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'Y~ar~ Carricalam ~
QUEENSLAND SCHOOL
CURRICULUM COUNCIL
* * LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH
* \'~ar~ 1 to 3 Carricalam Gaid~lin~~
QUEENSLAND SCHOOL
CURRICULUM COUNCIL
Project team
Photographs
Cover photographs
*
* * * *
Deleece Batt and Amanda Pentti wrote t he Years 1 to 3 Languages other than English Curriculum Guidelines in consultat ion with Carolyn Harrod (Principa l
Proj ect Officer) and Barry Salmon (Ass istant Director, Curricu lum
Deve lopment) of the Queensland School Curriculum Counci l.
The cont ributi on of the ten t ri al schools is gratefully acknowledged
Specia l thanks are extended to members of the LOTE Management
Group; the LOTE Syllabus Advisory Committee and tertiary crit ica l
friends. Details of these groups can be found in Acknowledgments, p. 83.
The va luable contributions of staff and children of the following early
childhood comm un it ies and schools are gratefully acknowledged:
AB. Paterson College, Arundel
Benowa State School, Benowa
Brisbane Centra l State School, Spring Hill
Cairns Adventi st School. Cairns
Hamilton House Early Chi ldhood Centre , Ascot
Our Lady of Mt Carmel, Coorpa roo
St Francis Xavier School, Goodna
West End State School, West End
Birthday bear, waterp lay, read ing visua l texts, puppet play,
hiragana snap: Deleece Batt
Fi reworks star: Gerard Batt
Globe, handprints Sti lls Photo Library
Student groups © The State of Queensland (The Office of the
Queensland School Cu rri culum Counci l ) 2000
ISBN 0 7345 2145 6
©The State of Queensland (The Office of the Queensland School Curriculum Council) 2000
Copyright protects this publication. Except for purposes permitted by the Copyright Act, reproduction by whatever means is prohibited. Lim ited photocopying for classroom use is permitted by educational institutions that have a licence with the Copyright Agency Limited {CAL)
Any inquiries should be addressed to:
Queensland School Curriculum Council PO Box 3 I 7 Brisbane Albert Street , Q 4002 Australia
Telephone: {07) 3237 0794 Facsimile: {07) 3237 1285 Email: [email protected] edu au Webs ite: www.qscc.qld.edu.au
PIP: LOTE99009
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
* *
Foreword iv
Introduction
I . Background information 3
Rationale for learning another language in Years I to 3 3
Nature of the key learning area in the early childhood years 4
Contribution of the key learning area to lifelong learning 5
2. Understandings about learners and learning I 0
Learning another language I 0
Characteristics of young learners II
The influence of first language acquisition 13
Interaction in th e language classroom 14
Key aspects of learning and teaching another language 18
Goals for learning and teaching 19
Developing communication skills 24
Catering for individual needs 29
3. Outcomes for planning and assessment 32
Framework 32
Strand of the key learning area 32
Levels 32
Suggested learning outcomes 33
Elaborations of learning outcomes 36
Foundation fields of learning 39
Ideas for learning experiences: sequence for learning and teaching 41
Planning for tasks 43
Three phases for sequencing tasks 45
General decisions that impact on all planning 46
LOTE planner: sample unit of work 4 7
Reflective questions for planning 50
4. Assessment 5 I
Principles of assessment 51
Techniques for gathering information 53
Making judgments and reporting 55
Appendixes 57
Appendix I Play to promote communicative interaction 57
Appendix 2 Learning approaches 66
Appendix 3 LOTE planner template 70
Appendix 4 Assessment template examples 72
Glossary 76
Select bibliography 79
* Acknowledgments 83
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
*~ * * F
*
* * or~word
The Years I to 3 Languages other than English (LOTE) Curriculum Guidelines is an
initiative of the Office of the Queensland School Curriculum Council and is
designed to interface with the Years 4 to I 0 Languages other than English
Syllabuses and associated curricu lum materia ls. These guidelines have
been designed for teachers implementing a variety of LOTE programs in the early childhood yea rs of schooling in a diverse range of settings
including state, independent and Catholic schools.
Language learning in the early chi ldhood years makes an important
contribution to the child's sense of self and cu ltural identity and the
development of social and cognit ive ski ll s. In LOTE programs children use
language in purposefu l tasks that contribute to their understanding of the
world and their ability to interact with people and to negotiate meaning.
The curriculum guidelines offer a framework for developing age
appropriate programs and describe ways in which teachers could provide
tasks that promote communicative interaction.
This book cont ributes to establishing the foundations for lifelong language
learning. As such it wi ll play a significant role in the national initiative to
promote language proficiency and wi ll help ensure that Queensland
students become part icipants in our global language networks.
J E Tunsta ll
Director, Queensland School Curriculum Council
November 2000
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Languages other than English in the early childhood context
Purposes
Content
* * 11 trodacti on
The Years I to 3 Languages other than English (LOTE) Curriculum Guidelines publication has been developed for teachers who are implementing
LOTE programs in the early ch ildhood years of schooling. LOTE programs in these years are diverse in nature. Programs range from those that raise
child ren's awareness of language and culture to approaches that embed an
add it iona l language into the early childhood curricu lum. Programs may also
differ in the time allocated to the Languages other than English key learning
area. These guidelines acknowledge the diverse nature of programs in
varied settings includ ing Catholic, independent and state sectors.
The Years I to 3 LOTE Curri culum Guidelines are intended to describe,
rather than prescribe, ways in wh ich teachers might provide language tasks
that promote culturally appropriate comm unicative interaction in the
language context.
These gu idelines have been developed by LOTE Project Officers of the
Queensland School Curriculum Council in consultation with stakeholders
in LOTE education in the early years of schooling. They:
• provide a framework to assist teachers in developing, implementing and evaluating an effect ive Years I to 3 LOTE cu rriculum;
• highl ight the value of LOTE learning and it s contribut ion to establish ing the foundations for lifelong learning;
• provide suggestions of language functions for the linguist ic content of the LOTE program;
• promote developmentally, socially and culturally appropriate opportunities and outcomes for children learning another language in Years I to 3.
These guidelines describe the essentia l elements of an effective LOTE
program consistent with the developmental levels of children in the early
yea rs of schooling. A rationale has been included as well as a description
of the nature of the key learning area . The primary target audience consists
of LOTE teachers who are not experienced in early childhood teaching.
Experienced early childhood LOTE teachers should find that this book
confirms their current practice and provides new ideas to incorporate into
their programs.
Learning is enhanced when it involves making connections between
different areas of knowledge and experience. This is recognised in the
foundation fields of learning in the guidelines, which provide a suggested
framework for the integrated organisation of the content and contexts for
tasks. The implications of the children 's leve ls of development have been
emphasised.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Learning involves
interaction with others
Individuals differ in their
styles and rates of
learning
To ensure continui ty in LOTE learning across Yea rs 1 to 10, links are established to the val ued attributes of a lifelong learner, described in the
Years 4 to 10 Languages other than Engli sh Syllabuses.
The influence of first language acquisition on LOTE learning in the early
years is discussed to ass ist teachers to reflect on, and critique, their
current beliefs and pract ices. Comprehensib le input and output are suggested as a means of informing LOTE teachers of suitable
methodologies for promoting language interact ion in the classroom. ideas to assist teachers in the development of an interactive classroom have
been provided for modification according to individual school contexts.
Teachers cons ider the individua l needs of children as they plan tasks .
These gu idelines provide suggestions for supporting individual needs and
learn ing styles Strategies are also provided for mixed ability groupings
and for background speakers of the language being taught
Goals for language learning
Learning outcomes
Further reading
0 *
The Australian Language Levels Guidelines (Scarino et a!. 1998, Book 1,
pp. 29- 31) identifies five broad categories of goals that are relevant to
LOTE programs in all bands of schooling. Each broad category is described
and adapted, and pract ica l ideas are provided for incorporating
socioculturally appropriate tasks into programs.
Suggested learning outcomes for LOTE learning are provided to assist
teachers as they plan, facilitate tasks and monitor learning. Learning outcomes at Leve ls 1 and 2 in the Years 1 to 3 LOTE Curriculum Guidelines
are the same as the Leve l 1 and 2 outcomes in the Years 4 to 10 Languages
other t han English Syllabuses. This helps teachers to plan programs with a smooth transition fo r children between early and middle primary school.
An Introductory Level of outcomes has been suggested for children learning
another language in Years l to 3. The principles and modes of assessment
are included together with a wide range of strategies that supports
individual differences in demonstrating the suggested learning outcomes.
Teachers can use the se lect bibliography to extend their knowledge about
second language acquisition, early chi ldhood, diversity and learning
approaches.
*
** * Learning in volves interaction with others.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
* * Bac~roand information
Rationale for learning another language in Years I to 3
LOTE provides young
children with many
enriching experiences
Aust ralian society is cultural ly and linguistically diverse and functions
increasingly wi thin a wider global community It is important that teachers
acknowledge, va lue and accept the diverse l inguistic and cultural
perspectives that children bring to a learning context. They should
encourage all chi ldren to communicate with, understand and value those who come from different backgrounds . For young chil dren, learning a
language other t han Engli sh significantly enriches their cogn it ive, cu ltural.
educational and social development.
Language learning for the individual
Benefits of learning a LOTE
Learning another language has numerous benefits for children. It can
enable them to
• communicate in the target language;
• enhance t heir intellectua l and socia l development;
• enhance their understanding of their first language and cu lture;
• expand the ir knowledge so that they approach tasks with insights gained from another language and culture;
• participate in the life of another cu lture and ga in an understanding of the similarities and differences between cultures;
• enhance their se lf-esteem;
• develop a sense of social justice;
• enhance their future vocat ional prospects.
(Scarino eta! 1988, Book 1. 1)
In addition to intellectual , social and cognitive benefits, there can be
future economic benefits since learning a LOTE enables people to interact wi th other cultures more sensitively and effectively.
Benefits of learning another language at an early age
Cognitive benefits
Children in the early childhood years have a natural curiosity about the
world, are eager to learn and are very receptive. Early childhood is an
ideal age to begin learn ing another language When children begin to
acknowledge cultural diversity, they begin to learn the positive value to
society as a whole of understanding and sharing between different cu ltu res
Children are helped to interact sensitively wi th people of other cultures.
Children involved in LOTE programs in the early childhood years have
more opportuniti es to develop th eir metalinguistic awareness , wh ich is the
ability to think and reflect upon the nature and functions of language
(Clyne eta! 1995.8). Early metalinguistic awareness supports reading
development. Learning another language requires children to switch
between their first language and new language systems (Lipton 1994.11 ).
This promotes the development of skil ls in divergent thinking, verba l * flexibi l ity, creativity and higher-order thinking skills.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Cultural benefits
Pronunciation more authentic
Extended years of learning
All cultures have different world views, and each language has its unique culture embedded in it. From a very young age, children are aware of, and interested in, the human diversity that surrounds them. As a result of the messages they receive, most children between age two and age five begin to learn their group's predominant social attitudes towards human differences (Creaser & Dau 1996:3). One cultural benefit of learning another language in the early childhood years is that children begin to discern the similarities and differences between human beings. They then learn cultural ly appropriate ways of interacting with people of the target language community. They begin to see that there are alternative ways of looking at the world. They also start to recognise and challenge bias and stereotyping.
The pronunciation of young learners of LOTE has been demonstrated to more closely approximate that of the target language. This happens because young learners are able to establish phonetic categories in a LOTE that are independent of their first language Young children also tend to be uninhibited and are not afraid to take risks in mimicking and trying to use the target language, so the early childhood years are an optimum period for learning languages. Many argue that the early childhood years are critical since, beyond this period, learners are not likely to attain the almost background speaker levels of pronunciation and intonation that most young children acquire (Patkowski 1994:205;
Clyne et al. 1995147; Harley et al. 1995:44-45).
Supported with rich communicative experiences, younger children have the potential to enjoy all the benefits of learning another language over an extended period of time. As a result. they become more proficient in the language than do those who begin later (Patkowski 1994:21 0) .
*
•* * An early start promotes language acquisition .
Nature of the key learning area in the early childhood years
*
These guidelines take a functional view of language learning, recognising that languages are a means of communicating that allow for the expression and exchange of information about individuals' ideas, views, feelings and attitudes. LOTE programs in the early years of schooling provide opportunities for children to:
• express personal knowledge, experience and thought;
• begin developing a sensitivity to a variety of cultures;
• engage in social interaction through the exchange of information;
• reinforce concepts learnt in other key learning areas by revisiting them;
• increase self-confidence as language users;
• develop skills in linguistic creativity and imagination .
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Focus on communication
The learning of another language in the early childhood years introduces
children to the experience of communicating differently The linguistic
features of communication are integrated within a cultu ral context unique
to the target language commun ity and in appropriate contexts for
children's ages and developmenta l stages These contexts may require children to draw on concepts from other key learning areas. This reinforces
concept knowledge and understandings through the target language.
Young children learn that there is more than one way of looking at the world. This enhances divergent thinking
LOTE is about communication, which involves comprehending and
composing. In the early childhood years, the focus is principally on oral
language communication. The expectations of children communicating through the written mode should be adjusted according to their stages of
development and interest Ch ildren will communicate with real language
for real purposes within the foundation fields of learning, which are detailed later.
Due to the focus on oral language communication in this LOTE program,
some students with disability, including speech-language impa irment and
hearing impairment. and some students with learning difficulties may
require modified learning experiences and assessment to ensure they have
access to programs and can participate in and benefit from them. Support
teachers, teachers of the deaf or speech-language pathologists can
provide specific strategies for the needs of individua l children.
Contribution of the key learning area to lifelong learning
The world that children are growing into is continually changing, so teachers must help children inquire more than acquire.
The Queensland school curriculum is designed to assist chi ldren to
become lifelong learners. The overall learning outcomes of the curriculum
contain elements common to all key learning areas and collectively
describe the valued attributes of a lifelong learner.
A li felong learner is
• a knowledgeable person with deep understanding;
• a complex thinker;
• an active investigator;
• a creative person;
• an effective communicator;
• a participant in an interdependent world;
• a reflective and self-directed learner.
Attributes of a lifelong learner
Knowledgeable person with deep understanding
The Languages other than English key learning area provides many
opportunities for young children to begin developing the va lued attributes
of lifelong learners.
Children understand that different people communicate using a variety of
languages and communication styles to meet their personal. social and
cultural needs. In acquiring another language, children begin to learn how
to interact in culturally appropriate ways in a wide range of contexts.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Complex thinker
Creative person
Active investigator
Effective communicator
Participant in an interdependent world
Reflective and selfdirected learner
Chi ldren think about the language they have learnt and make decisions
about how to respond effectively in a given situation. Children also
develop thinking strategies to internalise and comprehend new language when modelled by the teacher. Recognising patterns and relationships
between elements of language is another th inking strategy children develop through a LOTE program.
Children create with imagination, originality, aesthetic judgment,
enterprise or a risk-taking approach when learning another language.
They can use the target language imaginative ly to create original items
for communicative tasks . Children clarify contexts , explore options and
consider the consequences and implications of choices. They use a variety
of methods to generate new ways to resolve problems, view situations,
make or express new meanings or envision alternative futures.
Children pose problems or initiate questions or hypotheses about a
particu lar topic or issue in the LOTE classroom. They use a variety of
information gathering, processing and management techniques and
technologies to search for, locate, collect, record and collate information.
Children begin to draw conclusions based on verifiable evidence to
support hypotheses or form generalisations
Children communicate orally, nonverbally and, in some cases, in writing
as they use the target language to negotiate meaning in different contexts and for authentic purposes. In their own experiences, children
comprehend a range of spoken and visual texts. Children use problem
solving in practical contexts and use known mathematical language and
symbols to do so.
Children participate in tasks as individuals and interact with others to
communicate. They learn to va lue the perspectives of others, which may be
different from their own. This prepares them to become more sensitive and
informed members of a culturally and linguistica lly diverse community.
Children reflect, with the support of teacher modelling, on the language
they have learnt and how they have learnt it They become aware of how
they learn best and how to use language effectively for a particular purpose
or audience. This ability to reflect assists children as they begin to develop
as independent learners.
Cross-curricular priorities
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In an embedded LOTE program where tasks are based on concepts and
topics from other key learning areas, learning another language allows
children to consolidate and reinforce concepts and skills across the curriculum. The Languages other than English key learning area
incorporates the cross-curricu lar priorities of literacy, numeracy, lifeskills
and a futures perspective.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN EN GLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Literacy Literacy is the ability to
read and use written information and to write appropriately in a range of contexts. It also involves the integration of speaking, listening, viewing and critical thinking with reading and writing, and includes the cultural knowledge which enables a speaker, writer or reader to recognise and use language appropriate to different situations. (Queensland School Curriculum Council 1999(a), p. 3)
Numeracy
Numeracy is the manifestation of practices and dispositions that accurately, efficiently and appropriately meet the demands of everyday situations involving number, space, measurement and data. (Queensland School Curriculum Council 1999(b), p. 4)
In languages other than English the text structures and features may be
quite different from those that relate to the English language. The culture
in which the text has evolved wil l determine the language patterns and
conventions used . Children wi ll need to be shown explicitly how to
organise their texts in the target language. This knowledge will then allow
children to make comparisons between how texts are organ ised in the
target language and how they are organised in English . Children wil l also
begin to learn which texts in the target language have purposes and
audiences simila r to English and those that differ for sociocultural reasons.
The Languages other than English key learning area promotes literacy by
contributing to the development of metalinguistic awareness. As children
constant ly switch between l inguistic systems, they develop verbal
flexibility and more divergent thinking. The experience of another culture
and language can lead to deeper, general understanding of how language functions. The ski l ls deve loped in the learning of a LOTE encourage most
learners to better understand the surface structures of their first language.
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•* * Learning a LOTE promotes literacy.
