Search results

Result list

• VCDEC157

  Access, summarise and analyse information and opinions from a range of sources relating to topical issues of shared interest

  Elaborations

  • accessing and using print and online resources such as dictionaries, grammar references and encyclopaedias to support understanding of texts
  • analysing and summarising information and viewpoints on a range of issues, such as information from a television news report about social media, a documentary on early German settlement in Australia, or an interview with an older German speaker on the topic of her/his Kindheit und Jugend, using tools such as guided note-taking, timelines and/or concept maps
  • accessing, collating and summarising information on youth-related issues such as Musik, Schulsport or Fernsehen from sources such as the internet, magazines and personal communications
  • collecting information on topics related to lifestyle choices, explaining changes in focus and perspective over different periods, for example, Rauchen oder nicht?
  • researching young people’s lifestyles across German-speaking cultures and contexts, comparing information from different cultural contexts to identify the influence of factors such as geography, climate, and social and community environment, for example, Wintersport, Reiseziele

  VCDEC157 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Informing

• German - F–10 Sequence: Levels 7 and 8 description

  Students gain more control of grammatical and textual elements such as the case system, prepositions and tenses, using the present perfect (Perfekt) tense of verbs conjugated with haben and sein and the simple past (Imperfekt) tenses. They use German with increasing accuracy and fluency, drafting...

  Level description | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence

• VCDEU017

  Understand that language use is shaped by and reflects the values, ideas and norms of a community

  Elaborations

  • investigating connections between language and significant cultural values or practices in Australia and German-speaking countries, for example, individual rights, shared social responsibility, respect for the environment, Reconciliation, anti-racism, ‘fair go’
  • developing language to analyse and explain the nature of the relationship between language and culture, using terms such as ‘meaning’, ‘perspective’, ‘values’, ‘assumptions’ and ‘difference’
  • examining examples of cultural representation in language, symbols and behaviour, such as die Märchenstraβe, (lack of) speed limits on the Autobahn, national flags, and the ‘visibility’ of the European Union through placement of its logo (for example, on car numberplates)
  • recognising that there are different and/or multiple expressions that communicate ideas across cultures, for example, when describing Brot or school excursions (Klassenfahrt, Wandertag)
  • exploring how origin, geography and religion are directly connected to lifestyle, daily practices and language use, for example, Recycling, Kaffee und Kuchen, Wandern, religious/public holidays, choice of Fremdsprachen offered in schools
  • participating in guided discussion on the nature and role of ‘culture’ and its relationship with language, with reference to German, English and other known languages

  VCDEU017 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCDEU169

  Understand that German, like other languages, continues to change over time due to influences such as globalisation and new technologies and knowledge

  Elaborations

  • investigating and reporting on evidence of current and historical influence of German language and culture in the local and broader Australian community, for example, German/Austrian/Swiss place names (Heidelberg, Hahndorf, Leichhardt, Grindelwald), food (restaurants, bakeries, market stalls), festivals and celebrations (German Film Festival, Swiss Festival, Weihnachtsmarkt), and organisations (Goethe-Institut, SBS German Radio, clubs, churches, companies)
  • understanding that German, like all languages, is constantly expanding to include new words and expressions in response to changing environments due to globalisation, technology, language shifts and exchange, and intercultural experiences, for example, googeln, skypen
  • understanding that English grammar used to be more similar to German grammar but that English has changed, for example, the Old English ‘What thinkest thou?’ and Was denkst du?
  • noting that although German grammar has not changed as much as English over the centuries, it did relatively recently undergo changes in spelling and punctuation in the official Rechtschreibreform, requiring, for example, β to be used only after long vowel sounds or diphthongs (Fuβball, Spaβ, weiβ), and ss to be used after short vowels (dass, Klasse)

  VCDEU169 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCDEC163

  Participate in intercultural experiences, demonstrating awareness of the importance of shared understanding, and reflecting on adjustments made as a result of reactions and responses

