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The nature of the learners
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 action-related 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.
Contexts of interaction
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.
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Participate in class routines, structured conversations and activities using teacher-modelled tones and rhythms
[Key concepts: self, family; Key processes: participating, imitating, listening]
Interact with simple written texts in familiar contexts to contribute to class discussions
[Key concepts: self, family; Key processes: reading, planning]
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]
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]
Respond to andsimple Chinese stories, songs and rhymes, reproducing rhythm and sound patterns to express feelings
[Key concept: imagination]
short imaginative written texts using images and copied characters
[Key concepts: morality; Key processes: illustrating, copying]
Identify equivalent or similar Chinese words or phrases for familiar objects or terms in English
[Key concepts: similarity, difference; Key processes: translating, connecting, interpreting]
Identify common Chineseand words in Pinyin using contextual cues
[Key concepts: self, family, home, routines; Key processes: interpreting, analysing, copying, tracing, shaping]
Notice aspects of Chineseandthat are ‘new’ or ‘interesting’, and observe how relationships influenceuse and own identity
[Key concepts: self, family, home, routines; Key processes: observing, comparing]
Reproduce the four tones and recognise how they can change the meaning of words
Recognise Chineseas a form of writing and Pinyin as the spelled-out sounds of spoken Chinese
Understand that Chinese sentences have a particular word order
Engage with familiartypes to predict meaning
Recognise that Chinese is a major communityin Australia
Identify the features of formalused in familiar contexts, such as at school
Describe how people use different languages to communicate and participate in cultural experiences
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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 non-verbal 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.
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The nature of the learners
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, activity-based learning which builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
Chinese language learning and use
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 action-related talk, and completing tasks while relying on teacher modelling, prompts and repetition. Students respond non-verbally 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.
Contexts of interaction
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.
Features of Chinese language use
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.
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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]
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]
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]
Locate factual information from sources and report this information to a knownusing learnt characters
[Key concepts: information, topic; Key processes: obtaining, processing, interpreting]
Respond to andsimple imaginative texts using voice, rhythm, and appropriate gesture and action
[Key concept: imagination; Key processes: feeling, participating, noticing, recognising, responding, listening]
short written imaginative texts using simpleand short sentences
[Key concepts: characters, events, plot; Key processes: participating, noticing, recognising, responding, listening]
Translate the meanings of important everyday words using contextual cues
[Key concepts: context, celebration; Key processes: participating, recognising, responding, listening]
Find English equivalents of common expressions in Chinese and vice versa
[Key concept: equivalence; Key processes: translating, explaining]
Reflect on how aspects of personalare expressed in Australian and Chinese contexts
[Key concepts: self, belonging; Key process: reflecting]
Recognise the tone-syllable nature of spoken language, and compare Chinese and English sounds
Reproduce key Chinesefrom familiar contexts using stroke types and sequences, and component forms and their arrangement
Use nouns, adjectives and simple sentences to record observations
Identify similarities and differences in the organisation of simple familiar texts
Recognise that Chinese is spoken by communities in many countries
Identify the likely contexts and features of informal and formal conversations involving known participants of different ages, genders and social positions
Identify how terms are used to indicate relationships and express aspects ofthat may be different from their own
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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.
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The nature of the learners
At this level students are expanding their social networks, experiences and communication repertoire in both their first language and Chinese. They continue to need guidance and participate in structured, collaborative tasks that both recycle and extend language. Students are gaining greater independence and becoming more conscious of their peers and social context. They are gaining awareness of the world around them. Learners are noticing similarities and differences between Chinese language and culture and their own.
Chinese language learning and use
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. With teacher support, students begin to use Chinese to communicate their own ideas and participate in collaborative decision making. Learners engage in exploration of patterns and features of the language, talking about and making connections between known languages and cultures and comparing different ways of communicating in familiar contexts.
Contexts of interaction
Likely contexts for interaction are related to students’ personal, family and local environments, and their everyday educational experiences. They communicate with peers, teachers, known adults, and with other students in their class. The settings for interaction move to a more public context and include more participants. Students begin to move from socialising in the here and now to planning and organising future events.
Texts and resources
Text types include print and online news and media, blogs, advertisements, catalogues, popular music and drama. Texts presented in characters are generally glossed in Pinyin. Students write in characters to correspond with others in letters, and use Pinyin input systems to generate a variety of texts in digital format.
