and ideas as well as recognising difference in lifestyle and world view

Develop criteria for establishing personal preferences for literature (ACELT1598 Scootle )

Elaborations
building a conscious understanding of preference regarding topics and genres of personal interest (for
example humorous short stories, school and family stories, mysteries, fantasy and quest, series books)

selecting and discussing favourite texts and explaining their reasons for assigning greater or lesser merit
to particular texts or types of texts

Discuss how language is used to describe the settings in texts, and explore how the settings shape the
events and influence the mood of the narrative (ACELT1599 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying and discussing the use of descriptive adjectives (‘in the middle of a vast, bare plain’) to
establish setting and atmosphere (‘the castle loomed dark and forbidding’) and to draw readers into
events that follow

discussing the language used to describe the traits of characters in stories, their actions and motivations:
‘Claire was so lonely; she desperately wanted a pet and she was afraid she would do anything, just
anything, to have one to care for’

Discuss the nature and effects of some language devices used to enhance meaning and shape the
reader’s reaction, including rhythm and onomatopoeia in poetry and prose (ACELT1600 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying the effect of imagery in texts, for example the use of imagery related to nature in haiku poems

exploring how rhythm, onomatopoeia and alliteration give momentum to poetry and prose read aloud,
and enhance enjoyment

Creating literature
Create imaginative texts based on characters, settings and events from students’ own and other cultures
using visual features, for example perspective, distance and angle (ACELT1601 Scootle )

Elaborations
drawing on literary texts read, viewed and listened to for inspiration and ideas, appropriating language to
create mood and characterisation

innovating on texts read, viewed and listened to by changing the point of view, revising an ending or
creating a sequel

Create texts that adapt language features and patterns encountered in literary texts, for example
characterisation, rhyme, rhythm, mood, music, sound effects and dialogue (ACELT1791 Scootle )


Elaborations
creating visual and multimodal texts based on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander or Asian literature,
applying one or more visual elements to convey the intent of the original text

creating multimodal texts that combine visual images, sound effects, music and voice overs to convey
settings and events in a fantasy world

Literacy
Texts in context
Identify the point of view in a text and suggest alternative points of view (ACELY1675 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing how a text presents the point of view of the main character, and speculating on what other
characters might think or feel

recognising that there is more than one way of looking at the same event and that stories seen through
the eyes of one character privileges some aspects of the story over others

speculating about what other characters might think or feel and retelling the story from other
perspectives (for example ‘Cinderella’ from the view of the ‘Ugly Sisters’)

Listen to and contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas and negotiate in
collaborative situations (ACELY1676 Scootle )

Elaborations
participating in collaborative discussions, building on and connecting ideas and opinions expressed by
others, and checking students’ own understanding against group views


Use interaction skills, including active listening behaviours and communicate in a clear, coherent manner
using a variety of everyday and learned vocabulary and appropriate tone, pace, pitch and volume

Elaborations
participating in pair, group and class speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations,
class discussions and presentations

listening actively including listening for specific information, recognising the value of others’ contributions
and responding through comments, recounts and summaries of information

learning the specific speaking or listening skills of different group roles, for example group leader, note
taker and reporter

acquiring new vocabulary in all curriculum areas through listening, reading, viewing and discussion and
using this vocabulary in specific ways such as describing people, places, things and processes

using language appropriately in different situations such as making a request of a teacher, explaining a
procedure to a classmate, engaging in a game with friends

experimenting with voice effects in formal presentations such as tone, volume and pace

Plan and deliver short presentations, providing some key details in logical sequence

Elaborations
drawing on relevant research into a topic to prepare an oral or multimodal presentation, using devices
such as storyboards to plan the sequence of ideas and information

Identify the audience and purpose of imaginative, informative and persuasive texts (ACELY1678 Scootle
)

Elaborations
identifying the author’s point of view on a topic and key words and images that seem intended to
persuade listeners, viewers or readers to agree with the view presented

Read an increasing range of different types of texts by combining contextual, semantic, grammatical and
phonic knowledge, using text processing strategies, for example monitoring, predicting, confirming,
rereading, reading on and selfcorrecting (ACELY1679 Scootle )

Elaborations
combining different types of knowledge (for example word knowledge, vocabulary, grammar, phonics) to
make decisions about unknown words, reading on, reviewing and summarising meaning

analysing the way illustrations help to construct meaning and interpreting different types of illustrations
and graphics

reading text types from a student’s culture to enhance confidence in building reading strategies

reading aloud with fluency and intonation
reading a wider range of texts, including chapter books and informative texts, for pleasure
Use comprehension strategies to build literal and inferred meaning and begin to evaluate texts by drawing
on a growing knowledge of context, text structures and language features (ACELY1680 Scootle )

Elaborations
making connections between the text and students own experience and other texts

making connections between the information in print and images

making predictions and asking and answering questions about the text drawing on knowledge of the
topic, subjectspecific vocabulary and experience of texts on the same topic

using text features and search tools to locate information in written and digital texts efficiently

determining important ideas, events or details in texts commenting on things learned or questions raised
by reading, referring explicitly to the text for verification

making considered inferences taking into account topic knowledge or a character’s likely actions and
feelings

Creating texts
Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts demonstrating increasing control over
text structures and language features and selecting print,and multimodal elements appropriate to the
audience and purpose (ACELY1682 Scootle )

Elaborations
using print and digital resources to gather information about a topic

selecting appropriate text structure for a writing purpose and sequencing content for clarity and audience
impact

using appropriate simple, compound and complex sentences to express and combine ideas

using vocabulary, including technical vocabulary, relevant to the text type and purpose, and appropriate
sentence structures to express and combine ideas

Reread and edit texts for meaning, appropriate structure, grammatical choices and punctuation

Elaborations
using glossaries, print and digital dictionaries and spell check to edit spelling, realising that spell check
accuracy depends on understanding the word function, for example there/their; rain/reign

Write using joined letters that are clearly formed and consistent in size (ACELY1684 Scootle )

Elaborations
practising how to join letters to construct a fluent handwriting style
Use software including word processing programs with growing speed and efficiency to construct and edit
texts featuring visual, print and audio elements (ACELY1685 Scootle )

Elaborations
using features of relevant technologies to plan, sequence, compose and edit multimodal texts

