Students become familiar with the sounds and patterns of spoken Japanese, including pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. They identify words borrowed from English, observing differences in pronunciation...
Students become familiar with the sounds and patterns of spoken Japanese, including pronunciation, rhythm and intonation. They identify words borrowed from English, observing differences in pronunciation and spelling. They use Japanese in classroom interactions and short communicative tasks. They listen to and read texts to obtain specific details or to understand general meaning. Students understand and apply rules or patterns to elements of Japanese grammar including word order, simple verb forms, nouns, adjectives and particles. They understand that language is organised as text, and that texts use different structures and language features to achieve different purposes. Students use modelled examples and apply knowledge of language features to create texts for informative, personal or descriptive purposes. Students develop an awareness of different cultural perspectives. They identify words, phrases and behaviours that convey Japanese traditions including politeness and humility and use these appropriately.
Students are encouraged to speak, listen to, read and write Japanese. They use modelled and rehearsed language and gestures in familiar contexts and begin to use learnt language to express their personal meaning. They experiment with sounds and use high-frequency words and expressions, broadening their range of vocabulary and language functions. They develop knowledge of Japanese word order and of grammatical features including particles, adjectives, verb tenses and politeness forms. Students apply this knowledge in simple oral and written texts such as self-introductions and statements relating to themselves and their personal worlds. They become aware of the systematic nature of Japanese grammar and of its importance in conveying meaning. They develop metalanguage to talk about Japanese grammar and to make comparisons and connections with their own language(s).
Students are exposed to all three scripts, hiragana, katakana and kanji, and develop a working knowledge of how these are used to create meaning. They develop proficiency in reading and writing hiragana and use high-frequency katakana and kanji to read and write words and sentences.
Students read, view and listen to a range of texts, and apply modelled language to create and present their own texts. They share grammatical knowledge and language resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They begin to use vocabulary and grammar accurately, drafting and editing texts to improve structure and to clarify meaning. They develop linguistic and cultural awareness through analysing texts, comparing languages, and applying their knowledge in language exercises and tasks.
Students use a range of processes such as observing, comparing and reflecting on language use to identify how cultural perspectives are embedded in language and how language choices determine how people, issues and circumstances are represented. They develop metalanguage for discussing the nature of language and culture, and monitor and reflect on their language and culture.
By the end of Level 8, students interact with one another and the teacher in classroom routines and activities, exchanging greetings, wishes and information about their personal and social worlds. They use gestures and formulaic expressions appropriately, for example, おくれて すみません。しつれいします。 They comprehend and respond to familiar questions, such as だれ、 何(なに)、 どこ、 いつ、 何(なん)よう日(び)、 どんな、 and instructions, such as たって ください。三人の グループに なって ください。、 using rehearsed and some spontaneous language. They ask for assistance and clarification, for example, ～は 何 ですか。十四ページ ですね。. They pronounce voiced and unvoiced sounds, long vowels, blends, double consonants and high-frequency loan words with developing rhythm and intonation. They read and write texts in hiragana and katakana, with some kanji for numbers...
By the end of Level 8, students interact with one another and the teacher in classroom routines and activities, exchanging greetings, wishes and information about their personal and social worlds. They use gestures and formulaic expressions appropriately, for example, おくれて すみません。しつれいします。 They comprehend and respond to familiar questions, such as だれ、 何(なに)、 どこ、 いつ、 何(なん)よう日(び)、 どんな、 and instructions, such as たって ください。三人の グループに なって ください。、 using rehearsed and some spontaneous language. They ask for assistance and clarification, for example, ～は 何 ですか。十四ページ ですね。. They pronounce voiced and unvoiced sounds, long vowels, blends, double consonants and high-frequency loan words with developing rhythm and intonation. They read and write texts in hiragana and katakana, with some kanji for numbers, days of the week and high-frequency nouns, adjectives and verbs, such as人、 先生(せんせい)、 日本(にほん)、 大(おお)きい、 小(ちい)さい、 友(とも)だち、 行(い)きます、 食(た)べます. Students identify key points of information in short predictable written, spoken and multimodal texts, understanding descriptions of people, objects, places and activities. They use non-verbal, visual and contextual cues to assist in making meaning. Students use rehearsed language related to their personal world to convey information in both written and spoken texts. They produce short sentences involving nouns, verbs (for example, 何を しますか 。ゲームを します。), common counter classifiers (for example, ～人、 ～ひき、 ～さい), and adjective, noun and verb predicates. They apply correct stroke order to all characters, and use appropriate punctuation and textual features in texts such as captions, greeting cards, profiles, emails or timelines. They structure sentences using correct word order, and link information using conjunctions such as そしてandそれから. They translate and interpret short spoken texts, explaining Japanese gestures and expressions that do not readily translate into English, for example, はじめまして、どうぞよろしく。. They adjust their language to suit different contexts and situations, for example, the use of appropriate titles and forms of address, and respond in culturally appropriate ways to interactions with other Japanese speakers, such as bowing when greeting, and using appropriate eye contact.
Students recognise the nature and roles of the three Japanese scripts, understanding that hiragana represents the basic unit of Japanese sound, kanji represents meaning, and katakana is used for borrowed words. They use the hiragana and katakana chart as a tool when writing and reading, recognising their systematic nature. They know that hiragana and katakana are pronounced identically and that the pronunciation of borrowed words is determined by the Japanese sound system. Students understand and apply grammatical concepts such as the use of particles, for example, の、 へ、 に、 で、 と、 も、 が、 は、 を、 か、 よ、 and conjugation of present, past, positive and negative forms of verbs. They understand and use いand なadjectives, and apply the rules of counter classifiers such as ～人、～月(がつ)、 ～ひき/びき/ぴき. They explain how language and behaviour change according to participants, context and relationship, and that politeness and respect are expressed explicitly in Japanese through greetings, vocabulary, formulaic expressions and actions. They understand that languages and cultures change over time, and provide examples of how languages borrow words from one another. Students make connections and comparisons between elements of the Japanese language and culture and their own, identifying how languages reflect ways of thinking and behaving. They identify how Japanese values such as humility and harmony are reflected in language, such as by deflecting praise, for example, じょうずですね。
いいえ。、 softening responses with expressions such asちょっと or あんまり、 and using indirect forms of refusal or disagreement.