Features of Chinese language use
Engagement with oral language includes active listening; observing interactions between speakers in everyday contexts; and using the spoken language in songs, rhymes, stories read aloud, and games. Learners ask and answer questions, describe people and objects, and recount events. They speak with attention to the sounds and tones of words, using formulaic language and applying their knowledge of familiar language structures in new contexts. Students map character forms onto their familiar oral vocabulary, and recognise and name characters in context. They record and learn new vocabulary by using word lists in Pinyin, and use Pinyin to prepare drafts of spoken texts.
Level of support
Chinese language use continues to be scaffolded and prompted by the teacher. Teachers’ modelling of correct Chinese language use is the primary source of learners’ increasing Chinese oral and written language acquisition.
The role of English
The use of English is necessary for discussion, reflection and explanation, and for the continued development of learners’ knowledge base and intercultural capability.
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Initiate interactions with peers and known adults to plan and organise social activities
[Key concepts: community, leisure, nature, recreation; Key processes: planning, organising, transacting]
Exchange correspondence andsimple written material to plan future activities and events and contribute ideas
[Key concepts: friendship, community, recreation; Key processes: collaborating, exchanging]
Obtain and process specific information from multiple spoken sources, selecting and sequencing appropriatefor specific audiences
[Key concepts: public, private; Key processes: comparing, collaborating, recording, identifying, describing]
Locate key points in written informative texts, summarising the points to report to known audiences
[Key concept: information; Key processes: reading, viewing, summarising, analysing]
Engage withand points of view in short imaginative texts, express personal opinions andsimple spoken imaginative texts
[Key concepts: character, viewpoint; Key processes: connecting, expressing, responding]
written imaginative texts, describingand sequencing events, using scaffolded models of texts, learntor word lists for support
[Key concepts: character, narrative, sequence; Key processes: connecting, expressing, responding]
and translate simple texts used for everyday purposes, identifying actions, words and phrases that do not readily translate into English
[Key concept: equivalence; Key processes: interpreting, translating]
own bilingual texts such as signs, displays and posters
[Key concepts: equivalence, idiom; Key processes: translating, identifying, discussing]
Describe aspects of ownand reflect on differences between Chinese and Englishand culture, identifying how this knowledge can help their intercultural exchanges
[Key concepts: similarity, difference, culture; Key processes: comparing, contrasting]
Discriminate between similar or related syllables and words by listening with attention to intonation,and phrasing
Identify how character structure, position, and component sequences relate the form of a character to its particular sound and meaning
Form sentences to express details such as the time, place and manner of an action and to sequence ideas
Notice how the features oforganisation vary according toand purpose
Understand that Chinese is characterised by diversity in spoken and written forms
Examine howis used to clarify roles and relationships between participants in interactions
Explore the ways in which everydayuse reflects culture-specific ideas, such as the influence of age, gender and social position onchoices
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By the end of Year 6, students use spoken and written Chinese to initiate and maintain interactions. They describe and give information about themselves and their preferences, their environment, experiences and interests, for example, 我很喜欢唱歌。我的学校很漂亮。我觉得澳大利亚是很好的国家 . They use simple questions (for example, 请问… ? 你是哪国人？你会说汉语吗？ ) and seek clarification, for example, … 对吗？ They access information from a range of print and digital resources (for example, 课文，菜单，宣传单，图样，地图，课程表， 日历，行程表， 天气预报 ) and summarise key points in order to inform others and organise activities, for example, 我们这个星期六去打球, 好吗？ They engage with a range of imaginative texts. They use intonation and stress to engage audiences and participants. They translate everyday expressions (for example, 好久不见 or 不谢) and use context to assist with interpretation. They produce short informative and imaginative texts. Sentences include details of time (for example, 八点，十二月二日，星期五), place (for example, 在澳大利亚，在墨尔本，在家) and participants, for example, 我的朋友， 小明的哥哥. They use prepositions and possessive clauses, including 的. They use a range of verbs, including verbs of identification and existence (是), and some modal verbs (喜欢 、 会) to express interest or ability; they negate with 不 or 没. They use simple connectives such as 和 and conjunctions to connect ideas.
