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• VCDEU187

  Understand that language and culture are interrelated and that they shape and are shaped by each other

  Elaborations

  • reflecting on the experience of moving between cultures in and out of school, in local and virtual environments, and through the experience of learning and using German
  • reflecting on how learning German has impacted on own assumptions about German language, culture or identity and on awareness of own communicative and cultural behaviours and of how these may be interpreted by others, for example, Früher dachte ich, dass die Schweizer … Jetzt verstehe ich, dass …
  • analysing how language use and culture reflect and shape relationships, practices and attitudes, such as expressions and concepts in German related to education, social equality, national identity and commitment to world peace, for example, Ausbildung/Erziehung; Nationalismus/Heimat; those related to Ausländer in German-speaking countries and those within Germany, such as Nord–Süd/Ost–West (Ossi/Wessi)

  VCDEU187 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• 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

• 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

• VCDEC139

  Use simple questions, statements and responses to participate in and support classroom interactions and learning activities, and to indicate understanding and monitor own learning

  Elaborations

  • politely asking peers to do something and responding to requests, for example, giving and receiving things (Gib mir itte den Stift! bitte schön; danke schön)
  • discussing and creating shared class rules and procedures, for example, Dürfen wir auf dem Boden sitzen? Wir müssen immer aufpassen.
  • checking on progress during learning tasks or activities, using comments and questions such as Kein Problem! Das schaffen wir. Was machst du jetzt? Verstehst du das?
  • sharing ideas about the experience of learning and using German, and comparing what they can and cannot do, for example, Ich kann gut sprechen, aber ich finde das Lesen und Schreiben schwierig.

  VCDEC139 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Communicating | Socialising

• VCDEU033

  Understand that language has power and changes over time as a result of contact with other languages and with influences such as globalisation and new technologies and knowledge

  Elaborations

  • considering how language marks values and attitudes such as respect and equality, and includes and excludes, for example, the use of titles or first names (Herr Doktor Schmidt, Herr Schmidt, Georg), different words for the same entity (foreigner/immigrant/refugee), the gendered nature of professional titles (der Lehrer, die Lehrerin; das Kindermädchen), and access to community information fornon-English speakers
  • 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)
  • investigating and reporting on evidence of current and historical influences of German language and culture in the local and broader Australian community, for example, German/Austrian/Swiss place names (Heidelberg, Hahndorf, Leichhardt, Grindelwald), food (cafés, restaurants, bakeries, market stalls), festivals and celebrations (German Film Festival, Swiss Festival, Weihnachtsmarkt), and organisations (Goethe-Institut, SBS German Radio, clubs, churches, companies)
  • considering the concept of ‘ecology’ in relation to German and other languages; that is, the interaction of the language with constantly changing environments due to globalisation, technology, and language shifts and exchange

  VCDEU033 | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCDEU116

  Understand that language is organised as ‘texts’, which take different forms and use different structures and features to achieve their purposes

  Elaborations

  • understanding that texts can be spoken, written, digital, visual or multimodal, and that they can be very short (Stopp!, or a hand gesture to signal Komm her!) or much longer
  • recognising that different types of texts have different features, for example, rhythm and repetition in action songs and rhymes
  • comparing similar texts in German and English, such as counting games or simple maps, identifying elements in the German texts which look or sound different
  • identifying familiar text types such as songs, rhymes, picture books, games, family trees and tables, and naming key features, for example, Titel, Seite and Bild

  VCDEU116 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCDEU186

  Understand the influence of language on people’s actions, values and beliefs, and appreciate the scale and importance of linguistic diversity

  Elaborations

  • examining how language can reinforce stereotypes, such as those related to gender, and how changes in the language occur over time to combat this, for example, die Krankenschwester → der Krankenpfleger, die Krankenpflegerin; die Stewardess → der Flugbegleiter, die Flugbegleiterin
  • considering how language indicates respect, values and attitudes, and includes and excludes, for example, the use of titles or first names (Herr Doktor Schmidt, Herr Schmidt, Georg), different words for the same entity (foreigner/immigrant/refugee), the gendered nature of professional titles (der Lehrer, die Lehrerin; das Kindermädchen), and access to community information for non-English speakers
  • reflecting on the impact of language in relation to own and others’ experience, for example, winning an argument or working out the meaning of unfamiliar German words; being locked out of conversations, or being a newcomer or an outsider in a social group
  • establishing a deeper understanding of diversity and reflecting on own experience of what linguistic and cultural diversity means