Students expand their range of vocabulary to subjects beyond their immediate world and familiar experiences. They develop broader grammatical knowledge, using verbs and い/な adjectives, negative...
Students expand their range of vocabulary to subjects beyond their immediate world and familiar experiences. They develop broader grammatical knowledge, using verbs and い/な adjectives, negative conjugations, various particles, counters, superlatives and conjunctions, to describe and sequence events. With support they create a range of texts and participate in information sharing and performances. They recognise and apply Japanese punctuation conventions and the characteristic features of text types, including self-introductions and letters. Students analyse the relationship between language and culture, identifying cultural references in texts and considering how language reflects and influences perspectives, for example, the use of the prefixes ご/お to show respect. They make comparisons between Japanese and other languages, and reflect on the experience of moving between languages and cultural systems.
Japanese is used for classroom interactions and transactions, for creating and maintaining a class dynamic, and for explaining and practising language forms. Students explore a variety of texts, including songs and role-plays, with particular reference to their social, cultural and communicative interests. They share language knowledge and resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They use modelled and rehearsed language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. Students use vocabulary and grammar with increasing accuracy, drafting and re-drafting to improve and clarify meaning.
Students learn to use katakana and develop their understanding of the relationship between hiragana, katakana and kanji in texts. They read, view and interact with a growing range of texts for a variety of informative, transactional and communicative purposes. They are developing a broader range of vocabulary and expression and creating more complex sentences, for example, using structures such as まい日(にち)、友(とも)だちとバスでがっこうに行(い)きます。.
By the end of Level 8, students use Japanese to interact with peers, the teacher and others to exchange information, recount experiences and express opinions. They use verb ましょう for planning and making arrangements and offering suggestions. They ask and respond to a range of questions, for example, だれと、何(なん)で、いつ、どこで、using both rehearsed and some spontaneous language, giving opinions and making comparisons, for example, でも or が、わたしは フットボールが 好きです。でも、母は フットボールが 好きじゃないです。. Students apply rules of pronunciation, rhythm, stress and intonation to a range of sentence types and vocabulary, including double consonant and long vowel sounds and borrowed words. Students read and write hiragana, read katakana, and write familiar katakana words, including elongated vowels, double consonants and contractions...
By the end of Level 8, students use Japanese to interact with peers, the teacher and others to exchange information, recount experiences and express opinions. They use verb ましょう for planning and making arrangements and offering suggestions. They ask and respond to a range of questions, for example, だれと、何(なん)で、いつ、どこで、using both rehearsed and some spontaneous language, giving opinions and making comparisons, for example, でも or が、わたしは フットボールが 好きです。でも、母は フットボールが 好きじゃないです。. Students apply rules of pronunciation, rhythm, stress and intonation to a range of sentence types and vocabulary, including double consonant and long vowel sounds and borrowed words. Students read and write hiragana, read katakana, and write familiar katakana words, including elongated vowels, double consonants and contractions. They read and write high-frequency kanji for verbs (for example, 行きます、見ます、来きます), nouns (for example, 先生、父、母、月よう日), adjectives (for example, 早い), and the pronoun 私. They read some compound words such as 日本語. They locate, analyse and summarise information from a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts, such as video clips, letters, posters, notices and advertisements. They plan, draft and present informative and imaginative texts with the support of modelled resources. They use counter classifiers in response to questions, for example, いくつ、何まい、何本、何分. They build cohesion in their texts and elaborate on meaning through the use of grammatical elements such as conjunctions (for example, だから), and adverbs of frequency (for example, いつも), time (for example, 時、半、分、前(まえ)) and direction, for example, みぎ、ひだり、前、うしろ. They use a variety of verb tenses to express ideas and experiences, and a range of particles, such as が、へ、から、まで、including for exampleに to indicate timeframes. Students translate and interpret short texts from Japanese into English and vice versa, providing alternative expressions when equivalence is not possible. They share their reactions to intercultural experiences, describing and explaining why some elements fit easily with their sense of their own identity while others do not.
Students understand that the pronunciation of katakana is the same as that of hiragana, and that the pronunciation of borrowed words is influenced by the Japanese sound system. They apply appropriate word order in their spoken and written language, varying the order of noun phrases without altering the meaning. They understand and use いandなadjectives when appropriate, and apply the rules of phonetic change to counter classifiers, such as ひとつ、さんぼん、じゅっぷん. They identify and reproduce features of familiar text types such as emails, descriptions and dialogues. They identify words (for example, お母さんand 母), phrases (for example, どうぞよろしく。), prefixes (for example, お and ご), suffixes (for example, ～さん and ～さま) and titles (for example, ～先生) that indicate different levels of formality. They recognise values that are important in Japanese society, such as maintaining harmony and a sense of collective well-being, and how these are reflected through language and behaviours, such as indirect forms of refusal or disagreement, for example,もうすこしがんばりましょう。. They explain how cultural values and ideas are embedded in all languages and how their own communicative behaviour might be interpreted from other cultural perspectives.
The VCAA has recently published the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0. To view the revised curriculum, familiarisation resources and support material, go to the Victorian Curriculum F–10 Version 2.0 website.