By the end of Year 3, students understand how content can be organised using different text structures
depending on the purpose of the text. They understand how language features, images and vocabulary
choices are used for different effects.
They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, a range of punctuation conventions, and images that
provide extra information. They use phonics and word knowledge to fluently read more complex words. They
identify literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different parts of a text. They select information, ideas
and events in texts that relate to their own lives and to other texts. They listen to others’ views and respond
appropriately using interaction skills.
Students understand how language features are used to link and sequence ideas. They understand how
language can be used to express feelings and opinions on topics. Their texts include writing and images to
express and develop, in some detail, experiences, events, information, ideas and characters.
Students create a range of texts for familiar and unfamiliar audiences. They contribute actively to class and
group discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback and making presentations. They demonstrate
understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of
their writing. They use knowledge of lettersound relationships including consonant and vowel clusters and
highfrequency words to spell words accurately. They reread and edit their writing, checking their work for
appropriate vocabulary, structure and meaning. They write using joined letters that are accurately formed and
consistent in size.
Glossary
accent
A distinctive way of pronouncing a language, usually associated with a particular country, region, or social
class (for example, the American accent is unmistakable).
adjective
A word class that describes, identifies or quantifies a noun or a pronoun.
Different types of adjectives include:
number or quantity adjectives (for example, ‘twelve’, ‘several’)
possessive adjectives (for example, ‘my’, ‘his’)
descriptive adjectives (for example, ‘beautiful’, ‘ancient’)
comparative adjectives (for example, ‘shorter,’ ‘more difficult’)
classifying adjectives (for example, ‘wooden’ (box), ‘passenger’ (vehicle).
adverb
A word class that may modify a verb (for example, ‘beautifully’ in ‘she sings beautifully’), an adjective (for
example, ‘really’ in ‘he is really interesting’) or another adverb (for example, ‘very’ in ‘she walks very
slowly’). In English many adverbs have an ly ending.
adverbial
A word or group of words that modifies or contributes additional, but nonessential, information about a
sentence or a verb.
Adverbials are classified on the basis of the kind of meaning involved including:
time (for example, ‘yesterday’ in ‘I spoke with him yesterday’)
duration (for example, ‘for several years’ in ‘they have lived together for several years’)
frequency (for example, ‘three times a year’ in ‘the committee meets three times a year’)
place (for example, ‘in Brisbane’ in ‘we met in Brisbane’)
manner (for example, ‘very aggressively’ in ‘he played very aggressively’)
degree (for example, ‘very deeply’ in ‘he loves her very deeply’)
reason (for example, ‘because of the price’ in ‘we rejected it because of the price’)
purpose (for example, ‘to avoid embarrassing you’ in ‘I stayed away to avoid embarrassing you’)
condition (for example, ‘if I can’ in ‘I’ll help you if I can’)
concession (for example, ‘although she was unwell’ in ‘she joined in although she was unwell’).
Adverbials usually have the form of:
adverb group: a group/phrase includes an adverb as the head word and answers questions such
as 'how?' or 'where?' or 'when?' (for example, ‘it ran extremely quickly’, ‘it ran quicker than a
cheetah)
a prepositional phrase (for example, ‘in the evening’ in ‘she'll be arriving in the evening’)
a noun group/phrase (for example, ‘this morning’ in ‘I finished it this morning’)
a subordinate clause (for example, ‘because he had an assignment to finish’ in ‘He didn’t go out
because he had an assignment to finish’). In some schools of linguistics, such subordinate
clauses are treated as dependent on, rather than embedded in, the main clause.
aesthetic
Relates to a sense of beauty or an appreciation of artistic expression. The selection of texts that are
recognised as having aesthetic or artistic value is an important focus of the literature strand.
alliteration
A recurrence of the same consonant sounds at the beginning of words in close succession (for example,
‘ripe, red raspberry’).
allusion
A brief hint or reference to a person, event, idea or work of art through a passing comment, where a
composer expects a reader to have the knowledge to recognise the allusion and grasp its importance in the
text (for example, ‘chocolate was her Achilles’ heel’).
analogy
A comparison between one thing and another, typically for the purpose of explanation or clarification.
antonym
A word opposite in meaning to another (for example, ‘empty’ is an antonym for ‘full’; ‘cold’ is an antonym for
‘hot’).
apostrophe
A punctuation mark used to indicate either possession or omission of letters and numbers.
The two main uses of apostrophes are:
apostrophe of possession indicates that a noun owns something (for example, ‘the student’s
work’, ‘David’s phone’). Plural nouns that end with s have an apostrophe added after the s (for
example, ‘the teachers’ staff room’).
apostrophe of contraction replaces omitted letters in a word (for example, ‘isn’t’, ‘don’t’, ‘he’s’).
apposition
When one noun group/phrase immediately follows another with the same reference, they are said to be in
apposition (for example, ‘our neighbour, Mr Grasso ...’, ‘Canberra, the capital of Australia, ...’).
appreciation
An act of discerning quality and value of literary texts.
appropriation
Taking a text or a part of a text, like an image, character or technique, from one context and placing it in
another. This may be a technique used to give new insights into the original text (for example, a film that
appropriates the plot or characters of an earlier novel, or a version of a traditional text given an
unconventional perspective as in fairy tales retold in a modern context).
audience
An intended group of readers, listeners or viewers that a writer, designer, filmmaker or speaker is
addressing.
author
A composer or originator of a work (for example, a novel, film, website, speech, essay, autobiography).
base word
A form of a word that conveys the essential meaning. A base word is not derived from or made up of other
words and has no prefixes or suffixes (for example, ‘action’, ‘activity’, ‘activate’, ‘react’ are all words built
from the base word ‘act’).
bias
Bias occurs in text where a composer presents one perspective, favouring one side in an argument or
discussion, often accompanied by a refusal to consider possible merits of alternative points of view.
blending
A process of saying the individual sounds in a word then running them together to make the word. The
sounds must be said quickly so the word is clear (for example, sounding out /b//i//g/ to make ‘big’).
body language
Movements or positions of a body, which express a person's thoughts or feelings.
camera angle
An angle at which a camera is pointed at a subject. Vertical angle can be low, level or high. Horizontal angle
can be oblique (side on) or frontal.
clause
A grammatical unit that refers to a happening or state (for example, ‘the netball team won’ [happening], ‘the
cartoon is an animation’ [state]).
A clause usually contains a subject and a verb group/phrase (for example, ‘the team [subject] has played
[verb group/phrase] a fantastic game’), which may be accompanied by an object or other complements
(elements that are closely related to the verb – for example, ‘the match’ in ‘the team lost the match’) and/or
adverbials (for example, ‘on a rainy night’ in ‘the team won on a rainy night’).
A clause can be either a ‘main’ clause (also known as an ‘independent’ clause) or ‘subordinate clause’ (also
known as a ‘dependent’ clause), depending on its function.
A main clause does not depend on or function within the structure of another clause.
A subordinate clause depends on or functions within the structure of another clause. It may function directly
within the structure of a larger clause, or indirectly by being contained within a noun group/phrase.
In these examples square brackets have been used to indicate a subordinate clause:
I took my umbrella [because it was raining].
[When I am studying Shakespeare], my time is limited.
The man [who came to dinner] is my brother.
cohesion
Grammatical or lexical relationships that bind different parts of a text together and give it unity. Cohesion is
achieved through:
various devices such as connectives, ellipses and word associations (sometimes called ‘lexical
cohesion’). These associations include synonyms, antonyms (for example, ‘study / laze about’,
‘ugly/beautiful’), repetition (for example, ‘work, work, work – that’s all we do!’) and collocation (for
example, ‘friend’ and ‘pal’ in, ‘My friend did me a big favour last week. She’s been a real pal.’).
collocation
Words that commonly occur in close association with one another (for example, ‘blonde’ goes with ‘hair’,
‘butter’ is ‘rancid’ not ‘rotten’, ‘salt and pepper’ not ‘pepper and salt’. Collocation can also refer to word sets
that create cohesion by building associations between words (for example, beach, sun, waves, sand).
colon (:)
A punctuation mark used to separate a general statement from one or more statements that provide
additional information, explanation or illustration. Statements that follow a colon do not have to be complete
sentences.
complex sentence
A sentence with one or more subordinate clauses. In the following examples, the subordinate clauses are
indicated by square brackets:
[Because I am studying for an exam], my time is limited.
compound sentence
A sentence with two or more main clauses of equal grammatical status, usually marked by a coordinating
conjunction such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘or’. In the following examples below, the main clauses are indicated by
square brackets:
[Jill came home this morning] [but she didn't stay long].
[Kim is an actor], [Pat is a teacher], [and Sam is an architect].
comprehension strategy
A set of processes used by readers to make meaning from texts. Key comprehension strategies include:
activating and using prior knowledge
identifying literal information explicitly stated in the text
making inferences based on information in the text and their own prior knowledge
predicting likely future events in a text
visualising by creating mental images of elements in a text summarising and organising
information from a text
integrating ideas and information in texts
critically reflecting on content, structure, language and images used to construct meaning in a
text.
concepts about print
Concepts about how English print works. They include information about where to start reading and how a
print travels from left to right across a page. Concepts about print are essential for beginning reading.
conjunction
A word that joins other words, phrases or clauses together in logical relationships such as addition, time,
cause or comparison. There are two types of conjunctions: coordinating conjunctions and subordinating
conjunctions.
Coordinating conjunctions are words that link words, groups/phrases and clauses in such a way that the
elements have equal grammatical status. They include conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’:
Mum and Dad are here. (joining words)
We visited some of our friends, but not all of them. (joining noun groups/phrases)
Did he miss the train or is it just late? (joining clauses)
Subordinating conjunctions introduce certain kinds of subordinate clauses. They include conjunctions such
as ‘after’, ‘when’, ‘because’, ‘if’ and ‘that’:
When the meeting ended, we went home. (time)
That was because it was raining. (reason)
I'll do it if you pay me. (condition)
I know that he is ill. (declarative)
I wonder whether/if she’s right. (interrogative)
connective
Words that link paragraphs and sentences in logical relationships of time, cause and effect, comparison or
addition. Connectives relate ideas to one another and help to show the logic of the information. Connectives
are important resources for creating cohesion in texts. The logical relationships can be grouped as follows:
temporal – to indicate time or sequence ideas (for example, ‘first’, ‘second’, ‘next’)
causal – to show cause and effect (for example, ‘because’, ‘for’ , ‘so’)
additive – to add information (for example, ‘also’, ‘besides’, ‘furthermore’)
comparative – to compare (for example, ‘rather’, ‘alternatively’)
conditional/concessive – to make conditions or concession (for example, ‘yet’, ‘although’)
clarifying – for example, ‘in fact’, ‘for example’.
consonant
All letters of the alphabet that are not vowels. The 21 consonants in the alphabet are b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l,
m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.
consonant blend
A group of two or three consonants that are all pronounced individually (for example, /b/ and /l/ in the word
‘black’; /g/and /r/ in the word ‘green’).
consonant cluster
Groups of two or more consonants that can occur at the beginning, middle, or end of a word (for example,
/sp/ in the word ‘spot’; /nt/ in the word ‘bent’).
context
An environment in which a text is responded to or created. Context can include general social, historical
and cultural conditions in which a text is responded to and created (context of culture) or specific features of
its immediate environment (context of situation). The term is also used to refer to wording surrounding an
unfamiliar word, which a reader or listener uses to understand its meaning.
convention
An accepted language practice that has developed over time and is generally used and understood (for
example, use of punctuation).
coordinating conjunctions
Words that link words, groups/phrases and clauses in such a way that the elements have equal
grammatical status. They include conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘or’, ‘but’:
Mum and Dad are here. (joining words)
We visited some of our friends, but not all of them. (joining noun groups/phrases)
Did he miss the train or is it just late? (joining clauses)
create
Develop and/or produce spoken, written or multimodal texts in print or digital forms.
decodable
Decodable texts are texts that can be read using decoding skills a student has acquired. Decodable text is
usually associated with beginning readers.
decode
A process of efficient word recognition in which readers use knowledge of the relationship between letters
and sounds to work out how to say and read written words.
design
A way that particular elements are selected and used in a process of text construction for particular
purposes. These elements might be linguistic (words), visual (images), audio (sounds), gestural (body
language), spatial (arrangement on the page, screen or 3D), and multimodal (a combination of more than
one).
dialect
A form of a language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation particular to a
region or social group.
digital text
An audio, visual or multimodal text produced through digital or electronic technology, which may be
interactive and include animations and/or hyperlinks. Examples of digital texts include DVDs, websites, e
literature.
digraph
Two letters that represent a single sound:
vowel digraphs have two vowels (for example, ‘oo’, ‘ea’)
consonant digraphs have two consonants (for example, ‘sh’, ‘th’)
vowel/consonant digraphs have one vowel and one consonant (for example, ‘er’, ‘ow’).
eliterature
An electronic publication of literature using multimedia capabilities of digital technologies to create
interactive and possibly nonlinear texts, through combining written text, movement, visual, audio and
spatial elements. E‑literature may include hypertext fiction, computer art installations, kinetic poetry and
collaborative writing projects, allowing readers to contribute to a work. It also includes texts where print
meanings are enhanced through digital images and/or sound, as well as literature that is reconstituted from
print texts (for example, online versions of The Little Prince or Alice in Wonderland).
ellipsis
Types of ellipses include:
an omission of words that repeat what has gone before. The repetition is not necessary because
the meaning is understood (for example, ‘The project will be innovative. To be involved will be
exciting.’ – ‘in the project’ is ellipsed in the second sentence).
where a word such as ‘one’ is substituted for a noun group/phrase, as in ‘There are lots of apples
in the bowl and you can take two big ones’ (substitution).
a cohesive resource that binds text together and is commonly used in dialogue for speed of
response and economy of effort (for example, [do you] ‘Want a drink?’ / ‘Thanks, I would.’ [like a
drink]).
a use of three dots. This form of punctuation (also known as points of ellipsis) can be used to
indicate such things as surprise or suspense in a narrative text or to indicate that there is more to
come in an onscreen menu.
etymological knowledge
Knowledge of the origins and development of a form and meanings of words and how meanings and forms
have changed over time.
evaluative language
Positive or negative language that judges the worth of something. It includes language to express feelings
and opinions, to make judgments about aspects of people such as their behaviour, and to assess quality of
objects such as literary works. Evaluations can be made explicit (for example, through the use of adjectives
as in: ‘she’s a lovely girl’, ‘he’s an awful man’, or ‘how wonderful!’), however, they can be left implicit (for
example, ‘he dropped the ball when he was tackled’, or ‘Mary put her arm round the child while she wept’).
figurative language
Word groups/phrases used in a way that differ from the expected or everyday usage. They are used in a
nonliteral way for particular effect (for example: simile – ‘white as a sheet’; metaphor – ‘all the world’s a
stage’; personification – ‘the wind grabbed at my clothes’).
framing
A way in which elements in a still or moving image are arranged to create a specific interpretation of a
whole. Strong framing creates a sense of enclosure around elements while weak framing creates a sense
of openness.
function and class
How one grammatical unit relates to another is its function. For example, in the clause ‘the meeting started
late’, ‘the meeting’ is the subject. This describes its relation to ta verb (and a clause). However, in the
clause ‘they started the meeting late’, the same words (‘the meeting’) stand in a different relation to the
verb: they are functioning as its object.
A class is a set of grammatical units that are alike in a language system, such as noun, verb, adjective and
corresponding groups/phrases: noun group/phrase, verb group/phrase, adjective group/phrase.’ For
example, to say that ‘the meeting’ is a noun group/phrase is to say that it is the same kind of unit as ‘a
book’, ‘that car’, ‘my uncle’.
genre
How texts are grouped depending on their social purpose (for example, to recount, to describe, to
persuade, to narrate). In literary theory, the term is often used to distinguish texts on the basis of their
subject matter (for example, detective fiction, romance fiction , science fiction, fantasy fiction), or their form
and structure (for example poetry, novels, short stories).
grammar
A description of a language as a system. In describing a language, attention is paid to both structure (form)
and meaning (function) at the level of a word, a sentence and a text.
grapheme
A letter or group of letters that spell a phoneme in a word (for example, /f/ in the word ‘fog’; /ph/ in the word
‘photo’).
graphophonic knowledge
A knowledge of how letters in printed English relate to the sounds of the language.
group/phrase
The terms group and phrase are used by different schools of linguistics to refer to units intermediate
between a clause and a word. In the English curriculum, group/phrase is used to recognise these different
usages. For example, the units enclosed in brackets in the following sentence are examples of a
group/phrase: ‘(the carnival) (had made) (the two little girls with the red shirts) (very tired)’.
In the example, ‘the carnival’ and ‘the two little girls with the red shirts’ are called noun groups/phrases
because they have a noun (‘carnival’ and ‘girls’) as their major element; similarly, ‘had made’ is a verb
group/phrase and ‘very tired’ an adjective group/phrase.
handwriting
A production of legible, correctly formed letters by hand or with the assistance of writing tools, for example,
pencil grip or assistive technology.
highfrequency words
The most common words used in written English text. They are sometimes called ‘irregular words’ or ‘sight
words’. Many common or highfrequency words in English cannot be decoded using sound–letter
correspondence because they do not use regular or common letter patterns. These words need to be
learnt by sight (for example, ‘come’, ‘was’, ‘were’, ‘one’, ‘they’, ‘watch’, ‘many’).
homophone
A word identical in pronunciation with another but different in meaning (for example, ‘bear’ and ‘bare’, ‘air’
and ‘heir’).
hybrid text
A composite text resulting from a mixing of elements from different sources or genres (for example,
‘infotainment’). Email is an example of a hybrid text, combining the immediacy of talk and the expectation of
a reply with the permanence of print.
idiomatic expression
A group of (more or less) fixed words having a meaning not deducible from individual words. Idioms are
typically informal expressions used by particular social groups and need to be explained as one unit (for
example, ‘I am over the moon’, ‘on thin ice’, ‘a fish out of water’, ‘fed up to the back teeth’).
imagery
A use of figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that they appeal to the
senses of the reader or viewer.
intertextuality
Associations or connections between one text and other texts. Intertextual references can be more or less
explicit and selfconscious. They can take the form of direct quotation, parody, allusion or structural
borrowing.
juxtaposition
Placement of two or more ideas, characters, actions, settings, phrases, or words side by side for a
particular purpose (for example, to highlight contrast or for rhetorical effect).
language features
Features of language that support meaning (for example, sentence structure, noun group/phrase,
vocabulary, punctuation, figurative language). Choices in language features and text structures together
define a type of text and shape its meaning. These choices vary according to the purpose of a text, its
subject matter, audience and mode or medium of production.
language patterns
An arrangement of identifiable repeated or corresponding elements in a text. These include patterns of
repetition or similarity (for example, a repeated use of verbs at the beginning of each step in a recipe, or a
repetition of a chorus after each verse in a song). The patterns may alternate (for example, a call and
response pattern of some games, or a toandfro of a dialogue). Other patterns may contrast (for example,
opposing viewpoints in a discussion, or contrasting patterns of imagery in a poem). Language patterns of a
text contribute to the distinctive nature of its overall organisation and shape its meaning.
layout
A spatial arrangement of print and graphics on a page or screen including size of font, positioning of
illustrations, inclusion of captions, labels, headings, bullet points, borders and text boxes.
lexical cohesion
A use of word associations to create links in texts. Links can be made through the use of repetition of
words, synonyms, antonyms and words that are related such as by class and subclass.
listen
To use the sense of hearing as well as a range of active behaviours to comprehend information received
through gesture, body language and other sensory systems.
media texts
Spoken, print, graphic or electronic communications with a public audience. They often involve numerous
people in their construction and are usually shaped by a technology used in their production. Media texts
studied in English can be found in newspapers, magazines and on television, film, radio, computer software
and the internet.
medium
A resource used in the production of texts, including tools and materials used (for example, digital text and
a computer, writing and a pen or a typewriter).
metalanguage
Vocabulary used to discuss language conventions and use (for example, language used to talk about
grammatical terms such as ‘sentence’, 'clause’, 'conjunction').
metonymy
A use of the name of one thing or attribute of something to represent something larger or related (for
example, using a word ‘Crown’ to represent a monarch of a country; referring to a place for an event, as in
‘Chernobyl’ when referring to changed attitudes to nuclear power, or a time for an event, as in ‘9/11’ when
referring to changed global relations).
modality
An area of meaning having to do with possibility, probability, obligation and permission. In the following
examples, the modal meanings are expressed by the auxiliary verbs ‘must’ and ‘may’:
Sue may have written the note. (possibility)
Sue must have written the note. (probability)
You must postpone the meeting. (obligation)
You may postpone the meeting. (permission)
Modality can also be expressed by several different kinds of words:
adverbs (for example, ‘possibly’, ‘necessarily’, ‘certainly’, ‘perhaps’)
adjectives (for example, ‘possible’, ‘probable’, ‘likely’, ‘necessary’)
nouns (for example, ‘possibility’, ‘necessity’, ‘obligation’)
modal verbs (for example, ‘permit’, ‘oblige’).
monologue
A long speech or discourse given by a single character in a story, movie, play or by a performer.
modal verb
A verb that expresses a degree of probability attached by a speaker or writer to a statement (for example, ‘I
might come home’); or a degree of obligation (for example, ‘You must give it to me’).
mode
Various processes of communication – listening, speaking, reading/viewing and writing/creating. Modes are
also used to refer to the semiotic (meaning making) resources associated with these communicative
processes, such as sound, print, image and gesture.
morpheme
The smallest meaningful or grammatical unit in a language. Morphemes are not necessarily the same as
words. The word ‘cat’ has one morpheme, while the word ‘cats’ has two morphemes: ‘cat’ for the animal
and ‘s’ to indicate that there is more than one. Similarly, ‘like’ has one morpheme, while ‘dislike’ has two:
‘like’ to describe appreciation and ‘dis’ to indicate the opposite. Morphemes are very useful in helping
students work out how to read and spell words.
morphemic knowledge
A knowledge of morphemes, morphemic processes and different forms and combinations of morphemes
(for example, the word ‘unfriendly’ is formed from the stem ‘friend’, the adjectiveforming suffix ‘ly’ and the
negative prefix ‘un’).
multimodal text
A combination of two or more communication modes (for example, print, image and spoken text, as in film
or computer presentations).
narrative
A story of events or experiences, real or imagined. In literary theory, narrative includes a story (what is
narrated) and a discourse (how it is narrated).
narrative point of view
The ways in which a narrator may be related to a story. For example, a narrator might take a role of first or
third person, having full knowledge or restricted in knowledge of events, reliable or unreliable in
interpretation of what happens.
neologism
A newly created word or expression. This can occur in a number of ways, for example, an existing word
used in a new way (deadly') and through abbreviations (for example, 'HIV').
nominalisation
A process for forming nouns from verbs (for example, ‘reaction’ from ‘react’ or ‘departure’ from ‘depart’) or
adjectives (for example, ‘length’ from ‘long’, ‘eagerness’ from ‘eager’). Nominalisation is also a process for
forming noun groups/phrases from clauses (for example, ‘their destruction of the city’ from ‘they destroyed
the city’). Nominalisation is a way of making a text more compact and is often a feature of texts that contain
abstract ideas and concepts.
nonverbal cues
Behaviours, other than words, that transmit meaning (for example, body language, inflexion, eye contact,
posture).
noun
A word class that includes all words denoting physical objects such as ‘man’, ‘woman’, ‘boy’, ‘girl’, ‘diamond’,
‘car’, ‘window’ etc. These are called ‘concrete nouns’. ‘Abstract nouns’ express intangibles such as
‘democracy’, ‘courage’, ‘success’, ‘fact’, ‘idea’. The most important grammatical property of nouns concerns
their function. A noun group/phrase, which contains a noun as its major element, can function as:
subject (for example, ‘(the sun) was shining’)
object (for example, ‘I'd like (an apple)’)
a part of a prepositional phrase (for example, ‘they arrived (on time)’).
Most nouns can be marked for plural (for example, ‘dog’–‘dogs’, ‘woman’–‘women’), and for possessive (for
example, ‘dog’–‘dog’s’, ‘woman’–‘woman's’.
There are three major grammatical types of nouns: common nouns, proper nouns and pronouns.
common nouns include words such as ‘hat’, ‘phone’, ‘pollution’ that do not name a particular
person, place, thing, quality and so on. They can be concrete or abstract nouns.
proper nouns include words such as ‘Australia’, ‘Mary Smith’, ‘October’, which serve as the
names of particular persons, places, days/months and festivals. They usually occur without a
determiner, such as ‘the’.
noun group
Consists of a noun as a major element, alone or accompanied by one or more modifiers. A noun
functioning as a major element may be a common noun, proper noun or pronoun. Expressions belonging to
a range of classes may function as modifiers:
Those that precede the main noun include:
determiners (for example, ‘the car’, ‘a disaster’, ‘some people’, ‘many mistakes’)
possessive noun groups/phrases and pronouns (for example, ‘the old man's house’, ‘Kim's
behaviour’, ‘my father’)
numerals (for example, ‘two days’, ‘thirty casualties’, ‘a hundred students’)
adjectives (for example, ‘grave danger’, ‘a nice day’, ‘some new ideas’, ‘poor Tom’)
nouns (for example, ‘the unemployment rate’, ‘a tax problem’, ‘a Qantas pilot’)
Those that follow the main noun usually belong to one or other of the following classes:
prepositional phrases (for example, ‘a pot of tea’, ‘the way to Adelaide’, ‘work in progress’)
subordinate clauses (for example, ‘the woman who wrote it’, ‘people living near the coast’).
objective language
A language that is factbased, measurable and observable, verifiable and unbiased. It does not include a
speaker or writer’s point of view, interpretation or judgement.
onset
Separate phonemes in a syllable can normally be broken into two parts. An onset is the initial consonant
(for example, in ‘cat’ the onset is /c/); or consonant blend (for example, in ‘shop’ the onset is /sh/). Word
families can be constructed using common onsets such as /t/ in ‘top’, ‘town’.
personification
A description of an inanimate object as though it were a person or living thing (for example, ‘the last chance
he had, just walked out the door’).
phonemic awareness
An ability to hear, identify and manipulate separate, individual phonemes in words.
phoneme
The smallest unit of sound in a word (for example, the word ‘is’ has two phonemes: /i/ and /s/; the word
‘ship’ has three phonemes: /sh/, /i/, /p/).
phoneme deletion
Involves forming a different word by removing a phoneme (for example, take the /t/ away from the word
‘train’ to make a new word ‘rain’).
phoneme substitution
Involves students manipulating spoken words by substituting certain phonemes for others (for example,
changing the /r/ in the word ‘rat’ to /b/ to make new word ‘bat’.) Phoneme substitution can occur with middle
and final phonemes (for example, changing the /a/ in ‘cat’ to /o/ to make new word ‘cot’.
phonological knowledge
Information about the sounds of language and letter–sound relationships when comprehending a text (for
example, single sounds, blends).
phonological awareness
A broad concept that relates to the sounds of spoken language. It includes understandings about words,
rhyme, syllables and onset and rime. NOTE: the term ‘sound’ relates to a sound we make when we say a
letter or word, not to a letter in print. A letter may have more than one sound, such as the letter ‘a’ in ‘was’,
‘can’ or ‘father’, and a sound can be represented by more than one letter such as the sound /k/ in ‘cat’ and
‘walk’. The word ‘ship’ had three sounds /sh/, /i/, /p/, but has four letters ‘s’, ‘h’, ‘i’, ‘p’. Teachers should use
the terms ‘sound’ and ‘letter’ accurately to help students clearly distinguish between the two items.
phonic
The term used to refer to the ability to identify the relationships between letters and sounds when reading
and spelling.
phrase
A group of words often beginning with a preposition but without a subject and verb combination (for
example, ‘on the river’; ‘with brown eyes’).
poetic devices
Particular patterns and techniques of language used in poems to create particular effects.
point of view
Refers to the viewpoint of an author, audience or characters in a text. Narrative point of view refers to the
ways a narrator may be related to a story. A narrator, for example, might take a role of first or third person,
omniscient or restricted in knowledge of events, reliable or unreliable in interpretation of what happens.
possessive
A possessive shows ownership, generally marked by an apostrophe followed by the suffix 's’ (for example,
`woman's’, Ànne's’). The main exception is that in plural nouns ending in `(e)s’ the possessive is marked
by the apostrophe alone. With proper nouns ending in `s’, there is variation between the regular
possessive form and one marked by the apostrophe alone: compare `James's’ and `James’. The regular
form is always acceptable but a variant form without the second `s’ is sometimes found (for example,
`James’s house’ or `James’ house). The irregular form is often found with names of religious, classical or
literary persons (for example, `Moses' life’, `Sophocles' ideas’, `Dickens' novel).
predictable text
A text that is easily navigated and read by beginning readers because they contain highly regular features
such as familiar subject matter, a high degree of repetition, consistent placement of text and illustrations,
simple sentences, familiar vocabulary and a small number of sight words.
prediction
An informed presumption about something that might happen. Predicting at the text level can include
working out what a text might contain by looking at the cover, or working out what might happen next in a
narrative. Predicting at the sentence level is identifying what word is likely to come next in a sentence.
prefix
A meaningful element (morpheme) added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning (for example,
‘un’ to ‘happy’ to make ‘unhappy’).
preposition
A word class that usually describes the relationship between words in a sentence. Prepositions can indicate:
space (for example, ‘below’, ‘in’, ‘on’, ‘to’, ‘under’. 'She sat on the table.')
time (for example, ‘after’, ‘before’, ‘since’. 'Í will go to the beach after lunch.')
those that do not relate to space and time (for example, ‘of’, ‘besides’, ‘except’, ‘despite’, ’He ate
all the beans except the purple ones').
Prepositions usually combine with a noun group/phrase to form a prepositional phrase (for example, ‘in the
office’, ‘besides these two articles’).
prepositional phrase
Typically consists of a preposition followed by a noun group/phrase. Prepositional phrases occur with a
range of functions, including:
adverbial in clause structure (for example, ‘on the train’ in ‘we met on the train’)
modifier in noun group/phrase structure (for example, ‘with two children’ in ‘a couple with two
children’)
modifier in adjective group/phrase structure (for example, ‘on golf’ in ‘keen on golf’).
pronoun
A word that takes a place of a noun (for example, I, me, he, she, herself, you, it, that, they, few, many, who,
whoever, someone, everybody, and many others).
There are different types of pronouns:
personal pronouns represent specific people or things (for example, I, he, she, it, they, we, you,
me him, her, them). Example of personal pronoun use: David and Max (proper nouns) went to
school. They went to school. Personal pronouns can also be objective (for example, David kicked
the ball to Max. David kicked the ball to him.)
demonstrative pronouns represent a thing or things (for example, this, these, that, those).
Example of demonstrative pronoun use: ‘Who owns these?’
possessive pronouns to refer to the belonging of one thing or person to another person or thing
(for example, mine, hers, his, ours, yours, theirs). Examples of possessive pronoun use: ‘Max
looked for the book. He could not find his own book but he did find yours.’
reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause. Reflexive pronouns end in ‘
self’ (singular) or ‘selves’ (plural) (for example, myself,yourself,himself, herself, itself,
ourselves, yourselves themselves). Example of possessive pronoun use: ‘David looked at himself
in the mirror.’
reciprocal pronouns refer to two subjects acting in the same way toward each other. There must
be two or more subjects involved and they must be doing the same thing (for example, each
other, one another). Example of reciprocal pronoun use: David and Max like each other.
relative pronouns introduce a relative clause. They are called relative because they relate to the
words that they modify. There are five relative pronouns: who, whom, whose, which,that.
Example of relative pronoun use: ‘The car, which was in the garage, was damaged.’
interrogative pronouns represent things that we do not know and are asking the questions about
(for example, who, whom, whose, which, what). Some interrogative pronouns can also function as
relative pronouns. Examples of interrogative pronoun use: ‘Who told David?’ ‘Which of these
would David like?’
indefinite pronouns do not refer to any specific person, thing or amount (for example, all, another,
anybody, anyone, anything, each, everybody, everyone, everything, many, nobody, none, one,
several, some, somebody, someone). Example of relative pronoun use: ‘Have you taken anything
from the cupboard?’
pronoun reference
A clear reference from a pronoun to a noun (for example, ‘Mary lost her phone’).
pun
Humorous use of a word to bring out more than one meaning; a play on words.
read
To process words, symbols or actions to derive and/or construct meaning. Reading includes interpreting,
critically analysing and reflecting upon the meaning of a wide range of written and visual, print and nonprint
texts.
repetition
A word, a phrase or a full sentence or a poetical line repeated to emphasise its significance. Repetition is a
rhetorical device.
return sweep
The way English print travels from left to right and then returns to the left of a page for the next and each
subsequent line.
rhetorical device
Use of language that is intended to have an effect on an audience such as evoking an emotion or
persuading an audience (for example, metaphors, repetition, rhetorical questions).
rhetorical question
A question that is asked to provoke thought rather than require an answer.
rime
Separate phonemes in a syllable can normally be broken into two parts. The rime is a vowel and any
subsequent consonants (for example, in the word ‘cat’ the rime is /at/). Word families can be constructed
using common rimes such as /at/ in ‘cat’, ‘pat’.
salience
A strategy of emphasis, highlighting what is important in a text. In images, salience is created through
strategies like placement of an item in the foreground, size and contrast in tone or colour. In writing,
salience can occur through placing what is important at the beginning or at the end of a sentence or
paragraph or through devices such as underlining or italics.
satire
Exposing and criticising the shortcomings or behaviour of an individual or a society in a text, using
techniques such as exaggeration, humour, ridicule and irony.
scanning
When reading, moving eyes quickly down a page, seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is also
used when a reader first finds a resource to determine whether it will answer their questions.
segmenting
Recognising and separating out phonemes in a word. Students may say each sound as they tap it out.
Stretching (for example, mmmaaannn) is an example of segmenting. When segmenting words, there is a
pause between each phoneme (for example, /m//a//n/ is an example of segmenting).
semantic knowledge/information
information related to meanings used when reading. Semantic information includes a reader’s own prior
knowledge and the meanings embedded in a text. Readers use semantic information to assist in decoding
and to derive meanings from a text.
semicolon (;)
a punctuation convention used to join clauses that could stand alone as sentences. In this way, clauses that
have a close relationship with one another may be linked together in a single sentence.
sentence
In writing, a sentence is marked by punctuation, but in speech the boundaries between sentences are not
always so clear.
There are different types of sentences:
simple sentence – has a form of a single clause (for example, ‘David walked to the shops.’ or
‘Take a seat.’)
compound sentence – has two or more main clauses of equal grammatical status, usually marked
by a coordinating conjunction such as ‘and’, ‘but’ or ‘or’. In the following examples below, the main
clauses are indicated by square brackets
[Jill came home this morning] [but she didn't stay long].
[Kim is an actor], [Pat is a teacher], [and Sam is an architect].
complex sentence – has one or more subordinate clauses. In the following examples, subordinate
clauses are indicated by square brackets:
[Because I am reading Shakespeare], my time is limited.
silent letter
A letter that is in the written form of a word but is not pronounced in the spoken form (for example, ‘t’ in the
word ‘listen’ or ‘k’ in the word ‘knew’).
simple sentence
Has a form of a single clause (for example, ‘David walked to the shops.’ or ‘Take a seat.’).
sound devices
Resources used by poets to convey and reinforce the meaning or experience of poetry through the skillful
use of sound (for example, alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, rhyme).
sound effect
Any sound, other than speech or music, used to create an effect in a text.
sound‒letter correspondence
The relationship of spoken sounds of English to letters of the alphabet or to letter clusters.
speak
communication systems and assistive technologies to communicate wants and needs, and to comment
about the world.
spoonerism
A slip of the tongue where the initial sounds of a pair of words are transposed (for example, wellboiled
icicle for welloiled bicycle).
Standard Australian English
The variety of spoken and written English language in Australia used in more formal settings such as for
official or public purposes, and recorded in dictionaries, style guides and grammars. While it is always
dynamic and evolving, it is recognised as the ‘common language’ of Australians.
stereotype
When a person or thing is judged to be the same as all others of its type. Stereotypes are usually formulaic
and oversimplified.
stylistic features
The ways in which aspects of texts (such as words, sentences, images) are arranged and how they affect
meaning. Style can distinguish the work of individual authors (for example, Jennings’s stories, Lawson’s
poems), as well as the work of a particular period (for example, Elizabethan drama, nineteenthcentury
novels). Examples of stylistic features are narrative viewpoint, structure of stanzas, juxtaposition.
subject
A function in the structure of a clause usually filled by a noun group/phrase (for example, ‘The dog [subject]
was barking’). The normal position of the subject is before the verb group/phrase, but in most kinds of
interrogatives (questions) it follows the first auxiliary verb (for example, ‘Was the dog barking?’, ‘Why was
the dog barking?’).
In main clauses the subject is an obligatory element, except in imperative (command) clauses (for example,
‘Be very tactful’) and in casual style (for example, ‘Want some?’).
Most personal pronouns have a different form when they are the subject of a main clause (for example, I
caught the ball. She has the answer etc.), than when they are the object (for example, Max threw the ball to
me; Max told me the answer) Similarly ‘Give it to Mary and me’ is correct, not ‘Give it to Mary and I.’).
In the present tense, and the past tense with the verb ‘be’, the verb agrees with the subject in person and
number (for example, ‘Her son lives with her’ ‘Her sons live with her’).
Subject matter refers to the topic or theme under consideration.
subjective language
Use of language which reflects the perspective, opinions, interpretations, points of view, emotions and
judgment of the writer or speaker.
subordinating conjunction
Subordinating conjunctions introduce certain kinds of subordinate clauses. They include conjunctions such
as ‘after’, ‘when’, ‘because’, ‘if’ and ‘that’.
Examples of different types of subordinating conjunctions:
‘When the meeting ended we went home.’ (time)
‘That was because it was raining.’ (reason)
‘I'll do it if you pay me.’ (condition)
‘I know that he is ill.’ (declarative)
‘I wonder whether/if she’s right?’ (interrogative)
suffix
A meaningful element added to the end of a word to change its meaning (for example, to show its tense : ‘
ed’ in ‘passed’). Common suffixes are ‘ing’; ‘ed’; ‘ness’; ‘less’; ‘able’).
syllabification
The process of dividing words into syllables.
syllable
A unit of sound within a word (for example, ‘bat’ has one syllable; ‘batting has two syllables).
synonym
A word having nearly the same meaning as another (for example, synonyms for ‘old’ would be ‘aged’,
‘venerable’, ‘antiquated’).
syntax
The ways in which sentences are formed from words, group/phrases and clauses. In some education
settings, the terms ‘syntax’ and ‘grammar’ are used interchangeably.
tense
A grammatical category marked by a verb in which the situation described in the clause is located in time
(for example, present tense ‘has’ in ‘Sarah has a headache’ locates the situation in present time, while past
tense ‘had’ in ‘Sarah had a headache’ locates it in past time.)
However, the relation between grammatical tense and (semantic) time is not always as simple as this. For
example, present tense is typically used to talk about:
present states, as in ‘He lives in Darwin’
actions that happen regularly in the present, as in ‘He watches television every night’
‘timeless’ happenings, as in informative texts such as ‘Bears hibernate in winter’
references to future events, as in ‘The match starts tomorrow’ where the tense is present but the
time future. Likewise in ‘I thought the match started tomorrow’ where the subordinate clause ‘the
match started tomorrow’ has past tense but refers to future time.
text
A means for communication. Their forms and conventions have developed to help us communicate
effectively with a variety of audiences for a range of purposes. Texts can be written, spoken or multimodal
and in print or digital/online forms. Multimodal texts combine language with other systems for
communication, such as print text, visual images, soundtrack and spoken word as in film or computer
presentation media.
text navigation
A way readers move through text. Readers generally read novels in a linear fashion from the beginning to
the end; readers of nonfiction books often use the contents page and index and move between chapters
according to the information sought. Readers often read digital texts more flexibly, according to interest and
purpose, using hyperlinks to move between pages and digital objects, such as videos or animations,
making quick judgments about relevance of material.
text processing strategies
Strategies readers use to decode a text. These involve drawing on contextual, semantic, grammatical and
phonic knowledge in systematic ways to work out what a text says. They include predicting, recognising
words and working out unknown words, monitoring the reading, identifying and correcting errors, reading
on and rereading.
text structure
A way in which information is organised in different types of texts (for example, chapter headings,
subheadings, tables of contents, indexes and glossaries, overviews, introductory and concluding
paragraphs, sequencing, topic sentences, taxonomies, cause and effect). Choices in text structures and
language features together define a text type and shape its meaning.
theme
Refers to the main idea or message of a text.
Grammatical theme indicates importance both within a clause and across a text. In a clause the theme
comes in first position and indicates what the sentence is about. Theme is important at different levels of
text organisation. A topic sentence serves as a theme for the points raised in a paragraph. A pattern of
themes contributes to the method of development for the text as a whole.
types of texts
Classifications according to the particular purposes they are designed to achieve. These purposes influence
the characteristic features the texts employ. In general, in the Australian Curriculum: English, texts can be
classified as belonging to one of three types: imaginative, informative or persuasive, although it is
acknowledged that these distinctions are neither static nor watertight and particular texts can belong to
more than one category.
Imaginative texts – their primary purpose is to entertain through their imaginative use of literary elements.
They are recognised for their form, style and artistic or aesthetic value. These texts include novels,
traditional tales, poetry, stories, plays, fiction for young adults and children including picture books and
multimodal texts such as film.
Informative texts – their primary purpose is to provide information. They include texts that are culturally
important in society and are valued for their informative content, as a store of knowledge and for their value
as part of everyday life. These texts include explanations and descriptions of natural phenomena, recounts
of events, instructions and directions, rules and laws and news bulletins.
Persuasive texts – their primary purpose is to put forward a point of view and persuade a reader, viewer or
listener. They form a significant part of modern communication in both print and digital environments. They
include advertising, debates, arguments, discussions, polemics and influential essays and articles.
verb
A word class that describes a kind of situation such as a happening (for example, ‘climbed’ in ‘she climbed
the ladder’) or a state (for example, ‘is’ in ‘a koala is an Australian mammal’).
verbs are essential to clause structure: all clauses contain a verb, except in certain types of
ellipsis (for example, ‘Sue lives in Sydney, her parents, in Melbourne’, where there is ellipsis of
‘live’ in the second clause).
virtually all verbs have contrasting past and present tense forms. Some are signalled by
inflections such as ‘s’ and ‘ed’. For example:
walk/walks (present tense)
walked (past tense).
other verbs have irregular forms that signal a change in tense. For example:
present – ‘am/is/are’ and past – ‘was/’were’
present participle ‘being’ and past participle ‘been’.
Auxiliary verbs and modal verbs are two types of verbs:
auxiliary verbs are also referred to as ‘helping’ verbs. They precede the main verb – for example,
‘draw’ (main verb) ‘has drawn’ (auxiliary verb assisting)
modal verbs express a degree of probability (for example, ‘I might come home’) or a degree of
obligation (for example ‘You must give it to me’, ‘You are not permitted to smoke in here’).
verb groups
Consists of a main verb, alone or preceded by one or more auxiliary or modal verbs as modifiers.
Verb groups/phrases:
create tense, as in ‘He [was running]’, ‘She [is working] at home’, ‘I [have seen] him before’
express modality using modal verbs such as ‘can’, ‘may’, ‘must’, ‘will’, ‘shall’ and so on, as in ‘You
[must be] mad’, ‘He [will have arrived] by now’, ‘She [may know] them’
create passive voice, as in ‘A photo [was taken]’
view
Observe with purpose, understanding and critical awareness. Some students participate in viewing activities
by listening to an adult or peer describing the visual features of text, diagrams, pictures and multimedia.
visual features
Visual components of a text include placement, salience, framing, representation of action or reaction, shot
size, social distance and camera angle.
visual language choices
Choices that contribute to the meaning of an image or the visual components of a multimodal text and are
selected from a range of visual features like placement, salience, framing, representation of action or
reaction, shot size, social distance and camera angle.
vocal effects
A speaker selects and uses particular vocal qualities including volume, tone, pitch, pace and fluency to
engage and impact upon their audience.
voice
Voice, in a grammatical sense, applies to verbs. Voice expresses the relationship of the subject to the
action. Voice can be active or passive. Active voice places the subject before the verb so the subject does
the action (for example, Max drew the picture). Passive voice places the receiver of the action before the
verb (for example, The picture was drawn by Max).
Voice, in a literary sense, is the distinct personality of a piece of writing. The writer's voice is the individual
writing style of the composer, created through the way they use and combine various writing features
including syntax, punctuation, vocabulary choices, character development and dialogue (for example, a
scientific explanation may be written in ‘expert voice’).
vowel
Letters of the alphabet (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y) that represents a speech sound created by the
relatively free passage of breath through the larynx and oral cavity. Letters that are not vowels are
consonants.
vowel digraphs
Two successive vowels that represent a single phoneme (for example, /ai/ in the word ‘rain’; /ea/in the word
‘beach’; /ee/ in the word ‘free’).
word
A single distinct element of speech or writing that communicates meaning.
word association
A spontaneous connection and production of words in response to a given word.
word play
A literary technique based on the meanings and ambiguities of words where the words are used primarily
for the purpose of intended effect or amusement. Word play is often based on homophones, puns and
idioms (for example, ‘A will is a dead giveaway.’ ‘Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.’).
write
Plan, compose, edit and publish texts in print or digital forms. Writing usually involves activities using
pencils, pens, word processors; and/or using drawings, models, photos to represent text; and/or using a
scribe to record responses or produce recorded responses.
Mathematics
Page 1155 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics
Mathematics How the Subject works
Rationale
Learning mathematics creates opportunities for
and enriches the lives of all Australians. The Curriculum introduction: Ma…
Australian Curriculum: Mathematics provides
students with essential mathematical skills and
knowledge in number and algebra, measurement
and geometry, and statistics and probability. It
develops the numeracy capabilities that all
students need in their personal, work and civic
life, and provides the fundamentals on which
mathematical specialties and professional
applications of mathematics are built.
Mathematics has its own value and beauty and
the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics aims to instil in students an appreciation of the elegance and power of
mathematical reasoning. Mathematical ideas have evolved across all cultures over thousands of years, and
are constantly developing. Digital technologies are facilitating this expansion of ideas and providing access to
new tools for continuing mathematical exploration and invention. The curriculum focuses on developing
increasingly sophisticated and refined mathematical understanding, fluency, reasoning, and problemsolving
skills. These proficiencies enable students to respond to familiar and unfamiliar situations by employing
mathematical strategies to make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.
The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics ensures that the links between the various components of
mathematics, as well as the relationship between mathematics and other disciplines, are made clear.
Mathematics is composed of multiple but interrelated and interdependent concepts and systems which
students apply beyond the mathematics classroom. In science, for example, understanding sources of error
and their impact on the confidence of conclusions is vital, as is the use of mathematical models in other
disciplines. In geography, interpretation of data underpins the study of human populations and their physical
environments; in history, students need to be able to imagine timelines and time frames to reconcile related
events; and in English, deriving quantitative and spatial information is an important aspect of making meaning
of texts.
The curriculum anticipates that schools will ensure all students benefit from access to the power of
mathematical reasoning and learn to apply their mathematical understanding creatively and efficiently. The
Mathematics curriculum provides students with carefully paced, indepth study of critical skills and concepts. It
encourages teachers to help students become selfmotivated, confident learners through inquiry and active
participation in challenging and engaging experiences.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics aims to ensure that students:
are confident, creative users and communicators of mathematics, able to investigate, represent and
interpret situations in their personal and work lives and as active citizens
develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of mathematical concepts and fluency with
processes, and are able to pose and solve problems and reason in number and algebra,
measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability
recognise connections between the areas of mathematics and other disciplines and appreciate
mathematics as an accessible and enjoyable discipline to study.
Key ideas
In Mathematics, the key ideas are the proficiency strands of understanding, fluency, problemsolving and
reasoning. The proficiency strands describe the actions in which students can engage when learning and
using the content. While not all proficiency strands apply to every content description, they indicate the
breadth of mathematical actions that teachers can emphasise.
Understanding
Students build a robust knowledge of adaptable and transferable mathematical concepts. They make
connections between related concepts and progressively apply the familiar to develop new ideas. They
develop an understanding of the relationship between the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of mathematics. Students build
understanding when they connect related ideas, when they represent concepts in different ways, when they
identify commonalities and differences between aspects of content, when they describe their thinking
mathematically and when they interpret mathematical information.
Fluency
Students develop skills in choosing appropriate procedures; carrying out procedures flexibly, accurately,
efficiently and appropriately; and recalling factual knowledge and concepts readily. Students are fluent when
they calculate answers efficiently, when they recognise robust ways of answering questions, when they
choose appropriate methods and approximations, when they recall definitions and regularly use facts, and
when they can manipulate expressions and equations to find solutions.
Problemsolving
Students develop the ability to make choices, interpret, formulate, model and investigate problem situations,
and communicate solutions effectively. Students formulate and solve problems when they use mathematics to
represent unfamiliar or meaningful situations, when they design investigations and plan their approaches,
when they apply their existing strategies to seek solutions, and when they verify that their answers are
reasonable.
Reasoning
Students develop an increasingly sophisticated capacity for logical thought and actions, such as analysing,
proving, evaluating, explaining, inferring, justifying and generalising. Students are reasoning mathematically
when they explain their thinking, when they deduce and justify strategies used and conclusions reached,
when they adapt the known to the unknown, when they transfer learning from one context to another, when
they prove that something is true or false, and when they compare and contrast related ideas and explain
their choices.
Click here for further information, illustrations of practice and student work samples portfolios for the
Mathematics proficiencies
Structure
The Australian Curriculum: Mathematics is organised around the interaction of three content strands and four
proficiency strands.
The content strands are number and algebra, measurement and geometry, and statistics and probability.
They describe what is to be taught and learnt.
The proficiency strands are understanding, fluency, problemsolving and reasoning. They describe how
content is explored or developed; that is, the thinking and doing of mathematics. The strands provide a
meaningful basis for the development of concepts in the learning of mathematics and have been incorporated
into the content descriptions of the three content strands. This approach has been adopted to ensure
students’ proficiency in mathematical skills develops throughout the curriculum and becomes increasingly
sophisticated over the years of schooling.
Content strands
Number and algebra
Number and algebra are developed together, as each enriches the study of the other. Students apply number
sense and strategies for counting and representing numbers. They explore the magnitude and properties of
numbers. They apply a range of strategies for computation and understand the connections between
operations. They recognise patterns and understand the concepts of variable and function. They build on
their understanding of the number system to describe relationships and formulate generalisations. They
recognise equivalence and solve equations and inequalities. They apply their number and algebra skills to
conduct investigations, solve problems and communicate their reasoning.
Measurement and geometry
Measurement and geometry are presented together to emphasise their relationship to each other, enhancing
their practical relevance. Students develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of size, shape,
relative position and movement of twodimensional figures in the plane and threedimensional objects in
space. They investigate properties and apply their understanding of them to define, compare and construct
figures and objects. They learn to develop geometric arguments. They make meaningful measurements of
quantities, choosing appropriate metric units of measurement. They build an understanding of the
connections between units and calculate derived measures such as area, speed and density.
Statistics and probability
Statistics and probability initially develop in parallel and the curriculum then progressively builds the links
between them. Students recognise and analyse data and draw inferences. They represent, summarise and
interpret data and undertake purposeful investigations involving the collection and interpretation of data. They
assess likelihood and assign probabilities using experimental and theoretical approaches. They develop an
increasingly sophisticated ability to critically evaluate chance and data concepts and make reasoned
judgements and decisions, as well as building skills to critically evaluate statistical information and develop
intuitions about data.
Substrands
Content descriptions are grouped into substrands to illustrate the clarity and sequence of development of
concepts through and across the year levels. They support the ability to see the connections across strands
and the sequential development of concepts from Foundation to Year 10.
Table 1: Content strands and substrands in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics (F–10)
Number and algebra Measurement and geometry Statistics and probability
Number and place value (F–8) Using units of measurement Chance (1–10)

(F–10)
Fractions and decimals (1–6) Shape (F–7) Data representation and

interpretation (F–10)
Real numbers (7–10) Geometric reasoning (3–10) N/A
Money and financial mathematics Location and transformation N/A

(1–10) (F–7)
Patterns and algebra (F–10) Pythagoras and trigonometry N/A

(9–10)
Linear and nonlinear N/A N/A

relationships (7–10)
Mathematics
Curriculum F10
Page 1160 of 1359

Mathematics Curriculum F10
The proficiency strands understanding, fluency, problemsolving and reasoning are an integral part of
mathematics content across the three content strands: number and algebra, measurement and geometry,
and statistics and probability. The proficiencies reinforce the significance of working mathematically within the
content and describe how the content is explored or developed. They provide the language to build in the
developmental aspects of the learning of mathematics. The achievement standards reflect the content and
encompass the proficiencies.
At this year level:
understanding includes connecting names, numerals and quantities
fluency includes readily counting numbers in sequences, continuing patterns and comparing the
lengths of objects
problemsolving includes using materials to model authentic problems, sorting objects, using
familiar counting sequences to solve unfamiliar problems and discussing the reasonableness of the
answer
reasoning includes explaining comparisons of quantities, creating patterns and explaining
processes for indirect comparison of length.
Number and Algebra
Number and place value
Establish understanding of the language and processes of counting by naming numbers in sequences,
initially to and from 20, moving from any starting point (ACMNA001 Scootle )

Elaborations
reading stories from other cultures featuring counting in sequence to assist students to recognise ways of
counting in local languages and across cultures

identifying the number words in sequence, backwards and forwards, and reasoning with the number
sequences, establishing the language on which subsequent counting experiences can be built

developing fluency with forwards and backwards counting in meaningful contexts, including stories and
rhymes

understanding that numbers are said in a particular order and there are patterns in the way we say them
Connect number names, numerals and quantities, including zero, initially up to 10 and then beyond
(ACMNA002 Scootle )

Elaborations
understanding that each object must be counted only once, that the arrangement of objects does not
affect how many there are, and that the last number counted answers the ‘how many’ question
using scenarios to help students recognise that other cultures count in a variety of ways, such as the
Wotjoballum number systems

Subitise small collections of objects (ACMNA003 Scootle )
Elaborations
using subitising as the basis for ordering and comparing collections of numbers
Compare, order and make correspondences between collections, initially to 20, and explain reasoning
(ACMNA289 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing and ordering items of like and unlike characteristics using the words ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘same as’
and ‘not the same as’ and giving reasons for these answers

understanding and using terms such as ‘first’ and ‘second’ to indicate ordinal position in a sequence.
using objects which are personally and culturally relevant to students
Represent practical situations to model addition and sharing (ACMNA004 Scootle )
Elaborations
using a range of practical strategies for adding small groups of numbers, such as visual displays or
concrete materials
using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander methods of adding, including spatial patterns and reasoning

Patterns and algebra
Sort and classify familiar objects and explain the basis for these classifications. Copy, continue and create
patterns with objects and drawings (ACMNA005 Scootle )

Elaborations
observing natural patterns in the world around us
creating and describing patterns using materials, sounds, movements or drawings

Measurement and Geometry
Using units of measurement
Use direct and indirect comparisons to decide which is longer, heavier or holds more, and explain
reasoning in everyday language (ACMMG006 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing objects directly, by placing one object against another to determine which is longer or by
pouring from one container into the other to see which one holds more

using suitable language associated with measurement attributes, such as ‘tall’ and ‘taller’, ‘heavy’ and
‘heavier’, ‘holds more’ and ‘holds less’

Compare and order duration of events using everyday language of time (ACMMG007 Scootle )

Elaborations
knowing and identifying the days of the week and linking specific days to familiar events

sequencing familiar events in time order

Connect days of the week to familiar events and actions (ACMMG008 Scootle )

Elaborations
choosing events and actions that make connections with students’ everyday family routines

Shape
Sort, describe and name familiar twodimensional shapes and threedimensional objects in the
environment (ACMMG009 Scootle )

Elaborations
sorting and describing squares, circles, triangles, rectangles, spheres and cubes

Location and transformation
Describe position and movement (ACMMG010 Scootle )

Elaborations
interpreting the everyday language of location and direction, such as ‘between’, ‘near’, ‘next to’, ‘forward’,
‘toward’

following and giving simple directions to guide a friend around an obstacle path and vice versa

Statistics and Probability
Data representation and interpretation
Answer yes/no questions to collect information and make simple inferences (ACMSP011 Scootle )
Elaborations
posing questions about themselves and familiar objects and events

representing responses to questions using simple displays, including grouping students according to their
answers

using data displays to answer simple questions such as ‘how many students answered “yes” to having
brown hair?’

