Years 3 and 4 Band Description
The nature of the learners
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, activity-based 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 Arabic-speaking 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 أرسم خطاً على الورقة؛ أكتب العنوان فوق, attracting attention and seeking help عندي فكرة رائعة!؛ ممكن أن أتكلم؟. 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.
Contexts of interaction
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 out-of-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 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 جاء وليد من مصر عندما كان عمره أربع سنوات, people, actions, events and feelings, for example, عندما أعزف الموسيقى أشعر بالفرح. 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 self-monitoring 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 Arabic-speaking 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.