  VCDEU186 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCDEU153

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

  Elaborations

  • recognising that texts such as stories have a social and cultural purpose, for example, the moral of a fairy tale (Aschenputtel) and comparing the kinds of personal characteristics that are depicted in texts as desirable
  • recognising that language use can have connections to cultural practices, such as expressions from family or religious celebrations, or from outdoor activities such as sports, for example, Gott sei Dank!, ‘Howzat!’, ‘fair go’
  • discussing situations of culturally inappropriate language use and noticing what makes them inappropriate and how this may be addressed, for example, addressing an adult who is not a family member with du instead of Sie
  • noticing the impact of own assumptions about people from German-speaking countries, their language and culture, when listening to, reading and viewing texts, and considering how German speakers too may make assumptions and generalisations about Australians

  VCDEU153 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCDEU165

  Recognise the pronunciation of loan words, and understand and apply knowledge of similarities and differences between German and English punctuation

  Elaborations

  • exploring the German pronunciation of a range of loan words from English and other languages, for example, Job, Restaurant, Pizza
  • recognising the role of and relationship between pronunciation, rhythm and pace in creating effects in spoken texts such as stories, poems, songs and conversations
  • comparing punctuation rules in English and German, considering aspects such as the distribution and functions of commas, the style of quotation marks for direct speech, and writing numbers less than one million as one word
  • applying German punctuation and spelling rules to own writing and learning to systematically edit own and others’ written work

  VCDEU165 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• 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

• VCDEU152

  Understand why language is important and recognise that languages and cultures change over time and influence one another

  Elaborations

  • exploring the function of language in social and educational life, for example, listing and discussing how, where and why they use language in the course of a day
  • discovering some of the English words used by German speakers (das Internet, die App, Stopp!, Sorry!) and considering if they are the same kinds of words as those borrowed from German by English
  • understanding that German, like all languages, is constantly expanding to include new words and expressions in response to changing intercultural experiences, for example, Fast Food, Fairness

  VCDEU152 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 5 and 6 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCDEU167

  Understand the structures and conventions associated with different types of personal, informative and persuasive texts such as emails, news items and advertisements

  Elaborations

  • applying knowledge of text types and their purposes to identify the gist and predict the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary in texts
  • analysing different samples of a particular text type such as advertisements to determine the targeted audience(s), and describing the techniques used
  • identifying the structure and conventions of a range of texts, such as a diary entry, a weather report and a news report
  • describing relationships between language, structure and textual purpose, for example, in a personal text using informal register, such as a thank-you email to a friend (Liebe Grüße; du; Dein(e) X)

  VCDEU167 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCDEU115

  Understand some first elements of German grammar, such as simple verb forms, definite articles and pronouns, to identify and describe people and objects in the family and school domains

  Elaborations

  • noticing that German has multiple words for ‘the’ and ‘a/an’
  • identifying people, animals and things using an article and a concrete noun (der Lehrer, eine Freundin) or a pronoun (ich, du, er, sie, es, wir)
  • using the possessive adjectives mein/e and dein/e or a form of haben and an indefinite article to express a relationship to a person or object, for example, Das ist mein Bleistift; Ich habe einen Bruder
  • describing people, animals or objects using bin/bist/ist and an adjective, for example, Ich bin klein; Der Bär ist braun; Das Buch ist neu
  • understanding and describing actions using verbs such as gehen, kommen, machen, malen, lesen, schreiben, sehen, singen, spielen and wohnen
  • negating verbs and adjectives using nicht
  • understanding and using some question words and the intended/related answer in limited contexts, including was (an object), wer (a person), wie (manner), wo (a place), wann (a time) and wie viele (quantity)
  • understanding the location or origin of a person or object, such as hier, links and rechts, and prepositions such as auf, aus, hinter, in, neben and unter
  • gaining awareness of vocabulary referring to time, such as days, months, time of day (Morgen, Nachmittag, Mittag) and o’clock time, for example, Es ist drei Uhr.
  • gaining awareness of terms referring to quantities of people and things, including cardinal numbers (0–20) and mehr, viel/e, nichts and kein/e

  VCDEU115 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Foundation to Level 2 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCDEU183

  Understand and apply in complex sentences a range of vocabulary and grammatical structures, including future tense, imperative mood and some relative pronouns, for the purposes of interaction, narration, description, persuasion, argument and exposition