Languages other than English involve learners in real-life applications of
space, number, measurement and data concepts. They engage in pattern
reading and problem-solving that may be applied to, and reinforce ,
numeracy skills in the early childhood years. LOTE programs promote
numeracy as children use mathematics in real -li fe tasks that involve
• using time (clock time, days, months, sequencing events ) through stories and learning experiences that involve the use of ca lendars;
• counting using whole numbers , incorporating place va lue and reading and writing of numbers;
• constructing and interpreting graphs using people, phys ical objects and pictures;
• investigating sizes and plane and 30 shapes including length and mass;
• investigating patterning and position ;
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Lifeskills
'Lifeskills' involves four overarching components which, when taken together, reflect a set of inescapable human experiences. Fulfilment of these life roles entails the development and demonstration of particular skills. These are: personal development skills, social skills, self-management skills and citizenship skills. (Queensland School Curriculum Council 1999(c), p. 6)
*
• identifying the currency of the target language community through role-playing in situations, such as shopping or carrying out operations involving money;
• problem-solving operations using addition and subtraction and, possibly, multiplication and division;
• collecting and organisi ng data in activities such as simple surveys.
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•* * Learning a LOTE promotes numerac~:~ .
The concept of 'lifeskills' is founded on an assumption that there are at least four interrelated and interdependent life roles that are fundamental to life situations and experiences of people. Learning another language provides young children with extended opportunities to develop and demonstrate the skills necessary to fulfil their life roles.
Communication is a skill that is central to the fulfilment of life roles. Communication in another language develops the ability to solve problems and make decisions about how to communicate to achieve a particular purpose in any situation.
The outcomes that accompany such participation in these life roles are dependent on the complex mix of knowledge, practical performance, attitudes, beliefs and values that each chi ld is ab le to bring to, and develop, within these roles.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Futures perspective
A 'futures' perspective assists children to identify possible, probable and preferred individual and communal futures, and to
understand the value bases of the decision making that enacts such preferred futures. (Queensland School
Curriculum Council
1999(d), p. 4)
Learning another language enables young chi ldren to develop:
• personal skills, such as increased confidence and self-esteem and confidence in being risk takers;
• social ski lls, such as interact ing and cooperating as members of a group and with people of other cultu res;
• self-management skills, such as maintaining a focus and remaining on task without constant teacher direction;
• citizenship ski lls, such as being aware of, and va luing, sociocultural diversity
A 'futures ' perspective attempts to prepare individuals to take steps to create a desirable future. This approach encourages ch ildren to take responsibility for their actions and decisions, to think ahead and to participate in the processes of social innovation, recovery and renewal. Children develop sociocu lturally appropriate linguistic and cultura l competencies through communicating and working cooperatively. The Languages other than English key learning area provides an ideal basis for the problem-solving and decision making required to prepare for the future.
Learning another language prepares children for the complexities and uncertainties of the future. Children who learn another language from an early age develop an international perspective in their outlooks. Children develop a cu ltural awareness, sensitivity and competence that can lead to greater understanding of diversity in a global society. It encourages children to think about alternatives for the future and the possible consequences of their choices.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
* * UildRr~tanding~ ahoat !RariJ.Rr~ aiJ.d !RariJ.iiJ.g
Learning another language
Children are exposed to a new language through tasks that allow for practice and use in a number of contexts.
A task-based approach helps children learn a LOTE in a more holistic way.
*
Tasks engage learners in using language for rea l or li fe like purposes and need to be extensively scaffolded for chi ldren in the early childhood
setting. Young ch ildren engage in activit ies that are sequenced to achieve
some central purpose within a context that has relevance to their socia l. school and persona l lives. In th is way, children become involved and invest
personal meaning in what they comprehend and compose. Through a
task-based program children are exposed to new language that is linked
to prior knowledge They are given opportunit ies to pract ise and use this
language in a number of contexts to achieve their purposes.
Learning a LOTE in the early chi ldhood years provides opportunit ies
for children to reinforce concepts learnt in other key learn ing areas.
A task-based approach in an embedded program all ows children to focus
on using a new language with fam iliar concepts and topics. An embedded
program differs from an immersion one that focuses on content with the
target language being the medium for learn ing. An embedded program
focuses firstl y on the target language, using concepts and topics from
other key learn ing areas for organ ising learn ing Thi s approach allows
ch ildren to learn more holistically. In an embedded program children make
connections between the cultures of the target language and ideas about
the world that they already have. Concepts covered in other areas of the
cu rr icu lum are re inforced so that children are not learning a language as a
subject in itsel f. By learning another language th rough this approach,
ch ildren ga in in con fidence as the ir prior lea rning is recognised
* * Learning a LOTE reinforces concepts from other learning areas.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
I enjoy using art to teach LOTE. Children are
relaxed and tend to
absorb and learn without realising it. If I teach
about the face, I will
make a mask. Children
say the parts of the face as we are making it. We
can talk about size,
colour and revise names of items needed in the
production of the mask. (Years I to 3 LOTE
teacher)
Through an embedded program the LOTE teacher is able to use the
themes and topics included in the chi ldren's regular classroom program,
so that the ch ildren learn holist ica lly. Incorporat ing subject content into
early programs puls language learning into a larger, more meaningful
context and provides si tuations and tasks that requi re rea l-language use
for rea l purposes. Through the use of graphics, gestures, act ion and
repetition, the teacher can make the language comprehensible.
Comprehensible input is discussed further in the next section.
The types of tasks provided will be relevant and engage children's interests
as well as cater for individual needs. In negotiating the curricu lum with
young children, teachers should acknowledge their prior learning. Children should be given cho ices within the ir LOTE programs and be incl uded in
the co llaborative planning of uni ts of work. This approach supports
mu ltilevel teachi ng and learning.
A partnership with the regular classroom teacher is a key componen t of
th is approach. Discussions about the concepts and themes being used in
other learning areas can be tapped into by the LOTE specia list through
such partnerships with classroom teachers Other issues, such as
observations about an individual chi ld 's development, can also be shared
by the classroom teacher and the LOTE teacher to ensure that these issues
inform the planning of inclusive LOTE experiences
Characteristics of young learners
Developmental characteristics
Individual children bring unique characteristics to the communicat ive
context, and effective teaching takes these into account. Many
characteristics at this stage of development promote the acquisition
and learning of another language. Young children usually:
• have a natural enthusiasm for learning, curiosity and a sense of wonder;
• are confident of their own abi l iti es;
• have a growing awareness of the ir own thinking and actions;
• are interested in investigating their world and exploring symbolisation processes;
• have an intense interest in se lf-chosen tasks where they can explore ideas in purposeful contexts;
• are vulnerable and need adult assistance to ensure the ir safety;
• are reliant on adu lts for support and encouragement when learning;
• are rapidly developing physica l and communication ski ll s;
• have a strong interest in the ir fam ilies, communities and developing friendships;
• learn th rough playing and exploring and enjoy pretending;
• learn through the mediums of music, rhythm and movement and are receptive to any activity involving aural perception;
• interpret and represent their world through tangible objects;
• are generally inventive and imaginative;
• demonstrate an emerging sense of right and wrong;
• begin to use renson to solve problems.
(adapted from the Preschool Curriculum Guidelines 1998)
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Implications for teachers
The joy of LOTE learning in the lower primary
years is the utterly fresh insight that children bring
to the target language. Teaching this age group
allows teachers to see the world through the eyes of
the children and brings freshness to teaching.
(Years I to 3 LOTE teacher)
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These characteristics of young children have implications for teachers who are facilitating their learning. Teachers should ensure learning is:
• developmentally appropriate and inclusive of all children;
• purposeful, integrated and relevant to children's needs, interests and abilities;
• relevant to family contexts;
• set in meaningful contexts.
Social relationships are important in the learning environment, and the teacher plays a vital role as a facilitator and guide who extends children's reasoning and understandings. Children need to be supported in taking intellectual risks and developing as self-directed learners.
To promote engagement in learning, teachers can make available a variety of tasks in which children use a range of senses. It is especially useful to note which activities the children enjoy most and which get the attention of the whole group. Learners who are working on a self-chosen task are often able to remain focused for extended periods of time.
Opportunities to invent and discover through engagement and participation should be provided so that curiosity is stimulated and experiences can be shared. Most children are beginning to learn about the symbol systems in their first language and other languages that shape their world. The emphasis should be on children
• listening to and using the target language for real purposes and within real contexts;
• enjoying, using and exploring the target language;
• recycling and reusing the target language;
• thinking about the culturally appropriate use of the target language;
• focusing on , and discussing, modelled strategies used to internalise language;
• engaging in memory-enhancing activities;
• developing a sense of pattern and structures.
Short discussions and multi-sensory experiences give children opportunities to form personal opinions, conclusions and values about their use of the target language and how it differs from, and is similar to, their own language(s) and culture(s) Through talking, listening, looking and doing, children tend to develop the cognitive skills needed to make decisions about how to use language that is culturally appropriate.
*
•* Using a range of senses tnrougn sand play
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
As children mature, they usually bring more finely tuned intellectual. motor and social skills to the classroom as well as a wider knowledge of
the world. All these can be applied to the process of acquiring another
language. It is important to develop linguistic and sociocultural ski lls as
chi ldren use language in a wide range of contexts that draw on other key
learning areas in the curriculum. Younger learners' written skills in the
LOTE will vary according to their stages of development, abi l ities, learning
styles, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and the time available.
Beginners typically comprehend more than they compose. It is important to remember that some children may spend a long time listening to
language before they actua lly produce it Insisting that children
communicate in the target language before they feel ready cou ld cause
emotional stress. Even though some children may choose not to produce
any spoken language for some time, most children wil l still be
internalising it and some may engage in 'private speech'.
The influence of first language acquisition
Similarities between first and additional language learning
Differences between first and additional language learning
There are both similarities and differences in how young learners tend to
learn their first and additional languages. Research shows that most
chi ldren actually pass through simi lar stages as they learn both first and
additiona l languages (Brumfit eta! 1991216) The difference between the
two lies in the conditions under wh ich children learn each language.
Learning language needs to have a purpose. Young children learn
language in context, such as when they need or want something. Children
learning their first language typically begin the process of acquisition by
relying mainly on the use of content words or telegraphic speech. Learners use approximations for standard grammatica l forms as they are acquiring the
language. It appears that learners make hypotheses about language use
that they later subconsciously confirm or reject For example, when using
new vocabulary, they may apply a rule that may or may not be
socioculturally appropriate.
Learners in the early stages of language learning usually rely heavily on the
rehearsed chunks of language and set phrases that they have learnt. From
these they develop generalisations about the structure of the target
language, which they apply in new contexts with new vocabulary. Both first
and additional languages are learned through a process of scaffo lding
where the adu lt or caregiver provides support to ensure that children's
interactions are successful This pattern of language learning is similar for
both first and additional languages
The differences become evident when observing the linguist ic environment
in which languages are learned. In the home situation, there are many
occasions where children interact in one-to-one exchanges . This context is
difficult to replicate in the classroom since one teacher is facilitating
language learning for 20 to 30 children at one time. During interactions at
home, adults usually adjust their speech, through tone of voice, stress,
slower rate, facial expressions, gestures, and actions to tailor responses to
the child's needs. These techniques shou ld be replicated by the teacher
when interacting with young learners of another language.
*
*
* *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Another difference is the developmental level of the learners at the time of
acqu isit ion Children learning another language at school have already had
the opportunity to use language to meet their needs. They begin learning
another language using their prior experiences with language as a basis.
They attempt to express meaning and concepts previously learnt in their
first language This serves as an excellent conso lidation of the concepts
and meanings already acqu ired as we ll as extending cognitive flexibil ity.
Cognitive flexib ility comes about as learners switch from one language to
another
The home usually provides a stress-free environment as chi ldren acquire
their first language When children learn another language at school , the
environment is different; and the classroom may somet imes be a
threatening p lace for t he learner A supportive environment promotes
learning of another language and enhances ch ildren's capaci ty to take risks
in learning. Thi s in turn may influence children's se l f-esteem. It is crucial.
therefore, for teachers to create a supportive classroom environment where
ch i ldren are not afraid to 'have-a-go' or take risks in their language learning.
The focus wi ll be more on fluency than accuracy at this stage of learning.
Interaction in the language classroom
An interactive classroom promotes language use
Research into both first and additiona l language learning supports the
belief that language development occurs through the use of the language.
Learners do not learn the language by merely being immersed in it or by
having good language mode ls around them although these are essential in
a balanced program Exposure to the target language is not sufficient
alone in promot ing language development. An interactive classroom
promotes the use of the language being learnt Teacher-learner and
learner-learner interaction promotes language use and develops new
ways of compos ing and connect ing ideas.
The interactive classroom needs to provide many opportunities for use of
the target language. A learner-centred approach to learning is most helpful
in promot ing language use. Tasks that prov ide young chi ldren with
opportunit ies to be active in their own learning wi ll also promote language
development
To encourage children to learn through usi ng spoken language, teachers
must regularly set up sma ll group, task-oriented situations in which
children have direction and purpose for their talk. They must ensure that
those children who are not so competent have opportunit ies to interact
with more proficient communicators. It is the negotiated interaction that
leads to comprehensible input that in turn promotes language acquisit ion.
Interact ion provides language learners with the opportunity to revisit new
words and st ructures to which they have been exposed in language lessons
and to practise them in context
While the target language should be used in the classroom as often as
practicable, young learners may sometimes require scaffo lding in their first
language. Young child ren will usually want to commun icate and will often
use combinations of their first and additiona l languages This is a normal
part of language acquisition
Teachers need to consider how much of the target language should be * used by observing the needs of the chi ldren and achiev ing the best
ba lance according to th ose needs
* * *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Varied groupings for interaction benefits the learner
Negotiation of the curriculum
Young language learners benefit also from va ried groupings in their
learning Opportunities for chi ldren t o work col laboratively include:
• pair work;
• group work;
• whole-class group activi ti es;
• act ivities across classes including intercultural Internet experiences
Working in groups encourages learners t o begin to take respons ibil ity for
their own learning and learn to work without constant supervision. Working
in pa irs or in groups may be difficult in the early stages of development for
you ng learners, with whole-class and individual work being t he start ing
point Chi ldren can be made aware of how to interact appropriately in pair
and group work situat ions by being helped to focus consciously on the
ski lls required to do so effectively. Bui lding young learners' abilities to
cooperate in pair or group work situations wi ll be of benefit for their
development in the LOTE key learning area, as well as in others
* * Learning to interact appropriately in varied groupings
*
Negotiation of the cu rri cul um is an effect ive strategy to ensure that the
LOTE program is relevant to the chi ldren When teachers and learners
negotiate, they develop a plan together to achieve an agreed purpose. This
could be as simple as col lect ively deciding wh ich topic child ren want to
learn about The children, with guidance from their teacher, could also
plan tasks to learn about the topic and decide on how they could share
what they had learnt For example, chi ldren could decide to use their new
communication ski l ls to present a simple role-play with finger puppets to
an audience or make a labelled col lage of al l the pets that belong to class
members As the curricu lum is planned and developed with children, the
teacher has an important role in identifying the linguist ic content
including both reviewed and new content
Comprehensible input and output
Comprehensible input defined
Comprehensible input is t he modelling of the target language using forms
and structures just beyond the learner's current level of competence in the
*
* *
*
* *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
LOTE. is about negotiation of meaning
Comprehensible output defined
*
language. This provides models of new ways of expressing meaning. The
language can be made comprehensible for the children by means of:
• gestures;
• contextual cues;
• props;
• references to prior knowledge the child brings to the language classroom.
Language input needs to be sufficient for the child to comprehend what is
being said and to provide the basis for future production of the language.
*
•* * Using puppets to help make a snared reading experience comprefzensible
Learners of a second language should have access to meaningful and
comprehensible input through conversational interactions with teachers
and other children. Through negotiation of meaning, children learn language forms that carry meaning Learners can negotiate meaning
through asking for:
• clarification;
• confirmation;
• repetition.
Comprehensible output can be defined as the opportunities given by teachers for the children to use the target language and to negotiate
meaning. This facilitates the development of language proficiency Children
who learn language through group work, pair work and learner-centred
activities use verbal and nonverbal language to a large extent. They also
use a wider range of language for social purposes, such as disagreeing,
requesting and clarifying, when these are modelled extensively and encouraged by the teacher.
In learner-centred approaches, children may not always provide one
another with input that is as grammatically correct as the teacher's. On the
other hand, when children participate in activities that are learner centred,
they offer each other genuine communicative practice that includes
negotiation of meaning. It is this negotiation that is one of the essential
components for language acquisition. So although learners may make
errors, the negotiation is important for acquiring language. When
children are working with peers, the focus is on what they say. These
experiences are complemented by the teacher's incidental focus on form
(i.e. highlighting grammar in the context of use). Correction of errors
should not interrupt the children's flow of talk. Instead, classroom
activities should be developed to correct recurring errors.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Focus on form in the early childhood years
Providing corrective feedback
Children's language learning development advances through input and opportunities for output
The focus for young learners of a language other than English is
communication. Where appropriate, teachers might draw their attention to
the forms of the language as part of the communicative task. There is little
motivation for children to pay attention to structural distinctions that are of minimal importance for expressing meaning in the early stages. This
does not mean, however, that children learn language without any kind of
conscious awareness. As children progress in their language learning, they
increasingly benefit from deliberately focusing on the forms of the
language in tasks that are compatible with their age and which are integrated with overall curriculum themes. When children participate in
tasks involving the use of stories, rhymes and songs, their attention is
indirectly drawn to the structures and forms of the target language. As
young learners play games, a relaxed environment is created in which
real-life retrieval and practice of linguistic features can take place Teachers
should modify their language so it can be understood by young learners.
Teachers can echo children's speech to correct or extend structures while
maintaining the meaning and communication. In this way children's
attention is informally drawn to the forms of the language.