By the end of the Foundation year, students make connections between number names, numerals and
quantities up to 10. They compare objects using mass, length and capacity. Students connect events and the
days of the week. They explain the order and duration of events. They use appropriate language to describe
location.
Students count to and from 20 and order small collections. They group objects based on common
characteristics and sort shapes and objects. Students answer simple questions to collect information and
make simple inferences.
At this year level:
understanding includes connecting names, numerals and quantities, and partitioning numbers in
various ways
fluency includes readily counting number in sequences forwards and backwards, locating numbers
on a line and naming the days of the week
problemsolving includes using materials to model authentic problems, giving and receiving
directions to unfamiliar places, using familiar counting sequences to solve unfamiliar problems and
discussing the reasonableness of the answer
reasoning includes explaining direct and indirect comparisons of length using uniform informal
units, justifying representations of data and explaining patterns that have been created.
Number and Algebra
Develop confidence with number sequences to and from 100 by ones from any starting point. Skip count by
twos, fives and tens starting from zero (ACMNA012 Scootle )
Elaborations
using the popular Korean counting game (samyukgu) for skip counting

developing fluency with forwards and backwards counting in meaningful contexts such as circle games

Recognise, model, read, write and order numbers to at least 100. Locate these numbers on a number line
(ACMNA013 Scootle )

Elaborations
modelling numbers with a range of material and images

identifying numbers that are represented on a number line and placing numbers on a prepared number
line

Count collections to 100 by partitioning numbers using place value (ACMNA014 Scootle )
Elaborations
understanding partitioning of numbers and the importance of grouping in tens
understanding twodigit numbers as comprised of tens and ones/units
Represent and solve simple addition and subtraction problems using a range of strategies including
counting on, partitioning and rearranging parts (ACMNA015 Scootle )

Elaborations
developing a range of mental strategies for addition and subtraction problems

Fractions and decimals
Recognise and describe onehalf as one of two equal parts of a whole. (ACMNA016 Scootle )

Elaborations
sharing a collection of readily available materials into two equal portions
splitting an object into two equal pieces and describing how the pieces are equal

Money and financial mathematics
Recognise, describe and order Australian coins according to their value (ACMNA017 Scootle )

Elaborations
showing that coins are different in other countries by comparing Asian coins to Australian coins

understanding that the value of Australian coins is not related to size
describing the features of coins that make it possible to identify them

Investigate and describe number patterns formed by skipcounting and patterns with objects
(ACMNA018 Scootle )

Elaborations
using placevalue patterns beyond the teens to generalise the number sequence and predict the next
number

investigating patterns in the number system, such as the occurrence of a particular digit in the numbers
to 100

Measure and compare the lengths and capacities of pairs of objects using uniform informal units
(ACMMG019 Scootle )
Elaborations
understanding that in order to compare objects, the unit of measurement must be the same size

Tell time to the halfhour (ACMMG020 Scootle )

Elaborations
reading time on analogue and digital clocks and observing the characteristics of halfhour times

Describe duration using months, weeks, days and hours (ACMMG021 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing the duration of familiar situations such as ‘how long is it until we next come to school?’

Shape
Recognise and classify familiar twodimensional shapes and threedimensional objects using obvious
features (ACMMG022 Scootle )

Elaborations
focusing on geometric features and describing shapes and objects using everyday words such as
'corners', 'edges' and 'faces'

Give and follow directions to familiar locations (ACMMG023 Scootle )

Elaborations
understanding that people need to give and follow directions to and from a place, and that this involves
turns, direction and distance

understanding the meaning and importance of words such as ‘clockwise’, ‘anticlockwise’, ‘forward’ and
‘under’ when giving and following directions

interpreting and following directions around familiar locations

Chance
Identify outcomes of familiar events involving chance and describe them using everyday language such as
‘will happen’, ‘won’t happen’ or ‘might happen’ (ACMSP024 Scootle )

Elaborations
justifying that some events are certain or impossible

Choose simple questions and gather responses and make simple inferences (ACMSP262 Scootle )
Elaborations
determining which questions will gather appropriate responses for a simple investigation

Represent data with objects and drawings where one object or drawing represents one data value.
Describe the displays (ACMSP263 Scootle )

Elaborations
understanding onetoone correspondence

describing displays by identifying categories with the greatest or least number of objects

By the end of Year 1, students describe number sequences resulting from skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s.
They identify representations of one half. They recognise Australian coins according to their value. Students
explain time durations. They describe twodimensional shapes and threedimensional objects. Students
describe data displays.
Students count to and from 100 and locate numbers on a number line. They carry out simple additions and
subtractions using counting strategies. They partition numbers using place value. They continue simple
patterns involving numbers and objects. Students order objects based on lengths and capacities using
informal units. They tell time to the halfhour. They use the language of direction to move from place to place.
Students classify outcomes of simple familiar events. They collect data by asking questions, draw simple data
displays and make simple inferences.
At this year level:
understanding includes connecting number calculations with counting sequences, partitioning and
combining numbers flexibly and identifying and describing the relationship between addition and
subtraction and between multiplication and division
fluency includes readily counting numbers in sequences, using informal units iteratively to compare
measurements, using the language of chance to describe outcomes of familiar chance events and
describing and comparing time durations
problemsolving includes formulating problems from authentic situations, making models and
using number sentences that represent problem situations, and matching transformations with their
original shape
reasoning includes using known facts to derive strategies for unfamiliar calculations, comparing
and contrasting related models of operations and creating and interpreting simple representations
of data.
Number and Algebra
Investigate number sequences, initially those increasing and decreasing by twos, threes, fives and tens
from any starting point, then moving to other sequences (ACMNA026 Scootle )

Elaborations
developing fluency and confidence with numbers and calculations by saying number sequences

recognising patterns in number sequences, such as adding 10 always results in the same final digit

Recognise, model, represent and order numbers to at least 1000 (ACMNA027 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising there are different ways of representing numbers and identifying patterns going beyond 100

developing fluency with writing numbers in meaningful contexts

Group, partition and rearrange collections up to 1000 in hundreds, tens and ones to facilitate more efficient
counting (ACMNA028 Scootle )

Elaborations
using an abacus to model and represent numbers

understanding threedigit numbers as comprised of hundreds, tens and ones/units
demonstrating and using models such as linking blocks, sticks in bundles, placevalue blocks and
Aboriginal bead strings and explaining reasoning

Explore the connection between addition and subtraction (ACMNA029 Scootle )
Elaborations
becoming fluent with partitioning numbers to understand the connection between addition and
subtraction

using counting on to identify the missing element in an additive problem

Solve simple addition and subtraction problems using a range of efficient mental and written strategies
(ACMNA030 Scootle )

Elaborations
becoming fluent with a range of mental strategies for addition and subtraction problems, such as
commutativity for addition, building to 10, doubles, 10 facts and adding 10

modelling and representing simple additive situations using materials such as 10 frames, 20 frames and
empty number lines

Recognise and represent multiplication as repeated addition, groups and arrays (ACMNA031 Scootle )
Elaborations
representing array problems with available materials and explaining reasoning

visualising a group of objects as a unit and using this to calculate the number of objects in several
identical groups
Recognise and represent division as grouping into equal sets and solve simple problems using these
representations (ACMNA032 Scootle )

Elaborations
dividing the class or a collection of objects into equalsized groups
identifying the difference between dividing a set of objects into three equal groups and dividing the same
set of objects into groups of three

Recognise and interpret common uses of halves, quarters and eighths of shapes and collections
(ACMNA033 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising that sets of objects can be partitioned in different ways to demonstrate fractions

relating the number of parts to the size of a fraction

Count and order small collections of Australian coins and notes according to their value
(ACMNA034 Scootle )
Elaborations
identifying equivalent values in collections of coins or notes, such as two fivecent coins having the same
value as one 10cent coin

counting collections of coins or notes to make up a particular value, such as that shown on a price tag

Describe patterns with numbers and identify missing elements (ACMNA035 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing a pattern created by skip counting and representing the pattern on a number line

investigating features of number patterns resulting from adding twos, fives or 10s

Solve problems by using number sentences for addition or subtraction (ACMNA036 Scootle )

Elaborations
representing a word problem as a number sentence

writing a word problem to represent a number sentence

Compare and order several shapes and objects based on length, area, volume and capacity using
appropriate uniform informal units (ACMMG037 Scootle )
Elaborations
comparing lengths using finger length, hand span or a piece of string

comparing areas using the palm of the hand or a stone

comparing capacities using a range of containers


Compare masses of objects using balance scales (ACMMG038 Scootle )

Elaborations
using balance scales to determine whether the mass of different objects is more, less or about the same,
or to find out how many marbles are needed to balance a tub of margarine or a carton of milk
Tell time to the quarterhour, using the language of 'past' and 'to' (ACMMG039 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing the characteristics of quarterpast times on an analogue clock, and identifying that the small
hand is pointing just past the number and the big hand is pointing to the three

Name and order months and seasons (ACMMG040 Scootle )

Elaborations
investigating the seasons used by Aboriginal people, comparing them to those used in Western society
and recognising the connection to weather patterns.

Use a calendar to identify the date and determine the number of days in each month
(ACMMG041 Scootle )

Elaborations
using calendars to locate specific information, such as finding a given date on a calendar and saying
what day it is, and identifying personally or culturally specific days

Shape
Describe and draw twodimensional shapes, with and without digital technologies (ACMMG042 Scootle
)

Elaborations
identifying key features of squares, rectangles, triangles, kites, rhombuses and circles, such as straight
lines or curved lines, and counting the edges and corners

Describe the features of threedimensional objects (ACMMG043 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying geometric features such as the number of faces, corners or edges

Interpret simple maps of familiar locations and identify the relative positions of key features
(ACMMG044 Scootle )

Elaborations
understanding that we use representations of objects and their positions, such as on maps, to allow us to
receive and give directions and to describe place
constructing arrangements of objects from a set of directions

Investigate the effect of onestep slides and flips with and without digital technologies
(ACMMG045 Scootle )

Elaborations
understanding that objects can be moved but changing position does not alter an object’s size or
features

Identify and describe half and quarter turns (ACMMG046 Scootle )

Elaborations
predicting and reproducing a pattern based around half and quarter turns of a shape and sketching the
next element in the pattern

Chance
Identify practical activities and everyday events that involve chance. Describe outcomes as ‘likely’ or
‘unlikely’ and identify some events as ‘certain’ or ‘impossible’ (ACMSP047 Scootle )

Elaborations
classifying a list of everyday events according to how likely they are to happen, using the language of
chance, and explaining reasoning

Identify a question of interest based on one categorical variable. Gather data relevant to the question
(ACMSP048 Scootle )

Elaborations
determining the variety of birdlife in the playground and using a prepared table to record observations

Collect, check and classify data (ACMSP049 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising the usefulness of tally marks

identifying categories of data and using them to sort data

Create displays of data using lists, table and picture graphs and interpret them (ACMSP050 Scootle )


Elaborations
creating picture graphs to represent data using onetoone correspondence

comparing the usefulness of different data displays

By the end of Year 2, students recognise increasing and decreasing number sequences involving 2s, 3s and
5s. They represent multiplication and division by grouping into sets. They associate collections of Australian
coins with their value. Students identify the missing element in a number sequence. Students recognise the
features of threedimensional objects. They interpret simple maps of familiar locations. They explain the
effects of onestep transformations. Students make sense of collected information.
Students count to and from 1000. They perform simple addition and subtraction calculations using a range of
strategies. They divide collections and shapes into halves, quarters and eighths. Students order shapes and
objects using informal units. They tell time to the quarterhour and use a calendar to identify the date and the
months included in seasons. They draw twodimensional shapes. They describe outcomes for everyday
events. Students collect, organise and represent data to make simple inferences.
At this year level:
understanding includes connecting number representations with number sequences, partitioning
and combining numbers flexibly, representing unit fractions, using appropriate language to
communicate times, and identifying environmental symmetry
fluency includes recalling multiplication facts, using familiar metric units to order and compare
objects, identifying and describing outcomes of chance experiments, interpreting maps and
communicating positions
problemsolving includes formulating and modelling authentic situations involving planning
methods of data collection and representation, making models of threedimensional objects and
using number properties to continue number patterns
reasoning includes using generalising from number properties and results of calculations,
comparing angles and creating and interpreting variations in the results of data collections and data
displays.
Number and Algebra
Investigate the conditions required for a number to be odd or even and identify odd and even numbers
(ACMNA051 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying even numbers using skip counting by twos or by grouping even collections of objects in twos

explaining why all numbers that end in the digits 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 are even and that numbers ending in 1,
3, 5, 7 and 9 are odd

Recognise, model, represent and order numbers to at least 10 000 (ACMNA052 Scootle )

Elaborations
placing fourdigit numbers on a number line using an appropriate scale

reproducing numbers in words using their numerical representations and vice versa

Apply place value to partition, rearrange and regroup numbers to at least 10 000 to assist calculations and
solve problems (ACMNA053 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising that 10 000 equals 10 thousands, 100 hundreds, 1000 tens and 10 000 ones

justifying choices about partitioning and regrouping numbers in terms of their usefulness for particular
calculations


Recognise and explain the connection between addition and subtraction (ACMNA054 Scootle )

Elaborations
demonstrating the connection between addition and subtraction using partitioning or by writing equivalent
number sentences

Recall addition facts for singledigit numbers and related subtraction facts to develop increasingly efficient
mental strategies for computation (ACMNA055 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising that certain singledigit number combinations always result in the same answer for addition
and subtraction, and using this knowledge for addition and subtraction of larger numbers

combining knowledge of addition and subtraction facts and partitioning to aid computation (for example
57 + 19 = 57 + 20 – 1)

Recall multiplication facts of two, three, five and ten and related division facts (ACMNA056 Scootle )
Elaborations
establishing multiplication facts using number sequences

Represent and solve problems involving multiplication using efficient mental and written strategies and
appropriate digital technologies (ACMNA057 Scootle )

Elaborations
writing simple word problems in numerical form and vice versa

using a calculator to check the solution and reasonableness of the answer
Model and represent unit fractions including 1/2, 1/4, 1/3, 1/5 and their multiples to a complete whole
(ACMNA058 Scootle )
Elaborations
partitioning areas, lengths and collections to create halves, thirds, quarters and fifths, such as folding the
same sized sheets of paper to illustrate different unit fractions and comparing the number of parts with
their sizes

locating unit fractions on a number line
recognising that in English the term ‘one third’ is used (order: numerator, denominator) but that in other
languages this concept may be expressed as ‘three parts, one of them’ (order: denominator, numerator)
for example Japanese

Represent money values in multiple ways and count the change required for simple transactions to the
nearest five cents (ACMNA059 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising the relationship between dollars and cents, and that not all countries use these
denominations and divisions (for example Japanese Yen)

Describe, continue, and create number patterns resulting from performing addition or subtraction
(ACMNA060 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying and writing the rules for number patterns

describing a rule for a number pattern, then creating the pattern

Measure, order and compare objects using familiar metric units of length, mass and capacity (ACMMG061
Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising the importance of using common units of measurement

recognising and using centimetres and metres, grams and kilograms, and millilitres and litres

Tell time to the minute and investigate the relationship between units of time (ACMMG062 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising there are 60 minutes in an hour and 60 seconds in a minute

Shape
Make models of threedimensional objects and describe key features (ACMMG063 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring the creation of threedimensional objects using origami, including prisms and pyramids

Create and interpret simple grid maps to show position and pathways (ACMMG065 Scootle )


Elaborations
creating a map of the classroom or playground

Identify symmetry in the environment (ACMMG066 Scootle )
Elaborations
identifying symmetry in Aboriginal rock carvings or art

identifying symmetry in the natural and built environment

Geometric reasoning
Identify angles as measures of turn and compare angle sizes in everyday situations (ACMMG064 Scootle
)

Elaborations
opening doors partially and fully and comparing the size of the angles created

recognising that analogue clocks use the turning of arms to indicate time, and comparing the size of
angles between the arms for familiar times

Chance
Conduct chance experiments, identify and describe possible outcomes and recognise variation in results
(ACMSP067 Scootle )

Elaborations
conducting repeated trials of chance experiments such as tossing a coin or drawing a ball from a bag
and identifying the variations between trials

Identify questions or issues for categorical variables. Identify data sources and plan methods of data
collection and recording (ACMSP068 Scootle )

Elaborations
refining questions and planning investigations that involve collecting data, and carrying out the
investigation (for example narrowing the focus of a question such as ‘which is the most popular breakfast
cereal?’ to ‘which is the most popular breakfast cereal among Year 3 students in our class?’)

Collect data, organise into categories and create displays using lists, tables, picture graphs and simple
column graphs, with and without the use of digital technologies (ACMSP069 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring meaningful and increasingly efficient ways to record data, and representing and reporting the
results of investigations

collecting data to investigate features in the natural environment

Interpret and compare data displays (ACMSP070 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing various studentgenerated data representations and describing their similarities and
differences

