Chinese (Version 8.4)

Understand how Chinese 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.

PDF documents

Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: Languages - Chinese are available as PDF documents.
Languages - Chinese: Sequence of content
Languages - Chinese: Sequence of Achievement - Background Language Learner Pathway - F-10 …

Context Statement

Years 7 and 8

Years 7 and 8 Band Description

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.

Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Communicating

Socialising

Initiate and sustain interactions with peers and familiar adults to plan and arrange activities or social events in the context of the school or local community, and vary spoken language in response to the needs and demands of other participants

[Key concepts: event, celebration, experience; Key processes: transacting, negotiating, suggesting, requesting, explaining] (ACLCHC049 - Scootle )

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] (ACLCHC050 - Scootle )

Informing

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] (ACLCHC051 - Scootle )

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] (ACLCHC052 - Scootle )

Creating

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] (ACLCHC053 - Scootle )

Create written imaginative texts to describe experiences involving imagined people and places

[Key concepts: imagination, creativity, emotion, love, hate; Key processes: expressing, responding] (ACLCHC054 - Scootle )

Translating

Translate texts for different audiences varying the language to explain key points for these different audiences

[Key concepts: equivalence, meaning; Key processes: translating, experimenting, comparing] (ACLCHC055 - Scootle )

Create short bilingual texts on topics of personal interest and on key content from other learning areas and provide subtitles or commentary to assist meaning

[Key concepts: bilingualism, identity; Key processes: translating, interpreting] (ACLCHC056 - Scootle )

Reflecting

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] (ACLCHC057 - Scootle )

Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 8, students use spoken and written Chinese to sustain interactions in a range of social and personal contexts. They exchange ideas and opinions, for example, 你要去看电影吗？；我们可以六月份一起去. They summarise the main points of information about known content from a range of spoken and print sources (for example, 电视节目，podcast, 电话留言，广告，老师推荐的网站，书籍，图书馆目录，游记), and convey the relevant information in a range of texts. Students respond to and create simple imaginative and informative texts. Sentences generally contain two or more ideas connected by cohesive devices (for example, 不但…而且…；因为… 所以…), as well as time expressions (for example, 先…再…), and tense markers such as 了、完 to sequence events and ideas. Students make comparisons (for example, 比; 跟…一样), and provide explanations or reasons for opinions or decisions, using phrases that order and link their ideas. They use reported speech to refer to the ideas of others, for example, 他们认为. They speak with attention to pronunciation, tone and phrasing, using intonation and pitch to add emotion or emphasis to their message. They demonstrate intercultural understanding by varying their language use for different audiences and purposes.

Students describe the distinctive spoken and written language systems of Chinese using metalanguage. They know that character components can contribute to both sound and meaning of words and they understand how they can be combined to make different words, for example, 中国，城，中国城. They identify features of text types such as letters, emails, descriptions and narratives. Students identify how information is structured in Chinese texts, and understand the importance of cultural and contextual cues to correct interpretation of meaning. They explain how features of Chinese culture impact on communication practices, and reflect on their own interactions with Chinese-speaking people.