Recently there has been a shift in the way errors are corrected in the classroom. Errors in language use are a natural part of children's learning
and should be seen as positive signs of acquisition. When learners'
attempts are not accurate, teachers can:
• praise or encourage the attempt to make meaning and respond to the children's intention;
• model the correct form in the response to the children;
• use T statements, such as 'I like the way you.
• refrain from overcorrection;
• model correct language.
Many errors will be corrected over time by the presence of good models in
the target language. The priority for young learners is on making meaning
rather than on accuracy at their stage of language learning.
Programs that provide children with corrective feedback and occasional
focus on form instruction are more likely to promote communication in
the target language than programs that emphasise accuracy and fluency.
Teachers can help, for example, by highlighting a particular structure or the
pronunciation of a word. As children make errors in their communication
in the target language, gaps in their interlanguage system become evident.
Teachers can use this information to guide their planning of future
experiences, which will help children to advance their language learning
development and avoid fossilisation of interlanguage patterns.
The concept of interlanguage evolved in an attempt to explain the errors
that children make as they learn another language. Interlanguage is an
internal system of language that is made up of components of the child's
first language(s). components of the language being learned, and
components that tend to occur in all language systems. Children's
interlanguage is constantly evolving as they receive more input or
opportunities for output in the language using a particular language feature
or rule in a variety of contexts. Children tend to reconstruct rules for a second
language by imposing rules from their first language and trying to compose
in the target language guided by those rules. The responses and feedback
that children receive from speakers of the target language gradually help
them to recognise that the rules are different for that language.
* * *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Key aspects of learning and teaching another language
Children especially enjoy
a sense of movement in combination with the use
of their visual and
auditory senses - like singing a song that
involves the use of
actions. It re-energises the children and is also a
perfect way to regain
their attention as children sit back together
as a class group after
working independently.
(Years I to 3 LOTE. teacher)
Tasks for children in Years l to 3 need to be hands-on and enjoyable,
providing children w ith a real or realist ic context for learning that is
meaningful and integrated with other key learn ing areas. When teachers
all ow children to participate in making choices and provid ing input during
col laborat ive planning of the LOTE program, they ensure that it is
inclusive of the chi ldren's interests and that it acknowledges their prior
learning in the area. One of the choices that some chi ldren make is to stay
silent. They are st ill learning, however, through the comprehending mode.
This silent period can serve as a base for subsequent composition of
language as children respond to the teacher's modelling of the target
language within ordered tasks.
The five senses are significant learning channels for young children.
Language tasks collect ive ly make use of these senses. Some tasks
appropriate for learning another language in the early yea rs are included
below These learning experiences are not used in isolation but are
incorporated into the wider topic of the unit:
• perform ing role-plays , possibly using puppets, invo lving the use of the target language;
• listening to, reading and singing along with songs in the target language, with the possibility of involving actions in these songs;
• reciting rhymes, tongue-twisters , chants and short poems in the target language;
• learning about the body through communicating about persona l hygiene, such as wash ing hands, brushing teeth;
• exploring the concept of objects floating and sinking as children learn t o name classroom objects;
• measuring the growth of plant seedlings as ch ildren learn the numbers in the target language;
• ident i fy ing, preparing and eating foods from the target culture;
• p laying word games (Memory, Fish) in the target language;
• making models using a variety of mediums (play dough, construction blocks, spaghetti) through instructions given in the target language;
• exploring new vocabu lary in the target language through the use of 'feely bags';
• listening to, participating in shared reading experiences, and re-enacting stories in the target language;
• constructing masks and puppets and using these in a variety of communicative language tasks;
• playing games with numbers that involve counting in the target language;
• using the target language to make and taste food from the target language community;
• using musical instruments from the target language community
Some children may be eager for tasks that incorporate reading and writing
in the second language. Their interest is usually a good indication that
they are ready to read and write in the target language It is important for
teachers to acknowledge children as individuals , some of whom are at a * stage where they are ready to be introduced to reading and writing earlier
than others
* * *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Catering for multi-proficiency levels in learning another language
With the implementation of LOTE programs across all bands of schooling,
it is possib le for children in any one class or yea r leve l to have dispa rat e
leve ls of language pro fi ciency It could be that
• background speakers of the LOTE taught are present in t he class;
• it is a compos ite class with a range of yea r levels;
• t here are chi ldren new to t he school who have not lea rned a LOTE before or who have lea rn ed a d ifferent LOTE.
Teachers ca n use a number of strategies to cater fo r multi -profi ciency
levels in the classroom. A task-based approach t hat focuses chil dren on
learni ng through purposeful language use provides t he opportu nity to
adapt tasks to sui t diffe rent profi ciency leve ls. In a task that has a listening
component. beginners could be expected to li sten for specific key words
(for example, to identify or sequence pictures) and more pro fi cient
chi ldren cou ld be expected to answer more deta il ed in fo rm at ion (for
example, to give a description or identify miss ing items). Ro le-p lays could
also cater fo r mixed pro fi ciency leve ls. Teachers once aga in adjust thei r
expectati ons fo r beginners and more proficient language users. Beginners
could be expected to use some simple memori sed language, whereas more
proficient chi ldren could adapt memorised material on rehea rsed topics
using previously mode ll ed new language.
Teachers ca n also make organi sati ona l changes such as:
• provid ing extra time fo r the new chi ld ;
• assign ing a peer t utor or buddy to the new chi ld to help him or her settle into class;
• if possible, t imetabli ng chi ldren into different cl asses depending on t heir profi ciency level (deri ved from prior learni ng experiences in t he target language) ;
• in the case of background speakers of the LOTE, preparing a program especially for t he child by enlist ing t he help o f commun ity ass ista nts or language teaching ass istants from th e target co untry
Goals for learning and teaching
The goa ls for language lea rning, adapted from the Australian Language Levels Guidelines (Sca rino et al. 1988, Book 2: 17). are interrelated broad categori es
that refl ect the needs of LOTE lea rners. Communica tion is the primary goa l
o f the LOTE curri cu lum and is developed through using the target language
in socioculturally appropriate ways fo r a ra nge of rea l-life or lifeli ke purposes.
•* Engag ing in intercu ltu ra l communication
*
*
* *
*
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Intercultural communication
As children participate in tasks using another language, they become
aware of cultural practices and develop skills in communication in many
contexts. Young children begin to build up their repertoire of language to establish and maintain relationships and to obtain and share information.
Communication skills develop as a result of children having opportunities to interpret, to negotiate and to express meaning in real -life or lifelike
situations. The skills of communication are developed best when the
children interact with messages in the target language that are
comprehensible to them and that convey meaning that is relevant and
interesting. Through using language in relevant, challenging contexts, children learn not only what is appropriate but how to say it
Learning to communicate interculturally involves children in developing:
• socioculturally appropriate ways of communicating in a particular language (intercultural understanding);
• familiarity with the functions of language (language awareness);
• the skills and strategies used to internalise the new language together with self-management of their learning;
• general knowledge according to their needs, interests and prior learning (developing knowledge through language and content).
Intercultural understanding
Each year a group of children from Japan visit
our school. They are hosted by school families
and are involved in a busy program during the day at school. This is such a
wonderful opportunity to
exchange cultures and to
experience language first hand. My children are
always excited about the visit from Japan, and
there is usually a mad rush to get their hosting
forms in first. (Years I to 3 LOTE
teacher)
Language and culture are interwoven.
*
In learning another language, children develop an awareness and
appreciation of the culture of the people who use it They can use this
knowledge as a basis for comparing their culture with others and take their
first steps in negotiating another cultural system. Sociocultural
understandings assist language learners to behave according to the social
and linguistic conventions of a given target language community in a
variety of contexts. Through an awareness of culture and of how to
communicate in appropriate ways, young children tend to move towards a
greater acceptance of their own personal identity in a global society.
In the early childhood years sociocultural language learning promotes and
fosters an awareness of aspects of the target language community. These
could include:
• how young children in the target language community live;
• contemporary society in the target language community;
• cultural practices- dress, festivals, songs, games, dancing, folk stories and family life;
• relationships to the children's own communities;
• some significant geographical features of the target country/countries;
• some significant cultural achievements and global contributions;
• major current events in the communities of the target language.
(adapted from Scarino et al I988, Book 2 I8)
It is essential that children are helped to make strong connections
between language and culture in addition to the links they make between
their own cultural backgrounds and the culture of the target community.
Children need to know not only the words to communicate in the target
language but also the customs and manners that govern social
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Ways to include sociocultural input
interactions in the target culture. They begin to not ice how language
actua lly provides cu ltural information.
Teachers need to avoid stereotyping views of the cu ltu re of the target
language comm unities. It is important for children to learn that no one
cultural group is homogeneous. For example, not everybody from the
target language community eats a particular food , listens to certain music
or wears a special style of cloth ing Care also needs to be taken to ensure
that children receive information about how people of the target
community live their daily lives and how cultures are dynamic and
constantly changing as cultural groups interact in a global society.
Language and culture are interwoven and, where possible , teachers shou ld
provide ch ildren with sociocu ltural input as part of their language learning experiences. These suggested tasks should not be used in iso lation but
should be incorporated into a unit of work. In the main, these are not
independent tasks , but children can take part in them with teacher support .
Children might:
• access authentic materials in the target language;
• create cultural collages using: examples of visual arts ; themes , characters and events from folktales; examples of folk arts; examples of currency, stamps and other realia; or traditional or holiday foods;
• make celebration cards using the target language;
• play traditional child ren 's games from the target cult ure;
• look at brochures and videos from the target language community;
• discuss the origins of writing systems and their cultural links (e.g. Chinese characters);
• participate in cultural dances, music and songs from the target culture;
• make a class restaurant and discuss menus, dance, music and presentation of food;
• celebrate cultural days of significance to the target cu lture;
• participate in 'sister school' relationships using the Internet or ema il to contact children at the schoo ls by scanning in photographs, children 's work and the children's ideas of what to send with the teacher as scribe;
• use a dress up box to re-enact traditional tales in the target language;
• create big books of cultural festivities in the target culture and have chi ldren write or match captions in the target language;
• create cultural col lages using pictures from target culture magazines including examples of: home and school life; favourite leisure or recreational activities; shopping pract ices ; meals and eating practices; symbols associated with holidays; monuments;
• learn about sports that are currently popu lar in the target language community;
• hold a target language community activities day involving the whole school ;
• investigate the life of children in the target language group;
• begin to learn appropriate language and practices (e.g. greetings) and how they change for various contexts , for example, in child- adu lt interactions;
• investigate how different language forms reflect different cultural practices, for example, forms of address.
* *
*
* *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN EN GLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Language awareness
*
*
•* * Language and culture are interwoven.
Through LOTE programs lea rners become aware o f the ways in which
cu ltural and social pract ices are reflected in language use. They
progressively understand that the nature o f cu lture involves not only
visib le pract ices but also less visib le ways of making mean ing, such as
va lue systems , att itudes and socia l processes. Young chi ldren ca n begin
developing insights, understand ings and an appreciation of the target
culture. At t imes, however, it may be difficult for them to understand t he
beliefs underpinning a cu ltural practice due to the ir developmental stage.
Chil dren learn by explorat ion, by trying out ideas, by en tering another
way of l ife momenta rily t hrough imaginative experiences and by being
motivated to learn more about the people of th e target language
commun ity Teachers can access the rich cultural and li nguisti c resources
from within the school commun ity by inviting people associated wi th the
language community to share the ir knowledge and ski l ls with t he children.
Through learning about significant cultural practices in the ta rget
community's life and comparing these with their own , children wi l l come
to understand that there can be quite diverse bel ief systems, va lues and
practices. Th is in turn wi ll help children to understand that cultu re is
about making meaning, and t hat their fa m il iar way of making meaning
is on ly one way among many.
Chi ldren wil l begin to develop an awareness of the ro le of language as
wel l as culture wit hin t heir world as they learn another language An
understand ing of these ro les helps ch ildren to become more conscious of
t he diversity of t he world that su rrounds them and to learn how to respond
appropriate ly
Chi ldren wi l l begin to develop an awareness of:
• t he features of their own language and t he language of others;
• t he funct ion of language in their everyday l i fe;
• language as a system and how it works;
• appropriate language fo r varying contexts;
• how language is learnt;
• how diversi ty is enriched t hrough cultural variat ion.
(adapted from Scarin o eta ! 1998, Book 2 appendix 1)
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Learning how to learn
While the principal focus for young learners is on meaning, discussions
about strategies that assist in internalising language are va luable. By
participating in learning experiences in the target language, ch ildren begin
to develop an awareness of the ski ll s and strategies required to take
responsibility for their own learning Through discussion teachers can draw
ch ildren's attention to part icu larly useful learn ing strategies Teachers also
model these strategies and encourage child ren to use them. These
discussions help ch ildren develop their metacognitive awareness and
explicitly learn the language required to talk about their own thinking and
learning
Teachers cou ld use some of the following st rategies to support children 's
development of cogniti ve abi li t ies and metacognitive awareness
• provide open-ended materials and questions to help children identify and discuss a problem;
• provide tasks that challenge children 's thinking by varying learning and teaching based on a va riety of t hinking skill s (see Bloom's Taxonomy in appendix 2, 'Learning approaches' ) and on a variety of teaching and learning st rategies (see multiple inte lligences informat ion in appendix 2, 'Learning approaches' );
• model and discuss critica l and reflective thinking;
• support chi ldren's initiatives and persistence in complet ing tasks ;
• encou rage children to share with the teacher and with other class members the ways in which they have solved problems;
• scaffo ld chi ldren's attempts to use new thinking strategies ;
• provide opportunities for children to explore new ideas and apply prior learning;
• discuss with the children how to access or locate information and provide opportuniti es for children to access a range of sou rces of information ;
• ce lebrate creat ive approaches to so lving prob lem s;
• encou rage children to predict and imagine possibi l ities in different situations.
It is the responsibility of all teachers to increase the number of strategies
chi ldren use by explicitly teaching and modelling thinking and problem
solving strategies It is through th is exp licit teaching that chi ldren in the
early childhood years can begin to add to their strategies and monitor and
assess their own thinking It is important to liaise with the classroom
teacher to discuss the thinking ski lls the children have been developing
since these partnersh ips wi ll ass ist chi ldren to use st rategies across
learning con texts.
The learning-how-to-learn goal also encompasses the development of
commu nication strategies that provide the means for children to sustain
commun ication in the LOTE. Some examples of this type of language are
'I don't understand' , 'Could you say it aga in please?' o r 'How do you say.
in Chinese?' . This type of language needs to be taught explicit ly to
encourage use of the LOTE as the children are engaged with the language
focus of tasks. Learning-how-Lo-learn includes bui lding one's strategic
competence, so young children need to be helped to focus on the overa ll
mental processes that they use to mobilise all their knowledge to
communicate.
*
*
* *
* * *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Developing knowledge through language and content
For communication to take place there must be some knowledge or
information to be shared. Children's language proficiency develops as
ch ildren interact with one another or with the teacher in a context that is
sign ificant for each of them. Incorporating content from other learning
areas sets language in a meaningful context and places ch ildren in a
situation that requires language use rather than focusing on ta lking about
language. The use of content from other key learning areas creates a need
to know. Children should want and need to comprehend and compose in
another language to carry out meaningful tasks.
As young children learn other languages, they develop their general
knowledge across many areas related to their personal needs, interests
and aspirations. The general knowledge gained through participation in LOTE programs will reinforce concepts from other key learning areas.
LOTE programs contribute towards children's general knowledge to varying
extents, depending on the characteristics of the learners and the language
program of individual schools. Those schoo ls with LOTE programs that
invo lve chi ldren in using the content of other learning areas as they learn
language will part icularly enhance children's general knowledge.
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* General knowledge gained in LOTE reinforces concepts from other
learning areas.
Developing communication skills
The development of communication skills is an important aspect of
learn ing another language. These skills are most effectively learnt in
programs that have a balance between focusing on form and focusing
on meaning.
Developing listening and speaking skills
*
Young learners of another language will develop their listening and
speaking skills prior to their reading and writing skills. In the early
childhood years, LOTE experiences that emphasise ora l language ski lls
build a solid foundation for the development of reading skill s. To facilitate
• LAN GUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
the development of listen ing and speaking skill s, teachers are encouraged
to consider implementing t he following strategies in meaningful contexts:
• expose chi ldren to the target language a little in advance of their current level of language output as real communication wi ll provide opportunities to hear unpredictable language;
• model accurate pronunciation and intonation;
• maximise invo lvement by appealing to the children's level of interest;
• provide numerous occasions for repetition and reinforcement;
• provide opportunities for interactions in groups, such as playing group games to practise language;
• expose children to a variety of speakers from the target language including both male and fema le visiting teachers and exchange children, chi ldren's television programs, CDs, CO-ROMs and videos.
Teachers should use gestures, facial expressions , illustrations and
examples to make language comprehensible for children. Through the
teacher's use of target language just beyond the chi ld's current level , the child will always be challenged but not to a point of frustration.
The benefits in learning a second language apply to all children including
those with disabilities. To this end, it is important that all children have
the opportunity to experience and learn a LOTE. Some children with disability, in particu lar, deaf/hearing impaired children and children with
speech-language impairment, may have difficu lties developing listening
and speaking skills in another language It may be that for these children
listening is carried out through viewing (e.g. lip-reading, watching signing,
using visual cues such as pictures, overhead transparencies, diagrams).
Speaking is carried out by signing or using alternative or augmentative
communication devices, such as voice output devices and communication
boards. For specific advice regardi ng the chi ld or children in a LOTE class,
the teacher should consult a support teacher, teacher of the deaf or
speech-language pathologist
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Ora/language builds a solid foundation for the development of reading and writing skills.
