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• VCLVU149

  Notice that people use language in ways that reflect their culture, such as where and how they live and what is important to them

  Elaborations

  • exploring culture as an essential part of human life, understanding that it is shared and passed on 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 whom, and that these rules differ from culture to culture
  • recognising that beliefs and behaviours are woven into and expressed through languages, and cannot be separated from them
  • noticing how respect for respected community members and Country/Place is built into the language
  • 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

  VCLVU149 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCLVU142

  Recognise the function of different word types and understand basic elements of language structures

  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)”

  VCLVU142 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCLVU165

  Understand that texts such as stories, paintings, songs and dances have distinct purposes and particular language features

  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 languages conventions of written text are in the process of being developed
  • recognising language features typically associated with familiar texts, for example, the use of imperatives 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
  • recognising the role played by different elements in texts to contribute to meaning-making, for example, the layout, title, illustration and use of punctuation in a picture book or the use of speech bubbles in a cartoon
  • investigating the purpose and use of sign language in various Aboriginal languages, for example, for hunting, for recent bereavement, for communicating at a distance, for restricting who can understand the message

  VCLVU165 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCLVC157

  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

  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
  • conveying understanding of plot and sequence in texts, for example, by re-creating a sequence using a 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 respected 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 respected 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

  VCLVC157 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Communicating | Creating

• VCLVU164

  Expand vocabulary in the language through word-formation processes and recognise and use simple language structures

  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/non-past
    • 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 word-formation, 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
  • noticing similarities between particular vocabulary sets in languages from the same region, such as 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

  VCLVU164 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCLVC153

  Participate in guided tasks that involve following instructions, making things, cooperating with peers, planning for and conducting shared events, activities or school performances

  Elaborations

  • participating in excursions with respected 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 photo-story
  • working with respected 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 respected community members/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

  VCLVC153 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Communicating | Socialising

• VCLVU186

  Expand vocabulary and understand and use a range of vocabulary sets and grammatical structures that are available in the language

  Elaborations

  • understanding case and case marking on nouns, pronouns and adjectives
  • explaining how verbs can be derived from nouns and vice versa, comparing with similar processes in English and other known languages
  • composing and varying messages according to the available resources of the language, such as:
    • suffixes, including ‘having’, ‘for want of’, ‘similar to’, ‘like’
    • verbless sentences, for example, equative, descriptive, possessive
    • verb categories, including intransitive, transitive, causative, inchoative, reflexive–reciprocal
    • verb aspect, including continuous, transitory, perfective, imperfective
    • verb-stem morphology, including compound verbs, reduplicated verbs, habitual/characteristic, derivation (nouns into verbs)
  • expressing time, manner, attitude and place, according to the available language resources, such as:
    • elaborations of past tense
    • temporal expressions, for example, ‘beforehand’, ‘afterwards’, ‘too late’, ‘originally’
    • expressions of frequency, immediacy and duration, for example, ‘persistently’, ‘at once’, ‘a few times’, ‘for a while’
    • attitudinal words, particles and interjections, for example, terms expressing endearment, embarrassment, shame or pity
    • locational cases as used in locative phrases, and extensions of these, for example, expressing origin or causation
  • structuring and linking clauses, focusing on issues of agreement with transitive and intransitive verbs, using verb-linking devices, for example, serialisation and embedding
  • discussing lexical and grammatical relationships between the language and other languages of the region, for example, common words and structures
  • discussing grammatical and lexical contrasts between the language and English/ other known languages, for example, the figurative use of language, vocabulary associated with specialised domains

  VCLVU186 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 7 to 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCLVC133

  Discover key information about Country/Place by exploring Country/Place and listening to stories from respected community members

  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 respected 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/non-edible, meat/non meat, salt water/fresh water, day/night animals, rough/smooth, hard/ soft,
  • learning to read Country/Place with respected community members' 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

  VCLVC133 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Foundation to Level 2 | Communicating | Informing

• VCLVC154

  Participate in everyday classroom activities and routines, such as responding to questions and requests, asking permission, requesting help

  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

  VCLVC154 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Communicating | Socialising