By the end of Year 3, students recognise the connection between addition and subtraction and solve
problems using efficient strategies for multiplication. They model and represent unit fractions. They represent
money values in various ways. Students identify symmetry in the environment. They match positions on maps
with given information. Students recognise angles in real situations. They interpret and compare data
displays.
Students count to and from 10 000. They classify numbers as either odd or even. They recall addition and
multiplication facts for singledigit numbers. Students correctly count out change from financial transactions.
They continue number patterns involving addition and subtraction. Students use metric units for length, mass
and capacity. They tell time to the nearest minute. Students make models of threedimensional objects.
Students conduct chance experiments and list possible outcomes. They conduct simple data investigations for
categorical variables.
Glossary
acute angle
An acute angle is bigger than 0° but smaller than 90°.
adjacent angles
Adjacent angles share a common ray and a common vertex, and lie on opposite sides of the common ray.
In the diagram, ∠AOC and ∠COB are adjacent angles.
algebraic expression
An algebraic expression is formed by combining numbers and algebraic terms using arithmetic operations
(addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation). The expression must be unambiguous.
For example, $a^2+3ab2b^2$ is an algebraic expression, but $2x+\div3$ is not one because it is
ambiguous.
algebraic fraction
An algebraic fraction is a fraction in which both, numerator and denominator, are algebraic expressions.
algebraic term
An algebraic term forms a part of an algebraic expression. For example, $\;2,\text{ }3x$, and $\;5x^2$ are
terms of the algebraic expression $2+3x5x^2.$. Terms are separated by + or – signs.
alternate angles
Alternate angles are formed when two lines are crossed by another line (the transversal). The alternate
angles are on opposite sides of the transversal, but inside the two lines. In each diagram below, the two
marked angles are alternate angles as they are on opposite sides of the transversal.
If the lines AB and CD are parallel, then each pair of alternate angles are equal.
Conversely, if a pair of alternate angles are equal, then the lines are parallel. Line segment CD is parallel to
line segment AB, because ∠CGF equals ∠GFB.
angle
An angle is the figure formed by the rotation of a ray about a point, called the vertex of the angle. The size
of an angle is usually measured in degrees (°).
There are different ways of depicting and naming angles. Angles may be depicted using as symbol such as
an arc, a dot or a letter (often from the Greek alphabet). Angles are named using different conventions,
such as the angle symbol ∠ followed by three letters denoting points, where the middle letter is the vertex,
or using just the label of the vertex.
angle of depression
When an observer looks at an object that is lower than the eye of the observer, the angle between the line
of sight and the horizontal is called the angle of depression.
angle of elevation
When an observer looks at an object that is higher than the eye of the observer, the angle between the line
of sight and the horizontal is called the angle of elevation.
area
Area is a measure of how many units are required to cover a surface. The units are usually standard units,
such as square centimetres or square metres. The area of a rectangle can be found by multiplying the size
of its length by the size of its width. For example, the area of the rectangle below is given by 8×2=16 units.
array
An array is an ordered collection of objects or numbers. Rectangular arrays are commonly used in primary
mathematics. For example, the two arrays of dots shown below are two different representations of the
number 24.
associative
Operations are associative if the order in which operations take place does not affect the result.
For example, addition of numbers is associative, since the order in which they are added does not change
their sum. The corresponding associative law is: (a+b)+c=a+(b+c) for all numbers a,b and c.
Multiplication is also associative, as the product of the numbers does not vary with the order of their
multiplication. The corresponding associative law is: (ab)c=a(bc) for all numbers a,b and c.
Subtraction and division are not associative, as the order of operations changes the value of the
expression; for example: (74)3≠7(43) and (12÷6)÷2≠12÷(6÷2).
average
An average is a number expressing a central or typical value in a set of data. While it usually refers to the
arithmetic mean, that is, the sum of a set of numbers divided by the number of numbers in the set, it may
also refer to other measures of central tendency.
axes
(plural) See axis.
axis
(singular) An axis is one of the horizontal or vertical lines that make up the Cartesian plane. The horizontal
line is called the $x$ axis, and the vertical line is called the $y$ axis. The $x$ and $y$ axes intersect at
point O, called the origin, which defines the centre of the coordinate system.
backtoback stem and leaf plot
A backtoback stem and leaf plot is a method for comparing two data distributions by attaching two sets of
‘leaves’ to the same ‘stem’; for example, the stemandleaf plot below displays the distribution of pulse rates
of 19 students before and after gentle exercise.
In this plot, the stem unit is ‘10’ and the leaf unit is ‘1’. Thus, the third row in the plot, 8 8 6 2 | 8 | 6 7 8 8,
displays pulse rates of 88, 88, 86, 82 before exercise and 86, 87, 88, 88 after exercise.
bimodal data
Bimodal data has two modes.
binomial
A binomial is an algebraic expression containing two distinct algebraic terms. For example, $2x+a\;$ and \
(2x+8\;\) are binomial expressions but $3x+2x\;$ is not, as it can be simplified to $5x$.
bivariate data
Bivariate data relates to two variables. For example, the arm spans and heights of 16yearolds or the sex
of primary school students and their attitudes toward playing sports.
bivariate numerical data
Bivariate numerical data relates to two numerical variables. For example, height and weight.
boxandwhisker plot
A boxand whisker plot is a graphical display of a fivenumber summary.
In a boxandwhisker plot, the ‘box’ covers the interquartile range (IQR), the middle 50% of scores, with
‘whiskers’ reaching out from each end of the box to indicate maximum and minimum values in the data set.
A vertical line in the box is used to indicate the location of the median.
The boxandwhisker plot below has been constructed from the fivenumber summary of the resting pulse
rates of 17 students.
box plot
The term box plot is a synonym for a boxandwhisker plot.
capacity
In the given context, capacity is a term that describes how much a container will hold. It is used in reference
to the volume of fluids or gases and is measured in units such as litres or millilitres.
Cartesian plane
The Cartesian plane or Cartesian coordinate system is a system that describes the exact location of any
point in a plane using an ordered pair of numbers, called coordinates. It is defined by the intersection of a
horizontal and vertical number line at a point called the origin. The coordinates of the origin are (0, 0).
The Cartesian plane is divided into four quadrants by these perpendicular axes called the xaxis (horizontal
line) and the yaxis (vertical line). The axes can be used to identify any point in the plane using a pair of
coordinates, as shown in the diagram below.
categorical variable
A categorical variable is a variable whose values are categories. For example, blood group is a categorical
variable; its common values are: A, B, AB or O.
census
A census is a survey of a whole population.
chord
A chord in a circle is a line segment joining any two points on the circle. Chord PQ, illustrated below, joins
points P and Q.
circle
A circle, with centre O and radius r, is the set of all points on a plane whose distance from O is r.
circumference
Circumference refers to the boundary of a circle. The length of the circumference c is given by $c=\pi d$,
where d is the diameter. Alternatively, it is given by $c=2\pi r$, where r is the radius.
classification of angles
Angles are classified according to their size. See acute angle, obtuse angle, reflex angle, right angle,
straight angle and revolution.
cointerior angles
Cointerior angles lie between two lines and on the same side of a transversal.
In each diagram the two marked angles are called cointerior angles.
If the two lines are parallel, then cointerior angles add to give 180o and so are supplementary. In the
diagram below the angles ∠CGF and ∠AFG are supplementary.
Conversely, if a pair of angles are supplementary, then the lines are parallel. Line segment CD is parallel to
line segment AB, because ∠CGF + ∠AFG = 180°.
column graph
A column graph is a graph used in statistics for organising and displaying categorical data. It consists of a
series of equalwidth rectangular columns, one for each category. Each column has a height equal to the
frequency of the category. This is shown in the example below which displays the hair colours of 27
students.
Column graphs are frequently called bar graphs or bar charts. In a bar graph or chart, the bars can be
either vertical or horizontal.
common factor
A common factor (or common divisor) of a set of numbers or algebraic expressions is a factor of each
element of that set. For example, 6 is a common factor of 24, 54 and 66, since $24=6\times4$, \
(54=6\times9\), and $66=6\times11$. Similarly, $x+1$ is a common factor of $x^21$ and $x^2+5x+4$,
since $x^21\;=(x+1)(x1)$ and $x^2+5x+4\;=(x+1)(x+4)$.
commutative operations
Operations are commutative if the order in which terms are given does not affect the result.
The commutative law for addition is: $a+b=b+a$ for all numbers a and b.
For example, 3+5=5+3.
The commutative law for multiplication is: $ab=ba$ for all numbers a and b.
For example, 4×7=7×4.
Subtraction and division are not commutative because 53≠35 and 12÷4≠4÷12.
complementary angles
Two angles that add to 90o are called complementary; for example, 23o and 67o are complementary
angles.
complementary events
Events A and B are complementary events if A and B are mutually exclusive (have no overlap) and \
(\;Pr(A)\;+\;Pr(B)\;=\;1\), where the symbol $Pr(A)\;$ denotes the probability of event $A$ occurring.
composite number
A composite number is a natural number that has a factor other than 1 and itself.
compound interest
The interest earned by investing a sum of money (the principal) is compound interest if each successive
interest payment is added to the principal for the purpose of calculating the next interest payment. For
example, if the principal $\$P$ earns compound interest at the rate of r% per period, then after n periods
the principal plus interest is $\;\$P(1+r)^n$.
computation
Computation is mathematical calculation.
cone
A cone is a solid that is formed by taking a circle, called the base, and a point, called the vertex, which lies
above or below the circle, and joining the vertex to each point on the circle.
congruence
Two plane shapes are congruent if they are identical in size and shape and one can be moved or reflected
so that it fits exactly on top of the other figure.
Matching sides have the same length, and matching angles have the same size.
The four standard congruence tests for triangles
Two triangles are congruent if:
SSS: the three sides of one triangle are respectively equal to the three sides of the other triangle, or
SAS: two sides and the included angle of one triangle are respectively equal to two sides and the included
angle of the other triangle, or
AAS: two angles and one side of one triangle are respectively equal to two angles and the matching side of
the other triangle, or
RHS: the hypotenuse and one side of one right‐angled triangle are respectively equal to the hypotenuse
and one side of the other right‐angled triangle.
continuous numerical data
Continuous numerical data includes any value that lies within an interval. In practice, the values taken are
subject to the accuracy of the measurement instrument used to obtain these values. Height, reaction time
to a stimulus and systolic blood pressure are all types of continuous numerical data that can be collected.
coordinate
A coordinate is one value of an ordered pair that describes the location of a point along an axis in the
Cartesian plane. By definition, the first number (xcoordinate) of the ordered pair denotes the horizontal
distance, the second number (ycoordinate) gives the vertical distance from the centre (origin) of the
coordinate system. Positive x coordinates indicate that the point is located to the right (East), negative to
the left (West) of the origin. Positive y coordinates indicate a location above (North of), negative below
(South of) the origin. The origin has the coordinates (0,0).
For instance, in the ordered pair (4, –2) the number 4 denotes the x coordinate of a point situated at a
horizontal distance of 4 units to the origin. The number –2 denotes the y coordinate of the same point
indicating a vertical distance of 2 units below the origin.
coordinate system
see Cartesian plane.
corresponding angles
Corresponding angles are formed when two lines are crossed by another line (the transversal). In each
diagram the two marked angles are called corresponding angles because they are on the same side of the
transversal and in corresponding positions in relation to the lines.
If the lines are parallel, then each pair of corresponding angles is equal (as are the angles ∠QGD and
∠GFB in the diagram shown below).
Conversely, if a pair of corresponding angles is equal, then the lines are parallel.
cosine
In any rightangled triangle, $\cos\theta=\frac{\text{adjacent}}{\text{hypotenuse}}$, where \
(0<\theta<90^\circ\).
cosine rule
In any triangle ABC, $c^2=a^2+b^22ab\cos C$
counting numbers
Counting numbers are the positive integers, that is, the numbers 1, 2, 3, … .
Sometimes it is taken to mean the nonnegative integers, which include zero.
counting on
Counting on is a strategy for solving simple addition problems. For example, a student can add 6 and 4 by
counting on from 6, saying ‘7, 8, 9, 10’. If students are asked how many more objects need to be added to
a collection of 8 to give a total of 13, they can count ‘9, 10, 11, 12, 13’ to find the answer 5.
cylinder
A cylinder is a solid that has parallel circular discs of equal radius at the ends, and whose horizontal cross
section is a circle with the same radius. The centres of these circular crosssections lie on a straight line,
called the axis of the cylinder.
data
Data is a general term for information (observations and/or measurements) collected during any type of
systematic investigation.
data display
A data display is a visual format for organising and summarising data. Examples include box plots, column
graphs, frequency tables, scatter plots, and stem plots.
decimal
A decimal is a numeral in the decimal number system, which is the placevalue system most commonly
used for representing real numbers. In this system numbers are expressed as sequences of Arabic
numerals 0 to 9, in which each successive digit to the left or right of the decimal point indicates a multiple of
successive powers of 10; for example, the number represented by the decimal 123.45 is the sum
$1\times10^2+2\times10^1+3\times10^0+4\times10^{1}+5\times10^{2}$
$=1\times100+2\times10+3\times1+4\times\frac1{10}+5\times\frac1{100}$
The digits after the decimal point can be terminating or nonterminating. A terminating decimal is a decimal
that contains a finite number of digits, as shown in the example above. A decimal is nonterminating, if it
has an infinite number of digits after the decimal point. Nonterminating decimals may be recurring, that is,
contain a pattern of digits that repeats indefinitely after a certain number of places. For example, the
fraction $\frac13$, written in the decimal number system, results in an infinite sequence of 3s after the
decimal point. This can be represented by a dot above the recurring decimal.
$\frac13=0.333333\dots=0.\dot3$
Similarly, the fraction $\frac17$ results in a recurring group of digits, which is represented by a bar above
the whole group of repeating digits
$\frac17=0.142857142857142857\dots=0.\overline{142857}$
Nonterminating decimals may also be nonrecurring, that is the digits after the decimal point never repeat
in a pattern. This is the case for irrational number, such as pi, e, or $\sqrt[{}]2$. For example,
$\pi=3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749\dots$
Irrational numbers can only be approximated in the decimal number system.
denominator
In any fraction in the form $\frac ab$ , b is the denominator. It represents the number of equal parts into
which the whole has been divided. For example, in the diagram below, a rectangle has been divided into 5
equal parts. Each of those parts is one fifth of the whole and corresponds to the unit fraction $\frac15\;\;.$.
diameter
A diameter is a chord that passes through the centre of a circle. The word diameter is also used to refer to
the length of the diameter. The diameter d of the circle below is represented by line segment AB.
difference
A difference is the result of subtracting one number or algebraic quantity from another. For example, the
difference between 8 and 6 is 2, written as 86=2.
distributive
Multiplication of numbers is said to be ‘distributive over addition’, because the product of one number with
the sum of two others equals the sum of the products of the first number with each of the others. For
example, the product of 3 with (4+5) gives the same result as the sum of 3×4 and 3×5:
3×(4+5)=3×9=27 and 3×4+3×5=12+15=27
This distributive law is expressed algebraically as follows:
a(b+c)=ab+ac, for all numbers a,b and c.
divisible
In general, a number or algebraic expression $x$ is divisible by another $y$, if there exists a number or
algebraic expression $q$ of a specified type for which $x=yq$.
A natural number $m$ is divisible by a natural number $n$ if there is a natural number $q$ such that \
(m=nq\); for example, 12 is divisible by 4 because 12=3×4.
dot plot
A dot plot is a graph used in statistics for organising and displaying categorical data or discrete numerical
data.
The dot plot below displays the number of passengers observed in 32 cars stopped at a traffic light.
enlargement
An enlargement is a scaled up (or down) version of a figure so that the new figure is in proportion to the
original figure. The relative positions of points are unchanged and the two figures are similar.
In the diagram below triangle A'B'C' is the image of triangle ABC under the enlargement with enlargement
factor 2 and centre of enlargement O.
equally likely outcomes
Equally likely outcomes have the same probability of occurring. For example, in tossing a fair coin, the
outcome ‘head’ and the outcome ‘tail’ are equally likely. In this situation,
$Pr(\text{head})\;=\;Pr(\text{tail})\;=\;0.5$.
equation
An equation is a statement that asserts that two mathematical expressions are equal in value. An equation
must include an equal sign.
Examples of equations are $3+14=6+11$ or $2x+ 5=21$.
equivalent fractions
Equivalent fractions are alternative ways of writing the same fraction; for example, \
(\frac12=\frac24=\frac36\cdots\). Two fractions $\frac ab$ and $\frac cd$ are equivalent, if they are equal in
value, that is, if $ad=bc$.
estimate
To estimate is to judge the value, number, or quantity of a calculation roughly.
In statistical terms, an estimate is information about a population extrapolated from a sample of the
population; for example, the mean number of decayed teeth in a randomly selected group of eightyearold
children is an estimate of the mean number of decayed teeth in eightyearold children in Australia.
event
An event is a subset of the sample space for a random experiment; for example, the set of outcomes from
tossing two coins is {HH, HT, TH, TT}, where H represents a ‘head’ and T a ‘tail’.
even number
An even number is an integer that is divisible by 2. The even numbers are …,4,2, 0, 2, 4,….
exponential function
An exponential function is a function where the independent variable is in the exponent (or index), that is, in
the simplest form, $\;f(x)=a^x$, where a is a positive real number not equal to zero.
expression
An expression refers to two or more numbers or variables connected by operations. For example, $17–9,
8×(2+3), (2a+3b)^2$ are all expressions. Expressions do not include an equal sign.
factor
Numbers or algebraic expressions are factors (or divisors) of another number if they multiply to give that
number. For example, 3 and 4 are factors of 12 as 3×4=12. This can be written algebraically as
$x$ and $y$ are factors of $m$, if $m=xy$
For polynomial expressions the same rule applies. For example, $x4$ and $x2$ are factors of the
quadratic expression $x^26x+8$ because $(x4)(x2)=x^26x+8$.
factor and remainder theorem
According to the factor theorem, if $p(x)$ is a polynomial and $p(a)=0$ for some number $a$, then $xa$
is a factor of $p(x)$. Conversely, if $p(x)$ is divisible by $xa$ then $p(a)=0$.
This follows from the more general remainder theorem, which states that the remainder of the division of a
polynomial $p(x)$ by a linear polynomial $xa$ is equal to $p(a)$. This relationship is often stated in the
form $px=q(x)(xa)+p(a)$, where $q(x)$ is another polynomial, usually referred to as the quotient. It follows
that, if $p(a)=0$, the remainder is $0$ and $p(x)$ is divisible by $xa$.
The factor theorem can be used to obtain factors of a polynomial; for example, if $p(x)=x^33x^2+5x6$,
then it is easy to check that $p(2)=2^33×2^2+5×26=0$. So by the factor theorem $x2$ is a factor of \
(x^33x^2+5x6\).
factorise
To factorise a number or algebraic expression is to express it as a product; for example,
15 is factorised when expressed as a product: 15=3×5.
$x^23x+2$ is factorised when written as a product: $x^23x+2=(x1)(x2)$
fivenumber summary
A fivenumber summary is a method of summarising a data set using five statistics: the minimum value, the
lower quartile, the median, the upper quartile and the maximum value. Box plots are a useful method of
graphically depicting fivenumber summaries.
fraction
The fraction $\frac ab$ (written alternatively as a/b), where a and b are integers unequal to zero. For
example, $\frac35$ refers to 3 of 5 equal parts of the whole.
In the fraction $\frac ab$ the number a is the numerator and the number b is the denominator.
frequency
Frequency, or observed frequency, is the number of times that a particular value occurs in a data set. For
grouped data, it is the number of observations that lie in that group or class interval.
An expected frequency is the number of times that a particular event is expected to occur when a chance
experiment is repeated a number of times. If the experiment is repeated n times, and on each of those
times the probability that the event occurs is p, then the expected frequency of the event is np.
For example, suppose that a fair coin is tossed 5 times and the number of heads showing recorded. Then
the expected frequency of ‘heads’ is 5/2. This example shows that the expected frequency is not
necessarily an observed frequency, which in this case is any one of the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
The relative frequency is given by the ratio $\frac fn$, where f is the frequency of occurrence of a particular
data value or group of data values in a data set and n is the number of data values in the data set.
frequency distribution
A frequency distribution is the division of a set of observations into a number of classes, together with a
listing of the number of observations (the frequency) in that class. Frequency distributions can be displayed
in the form of a frequency table, a twowaytable or in graphical form.
frequency table
A frequency table lists the frequency (number of occurrences) of observations in different ranges, called
class intervals.
The frequency distribution of the heights (in cm) of a sample of 46 people is displayed in the form of a
frequency table below.
The information in a frequency table can also be displayed graphically in the form of a histogram or using a
column graph.
function
A function $f$ assigns to each element of a set of input values (called the domain) precisely one element of
a set of output values (called the range). In mathematical modelling, the independent variable is usually
chosen as the input values for the function. The output values then represent the dependent variable.
Functions are usually defined by a formula for $f(x)$ in terms of $x$; for example, the formula $f(x)=x^2$
defines the ‘squaring function’ that maps each real number x to its square $x^2$. The graph of this function
is shown below.
gradient
The gradient of a line is sometimes also called a slope and is a measure of how steeply a line is rising or
falling.
If $A(x_1,y_1)$ and $B(x_2,y_2)$ are points on the plane, the gradient of the line segment AB is given by
$AB=\frac{\text{rise}}{\text{run}}=\frac{y_2y_1}{x_2x_1}$, provided that $x_2x_1\neq0$
The gradient of a line is the gradient of any line segment within the line.
Gradients can be positive or negative, indicating whether the line is increasing or decreasing from left to
right. The graph below shows two examples:
$gradient(AB)=\frac{31}{1(4)}=\frac23$
$gradient(CD)=\frac{04}{31}=\frac{4}2=2$
grid reference
A grid reference identifies a region on a map. Coordinates and gridlines are used to refer to specific
features or locations. For example, in the map below, the school is located at the grid reference C4.
histogram
A histogram is a statistical graph for displaying the frequency distribution of continuous data.
A histogram is a graphical representation of the information contained in a frequency table. In a histogram,
class frequencies are represented by the areas of rectangles centred on each class interval. The class
frequency is proportional to the rectangle’s height when the class intervals are all of equal width.
The histogram below displays the frequency distribution of the heights (in cm) of a sample of 42 people with
class intervals of width 5 cm.
hyperbola
A hyperbola is the graph of a curve in two parts separated by straight lines called asymptotes. The simplest
example is the graph of $y=\frac1x,\;x\neq0$, called a rectangular hyperbola.
hypotenuse
The hypotenuse is the side opposite the right angle. It is also always the longest side in a rightangled
triangle.
image
In geometry, an image refers to the result of a transformation of a figure.
independent and dependent variables
In mathematical modelling, the independent variable is a measurable or observable quantity that has a
relation to (or a causal effect on) one or more other quantities, called the dependent variables.
For example, a scientific investigation considers the relationship between the amount of water supplied and
the growth of a plant. It is assumed that there is a causal link between the two quantities. A choice is made
to make the amount of water the independent variable, because it is the quantity whose effect is to be
investigated, thus making the growth of the plant the dependent variable.
When graphing the results of such an investigation, the convention is to display the independent variable
(the amount of water) on the horizontal axis and the dependent variable (the growth of the plant) on the
vertical axis.
independent event
Two events are independent if knowing the outcome of one event tells us nothing about the outcome of the
other event.
index laws
Index laws are rules for manipulating indices. They include
$xâx^b=x^{a+b};\text{ }\left(xâ\right)^b=x^{ab}\text{ }$
$xâyâ=\left(xy\right)â$
and
$x^0=1;\text{ }x^{a}=\frac1{xâ};\text{ and }x^{1/a}=\sqrt[a]x$
index notation
When the product of $a×a×a$ is written as $a^3$, the number 3 is called the index, often also referred to
as the ‘power’ or the ‘exponent’.
indices
(plural) See index.
inequality
An inequality is a statement that one number or algebraic expression is less than (or greater than) another.
There are five types of inequalities:
The relation a is less than b is written a<b
a is greater than b is written a>b
a is less than or equal to b is written a≤b
a is greater than or equal to b is written a≥b.
a is unequal to b is written a≠b.
informal unit
Informal units are not part of a standardised system of units for measurement; for example, an informal unit
for length could be paperclips of uniform length. An informal unit for area could be uniform paper squares of
any size. Informal units are sometimes referred to as nonstandard units.
integer
The integers are the “whole numbers” including those with negative sign ⋯3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3⋯. In Latin,
the word integer means “whole.” The set of integers is usually denoted by Z. Integers are basic building
blocks in mathematics.
interquartile range
The interquartile range (IQR) is a measure of the spread within a numerical data set. It is equal to the upper
quartile (Q3) minus the lower quartile (Q1); that is, IQR = Q3 – Q1.
The IQR is the width of an interval that contains the middle 50% (approximately) of the data values. To be
exactly 50%, the sample size must be a multiple of four.
interval
An interval is a subset of the number line.
irrational number
An irrational number is a real number that is not rational, that means, it cannot be represented as a fraction.
Some commonly used irrational numbers are $\pi,e\text{ and }\sqrt[{}]2$.
Decimal representations of irrational numbers are nonterminating. For example, the Euler Number e is an
irrational real number whose decimal expansion begins
$e=2.718281828⋯$.
irregular shape
An irregular shape is a shape where not all sides and angles are equal in length or magnitude. By contrast,
a regular shape has sides and angles that are equal in length and magnitude; for example, a square is a
regular shape, while a scalene triangle is irregular.
kite
A kite is a quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent sides equal.
A kite may be convex as shown in the diagram above to the left or nonconvex as shown above to the right.
The axis of symmetry of the kite is shown.
leading term
The leading term of a polynomial is the term that contains the variable raised to the highest power. For
example, in the polynomial $3x^25x+2$, the leading term is $3x^2$.
line
In geometry, a line extends infinitely in both directions.
A line is different from a ray (which extends from a point toward infinity) and a line segment (which extends
between two points). Lines are depicted with arrow heads on both ends to distinguish them from rays and
line segments.
linear equation
A linear equation is an equation involving just linear terms, that is, no variables are raised to a power
greater than one. The general form of a linear equation in one variable is $ax+b=0$, where a and b cannot
both be 0. The solution of a linear equation in general form is $x=\frac{b}a$
A linear equation with two variables takes the general form $ax+by+c=0$, where a and b cannot both be 0.
If a≠0, then the point where the line intersects the xaxis (the xintercept) is $\frac ca$.
If b≠0, then the point where the line intersects the yaxis (the yintercept) is $\frac cb$.
Twovariable, or twodimensional linear equations also come in the form $y=mx+b$. The constant m
indicates the gradient or slope of a line, while b represents the yintercept.
line segment
If A and B are two points on a line, the part of the line between and including A and B is called a line
segment or interval.
The distance AB is a measure of the length of AB.
location
In Measurement and Geometry, the relative position of an object is referred to as its location. It can be
expressed in terms of a description (such as ‘next to’, ‘behind’, ‘on top of’), a grid reference (such as ‘A5’),
or a coordinate (such as ‘(2,7)’).
In Statistics and Probability, a measure of location is a single number that can be used to indicate a central
or ‘typical value’ within a set of data. The most commonly used measures of location are the mean and the
median although the mode is also sometimes used for this purpose.
logarithm
The logarithm of a positive number x is the power to which a given number b, called the base, must be
raised in order to produce the number x. The logarithm of x, to the base b is denoted by $\;\log_bx$.
Algebraically, the statements $\log_bx=y$ and $b^y=x$ are equivalent in the sense that both statements
express the identical relationship between x, y and b. For example, $\log_{10}\;100=2$ because \
(10^2=100,\), and $\log_2\left(\frac1{32}\right)=5$ because $2^{5}=\frac1{32}$.
mass
Mass is the measure of how much matter is in a person, object, or substance. Mass is measured in grams,
kilograms, tonnes, ounces, or pounds. It is distinct from weight, which refers to the amount of gravitational
force acting on matter. If you travelled to Mars, your mass would be the same as it was on Earth, but your
weight would be less due to the weaker gravitational force on Mars.
measures of central tendency
In statistics, the term measures of central tendency refers to different methods of calculating typical values
(commonly called averages) within a set. The most commonly used measures of central tendency are the
mean, median, and mode.
mean
The arithmetic mean of a list of numbers is the sum of the data values divided by the number of numbers in
the list.
In everyday language, the arithmetic mean is commonly called the average; for example, for the following
list of five numbers, {2, 3, 3, 6, 8}, the mean equals $\frac{2+3+3+6+8}5=\frac{22}5=4.4$
median
The median is the value in a set of ordered data that divides the data into two parts. It is frequently called
the ‘middle value’.
Where the number of observations is odd, the median is the middle value; for example, for the following
ordered data set with an odd number of observations, the median value is five.
1 3 3 4 5 6 8 9 9
Where the number of observations is even, the median is calculated as the mean of the two central values;
for example, in the following ordered data set, the two central values are 5 and 6, and median value is the
mean of these two values, 5.5.
1 3 3 4 5 6 8 9 9 10
The median provides a measure of location of a data set that is suitable for both symmetric and skewed
distributions and is also relatively insensitive to outliers.
midpoint
The midpoint M of a line segment AB, which extends between points A and B, is the point that divides the
segment into two equal parts.
If $A\;\left(x_1,\;y_1\right)$ and $B\;(x_2,\;y_2)$ are points on a Cartesian plane, then the midpoint M of
the line segment AB has coordinates $\left(\frac{x_1+\;x_2}2,\;\;\frac{y_1+\;y_2}2\right)$
mode
The mode is a measure calculated by identifying the value that appears with greatest frequency in a set of
data. If two numbers occur in a set with equal frequency, the set is said to contain bimodal data. If there are
more than two numbers in a set that occur with equal frequency, the set is said to contain multimodal data.
The mode of the set {1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5} is 4. In the set {1, 2, 2, 4, 5, 7, 7}, the modes are both 2 and 7, making
the set bimodal. The mode is sometimes used as a measure of location.
monic
A monic polynomial is one in which the coefficient of the leading term is 1.
For example, $x^3+2x^27$ is monic, but $4x^2x+1$ is not.
multimodal data
Multimodal data is data whose distribution has more than two modes.
multiples
A multiple of a whole number is the product of that number and an integer.
A multiple of a real number $x$ is any number that is a product of $x$ and an integer; for example,
4.5 and 13.5 are multiples of 1.5 because 4.5=3×1.5 and 13.5=9×1.5.
natural number
A natural number can refer either to a positive integer (which excludes negative numbers and zero) or a
counting number (which excludes negative numbers but includes zero). The set of natural numbers is
usually denoted by N.
negative integer
A negative integer is any integer whose value is below zero. That is, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 ⋯.
net
A net is a plane figure that can be folded to form a polyhedron.
One possible net for a cube is shown
nonmonic
A polynomial in one variable is said to be nonmonic, if the coefficient of the leading term is unequal to one.
For example, $2x^3+2x^2+3x4$ is a nonmonic polynomial, whereas $x^3+2x^2+3x4$ is a monic
polynomial.
nonnegative integers
A nonnegative integer is an integer that is not negative, and is either zero or positive. It differs from a
positive integer, which excludes zero. Nonnegative integers are 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5⋯.
nonzero whole numbers
Nonzero whole numbers are whole numbers that explicitly exclude zero. Nonzero whole numbers are 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6 ⋯.
number line
A number line, like the one below, gives a pictorial representation of real numbers. An example is given
below depicting the location of a negative decimal and a positive fraction.
number sentence
A number sentence is typically an equation or inequality expressed using numbers and common symbols;
for example, 10 + 10 = 3 + 7 + 5 + 5 could describe a situation where 2 packets of 10 coloured pens
contained 3 red, 7 green, 5 yellow and 5 white.
numerator
In the fraction $$\frac ab$$, a is the numerator. If an object is divided into b equal parts, then the fraction
$$\frac ab$$ represents a of these parts taken together; for example, if a line segment is divided into 5
equal parts, each of those parts is one fifth of the whole and 3 of these parts taken together corresponds to
the fraction $$\frac35$$.
numeral
A numeral is a figure or symbol used to represent a number; for example, 3, 0, 45, IX, π.
numerical data
Numerical data is data associated with a numerical variable.
Numerical variables are variables whose values are numbers, and for which arithmetic processes such as
adding and subtracting, or calculating an average, make sense.
obtuse angle
An obtuse angle is bigger than 90° but smaller than 180°.
odd number
An odd number is an integer that is not divisible by 2. The odd numbers are ⋯5,3,1, 1, 3, 5⋯.
operation
Operation is the process of combining numbers or expressions. In the primary years, operations include
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In later years, operations include, for instance, raising to a
power, taking the logarithm, and more complex operations, such as integration.
ordered pair
In mathematics, an ordered pair is a collection of two numbers whose order is significant. Ordered pairs are
used to describe the location of a point in the Cartesian plane.
order of operations
Order of operations refers to a collection of rules for simplifying expressions. It stipulates that calculations in
brackets must be made first, followed by calculations involving indices (powers, exponents), then
multiplication and division (working from left to right), and lastly, addition and subtraction (also in order from
left to right); for example, in 56÷2+7, the division is performed first and the expression becomes 53+7=9. If
the convention is ignored and the operations are performed in the order they are written, the incorrect
result, 6.5 is obtained.
outlier
An outlier is a data value that appears to stand out from the other members of the data set by being
unusually high or low. The most effective way of identifying outliers in a data set is to graph the data; for
example, in the following list of ages of a group of 10 people, {12, 12, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 24},
the number 24 would be considered to be a possible outlier.
parabola
In algebra, a parabola is the graph of a function of the general form $$y=ax^2+bx+c$$, where a, b and c
are real numbers and a≠0. Two examples of parabolas are shown below.
parallel
Parallel lines are lines in a plane which do not intersect or touch each other at any point. Parallel lines can
never intersect, even if they were to continuously extend toward infinity.
Two lines are parallel, if they have the same gradient (or slope).
The lines below are parallel to one another, as indicated by the use of the arrow signs. In text, the symbol ∥
is used to denote parallel lines; for example, a∥b is read as “line a is parallel to line b”.
parallelogram
A parallelogram is a quadrilateral whose opposite sides are parallel.
Thus the quadrilateral ABCD shown below is a parallelogram because AB∥DC and AD∥BC.
Properties of a parallelogram