Developing recognition skills
While children are often eager to initially write in the target language,
most children require practice in recognising written words and symbols
before they are ready Lo begin to write. Teacher judgment as to chi ldren's
readiness to write is important since it depends on the individual child's
li teracy development in his or her first language. It is helpful to allow
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
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children to develop a good foundat ion in their fi rst language before
introducing them to these ski l ls in another language, particularly those
that use the roman alphabet Teachers need to allow children t ime to
develop the ir confidence pri or to introducing wri t ing. Teachers can judge
the readiness of children to engage in reading and writing in the target
language by such indicators as the ch ild :
• shows an interest in print in the target language, e g t he child attempts to 'wri te ' in the target language;
• asks many questions of the teacher about print in the target language;
• jo ins in extensively during shared reading experiences of fam iliar texts, demonstrating a good recognition of familiar words or characters.
Most you ng chi ldren require an environment ri ch in print to enable them
to begin to recognise the target language Thi s type of envi ronment for
children needs to reflect the cultural aspect of the target language. This
can be ach ieved in a number of excit ing ways th at wi ll capture the interest
and imagination of younger learners.
The foll owing strategies may help in planning for the development of
recogn ition skills when incorporated into a unit of work:
• Engage the children wit h visuals in the classroom including cha rts, posters , mobiles , signs, class co llections of work and labels , encouraging chi ldren to add to these independently as they learn new language.
• View authentic materials, such as food packaging, greeting cards. advertising material, magazines and newspapers, in the target language.
• Teach scripted languages with th e use of mnemonic techniques, enabli ng child ren to explore the target language.
• Play language games to aid the recogni tion of words (Concentration, Shopping Bag, Happy Families, Guess the Word, Body Cards. Snap)
*
** * Promoting recognition through shared reading experiences
Some chi ldren wi th disabil ity, in part icu lar children with vis ion impairment.
may have di fficul t ies developing read ing and wri t ing skill s through regular
print It may be that, for some chil dren who are blind, reading and writ ing
is carri ed out by using brail le (e ither English or that of the target language)
For speci fi c advice regarding part icu lar ch ildren, the LOTE teacher should
consult a support teacher or teacher of the vision impa ired.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Moving from recognition to reading
Introducing writing
Strategies that teach reading should encompass reading for understand ing
in the ta rget language When chi ldren are ready to move from the
recogn it ion phase to engage in reading in t he ta rget language, the
following strategies could be used within meaningfu l contexts. Children:
• high l ight fami l iar words in a text, such as a World Wide Web site page, and read the words aloud with teacher support;
• match words to pictu res;
• provide the missing words in sentences ;
• read simple captions and guess the meani ng;
• read se lf-made books and class co llections of work;
• use big books;
• publish their own works;
• associate melody or rhythm patterns with a word;
• read environmenta l pri nt - words they see around them on buildings, stores and products of in terest;
• read charts of previous work on boards etc. around the classroom;
• read wall stories and friezes in the classroom.
*
** * Reading environmental print in the LOTE classroom
Chi ldren frequent ly want to learn how to write the language they have
learnt in the LOTE program. Strategies that assist with both composing
text and handwriting in scripted languages in a meaningful context include
the teacher's
• introducing symbols and basic ideographic characters when introducing scripted languages or words in context for non-scripted languages;
• encou raging chi ldren to paste fam iliar words on a graffit i chart and/or labell ing articles in the classroom ;
• for scripted languages, writing the children's names in the language and attaching them to their desks;
• asking chi ldren to complete missing words in sentences and write short familiar sentences and captions ;
• encouraging children to progress to writing short pieces of information , such as birthday greetings or poslcards, wh ich have been modelled for t hem to copy;
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
• ensuring that pieces of co llaborative writing, labelled charts and wall stories are displayed for chi ldren to refer to when writing;
• modelling for children how texts are organised in the target language and composing co llaborative ly rather than independently.
Teaching scripted languages
*
Many children are interested in experimenting wi th the writing of scripted
languages due to their fasci nat ion with t he pictographic aspects of the
script. For ch ildren to learn to write scripted languages, provide them with rich and varied opportunities to experiment in tactile and kinaesthetic
ways. These may include the chi ldren's:
• using the computer mouse to shape script;
• creating characters with cooked spaghett i ;
• moulding characters with co loured dough;
• selecting characters out of 'feely bags';
• tracing over character shapes cut from sandpaper;
• forming character shapes with pipe-cleaners, using d ifferent co lours to differentiate stroke order;
• matching characters with pictu res;
• identifying characters in wa ll stories and friezes in the classroom;
• playing games to reinforce ideographic characters, such as script aerobics - making symbols or characters through use of the body;
• using mnemonics as an aid to remembering symbols and characters.
*
* Matching characters with pictures to develop recognition
The amount of time devoted to reading and writing experiences wi ll vary
according to the developmental levels of the ch ildren and the time
avai lable for the LOTE program. In early ch ildhood programs, tasks that
give emphasis to oral/aural language provide a solid base to build on for
later reading experiences. Focusing on oral/aural language first also
enables young lea rners to transfer reading skills from first to additional
languages. Early reading tasks cou ld invo lve ch ildren in incidental
exposure to written language that fl ows out of listening and speaking
tasks, such as teacher story reading and storytelling. Teachers who have
limited time available and who consequent ly focus children's efforts on
oral/aural language shou ld expect a delay in ch ildren 's demonstrations of
reading and writing outcomes.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Catering for individual needs
Catering for individuals is crucial for the successful learning of another
language. There are numerous intellectual, physical, emot ional, social and
cu ltural differences between individuals, which the LOTE teacher needs to
consider to ensure the program runs smooth ly and is equitable.
It is important that the LOTE specialist establ ishes partnerships with
classroom teachers to gather important in format ion about individuals in a
class group. Classroom teachers are invaluable sources of information
si nce they are aware of the stages of development of ch ildren in their care.
They may also share teaching strategies and ideas that they know are
effective with particular individuals.
Considering learning styles is also important to cater for individuals with in
a class group. Learning styles develop as a result of both nature and
nurture and can be influenced by factors, such as ethnicity, gender, age,
motivation, prior knowledge, sub ject matter and/or context.
Perceptual learning styles
Learners process new information differently depending on preferred learning styles.
It is now generally accepted that all ch ildren bring their own strategies and
ski lls for learning to tasks. Some of these relate to how chi ldren initially
process unfamiliar information presented to t hem. For some there is a
need for information to be presented through body movement. These
children are usually cons idered to be kinaesthetic learners. Similarly,
tactile learners learn more effect ively through hands-on experiences and
through touch. For others, new information needs to be seen to be
effect ive ly learnt. These children are usua lly described as visual learners
Others, who may be referred to as aural learners, need to hear new
information before they internal ise it. There is also evidence that some
children learn more effectively working with others (group) while some
prefer working alone (individual). All learners learn in these ways to
varying extents, with various preferences for one or more styles of learning
* *
Learners process new information differently. *
By acknowledging that learners have different ways of perceiving new
information, teachers can plan tasks for children to learn in ways that suit
them as individuals. A useful starting point for teachers is to first think
about their own preferred learning styles since these are often mirrored in
teaching styles It is helpful when teachers provide tasks that cover not
only their own preferred learn ing style, but also those other styles that
may not be in their usual repertoire o f strategies and ski ll s. This * broadening of tasks to encompass various learn ing styles ensures that the
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
lnclusivity
A couple of weeks ago, the mother of a little girl
with Down Syndrome came to me all excited
since her daughter Ruth, who has quite a lot of
trouble verba/ising in general, had said,
'Bonjour, Teddy!' the night before as she
cuddled her teddy bear. (Years I to 3 LOTE
teacher)
*
individual needs of ch ildren are catered for as they learn a new language
By providing for a range of learn ing styles, teachers are also extending the
styles used by the ch ild ren. This enables them to be more autonomous
in lea rn ing situat ions in the future. Extension of children's perceptual
learning styles also assists children to better process new in formation
since commu nicati ng in a new language requires them to draw on all the
perceptual learn ing styles
An inclusive curricu lum responds to both the divers ity of the student
popu lation and the demands of a changing world marked by globa lisat ion ,
increas ing diversity in communities, and an increasing pace of change.
It acknowledges that:
• some groups of ch ildren experience barriers to participating in, and benefiting from, schooling;
• some groups of ch ildren are less likely than others to find their knowledge, va lues and experiences reflected in learn ing experiences and resources;
• all chi ldren need to develop an understanding of, and respect for, diversity so that they can operate effectively in a changing society and contribute effectively to social justice
An inclusive curricu lum makes del iberate cho ices in relation to content
and skill s, teaching and learning methods, curriculum resources and
assessment, based on an awareness of and respect for t he diversity of
human knowledge and experience.
An inclusive curricu lum works on three levels:
• promoting access - by identifying and addressing barriers that limit children's opportunities, participation and benefits from schooling;
• acknowledging diversity - by including, va luing, and using as a basis for learn ing, the perspectives, contri butions and experiences of the ful l range of socia l and cu ltural groups and by acknowledging diversity both within and among these groups;
• encou raging a socia lly cri tica l perspective- by developing the knowledge, ski ll s, attitudes and processes necessary to: - question how disadvantage has developed and exists wi thi n socia l
structures; - challenge rather than accept social injustice; - empower people to participate as equa ls.
(adapted from the Principles of Inclusive Curriculum 1996)
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* Valuing diversity
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Background speakers of the LOTE
Australian society is diverse and many teachers find that some ch ildren
in their classes are background speakers of the language that they teach In this case many strategies may be used to enhance the learn ing of the
background speaker, other members of the class, and teachers who are not
background speakers of the language Teachers could cons ider the
fo llowing:
• allow the background speaker to fu rther develop his or her communication ski lls by providing tasks in consultation with the ch ild's fam ily to develop the child 's literacy in the background language;
• encourage other class members to commun icate with the background speaker in the LOTE:
• group chi ldren to allow others in the class to share in the background speaker's linguistic and cultu ral expertise:
• examine the possibil ity of invo lving other fami ly members in the LOTE program:
• regularly talk with the background speaker as a way of maintaining their own LOTE proficiency
It is important to recognise that. whi le background speakers of a LOTE
may have advanced oral/au ral skill s, they may not be able to read and/or
wri te in the ir first language
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* Sharing linguistic and cultural expertise
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Framework
Key learning area outcomes
* * Oatcom~~ for pla1111i11g and a~~~~~m~nt
These guidelines provide a framework for planning learning experiences
and assessment tasks through which children demonstrate what they know
and can do in a Years I to 3 LOTE program.
The key learning area outcomes highlight the uniqueness of the Languages
other than English key learning area and its particular contribution to
lifelong learning. As a result of LOTE studies, it is expected that children
demonstrate communicative ability by comprehending and composing a
range of texts in the target language for a variety of purposes. In their
communication it is expected that children can:
• use a range of linguistic features;
• apply process skills and strategies to maintain discourse;
• demonstrate cultural understanding and sensitivity.
Strand of the key learning area
A single strand, Communication
Levels
Learning outcomes of the Languages other than English key learning area
are described in the single strand, Communication. Traditionally,
assessment in LOTE is described under the four macroskills of listening,
speaking, reading and writing. Since outcomes are informing both
planning and assessment, however, the outcomes have been grouped
under the one strand of communication. This means that learning another
language is a holistic and purposeful undertaking with children engaged in
listening, talking, viewing and, eventually, reading and writing about the
world. The learning outcomes are organised under the headings of
comprehending and composing. The adoption of only one strand that
emphasises the comprehending and composing of language provides
greater flexibility for core learning. In Years I to 3 of the LOTE program the
focus is principally on oral and aural skills with reading, writing and
viewing tasks flowing out of the listening and speaking tasks
The learning outcomes identified in these guidelines are written in three
levels: Introductory Level and Levels I and 2. The learning outcomes for
Levels I and 2 are the same as those in Levels I and 2 in the Years 4 to I 0
Languages other than English Syllabuses The Introductory Level focuses
on comprehension of language and responding through imitation or by
nonverbal means. A level statement is included for each of the
developmental levels through the single strand of communication. The level
statement summarises the suggested learning outcomes for each level and
provides the contexts of language use including the level of support required * for demonstrating the outcomes. They describe the sequence of language
learning appropriate for young learners of languages other than English.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Suggested learning outcomes
The suggested learning outcomes describe what ch i ldren are expected to
know and be able to do as a result of planned tasks in the key learning
area. They:
• in form curriculum planning so that tasks are developed to offer chi ldren opportunities, support and resources to demonstrate the level suggested in the learning outcomes;
• provide a framework for assessment that allows chi ldren to demonstrate the suggested learning outcomes in a range of contexts.
The learning outcomes describe communicative abilities in the
comprehending and composing modes. These include listening and
speaking and , later, reading, writing and viewing and wi ll be manifested in
holistic tasks.
The learning outcomes describe what is typ ically expected for young
children as they participate in the LOTE program The focus of LOTE
programs in Years I to 3 is on bui lding listening and speaking ski lls in comprehending and composing, and only some chi ldren will demonstrate
the outcomes related to reading and writing.
The focus of the LOTE program and the frequency with which children
engage in using the language wi ll influence the level of outcomes
demonstrated. Chi ldren could be demonstrating learning outcomes at the
Introductory Level, Level I or Level 2 at the end of Year 3. Background
speakers of the language may demonstrate outcomes above Level 2.
Beginner stage of language learning
In Years I to 3 most chi ldren wi ll be beginning language learners, and their
learning programs wil l be focused on demonstrating the Introductory Level,
Level I and Level 2 learning outcomes in the target language. Because the
same Levels I and 2 learning outcomes are used in these guidelines and in
the Years 4 to 10 Languages other than English Syllabuses, the transition
for children in their language learning wi ll be seamless.
All children should have the opportunity to develop the knowledge and
skills related to another language. It may be necessary, therefore, to
provide a variety of pathways through the learning experiences and
assessment tasks to ensure equity of outcomes for all children. For specific
advice regarding children with special needs in LOTE classes, the teacher
could consult a support teacher. The Introductory Level could be used for
the development of individualised programs to support the specific needs
of children with disability
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Learning outcomes at the Introductory Level and Level I
Strand: Communication
Introductory Level
Beginner
Level statement: Children demonstrate an acceptance of unknown language, relying almost exclus ively on the teacher's gestures, facia l expressions and tone, and concrete and contextual support for comprehension.
Children respond nonverbally to input. They may attempt to speak by repeating words or phrases. Attempts to speak may not be accurate but indicate an awareness of the basic sounds and rhythm of the language.
Children rely completely on graphic detail and the teacher's dramatisation to comprehend meaning when participating in shared reading experiences with the teacher and the class.
Ch ildren produce written texts of single words or phrases that are traced or copied.
Children demonstrate a beginning awareness that different cultures interact in different ways.
Suggested learning outcomes
Comprehending
IL. I Children distinguish familiar sounds and sound patterns and understand high-frequency language with support from visual cues.
IL.2 Chi ldren associate words with sounds and meaning related to familiar contexts and rely completely on graphic detai l and teacher modelling to comprehend meaning.
IL.3 Children demonstrate a beginning awareness of the culture of the target language.
Composing
IL.4 Ch ildren respond to fami liar questions nonverbally or by repeating words or phrases.
IL.5 Children communicate through tracing, copying or writing fami liar text combinations, such as signs, captions and labels.
IL.6 Children demonstrate a beginning awareness of cu ltural appreciation through the use of language and gesture as modelled by the teacher.
*
Level I
Beginner
Level statement: Chi ldren engage in tasks that are tightly scaffolded and sequenced, focusing on high-frequency formats, more for comprehension than production.
Ch ildren respond nonverbally or reiterate utterances that are drawn from frequent and consistent teacher modelling. Chi ldren rely on explicit contextual clues for comprehension.
Children interact with texts marked by highly predictable text structure and with simple, repetitive sentence structure and vocabu lary. Content of texts is familiar and accessible with some explicit sociocultural content. Children read texts that contain on ly a few ideas and are supported by clear and frequent visuals that illustrate these ideas. Ch ildren listen to texts that are appropriately language-rich but heavi ly dependent on context for understanding
Children produce texts of a few words in writing and a few turns in dialogue with the audience confined to peers.
Suggested learning outcomes
Comprehending
I. I Children distinguish sounds and sound patterns and understand and respond to high-frequency language with support from visual cues.
1.2 Chi ldren understand the meaning of key written words to which there has been significant exposure, as well as decode and recognise some written words from ora l vocabulary through an awareness of soundsymbol relationships
1.3 Children recognise when content refers to the target culture rather than their own and demonstrate understanding of some cultura lly specific gestures in a limited range of contexts.
Composing
I .4 Children respond to questions with short memorised utterances and maintain interaction when their speaking partner uses repetition and/or simpli fication.
I .5 Children label items and write set phrases used regu larly in class approximating spelling of words written from memory and demonstrate an awareness of the conventions of print in the target language.
I .6 Children imitate culturally appropriate language and socioculturally appropriate gestures in highfrequency, learned situations.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Learning outcomes at Level 2
Strand: Communication
Level 2 Beginner
Level statement: Child ren engage in tasks that are t ight ly scaffo lded and sequenced, focus ing on an increasing range of high-frequency formats that are likely to be both comprehended and produced.
Chi ldren respond nonverbally sometimes but also use fami l iar modelled utterances with minor creative variations. They are sti ll dependent on obvious contextua l support for global comprehension
Chi ld ren interact with texts marked by predictable text structu re with simple, repetitive sentence st ructure and vocabulary. Content is fami l iar and accessib le with some explicit sociocultura l content. Children read texts that contain only a few ideas and are supported by explicit visuals. Children listen to texts that are appropriately language-rich but heavily dependent on context for understanding.
Chi ldren produce texts of a few words in writing, a few turns in dia logue and short simple presentations with the audience mainly confined to peers.
Suggested learning outcomes
Comprehending
2. 1 Children understand a range of famil iar statements and questions with visual support, controlled language when the context is obvious, and key words in short. spoken. authentic texts of several linked utterances.
2.2 Ch ildren identi fy the main purpose in a simple text on a fami liar topic, relying on key words for understand ing, and read and identify single items of informat ion in short , repet it ive texts conta ini ng famil iar language.
