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• VCZHC019

  Obtain and process information about significant people, places and events from spoken and visual sources, and convey this information using learnt phrases and key words

  Elaborations

  • identifying commonly used terms for daily activities such as 你几点睡觉？ to contribute in an online discussion with sister-school friends
  • describing people, places and things using actions and gestures, for example, to create a video clip to describe the school
  • planning and presenting short reports about holidays, special events and places using photos, illustrations, captions, diagrams
  • listening to short spoken texts containing some unfamiliar language, identifying key information, for example, name and phone number of speaker in a voicemail message, or the names, year level and age of Chinese children in a short interview

  VCZHC019 | Languages | Chinese | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 3 and 4 | Communicating | Informing

• VCZHU259

  Explain how changes in context impact on how language is adapted to convey meaning within and across languages

  Elaborations

  • exploring how living in the Australian context impacts on how they present their ideas in Chinese, for example, considering how essays written in Chinese in Australia often follow the accepted organisation and formatting of essays in the Australian education system rather than the Chinese education system
  • analysing what is valued across cultures and discussing the impact of this on how meanings are conveyed in Chinese and English, for example, quoting 孔子 or using 成语 is evidence of a higher level of literacy in Chinese, but quoting modern-day experts or using technical vocabulary is considered to be reflective of a higher education level in many English-speaking communities
  • understanding the historical traditions behind the differences between oral and written language in Chinese ( 文言 and 白话)
  • reflecting on their own different ways of communicating and how they adjust language, gesture and content to suit different contexts, cultures and languages, for example, considering topics that are acceptable in one culture but taboo in another
  • identifying differences in pronunciation and/or tone across different Chinese-speaking environments, for example, 和 is pronounced ‘hé’ in mainland China but can be pronounced as ‘hàn’ in Taiwan

  VCZHU259 | Languages | Chinese | First Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCZHU064

  Compare and reflect on how cultural contexts influence the way language is used within and across communities

  Elaborations

  • identifying the things they take for granted in communication (for example, a shared understanding of gesture, body language and nuances), and reflecting on how these aspects may be interpreted differently by others
  • discussing how language use varies between communities, and reflecting on how communication is shaped by a community’s geographical location, languages and cultures, for example, 计算机 / 电脑， 哪儿 / 哪里
  • reflecting on how particular words of cultural significance may be interpreted differently by others, for example, ‘mate’ in Australian context and 兄弟 in Chinese context
  • inferring the relationship of participants in a spoken interaction by observing word choices and gestures, for example, 老张 / 张校长/张小明, and asking: What titles and terms of address are used for individuals in Chinese? How do these titles compare to English practices?

  VCZHU064 | Languages | Chinese | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | The role of language and culture

• VCZHU096

  Discuss how language choices reflect cultural practices, including clarifying roles and relationships between participants in interactions

  Elaborations

  • discussing cultural values reflected in language use (for example, in relation to celebrations) and how they influence interactions, for example, by asking: In the colloquial phrase 合家团圆, what is 团圆？ Why wish people 团圆？ Does this have the same meaning in Australian culture? What’s the relationship between the language use and the Chinese values in this phrase?
  • identifying aspects taken for granted in communication (for example, a shared understanding of gesture, body movement and word meanings), and comparing ways people interact across cultures, asking, for example: How do Chinese people use gesture? Which non-verbal cues are shared with English speakers? Do they mean the same thing in both cultures? How does not understanding these differences impact on how we perceive each other?
  • exploring the nature of the concept of ‘family’ in Chinese culture and how this influences relationships between individuals, for example, addressing adults as 叔叔 or 阿姨
  • experimenting with multiple ways of expressing similar meanings in Chinese (for example, 你叫什么？ 你叫什么名字？ 你几岁？你多大？) and discussing the differences in the context of use
  • discussing how different roles and relationships are reflected in or impacted by word choices, for example, whether/when it is appropriate to ask someone’s age, when to say 你几岁？ or 你多大了？or when to use 你属什么?
  • considering the different ways of addressing people in authority (李老师；王校长) and how this reflects the importance of respect and hierarchy in Chinese culture

  VCZHU096 | Languages | Chinese | Second Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | The role of language and culture

• VCZHU076

  Analyse and examine how effective authors control sentence structure and use language to engage their audience