The opposite angles of a parallelogram are equal.
The opposite sides of a parallelogram are equal.
The diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other.
partitioning
Partitioning means dividing a quantity into parts. In the early years, it commonly refers to the ability to think
about numbers as made up of two parts, such as, 10 is 8 and 2. In later years it refers to dividing both
continuous and discrete quantities into equal parts.
percentage
A percentage is a fraction whose denominator is 100; for example, 6 percent (written as 6%) is the
percentage whose value is $$\frac6{100}$$.
Similarly, 40 as a percentage of 250 is $$\frac{40}{250}\times100=16\%$$.
percentile
Percentiles are the 99 values that divide an ordered data set into 100 (approximately) equal parts. It is only
possible to divide a data set into exactly 100 equal parts when the number of data values is a multiple of
one hundred.
Within the above limitations, the first percentile divides off the lower 1% of data values. The second, the
lower 2% and so on. In particular, the lower quartile (Q1) is the 25th percentile, the median is the 50th
percentile and the upper quartile is the 75th percentile.
Percentiles are often used to report comparative test results. A student who scores in the 90th percentile for
a given test has scored higher than 90% of other students who took the test. A student who scores in the
10th percentile would have scored better than only 10% of students who took the test.
perimeter
The perimeter of a plane figure is the length of its boundary. The perimeter of a figure can be calculated by
adding the lengths of all its sides.
perpendicular
In geometry, two lines are said to be perpendicular to each other, if they meet at a right angle (90 degrees).
Pi
Pi is the name of the Greek letter π that is used to denote the ratio of the circumference of any circle to its
diameter. The number $$\pi$$ is irrational, but $$\frac{22}7$$ is a rational approximation. The decimal
expansion of $$\pi$$ begins:
$$\pi=3.141\text{ }592\text{ }653\text{ }589\text{ }79\dots$$
picture graphs
A picture graph is a statistical graph for organising and displaying categorical data.
place value
Place value refers to the value of a digit as determined by its position in a number, relative to the ones (or
units) place. For integers, the ones place is occupied by the rightmost digit in the number; for example, in
the number 2 594.6 the 4 denotes 4 ones, the 9 denotes 90 ones or 9 tens, the 5 denotes 500 ones or 5
hundreds, the 2 denotes 2000 ones or 2 thousands, and the 6 denotes $$\frac6{10}$$ of a one or 6 tenths.
point
A point marks a position, but has no size.
polygon
A polygon is a plane figure bounded by three or more line segments. The word derives from Greek polys
“many” and gonia “angle”.
The regular pentagon shown below is an example of a polygon. It is called a pentagon because it has five
sides (and five angles). It is called regular because all sides have equal length and all interior angles are
equal.
polyhedron
A polyhedron is a threedimensional object, or a solid, which consists of a collection of polygons, joined at
their edges and making up the faces of the solid. The word derives from Greek polys “many” and hedra
“base” or “seat”.
The solid below is an example of a polyhedron (called an icosahedra and consisting of 20 faces).
polynomial
A polynomial in one variable $$x$$ is a finite sum of terms of the form $$ax^k$$, where $$a$$ is a real
number and $$k$$ is a nonnegative integer.
A nonzero polynomial can be written in the form $$a_0+a_1x+a_2x^2+\cdots+a_nx^n,$$, where $$n$$ is a
nonnegative integer and $$a_n\neq0$$.
The term that contains the variable $$x$$ raised to the highest power, that is $$a_nx^n$$, is called the
leading term.
The numbers $$a_0,a_1,\dots,a_n$$ are called the coefficients of the terms. Coefficients include the
preceding sign.
For example, in the polynomial $$3x^25x+2$$, the leading term is $$3x^2$$ and the coefficient of the
second term is $$5$$.
population
A population is the complete set of individuals, objects, places etc. about which we want information.
A census is an attempt to collect information about the whole population.
positive integer
A positive integer is an integer that excludes negative numbers and zero. Positive integers are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, ….
primary data
Primary data is original data collected by the user. Primary data might include data obtained from interviews
the user has conducted herself, or observations the user has made during an experiment.
prime factor
A prime factor of a number is a factor of that number which is prime.
prime number
A prime number is a natural number greater than 1 that has no factor other than 1 and itself.
prism
A prism is a polyhedron that has two congruent and parallel faces and all its remaining faces are
parallelograms.
A right prism is a polyhedron that has two congruent and parallel faces and all its remaining faces are
rectangles. A prism that is not a right prism is often called an oblique prism.
Some examples of prisms are shown below.
probability
The probability of an event is a number between 0 and 1 that indicates the chance of that event happening;
for example, the probability that the sun will come up tomorrow is 1, the probability that a fair coin will come
up ‘heads’ when tossed is 0.5, while the probability of someone being physically present in Adelaide and
Brisbane at exactly the same time is zero.
product
A product is the result of multiplying together two or more numbers or algebraic expressions; for example,
36 is the product of 9 and 4, and $$x^2y^2$$ is product of $$xy$$ and $$x+y$$.
proof
A proof is a rigorous mathematical argument that demonstrates the truth of a given proposition. A
mathematical statement that has been established by means of a proof is called a theorem.
proportion
Two quantities are in proportion, if there is a constant ratio between them.
protractor
A protractor is an instrument for measuring angles. It uses degrees as the unit of measurement and is
commonly in the shape of a semicircle (180°) or circle (360°).
pyramid
A pyramid is a polyhedron with a polygonal base and triangular sides that meet at a point called the vertex.
The pyramid is named according to the shape of its base.
Pythagoras’ theorem
Pythagoras’ theorem states that for a rightangled triangle:
The square of the hypotenuse of a rightangled triangle equals the sum of the squares of the lengths of the
other two sides.
In symbols, $$c^2=a^2+b^2$$.
The converse
If $$c^2=a^2+b^2$$ in a triangle ABC, then ∠C is a right angle.
quadrant
Quadrant refers to the four sections of the Cartesian plane created through the intersection of the x and y
axes. They are numbered 1 through 4, beginning with the top right quadrant and moving counter clockwise
around the plane. Each of the four quadrants is labelled on the plane below.
quadratic equation
The general quadratic equation in one variable is $$ax^2+bx+c=0,$$ where $$a≠0$$.
The solutions are given by the quadratic formula: $$x=\frac{b\pm\sqrt[{}]{b^24ac}}{2a}$$.
quadratic expression
A quadratic expression or function contains one or more terms in which the variable is raised to the second
power, but no variable is raised to a higher power. Examples of quadratic expressions include $$3x^2+7$$
and $$x^2+2xy+y^22x+y+5$$.
quadrilateral
A quadrilateral is a polygon with four sides.
quartile
Quartiles are the values that divide an ordered data set into four (approximately) equal parts. It is only
possible to divide a data set into exactly four equal parts, when the number of data values is a multiple of
four.
There are three quartiles. The first, the lower quartile (Q1) divides off (approximately) the lower 25% of data
values. The second quartile (Q2) is the median. The third quartile, the upper quartile (Q3), divides off
(approximately) the upper 25% of data values.
quotient
A quotient is the result of dividing one number or algebraic expression by another. See also remainder.
radius
The radius of a circle (r) is the distance from its centre to any point (A) on its perimeter, and is equal to half
of the circle’s diameter.
Putting the point of a pair of compasses at the centre and opening the arms to the radius can draw a circle.
random number
A random number is one whose value is governed by chance; such as, the number of dots showing when a
fair die is tossed. The value of a random number cannot be predicted in advance.
random sample
A sample is called a random sample (or a simple random sample), if it is selected from a population at
random. That is, all the elements of the population had an equal probability of being included in the sample.
range
In statistics, the range is the difference between the largest and smallest observations in a data set.
The range can be used as a measure of spread in a data set, but it is extremely sensitive to the presence
of outliers and should only be used with care.
ratio
A ratio is a quotient of two numbers, magnitudes, or algebraic expressions. It is often used as a measure of
the relative size of two objects; for example, the ratio of the length of a side of a square to the length of a
diagonal is $$1:\sqrt[{}]2\;$$ that is, $$\frac1{\sqrt[{}]2}.$$
rational numbers
The rational numbers are the set of all numbers that can be expressed as fractions, that is, as quotients of
two integer values. The decimal expansion of a rational number is either terminating or recurring.
ray
A ray is the part of a line that starts at a point and continues in a particular direction to infinity. Rays are
usually depicted with an arrow head, which indicates the direction in which the line continues to infinity.
Any point A on a line divides the line into two pieces called rays. The ray AP is that ray which contains the
point P (and the point A) and extends toward infinity. The point A is called the vertex of the ray.
real number
The numbers generally used in mathematics, in scientific work and in everyday life are the real numbers.
They can be pictured as points on a number line, with the integers evenly spaced along the line, and a real
number b to the right of a real number a if b>a.
A real number is either rational or irrational. Every real number has a decimal expansion. Rational numbers
are the ones whose decimal expansions are either terminating or recurring, while irrational numbers can
only be approximated in the decimal number system.
rearranging parts
Rearranging parts refers to moving counters, numbers, etc., in order to change the visual representation of
the number; for example, ‘4’ could be represented as either of the two combinations below.
reasonableness
Reasonableness refers to how appropriate an answer is. “Does this answer make sense?” and “Does this
answer sound right?” are two questions that should be asked when thinking about reasonableness.
rectangle
A rectangle is a quadrilateral in which all angles are right angles.
reflex angle
A reflex angle is an angle with a size that is larger than 180◦ but smaller than 360◦.
reflection
To reflect the point A in an axis of reflection, a line is drawn at right angles to the axis of reflection and the
point Aʹ is marked at the same distance from the axis of reflection as A, but on the other side.
The point A′ is called the reflection image of A.
A reflection is a transformation that moves each point to its reflection image.
regular shape
A regular shape has sides and angles that are equal in length and magnitude.
related denominators
Related denominators occur where one denominator is a multiple of the other; for example, the fractions
$$\frac13$$ and $$\frac59$$ have related denominators because 9 is a multiple of 3.
Fractions with related denominators are more easily added and subtracted than fractions with unrelated
denominators, because only one needs to be rewritten; for example, to add $$\frac13$$ and $$\frac59$$
we can rewrite $$\frac13$$ as the equivalent fraction $$\frac39$$ and then compute $$\frac39+\frac59$$ =
$$\frac89$$.
remainder
A remainder is the amount left over when one number or algebraic quantity a is divided by another b. If a is
divisible by b then the remainder is 0. For example, when 68 is divided by 11, the remainder is 2, because
68 can be expressed as 68=6×11+2.
revolution
A revolution is the amount of turning required to rotate a ray about its endpoint until it falls back onto itself.
The size of 1 revolution is 360°.
rhombus
A rhombus is a quadrilateral with all sides equal.
right angle
A right angle is half a straight angle, and so is equal to 90°.
rounding
The decimal expansion of a real number is rounded when it is approximated by a terminating decimal that
has a given number of decimal digits to the right of the decimal point.
Rounding to n decimal places is achieved by removing all decimal digits beyond (to the right of) the
$$n^{th}$$ digit to the right of the decimal place, and adjusting the remaining digits where necessary.
If the first digit removed (the $${(n+1)}^{th}$$ digit) is less than 5 the preceding digit is not changed; for
example, 4.02749 becomes 4.027 when rounded to 3 decimal places.
If the first digit removed is greater than or equal to 5, then the preceding digit is increased by 1; for
example, 6.1234586 becomes 6.12346 when rounded to 5 decimal places.
rotation
In a plane, a rotation is a transformation that turns a figure about a fixed point, called the centre of rotation.
A rotation is specified by:
the centre of rotation O
the angle of rotation
the direction of rotation (clockwise or counterclockwise).
In the first diagram below, the point A is rotated through 120° clockwise about O. In the second diagram, it
is rotated through 60° counterclockwise about O.
A rotation is a transformation that moves each point to its rotation image.
sample
A sample is part of a population. It is a subset of the population, often randomly selected for the purpose of
estimating the value of a characteristic of the population as a whole.
For instance, a randomly selected group of eightyear old children (the sample) might be selected to
estimate the incidence of tooth decay in eightyear old children in Australia (the population).
sample space
A sample space is the set of all possible outcomes of a chance experiment; for example, the set of
outcomes (also called sample points) from tossing two heads is {HH, HT, TH, TT}, where H represents a
‘head’ and T a ‘tail’.
scatter plots
When two variables are numerical then a scatter plot (or bivariate plot) may be constructed. This is an
important tool in the analysis of bivariate data, and should always be examined before further analysis is
undertaken. The pairs of data points are plotted on a Cartesian plane, with each pair contributing one point
to the plot. The following example examines the features of the scatterplot in more detail.
Suppose we record the heights and weights of a group of 100 people. The scatterplot of those data would
be 100 points. Each point represents one person's height and weight.
scientific notation
Scientific notation is a distinct way of writing numbers that are too big or too small to be written in an
accessible way. Numbers are expressed as a product of the power of 10 and a decimal that has just one
digit to the left of the decimal point; for example, the scientific notation for 34,590 is $$3.459\times10^4,$$,
and the scientific notation for 0.000004567 is 4.567×106.
Many electronic calculators will show these as 3.459E4 and $$4.567\times10^{6}.$$.
secondary data
Secondary data is data collected by others. Sources of secondary data include, webbased data, the media,
books, scientific papers, etc.
sequence
A sequence is an ordered collection of elements. When written, the elements are separated by commas.
Sequences can be finite (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4), or infinite (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6…).
set
In probability and statistics, a set is a welldefined collection of objects, events or outcomes. Each item
within a set is called an element of the set.
shape
The shape of a numerical data distribution is mostly simply described as symmetric, if it is roughly evenly
spread around some central point or skewed, if it is not. If a distribution is skewed, it can be further
described as positively skewed (‘tailingoff’ to the upper end of the distribution) or negatively skewed
(‘tailingoff’ to the lower end of the distribution).
These three distribution shapes are illustrated in the parallel dot plot display below.
Dot plots, histograms and stem plots can all be used to investigate the shape of a data distribution.
sidebyside column graph
A sidebyside column graph can be used to organise and display the data that arises when a group of
individuals or things are categorised according to two or more criteria; for example, the sidebyside column
graph below displays the data obtained when 27 children are categorised according to hair type (straight or
curly) and hair colour (red, brown, blonde, black). The legend indicates that blue columns represent
children with straight hair and red columns children with curly hair.
Sidebyside column graphs are frequently called sidebyside bar graphs or bar charts. In a bar graph or
chart, the bars can be either vertical or horizontal.
similarity
Similarity (general):
Two plane figures are called similar if an enlargement of one figure is congruent to the other.
That is, if one can be mapped to the other by a sequence of translations, rotations, reflections and
enlargements.
Similar figures thus have the same shape, but not necessarily the same size.
Similarity (triangles):
There are four standard tests to determine if two triangles are similar
AAA: If two angles of one triangle are respectively equal to two angles of another triangle, then the two
triangles are similar.
SAS: If the ratio of the lengths of two sides of one triangle is equal to the ratio of the lengths of two sides of
another triangle, and the included angles are equal, then the two triangles are similar.
SSS: If we can match up the sides of one triangle with the sides of another so that the ratios of matching
sides are equal, then the two triangles are similar.
RHS: If the ratio of the hypotenuse and one side of a rightangled triangle is equal to the ratio of the
hypotenuse and one side of another rightangled triangle, then the two triangles are similar.
simple interest
Simple interest is the interest accumulated when the interest payment in each period is a fixed fraction of
the principal; for example, if the principle $P earns simple interest at the rate of i% per period, then after n
periods the accumulated simple interest is $Pni/100.
simultaneous equations
Two or more equations form a set of simultaneous equations if there are conditions imposed
simultaneously on all of the variables involved.
sine
In any rightangled triangle, the sine of an angle is defined as the length of the side opposite the angle
divided by the length of the hypotenuse; $$\sin\theta=\frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{hypotenuse}}$$ , where
0°<θ<90°.
sine rule
In any triangle ABC, $$\frac a{\sin A}=\frac b{\sin B}=\frac c{\sin C}$$.
In words it says:
Any side of a triangle over the sine of the opposite angle equals any other side of the triangle over the sine
of its opposite angle.
skewness
Skewness is a measure of asymmetry (nonsymmetry) in a distribution of values about the mean of a set of
data.
In the diagrams below, the histogram to the left is positively skewed. Data values are concentrated at the
beginning of the number line, causing the graph to have a long tail to the right and a very short tail to the
left. The histogram to the right is negatively skewed. Data values are concentrated further right along the
number line, causing the graph to have a long tail to the left and a very short tail to the  right. The mode,
median and mean will not coincide.
When the distribution of values in a set of data is symmetrical about the mean, the data is said to have
normal distribution. The histogram in the middle is normally distributed.
skip counting
Skip counting is counting by a number that is not 1; for example, skip counting forwards by 2 would be 2, 4,
6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 ⋯. Skip counting backwards by 3 from 21 would be 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3, 0.
solid
A solid is any threedimensional geometrical figure.
square
A square is a quadrilateral that is both a rectangle and a rhombus. A square thus has all the properties of a
rectangle, and all the properties of a rhombus.
standard deviation
Standard deviation is a measure of the variability or spread of a data set. It gives an indication of the
degree to which the individual data values are spread around their mean.
stem and leaf plot
A stemandleaf plot is a method of organising and displaying numerical data in which each data value is
split in to two parts, a ‘stem’ and a ‘leaf’; for example, the stemandleaf plot below displays the resting
pulse rates of 19 students.
In this plot, the stem unit is ‘10’ and the leaf unit is ‘1’. Thus the top row in the plot 6 | 8 8 8 9 displays pulse
rates of 68, 68, 68 and 69.
stemplot
Stemplot is a synonym for stemandleaf plot.
straight angle
A straight angle is half a revolution, and so is equal to 180°.
subitising
Subitising refers to the recognition of the number of objects in a collection without consciously counting.
subset
In probability and statistics, a set is a welldefined collection of objects, events or outcomes. Each item
within a set is called an element of the set. If every element in set 1 is also in set 2, then set 1 is a subset of
set 2.
In a random experiment, each event or outcome is a subset of the broader sample space.
sum
A sum is the result of adding together two of more numbers or algebraic expressions. In the equation
8+6=14, the sum is 14.
supplementary
Two angles that add to 180° are called supplementary angles; for example, 45° and 135° are
supplementary angles.
surd
A surd is a numerical expression involving one or more irrational roots of numbers. Examples of surds
include $$\sqrt[{}]2,$$,$$\sqrt[3]{5,}\;$$ and $$\;4\sqrt[{}]3+7\sqrt[3]6$$
symmetry
A plane figure f has line symmetry in a line m, if the image of f under the reflection in m is f itself. The line m
is called the axis of symmetry.
A plane figure f has rotational symmetry about a point O if there is a rotation such that the image of f under
the rotation is f itself.
A rotation of 120° around O moves the equilateral triangle onto itself.
tangent
1. Planegeometry:
In planegeometry, a tangent to a circle is a line that intersects a circle at just one point. It touches the circle
at that point of contact, but does not pass inside it.
2. Trigonometry:
In any rightangled triangle, the tangent of an angle is defined as the length of the side opposite the angle
divided by the length of its adjacent side; $$\tan\theta=\frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}$$ , where
0°<θ<90°.
theorem
A theorem is a mathematical statement that has been established by means of a proof.
threedimensional
An object is threedimensional when it possesses the dimensions of height, width and depth. Two
dimensional objects only have two dimensions: length and width. A solid is any geometrical object with
threedimensions.
transformation
The transformations included in this glossary are enlargements, reflections, rotations, and translations.
translation
Shifting a figure in the plane without turning it is called translation. To describe a translation in the plane, it is
enough to say how far left or right and how far up or down the figure is moved.
A translation is a transformation that moves each point to its translation image.
transversal
A transversal is a line that crosses two or more other lines in a plane.
trapezium
A trapezium is a quadrilateral with one pair of opposite sides parallel.
tree diagram
A tree diagram is a diagram that can used to enumerate the outcomes of a multistep random experiment.
The diagram below shows a tree diagram that has been used to enumerate all of the possible outcomes
when a coin is tossed twice. Below is an example of a twostep random experiment.
triangular number
A triangular number is the number of dots required to make a triangular array of dots in which the top row
consists of just one dot, and each of the other rows contains one more dot than the row above it. So the
first triangular number is 1, the second is 3=1+2, the third is 6 (=1+2+3) and so on.
trigonometric ratios
Trigonometric ratios describe the relationships between the angles and sides of right triangles. The three
basic trigonometric ratios covered in this glossary are: Sine, Cosine, and Tangent.
twodimensional
A shape is twodimensional when it only possesses the dimensions of length and width.
twoway table
A twoway table is commonly used to for displaying the twoway frequency distribution that arises when a
group of individuals or things are categorised according to two criteria; for example, the twoway table
below displays the twoway frequency distribution that arises when 27 children are categorised according to
hair type (straight or curly) and hair colour (red, brown, blonde, black).
The information in a twoway table can also be displayed graphically using a sidebyside column graph.
unit fraction
A unit fraction is a simple fraction whose numerator is 1, that is, a fraction of the form 1/n, where n is a
natural number.
variable
In statistics, a variable is something measurable or observable that is expected to either change over time
or between individual observations. Examples of variables in statistics include the age of students, their hair
colour or a playing field’s length or its shape.
Numerical variables are variables whose values are numbers, and for which arithmetic processes such as
adding and subtracting, or calculating an average, make sense.
Examples include the number of children in a family or the number of days in a month.
A discrete numerical variable is a numerical variable, each of whose possible values is separated from the
next by a definite ‘gap’. The most common numerical variables have the counting numbers 0,1,2,3,… as
possible values. Others are prices, measured in dollars and cents.
In algebra, a variable is a symbol, such as x,y or z, used to represent an unspecified number of a specific
type; for example, the variable x could represent an unspecified real number.
Venn diagram
A Venn diagram is a graphical representation of the extent to which two or more events, for example A and
B, are mutually inclusive (overlap) or mutually exclusive (do not overlap).
vertex
A vertex is the point where two line segments or rays meet, join, or intersect.
vertically opposite angle
When two lines intersect, four angles are formed at the point of intersection. In the diagram, the angles
marked ∠AOX and ∠BOY are called vertically opposite. Vertically opposite angles are equal.
volume
The volume of a solid is a measure of the space enclosed by the solid.
For a rectangular prism, Volume = Length × Width × Height.
whole number
A whole number is a nonnegative integer, that is, one of the numbers 0,1,2,3,⋯,
Sometimes it is taken to mean only a positive integer.
Science
Page 1249 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Science
Science How the Subject works
Rationale
Science provides an empirical way of answering
interesting and important questions about the curriculum introduction scie…
biological, physical and technological world. The
knowledge it produces has proved to be a
reliable basis for action in our personal, social
and economic lives. Science is a dynamic,
collaborative and creative human endeavour
arising from our desire to make sense of our
world through exploring the unknown,
investigating universal mysteries, making
predictions and solving problems. Science aims
to understand a large number of observations in
terms of a much smaller number of broad principles. Science knowledge is contestable and is revised, refined
and extended as new evidence arises.
The Australian Curriculum: Science provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of
important science concepts and processes, the practices used to develop scientific knowledge, of science’s
contribution to our culture and society, and its applications in our lives. The curriculum supports students to
develop the scientific knowledge, understandings and skills to make informed decisions about local, national
and global issues and to participate, if they so wish, in sciencerelated careers.
In addition to its practical applications, learning science is a valuable pursuit in its own right. Students can
experience the joy of scientific discovery and nurture their natural curiosity about the world around them. In
doing this, they develop critical and creative thinking skills and challenge themselves to identify questions and
draw evidencebased conclusions using scientific methods. The wider benefits of this ‘scientific literacy’ are
well established, including giving students the capability to investigate the natural world and changes made to
it through human activity.
The ability to think and act in scientific ways helps build the broader suite of capabilities in students as
confident, selfmotivated and active members of our society.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Science aims to ensure that students develop:
an interest in science as a means of expanding their curiosity and willingness to explore, ask
questions about and speculate on the changing world in which they live
an understanding of the vision that science provides of the nature of living things, of Earth and its
place in the cosmos, and of the physical and chemical processes that explain the behaviour of all
material things
an understanding of the nature of scientific inquiry and the ability to use a range of scientific inquiry
methods, including questioning; planning and conducting experiments and investigations based on
ethical principles; collecting and analysing data; evaluating results; and drawing critical, evidence
based conclusions
an ability to communicate scientific understanding and findings to a range of audiences, to justify
ideas on the basis of evidence, and to evaluate and debate scientific arguments and claims
an ability to solve problems and make informed, evidencebased decisions about current and future
applications of science while taking into account ethical and social implications of decisions
an understanding of historical and cultural contributions to science as well as contemporary science
issues and activities and an understanding of the diversity of careers related to science
a solid foundation of knowledge of the biological, chemical, physical, earth and space sciences,
including being able to select and integrate the scientific knowledge and methods needed to explain
and predict phenomena, to apply that understanding to new situations and events, and to
appreciate the dynamic nature of science knowledge.
Key ideas
In the Australian Curriculum: Science, there are six key ideas that represent key aspects of a scientific view of
the world and bridge knowledge and understanding across the disciplines of science, as shown Figure 1
below. These are embedded within each year level description and guide the teaching/learning emphasis for
the relevant year level.
Figure 1: Key ideas of the science curriculum
These key ideas are designed to support the coherence and developmental sequence of science knowledge
within and across year levels. The key ideas frame the development of concepts in the science
understandingstrand, support key aspects of the science inquiry skills strand and contribute to developing
students’ appreciation of the nature of science.
The six key ideas that frame the Australian Curriculum: Science are:
Patterns, order and organisation
An important aspect of science is recognising patterns in the world around us, and ordering and organising
phenomena at different scales. As students progress from Foundation to Year 10, they build skills and
understanding that will help them to observe and describe patterns at different scales, and develop and use
classifications to organise events and phenomena and make predictions. Classifying objects and events into
groups (such as solid/liquid/gas or living/nonliving) and developing criteria for those groupings relies on
making observations and identifying patterns of similarity and difference.
As students progress through the primary years, they become more proficient in identifying and describing the
relationships that underpin patterns, including cause and effect. Students increasingly recognise that scale
plays an important role in the observation of patterns; some patterns may only be evident at certain time and
spatial scales. For example, the pattern of day and night is not evident over the time scale of an hour.
Form and function
Many aspects of science are concerned with the relationships between form (the nature or makeup of an
aspect of an object or organism) and function (the use of that aspect).
As students progress from Foundation to Year 10, they see that the functions of both living and nonliving
objects rely on their forms. Their understanding of forms such as the features of living things or the nature of
a range of materials, and their related functions or uses, is initially based on observable behaviours and
physical properties. In later years, students recognise that function frequently relies on form and that this
relationship can be examined at many scales. They apply an understanding of microscopic and atomic
structures, interactions of force and flows of energy and matter to describe relationships between form and
function.
Stability and change
Many areas of science involve the recognition, description and prediction of stability and change. Early in their
schooling, students recognise that in their observations of the world around them, some properties and
phenomena appear to remain stable or constant over time, whereas others change.
As they progress from Foundation to Year 10, they also recognise that phenomena (such as properties of
objects and relationships between living things) can appear to be stable at one spatial or time scale, but at a
larger or smaller scale may be seen to be changing. They begin to appreciate that stability can be the result
of competing, but balanced forces. Students become increasingly adept at quantifying change through
measurement and looking for patterns of change by representing and analysing data in tables or graphs.
Scale and measurement
Quantification of time and spatial scale is critical to the development of science understanding as it enables
the comparison of observations. Students often find it difficult to work with scales that are outside their
everyday experience – these include the huge distances in space, the incredibly small size of atoms and the
slow processes that occur over geological time.
As students progress from Foundation to Year 10, their understanding of relative sizes and rates of change
develops and they are able to conceptualise events and phenomena at a wider range of scales. They
progress from working with scales related to their everyday experiences and comparing events and
phenomena using relative language (such as 'bigger' or 'faster') and informal measurement, to working with
scales beyond human experience and quantifying magnitudes, rates of change and comparisons using formal
units of measurement.
Matter and energy
Many aspects of science involve identifying, describing and measuring transfers of energy and/or matter. As
students progress through Foundation to Year 10, they become increasingly able to explain phenomena in
terms of the flow of matter and energy.
Initially, students focus on direct experience and observation of phenomena and materials. They are
introduced to the ways in which objects and living things change and begin to recognise the role of energy
and matter in these changes. In later years, they are introduced to more abstract notions of particles, forces
and energy transfer and transformation. They use these understandings to describe and model phenomena
and processes involving matter and energy.
Systems
Science frequently involves thinking, modelling and analysing in terms of systems in order to understand,
explain and predict events and phenomena. As students progress through Foundation to Year 10, they
explore, describe and analyse increasingly complex systems.
Initially, students identify the observable components of a clearly identified ‘whole’ such as features of plants
and animals and parts of mixtures. Over Years 3 to 6, they learn to identify and describe relationships
between components within simple systems, and they begin to appreciate that components within living and
nonliving systems are interdependent. In Years 7 to 10, they are introduced to the processes and underlying
phenomena that structure systems such as ecosystems, body systems and the carbon cycle. They recognise
that within systems, interactions between components can involve forces and changes acting in opposing
directions and that for a system to be in a steady state, these factors need to be in a state of balance or
equilibrium. They are increasingly aware that systems can exist as components within larger systems, and
that one important part of thinking about systems is identifying boundaries, inputs and outputs.
Structure
The three interrelated strands of science
The Australian Curriculum: Science has three interrelated strands: science understanding, science as a
human endeavour and science inquiry skills.
Together, the three strands of the science curriculum provide students with understanding, knowledge and
skills through which they can develop a scientific view of the world. Students are challenged to explore
science, its concepts, nature and uses through clearly described inquiry processes.
Science understanding
Science understanding is evident when a person selects and integrates appropriate science knowledge to
explain and predict phenomena, and applies that knowledge to new situations. Science knowledge refers to
facts, concepts, principles, laws, theories and models that have been established by scientists over time. This
strand provides the content through which the key ideas of science and skills are developed within contexts
appropriate to the learners.
The science understanding strand comprises four substrands. The content is described by year level.
Biological sciences
The biological sciences substrand is concerned with understanding living things. The key concepts
developed within this substrand are that: a diverse range of living things have evolved on Earth over
hundreds of millions of years; living things are interdependent and interact with each other and their
environment; and the form and features of living things are related to the functions that their body systems
perform.
Through this substrand, students investigate living things, including animals, plants and microorganisms, and
their interdependence and interactions within ecosystems. They explore their life cycles, body systems,
structural adaptations and behaviours, how these features aid survival, and how their characteristics are
inherited from one generation to the next. Students are introduced to the cell as the basic unit of life and the
processes that are central to its function.
Chemical sciences
The chemical sciences substrand is concerned with understanding the composition and behaviour of
substances. The key concepts developed within this substrand are that: the chemical and physical properties
of substances are determined by their structure at an atomic scale; substances change and new substances
are produced by rearranging atoms through atomic interactions and energy transfer.
In this substrand, students classify substances based on their properties, such as solids, liquids and gases,
or their composition, such as elements, compounds and mixtures. They explore physical changes such as
changes of state and dissolving, and investigate how chemical reactions result in the production of new
substances. Students recognise that all substances consist of atoms which can combine to form molecules,
and chemical reactions involve atoms being rearranged and recombined to form new substances. They
explore the relationship between the way in which atoms are arranged and the properties of substances, and
the effect of energy transfers on these arrangements.
Earth and space sciences
The earth and space sciences substrand is concerned with Earth’s dynamic structure and its place in the
cosmos. The key concepts developed within this substrand are that: Earth is part of a solar system that is
part of a larger universe; Earth is subject to change within and on its surface, over a range of timescales as a
result of natural processes and human use of resources.
Through this substrand, students view Earth as part of a solar system, which is part of a galaxy, which is one
of many in the universe, and explore the immense scales associated with space. They explore how changes
on Earth, such as day and night and the seasons, relate to Earth’s rotation and its orbit around the sun.
Students investigate the processes that result in change to Earth’s surface, recognising that Earth has
evolved over 4.5 billion years and that the effect of some of these processes is only evident when viewed over
extremely long timescales. They explore the ways in which humans use resources from Earth and appreciate
the influence of human activity on the surface of Earth and its atmosphere.
Physical sciences
The physical sciences substrand is concerned with understanding the nature of forces and motion, and
matter and energy. The two key concepts developed within this substrand are that: forces affect the
behaviour of objects; energy can be transferred and transformed from one form to another.
Through this substrand, students gain an understanding of how an object’s motion (direction, speed and
acceleration) is influenced by a range of contact and noncontact forces such as friction, magnetism, gravity
and electrostatic forces. They develop an understanding of the concept of energy and how energy transfer is
associated with phenomena involving motion, heat, sound, light and electricity. They appreciate that concepts
of force, motion, matter and energy apply to systems ranging in scale from atoms to the universe itself.
Science as a human endeavour
Through science, humans seek to improve their understanding and explanations of the natural world. Science
involves the construction of explanations based on evidence and science knowledge can be changed as new
evidence becomes available. Science influences society by posing, and responding to, social and ethical
questions, and scientific research is itself influenced by the needs and priorities of society.
This strand highlights the development of science as a unique way of knowing and doing, and the importance
of science in contemporary decisionmaking and problemsolving. It acknowledges that in making decisions
about science practices and applications, ethical and social implications must be taken into account. This
strand also recognises that science advances through the contributions of many different people from
different cultures and that there are many rewarding sciencebased career paths. This strand provides
context and relevance to students and to our broader community.
The content in the science as a human endeavour strand is described in twoyear bands. There are two sub
strands of science as a human endeavour. These are:
Nature and development of science: This substrand develops an appreciation of the unique nature of
science and scientific knowledge, including how current knowledge has developed over time through the
actions of many people.
Use and influence of science: This substrand explores how science knowledge and applications affect
peoples’ lives, including their work, and how science is influenced by society and can be used to inform
decisions and actions.
Science inquiry skills
Science inquiry involves identifying and posing questions; planning, conducting and reflecting on
investigations; processing, analysing and interpreting evidence; and communicating findings. This strand is
concerned with evaluating claims, investigating ideas, solving problems, drawing valid conclusions and
developing evidencebased arguments. The skills students develop give them the tools they need to achieve
deeper understanding of the science concepts and how scientific thinking applies to these understandings.
Science investigations are activities in which ideas, predictions or hypotheses are tested and conclusions are
drawn in response to a question or problem. Investigations can involve a range of activities, including
experimental testing, field work, locating and using information sources, conducting surveys, and using
modelling and simulations. The choice of the approach taken will depend on the context (science as a human
endeavour) and subject of the investigation (science understanding).
In science investigations, collection and analysis of primary data and evidence play a major role. This can
involve collecting or extracting information and reorganising data in the form of tables, graphs, flow charts,
diagrams, prose, keys, spreadsheets and databases. Students will also develop their understandings through
the collection and analysis of secondary data and information.
The content in the science inquiry skillsstrand is described in twoyear bands. There are five substrands of
science inquiry skills. These are:
Questioning and predicting: Identifying and constructing questions, proposing hypotheses and suggesting
possible outcomes.
Planning and conducting: Making decisions about how to investigate or solve a problem and carrying out
an investigation, including the collection of data.
Processing and analysing data and information: Representing data in meaningful and useful ways;
identifying trends, patterns and relationships in data, and using this evidence to justify conclusions.
Evaluating: Considering the quality of available evidence and the merit or significance of a claim, proposition
or conclusion with reference to that evidence.
Communicating: Conveying information or ideas to others through appropriate representations, text types
and modes.
In the practice of science, the three strands of science understanding, science as a human endeavour and
science inquiry skills are closely integrated; the work of scientists reflects the nature and development of
science, is built around scientific inquiry and seeks to respond to and influence society’s needs. Students’
experiences of school science should mirror and connect to this multifaceted view of science.
To achieve this, the three strands of the Australian Curriculum: Science should be taught in an integrated way.
The content descriptions of the three strands have been written so that at each year this integration is
possible. In the earlier years, the nature and development of science substrand within the science as a
human endeavour strand focuses on scientific inquiry. This enables students to make clear connections
between the inquiry skills that they are learning and the work of scientists. As students progress through the
curriculum they investigate how science understanding has developed, including considering some of the
people and the stories behind these advances in science.
They will also recognise how this science understanding can be applied to their lives and the lives of others.
As students develop a more sophisticated understanding of the knowledge and skills of science they are
increasingly able to appreciate the role of science in society. The content of the science understanding strand
will inform students’ understanding of contemporary issues such as climate change, use of resources, medical
interventions, biodiversity and the origins of the universe. The importance of these areas of science can be
emphasised through the context provided by the science as a human endeavour strand, and students can be
encouraged to view contemporary science critically through aspects of the science inquiry skills strand; for
example, by analysing, evaluating and communicating.
Science
Curriculum F10
Page 1257 of 1359