2.3 Children identify some key explic it cultural references to very familiar aspects of the target culture in texts and can determine meaning by interpreting cultura ll y specific gestures. intonation and other visual o r auditory cues.
Composing
2.4 Children make requests and interact with peers and familiar adults using key words or phrases and adapting memorised material on rehea rsed topics usi ng spoken models.
2.5 Children write phrases or short sentences based on models and contribute to the production of stories . class books. posters and other simple texts.
2.6 Children display appropriate body language and gestures in basic social situations.
* Understanding familiar statements and questions with
visual support
I I
Interacting with peers using key words and phrases
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Elaborations of learning outcomes
Sequence of learning outcomes with elaborations
Strand: Communication
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Elaborations for the Introductory Level,
Level I and Level 2
*
These tables contain elaborations to help teachers understand the intent of the suggested learning outcomes. They present typ ica l demonstrations that teachers cou ld expect to see as children in Years I to 3 progress in their language learning. It is not intended t hat the elaborations of the suggested learning outcomes be a checklist of skills that teachers must observe. Instead, the elaborations assist teachers in discriminating between levels as they make observations about children's demonstrations of outcomes.
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IL. I Children distinguish familiar sounds and sound patterns and understa11d high-frequency language with support from visual cues. The child may:
• produce appropriate actions or illustrations when li steni ng to si mple familiar words (in action rhymes/songs, games, poems. chants. jingles) with frequent repet ition and rephrasing;
• produce appropriate actions or illustrations when listening to simple familiar directions and descriptions (Simon says ... please stand, please sit etc.) with frequent repetition and rephrasing;
• respond rapidly to formula ic language in familiar contexts but need time to process new language relying on repetition. simplificat ions. paraphrasing and visual cues.
1.1 Children distinguish sounds and sound patterns and understand and respond to high-frequency language with support from visual cues. The child may:
• produce appropriate actions or illustrations when listening to simple familiar words and phrases (in action rhymes/songs, games. poems, chants, jingles) with little repetition and rephrasing;
• produce appropri ate actions or illustrations when li sten ing to simple directions and descriptions (Simon says ... please stand, please si t etc.) wi th little repetiti on and rephrasi ng;
• respond to very familiar language in famil iar contexts but need time to process new language relying on repetition , simplifications and paraphrasing and visual cues.
2. 1 Children understa11d a range of familiar statements and questions with visual support, controlled language when the context is obvious, and key words in short, spoken, authentic texts of several/inked utterances. The child may:
• produce appropriate actions when listening to familiar words and phrases (in action rhymes/ songs, games, poems, chants, jingles) independently;
• produce appropriate actions or illustrations when li stening to simple directions and descriptions (Simon says ... please sta nd, please sit etc.) independently;
• respond rapidly to very familiar language in new contexts but need time to process new language relying on repetition , simpl ification s and paraphrasing and visua l cues.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Sequence of learning outcomes with elaborations
Strand: Communication
IL.2 Children associate words with sounds and meaning related to familiar contexts and rely completely on graphic detail and teacher modelling to comprehend meaning. The child may:
• recognise very familiar words i f these have been recycled often in a va ri ety of language acti vities (in simple puzz les , simple memory games) and match them to illust rat ions;
• respond in shared read ing of familiar texts by repeating parts of the text, laugh ing appropriately and joining in , requ iring high levels of support t hrough frequent repetition to comprehend the gist of the story;
• recognise very familiar sociocultura l artefacts (b irthday ca rds, New Year's ca rds) relying complete ly on graphic detail and context.
1.2 Children understand the meaning of key written words to which there has been signiffcant exposure, as well as decode and recognise some written words from oral vocabulary through an awareness of sound-symbol relationships. The child may:
• recognise familiar words and short word clusters if these have been recycled often in a va riety of language acti vities (i n simple puzzles, simple memory games) and match them to illustrati ons;
• respond in shared reading of familiar texts by repeating parts of the text, laughing appropriately and joi ning in , requiring support from repetit ion to com prehend the gist of the story;
• recognise key wri tten familiar sociocu ltural artefacts (birthday ca rds, New Year's ca rds) when supported by graphic detail and context.
2.2 Children identify the main purpose in a simple text on a familiar topic, relying on key words for understanding, and read and identify single items of information in short repetitive texts containing familiar language. The ch ild may:
• recognise familiar words and short word cl usters if these have been recycled often in a va ri ety of language activities (in puzzles, memory games) without relying on illustrati ons;
• respond in shared reading of famil iar texts by recognising key words and identi fying the gist of the story with little repetition;
• recognise key words in sociocultural artefacts (birthday cards, New Year's ca rds) to identi fy gist.
IL.3 Children demonstrate a beginning awareness of the culture of the target language. The child may:
• reproduce appropriate act ions when hearing routine greetings and courtesy phrases (good mornin g, goodbye, please, thank you);
• recognise very fami liar symbols associated wi th the target commun ity (temple, post offi ce , police station, hospital) in a lim ited range of contexts, following repetition.
1.3 Children recognise when content refers to the target culture rather than their own and demonstrate understanding of some culturally speciffc gestures in a limited range of contexts. Th e child may:
• recogn ise and reproduce appropri ate act ions and gestures when using social fo rmul ae (cou rtesy phrases , congratulatory messages, direct ions, classroom instructions) in a limited range of fam il iar sociocu ltural contexts;
• recogn ise fa miliar symbols associated with the target community (temple, post offi ce , po li ce station , hospital) in a l im ited range o f contexts , following repet ition
2.3 Children identify some key explicit cultural references to very familiar aspects of the target culture in texts and can determine meaning by interpreting culturally speciffc gestures, intonation and other visual or auditory cues. The child may:
• recognise and reproduce appropriate actions and gestures when using social formul ae (courtesy phrases, congratulatory messages, directions, classroom instructions) in a range of fam iliar sociocu ltura l contexts ;
independently recognise familiar symbols associated with the target community (temple, post office, police station, hosp ital ) in a limited range of contexts.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Sequence of learning outcomes with elaborations
Strand: Communication
IL.4 Children respond to familiar questions non verbally or by repeating words or phrases. The child may:
• respond to fami liar questions (name, age) using very fam iliar language and relyi ng heavil y on gestures to convey mean ing with frequent repetition required by the teacher;
• sing (simple act ion songs) with appropriate actions. with support from teacher modelli ng and repetit ion;
• respond to fa miliar questi ons in short utterances using very limited language when playing simple games (snap, memory, Fee ly bag) with teacher support.
I .4 Children respond to questions with short memorised utterances and maintain interaction if their speaking partner uses repetition and/or simpliffcation. Th e child may:
respond to fami liar questions or im itate short memorised ut terances (name, age, birthday) re lying more on language than on gestures to convey meaning with frequent repet it ion required by the teacher;
• sing (simple songs, chants, jingles) or recite (s imple poems, rhymes) with support from teacher modell ing;
• make simple req uests to elicit informat ion when using key words and phrases in d iscuss ion (games) with repetition and teacher modell ing
2.4 Children malie req uests and interact with peers and familiar adults using lie y words or phrases and adapting memorised material on rehearsed topics using spoken models . The child may:
respond to fam iliar questions (name, age, birt hday) usi ng key words and phrases, with repeti tion requi red only occasiona lly by the teacher;
independently sing (s imple songs, chants) or recite (simple poems, rhymes) fa mi liar material with appropriate actions;
• independent ly make simple requests to el icit information from peers/familiar ad ults us ing key words and phrases in d iscuss ion (ti me ca psule, dream house, weekend fun ).
IL.5 Children communicate through tracing, copying or writing familiar text combinations , such as signs , captions and labels. The child may:
• reproduce fa mil iar text by t racing, copying or wri t ing single fam il ia r words (name) ass igning mean ing to thei r approximations of writ ing;
• write simple famil ia r set phrases with supporti ng pictures in (big books/concert ina books. b irthday ca rd s) with teacher modelli ng and detai led guidance.
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I .5 Children label items and write set phrases used regularly in class approximating spelling of words written from memory and demonstrate an awareness of the conventions of print in the target language. Th e child may:
• labe l items and produce set phrases (ID ca rd . passport. t hankyou ce rtifi cate) relyi ng on teacher support through modell ing approx imating spe l ling;
• write si mple set phrases of texts with pictures to support t he text in (big books/concertina books, birt hday ca rd s) using exa mples as models;
• write simple rehearsed questions (for a class survey, questionna ire) relying heavily on teacher support th rough modell ing.
2.5 Children write phrases or short sentences based on models and contribute to the production of stories, class boo/is, posters and other simple texts . The child ma y:
design and reprod uce set phrases and short sen tences (poster, time capsule. diary entry) relying on modelling to begin , then complet ing t he task independently;
• wri te simple set phrases with supporting pictures (guess ing games. treasure hunts) usi ng examples as models to begin , then completing the task independent ly;
• write simple rehearsed questions (for a class survey) relying on teacher support through model l ing to begin, then complet ing the task independent ly.
IL.6 Children demonstrate a beginning awareness of cultural appreciation through the use of language and gesture as modelled by the teacher. The child may:
• im itate and approximate appropriate gestures in routi ne greetings and courtesy phrases (shake hands/bow) when greeted with teacher modelling and detailed guidance
I .6 Children imitate culturally appropriate language and socioculturally appropriate gestures in high-frequency, learned situations. The child may:
• reply with appropriate gestures and familiar language to routine greetings and courtesy phrases (shake hands/bow) with teacher modelling
2.6 Children display appropriate body language and gestures in basic social situations. Th e child may:
• independent ly use appropri ate gestures and familiar words and phrases in rou tine situations (shake hands/bow. agreeing/disagreeing, accepting/ded i n i ng).
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELI NES •
Foundation fields of learning
I recently began using the foundation fields to organise the tasks
for the Years I to 3 LOTE program and
found the fields were valuable in making
sure that the language functions required to
carry out the planned tasks were reused and
recycled throughout the program. I plan to
cover a unit of work in each of the fields at
least once each year. Next year I will recycle
and build on the language skills
developed this year. (Years I to 3 LOTE
teacher)
The foundation fie lds of learning suggest commun ication con texts for
organisation of a LOTE program. The fi elds encourage an embedded
program in wh ich content is based on concepts and top ic areas in other key
learning areas in terpreted as appropriate for language lea rn ing. The fie lds
also assist teachers to ensure t hat li nguisti c content is reused and recycled
t hroughout the LOTE program rather t han being unrelated and fragmented.
The suggested foundat ion fi elds of lea rni ng are
• Sense of Self and Others
• Socia l Living and Learning
• Cultural Understanding
• Health and Phys ica l Understanding
• Understand ing Environments.
(derived from the Preschool Curriculum Guidelines 1998)
These fi elds are not intended to prescri be the nat ure of LOTE programs
but, instead, allow for development of tasks for un its of work that li nk
LOTE lea rning to other key lea rn ing areas. They are a too l fo r teachers to
ensure that a balanced range of con ten t is covered in an embedded
program They also provide a foundation for the fi elds of human
knowledge and endeavour in t he Yea rs 4 to I 0 Languages other t han
Engl ish key learn ing area materials
Table I ou tl ines some ideas for suggested uni ts of work that cou ld be
developed for each of the foundat ion fi elds of lea rn ing A unit of work for
lower primary chil dren about 'Climate and seasons' could conta in
language funct ions t hat relate to the fi elds of both Understanding
Environments and Cultural Understanding The tasks may guide chi ldren
to learn about climate and seasons in the target country in add ition to
learning about t he Austral ian cli mate and seasons. By provid ing ch ild ren
with tasks that are set in contexts related to each foundat ion fi eld of
learning, teachers are engaging them in using language for many purposes,
rat her t han for just express ing information about them selves.
When deciding on topics for units of work, the LOTE teacher should
consul t wi th the classroom teacher to determi ne chi ldren's pri or lea rning
in the chosen area. Discuss ions wit h the classroom teacher also allow the
LOTE teacher to plan in a more hol ist ic way, bas ing language topics o n
those being used by the classroom teacher.
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* Explorin g the school environment
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Table I: Suggested units based on foundation fields of learning
Sense of self Social living Cultural Health and Understanding and others and learning understanding physical environments
understanding
All about me Our ne ighbourhood School li fe in Sl ip, slop, slap Stranger danger (Japan) •
Introducing our People in our How (Japanese) Our class picnic Beach safety class com munity families live*
My birthday Rules. proced ures Festiva ls and Personal hygiene Feathers, fur and celebration and responsibi lities celebrations fins
What's special Our needs Stories from Hop, skip and jump Where our food about me and you (Japan) * comes from
My friends Our cl assroom Made in (Japan)* We love breakfast Old Macdonald's farm
My favourite things You've got a friend Games and leisure Hea lthy foods and The sea in me me
Imagi nary creatures Let's cook! Where in the world? The five senses Weather
Look how much I've Wheels in motion Climate and Healthy lunch Floating and grown! seasons boxes sinking
It's great to be me There's no place Let's perform Sports day Hide and seek like home
A ll about my family Adventure Celebrations It's your body My animal fri ends playground
My toys A day in the l ife My day in (Tokyo)* Let's get wet Space adventure of..
• rel ate to the ta rget language
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•* * Cultural understanding and stereotyping
*
Participating in a unit titled 'My favourite things'
As teachers develop units of work, particu larly in the foundat ion fi eld of
cu ltural understanding, they should be aware of the danger of stereotyping
t he target cult ure. It is important that t he chi ldren are explicitly taught to question the not ion of typical for any culture.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Ideas for learning experiences: sequence for learning and teaching
The first step for me in planning is to have a chat with the class teacher. If I
can, I try to implement the same theme that is
being covered in the classroom, even using
some of the same resources and ideas to
make it more meaningful. (Years I to 3 LOTE
teacher)
Creative planning of learning experiences that chi ldren perceive as
relevant and worthwhile is one of the major responsibilities and
cha llenges in teaching. The planning process (see Figure I) begins with
teachers ident ifying children's abil ities, needs, interests and prior learning,
as we ll as identifying the particular learning outcomes to be promoted.
This includes identifying areas of learning in other key learning areas
where there may be opportunities to link with LOTE. Using the foundation fields of learning promotes the development of units of work across key
learning areas and assists teachers in catering for a wide range of needs,
interests and prior learning.
Through teacher-l earner negotiation , a unit focus is th en developed that
forms the central purpose or synthesising task. The teacher identifies the
particular learning outcomes to which the tasks wi ll contribute.
Worthwh il e tasks are then brainstormed, wh ich wi ll help ch ildren achieve
this purpose.
The next step is to develop a cohesive unit outline where tasks are
sequenced to support learning. Orientat ing tasks are ident ified that will
expose chi ldren to the purpose and language of the unit. A logical
progression is ach ieved through planning within three sequenced phases:
orientat ing, enhanci ng and synthesising. Depending on the nature of the
unit, enhancing tasks may or may not need to be done in a specific
sequence. Orientating and enhancing tasks shou ld lead into the
synthesising task.
Once tasks are formulated, the language functions and notions that arise
naturally from the tasks can be identified. Appropriate funct ions and
notions are suggested in 'Planning for tasks' (p. 43). The synthesising task
should not contain new functions or notions. The unit plan shou ld show
the reuse and recycling of linguistic content from prior learning.
It is important that the tasks promote ch ildren's development towards
the identified learning outcomes. Considerat ion also needs to be given
to which of these tasks will allow teachers to make judgments about
children's demonstrat ions of the outcomes, for both format ive and
summative assessment.
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* Dramatising a folktale
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Figure I: The Planning Process
Understanding the learner Make observations about children's needs, interests and prior learning (these may be discussed with the classroom teacher). Identify the level of outcomes most suitable as the focus for the unit.
The learning context
- .. - ~
Learning outcomes Choose the outcomes that are the focus of learning in the unit. Consider the outcomes at the levels above and below the focus outcomes to be mindful of the developmental sequence. Use the elaborations to support understanding of the outcomes.
Decide on the unit focus and the synthesising task for the unit. Consider the foundation fields of learning to negotiate the focus with children. Identify learning outcomes from other key learning areas associated with the LOTE outcomes selected as the focus for the unit (discuss with the classroom teacher) .
.------•--X.-----•------, Selection of tasks Brainstorm worthwhile tasks that lead up to and support the synthesising task (this could
Content Identify potential language functions to be learnt in the unit, keeping in mind the recycling and reuse of language throughout the program (see 'Planning fo r tasks ', p. 43).
be done with the children), making sure that f--oolll----1~ opportunities to demonstrate the focus learn ing outcomes are evident. Locate useful resources.
------•--X------•--Sequence of learning Assessment strategy Identify teaching strategies for tasks. Plan the Identify learning tasks that allow for sequence of tasks through the orientating, _ .. observations of children demonstrating the enhancing and synthesising phases. Ensure - ~ outcomes. Decide on the most appropriate opportunities exist for varying proficiency techniques to record evidence. Organise levels of children (if needed). instruments to record information.
*
Implementation Modify plans where needed throughout the unit. Assess children 's demonstrations of outcomes as they complete tasks highlighted in the assessment strategy for data collection. Make judgments about children's demonstrations of outcomes, considering strategies to ensure consistency of teacher judgment (elaborations may assist teachers in discriminating between demonstrations at differing levels).
Evaluation Evaluation/reflection on the unit of work- To what extent were the outcomes demonstrated by the children? Were the children at the levels above and below the focus outcomes catered for? Children can reflect on their progress as they complete a self-assessment form.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELI NES •
Planning for tasks
When a unit plan is developed, teachers can check that the unit
incorporates rea l and life li ke tasks and offe rs support to chi ldren during:
• incidental learning experiences where many uses of the target language are copied implicitly or without conscious thought;
• explicit learning experiences involving ana lysis and composit ion of particular patterns of language use;
• extended learning phases involving independent use of language
In preparing lessons based on the unit out line, teachers can include any favou ri te songs, games, rhymes or kinaesthet ic routines that may not be
included as part of t he unit plan but that engage ch ildren 's attention at t he
beginning of lessons or help re-energise chi ldren in longer sessions. These
songs, games and rhymes are also helpful in practising language functions
and need to support the language content of the unit.