  Elaborations

  • participating in cultural experiences, such as eating at a Swiss restaurant/café in Australia, watching a German soccer match or Austrian skiing competition, or listening to a pop group performance on Radio Liechtenstein, and reflecting on cultural similarities and differences that are manifested through language
  • reflecting on how some personal or community ideas and actions in the Australian context may be perceived by German speakers, for example, being able to go camping all year round or taking into account the vastness of Australia when planning a holiday, and discussing possible implications
  • observing and recording aspects of language (such as register and use of the imperative) and cultural behaviour that need to be modified when communicating in German, depending on audience and social context
  • reflecting on and explaining which aspects of culture and language use can be comfortably adopted and where adjustments should be made, such as the use of Sie and titles (Herr Dr. Meier), wearing of Hausschuhe, placing payment and receiving change on a tray rather than in the hand in a shop
  • providing advice for others in intercultural situations where it is difficult to make oneself understood clearly or to understand the other speaker

  VCDEC163 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Reflecting

• VCDEC162

  Create bilingual resources such as games, vocabulary cards, glossaries, word lists and labelled posters for language learning and the wider community

  Elaborations

  • creating English captions, commentaries or subtitles for German multimodal texts, or vice versa
  • discussing problems associated with online translators by comparing different versions of translations and suggesting causes for differences and mistranslations, considering the need to go beyond literal meaning
  • creating vocabulary lists and annotated cultural explanations for German-speaking visitors to events such as Australian sports days, swimming carnivals or family events, explaining culture-specific elements

  VCDEC162 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Translating

• VCDEC160

  Create individual and shared texts about imagined people, places and experiences, to entertain others

  Elaborations

  • creating the next scene, a new character or an alternative ending for imaginative texts such as a story, drama or film script
  • dramatising a text, for example, performing a poem or imagining they are the ‘characters’ in a painting and creating a scenario and dialogue
  • creating texts to entertain younger audiences, such as an ebook, an alphabet or number book, a puppet play or short film depicting an aspect of contemporary teenage life, considering different cultural perspectives and selecting appropriate language, rhythms and images to enrich the listening or visual experience
  • composing and performing short songs with particular themes or for real or imagined occasions, for example, Liebe, Ferien, Freunde

  VCDEC160 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Creating

• VCDEU013

  Develop knowledge of elements of the German grammatical system, including gender and number, nominative and accusative cases, present tense of regular and some irregular verbs, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives and word order, to describe people, objects, actions, events and relationships

  Elaborations

  • understanding that German has multiple words for ‘the’ and ‘a/an’ according to the gender of the relevant noun, and noticing that the articles for masculine nouns sometimes change (nominative to accusative), for example, Die Frau hat einen BMW.; Der Film hat ein Happy End
  • comparing pluralisation of nouns in German and English, for example, die for plural nouns
  • using post-nominal (predicative) adjectives, for example, Unsere Deutschlehrerin ist intelligent.; Die Berge in Österreich sind sehr schön.; Meine Augen sind blau.
  • noticing the relationship between gender, article, adjective and case when using pre-nominal (attributive) adjectives to describe people, objects, places and events, for example, Ich habe einen kleinen Bruder.
  • noticing that as well as the articles (for masculine nouns), some pronouns change after certain verbs (accusative direct object), for example, Wir sehen heute den Film.; Es gibt einen neuen Schüler in Klasse 8A.; Ich mag dich.
  • noticing that articles and pronouns change after particular prepositions (dative), such as those associated with location and destination, for example, Wir sind in der Stadt.; Die Party ist im Garten.; Wie kommst du zur Schule?
  • using common prepositional phrases formulaically, for example, nach Hause, zu Hause
  • using personal pronouns to refer to people and things, for example, Was kostet die App? Sie kostet… .
  • understanding the three German pronouns for ‘you’ (du/ihr/Sie) and when to use them
  • expressing a relationship to a person or object using some possessive adjectives in the nominative and accusative case, for example, Seine Familie kommt aus Afrika.; Ich liebe meinen Hund .
  • recognising that in German a subject + verb can have multiple English translations, for example, wir spielen can mean ‘we play’, ‘we are playing’, ‘we do play’, ‘we shall/will play’ and ‘we’re going to play’, and applying this understanding when formulating own German sentences
  • understanding the concept of regular and irregular verbs (spielen and lesen) and noticing that this is a feature of both German and English (and other languages, such as French, Italian and Spanish)
  • conjugating the present tense of regular verbs and some common irregular verbs, including sein and haben
  • understanding structures to express likes, dislikes and preferences, for example, Ich mag Tennis. Ich spiele nicht gern Fuβball. Ich spiele lieber Kricket.
  • using common modal verbs such as können to describe capabilities (Ich kann gut schwimmen., and Ich möchte and Darf ich… ?) or to make polite requests
  • gaining awareness of a limited number of routine past tense expressions including some with war and hatte and the present perfect, for example, Sabine war gestern krank. Das hat Spaβ gemacht. Habt ihr ein schönes Wochenende gehabt?
  • negating verbs and adjectives using nicht and nouns using kein/e, for example, Nein, Marcus hat keine Geschwister.
  • describing frequency using adverbs and adverbial expressions such as oft, manchmal, jeden Tag, ab und zu, nie
  • understanding the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, for example, Ich spiele Basketball., and the need for subject-verb inversion to keep the verb as the second idea/element in the sentence, for example, Heute Abend spiele ich Basketball.
  • joining words, phrases and sentences using the coordinating conjunctions und, oder, aber
  • understanding how to form a question, using subject-verb inversion, for example, Hast du Geschwister? and with interrogatives such as wann, was, wer, wie, wie viel, wie viele, wo, woher, warum, welche(-r/s/n) and wohin
  • locating people, places and objects using adverbs such as rechts, links, oben, unten, hier, dort
  • using ordinal numbers to give the date or a birthday, for example, Heute ist der erste Ma.i; Seine Mutter hat am 22. April Geburtstag.
  • understanding and locating events in time (days, months, seasons), including the use of the 24-hour clock, prepositions such as nach and vor, and adverbs and formulaic expressions such as heute, vorgestern, früher, später, am Wochenende, in den Ferien
  • referring to quantities of people and things, including money, using cardinal numbers up to a billion, as well as decimals, common fractions and negative numbers, for example, Deutschland hat 81,9 Millionen Einwohner.; Die Tagestemperatur liegt bei minus 3 Grad.; Ich habe eine Halbschwester.
  • building metalanguage to comment on grammar and vocabulary (for example, Nomen, Verben, Zahlen, Fragewörter, groβ/klein schreiben), comparing with equivalent English terms