  Elaborations

  • specifying and describing people, places and objects by applying knowledge of the case system to articles, common demonstratives, and possessives followed by adjectives, for example, Jedes deutsche Kind isst gern Kartoffelpuffer.; Ich habe mit meinem neuen Computer große Probleme.
  • recognising instances of the genitive case mainly in written texts, for example, Omas Leben, die Rolle der Frau, der Gebrauch des Genitivs, understanding its function to indicate possession and using the more common ‘von + dative case + noun’ as an alternative, for example, das Haus von meinen Eltern/das Haus meiner Eltern
  • noticing that relative pronouns have gender and case and are usually the same as definite articles, and understanding the difference in function, for example, Der Mann, der am Tisch sitzt, ist Koch.; Das ist der Beruf, den ich am interessantesten finde.
  • understanding and using the appropriate tense (present, present perfect, simple past, future) with a range of regular and irregular verbs, including:
    • common reflexive verbs, including some with dative reflexive pronoun and noun direct object, for example, Ich wasche mir die Hände.
    • transitive and intransitive verbs
    • modal verbs
    • verbs with separable and inseparable prefixes
  • describing plans and aspirations using werden and a single infinitive, for example, In der Zukunft werde ich mehr Sport treiben.
  • using the different imperative forms of verbs for peers and adults, for example, SpielSpielt/Spielen Sie mit! Sei/Seid/Seien Sie willkommen!
  • indicating contradiction using doch
  • connecting and contrasting ideas, events and actions using a variety of conjunctions and cohesive devices, including embedded clauses such as relative clauses, and noticing the word order, for example, Um Geld zu haben, muss man einen Job finden.; Entweder werde ich Klempner oder Elektriker. Der Film, den du sehen willst, läuft jetzt im Kino
  • understanding the difference between interrogatives which incorporate a preposition and refer to people and those which refer to objects, for example, Mit wem gehst du zur Party?; Worüber schreibst du deinen Englischaufsatz?
  • noticing and experimenting with compound forms such as common da- and wo(r)- constructions, for example, Was machst du damit? Woran erinnerst du dich?
  • understanding and using the accusative, dative and ‘two-way’ prepositions accurately with regard to case and meaning, including a limited range of common idiomatic prepositional phrases, for example, Meine Eltern sind mit 21 aus Deutschland ausgewandert. Sie denkt oft an ihre Kindheit
  • modifying meaning through the use of adverbs and adverbial phrases, for example, Das haben sie schon gemacht. Lauft so schnell wie möglich zum Supermarkt!
  • using a range of expressions for indefinite quantities, for example, einige, manche, mehrere
  • understanding and using formulaically common subjunctive forms (Konjunktiv II) such as hätte and wäre and würde + infinitive, for example, Wenn ich reich wäre, würde ich ein schnelles Auto kaufen. Er tut so, als ob er keine Zeit hätte

  VCDEU183 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• Languages | German: Rationale and Aims

  Rationale

  Students acquire communication skills in German. They develop  understanding about the role of language and culture in communication. Their reflections on  language use and language learning are applied in other learning contexts.

  Learning languages broadens students’ horizons...

  Overview material | German

• VCDEC123

  Obtain and process information from peers and texts related to personal, social and natural worlds

  Elaborations

  • gathering information about a fellow student or German speaker relating to family, home, interests and abilities, and compiling the information in a modelled format, such as Steckbrief
  • obtaining information about lifestyles in German-speaking countries (homes, schools, climate, pets, geography) from shared and independent reading of simple digital texts
  • collecting information about different animal species (Haustiere, Wildtiere, Waldtiere, australische Tiere), and creating a display with names and appropriate adjectives, for example, Der Löwe ist mutig und stark.
  • identifying points of information in short spoken texts with some unfamiliar language, for example, the name and number on a recorded phone message, the age of a child interviewed, some items on a recorded shopping list
  • comparing information about activities and practices across cultures, for example, reading, viewing or listening to texts related to aspects of school life such as timetables, canteen menus, extracurricular activities and sports
  • working in groups to obtain and use factual information from texts related to other learning areas, for example, completing a simple science experiment, naming countries and significant land features, or recording distances using geography skills

  VCDEC123 | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Communicating | Informing

• Languages | German: Structure

  Sequences of learning

  The German curriculum recognises that there are different entry points into language learning across F–10, which reflects current language teaching practice.

  There are two possible learning sequences:

  • F–10 sequence for students who begin to learn the language...

  Overview material | German

• German - F–10 Sequence: Levels 9 and 10 description

  Students expand their knowledge and control of grammatical elements such as register, future tense, reflexive verbs and subordinate clauses. They examine the processes involved in learning and using a different language, recognising cognitive, cultural, personal and linguistic processes. They...

  Level description | Languages | German | F–10 Sequence

• German - 7–10 Sequence: Levels 9 and 10 description

  Students expand their knowledge and control of grammatical elements such as register, future tense, reflexive verbs and subordinate clauses. They examine the processes involved in learning and using a different language, recognising the cognitive, cultural, personal and linguistic processes. They...

  Level description | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence

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

  Students become familiar with the sounds of German, including pronunciation, rhythm, intonation and stress. They recognise similarities with many English words, noting differences in pronunciation (Computer, Buch, Auto). They approximate the pronunciation and phrasing of single words and short...

  Level description | Languages | German | 7–10 Sequence