The following language functions are suggestions for the range of language
that may be incorporated in a Years I to 3 LOTE program. The suggested
language functions are not the focus of a unit but identify the language
children use in carrying out language tasks The potentia l language to be
used in a unit of work can be se lected after the foundation field of lea rning
has been decided on and as the overall synthesising task is identified.
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* * * Making a game to synthesise language learnt in the unit
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Table 2: Language functions
When planning and assessi ng student outcomes, teachers will consider the possible language functions and process skill s and st rategies needed to engage in the selected communicative tasks.
Language functions - at increasing levels of complexity through the stages of language learning
Social ising
Exchanging information
Feelings, opinions and attitudes
Negotiating meaning
*
• greeting and leave taking • introducing • express ing thanks and gratitude • apo logising and excusing • congratulating, compl imenting, prais ing • expressing sympathy and regret • asking for and giving permission • attracting attention • making arrangements • offering and responding to invita ti ons and suggestions • welcoming
• identifying and asking about people, places and t hings • describing people, places and things • identifying and aski ng when • expressing probabi lity and improbability • expressing and asking about likes and dislikes • express ing and aski ng about wants, wishes and intent ions • express ing and asking about needs • asking for and giving directions and locations • identifying and asking about situations, activities and events • describing situations, activities and events • describing and asking about routines, habits and procedures • requesting goods and services • offering and receiving things • express ing possess ion • giving and responding to inst ructions • comparing • express ing possibility and impossibility • express ing obl igat ion and duty • express ing ab ili ty and inab ility • affi rming or negating statements
• express ing feelings • expressing hope • react ing with joy, anger, surprise, excitement • expressing approval, agreement and disagreement • expressing interest or a lack of interest • complaining • giving reasons • express ing op inions
• asking for repetition • asking for ass istance • express ing understanding and lack of understanding • asking for and giving clarification • asking for and giving confirmation • asking how to say, spell, write and pronounce
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Three phases for sequencing tasks
Orientating phase
The orientating phase establishes the objectives and products of the unit and sets the context for learning, activating prior knowledge.
Enhancing phase
The enhancing phase supports learners in the development of knowledge and skills through their introduction to and practising of new language in structured ways.
Synthesising phase
The synthesising phase challenges learners to
generate their own language in real or lifelike ways.
When selecting and sequencing learning tasks teachers should consider
the phase of the learning sequence in which they will be used. The
planning process suggested in these guidelines sequences the tasks
in three phases: the orientating phase, the enhancing phase and the
synthesising phase. The features of tasks in each of these phases are
described in the following section.
Teachers and children negotiate or clarify the aims and products of the
unit. In thi s phase, tasks help children establ ish goals and prepare for
learn ing experi ences t hat are to come. The context is establ ished and links
with prior lea rning are made This phase could include any or all of the
fo llowing components
• teachers outli ne and/or negotiate with the learners t he purpose, nature and extent of t he t asks;
• teachers demonstrate the language skill s targeted in the unit;
• the scene fo r the task is established th rough discuss ion, use of text s or visual stimul i, such as big books;
• an unfa miliar ora l t ext is examined for contextual cl ues, sub ject matter and possible vocabulary items, (video, audiotape, song, poem );
• potential vocabulary is identified, wit h visual st imuli ;
• previous relevant learning is reviewed.
Tasks in this phase focus on teaching children appropriate language use
and understanding incl uding use of any parti cular structu res and texts. It
also provides an ideal t ime for t eachers to co llect assessment in format ion
as children carry out learni ng tasks. The new language is practi sed and
internali sed by children as t hey are invo lved in the fo ll owing ki nds of tasks:
• scaffo lded pair work, group or class tasks;
• gu ided listen ing and reading (for those who are ready to read );
• focused games and songs;
• completion and matching exercises ;
• simple surveys and interviews, making find -a-words, viewing LOTE Internet sites and using other research materi als, such as books, brochures etc, to build knowledge of subject matter;
• focused learning episodes that introduce children to new language use, structures and features of the language.
Ch ildren deploy t heir new knowledge in less structured and controlled
ways to demonstrate that they have understood the language and are abl e
to use it for their own purposes in a real or li felike way The tasks in this
phase are the children 's goal for the unit and provide another opportuni ty
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
for teachers to assess demonstrations of the focus outcomes for the unit
Tasks for this phase could include the following
• creating and performing in simple role-plays, skits and dramatic presentations;
• collaborat ive composition of reports. For example, in a 'S lip , slop, slap' unit of work, chi ldren could report on how people protect their ski n ,
• show and tell. For example, in a 'My favourite things' unit child ren could bring along and describe or answer questions about a favourite toy, piece of memorabilia etc.;
• discussions and other unscripted oral interactions on specific issues;
• co llaborative stori es, poems, rhymes contributed to by the whole class;
• entertaining productions such as a class concert, which could invo lve songs, dances, and role-plays;
• written tasks where t here is a rea l audience, for example, a chart, poster, postcard that has been modelled These are frequently guided activities.
General decisions that impact on all planning
Some questions/issues:
*
Which processes, skills and strategies shou ld be focused on in the unit?
Which tasks lend themselves to teacher modelling of the decision-making
process?
Which tasks provide usefu l and easily collected information for
assessment? For example, observation schedu le prepared for dramatic
presentation, products collected for chi ldren's portfolios
How do tasks need to be modified for ch ildren with special needs or
extended for children who are gifted and talented or who are background
speakers of the language?
Have the learning styles, backgrounds, prior experiences, abil ities and
interests of chi ldren been considered in the presentation of new material?
Are all the learning experiences linked to the outcomes that need to be
demonstrated by the chi ldren?
When the above decisions are formalised in a unit plan, teachers can
evaluate the p lan to determine the worthwh ileness of the unit and how
well it embodies the principles of effect ive language learning and teaching.
* *
* Observing students playing games
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
LOTE planner: sample unit of work
So that teachers can see a pract ica l illustrat ion of the planning process, a
sample uni t has been provided A blank vers ion of a LOTE template for a
unit of work is located in append ix 3 for teacher use or adaptation
The following unit of work is generic and, as such, tasks that al low for
demonstrat ions of sociocultural learning outcomes have been omitted. It
is recommended that teachers consider which sociocu ltural aspects of t he
particular target language would complement the unit. For examp le, in t he
orientating phase, the context for a unit of work in Japanese could be
established as the teddy bear ta lks and shows pictures of his birthday
ce lebrat ion from when he was visiting/livi ng in Japan last year. The teddy
bear cou ld show how he ce lebrated his birthday as a basis for comparison
with customs in Australia. Trad itiona l Japanese games cou ld be played
rather than the games mentioned, and Japanese food could be added to
the list of party foods that teddy likes. They cou ld also be included in the
list of foods to be prepared for the synthesising task, the birthday
ce lebrat ion.
The sample unit of work engages children in writing act ivities. Teachers
who have a limited time al location for their LOTE program may decide not
to engage children in reading and writing In this case the tasks and
outcomes for read ing and writing can be omitted ( 2 learning outcomes
reading, .5 learning outcomes - writing) from the un it so that it has an
oral/aural focus.
* 'Teddy bear's birthday celebration'
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
LOTE Planner: Sample unit of work
Title:Teddy bear's birthday celebration
Foundation field: Social living and learning
Cross-curricular links: The Arts, Mathematics, English (consult with class teacher for ideas)
Learning outcomes: (see 'Outcomes at the Introductory Level, Level I and Level 2')
This unit is designed for ch ildren at the Introductory Level of language learn ing for whom the outcomes would be:
IL.I Children dist inguish famil iar sounds and sound patterns and understand high-frequency language with support from visual cues.
IL.2 Children associate words with sounds and meaning related to familiar con texts and rely completely on graphic detail and teacher modelling to comprehend meaning.
IL.4 Chi ldren respond to familiar quest ions nonverbal ly or by repeating words or phrases
IL.5 Children commun icate through tracing, copying or writing familiar text combinations, such as signs, captions and labels.
Content: (see 'Planning for tasks')
• describing people and things: birthday, name. age • expressing and asking about likes and dislikes: party
foods • introducing: of self. teddy bear, children's teddy bears (or
puppets/toys) • offering and responding to invitations party invitation
Teaching considerations: (see 'lnc/usivity')
Birthdays may not be celebrated in all cultu res and social groups and may be celebrated differently in some. It is the teacher's responsibility to acknowledge th is with the children and to create opportunit ies for other ways of celebrating to be explored (perhaps an end of semester/year party wou ld be more suitable). Teachers need to be sensit ive to the position of ch ildren from diverse backgrounds (especially if one is the only child from such a group). The teacher shou ld not, however, expect the child to discuss personal cu ltural practices unless he or she is willing to do so.
Teachers should also consider the gender stereotyping often associated with aspects of birthday celebrations-
Assessment strategy: (see Section 4. 'Assessment')
In tasks 2, 6 and 9 the teacher can observe and collect writing samples as children attempt to write in the target language (.5 outcomes) .
In tasks 4. 6 and 8 children's listening abilities can be observed and anecdotal notes taken about their responses to the language they heard- whether or not children need frequent repetition or rephrasing: if t hey demonstrate
Resources: • teddy bear • invitati on to teddy's party, one filled in • materials to make party hats (ca rdboard. col lage
materials) • samples of party foods • teddy's drawing of a plan for decorations for the party • wa ll frieze for months of the year. strips of paper • children's own teddy bears or soft toys • card to make food labels (for the party) • photographs of chi ldren (or digita l or analogue camera)
...
Some chi ldren cou ld be at either Levels I or 2 for which t he outcomes would be:
• Comprehending 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 . 2.2 • Composing 1.4, 1.5, 2.4, 2.5
To see detailed level descriptions and outcome statements for these levels. p lease re fer to the outcomes section.
Teachers will adjust their expectat ions for comprehensible input and children's language output according to the level of learning outcomes being demonstrated.
• giving and responding to instructions: making a party hat, collage, games
• identifying things: party foods, party games • offering and receiving things: party foods, birthday
badge • congratu lating: Happy Birthday
themes, types of cakes and decorations- to ensure that narrow stereotypes are not reinforced.
Children learning Japanese or Chinese will need to be able to count to (a t least) 12 to allow them to learn the months of the year in the target language. Check with the classroom teacher about children's read iness for such concepts. Children who are not yet counting up to 31 could speak only about their birthday month and not the day of the month. Young ch ildren often are not sure when their birthday is , so it is important to learn these details ahead of time in case they are needed.
understanding through producing actions or il lustrations: how children respond to formulaic language(. I outcomes) .
In tasks 7 and 10 the teacher can observe children's speaking abilities as they sing, play games and use language at the class party (.4 outcomes) .
In task I 0 the teacher can observe children's read ing abi lities as they label foods in the target language (.2 outcomes)
• magazines • cardboard for charts (party food collages) • like/dislike floor mats (large enough for a large group of
chi ldren to stand on) • mural paper for class graph on party food likes/dislikes • 'Happy Birthday' song and words in the target language • tape/CO player • birthday badges in the target language • pictures of party foods prepared by the chi ldren • 'pass the parcel' packages with a small prize inside each
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
LOTE Planner: Sample unit of work
Sequence of learning (see p. 45)
Orientating task: I. Teacher introduces the teddy bear (or puppet, toy etc.) invitations as he has so many to invite (the children's
to the class. The teacher explains that soon it will be own bears/toys). He also shows a list of foods, games teddy's birthday and he has asked them to help him and other things that he likes (e.g. party hats) The plan a birthday ce lebration. The teddy is wearing a party children add to the list by giving input about their likes hat and 'te lls' (it is assumed that he only speaks in the and dislikes for both games and food for birthday target language) t he children when his birthday wi ll be. celebrations. Teddy shows a drawing of a plan for the He shows the invitations that he would like to send to decorations proposed for the ce lebration. friends and asks the children to help write the
Enhancing tasks: 2. Teddy bear asks the class when they think his birthday mat (from task 5). The teacher tall ies the responses for
is. The teacher writes for teddy- his name, day of the each food and prepares a graph showing party foods month on which his b irthday falls and adds his and how many children like/disl ike each. The class photograph to a slip of paper. This slip of paper is glued prepares a li st of the most popular foods for the class to the appropriate month of a class birthday frieze The birthday celebration and decides which group will bring children write their names and days of the months in which food. More proficient children prepare food wh ich their birthdays fall on paper and add it to the wall labels by attempting to write the words in the target frieze. language from a given model.
3. Teddy explains that sometimes at birthday celebrations 7. The teacher explains that soon it will be teddy's children play games and that one of his favourite games birthday The children are asked which song they think is called Fruit Sa lad. Children play Fruit Salad using the might be sung at his birthday ce lebration. The children months of the year (see games section, appendix I). learn to sing 'Happy Birthday· in the target language.
4. Teddy asks children if they remember another game The teacher pins a birthday badge to the teddy and wishes him 'happy birthday· in the target language
that he liked to play at a party, Four Corners. Teddy Children receive the name of another member of the
chooses four children for a game and asks each one to class and the name of that person's teddy bear (or stand in a corner of the room. The teacher reads out clues to a riddle- the month, then the day that one of
similar puppet or toy) , for which they wil l prepare a birthday badge Children practise wishing their partners
the four children 's birthdays falls on. The others in the 'happy birthday' in the target language and present
class must guess which child they think the birthday them with the happy birthday badge (which will be riddle is about and move to stand beside him or her. (The birthday fr ieze from task 2 could ass ist children as
saved until the party to be presented to the friend's bear/puppet/toy) The class sings 'Happy Birthday·
they listen.) The person whom the riddle was about together.
states when his or her birthday is , after the group has guessed whom the birthday riddle was about. 8. The children learn to make a birthday party hat for the
5. The vocabulary for the food that teddy and the child ren celebration to be held at the end of the unit. listening to instructions in the target language and watching as
in the class enjoy eati ng at celebrations is introduced the teacher models t he procedure for making the bas ic through samples of such food (information collected
hat shape. Chi ldren decorate with collage materials to in task I). The teddy names each food and comments make their hats unique. on which food he likes and does not like. The ch ildren repeat the names of the foods and the statement about 9. The chi ldren help the teacher to write col laboratively a liking or disliking something. Children show their simple invitation for their own teddy (puppet/toy) to understanding of whether the teddy likes or dislikes come along to the class birthday celebration fo r teddy's a particular food by stand ing on a floor mat (teacher birthday. More proficient children cou ld also prepare prepared) that indicates a su itab le l ike/dislike invitations for parent helpers to attend and/or members expression and the vocabulary for like/dislike. Groups of of the administration team. Others can draw pictures of children prepare a chart for each food , gluing pictures the party foods discussed throughout the unit (to be found in magazines to make a collage for each food item. used in the Pass-the-Parcel game at the pa rty). Involve
6. Children express whether they like o r dislike pa rticular the ch ildren in organ ising jobs for the party-volunteers to wrap the pa rcel for the Pass-the-Parcel
foods on teddy's party food list as they are named, by game, who will set up , who will clean up, remind groups
moving to stand on the appropriate l ike/dislike floor what they are to bring etc.
Synthesising task: 10. Chi ldren prepare for teddy's birthday celebration by 'happy birthday·, presents it with a birthday badge and
setting up the food (labe ll ing each one with prepared the class sings 'Happy Birthday' in the target language labels from task 6) and the area where the party wi ll be together. The chi ldren offer food to their invited guests. held, as well as putting on their party hats. Children Each child is given the opportunity to say when his or play Pass-the-Parcel , unwrapping a layer of paper each her birthday is or use the class frieze to show the guest time to reveal a picture of a party food glued onto the when his o r her b irthday falls (it may be necessary to next layer of the parcel. They say if they like or dislike ask questions of some children where they cou ld show that food before the game resumes. Each child then their understanding nonverbally by pointing). wishes his/her fr iend's teddy bear (or similar toy)
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Reflective questions for planning
Orientating phase- setting the context, linking with prior learning, introducing new language
Some questions/issues: How will I offer language input?
(Can I do the same thing a different way for different learning styles?)
How can I make thi s input comprehensible?
How can I involve the chi ldren in planning?
What language do chi ldren already have which they can use in this unit to
achieve the overall purpose of the unit? (How to revise language?)
Some strategies: Share a text (Is scaffo lding needed?) Show parts of a video.
Listen to a narrat ive, taped dialogue.
Participate in class discuss ions.
Participate in introductions (perhaps to a puppet).
Listen to instructions (to play a game).
Introduce peer tutoring (children who have been learning the language
teach prerequisi te vocabulary to beginners)
Enhancing phase- learning and practis ing new language,
developing sociocultu ra l knowledge and general knowledge and skills
Some questions/issues: What extra input do ch ildren need to enable them to carry out the
synthesising task?
Same tasks for everyone? How do I keep track if children work
independently?
Are there variety and choice? (mu ltiple intelligences theory/learning styles
- see appendix 2)
Are there opportunities for children to interact meaningfully?
Some strategies: Present listening text to who le group. Chi ldren who are more profi cient
listen for/record x. Chi ldren who are demonstrating outcomes at a lower level listen fo r/ record y
Use teacher-directed tasks for children of higher leve ls. Chi ldren who are
demonstrating outcomes at a lower level work on learning centre tasks or vice versa.
Choose th ree out of five. (Contract for teacher to check.)
Ensu re a balance of real, li fe like and focused learning tasks.
Include games to reinforce language.
Synthesising phase - independently using language in creative
ways, transferring t he language to new contexts
Some questions/issues: What is expected of different learners?
How wi l l chi ldren demonstrate the outcomes in a variety of ways (ind ividually, mixed groups, choices)?