  VCDEU013 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• German - F–10 Sequence: Levels 7 and 8 achievement standards

  By the end of Level 8, students use written and spoken German to interact with teachers, peers and others; to make decisions, solve problems and negotiate transactions; and to exchange and justify ideas, opinions and views. When interacting, they use both rehearsed and spontaneous language to...

  Level description | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8

• VCDEC009

  Create and maintain individual and shared bilingual texts and resources such as signs, word lists, posters, games and photo stories

  Elaborations

  • creating and using bilingual resources for language learning, such as glossaries or personal German–English and English–German print and digital word lists and dictionaries with examples and explanations of language use and parts of speech
  • creating bilingual texts for specific audiences, for example, a Big Book or game for young learners of German, invitations to a class event or posters for a performance, noticing how meaning needs to be tailored to audience and cultural perspectives
  • creating bilingual signs and notices for the school and local community, such as Bücherei – Library, Sporthalle – Gymnasium
  • designing and maintaining a bilingual website with a partner school or contact group of English learners in a German-speaking community, making choices about when to use German or English depending on the context, topic and nature of the interaction

  VCDEC009 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Translating

• German - 7–10 Sequence: Levels 7 and 8 achievement standards

  By the end of Level 8, students share information about their personal worlds, including personal details, family, friends, interests, likes, dislikes and preferences. They interact with others to carry out transactions, participate in class routines and socialise. They use modelled language and...

  Level description | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8

• VCDEC161

  Interpret and/or translate for friends or visitors terms associated with German or own culture

  Elaborations

  • translating expressions associated with politeness and social protocols in German, for example, responding to requests or thanks, or signing cards (Dein Fritz/Deine Anna), and comparing with typical expressions in similar messages in English
  • translating and discussing common idiomatic expressions in both German and English, for example, Ich drücke dir die Daumen (‘I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you’)
  • comparing and finding equivalent phrases and expressions in German and English, discussing differences and cultural influences, for example, so alt wie ein Baum/Stein (‘as old as the hills’), einen Bärenhunger haben (‘to be as hungry as a horse’)
  • explaining terms associated with practices or features of schools in German-speaking countries, such as hitzefrei or aspects of assessment and reporting, for example, das Notensystem, die mündliche Note, der blaue Brief, sitzenbleiben, and drawing comparisons with similar terms used in Australian schools