• VCLVU173

  Understand how the language has been recorded in the past, and how this affects language building processes

  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

  VCLVU173 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Understanding | Role of language building

• VCLVU170

  Understand that the use of stories and names in Aboriginal languages are culturally determined

  Elaborations

  • observing and discussing protocols surrounding the retelling and sharing of stories
  • 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

  VCLVU170 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Understanding | Language awareness

• VCLVU168

  Recognise that languages change over time

  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
  • understanding that language and culture together continually change as a result of contact with other languages and cultures

  VCLVU168 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCLVU144

  Identify elements of the kinship system and its links to place and natural species

  Elaborations

  • using kinship charts to identify kinship terms for immediate family, comparing with terms used in own family
  • recognising that Aboriginal peoples have their own personal relationships with animal species and natural phenomena
  • recognising that Aboriginal 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

  VCLVU144 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCLVC177

  Investigate and summarise factual information obtained from a range of sources on a variety of topics and issues related to the Country/Place

  Elaborations

  • investigating the origins of Aboriginal names in their local area, regional area and state and territory, recording meanings where known, and identifying different source languages
  • interviewing an respected community member to gain an historical perspective about their use of particular words and language constructions, observing correct respect protocols and presenting findings in formats such as digital presentations, posters, wall charts or oral summaries
  • researching and creating a profile of a prominent member of the language community, for example, an artist, sportsperson or leader
  • developing a photographic record/portfolio of different animal and plant species found in Country/Place, with commentary/annotations
  • seeking information from respected community members to assist in classifying living things according to culturally appropriate categories, comparing these classification systems with those used in western approaches to the study of living systems
  • identifying and describing the role of various Aboriginal organisations that provide services to their community
  • researching different aspects of a selected Indigenous business operating in the community, for example, an enterprise associated with arts, bush medicine, bush food, tourism, transportation or animal husbandry, and presenting findings in digital formats or oral presentation mode
  • analysing a range of historical documents recorded in the language, classifying content according to categories such as date, text genre (wordlist, letter), topic (Indigenous knowledge, environment, traditions, fishing/navigation, rules), purpose of the text and intention of the writer (to inform, prescribe, describe, assert authority); and presenting findings in chart or table form or by giving a presentation
  • interviewing local community members about their experiences of living on the land, their relationship with language and culture and their recollections from the past, recording and presenting key findings
  • researching Aboriginal words used in English, using resources such as the Australian National Dictionary, and identifying and explaining words that come from the local language

  VCLVC177 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 7 to 10 | Communicating | Informing

• VCLVC135

  Participate in shared listening to, viewing and reading of texts and respond through singing, miming, play-acting, drawing, action and movement

  Elaborations

  • performing songs or stories that include repeated phrases, rhythms and non-verbal 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 respected community members tell stories, and responding by drawing, labelling, re-enacting with puppets, props or actions
  • identifying key animals, birds and other characters in stories, songs, performances and dances
  • listening to respected 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
  • predicting the content/meaning of narrative texts such as picture books, including titles, covers and illustrations, and giving reasons for their predictions
  • responding to simple questions about characters and events in imaginative and expressive texts such as stories, songs, dances

  VCLVC135 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Foundation to Level 2 | Communicating | Creating

• VCLVU143

  Recognise there are many ways of communicating messages in Aboriginal languages

  Elaborations

  • understanding that there are different ways of telling a story, such as respected community members 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 community-wide messages
  • identifying some features of stories, for example, the fact that they are often about journeys across Country/Place, involving landforms, animals and plants
  • noticing how texts such as storybooks are sequenced and organised, for example, by identifying the main title and the connections between pictures and text
  • recognising that communication can also occur through sign language

  VCLVU143 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCLVU171

  Explore connections between identity and cultural values and beliefs and the expression of these connections in Aboriginal languages

  Elaborations

  • understanding the role of Aboriginal languages and cultures in caring for Country/Place and the environment
  • investigating how Aboriginal 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 respected community members of the importance and significance of Welcome to Country/Place
  • understanding that Aboriginal languages are keeping places for cultural, environmental and social knowledge
  • recognising that song and song language play a central role as keeping places of knowledge
  • understanding that Aboriginal 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 cultures
  • understanding and discussing the importance of story and the role of story-telling in transmitting language and culture
  • 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 culture-specific, 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 have various social, spiritual and cultural functions within communities