Some strategies: Mixed group product ion with all contributing as they are able (dramatic * presentati on, co llaborat ive wri tten product, such as a report or narrative ). Written or drawn product (each individual )
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
*
Assessment within an outcomes framework is the purposeful , systematic
and ongoing collection of information about chi ldren 's demonstrations of
learning outcomes. In these guidel ines, learning outcomes are presented
in leve ls progress ively increasing in soph isticat ion and comp lexity to form
a continuum of learning. This is represented by the level statements.
Chi ldren 's progress in the Languages other than English key learning area
can be monitored by their demonstrations of the suggested learning
outcomes .
Teachers use assessment informati on to monitor ch ildren's progress and
to make professional judgments to:
• inform chi ldren, parents , carers and schools about demonstrations of learning outcomes;
• make decisions about children 's needs , the learning and teaching processes and resource requirements ;
• set learning goa ls with children , parents and carers ;
• guide the planning of school and class curriculum programs.
Principles of assessment
Demonstrations of
learning outcomes
Comprehensive range
For assessment to be effective, it shou ld :
• focus on chi ldren's demonstrations of learni ng outcomes;
• be compreh ensive;
• develop children's capacities to monitor their own progress;
• reflect current knowledge of child development;
• be an integra l part of the learning process;
• be valid and reliable;
• reflect socia l justice principles
Within an outcomes framework, assessment focuses on children 's
demonstrations of learning outcomes. When assessment is focused on
learning outcomes, chi ldren are aware of what is being assessed, the
assessment techniques being used, and the criteria by which their
demonstrations of learning outcomes will be judged Teachers may then
use assessment information to plan and direct further learning.
When a teacher uses a comprehensive range of assessment techniques
and related instruments, it allows chi ldren multiple opportuni ties and a
range of contexts in which to demonstrate learning outcomes. A variety of
assessment instruments support different learning styles The assessment
tasks developed in specific situat ions provide opportunities for children to
negotiate assessment and approach assessment in different ways
At any one period in their schooling, children could demonstrate their
learning in different ways, and at different levels, across the range of
learning ou tcomes. Assessment techniques must take into account that
every child wi ll progress at a different rate across and within the key
learn ing areas.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Children monitoring own progress
Current knowledge of child development
Integral part of the learning process
Valid and reliable information
Social justice principles
Communicative
Open-ended
Criteria
*
Children need to develop skills in se lf-monitoring and to refl ect on the
processes in wh ich they engage, the ski lls they use and the products of their learning experiences. Self-monitoring enables children to gather
important information that they can use to set goa ls and monitor their
progress towards particular learn ing outcomes. Ch ildren's se lf-monitoring
also provides va luable information to help teachers, parents and carers
make decisions about future learn ing and teaching.
Assessment that reflects current knowledge of chi ld development
considers the ways chi ldren behave, grow, th ink, interact and learn. These are important elements to be considered in the planning, deve lopment
and implementat ion of assessment techniques. Trad itional understandings of child development are being challenged by recent
research.
Assessment is an integral part of the learning process. As they plan tasks,
teachers should also plan how they will monitor children's progress.
Authentic assessment tasks should match children's learning experiences and the teaching methods they have experienced. Assessment tasks
should also reflect real-life si tuations when appropriate.
Assessment shou ld provide va lid and reliable information about children's
ach ievements of learn ing outcomes. Assessment tasks should provide
accurate information about children's ability to comm unicate and provide
children with opportuniti es to demonstrate one or more of the learning
outcomes.
Assessment based on the principles of social justice allows children a
range of opportunit ies to demonstrate learning outcomes in ways that are
sensitive to, and inclusive of, the circumstances of every child. Assessment
tasks shou ld be planned to take into account children 's learning styles,
culture, abi lities, disabilities, gender, geograph ica l location, socioeconomic
ci rcumstance and linguistic backgrounds.
In applying these genera l principles in the Languages other than English
key learning area, the teacher will consider the following features in the
assessment program.
Decisions about ch ildren's performances will be based on the ir genui ne
interactions in tasks with genuine communicative purposes and in
conditions that resemble authentic conditions when possible.
Sampling of children 's performances covers all elements of the program
and occurs through a variety of tasks that allows ch ildren to demonstrate
their full reperto ire of language skills in a range of contexts.
Assessment tasks are open-ended to challenge children to demonstrate
the extent of their proficiency and to draw on their tota l language
repertoires.
Criteria may be used as a basis for making judgments about children's
progress Teachers wi ll derive these criteria from the level statement and
suggested learning outcomes and use them as a gu ide for their
observations.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Techniques for gathering information
Observation,
focused analysis and consultation
Anecdotal records
Documentary portfolios
Criteria-based checklists
Child responses
Self- and peerassessment records
Show portfolios
In gathering informat ion about children's perfo rmances , teachers should
use a variety of techniques These techniques wi ll invo lve the observation
and focused analysis of children's language use in purposeful , vari ed and
open-ended tasks that refl ect the teaching and learn ing program and t hat
allow chi ldren to demonst ra te suggested lea rning ou tcomes in a range of contexts. They will provide a breadt h and depth of re levant informat ion
about children's interactions. Thi s in formation will facil itate the drawing of
reliable and va lid conclusions about the achievement of learning
outcomes or why they have not been achieved. Consultation with chil dren
enabl es teachers to con firm t hese conclusions or revea ls a need fo r more
detailed assessment
*
Observing ch ildren participating in tasks to collect assessment information
In gathering informati on teachers could choose from t he fo ll owing
assessment instruments:
*
anecdotal records of regular classroom interact ions, such as pa rt icipation
in group exchanges, responding to and making requests and following
inst ruct ions;
documentary portfolios of completed tasks, such as list s, simple
descri ptions, survey results, songs, artwork and photographs of performances;
criteria-based checklists of parti cular skill s evidenced in practi ce
sess ions or rea l usage, which would be identifi ed more informally with
children at thi s age through discussion to alert t hem to teacher
expectations as they carry out a task;
child responses to stori es, anecdotes, adverti sements and surveys;
self-assessment and peer-assessment records on individual and group
performances;
show portfolios of pro jects including labelled illustrations, charts, and
posters.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Table l:Assessment techniques and instruments
Technique Context Evidence gathered Instruments
Observation • (Learning) Work in • Practices and dispositions • Anecdotal records progress when working • Audiotapes/videotapes
cooperatively • Checkl ists
• Concentrating and • Criteria for discussion of following through on a expectations with children task (informa ll y presented)
• Communicat ion skills • Reflective diary
• Man ipulative skill . Photographs development
• Use or application of techniques related to a performance
• Strengths and areas where further assistance is required
Consultation • Informal questioning • Dispositions and depth of • Anecdotal records and discussion with understanding • Checkl ists children • Degree to which ch ildren • Criteria for discussion of
• Involvement with transfer learning expectations with children student discussion (informally presented) groups • Conference log
• Interviews and • Child/teacher discussion instances or events • Questioning
Focused • Class presentations/ • Degree of understanding • Simple ora l reports on analysis performances with • Skills in ana lysis, investigations
varying amounts of synthes is and evaluation • Practical tests: constructed teacher input and • Appl ication o f knowledge models, games, skill drills, using class and/or • Processing and peer tutoring, role-plays, home time presentation of group performances, creation
• Projects or exercises information of movement sequences completed using • Communication skil ls • Concept maps home and/or class • Location, selection and • Annotated drawings time use of information • Oral tasks: group discussion,
• Use of terminology games, talk, role-play,
• Use of problem-solving interview strategies • Whole-class collaborat ive
• Use of decision-making 'written ' tasks (with teacher strategies as scribe and extensive
scaffo lding): instructions/ plans, description, information report, creative writing, completed worksheets
• Posters
Peer- and self- • Children's reflection • Use or application of • Checklists assessment on their own techniques or processes • Criteria for discussion of
learning, identifying • Strengths and areas of expectations with children what they concern (informal ly presented) understand and • Reflect ion sheets areas with which • Scrapbooks, diaries or they have concerns journals
• Children 's feedback • Photographic records , on the work of their videotapes or audiotapes peers
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Making judgments and reporting
I tried using the assessment templates from the guidelines to
organise my recording about outcomes. I used
the whole-class profile to
record the levels the children demonstrated as
they carried out tasks. I recorded the focus
outcomes, the name of
the task and the date completed at the top.
Beside each child's name I recorded the level
demonstrated as well as recording (by use of code)
if there were anecdotal notes made or if there is
a work sample that could illustrate the
demonstration in the child's portfolio.
(Years I to 3 LOTE. teacher)
Within an outcomes framework, the outcomes are made expl icit to chi ld ren
so that they can plan for, and demonstrate, the learn ing outcomes. Evidence
of demonstrations of learning outcomes can be drawn from ongoing
observation of performance or from assessment tasks specifically designed
to allow children to demonstrate learning outcomes. Teachers can make
judgments about children 's demonstrations of learning outcomes when
they are sat isfied that they have sufficient evidence of such demonstrations.
Decisions about a child 's demonstration of learning outcomes preferably
should be made without reference to the performance of other children.
It is important that the learning outcome be demonstrated consistently
and in a ra nge of contexts.
The exercise of teachers' professional judgment is fundamental to
assessment and reporting processes. Decisions should be based on
explicit criteria, using a range of evidence to determine demonstrations of
learning outcomes. The criteria should be made known to children so that
the basis for judgments is clear.
Materials and processes to support the consistency of teacher judgments
within and between schools can be developed through
• shared understandings;
• criteria sheets;
• common planning and assessment tasks;
• examination of children 's folios;
• progress maps;
• moderation processes (forma l and informa l)
Children , parents and caregivers need timely and accurate information
from teachers about the child 's progress along the learning continuum.
Reporting of chi ldren's progress in terms of demonstrated learning
outcomes can be provided in a variety of ways including progress charts,
verba l feedback, the results of fo rmal assessment and formal reporting
Assessment template Teachers can record assessment data about the children they teach in
samples many ways. Data can be collected and recorded for whole-class groups and
for individuals. Appendix 4 contains examples of templates.
Years I to 3 LOTE. profile The first sample of an assessment recording too l is a 'Years I to 3 LOTE
profile' for use with individual children. This tool cou ld be included in an
individual's LOTE portfolio of work samples as evidence of demonstrations
of learning outcomes. As children show that they have demonstrated an
outcome consistently, the teacher records thi s information This tool then
acts as a progress map displaying a summary of the learning outcomes
demonstrated at a particular point in time for each child. Judgments can
be supported by, for example, anecdotal notes, work samples, checklists,
child self-assessments etc. Individual progress maps, such as this
example, rema in with each chi ld as he or she moves t hrough schooling
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Class profile of outcomes The second tool, 'Lea rner pro fil e of outcomes', shows part of a profile
including assessment data about the demonstrations of outcomes for
chi ldren in a class group. Teachers consu lt the outcomes on the right-hand
side of the form as they record information about each child. An example
appears below.
Figure 2: Class profile of outcomes
Year: I P School: Bi llabong
Term: 4 Semester: 2
LOTE: French
NAMES .!. DATE~
I. Glen
2. Stephen
3. Kelly
4. Rob
5. Anna
I use the individual
assessment profile as a
summary cover sheet for each chifd•s assessment
portfolio. At a glance, I
can see which learning
outcomes each individual
has demonstrated to
date. I transfer the
information from the whole-class profile to
children•s individual
profiles when I notice
consistent
demonstrations of the
outcome in a number of
contexts. The individual
profiles can remain with the children as they
progress in their language learning.
(Years I to 3 LOTE.
teacher)
*
"' 0.0 E .,:; "' c:: 0.()<1!
"' .122 =e;;;::::.. u 0.0 ·c c V"l:.o 1... c::
"' "' C::.r: 1... "' 0 1... u o_
'- E :::l 0 J:'u 22.10 01.1 1
2.1 1.6
IL.I IL.6
1.1 IL.6
1.1 1.6
a 1.6
*
12.11
1.4
IL.4
1.4
1.4
IL.4
Suggested learning outcomes
Introductory Level
Comprehending IL. I Children distinguish fam iliar sounds and sou nd
patterns and understand high-frequency language with support from visual cues .
IL.2 Children associate words with sounds and meaning related to famili ar contexts and rely completely on graphic detai l and teacher modelling to comprehend meaning.
IL.3 Children demonstrate a beginning awareness of the culture of the target language.
Composing IL.4 Children respond to fam iliar quest ions
nonverbally or by repeat ing words or phrases. IL.5 Children communicate through tracing, copyi ng
or writing familiar text combinations, such as signs, capt ions and labels.
IL.6 Children demonstrate a beginning awareness of cultural appreciat ion through the use of language and gesture as modelled by the teacher.
~
* Understanding high-frequency language with support from visual cues
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
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Appendix I Play to promote communicative interaction
I have found that play in
the form of games provides an excellent
opportunity for children to enjoy their language
learning. A familiar game with new language allows
the children to focus on
the language without having to worry about
how the game is played. They are always begging
to play their favourite games time and time
again! (Years I to 3 LOTE
teacher)
Play is an integral component of the LOTE program for children in the
early chi ldhood yea rs. Play affords opportunities to increase t he scope of
language experiences that ch ildren encounter. Play promotes improved
performance outcomes in the cognit ive. li ngu isti c, affect ive. social and
phys ica l domains. Many language competencies can be developed through
repeated opportun ities for play, during which teachers ca n observe and
make judgments about children's abil ities . As young lea rn ers p lay, a
relaxed environment is created in which t he retri eva l and practi ce of
language can take place.
Development of p lay in young children is refl ected in the diagram below.
Chi ldren develop both cogni t ive ly and socially t hrough play Cogni t ive
development and social development are promoted through cooperati ve
p lay in which ch ildren interact with others and work together to create and
act out story-l ines In a later stage of social development in play, children
tend to enjoy games t hat invo lve either winning or los ing since chi ldren
are often more competi t ive in nature. Cognitive ly, chi ldren's development
in play is characteri sed by early socio-dramatic and symbolic p lay
invo lving the use of imagination As children role-p lay situat ions using
actions and words, their play moves to games that invo lve structures and
rules. Although t heir development appears linear, chi ldren revisi t previous
types of p lay
During LOTE lessons 1 Figure J:The developmental sequence of play encourage the children to
share with one another the strategies that they
use to help them remember new
vocabulary. For example, the word for 'mother' in
Japanese is 'okaasan'most children find that a useful way to remember
the word is to think about their mum driving them
everywhere in the car. This situation sets up an
environment where children can 'play' with language creatively, as
well as reinforcing their metacognitive skills. (Years I to 3 LOTE
Developmental sequence of play
Cooperat ive
Increase in complexity socially
Competitive
[
5 yrs
6 yrs
I 7 yrs
~ 8 yrs
Socio-dramatic and symbolic
Games with rules and performance
Increase in complex ity intellectually
teacher) (Adapted from Creaser in Fleer 1996:5)
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Roll the Ball
It can be difficult for the LOTE teacher to provide extended opportu ni ties
for children to engage in socio-dramat ic play since a set period of time is
allocated for lessons. Nevertheless, teachers should support chi ldren in
their learning by planning for tasks where th ey can use t he target language
in imaginary or lifel ike settings. Play is the fundamenta l medium for young
children's learning and is centra l to any early chi ldhood LOTE program.
Through socio-dramatic play, chi ldren can be encouraged to explore and
deve lop their linguist ic and sociocultural competencies. For example,
children practise count ing as they act out a role in a shop that has been set
up in the classroom. Some children may req ui re the teacher to model this
type of play by taking on roles in the context of children's play - for
example, being t he patient or customer.
The use of games in the LOTE classroom offers ch ildren t he opportunity to
use language in a real-life co ntext within the short time frame of many
language lessons. Playing games using the target language not on ly promotes language use, but also allows ch ildren to learn to cooperate wi th
others and to act appropriate ly when they do not win. This can often be
a cha llenge for young learners, so it is suggested that less competitive
games be used at first It is important for teachers to be aware that
some games may need to be modified to make them inclusive
The following games can be varied according to a unit's focus.
*
** Playing a familiar game to focus attention on new language
Time allocat ion: 5 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis: quest ion and answer
Other motor skil ls, hand-eye coordination
Resources: A small ball
How to play:
l . Have the ch ild ren sit on the fl oor in a circle.
*
2. Roll the ball to the first child and ask, 'What's your name?' (or the
question you have decided to practise).
3. Supply the answer (Matthew) and then get the child to try it
4. Show the chi ld that you want him to roll the ba ll to another ch ild .
5. Look at the child who has ro lled the ba ll and encourage him to ask the
question being practised to the person who recei ved the bal l
6. When the chi ld has asked the question, look at the one who has received
the bal l, repeat ing the question, encouraging him or her to answer.
7. When the second child has answered, get him or her to roll th e ball to
a third chi ld etc. * Variation Older chil dren may like to throw and catch the ball instead of
ro lling it
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Musical Turns
Time allocation 5-10 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis: any language you wa nt to practise, such as
stating personal in formation, co lou rs, ani mals; or an instruction
cou ld be given, such as stand up, or touch your nose
Other: linking music and movement to language
Resources: A cassette or CD of some lively music (from the target language
community if possible). a small ball
How to play
1. Ask the children to sit on the floor in a circle and give the ball to one of
the chi ldren .
2. Start the music and tell the children to pass the ba ll from one to
another around the circle.
3. Stop the music sudden ly and call out 'Stop' ' in the target language.
Demonstrate to the chi ldren that they must stop passing the ball.
4. Say to the child who is holding the ball , t he phrase you want to practise
and indicate that he or she is to say it too. When he or she does it
correctl y, encourage the others to clap
5. Start the music aga in and get the children to carry on passing the ball ,
stopping at another child who must say the phrase being practised
Continue as time permits.
Other ideas: Put pictures/concrete items for words that the ch ildren have
been practising in a 'Fee ly bag' and have the bag passed around as the
music plays When the music stops , take out a picture and say the word for
it in the target language or use it in a sentence.