Science Curriculum F10
The Science content includes the three strands of science understanding, science inquiry skills and science
as a human endeavour. The three strands of the curriculum are interrelated and their content is taught in an
integrated way. The order and detail in which the content descriptions are organised into teaching and
learning programs are decisions to be made by the teacher.
Incorporating the key ideas of science
From Foundation to Year 2, students learn that observations can be organised to reveal patterns, and that
these patterns can be used to make predictions about phenomena.
In Foundation, students observe and describe the behaviours and properties of everyday objects, materials
and living things. They explore change in the world around them, including changes that impact on them,
such as the weather, and changes they can effect, such as making things move or change shape. They learn
that seeking answers to questions they pose and making observations is a core part of science and use their
senses to gather different types of information.
Science Understanding
Biological sciences
Living things have basic needs, including food and water
(ACSSU002 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples care for living things (OI.2, OI.3)
identifying the needs of humans such as warmth, food and water, using students’ own experiences
recognising the needs of living things in a range of situations such as pets at home, plants in the garden
or plants and animals in bushland
comparing the needs of plants and animals

Chemical sciences
Objects are made of materials that have observable properties (ACSSU003 Scootle )
Elaborations
sorting and grouping materials on the basis of observable properties such as colour, texture and flexibility

thinking about how the materials used in buildings and shelters are suited to the local environment
investigating different forms of clothing used for different activities

comparing the traditional materials used for clothing from around the world

Daily and seasonal changes in our environment affect everyday life (ACSSU004 Scootle )
Elaborations
learning how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ concepts of time and weather patterns
explain how things happen in the world around them (OI.3, OI.5)

linking the changes in the daily weather to the way we modify our behaviour and dress for different
conditions, including examples from different cultures

investigating how changes in the weather might affect animals such as pets, animals that hibernate, or
migratory animals

Physical sciences
The way objects move depends on a variety of factors, including their size and shape
(ACSSU005 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring how the size and shape of traditional instructive toys used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples influence their movement (OI.5)
observing the way different shaped objects such as balls, blocks and tubes move

comparing the way different sized, but similar shaped, objects such as tennis balls, golf balls, marbles
and basketballs roll and bounce

observing how the movement of different living things depends on their size and shape

Science as a Human Endeavour
Nature and development of science
Science involves observing, asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events
(ACSHE013 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples gain knowledge about the land and its vital
resources, such as water and food, through observation (OI.3, OI.5)
recognising that observation is an important part of exploring and investigating the things and places
around us
sharing observations with others and communicating their experiences

exploring and observing using the senses: hearing, smell, touch, sight and taste
Science Inquiry Skills
Questioning and predicting
Pose and respond to questions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS014 Scootle )

Elaborations
considering questions relating to the home and school and objects used in everyday life

Planning and conducting
Participate in guided investigations and make observations using the senses (ACSIS011 Scootle )
Elaborations
using sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell so that students can gather information about the world
around them
Processing and analysing data and information
Engage in discussions about observations and represent ideas (ACSIS233 Scootle )

Elaborations
taking part in informal and guided discussions relating to students’observations

using drawings to represent observations and ideas and discussing their representations with others

Communicating
Share observations and ideas (ACSIS012 Scootle )

Elaborations
working in groups to describe what students have done and what they have found out

communicating ideas through role play and drawing

By the end of the Foundation year, students describe the properties and behaviour of familiar objects. They
suggest how the environment affects them and other living things.
Students share and reflect on observations, and ask and respond to questions about familiar objects and
events.
The science inquiry skills and science as a human endeavour strands are described across a twoyear band.
In their planning, schools and teachers refer to the expectations outlined in the achievement standard and
also to the content of the science understanding strand for the relevant year level to ensure that these two
strands are addressed over the twoyear period. The three strands of the curriculum are interrelated and their
content is taught in an integrated way. The order and detail in which the content descriptions are organised
into teaching and learning programs are decisions to be made by the teacher.
In Year 1, students infer simple causeandeffect relationships from their observations and experiences, and
begin to link events and phenomena with observable effects and to ask questions. They observe changes that
can be large or small and happen quickly or slowly. They explore the properties of familiar objects and
phenomena, identifying similarities and differences. Students begin to value counting as a means of
comparing observations, and are introduced to ways of organising their observations.
Biological sciences
Living things have a variety of external features
(ACSSU017 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ observations of external features of living
things are mimicked and replicated in traditional dance (OI.5)
recognising common features of animals such as head, legs and wings
describing the use of animal body parts for particular purposes such as moving and feeding

identifying common features of plants such as leaves and roots
describing the use of plant parts for particular purposes such as making food and obtaining water

Living things live in different places where their needs are met (ACSSU211 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring different habitats in the local environment such as the beach, bush and backyard
recognising that different living things live in different places such as land and water
exploring what happens when habitats change and some living things can no longer have their needs
met

Chemical sciences
Everyday materials can be physically changed in a variety of ways (ACSSU018 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples apply physical changes to natural materials
to render them useful for particular purposes (OI.2, OI.5)
predicting and comparing how the shapes of objects made from different materials can be physically
changed through actions such as bending, stretching and twisting

exploring how materials such as water, chocolate or play dough change when warmed or cooled
Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape (ACSSU019 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising the extensive knowledge of daily and seasonal changes in weather patterns and landscape
held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (OI.2, OI.3, OI.5)
exploring the local environment to identify and describe natural, managed and constructed features

recording short and longer term patterns of events that occur on Earth and in the sky, such as the
appearance of the moon and stars at night, the weather and the seasons

Physical sciences
Light and sound are produced by a range of sources and can be sensed (ACSSU020 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring how traditional musical instruments used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
produce their characteristic sounds (OI.5)
recognising senses are used to learn about the world around us: our eyes to detect light, our ears to
detect sound, and touch to feel vibrations
identifying the sun as a source of light
recognising that objects can be seen when light from sources is available to illuminate them
exploring different ways to produce sound using familiar objects and actions such as striking, blowing,
scraping and shaking
comparing sounds made by musical instruments using characteristics such as loudness, pitch and
actions used to make the sound
(ACSHE021 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples use changes in the landscape and the sky
to answer questions about when to gather certain resources (OI.3, OI.5)
jointly constructing questions about the events and features of the local environment with teacher
guidance

recognising that descriptions of what we observe are used by people to help identify change
Use and influence of science
People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things
(ACSHE022 Scootle )

Elaborations
considering that technologies used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples require an
understanding of how materials can be sustainably sourced to make tools and weapons, musical
instruments, clothing, cosmetics and artworks (OI.2, OI.3)

considering how science is used in activities such as cooking, fishing, transport, sport, medicine and
caring for plants and animals

exploring how musical instruments can be used to produce different sounds
comparing how different light sources are used in daily life

identifying ways that science knowledge is used in the care of the local environment such as animal
habitats, and suggesting changes to parks and gardens to better meet the needs of native animals

Pose and respond to questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS024
Scootle )

Elaborations
thinking about "What will happen if……?" type questions about everyday objects and events

using the senses to explore the local environment to pose interesting questions and making predictions
about what will happen

Participate in guided investigations to explore and answer questions (ACSIS025 Scootle )

Elaborations
manipulating objects and making observations of what happens

researching ideas collaboratively using big books, web pages and ICT within the classroom

exploring different ways of solving science questions through guided discussion

sorting information and classifying objects based on easily observable characteristics with teacher
guidance

Use informal measurements to collect and record observations, using digital technologies as appropriate
(ACSIS026 Scootle )

Elaborations
using units that are familiar to students from home and school, such as cups (cooking), hand spans
(length) and walking paces (distance) to make and record observations with teacher guidance

Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided tables and through
discussion, compare observations with predictions (ACSIS027 Scootle )

Elaborations
using matching activities, including identifying similar things, oddoneout and opposites
discussing original predictions and, with guidance, comparing these to their observations

exploring ways of recording and sharing information through class discussion

jointly constructing simple column graphs and picture graphs to represent class investigations

Evaluating
Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS213 Scootle )

Elaborations
consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to compare observations and evaluate
identifications of animal tracks
discussing observations as a whole class to identify similarities and differences in their observations

Communicating
Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS029 Scootle )

Elaborations
acknowledging and learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of representing
and sharing observations
discussing or representing what was discovered in an investigation

engaging in whole class or guided small group discussions to share observations and ideas

By the end of Year 1, students describe objects and events that they encounter in their everyday lives, and
the effects of interacting with materials and objects. They describe changes in their local environment and
how different places meet the needs of living things.
Students respond to questions, make predictions, and participate in guided investigations of everyday
phenomena. They follow instructions to record and sort their observations and share them with others.
In Year 2, students describe the components of simple systems, such as stationary objects subjected to
pushes or pulls, or combinations of materials, and show how objects and materials interact through direct
manipulation. They observe patterns of growth and change in living things, and describe patterns and make
predictions. They explore the use of resources from Earth and are introduced to the idea of the flow of matter
when considering how water is used. They use counting and informal measurements to make and compare
observations and begin to recognise that organising these observations in tables makes it easier to show
patterns.
Biological sciences
Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves (ACSSU030 Scootle )
Elaborations
representing personal growth and changes from birth

recognising that living things have predictable characteristics at different stages of development
exploring different characteristics of life stages in animals such as egg, caterpillar and butterfly
observing that all animals have offspring, usually with two parents
Chemical sciences
Different materials can be combined for a particular purpose (ACSSU031 Scootle )
Elaborations
investigating the ways in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples combine different materials
to produce utensils (hafting, weaving, sewing and gluing) (OI.2, OI.5)
exploring the local environment to observe a variety of materials, and describing ways in which materials
are used

investigating the effects of mixing materials together
suggesting why different parts of everyday objects such as toys and clothes are made from different
materials

identifying materials such as paper that can be changed and remade or recycled into new products

Earth’s resources are used in a variety of ways (ACSSU032 Scootle )
Elaborations
considering how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples live in regions with scarce resources or in
sensitive environments (OI.2, OI.5)
identifying the Earth’s resources including water, soil and minerals, and describing how they are used in
the school

describing how a resource such as water is transferred from its source to its point of use

considering what might happen to humans if there were a change in a familiar available resource, such
as water

identifying actions at school such as turning off dripping taps, that can conserve resources

Physical sciences
A push or a pull affects how an object moves or changes shape (ACSSU033 Scootle )
Elaborations
investigating the push and pull movements of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s
instructive toys (OI.5)
exploring ways that objects move on land, through water and in the air
exploring how different strengths of pushes and pulls affect the movement of objects

identifying toys from different cultures that use the forces of push or pull

considering the effects of objects being pulled towards the Earth
(ACSHE034 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples observe and describe developmental
changes in living organisms and answer questions about when to harvest certain resources (OI.5)
describing everyday events and experiences and changes in our environment using knowledge of
science

suggesting how everyday items work, using knowledge of forces or materials

identifying and describing sources of water

People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living things
(ACSHE035 Scootle )

Elaborations
investigating how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples use science to meet their needs, such as
food supply (OI.2, OI.3, OI.5)

monitoring information about the environment and Earth’s resources, such as rainfall, water levels and
temperature

exploring how different cultures have made inks, pigments and paints by mixing materials

identifying the ways humans manage and protect resources, such as reducing waste and caring for
water supplies

recognising that many living things rely on resources that may be threatened, and that science
understanding can contribute to the preservation of such resources

Pose and respond to questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events (ACSIS037
Scootle )

Elaborations
using the senses to explore the local environment to pose interesting questions, make inferences and
predictions

thinking about ‘What will happen if...?’ type questions about everyday objects and events

Participate in guided investigations to explore and answer questions (ACSIS038 Scootle )


Elaborations
manipulating objects and materials and making observations of the results

researching with the use of simple information sources

sorting objects and events based on easily identified characteristics

Use informal measurements to collect and record observations, using digital technologies as appropriate
(ACSIS039 Scootle )

Elaborations
using units that are familiar to students from home and school, such as cups (cooking), hand spans
(length) and walking paces (distance) to make and compare observations

Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided tables and through
discussion, compare observations with predictions (ACSIS040 Scootle )

Elaborations
constructing column and picture graphs with teacher guidance to record gathered information

comparing and discussing, with guidance, whether observations were expected

sorting information in provided tables or graphic organisers

Evaluating
Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS041 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing observations with other students to see similarities and differences in results

Communicating
Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways (ACSIS042 Scootle )
Elaborations
presenting ideas to other students, both onetoone and in small groups

discussing with others what was discovered from an investigation

By the end of Year 2, students describe changes to objects, materials and living things. They identify that
certain materials and resources have different uses and describe examples of where science is used in
people’s daily lives.
Students pose and respond to questions about their experiences and predict outcomes of investigations.
They use informal measurements to make and compare observations. They record and represent
observations and communicate ideas in a variety of ways.
Over Years 3 to 6, students develop their understanding of a range of systems operating at different time and
geographic scales.
In Year 3, students observe heat and its effects on solids and liquids and begin to develop an understanding
of energy flows through simple systems. In observing day and night, they develop an appreciation of regular
and predictable cycles. Students order their observations by grouping and classifying; in classifying things as
living or nonliving they begin to recognise that classifications are not always easy to define or apply. They
begin to quantify their observations to enable comparison, and learn more sophisticated ways of identifying
and representing relationships, including the use of tables and graphs to identify trends. They use their
understanding of relationships between components of simple systems to make predictions.
Biological sciences
Living things can be grouped on the basis of observable features and can be distinguished from nonliving
things (ACSSU044 Scootle )
Elaborations
investigating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ systems of classifying living things and how
these systems differ from those used by contemporary science (OI.2, OI.3, OI.5)
recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ use of observable features to group living
things (OI.2, OI.3, OI.5)
recognising characteristics of living things such as growing, moving, sensitivity and reproducing
recognising the range of different living things
sorting living and nonliving things based on characteristics

exploring differences between living, once living and products of living things
Chemical sciences
A change of state between solid and liquid can be caused by adding or removing heat
(ACSSU046 Scootle )
Elaborations
investigating how changes of state in materials used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples,
such as beeswax or resins, are important for their use (OI.5)
investigating how liquids and solids respond to changes in temperature, for example water changing to
ice, or melting chocolate

exploring how changes from solid to liquid and liquid to solid can help us recycle materials

predicting the effect of heat on different materials

Earth’s rotation on its axis causes regular changes, including night and day (ACSSU048 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring how cultural stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples explain the cyclic
phenomena involving sun, moon and stars and how those explanations differ from contemporary science
understanding (OI.3, OI.5)
recognising the sun as a source of light
constructing sundials and investigating how they work
describing timescales for the rotation of the Earth

modelling the relative sizes and movement of the sun, Earth and moon

Physical sciences
Heat can be produced in many ways and can move from one object to another (ACSSU049 Scootle )
Elaborations
investigating the production and transfer of heat in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’
methods of cooking, such as the use of ground ovens (OI.5)
describing how heat can be produced such as through friction or motion, electricity or chemically
(burning)

identifying changes that occur in everyday situations due to heating and cooling
exploring how heat can be transferred through conduction
recognising that we can feel heat and measure its effects using a thermometer

Science involves making predictions and describing patterns and relationships (ACSHE050 Scootle )
Elaborations
researching how knowledge of astronomy has been used by some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples (OI.3, OI.5)

making predictions about change and events in our environment

considering how posing questions helps us plan for the future
Science knowledge helps people to understand the effect of their actions (ACSHE051 Scootle )

Elaborations
researching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ knowledge of the local natural environment,
such as the characteristics of plants and animals (OI.2, OI.3, OI.5)

considering how heating affects materials used in everyday life
investigating how science helps people such as nurses, doctors, dentists, mechanics and gardeners
considering how materials including solids and liquids affect the environment in different ways

deciding what characteristics make a material a pollutant

With guidance, identify questions in familiar contexts that can be investigated scientifically and make
predictions based on prior knowledge (ACSIS053 Scootle )

Elaborations
consulting with and using existing knowledge held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to
guide the formulation of investigable questions regarding invasive species
choosing questions to investigate from a list of possibilities

jointly constructing questions that may form the basis for investigation

listing shared experiences as a whole class and identifying possible investigations


working in groups to discuss things that might happen during an investigation

With guidance, plan and conduct scientific investigations to find answers to questions, considering the safe
use of appropriate materials and equipment (ACSIS054 Scootle )

Elaborations
consulting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to guide the planning of scientific
investigations, including safety considerations for field investigations
working with teacher guidance to plan investigations to test simple causeandeffect relationships

discussing as a whole class ways to investigate questions and evaluating which ways might be most
successful

discussing safety rules for equipment and procedures

Consider the elements of fair tests and use formal measurements and digital technologies as appropriate,
to make and record observations accurately (ACSIS055 Scootle )

Elaborations
recording measurements using familiar formal units and appropriate abbreviations, such as seconds (s),
grams (g), centimetres (cm)

using a variety of tools to make observations, such as digital cameras, thermometers, rulers and scales

Use a range of methods including tables and simple column graphs to represent data and to identify
patterns and trends (ACSIS057 Scootle )

Elaborations
using provided tables to organise materials and objects based on observable properties

discussing how to graph data presented in a table

identifying and discussing numerical and visual patterns in data collected from students' own
investigations and from secondary sources

Compare results with predictions, suggesting possible reasons for findings (ACSIS215 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing how well predictions matched results from an investigation and sharing ideas about what was
learnt

Evaluating
Reflect on investigations, including whether a test was fair or not (ACSIS058 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing experiences of carrying out investigations to the teacher, small group or whole class

discussing as a whole class the idea of fairness in testing

Communicating
Represent and communicate observations, ideas and findings using formal and informal representations
(ACSIS060 Scootle )

Elaborations
consulting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ representations of living things as evidenced
and communicated through formal and informal sharing of information
acknowledging and exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ ways of communicating
information about anatomical features of organisms
communicating with other students carrying out similar investigations to share experiences and improve
investigation skill

exploring different ways to show processes and relationships through diagrams, models and role play

using simple explanations and arguments, reports or graphical representations to communicate ideas to
other students

By the end of Year 3, students use their understanding of the movement of Earth, materials and the behaviour
of heat to suggest explanations for everyday observations. They group living things based on observable
features and distinguish them from nonliving things. They describe how they can use science investigations
to respond to questions.
Students use their experiences to identify questions and make predictions about scientific investigations. They
follow procedures to collect and record observations and suggest possible reasons for their findings, based
on patterns in their data. They describe how safety and fairness were considered and they use diagrams and
other representations to communicate their ideas.
Glossary
adaptation
A physical or behavioural characteristic that is inherited and which results in an individual being more likely
to survive and reproduce in its environment.
analyse
To consider in detail for the purpose of finding meaning or relationships, and identifying patterns, similarities
and differences.
characteristic
A distinguishing aspect (including features and behaviours) of an object material, living thing or event.
chart
A visual display of information.
classify
To arrange items into named categories in order to sort, group or identify them.
collaborate
To work with others to perform a specific task.
conclusion
A judgement based on evidence.
contemporary science
New and emerging science research and issues of current relevance and interest.
continuous data
Quantitative data with a potentially infinite number of possible values along a continuum.
controlled variable
A variable that is kept constant (or changed in constant ways) during an investigation.
convention
An agreed method of representing concepts, information and behaviours.
data
The plural of datum; the measurement of an attribute, the volume of gas or the type of rubber. This does
not necessarily mean a single measurement: it may be the result of averaging several repeated
measurements and these could be quantitative or qualitative.
dependent variable
A variable that changes in response to changes to the independent variable in an investigation.
design
To plan and evaluate the construction of a product or process, including an investigation.
digital technologies
Systems that handle digital data, including hardware and software, for specific purposes.
discrete data
Quantitative data consisting of a number of separate values where intermediate values are not permissible.
environment
All the surroundings, both living and nonliving.
evaluate
To examine and judge the merit or significance of something, including processes, events, descriptions,
relationships or data.
evidence
In science, evidence is data that is considered reliable and valid, and that can be used to support a
particular idea, conclusion or decision. Evidence gives weight or value to data by considering its credibility,
acceptance, bias, status, appropriateness and reasonableness.
experiment / experimental investigation
An investigation that involves carrying out a practical activity.
fair test
An investigation where one variable (the independent variable) is changed and all other conditions
(controlled variables) are kept the same; what is measured or observed is referred to as the dependent
variable.
familiar
wellknown; something that a student has encountered previously on a number of occasions.
field study / work
An observational or practical research undertaken in a normal environment of the subject of a study, that is,
an investigation can be conducted outside the laboratory.
force
A push or pull between objects, which may cause one or both objects to change speed and/or direction of
their motion (that is, accelerate) or change their shape. Scientists identify four fundamental forces:
gravitational, electromagnetic (involving both electrostatic and magnetic forces), weak nuclear forces and
strong nuclear forces. All interactions between matter can be explained as an action of one or a
combination of the four fundamental forces.
formal measurement
Measurement based on an agreed standard unit (metre, second, gram).
formal unit
A unit of measurement based on an agreed fixed standard (metre, second, gram).
guided investigation
An investigation partly directed by a teacher.
graph
A visual representation of the relationship between quantities plotted with reference to a set of axes.
hypothesis
A tentative idea or explanation for an observation, which can be tested and either supported or refuted by
investigation.
independent variable
A variable that is changed in an investigation to see what effect it has on the dependent variable.
informal measurement
Measurement that is not based on any agreed standard unit (for example, hand spans, paces, cups).
informal units
Measurements based on variable quantities (for example, hand spans, paces, cups).
information research
A study involving collection of information from primary and secondary sources.
investigation
A scientific process of answering a question, exploring an idea or solving a problem that requires activities
such as planning a course of action, collecting data, interpreting data, reaching a conclusion and
communicating these activities.
law
A statement of a relationship based on available evidence.
local environment
Surroundings that can be considered as proximal or familiar to the subject of investigation (for example, an
organism, mountain, student).
material
A substance with particular qualities or that is used for specific purposes.
matter
A physical substance; anything that has mass and occupies space.
model
A representation that describes, simplifies, clarifies or provides an explanation of the workings, structure or
relationships within an object, system or idea.
multimodal text
A text that combines two or more communication modes, for example, print text, image and spoken word as
in film or computer presentations.
natural materials
Products or physical matter that come from plants, animals, or earth and have undergone very little
modification by humans, minerals and metals that can be extracted from them (without further modification)
are considered natural materials.
observable
Something that can be seen, heard, felt, tasted or smelled either directly by an individual or indirectly by a
measuring device, for example, a ruler, camera or thermometer.
pattern
A repeated occurrence or sequence.
primary sources
Information created by a person or persons directly involved in a study or observing an event.
processed materials
Products of physical matter that have been modified from natural materials by human intervention or that
do not occur at all in the natural environment, but have been designed and manufactured to fulfil a
particular purpose.
property
An attribute of an object or material, normally used to describe attributes common to a group.
qualitative data
Information that is not numerical in nature.
quantitative data
Numerical information.
reflect on
To think carefully about something, such as past experiences, activities or events.
relate
To identify connections or associations between ideas or relationships or between components of systems
and structures.
relationship
A connection or association between ideas or between components of systems and structures.
reliability
An extent to which repeated observations and/or measurements taken under identical circumstances will
yield similar results.
reliable data
Data that have been judged to have a high level of reliability; reliability is the degree to which an
assessment instrument or protocol consistently and repeatedly measures an attribute achieving similar
results for the same population.
repeat trial
A test within an experimental investigation that is carried out more than once under the same set of
conditions.
replicate
An independent experiment that uses the same method in order to validate findings.
report
A written account of an investigation.
research
To locate, gather, record and analyse information in order to develop understanding.
scientific language
Terminology that has specific meaning in a scientific context.
scientific literacy
An ability to use scientific knowledge, understanding, and inquiry skills to identify questions, acquire new
knowledge, explain science phenomena, solve problems and draw evidencebased conclusions in making
sense of the world, and to recognise how understandings of the nature, development, use and influence of
science help us make responsible decisions and shape our interpretations of information.
scientist
A person who works within a recognised field of science.
secondary source
Information that has been compiled from primary sources by a person or persons not directly involved in
the original study or event.
senses
Hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste.
simulation
A representation of a process, event or system, which imitates the real situation.
sustainable
Supports the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to support their
needs.
survey
An investigation method involving asking questions of a range of respondents.
system
A group of interacting objects, materials or processes that form an integrated whole.
table
An arrangement of data or observations in rows and columns.
technology
A development of products, services, systems and environments, using various types of knowledge, to
meet human needs and wants.
theory
An explanation of a set of observations that is based on one or more proven hypotheses, which has been
accepted through consensus by a group of scientists.
trend
General direction in which something is changing.
tools
Equipment used to make a task easier.
validity
An extent to which tests measure what was intended; an extent to which data, inferences and actions
produced from tests and other processes are accurate.
variable
A factor that can be changed, kept the same or measured in an investigation, for example, time, distance,
light, temperature.
Health and Physical Education
Page 1298 of 1359

The Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education
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Health and Physical Education
Curriculum F10
Page 1300 of 1359

Health and Physical Education Curriculum F10
The Foundation Year curriculum provides the basis for developing knowledge, understanding and skills for
students to lead healthy, safe and active lives. The content gives students opportunities to learn about their
strengths and simple actions they can take to keep themselves and their classmates healthy and safe.
The content explores the people who are important to students and develops students’ capacity to initiate and
maintain respectful relationships in different contexts, including at school, at home, in the classroom and when
participating in physical activities.
The Foundation curriculum provides opportunities for students to learn through movement. The content
enables students to develop and practise fundamental movement skills through active play and structured
movement activities. This improves competence and confidence in their movement abilities. The content also
provides opportunities for students to learn about movement as they participate in physical activity in a range
of different settings.
Focus areas to be addressed in Foundation include:
safe use of medicines (AD)
food and nutrition (FN)
health benefits of physical activity (HBPA)
mental health and wellbeing (MH)
relationships (RS)
safety (S)
active play and minor games (AP)
fundamental movement skills (FMS)
rhythmic and expressive movement activities (RE).
Personal, Social and Community Health
Being healthy, safe and active
Name parts of the body and describe how their body is growing and changing (ACPPS002 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising how bodies grow and change over time

recording and mapping growth on individual and group growth charts or constructing a class height line

identifying and labelling private parts of the body and understanding the contexts when body parts should
be kept private

Identify people and demonstrate protective behaviours and other actions that help keep themselves safe
and healthy (ACPPS003 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying characters in different texts who help the main character to stay safe and healthy

identifying knowledge, skills and understandings that can help keep them safe and healthy

identifying different relationships they have with people and which of these relationships make them feel
loved, safe and supported

naming trusted people in their community who can help them stay safe and healthy, and practising ways
of asking for help in a range of different scenarios

suggesting safe places at home, at school, while playing or while shopping and identifying what makes
those places safe

Communicating and interacting for health and wellbeing
Practise personal and social skills to interact positively with others (ACPPS004 Scootle )

Elaborations
accessing stories about characters who have been excluded from a group and discussing how the
character could deal with the situation

discussing how it feels to be included in activities

practising personal skills such as expressing needs, wants and feelings, active listening and showing self
discipline to be an effective group member

listening and responding to others when participating in physical activities to achieve agreed outcomes