  VCLVU171 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 3 to 6 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCLVU195

  Investigate and explain techniques used to build language, considering challenges involved and understanding their role as contemporary documenters of language

  Elaborations

  • identifying and discussing the main areas of the language that could be served by language building
  • analysing the authenticity of historical sources used in language building and discuss the strengths and limitations of these
  • investigating different approaches that have historically been used to record language and what this means for language revival, for example, different spellings, different domains of use, lexical biases
  • understanding challenges in developing new words and structures for the language, and how these words might be developed within the existing resources of the language or by analogy from related languages
  • discussing techniques used to build language, such as analysing historical sources, interviewing/recording existing speakers
  • understanding the orthographic and grammatical choices of the contemporary community
  • considering domains of use where the language may grow in the future
  • trying out ways of making new words under the guidance of an Aboriginal languages specialist or a respected community member where appropriate
  • working with local Aboriginal communities in language-related projects, and contributing to local language records and resources through structured and research-based projects
  • understanding their role as contemporary documenters of the language, for example, listening and transcribing spoken texts, preserving language resources developed at school
  • developing a variety of resources for younger and future students of the language
  • investigating programs and initiatives that serve to maintain and strengthen language use, for example, school languages programs, bilingual education, research programs, recording and archiving material, websites, databases and documentaries
  • exploring the importance of advocacy in supporting the maintenance and development of language and culture

  VCLVU195 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 7 to 10 | Understanding | Role of language building

• VCLVU193

  Reflect on how ways of using language are shaped by communities’ ways of thinking, behaving and viewing the world, and the role of language in passing on knowledge

  Elaborations

  • explaining the role of Aboriginal languages and cultures in passing on knowledge such as sustainable care of the environment, rules for living, ways of behaving, spiritual and cultural functions and History
  • reflecting on Indigenous taxonomies and the ways they divide the natural and cultural world and comparing these to other systems of classification
  • analysing concepts related to cultural values in Aboriginal languages, including naming systems, for example, the use of kinship terms, nicknames, substitute words and pronoun systems, comparing to ways of referencing relationships in their own language(s) and culture(s)
  • exploring how aspects of traditional culture and society have been preserved through language, and discussing the importance of maintaining Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, for their speakers and for all Australians
  • analysing and discussing core cultural concepts reflected in Aboriginal languages, such as respect, avoidance, reciprocity, obligation, responsibility
  • understanding that culturally significant attitudes and beliefs conveyed through Aboriginal languages are related to the past, to land, plants and animals and to celebrations
  • identifying and comparing how emotions or attitudes, such as respect, affection or embarrassment, are shown/displayed across different languages and cultures
  • comparing elements of communication such as the role of silence or use/avoidance of eye contact in different cultural contexts and exchanges
  • recognising that there are multiple views on and partial explanations for events and issues
  • reflecting on the ways culture is interpreted by others, for example, by identifying how stereotypes influence perceptions of other groups or individuals
  • understanding that each Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person inherits language as part of their birthright, along with membership of a particular group and attachment to Country or Place, and that they become custodians and owners of land, water or sea and of language

  VCLVU193 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 7 to 10 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCLVU190

  Describe and reflect on how languages change over time and influence one another

  Elaborations

  • exploring form, usage, history and impact of contact languages, including creoles, pidgins and Aboriginal Englishes
  • investigating and describing how the language has changed over time
  • observing changes to language that reflect changing lifestyles, cultural trends and emerging needs, for example, youth language, the language of new technologies, the impact of music, media and technology on communication
  • reflecting on changes in their own use of their first language(s) over time, noticing how and when new ways are adopted or existing ways adapted
  • exploring changes in language over time, for example, by reviewing old films from state archives or early television shows that include Aboriginal actors

  VCLVU190 | Languages | Victorian Aboriginal Languages | Levels 7 to 10 | Understanding | Language variation and change