Students explain the nature of tone-syllables, for example the role of tones in meaning making. They recognise the features of the Chinese writing system and apply their knowledge of the formation of characters in their own writing. They use Pinyin to transcribe spoken language. They identify how the relationships of participants and context affect interactions. They identify the features of familiar text types in Chinese and use these features to assist in interpreting meaning. They recognise that variations exist within the Chinese spoken and written language, and identify examples of this, particularly within their own community. They recognise and describe features of Chinese culture reflected in communication practices, and apply this knowledge to their own interactions with Chinese people.
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The nature of the learners
These years represent a transition to secondary school and students in this pathway are continuing to study Chinese bringing with them a capability to communicate, with some assistance, about their immediate world and China.
Chinese language learning and use
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. Students use Chinese for self-expression, to access new information and to share their knowledge and experiences with others. Pinyin remains an important tool for learning the sound of new words, associating sounds with characters, and creating digital texts in characters.
Contexts of interaction
Students actively use Chinese in a range of everyday contexts for purposes such as socialising with peers, transacting and getting things done, sharing information and engaging in performance with a range of known participants, including native speakers and peers.
Texts and resources
Students explore a range of written texts, developing strategies to interpret meaning where not all characters are known. They read, respond to and create digital texts, including blogs, biographies and opinion pieces, using a variety of technologies and software.
Features of Chinese language use
Chinese is the language of instruction and interaction, and is used in more elaborate ways as students extend their knowledge of the grammatical system and its use through spoken and written communication. Students experiment with language, exploring how cultural meanings are expressed. They analyse how messages are conveyed across languages, and apply their skills in mediating between Chinese and English in different contexts and situations. Classroom discussions focus on exploring and extending their range of contexts and audiences as they develop their personal communication skills.
Level of support
Students are supported to develop increasing autonomy as language learners and users, to self-monitor, and to adjust language in response to their experience in diverse contexts.
The role of English
English is used as appropriate to allow for explanation and discussion on issues associated with analysis of language, reflection on experiences, and comparisons across languages and cultures.
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Initiate and sustain interactions with peers and familiar adults to plan and arrange activities or social events in theof the school or local community, and vary spokenin response to the needs and demands of other participants
[Key concepts: event, celebration, experience; Key processes: transacting, negotiating, suggesting, requesting, explaining]
Correspond with peers and other familiar participants to plan activities, and compare opinions on and attitudes towards different cultures
[Key concepts: relationship, experience, community; Key processes: sharing perspectives, exchanging, corresponding]
Analyse and summarise relevant information obtained from a range of spoken sources and convey this information to known audiences through a range of texts
[Key concepts: fact/fiction, representation, perspective, choice; Key processes: summarising, identifying, comparing, sequencing]
Locate, classify and organise relevant information, including analysing data in simple diagrams, tables and graphs, and re-present this information for known audiences
[Key concepts: lifestyle, change, trends, place; Key processes: summarising, comparing, contrasting]
Engage with imaginative texts, observing how characters, emotions and attitudes are portrayed, express opinions about these aspects of an imagined experience and apply this knowledge in their own performances and texts
[Key concept: emotion; Key processes: expressing, responding, performing]
written imaginative texts to describe experiences involving imagined people and places
[Key concepts: imagination, creativity, emotion, love, hate; Key processes: expressing, responding]
Translate texts for different audiences varying theto explain key points for these different audiences
[Key concepts: equivalence, meaning; Key processes: translating, experimenting, comparing]
short bilingual texts on topics of personal interest and on keyfrom other learning areas and provide subtitles or commentary to assist meaning
[Key concepts: bilingualism, identity; Key processes: translating, interpreting]
Reflect on the cultural significance of how different groups and members of groups name themselves and are represented by others
[Key concepts: identity, group, name; Key processes: describing, considering, reflecting, developing]
Examine differences in sounds and tones, and patterns of sound flow in speech
texts by inferring meaning from commonor position of components, and analyse how reliable this method is in translating
Identify and apply features of Chinese grammar and sentence structure to organise and sequence ideas in oral and written texts
Analyse how authors adjust features of differenttypes for different purposes and audiences
Investigate the extent and dynamic nature of Chineseuse locally and globally
Explain how the Chineseadapts to social and technological changes
Compare and reflect on how cultural contexts influence the wayis used within and across communities