Identify and describe emotional responses people may experience in different situations (ACPPS005
Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying and describing the emotions of people who are happy, sad, excited, tired, angry, scared or
confused

learning and using appropriate language and actions to communicate their feelings in different situations

recalling and sharing emotional responses to different situations and representing this in a variety of
ways

reading and viewing stories about adventures and talking about how characters feel and react when
taking risks

talking about connections between feelings, body reactions and body language

exploring how someone might think and feel during an emergency

Contributing to healthy and active communities
Identify actions that promote health, safety and wellbeing (ACPPS006 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying household substances that can be dangerous and suggesting examples of how they can be
stored safely in the home

grouping foods into categories such as food groups and ‘always’ and ‘sometimes’ foods

recognising and following safety symbols and procedures at home and in water and road environments

understanding the importance of personal hygiene practices, including hand washing, face washing,
nose blowing and toilet routines

recognising that being kind, fair and respectful to others can support class health and wellbeing

looking at different ways the community keeps them safe, for example devices like lights, procedures like
safe swimming or safe food handling and safety volunteers
Participate in that promotes engagement with outdoor settings and the natural environment
Participate in play that promotes engagement with outdoor settings and the natural environment
(ACPPS007 Scootle )
Elaborations
exploring a range of ways to play and be active in outdoor or natural settings

understanding how to be safe in the outdoors through play in natural environments

playing traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander games such as Kolap using natural materials

Movement and Physical Activity
Moving our body
Practise fundamental movement skills and movement sequences using different body parts (ACPMP008
Scootle )

Elaborations
performing locomotor skills in any direction from one point to another

sending, controlling and receiving objects at different levels and in different ways

performing a range of water confidence skills

creating movement sequences without equipment

responding with movement to rhythm, beat, music and words

Participate in games with and without equipment (ACPMP009 Scootle )
Elaborations
participating in games that require students to be aware of personal safety and game boundaries

participating in games from other cultures

participating in games responding to stimuli, such as musical chairs, rhythm actions, alphabet shapes

Understanding movement
Explore how regular physical activity keeps individuals healthy and well (ACPMP010 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing their feelings after participating in different physical activities

describing how the body responds to participating in different physical activities

sharing the things they enjoy about being physically active

identifying how regular physical activity can help keep people healthy

Identify and describe how their body moves in relation to effort, space, time, objects and people
(ACPMP011 Scootle )

Elaborations
moving at different speeds and in different directions with others in a designated area

demonstrating the difference between personal space and general space in physical activities

describing body positions when performing a range of different movements

Learning through movement
Cooperate with others when participating in physical activities (ACPMP012 Scootle )
Elaborations
working with a partner or small group to complete a movement task or challenge

mirroring a partner while moving to music

using words and body language to communicate intentions clearly when playing minor games

Test possible solutions to movement challenges through trial and error (ACPMP013 Scootle )
Elaborations
attempting different ways to solve a movement challenge and discussing which ways were successful or
not

trialling a number of techniques when trying new movement activities

making positive choices when faced with a decision about how they participate in a movement activity

performing a new movement task for others in their group or class

Follow rules when participating in physical activities (ACPMP014 Scootle )
Elaborations
following instructions for personal safety and fair play

responding to a whistle and commands when participating in physical activities

identifying boundaries such as personal space and playing area

demonstrating appropriate use of equipment

Identify personal strengths
(ACPPS001 Scootle )
Elaborations
identifying things they are good at and describing how these have changed over time

participating in a range of minor games and exploring which ones they enjoy and what makes them
enjoyable

describing how they feel when they are learning a new skill and what strategies they can use to persist until
they are successful

identifying ways they can use their strengths to help themselves and others

By the end of Foundation Year, students recognise how they are growing and changing. They identify and
describe the different emotions people experience. They identify actions that help them be healthy, safe and
physically active. They identify different settings where they can be active and demonstrate how to move and
play safely. They describe how their body responds to movement.
Students use personal and social skills when working with others in a range of activities. They demonstrate,
with guidance, practices and protective behaviours to keep themselves safe and healthy in different activities.
They perform fundamental movement skills and solve movement challenges.
The curriculum for Years 1 and 2 builds on the learning from Foundation and supports students to make
decisions to enhance their health, safety and participation in physical activity. The content enables students to
explore their own sense of self and the factors that contribute to and influence their identities. Students learn
about emotions, how to enhance their interactions with others, and the physical and social changes they go
through as they grow older.
The content explores health messages and how they relate to health decisions and behaviours, and
examines strategies students can use when they need help. The content also provides opportunities for
students to learn through movement. It supports them in broadening the range and complexity of fundamental
movement skills they are able to perform. They learn how to select, transfer and apply simple movement skills
and sequences individually, in groups and in teams.
Students also further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to movement by exploring
simple rule systems and safe use of equipment in a variety of physical activities and games. Through active
participation, they investigate the body’s response to different types of physical activities. In addition, students
develop personal and social skills such as cooperation, decisionmaking, problemsolving and persistence
through movement settings.
Focus areas to be addressed in Years 1 and 2 include:
safe use of medicines (AD)
relationships (RS)
safety (S)
Describe their own strengths and achievements and those of others, and identify how these contribute to
personal identities (ACPPS015 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing personal achievements such as doing something on their own for the first time and sharing
how they felt and how it influenced personal identities

accessing stories where characters demonstrate strengths, sharing how these strengths helped the
character be successful and recognising which of these strengths they possess

participating in games and physical activities and describing how others’ strengths contribute to
successful outcomes

Describe physical and social changes that occur as children grow older and discuss how family and
community acknowledge these (ACPPS016 Scootle )

Elaborations
describing changes in their physical appearance now compared to when they were younger

identifying and describing significant relationships in their lives and how these have evolved or changed
over time

discussing ways families and cultural groups acknowledge and celebrate major stages of development

discussing tasks they are allowed to do by themselves and explaining how these have changed since
they were younger

Practise strategies they can use when they feel uncomfortable, unsafe or need help with a task, problem or
situation (ACPPS017 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying and rehearsing strategies they can use when requiring assistance, such as asking an adult,
reading basic signs and solving a problem with friends

locating and recording phone numbers of local organisations they can contact in case of emergency and
rehearsing a phone call to triple zero

identifying situations that require the help of emergency services

recognising photos and locations of safe places and a network of people who can help

describing warning signs (physical, emotional and external) that can help them to know if they are safe or
unsafe
Recognise situations and opportunities to promote health, safety and wellbeing (ACPPS018 Scootle )
Elaborations
identifying poison labels and medicine packaging and understanding to ask an adult before taking
medicines

exploring how eating healthy foods can influence health and wellbeing

exploring benefits of regular physical activity and identifying opportunities when they can be active at
school, at home and in the community


describing actions to stay safe in a range of environments, including water, road, nature and outdoors

Describe ways to include others to make them feel they belong (ACPPS019 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying and appreciating similarities and differences in people and groups

exploring how people feel when they are included and excluded from groups and activities

demonstrating appropriate language when encouraging others

demonstrating how to include others in physical activities when completing movement tasks or practising
for performance

expressing appreciation and offering encouragement using a variety of communication techniques

talking about the role of kinship as an important part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures

Identify and practise emotional responses that account for own and others’ feelings (ACPPS020 Scootle
)

Elaborations
recognising own emotions and demonstrating positive ways to react in different situations

identifying the body’s reaction to a range of situations, including safe and unsafe situations, and
comparing the different emotional responses

predicting how a person or character might be feeling based on the words they use, their facial
expressions and body language

understanding how a person’s reaction to a situation can affect others’ feelings

Examine health messages and how they relate to health decisions and behaviours (ACPPS021 Scootle
)

Elaborations
identifying advertisements they have encountered that contain health messages

identifying popular health slogans and discussing the behaviours these slogans are encouraging

creating their own positive health message and sharing it with the class

Explore actions that help make the classroom a healthy, safe and active place (ACPPS022 Scootle )

Elaborations
creating a bank of movement games and physical activity cards students can select from and play during
lesson breaks and before or after school

exploring sustainable practices that students can implement in the classroom to improve health and
wellbeing of the class

exploring how fruit and water breaks help support class health and wellbeing
recognising how their actions help keep classmates safe, including identifying things not to be shared
due to potential of contamination, infection and anaphylaxis

explaining and demonstrating how being fair and respectful contributes to class health and wellbeing

Identify and explore natural and built environments in the local community where physical activity can take
place (ACPPS023 Scootle )
Elaborations
recognising that physical activities can take place in a range of different environments, including natural
and built settings

participating in physical activities within the built structures in the school and local community where
physical activity takes place

Recognise similarities and differences in individuals and groups, and explore how these are celebrated and
respected (ACPPS024 Scootle )

Elaborations
examining images or descriptions of different families, communities and cultural groups to identify the
features that make them similar and different

sharing the things that make them similar to and different from others in the class

exploring the importance to different cultures of storytelling through dance, music and song, including
Aboriginal Dreaming/Creation stories

discussing practices of their own culture used to pass on significant information from one generation to
the next

Moving our body
Perform fundamental movement skills in a variety of movement sequences and situations (ACPMP025
Scootle )
Elaborations
performing locomotor movements using different body parts to travel in different directions

performing fundamental movement skills involving controlling objects with equipment and different parts
of the body

demonstrating balances and describing what helps to maintain stable positions

demonstrating how to transfer weight from one part of the body to another

demonstrating changes in speed, direction and level of movement in response to changes in music
tempo

creating, following, repeating and altering movement sequences and games in response to rhythm,
music or words

selecting and implementing different movement skills to be successful in a game

constructing and performing imaginative and original movement sequences in response to stimuli
Create and participate in games with and without equipment (ACPMP027 Scootle )

Elaborations
inventing games with rules using one or two pieces of equipment

participating in games that use a number of different fundamental movement skills

using stimuli such as equipment, rhythm, music and words to create games

Discuss the body’s reactions to participating in physical activities (ACPMP028 Scootle )

Elaborations
participating in activities of different intensity and comparing the body’s reactions

identifying positive feelings they experience when participating in physical activities

participating in new and unfamiliar activities and describing how they felt about the experience

Incorporate elements of effort, space, time, objects and people in performing simple movement sequences
(ACPMP029 Scootle )

Elaborations
comparing different types of movements and identifying which ones are easier and harder and why this
might be the case

performing movements under, over, through and between objects, people and equipment


demonstrating how they can balance on different parts of the body and make different shapes

Use strategies to work in group situations when participating in physical activities (ACPMP030 Scootle )

Elaborations
working cooperatively with a partner when practising new skills

describing and demonstrating how to include others in physical activity

suggesting and trialling how a game can be changed so that everyone can be involved

Propose a range of alternatives and test their effectiveness when solving movement challenges
(ACPMP031 Scootle )

Elaborations
predicting possible outcomes of alternative actions and deciding which one is likely to be the most
effective

asking for and responding to feedback from peers or teachers on their performance

reflecting on their performance and identifying and demonstrating ways they can perform a skill more
successfully

Identify rules and fair play when participating in physical activities (ACPMP032 Scootle )

Elaborations
explaining why rules are needed in games and physical activities

demonstrating turntaking and sharing equipment when participating in minor games

explaining how rules contribute to fair play and applying them in group activities

talking about how and when classmates and others have demonstrated fair play

By the end of Year 2, students describe changes that occur as they grow older. They recognise how strengths
and achievements contribute to identities. They identify how emotional responses impact on others’ feelings.
They examine messages related to health decisions and describe how to keep themselves and others
healthy, safe and physically active. They identify areas where they can be active and how the body reacts to
different physical activities.
Students demonstrate positive ways to interact with others. They select and apply strategies to keep
themselves healthy and safe and are able to ask for help with tasks or problems. They demonstrate
fundamental movement skills in a variety of movement sequences and situations and test alternatives to solve
movement challenges. They perform movement sequences that incorporate the elements of movement.
The Year 3 and 4 curriculum further develops students’ knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to their
health, wellbeing, safety and participation in physical activity. In these years, students begin to explore
personal and social factors that support and contribute to their identities and emotional responses in varying
situations. They also develop a further understanding of how their bodies grow and change as they get older.
The content explores knowledge, understanding and skills that supports students to build and maintain
respectful relationships, make healthenhancing and safe decisions, and interpret health messages from
different sources to take action to enhance their own health and wellbeing.
The curriculum in Years 3 and 4 builds on previous learning in movement to help students develop greater
proficiency across the range of fundamental movement skills. Students combine movements to create more
complicated movement patterns and sequences. Through participation in a variety of physical activities,
students further develop their knowledge about movement and how the body moves. They do this as they
explore the features of activities that meet their needs and interests and learn about the benefits of regular
physical activity.
The Year 3 and 4 curriculum also gives students opportunities to develop through movement personal and
social skills such as leadership, communication, collaboration, problemsolving, persistence and decision
making.
Focus areas to be addressed in Years 3 and 4 include:
alcohol and other drugs (AD)
relationships and sexuality (RS)
safety (S)
challenge and adventure activities (CA)
games and sports (GS)
lifelong physical activities (LLPA)
Explore how success, challenge and failure strengthen identities (ACPPS033 Scootle )

Elaborations
exploring factors that support personal achievement and development of personal identities, such as the
influence of family, friends and school

suggesting ways to respond positively to challenges and failure, such as using selftalk, early help
seeking behaviours, and optimistic thinking

persisting with new activities and examining how success through persistence can have positive
outcomes and strengthen identities

explaining how meeting challenges makes them feel good about themselves and builds confidence to try
new things

talking about how overcoming a challenge or adversity can unite a group of diverse people

Explore strategies to manage physical, social and emotional change (ACPPS034 Scootle )

Elaborations
discussing physical, social and emotional changes that occur as individuals get older, and exploring how
these changes impact on how they think and feel about themselves and different situations

exploring how friendships change as they grow older and identifying strategies to manage change

identifying people or sources of information that they can access if they have questions about the
changes that are occurring

Describe and apply strategies that can be used in situations that make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe
(ACPPS035 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising physical responses that indicate they are feeling uncomfortable or unsafe

rehearsing assertive behaviours and strong nonverbal communication skills

identifying and practising appropriate responses to unsafe situations in relation to drugs and drug use

indicating on a local map the location of safe places and people who can help

examining protective behaviours to stay safe in different situations, including near water or roads, in the
park or when someone makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe

Identify and practise strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing (ACPPS036 Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying how medications and other substances can be stored safely in the home and at school

examining their own eating patterns by researching The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and
identifying healthier food choices

proposing changes they can make to their daily routines to reduce sedentary behaviour and increase
physical activity levels

identifying and practising ways of behaving in the playground that ensure the safety of themselves and
others

Describe how respect, empathy and valuing diversity can positively influence relationships (ACPPS037
Scootle )

Elaborations
describing behaviours that show empathy and respect for the rights of others

creating an online connection with another school and identifying similarities and differences between
students

predicting and reflecting on how other students might feel in a range of challenging situations, and
discussing what they can do to support them

recognising that bullying behaviour can take many forms, not only physical

describing safe bystander behaviour when they notice unfair treatment

talking about how reconciliation in Australia builds relationships

Investigate how emotional responses vary in depth and strength (ACPPS038 Scootle )

Elaborations
recognising own emotional responses and levels of their response in different situations


understanding that emotional responses vary across cultures and differ between people and different
situations

analysing scenarios and identifying possible triggers and warning signs to predict emotional responses

describing strategies they can use to identify and manage their emotions before making a decision to act

Discuss and interpret health information and messages in the media and internet (ACPPS039 Scootle )

Elaborations
accessing different sources of health information and examining the accuracy of these sources

examining health messages from different sources and exploring choices, behaviours and outcomes
conveyed in these messages

investigating how health messages influence health decisions

Describe strategies to make the classroom and playground healthy, safe and active spaces (ACPPS040
Scootle )

Elaborations
identifying how regular physical activity promotes health, and recognising and accessing opportunities to
be active while they are at school

creating promotional posters to display around the school containing positive health and physical activity
messages


establishing a small fruit and vegetable garden for the class that can be used to create healthy lunches
or snacks
exploring and developing responsible and sustainable classroom practices such as recycling, composting
and energy saving

Participate in outdoor games and activities to examine how participation promotes a connection between
the community, natural and built environments, and health and wellbeing (ACPPS041 Scootle )

Elaborations
participating in physical activities in natural environments in the local area and reflecting on the enjoyable
components of participation

comparing the characteristics and benefits of physical activities that can take place in a natural
environment and those that take place in a built environment

Research own heritage and cultural identities, and explore strategies to respect and value diversity
(ACPPS042 Scootle )

Elaborations
researching games from their country of heritage and teaching the class how to play them

investigating how food practices differ between families, communities and cultural groups, and how food
preparation and consumption are used to celebrate and pass on cultural beliefs, practices and values

planning a day that celebrates the cultural diversity of students in their class by sharing food, stories and
games from their cultural background

reading Dreaming stories unique to an Aboriginal group and comparing them to stories shared in
different cultures

Moving our body
Practise and refine fundamental movement skills in a variety of movement sequences and situations
(ACPMP043 Scootle )
Elaborations
performing activities where locomotor and object control skills are combined to complete a movement,
task or challenge

performing fundamental movement skills to demonstrate weight transference in different physical
activities

coordinating kicking with arm movements to move the body through the water

exploring and practising different techniques to propel objects towards a target

using a surface dive and propelling the body underwater to recover an object

performing tumbling routines using rolling actions, incline, weight transfer, flight and balances

performing routines incorporating different jumping techniques and connecting movements

Practise and apply movement concepts and strategies with and without equipment (ACPMP045 Scootle
)
Elaborations
planning and performing strategies to be successful in tag and dodge games

demonstrating movement concepts and strategies to create scoring opportunities
exploring centre of gravity and stability as they perform balance activities

participating in physical activities which require problemsolving to achieve a goal

using different equipment to create an original game or movement challenge

Examine the benefits of physical activity to health and wellbeing (ACPMP046 Scootle )

Elaborations
examining the benefits of regular physical activity, including the influence on sleep, concentration and
fitness

collecting, recording and organising information to investigate which physical activities people engage in
to maintain health, wellbeing and fitness

exploring physical activity and screenusage time recommendations for children and proposing how they
can meet these recommendations

Combine elements of effort, space, time, objects and people when performing movement sequences
(ACPMP047 Scootle )

Elaborations
demonstrating acceleration and deceleration of movement in physical activities

discussing and demonstrating different levels, movement pathways, and use of space and flow in
movement sequences

using the body to demonstrate an understanding of symmetry, shapes and angles when performing
movement skills, balances or movement sequences

Participate in physical activities from their own and other cultures (ACPMP108 Scootle )

Elaborations
participating in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dances and dance routines from different cultures,
such as Tinikling from the Philippines, Polynesian dance, Japanese parasol dance

participating in children's games from other cultures such as Keentan

Adopt inclusive practices when participating in physical activities (ACPMP048 Scootle )

Elaborations
using cooperative skills to complete a movement task, such as a partner balance, partner passing
strategy or team strategy

working cooperatively with team members to maintain possession in a game by passing to other players
and listening to teammates

modifying physical activities to ensure that everyone is included, such as changing equipment, rules or
playing space


Apply innovative and creative thinking in solving movement challenges (ACPMP049 Scootle )

Elaborations
transferring and applying skills to solve movement challenges

testing alternative responses to movement challenges and predicting the success or effectiveness of
each

posing questions to others as a strategy for solving movement challenges

drawing on prior knowledge to solve movement challenges

Apply basic rules and scoring systems, and demonstrate fair play when participating in physical activities
(ACPMP050 Scootle )

Elaborations
collaborating to decide rules for a new game

contributing to fair decision making in physical activities by applying the rules appropriately

recognising unfairness and exclusion in a game situation, and proposing strategies to overcome these
issues

recognising consequences of personal and team actions in group activities

talking about where and when they have witnessed fairness and inclusion in a game situation