  Elaborations

  • comparing the use of words that rely on interpretation of context to convey the intended meaning (such as 让、给), for example, listening to and reading several extracts from texts which use the same word in a different way
  • expressing conditions (for example, 如果…就); expressing cause and effect (for example, 为了…); and expressing the condition, quality or result of an action, for example, 坐得下、 说得对、 做完、买到
  • justifying opinions and building logical arguments by expressing additional information and providing reasons (for example, using 不但…而且…；除了…以外；另外), and introducing contrasting views to others using elements such as cohesive devices, for example, 不是…而是…；不过；虽然…但是…
  • exploring the ways in which language can be manipulated to make ideas more objective, for example, removal of personal pronouns and opinions
  • examining the use of noun phrases in Chinese and experimenting with omitting nouns (zero subjects) in their own communication
  • experimenting with the use of 成语 and famous sayings to substantiate ideas in Chinese
  • experimenting with 的 as a subject modifier to express ideas that would contain relative clauses in English, for example, 我昨天买的书不太贵

  VCZHU076 | Languages | Chinese | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Systems of language

• VCZHU192

  Explain how languages shape the communicative practices of individuals and groups, and identify ways to enhance understanding across cultures

  Elaborations

  • reflecting on how attitudes or values they consider normal in one language may not feel or be viewed in the same way when discussed in a different language, for example humility is a value often conveyed in Chinese but not in English
  • exploring what assumptions are inherent in one language and examining how they might talk differently about the same things in a different language
  • exploring how concepts such as modesty, individual responsibility and respect for authority influence communication styles, and how they may be interpreted by English speakers as lack of confidence, engagement or initiative

  VCZHU192 | Languages | Chinese | Background Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Role of language and culture

• VCZHU080

  Analyse the ways in which language choices reflect cultural practices and values and how language is used to express familiarity and distance between participants in interactions

  Elaborations

  • exploring how known languages influence their own communicative preferences, such as reflecting the values of one culture when communicating in another, for example, differences in the use and frequency of ‘thank you’ and 谢谢
  • making connections between their first language and how it influences communication in additional languages, for example: Why do Chinese speak English in certain ways? What features of my first language influence how I speak Chinese? How does this affect mediation of ideas between languages?
  • interacting with people of different ages and positions, varying language and level of formality according to relative status, for example, using appropriate ways to accept or decline requests, compliments or suggestions (你能不能帮我一点忙？---- 对不起，我没有空; 您找谁？- 你爸爸在家吗？)
  • examining how concepts such as humour and humility are conveyed in Chinese, and discussing how these may be perceived by non-native Chinese speakers
  • reflecting on taboos in language use and how these can impact on communication across cultures, for example: Is it okay to ask someone’s age in China? Why do numbers and colours matter? What are we superstitious about in Australia? What hand gestures are acceptable with Chinese speakers? What can I joke about?
  • defining familiarity and distance as they relate to language use

  VCZHU080 | Languages | Chinese | Second Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | The role of language and culture

• VCZHU190

  Explain how gender, social class and age affect language use in formal and informal contexts

  Elaborations

  • exploring different levels of formality involving a range pf settings and participants
  • viewing a variety of blogs and comparing language use in order to hypothesise about the age and gender of the authors
  • comparing informal interactions such as live interviews with studio discussions about an issue on news and current affairs programs
  • considering the impact of using formal language in establishing one’s authority or to display knowledge on a topic
  • reading extracts of 古典小说, such as 《水浒传》, and noticing how language use differs from contemporary speech, for example, 史进道： 小人大胆， 敢问官人高姓大名？ 那人道：洒家是经略府提辖， 姓鲁， 讳个达字。 敢问阿哥，你姓什么？
  • converting informal spoken language into formal register to suit particular purposes, and experimenting with terms such as 明文规定 and 众所周知

  VCZHU190 | Languages | Chinese | Background Language Learner | F–10 Sequence | Levels 9 and 10 | Understanding | Language variation and change

• VCZHU241

  Analyse features of classical literature in their original and contemporary forms, and apply features of 文言文 and 古文 in their own language use, identifying rules of intonation in classical poems and the impact of these rules on modern poetry

  Elaborations

  • exploring symbolism in classical literature and in modern pop culture, such as the connotations of key terms such as 凤凰
  • discussing the revival of the study of traditional texts (国学) and the reasons for such interest in the past
  • considering the role technology plays in their own lives and how it impacts on the ways they communicate with others and use language to convey ideas
  • identifying examples of internet language and discussing how these shape or impact their own language use, for example, 囧 、 槑 、 烎
  • comparing ‘internet novel’ (网络小说) with contemporary 小说 and identifying the impact of the internet in popularising and increasing access to Chinese literature

  VCZHU241 | Languages | Chinese | First Language Learner | 7–10 Sequence | Levels 7 and 8 | Understanding | Language variation and change