  VCDEC161 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Translating

• VCDEC011

  Reflect on experiences of learning and using another language, and share aspects of own identity, such as age, interests and family background, reflecting on how these impact on intercultural exchange

  Elaborations

  • sharing ideas about the experience of learning and using German, including any perceived changes in levels of confidence, or in attitudes to culture and intercultural communication, for example, ‘How did I feel when I first heard/spoke German? How do I feel now?’
  • preparing a class profile to exchange with German-speaking students, showing cultural backgrounds, languages used in the home, interests and values, and using resources such as photos, captions, quotes and symbols
  • annotating a family tree with information about family members, such as significant places or languages spoken, identifying own heritage (Ich bin Australier/-in. Mein Opa kommt aus Griechenland.), and reflecting on how own background has shaped identity
  • participating in a discussion in English about an aspect of identity, for example, considering the impact of a school uniform on personal identity and exploring how German students might view wearing a school uniform
  • comparing aspects of identity that may be important across cultures, such as state, country, ethnic group, language, religion, age, gender, and position in family

  VCDEC011 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Reflecting

• VCDEU012

  Recognise and use key features of the German sound system, including pronunciation, rhythm, stress and intonation, and identify main similarities and differences between the phonological and orthographic systems of English and German

  Elaborations

  • noticing and imitating German sounds, and developing awareness of letter–sound relationships, including distinctive sounds such as those represented by the letters ch, r, th, u and z; consonant blends and clusters such as sch; short and long vowel sounds and diphthongs such as au, ei, eu and ie; the impact of the Umlaut on a, o and u; and ß
  • applying German capitalisation rules to nouns and noticing that the capitalisation of the formal ‘you’ form Sie distinguishes it from sie (she/they)
  • understanding that β can only be used in lower case, otherwise SS, and that ä, ö and ü can be written as ae, oe and ue respectively, for example, in upper case signs or word puzzles such as crosswords
  • understanding the meaning and use of full stops and commas in German ordinal or decimal numbers, for example, die 8. Klasse; 9,50 Euro; 15.30 Uhr
  • learning to pronounce the German alphabet by singing das Alphabetlied, and using the German alphabet for spelling out names and other words
  • practising pronunciation of particular sounds and rhythms by saying tongue twisters, rhymes and short poems
  • recognising differences in intonation and rhythm between statements, questions and commands

  VCDEU012 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCDEC008

  Translate and interpret texts such as greetings, signs, emails and conversations, from German to English and vice versa, noticing similarities and differences

  Elaborations

  • translating short personal texts, identifying words and phrases that can be translated literally and those that cannot, for example, Guten Appetit! Guten Tag! Ohrwurm
  • using German–English cognates to predict meaning, for example, Brot/‘bread’, kalt/‘cold’, trinken/‘to drink’
  • recognising compound words, and collecting and analysing interesting examples (der Schulsport, die Realschule, babyleicht), noting that compound nouns take the gender of the last noun in the compound
  • translating public signs from German to English and vice versa, noticing similarities and differences
  • interpreting for and explaining to peers and family members aspects of German language and culture (in texts such as emails and conversations) that are interesting and/or different, for example, that when addressing teachers in German you use family names after the titles Frau and Herr, unlike the English use of just ‘Miss’ or ‘Sir’

  VCDEC008 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Translating

• VCDEC010

  Engage with German speakers and texts, noticing how interactions involve culture as well as language

  Elaborations

  • reflecting on choices made when using German to interact with others, considering the relationship between language, culture and behaviour, for example, the use of family names with titles (Guten Tag, Frau Stein) and formal/informal register (du/ihr/Sie), and comparing these with English and other known languages
  • observing interactions between German speakers in different contexts, noticing and recording elements that reflect cultural attitudes or behaviours, such as language associated with politeness or emotion (bitte schön; Entschuldigung; Wie schön!; Du bist gemein!), gift-giving customs, or ways of showing collective appreciation or approval, for example, applauding by rapping on surface
  • participating in cultural experiences, such as eating at a German/Swiss/Austrian restaurant or café in Australia or watching a German music performance, soccer match or skiing competition, and reflecting on cultural similarities and differences that are manifested through language
  • reflecting on how some personal or community ideas and actions in the Australian context may be perceived by German speakers, for example, being able to go camping all year round, or taking into account the vastness of Australia when planning a holiday, and discussing possible implications
  • comparing the use and cultural significance of gestures and body language in German and other languages and selecting those that can be easily incorporated into own interactions when communicating in German, for example, shaking hands as a common greeting, not putting hands in pockets while talking with someone (as this may be considered rude), and maintaining eye contact