By the end of Year 4, students recognise strategies for managing change. They identify influences that
strengthen identities. They investigate how emotional responses vary and understand how to interact
positively with others in a variety of situations. Students interpret health messages and discuss the influences
on healthy and safe choices. They understand the benefits of being healthy and physically active. They
describe the connections they have to their community and identify local resources to support their health,
wellbeing, safety and physical activity.
Students apply strategies for working cooperatively and apply rules fairly. They use decisionmaking and
problemsolving skills to select and demonstrate strategies that help them stay safe, healthy and active. They
refine fundamental movement skills and apply movement concepts and strategies in a variety of physical
activities and to solve movement challenges. They create and perform movement sequences using
fundamental movement skills and the elements of movement.
Glossary
access
To gather information from a variety of sources.
active play
Any form of regular physical activity that children do, which includes moderate to vigorous bursts of high
energy, and which raises their heart rate and makes them ‘huff and puff’. Active play can occur indoors or
outdoors, alone, with a partner or in a group. Active play may be structured and can involve rules, time
limits or special equipment or play can be unstructured, or spontaneous. As well as giving children an
opportunity to be physically active, play can develop skills such as persistence, negotiation, problem
solving, planning and cooperation.
advocate (verb)
To argue in support of a cause or position, or speak out and act on behalf of yourself or another to ensure
that your or others’ interests are taken into account.
analyse
To examine and break down information into parts, make inferences and find evidence to support
generalisations, to find meaning or relationships and identify patterns, similarities and differences.
apply
To use in a particular situation.
border crossing
Negotiating ways of moving between different cultures or between a marginalised and dominant culture.
challenge and adventure activities
Physical activities designed to challenge students physiologically, behaviourally and socially in diverse
contexts and environments. These activities include: initiative games, movement challenges (as individuals
and in teams or groups), recreational activities in natural and outdoor settings and navigational challenges.
With access to specialised facilities and equipment, and relevant teacher expertise, these activities can also
include: bushwalking, camping, biathlon and triathlon, martial arts, rock climbing, canoeing and kayaking,
cycling (mountain biking, BMX, road and track cycling), surfing, skiing (snow or water) and swimming for
performance (with a focus on technique). These activities can give students opportunities to assess
hazards and manage risk.
change (noun)
Change is about something or someone becoming different. It is situational and in HPE refers to a range of
circumstances such as different stages in a young person’s life, including puberty and adolescence; moving
from primary school to secondary school on a different site; or moving between different cultures defined by
different behavioural expectations, such as moving between home and school for an EAL/D student, or a
student caring for a parent with a disability or mental illness.
communicate
To convey and listen to specific information, knowledge, understanding, processes, skills, opinions, beliefs,
perspectives, needs and emotions to and from others.
community
A group of people linked by a common social structure and sense of belonging. This may be based on
location, gender, interests, cultural background or political or religious beliefs. It may also refer to a virtual
community.
community health
Focuses on work within defined communities to maintain and improve the health and wellbeing of all people
in that community through collective action.
compare
To observe or note how things are similar or different.
compose
To bring together a sequence of movements, concepts or words.
contextual factors
A range of factors that can influence health, safety, wellbeing and participation in physical activity. These
factors include personal, social, cultural, economic and political factors that exist in differing ways and have
varying impacts across population groups.
CPR
An abbreviation for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. CPR is an emergency procedure in which a heart and
lungs are made to work by manually compressing the chest overlying the heart and forcing air into the
lungs.
create
To invent or design a movement, movement sequence, plan or idea.
creative movement
A movement that evolves from a student’s own thoughts, experiences, ideas and imagination in response to
stimuli in dance, games, sport and adventure activities.
critical inquiry approach
To question the social, cultural and political factors that influence health and wellbeing. This involves critical
analysis and critical evaluation of health and physical activity knowledge to make informed judgements and
take appropriate individual and collective action. Students explore matters such as inclusiveness, power
inequalities, assumptions, diversity and social justice and develop strategies to improve their own and
others health and wellbeing.
critically analyse
To analyse an issue, information or data to form a judgement. It can involve asking questions, identifying
problems and solutions, applying knowledge, stating an argument and supporting it with evidence, or
making comparisons and evaluating. In Health and Physical Education it could include:
exploring and experimenting with different offensive and defensive strategies in games and sports
to determine an agreed game plan
investigating different forms of skill practice to determine the most effective for a given skill
identifying a key issue linked to the ethical use of mobile technologies in school, at home and in
social situations, and developing critical questions to actively seek and propose solutions
investigating the physical, social and psychological impact of drugs such as energy drinks on
young people’s health and wellbeing
investigating and challenging stereotypes about and advocating for young people’s involvement in
community actions.
critically evaluate
To appraise an issue or information to form a critical judgement. It involves presenting and defending
opinions about information; making informed judgements or decisions about the worth, validity and reliability
of opinions, information, ideas and knowledge. In health and physical education it could involve:
critically evaluating established guidelines and procedures, such as the Australian Dietary
Guidelines or guidelines to address sedentary behaviour, to suggest ways to accommodate
different cultural patters of eating and healthy eating options for inclusion on the school canteen
menu, or ways to increase and promote physical activity at school
evaluating survey data gathered from students and making suggestions on how to address an
identified issue within the school, such as safety in the playground or protocols for dealing with
bullying and harassment
scrutinising the equity of a policy or program to determine whether all individuals and groups are
able to participate equally.
culture
Shared stories, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that give a group or individual a sense of who they are and
help them make sense of the world in which they live. Culture is a shared system but inherently diverse –
there can be individual and group differences within cultures. Everyone has culture – it is a lens through
which we see the world.
demonstrate
To show by example, give a practical exhibition or explanation.
describe
To give an account of characteristics or features.
design (verb)
To plan and evaluate the construction of a product or process.
develop
To create something, elaborate or expand in detail.
dimensions of health
Variables that influence an individual’s level of overall health. The variables, frequently referred to in Health
and Physical Education as dimensions are: physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual.
discrimination
An unjust or prejudicial treatment of someone. The types of discrimination that students must learn about
include racial, levels of ability, sex and gender discrimination, homophobia and transphobia.
discuss
To talk or write about a topic, taking into account different issues or ideas.
dispositions
Enduring habits of mind and actions, and tendencies to respond to situations in characteristic ways (for
example, maintaining an optimistic outlook, being willing to persevere with challenges, or actively engaging
in regular physical activity).
distinguish
To recognise point(s) of difference.
diversity
Differences that exist within a group including age, sex, gender, gender expression, sexuality, ethnicity,
ability, body shape and composition, culture, religion, learning styles, socioeconomic background, values
and experience. Appreciating, understanding and respecting diversity impacts on an individual’s sense of
self and their relations to others. Diversity can be acknowledged through shared activities that may involve
building knowledge and awareness, peer teaching, games, dance, food and festivals.
drug
Any substance (excluding food, water and oxygen) that, when taken into a body, alters its function
physically or psychologically. These substances include prescription drugs, bush and alternative medicines,
energy drinks, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, illegal drugs and performanceenhancing drugs.
elaborate
To expand with detail.
elements of movement
Variables that are combined in composing and performing movement. The elements of movement are
effort, time, space and relationships.
emotional health
An ability to recognise, understand and effectively manage emotions and use this knowledge when thinking,
feeling and acting.
enhance
To add to, improve or increase; to build on assets and strengths that already exist for an individual, group
or community.
evaluate
To examine and judge the merit, significance or value of something.
examine
To determine the nature or condition of something.
explain
To provide extra information that demonstrates understanding of reasoning and/or application.
familiar (adj.)
Content, process or approach previously encountered in learning activities.
first aid
The initial care of the ill or injured, usually given by someone who is on the scene when a person becomes
ill or injured.
food and nutrition
Refers to food groups and recommendations for healthy eating across the lifespan as well as sustainable
strategies for healthy eating and nutrition, food labelling, packaging and food advertising. It acknowledges
personal, social, economic and cultural influences on food choices and eating habits.
fundamental movement skills
The foundation movements or precursor patterns to more specialised, complex skills in games, sports,
dance, gymnastics and physical recreation activities. They provide the foundation for human movement and
competent and confident participation in a range of physical activities. The fundamental movement skills to
be developed through Health and Physical Education include:
locomotor and nonlocomotor skills – rolling, balancing, sliding, jogging, running, leaping, jumping,
hopping, dodging, galloping, skipping, floating and moving the body through water to safety
object control skills – bouncing, throwing, catching, kicking, striking.
games and sports
Modified games, traditional games or sports, culturally significant games and sports (such as traditional
Indigenous games and games of significance from the Asia region) and nontraditional games and sports
(including studentdesigned games). Most games and sports can be classified into invasion games, net and
wall games, striking and fielding games and target games.
gender
Refers to the concepts of male and female as well as the socially constructed expectations about what is
acceptable for males and females including behaviour, dress and interests. These expectations vary across
history and different cultures. Legally, there are more than two genders, and a person may identify as male,
female, neither male nor female or both.
gender diverse
A broad term that includes people who may identify as transgender, nonbinary or who feel that their
gender identity does not align with the sex assigned to them at birth and/or society’s expectations. A person
may identify as male, female, neither or both.
gender identity
Refers to a person’s sense of being masculine or feminine, both or neither, and how they identify. Gender
identity does not necessarily relate to the sex assigned at birth.
harm minimisation
A strategy that aims to lower the risks and harmful consequences associated with drug use and other high
risk behaviours, rather than simply promoting abstinence.
health
A state of complete physical, social, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity. It includes the ability to lead a socially and economically productive life.
health benefits of physical activity
Refers to the influence and impact regular physical activity participation has on individual and community
social and emotionalhealth and wellbeing. It involves making active choices and exploring the range of
influences on physical activity participation and choices.
health literacy
An ability to selectively access and critically analyse information, navigate community services and
resources, and take action to promote personal health and the health of others. This includes online
information and websites as well as information from friends, family and health professionals. Health literacy
has three dimensions: functional, interactive and critical.
health messages
Any message or advertising related to the health and wellbeing of people. These can be in the form of TV
or magazine advertisements, media articles, product labelling, portrayal of ‘healthy’ choices in the media or
messages from families and peer groups.
healthrelated fitness
Physical fitness is considered a measure of a body’s ability to function efficiently, effectively and without
injury in work and leisure activities, to pursue recreational activities and to cope with emergency situations.
Healthrelated fitness includes components such as cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular endurance
and strength.
identities
Individual characteristics (including thoughts, ideas, feelings and attitudes towards selfworth) and
capabilities of a person, or characteristics of a social group. Identity refers to all things that define who we
are at any given moment in our lives. It is not static. We construct our identities according to things such as
where we come from, what we believe in, who we relate to, how we belong, how we behave and what we
do.
identify
To recognise or name someone or something.
initiative games
Fun, cooperative, challenging games that require groups to collaborate to solve a specific problem.
interpret
To explain the meaning of information or actions.
intersex
Relates to a range of innate biological traits or variations away from conventional ideas of ‘male’ and
‘female’. An intersex person may have a combination of biological attributes of both sexes or lack some of
the biological attributes considered necessary to be defined as one or the other sex. Intersex is always
congenital and can originate from genetic, chromosomal or hormonal variations. Most intersex people
identify as male or female.
investigate
To plan, collect, interpret data/information.
justify
To show how an argument or conclusion is right or reasonable.
kinaesthetic
A sensation by which bodily position, weight, muscle tension and movement are perceived by an individual.
kinship
A feature of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ social organisation and family relationships. It is a
complex system that determines how people relate to each other and their roles, responsibilities and
obligations in relation to one another, ceremonial business and land.
lifelong physical activities
Physical activities that can enhance health and wellbeing across the lifespan including individual and group
activities and active recreation activities. With access to specialised facilities, equipment and expertise,
these activities can include swimming, tai chi, yoga, Pilates, bushwalking, recreational cycling and
resistance training.
locomotor skills
Locomotor movement is when you move from one place to another. Locomotor skills include walking,
climbing, rolling, balancing, sliding, jogging, running, leaping, jumping, hopping, dodging, galloping,
skipping, floating and moving the body through water to safety.
manipulate
To adapt or change.
manipulative skills
Skills that require an ability to handle an object or piece of equipment with control, such as kicking, striking,
dribbling or catching a ball.
mental health
A state of wellbeing in which an individual thrives and can manage normal stresses of life, work and
recreation. Social, emotional and spiritual resilience, which enables people to enjoy life and survive pain,
disappointment and sadness. It is a positive sense of wellbeing and an underlying belief in our own and
others’ dignity and worth.
minor games
Simple games, with few rules, designed to allow students to practise skills, tactics and strategies in a
challenging situation.
modified games
Games or sports that are simplified to suit the skills, strategic understandings and characteristics of
students through alterations to the game’s constraints such as rules, equipment and/or the size of the
playing area.
movement challenges
Movement tasks that require individual students or groups of students to use a problemsolving approach to
solve a problem to successfully complete the task. The solution can be verbalised, documented or
demonstrated physically.
movement concepts and strategies
These provide a framework for enhancing movement performance. Movement concepts (or elements of
movement) explored in the curriculum include body awareness; spatial awareness; effort awareness; and
relationship to/with objects, people and space. Movement strategies refer to a variety of approaches that
will help a player or team to successfully achieve a movement outcome or goal. Movement strategies
include moving into space to receive a pass from a teammate or hitting a ball away from opponents to
make it difficult to retrieve or return the ball. Different games and sports may require similar activities or
goals and will therefore use similar movement strategies to achieve success.
movement elements
The variables that are combined in composing and performing movement. The elements of movement are
effort, time, space and relationships.
movement exploration
Discovering a body’s potential for movement by experimenting with different ways to move.
movement sequence
A combination of fundamental movement skills and movement elements to enable a body and/or objects to
move in response to a stimulus; or a planned order of movements.
movement situation
A situation where students are moving with the intent of achieving an outcome, such as to score a goal, to
perform a sequence of movements, to retain possession, or to cross a creek.
nonlocomotor skills
Moving on the spot without any change in location. These skills include bending, stretching, twisting,
turning, swinging, inverted supports, landing/stopping, dodging and balancing.
organise
To form as or into a whole consisting of a sequence or interdependent parts.
outdoor recreation
Physical activity in outdoors or natural settings, which provides opportunities to connect individually, in small
groups or as a community to the outdoor environment.
perform
To execute a movement or movement sequence such as a volleyball set, folk dance, ball skills or teamwork
skills.
preventive health
Behaviours and decisions that direct resources to the prevention of ill health, promotion of individual and
communityhealth, and reduction of health inequalities.
physical activity
Body movement that is produced by a contraction of skeletal muscle and that increases energy
expenditure. Physical activity is a broad term that includes playing sport; exercise and fitness activities such
as dance, yoga and tai chi; everyday activities such as walking to work, household chores and gardening;
and many other forms of active recreation.
physical fitness
A measure of a body’s ability to function efficiently, effectively and without injury in work and leisure
activities, to pursue recreational activities and to cope with emergency situations. It is a set of attributes that
people have or achieve relating to the ability to perform physical activity. It is commonly conceptualised as
being made up of healthrelated components (such as cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, muscular
endurance, and strength) and skillrelated components (such as agility, balance, coordination, reactions,
rhythm, power and speed).
play
Play is an activity that is positively valued by the player, selfmotivated, freely chosen, and engaging.
Children actively involved in play may be engaged in a variety of activities, independently, with a partner or
in a group. Play can occur indoors or outdoors. It is closely tied to the cognitive, socioemotional, and motor
development of young children, and is an important part of developmentally appropriate early years
learning. Benefits of a play can include persistence, negotiation, problemsolving, planning and cooperation.
plyometrics
A form of resistance training that uses jumping, throwing, hopping and other explosive movements to
develop muscular power.
practise (verb)
To repeat and rehearse an activity or exercise for the purpose of improvement or to maintain proficiency.
predict
To suggest what might happen in the future or as a consequence of some action occurring.
recognise
To be aware of or acknowledge and make connections.
recreation
An activity in which people enjoy participating during their free time. Recreation is often recognised as
having socially worthwhile qualities. Active recreation requires physical exertion.
refine
To improve and hone knowledge, understanding and skills by making subtle or fine distinctions.
reproductive health
A state of physical, mental and social wellbeing in all matters relating to the reproductive system, at any
stage of life.
resilience
A capacity to deal constructively with change or challenge, allowing a person to maintain or reestablish
their social and emotional wellbeing in the face of difficult events. It involves thoughts, feelings and actions.
Resilience is an integral part of learning as it underpins the ability to respond positively to setbacks or
mistakes.
resilient
Able to deal constructively with change or challenge, allowing them to maintain or reestablish their social
and emotional wellbeing in the face of difficult events.
respond
To react to a person or text.
rhythmic and expressive movement
Movement that is composed and performed in response to stimuli such as equipment, beats and sounds,
images, words or themes. It includes creative movement, movement exploration, dance styles and dance
elements. With specialised facilities, equipment and expertise, it can also include circus skills, tai chi, yoga,
rhythmic gymnastics and educational gymnastics.
safety
Relates to safety issues that students may encounter in their daily lives, assessing risk, making safe
decisions and behaving in ways that protect their own safety and that of others. It includes making safe
decisions that keep people healthy in situations and places such as school, home, on roads, outdoors, near
and in water, parties, online, first aid, relationships and dating, and personal safety.
Children and young people will seek out risks elsewhere, in environments that are not controlled or
designed for them, if a play and physical activity provision is not challenging enough. Important learning can
take place when children are exposed to, and have to learn to deal with, environmental hazards.
samesex attracted
A term used to describe someone who is physically, emotionally, sexually or spiritually attracted to a person
of the same sex. They may or may not be attracted to people of other genders and may or may not identify
as gay, lesbian or bisexual.
sedentary behaviour
Activities that do not increase energy expenditure higher than resting levels and usually involve sitting or
lying down. They can include watching screens (television, gaming, texting or using a computer and other
devices), sitting and talking, reading, writing and listening to presentations.
select
To choose in preference to another or others.
selfefficacy
An individual’s belief in their ability to succeed in reaching a specific goal or completing a task, such as
maintaining healthy and active habits, acquiring a new movement skill or meeting a personal challenge.
sexual health
A state of physical, mental and social wellbeing in relation to sexuality. It requires a positive and respectful
approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as a possibility of having pleasurable and safe
sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.
sense of place
A physical, social, emotional and/or spiritual connection to a place that shapes personal and social
identities, perspectives and interactions.
sexuality
A central aspect of being human throughout life. It is influenced by an interaction of biological,
psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, legal, historical, religious and spiritual factors. It is
experienced and expressed in thoughts, feelings, desires, beliefs, attitudes, values, behaviours, practices,
roles and relationships.
sense of self
An individual’s perception of ‘self’ and how they perceive their place in the world in relation to a range of
personal characteristics and cultural norms and expectations.
skilled play
Components of skilled play include agility, endurance, resilience, courage, communication, willingness to
play fairly, game sense and technical ability.
skillrelated fitness
Physical fitness is considered a measure of a body’s ability to function efficiently, effectively and without
injury in work and leisure activities, to pursue recreational activities and to cope with emergency situations.
Skillrelated fitness includes components such as agility, balance, coordination, reactions, rhythm, power
and speed.
social health
An ability to form satisfying interpersonal relationships with others. It also relates to an ability to adapt
comfortably to different social situations, social institutions, social values and norms, and act appropriately
in a variety of settings. This requires strong communication skills, empathy for others and a sense of
accountability.
solve
To work out a correct solution to a problem.
specialised movement skills
Movement skills that are required in more organised games and activities. Examples of specialised
movement skills include fielding a ground ball in softball, climbing a rock wall and performing a grapevine
step in dance.
spiritual health
A positive sense of belonging, meaning and purpose in life. It includes values and beliefs that influence the
way people live, and can be influenced by an individual’s connection to themselves, others, nature and
beyond.
sport
A human activity that has physical exertion, skills tactics and strategies as a primary focus, with elements of
competition, and for which rules and patterns of behaviour governing an activity exist formally through
organisations.
strategy
Generally: A method or plan of action chosen to bring about a particular outcome.
In sport: A set of specific tactics applied within a particular context of a game.
strengthsbased approach
Focuses on capacities, competencies, values and hopes of all students, regardless of their current
circumstances, to optimise their own health and that of others. It looks to extend preventive health to the
creation of health through individual, community and societal resources and assets.
suggest
To put forward for consideration.
summarise
To give a brief statement of the main points.
synthesise
To combine elements (information/ideas/components) into a coherent whole.
tactics
An action or strategy carefully planned to achieve a specific end. Applied in every instance in a game.
transgender
Most commonly the term is used by those whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned to them
at birth.
transitions
Internal processes or psychological reorientation people experience as a result of change, and usually
involves establishing new behaviours or new ways of thinking before the change can work. Individuals
experience transitions in different ways and at different rates. Transition involves three stages: a letting go
of the way things are or used to be; a period of exploration and adjustment; and a final stage where new
behaviours and ways of working evolve.
transphobia
A fear or hatred of transgender people. Transphobia is manifested in a number of ways, including violence,
harassment and discrimination.
technique
Movement patterns such as throwing, catching and kicking. Technical ability is only one aspect of skilled
performance.
test alternatives
To experiment with a variety of ways of creating an opportunity or solving a problem.
understand
To comprehend what is meant, grasp a concept, and be thoroughly familiar with an idea.
unfamiliar
Not previously encountered in prior learning activities.
wellbeing
A sense of satisfaction, happiness, effective social functioning and spiritual health, and dispositions of
optimism, openness, curiosity and resilience.
Work Studies
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The Australian Curriculum: Work Studies
Work Studies How the Subject works
Introduction
The Australian Curriculum: Work Studies, Years 9–10 has been written in response to key workrelated issues
facing young people today and into the future. This is a worldleading, futureoriented curriculum, equal in
quality, value and rigour to more traditional academic programs. It is designed for all students, whether they
pursue a vocational or an academic path.
Rapid technological advances are impacting on work and will reshape its future. Technological change has led
to increased digitisation and automation, and influences the way we communicate. The resulting globalisation
affects how, where, when and why people work.
Australian industries and enterprises face unprecedented global competition and pressure for increased
productivity. This, in turn, contributes to an unpredictable work future for young people, where routine job
opportunities are limited, and outsourcing, contract work and flexible work arrangements are the norm. School
leavers can no longer anticipate a single job or singletrack career for a lifetime and will be encountering jobs
which currently do not exist.
The skills and capabilities needed to prosper in this new, knowledgefocused world will differ from those of the
past. Young people will need a set of personal and interpersonal capacities, wideranging global awareness
and the flexibility to manage rapid change and transition.
Work Studies Years 9–10 is an applied learning curriculum that adapts disciplinebased learning to work
contexts. This requires a variation in the approach to curriculum design and content descriptions and
elaborations, as they need to be active. It also allows for a crosscurriculum disciplinary mode of delivery.
Rationale
Work has intrinsic value and is a fundamental part of everyday life. It fosters human dignity, independence
and a sense of personal worth. It is recognised as a right of all people.
In an increasingly globalised world, the nature of work is changing and the knowledge, skills and attributes
needed to engage with the emerging challenges and opportunities differ from those of the past. The
Australian Curriculum: Work Studies, Years 9–10 concentrates on the capacities individuals need for full and
effective participation in life, learning and work.
The curriculum helps young people plan for and shape their future and make a contribution to the wider
community by providing them with the essential knowledge, understanding and skills for participation in the
rapidly changing world of work.
Students begin preparation for the working world by developing understanding of themselves in relation to
work, recognising their aspirations, their rights and responsibilities as workers, as well as employer
expectations and the diversity of work opportunities. They learn to understand what work is, how and why it is
changing and what this means for their future in working for others or themselves. They engage with the
career management processes needed to adapt to multiple transitions in work and life, and use opportunities
to transfer their developing knowledge, understanding and skills to a range of workrelated contexts and
projects.
Through exposure to workrelated learning, students develop the selfknowledge, contemporary work skills
st
and entrepreneurial behaviours and resilience necessary to thrive in the 21st century. They appreciate the role
of collaboration, creativity and analytical skills in workplaces and the importance of cultural diversity and
ethical practices.
Aims
The Australian Curriculum: Work Studies, Years 9–10 aims to ensure that students in Years 9 and 10 develop:
knowledge of the world of work and the importance of lifelong learning
capacities to manage careers, change and transitions in an uncertain and changing future
literacy, numeracy, ICT and interpersonal skills to work, interact and communicate successfully with
others in diverse contexts, using appropriate behaviours and protocols
skills and resilience to meet the demands of their present and future learning and work.
Nature of work studies
Applied learning
Practicallybased learning in realistic contexts is recognised internationally as being important for students in
preparing for the world of work.
Applied learning is essentially teacherguided and studentcentred. The role of the learner is integral to
applied learning and the student plays an active role in managing the processes of applying knowledge.
Through applied learning experiences, students broaden and deepen their understanding and are able to
plan and guide their own learning.
The Australian Curriculum: Work Studies, Years 9–10 engages students in transferring workrelated
knowledge and understanding to activities that involve the world of work. Students concentrate on learning
and applying the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to solve a problem or implement a project
relevant to work or workplaces.
As students take greater responsibility for managing the processes of applying their knowledge, they practise
and further develop the critical skills and characteristics that are important for work and daily life in the 21st
century. These include organisation, decisionmaking, collaboration and teamwork, problemsolving, risk
taking, critical thinking, creativity, adaptability and resilience.
By using their knowledge in realistic situations, students gain a better understanding of work and places of
work. They see the relevance and purpose of their learning, which increases their motivation. By practising
skills in complex realistic situations, students test and adjust their understandings in relation to what they learn
at school.
Structured reflection and feedback are fundamental to the success of applied learning. Where students are
given opportunities and time to reflect on learning and engage in feedback from peers and adults, their
knowledge and understanding are deepened and broadened, and the relevance of learning becomes more
apparent.
Activities such as debriefing sessions and keeping journals encourage students to review their workrelated
experiences methodically and reflect on their meaning and how knowledge and skills can be transferred to
new situations. Transferability of knowledge and skills to different contexts is critical to the successful
management of change and transition in the world of work.
Work exposure
Work exposure promotes learning in a wide variety of environments, for example, by bringing the world of
work into the classroom and taking the classroom to the world of work. It provides a platform for applied
learning experiences and is an integral element of the Work Studies Years 9–10 curriculum. Work exposure is
embedded in content descriptions and elaborations, making it integral to the curriculum. Work exposure
opportunities are not intended to be restricted to the traditional practice of blocks of work experience,
although work experience may take up part of work exposure.
Rather, work exposure can take many forms including:
direct involvement in the workplace
visits to and from private and public enterprises and community organisations
visits to and from industry experts, employers, employees, selfemployed people
‘career taster’ days
mentoring and shadowing
interviews with industry experts, employers, employees, and selfemployed people
use of various media sources
labour market research
use of workrelated simulations and role plays
virtual tours of industries and workplaces
industry, community, career or problembased projects
use of parttime work, unpaid work or communitybased volunteering currently undertaken by
students
engaging with workrelated education programs.
Students’ knowledge of the dynamic nature of workplaces and understanding of workplace expectations are
enhanced through interacting with employers, employees, selfemployed people, entrepreneurs and
community agencies.
Work exposure contributes to students’ understanding of the changing nature and requirements of work, the
variances between different occupations and industries, and the skills and personal qualities needed for work
and life. It encourages students to identify and practise these skills in school and other environments and to
recognise the relevance and importance of their ongoing learning. Work exposure provides the opportunities
and impetus for students to explore and frame possible future work options and career pathways.
These opportunities require schools to develop and/or continue to expand ties with local industry, business
and community agencies, as well as education and training institutions. These partnerships form the
foundation for providing students with learning and real work exposure opportunities and allow students to
explore traditional and nontraditional employment options.
Work exposure needs to be tailored to meet individual student and school needs, and reflect availability in the
local and wider community. Remote schools or schools with limited options for access to such authentic
learning experiences may require different solutions to broaden the range of offerings accessible to students
such as the use of:
internet research
visits to remote and rural schools by businesses and community organisations
virtual workplaces
tours.
Structure
The design, organisation and structure of the Work Studies Years 9–10 curriculum provides flexibility for
schools to draw on the interests, capabilities and contexts of their students. It allows schools to accommodate
school structures and processes, and support middle school approaches to curriculum delivery if appropriate.
Work Studies enriches the learning of students who are working and those who are not.
The curriculum is built on two foundations that underpin learning: selfknowledge and understanding the world
of work. The Australian Curriculum: Work Studies, Years 9–10 is premised on students learning in applied
ways, with work exposure an essential part of the curriculum and emphasising the link between learning and
doing.
Knowledge, understanding and applied skills are developed through the general capabilities and core skills
and the way they are embedded in the content descriptions and achievement standards.
Applied learning and work exposure are integral elements of the Work Studies curriculum. Statements on
these elements help teachers to understand the positioning and significance of each within the curriculum.
The Work Studies Years 9–10 curriculum structure reflects the focus on learning, work and the development
of work readiness within two strands: Skills for learning and work, and career and life design. The strands are
interrelated, providing flexibility and opportunities for teachers to build their own curriculum, collaborate with
teachers from other learning areas and construct integrated units of work incorporating the core and options.
The strands build sequentially from Year 9 to Year 10.
Figure 1: Work Studies Years 9–10 organisation diagram
The curriculum consists of a core and options, and is described through content descriptions, and
elaborations, achievement standards and content. It concentrates on building the skills needed for effective
participation in the 21st century, including broad workplace skills, knowledge about and experience of work
and work environments, and lifelong career design skills, knowledge and dispositions.
Options provide flexible frameworks for teachers and students to negotiate extra content relevant to student
interests, and school and student circumstances. They are designed to maximise opportunities to connect the
curriculum to the reality of students’ lives and engagement with the local communities and regions. This
should enhance opportunities for work exposure and selfdirected and applied learning.
The order and detail in which the core and options within each year level are taught are programming
decisions that schools may determine.
Options may also be taught in either year level. The curriculum may be studied for one year in Year 9 or Year
10 or as a twoyear course across Years 9–10. It may also be taught on a semester basis.
To be deemed to have completed Work Studies for a given year level, students need to have studied the core
and at least one option. If studied on a semester basis the core for the year and one option must be
completed.
Skills for learning and work
This strand focuses on the development of a student’s understanding of self and a realistic appreciation of
their individual interests, values, preferences and strengths. Across three substrands, the strand
encompasses understanding of and managing self, the importance of communication in a range of contexts,
working with others, planning and implementing tasks or projects, clarifying problems and proposing solutions
and making decisions. It provides for investigation of work skills and entrepreneurial behaviours and their use
in learning and work contexts.
Learning to learn
This substrand introduces the key concepts of learning as a lifelong activity and its importance for sustaining
working life in changing contexts. Lifelong learning is viewed as a personal capacity that is developed through
creating awareness of self as a learner, developing the capacities needed to be a successful learner and
acknowledging the influence of work, family and community on learning capacities and opportunities.
Work skills
This substrand introduces and develops the work skills and attributes needed for 21st century workplaces
and that can be transferred from one situation to another. These include the systematic study of a broad
range of communication skills, the ways digital technologies are transforming workplaces and the importance
of embracing cultural and social diversity.
Entrepreneurial behaviours
This substrand introduces the idea of entrepreneurial behaviours. These behaviours are specifically about
developing and valuing an entrepreneurial disposition to work including creativity, problemsolving, lateral
thinking and using initiative. They are not limited to the narrow view of how to create or run a business.
This substrand is underpinned by a need to respond to changes brought about by globalisation, new
technologies, the rapidly increasing significance of the Asia region and the need for a sustainable future.
Students are exposed to these behaviours and how they might be developed and enacted in workplaces to
drive innovation, productivity, global awareness and appreciation of cultural and social diversity.
Career and life design
This strand focuses on developing knowledge and understanding of, and experience in, the world of work;
skills, knowledge and dispositions to manage careers; and skills and knowledge in managing transitions. The
strand encompasses the importance of education, training and lifelong learning, the global context impacting
on work and work opportunities and the personal qualities and attributes, such as awareness of opportunity,
adaptability and responsiveness to change, needed to thrive in the 21st century work environment.
Career development and management
This substrand embraces the reality that the world of work is changing and that there is no certainty
regarding work and career paths. Throughout their lives, students need to be flexible and responsive to
changing work and life circumstances. They develop skills that enable them to create career scenarios and
prepare for career transitions. This substrand links to the ‘Learning to learn’ substrand, as the capacity for
lifelong learning is intimately connected to managing careers in the 21st century.
The nature of work
This substrand further explores the ways in which work is changing. Students analyse opportunities for work
and the way it may be organised globally and in communities and explore the importance of work in all its
forms to the economy, to communities and to self. Students should also understand the different work
arrangements likely to be available to them, and the entitlements, rights and responsibilities that flow from
these arrangements.
Gaining and keeping work
This substrand focuses on building an awareness of the demands of work including those requiring creation
of new ways of working. Students are exposed to the realities of working life including rights and
responsibilities, the importance of work cultures, and appropriate behaviours and the dispositions needed for
gaining and keeping work such as resilience and flexibility. They engage in strategies for seeking work
opportunities, understanding recruitment processes and the importance of networking.
Glossary
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples
Uppercase ‘P’ is used when reference is to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People
Lowercase ‘p’ is used when reference is made to a range of groups or tribes in a collective sense
applied learning
the use of skills, knowledge and understanding to complete tasks, solve problems and/or implement
projects in a particular context or environment
Asiarelevant capabilities
the universal capabilities for the 21st century contextualised within the Asian region, including open
mindedness, observation, creative thinking, analytical thinking, respectful interaction, effective
communication, and knowledge and understandings of the countries of Asia and its peoples
career
the sequence and variety of work roles (paid and unpaid) undertaken throughout a lifetime, including life
roles, leisure activities, learning and work
career development and management
individuals managing learning, work and life and the everchanging contexts that occur throughout their
lifespan
communitybased project
the connection between meaningful community activity and classroom experiences and then addressing
specific community problems, issues or practices
dispositions
the tendencies to act or think in a particular manner under given circumstances; a state of mind regarding
something; an inclination or characteristic attitude
distinct profile
building an inventory of work skills, personal strengths, values, talents, motivations, goals, and experience
that highlights personal attributes, skills and distinctiveness and can be used to enhance access to work
opportunities
entrepreneur
someone who undertakes a significant project or activity finding new and better ways of doing things; they
are opportunity aware, take risks and utilise a range of behaviours, such as initiative and innovation, that
create value and contribute to their success
entrepreneurial behaviours
behaviours that demonstrate confidence, initiative, innovation and creativity, global competency and
empathy, an awareness of opportunity and a willingness to take risks that can all be applied to a range of
contexts
entrepreneurial mindset
the group of personal dispositions which contribute to identifying and/or creating opportunities, and
implementing these dispositions in a productive way in a work context
enterprise
an organisation such as a business, community or government agency
intrapreneur
a highly selfmotivated, proactive and actionoriented individual who displays initiative, leadership, risk
taking and creative thinking within an organisation or workplace for the benefit of the organisation or
workplace
life design
career management that pursues contextual possibilities, responds to dynamic processes and change,
nonlinear progression and personal patterns
lifelong learning
the ongoing, voluntary and selfmotivated pursuit of knowledge, understanding and skills development for
either personal or professional reasons – enhancing personal development, competitiveness and
employability
projectbased activity
any activity that involves students working on a realworld task or challenge, typically with a public outcome
reconciliation
the respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, valuing justice and equity for all Australians
and the unity and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and other Australians
reflection
the capacity for individuals to exercise introspection to learn more about their fundamental nature and
purpose, their skill set, to learn from mistakes and gain deeper insight, to develop selfawareness and grow
personally and professionally, to help with clarifying priorities, strengths and goals, and build resilience
selfadvocacy
an individual’s ability to communicate effectively, convey, negotiate or assert their interests, know their rights
and responsibilities, make choices and decisions and take responsibility for themselves and their decisions
social and policy entrepreneur
an entrepreneur with a social mission to create and sustain social value; they pursue new opportunities to
serve the social mission and engage innovation, adaptation and learning to add social value
unemployment
a situation in which an individual is without paid work and is actively seeking work
work
a set of activities with an intended set of outcomes, from which it is hoped that an individual will derive
personal satisfaction; it is not necessarily tied to paid employment and can encompass other meaningful
and satisfying activities through which an individual’s career develops, such as parenting or volunteering
work culture
the work environment including the policies, protocols and accepted practice of a particular workplace. It
includes the way people interact with others in the workplace, go about their work and the practices they
undertake in this environment.
Work Health and Safety (WHS)
legislation (2011) that covers the physiological and psychological wellbeing of people engaged in work and
employment; employers and employees have a common law duty to take reasonable care to guard
everyone’s health and safety in the workplace
workrelated learning
learning that predominantly provides the key workrelated knowledge, skills and competencies needed to
participate effectively in the world of work
work skills
the broad knowledge, skills and attributes required to gain work and become an effective participant in work
including the skills related to career development and managing transitions

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The

Humanities and Social Sciences 10

Foundation – Year Years 3–4 Years 5–6/7 Years 7–10

History Humanities and Humanities and Humanities and History

Civics and N/A Civics and

Economics and N/A N/A Economics and

Foundation – Year 2 Years 3–4 Years 5–6/7

Geography Geography Geography

History History History

N/A Civics and Citizenship Civics and Citizenship

N/A N/A Economics and Business

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Examples of As the artist: As the audience:

Content Foundation – Year 6 Content Years 7–10

1st Exploring ideas and improvising with 1st Exploring ideas and improvising with

2nd Developing understanding of 3rd Developing and refining

3rd Sharing artworks through 5th Sharing artworks through

4th Responding to and interpreting 6th Analysing and reflecting upon

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Design and Technologies: A…

Digital Technologies: An Intr…

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Explore needs or opportunities for , and the needed to realise designed solutions

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Strand Sub­ Description

Communicating: 1.1 Interacting orally and in writing to exchange,

Understanding: 2.1 Understanding language as a system, including

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Strand Sub­ Description

Communicating 1.1 Interacting to exchange ideas, opinions,

Understanding 2.1 Understanding the language system, including

Strand Sub­ First Language Second Language

Communicating 1.1 Socialising and Socialising and

1.2 Obtaining and using Obtaining and using

1.3 Participating in and Participating in and

1.4 Translating/interpreting Translating/interpreting

1.5 Identity Exploring and Expressing and

1.6 Reflecting on the Reflecting on the

Understanding 2.1 Formational elements Formational elements

2.2 Variation in language Variation in language

Language use use

2.3 Linguistic landscapes Linguistic landscapes

2.4 The The relationship The relationship

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Strand Sub Description

Strand Sub Description

Strand Sub First Language Second Language

Strand Sub Description

Strand Sub Description

Strand Sub Thread

Strand Sub Thread

Strand Sub Thread

Strand Substrand Description Threads

Strand Substrand Description Threads

participating in traditional and contemporary games such as खोखो, िपट्ू ठ, िग ीडं डा, कब ी that involve

listening to and viewing Hindi versions of familiar Englishlanguage stories, such as ख े अंगरू , लालची

praising and encouraging each other during learning activities, for example, ब㋛�त बिढ़या! बु रा नही ं है। ठीक

indicating likes and dislikes, using modelled statements such as いぬがすきです。わにがす

using formulaic phrases related to playing games, for example, つぎ、はい！、かった、まけた、ざ

requesting classroom objects, for example, noun をください、えんぴつがありますか。はい、

noun です。 adjective です。これは noun です。

identifying themselves as part of a family, class or peer group ぼくはおとうとです。おねえさん

understanding how to specify items using the possessive particle の, for example, わたしのかぞ

learning to describe the colour あおです。size おおきいです。 and shape まるです。of things