  VCDEC010 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Communicating | Reflecting

• VCDEU166

  Extend knowledge of elements of the German grammatical system, including prepositions, reflexive verbs, adverbial phrases and subordinating conjunctions, to specify and describe people, objects and places, sequence events and qualify opinions

  Elaborations

  • specifying a person, object or place using knowledge of the German case system (nominative, accusative and dative), and using definite and indefinite articles, kein, personal pronouns (including man), and possessive, demonstrative and interrogative adjectives such as sein, unser, dieser, jeder and welcher
  • noticing the relationship between gender, article and case and the adjectival ending when describing people, objects, places and events, for example, Mein bester Freund hat lange, schwarze Haare und trägt einen kleinen Ohrring.; Es gibt hier keinen Sportplatz.
  • selecting and using the appropriate form of ‘you’ (du, ihr, Sie) and its possessive adjective equivalents (dein, euer, Ihr) according to the audience, for example, Sind Sie Frau Wagner?; Hast du dein Geld mit?
  • selecting the correct personal pronoun for ‘it’ (er/sie/es; ihn) for objects, for example, Woher hast du den Hut? Er ist sehr schön; Ich habe ihn bei … gekauft.
  • comparing the meanings and use of the German modal verbs with their English equivalents, for example, Wir müssen eine Schuluniform tragen. Man darf hier nicht essen.
  • noticing that some verbs can be combined with a separable or inseparable prefix which alters the meaning of the base verb, for example, Er kommt um 17.15 Uhr.; Kommst du mit?; Ich bekomme manchmal Geld zum Geburtstag.
  • describing current, recurring and future actions using regular, irregular, modal, separable and inseparable verbs in the present tense, for example, Wir spielen morgen nicht mit., Er sieht viel fern. Ich muss meine Hausaufgaben machen. Nächstes Jahr bekommen wir neue Laptops.
  • describing past events and experiences in present perfect and/or simple past tense using a limited range of common verbs, for example, Ich habe meine Hausaufgaben nicht gemacht, denn ich war am Wochenende krank.
  • using reflexive verbs in present tense with their appropriate accusative reflexive pronouns to describe daily routines and express emotions and interests, for example, Ich dusche mich morgens. Interessierst du dich für Geschichte? Wir freuen uns auf die Ferien.
  • understanding and applying the ‘verb as second element’ (Wir kommen morgen or Morgen kommen wir) and ‘subject-time-object-manner-place’ (STOMP) word order rules for main clauses (Ich spiele jetzt Basketball.), and realising that German word order is flexible, allowing other elements apart from the subject to begin the sentence, for example, Langsam verstehe ich mehr Deutsch. Zu Hause ist es oft sehr laut.
  • linking and sequencing events and ideas using a range of cohesive devices, including adverbs (danach, vorher, dann, früher) and common conjunctions (als, dass, obwohl, wenn, weil), usually with the subordinate clause after the main clause
  • expressing opinions using, for example, meiner Meinung nach; Ich glaube, dass … Wir sind dagegen/dafür
  • understanding and using wozu? to clarify purpose
  • understanding and using dative and accusative prepositions with their core meanings, for example, Ich komme aus der Stadt. Der Kuchen ist für dich.
  • describing destinations using prepositions including some ‘two-way’ prepositions (Wechselpräpositionen), for example, Wir fahren nach Adelaide. Der Junge geht zum Bahnhof. Sie sind in die Stadt gefahren.
  • experimenting (using models) with different structures to make comparisons, for example, Englisch ist schwieriger als Mathe. Welches Auto ist am sichersten? Kaffee ist nicht so gesund wie Wasser
  • referring to quantities of people and things using cardinal numbers up to a billion, for example, Deutschland hat 81,9 Millionen Einwohner.
  • extending metalanguage to communicate in German and English, for example, about case, word order and verb tenses (Dativ, Wechselpräpositionen, das Imperfekt, Hilfsverben, trennbare Verben)

  VCDEU166 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language