The Explorers Game
Time allocation 5-10 minutes
Goal- Language emphasis : to follow instructions , practise vocabulary, to
introduce a useful piece of classroom language
Resources: Pictures of vocabu lary items you want to practi se
Before class Prepare pictures of the vocabulary you want to practi se Stick
the pictures on the walls around the room before the children enter.
How to play:
1. Walk to each picture and tell the children the vocabulary to match the
pictures Ask them to repeat the words
2. Invite a child to come and stand with you Say and mime, go to the .
(whatever picture you want the child to locate around the room) If the
chi ld follows this instruction correctly, praise the child. If the child has
difficulty, take hi s or her hand and run with him or her to the picture
named
3. Repeat as time permits.
Other ideas A competitive element cou ld be added to this game (for older
children) by instructing two children to go to different pictures , the first
one to find his or her picture is the winner, or for different groups to move
to different pictu res as called by the teacher.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Crazy Group Drawing
Simon Says
Steppers
*
Time allocation: 5-10 minutes
Goal- Language emphasis to follow instructions, to practise body parts
vocabulary
Resources Board or butcher's paper and writing materials
How to play
1. Ask one of the children to draw a head on the board/easel.
2. Ask another child to draw a body and attach it to the head.
3. Continue this way, asking different children to come to the board/easel
until all the features have been drawn.
Other ideas: A version of this game using large sheets of paper results in
some interesting drawings of people whom children could label in an
extension activity afterwards.
This cou ld be done with other types of vocabulary, such as animals in a
farm setting, body parts of an animal, an alien etc. 1t could also be done
with older children in groups with their own butcher's paper and pens,
taking turns at drawing a body part (depending on the card selected from a
stack of cards with the names of body parts).
Time allocation 5 minutes
Goal- Language emphasis: listening, following instructions, parts of the
body, classroom vocabulary. ('Simon' could be changed to
something more appropriate in the target language.)
How to play:
1. Explain to the class that they will hear instructions, but they must only
obey when you begin by saying 'Simon says ... ·.
2. Say the instructions, doing the actions along with the children. Then
provide an instruction without 'Simon says .. .' before it, refraining from
doing the action yourself. For older children, those who touch the body
part without having heard 'Simon says ' first will be out of the game.
For younger children, however, rather than excluding them from the
game, it is easier to smile, look at them and say, 'I didn't say Simon
says!'
3. A confident chi ld may wish to take up the role of 'Simon' for a game,
giving instructions to the others in the class.
Other ideas: This game could take the form of a 'Robot' game where children
do the actions only when the robot says 'please' with the instruction.
Time allocation: 5-10 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis: to practise 'I have ... ' and to revise the names
of colours, body parts, family members, listening
Resources: Chalk or string
Before class: Prepare statements according to which language you are
practising and the level of your learners (green eyes, black hair; or names
of family members in children's families; or personal characteristics, such
as age, where one lives, how many in one's family, pets owned etc.)
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Draw a l ine across the middle of t he room or, alternat ive ly, use string to
divide the classroom in two.
How to play:
I . The children should line up with their backs to one wa ll. Demonstrate
what they need to do; then stand with your back against the opposite
wall .
2. Ask child ren to step forward if, for example, they have a 'James' in the ir
family or if they have brown hair or if they are fi ve years old etc.
3. Any child who has a person by that name in their family or has that hair
co lour or is that many years old may take a step forward.
4. The game continues with children taking steps forward until the first
person crosses the line at the midd le of the room.
5. For older children, the winner could take the teacher's place for the
next game, ca ll ing out the statements for the others in the group
Other ideas For older chi ldren, the learner cou ld repeat the statement
before taking a step forward: My brother's name is James; or I have black
hair; or I am seven years old etc. Sitting in a circle, the teacher could ask
chi ldren to stand up instead of taking a step across the room when the
statement applies to them.
The Teddy Bear Game
Time allocation : 15-20 minutes
Goal- Language emphasis: reading and saying numbers or body parts
Other: to practise hand control in cutti ng out shapes
Resources: A drawing of a teddy bear with lines to cut off arms, legs and
head from the body section. Each body secti on should be numbered: head,
left arm, right arm , left leg, right leg and body, from one to six. Brown
penci ls or crayons, scissors and dice are also needed.
Before class: Cut out teddy bears when children are not competent with
scissors.
How to play:
I . Hand out teddy bear out lines to each child. Ask children to colour their
bear.
2. Ask children to cut around the bear.
3. Revise the parts of the body, encouraging chi ldren to point to that part
as they name them. Ask child ren which number the various body parts
are: 'What number is his heacl/left arm/right leg/body?'
4. Instruct the chi ldren to cut along the lines to separate the body parts.
5. In groups of four or five , children place their bear's parts in the centre
with the other group members' bears. Explain that they now have to try
to retrieve all the parts of their bear by rolling the dice. Each child takes a turn , by rolling a one, the child says the name of the corresponding
body part, and takes that piece If the child ro lls a number of a body
part he or she already has, he or she misses a turn.
6. The game continues until someone has all of his or her pieces from one
to six put back together as the teddy bear.
Other ideas: Other characters cou ld be used instead of a teddy bear.
* * *
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
The Fishing Game
Time allocation: 5-10 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis: general vocabu lary, I've got a
Other: hand-eye coord ination
Resources: Fish-shaped cards wi th pictures of words you would like the
chi ldren to pract ise, fi shing poles (pieces of timber with a round magnet
attached by fishing line or string) and paperclips
Before class: Make fish shapes out of cardboard and glue on or draw a
picture of the vocabulary that you would like the children to practise
(colours, transport, numbers, foods, animals etc.). Attach a paperclip to
each fish-shaped card Assemble fishing poles by attaching the fishing line
to a round magnet and tying to the dowel rod.
How to play:
I . Revise with the class the words to be used in the fi shing game.
2. Show the ch ildren the fish to be used and place the fish picture-side
down in a 'pool' on the fl oor in the middle of a group of three to five
children.
3. Each ch ild takes a turn with the fishing pole by picking up a card with
the magnet on the end (the magnet picks up the paperclip).
4. Each child takes a turn as time and cards permit , saying the name of
the item pictured on the card.
Other ideas: The ch ildren could make a sentence with the vocabulary on
t he card (I like . , or I don't li ke , I have a cat/dog/mouse etc.).
The Shape Feely Bag
*
Time allocation: 10- 15 minutes
Goa l - Language emphasis: to practise colours and shapes
Other: awareness of shapes
Resources: A bag of coloured shapes
Before class: Make enough coloured cardboard shapes for all in the group
and a bag to hold the shapes (e.g. a pillowcase)
How to play:
I . Practise the vocabulary for the shapes as a class.
2. Choose a shape from the bag and describe it in the target language by
colour and shape.
3. Ask the children to repeat the shape and colour.
4. Divide the ch ildren into groups of four or fi ve.
5. Put the bag behind your back and take out a shape, keeping it hidden.
6. Get each group to try to guess the shape (each group has to pick a
different shape, so vary the order each time that the groups are asked
to provide the name of a shape to be fair) . When each group has had a
go, show the groups the shape
7. Give the shape to the group who guessed it correctly. See if someone in
the group can name the shape by co lour too.
8. Continue until all of the shapes have been used, the winner being the
group with the most shapes.
Other ideas: This game can be used with a variety of words, not just shapes
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
'What's the time, Mr Wolf?'
Time allocation: 10 mi nutes
Goal- Language emphasis: to practi se numbers and te ll ing the time
Before cl ass Make sure you have a large space suitable for chi ldren to run.
How to play:
I . Teach the children to ask and te ll the t ime in the target language.
2. The teacher takes the ro le of the wol f, te lli ng the children that the wol f
is hungry and wa it ing for dinner. The wolf wa its on one side of the
agreed boundary, and the chi ldren stand at th e other.
3. The chi ldren ca ll out, 'What's th e time, Mr Wolf?' in the target language
4. The wolf t urns around and says t he t ime, for example, two o'cl ock, and
then t urns away aga in. The chi ldren move forwa rd a couple of steps
whi le the wolf's back is turned and ask the time aga in .
5. The wolf t urns around and gives another time.
6. This continues unti l the children are close to the wol f. Then, instead of
giving the time, t he wolf says, 'It's dinnert ime! ' The wolf then turns
around and t ri es to catch some of the children before they get home to
the opposite end of the boundary
7. Th e chi ldren ca ught can act as Mr Wolf's helpers unt il the whole class is
ca ught
Noughts and Crosses
What's Missing?
Ti me allocat ion: 5 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis: whatever vocabulary needs practice
Resources: Noughts and Crosses worksheets per pair of learn ers, pencils
for t he chi ldren
Before class: Make a grid of nine squa res on a worksheet wit h a picture of
each vocabulary item to be pract ised in all nine squares.
How to play
I . Practise the vocabulary to be used in t he game as a class
2. Demonstrate to the children that they are to play a game of Noughts
and Crosses wit h a pa rtner, one person is Noughts and t he other is
Crosses.
3. As each child writes a nought or a cross on a square , he or she must
name or use in a sentence the pictured item. If the child ca nnot name
the pictured item, he or she must choose another square to put the
nought or cross on.
4. The winner is the person who gets three in a row fi rst
Other ideas: Laminated ca rds cou ld be made up instead with lam inated
nought and cross shapes, which can be given to children to place over the
squares rather than drawing on the worksheet .
Time allocat ion: 5- 10 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis: to practi se general vocabu lary items
Other: memory bui ld ing exercise
Resources: Flashcards
Before class: Prepa re fl ashcards of vocabulary items you wish the chi ldren
to practi se. *
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* * *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Truth or Lies?
Indoor Relay
*
How to play: l . Revise with the chi ldren the vocabulary that you will be using for the
game through the flashcards.
2. Select one card and hide it away without the children seeing it
3. The learners must try to guess the item t hat is missing
4. The successfu l learner may wish to take the place of the teacher for the
next turn .
Other ideas The children cou ld also play this in pairs or groups with a
smaller set of cards.
Time allocation: 5-10 minutes
Goa l - Language emphasis: The vocabulary learners need to practise
Resources: Flashcard/concrete objects to be practised
Before class: Prepare flashcards/collect concrete objects for the vocabulary
to be practised
How to play:
l . Revise the vocabulary through the fl ashcards or concrete ob jects.
2. Explain to the chi ldren that they should repeat the word or sentence
after the teacher if they believe that the teacher is saying the correct
word/phrase lf they know that the teacher has said the incorrect word/
phrase, they must rema in silent
3. The game can be sped up to encourage the learners to try to beat the
teacher.
Other ideas: Some confident children could be se lected to take t he place
of the teacher.
Time allocation: 10 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis: months of the year, days of the week/month,
or any other words that need to go in a particular order
Resources: Flashcards with days of the week/months of the year etc. on
them
Before class: Make the flashcards for the sequence of words the learners
need to practise.
How to play
I . Attach the flashcards in random order on the blackboard/wall .
2. Invite a ch ild to come out and try to put the cards in the correct order.
As the chi ld is working on the correct order, the rest of the class can count in the target language until the learner with the fl ashcards
completes the sequence.
3. The teacher then makes sure that the order is correct by gett ing the rest
of the class to say yes or no in the target language.
4. When the order is incorrect, either the ch ild can have another turn or another ch ild is given t he opportuni ty to have a turn.
5. The cards can be jumbled again to allow other children to have a turn.
Note: It is important to establ ish a positive tone in the classroom to ensure that some chi ldren do not give others a hard time when they do not
achieve the correct order.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Dress-up Antics
Fruit Salad
Ti me allocation: 5-1 0 minutes
Goa l - Language emphasis: the vocabulary for clothing
Other dressing oneself
Resources: A box of dress-up clothes
How to play:
I . Choose two or three children to come to the front of the room.
2. Tell the chi ldren that they wil l be given twenty seconds to put on as
many different pieces of clothing as they can.
3. The rest of the class counts in the target language, assisted by the
teacher as the twenty seconds pass.
4. At the end of the twenty seconds, the children who have dressed up
must say in the ta rget language, 'I am wearing .. ·. taking off each of the
dress-up items as they name each.
5. The winner is th e person who can name the most clothes that he or she
has put on in twenty seconds.
Other ideas: Thi s could be a group activi ty where each child has a tu rn, and
the winner is aga in t he child who names the most items of clothing that he
or she managed to put on in the set t ime.
Time allocat ion I 0-1 5 minutes
Goal - Language emphasis Any vocabulary you wou ld like the chi ldren
to practise
Resou rces: A chair for each ch ild
How to play
I . Place chairs in a circle with the chi ldren's backs facing th e inside of t he
circle. Remove one chair so t hat one child is standing
2. Give each of the chi ldren a word in the language that is to be practised.
For example, if pract isi ng t he vocabu lary for frui t, each of the ch ildren
will be named apple, banana, grapes, passionfru it or pineapple etc.
3. With t he help of the teacher, t he ch ild standing cal ls out the names of
various frui ts. Those chi ldren who were named the part icular fruit
ca lled must stand, along wit h the person who is ca lling the name and
change seats with someone else who is the same fruit name. The child
left standing wit hout a chair must be th e next ca ller. Thi s continues for
the other frui t names. 4. When the child ca lls 'Fruit Sa lad! ' , all the chi ldren must stand and
change seats. Once again , th e child left standing will have to be the
ca ller.
Note: Ca ution the children at the beginning of the game to play sa fely
When learners are very you ng, pin a picture of t he frui t (or any other word
being practi sed) on them since they sometimes fo rget which word they
were given.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Appendix 2 Learning approaches
Multiple intelligences theory
Creating an individualised learning environment
As our children are growing up in the
technological age it is
important that we incorporate LOT£
computer programs to
reinforce language
learning. This also takes
into consideration learning styles and
multiple intelligences. (Years I to 3 LOTE
teacher)
Learn ing another language benefits learners cultural ly, economica lly and
intellectually. Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences ( 1985) is one of
many theories that give teachers clues as to how learners benefit
intellectua lly as they learn another language. The multiple intelligences
t heory proposes at least eight intelligences and provides a framework for a
va ri ety of teaching strategies.
Verbal/linguistic intelligence is related to the learner's abi lity to use words
effectively through both oral and written means. Language learners
develop this intel ligence as they participate in:
• using the target language in conversat ions, vocabulary games and role-p lays;
• giving descriptions and reports;
• giving recounts;
• listening to a big book story;
• creating class collections of writing;
• learning about language and using its fu nctions and grammar.
Musical intelligence refers to the learner's sens itivity t o rhythmical and
tonal patterns, pitch and melody Learning another language uti lises this
intelligence as chi ldren:
• sing in the target language;
• make up examples o f onomatopoeia;
• demonstrate their sensitivity to the rhythms, intonation patterns and new sounds;
• imitate new sounds, rhythms and intonation patterns in their own speech.
Logical/mathematical intelligence is th e ability to use numbers effect ive ly,
reason well and understand abstract patterns. Learners o f other languages
act ivate this intelligence when they:
• recognise patterns in the grammar of the target language and use these as a basis for hypothesising when composing or comprehending new oral and written texts;
• attempt to solve language problem s th rough accessing thei r repertoire of language for a specific context ;
• work with symbols and characters;
• work on puzzles ;
• look for relationships between different functions in the target language, such as the intonation used in commands, statements and questions
Spatial/visual intelligence is act ivated when learners create internal mental
images and p ictures and are sensi tive to space, colour, l ine and shape.
Learners use t his type of intell igence as they
• observe the presentation of new language through videos, pictures and posters;
• LANGUA GES OT HER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
• visualise and create skits , ro le-p lays and written texts;
• menta lly l ink new words wi th p ictu res as they visua li se them;
• design and make language games;
• remember the shapes of characters or symbols;
• draw and construct items, such as puppet s, clay models etc , fo r a language activity
Body/kinaesthetic intelligence uses the body, phys ica l sensations and
movement to express ideas and feelings, and to so lve problems Act ivit ies
that invo lve th is type of intelligence include:
• lea rn ing gestu res and body language associated wi th the ta rget language and culture;
• playing games that incl ude a phys ica l element ;
• perform ing a dance;
• im itat ing new sounds that are unfam il iar;
• cooking food from the target cultu re;
• miming the mean ing of new words, such as be ing an an ima l ;
• part icipating in fie ld trips;
• taking pa rt in drama activi t ies.
Interpersonal intelligence is activated as chi ldren work and cooperate in
groups, communi cate and empathise. Thi s intel ligence is crucial to
lea rn ers for:
• undertaki ng roles, such as in plays or as a t utor fo r another learner;
• developing the ab il ity to look at how people of another cul tu re view things;
• behaving appropriate ly as a member o f a group;
• communicati ng wit h others
Intrapersonal intelligence re lates to t he ability to be aware of and
knowledgeab le about feelings, th inking processes, se l f-refl ection and
spiritual real iti es. This intel ligence can be deve loped in young children as
they deliberately focus on the st rategies and skil ls invo lved with
internalising language Ch ildren can be assisted to:
• refl ect on why they l ike parti cular act ivities;
• refl ect on the st rategies they use to internalise language;
• eva luate and moni to r thei r own use of th e ta rget language;
• reflect the feelings t hey have as t hey use t he new language;
• ident i fy and challenge any racism and stereotypes they may encounte r.
Naturalistic intelligence is the capacity t o reason and solve problems in t he
natura l world and to use thi s abi l ity in a producti ve manner. Thi s
intelligence is acti vated when children are involved in tasks where they:
• draw or photograph natura l objects;
• ca re for animals and environments;
• use scientific equipment, such as m icroscopes, telescopes or other magnifi ers, to observe natura l objects;
• create d rawings that il lustrate observat ions about natural ob jects;
• describe changes in th eir immed iate or globa l environment.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
As is the case with perceptual learn ing styles, it is important for teachers
to identify their own multiple intelligence profi le as a way of examining
their best teaching practices and dealing with human differences. By doing
this, teachers can become more confident that the choices made will
support ch ildren's learning. A checklist of the types of activities carried
out in the classroom in a typical week could be categorised into which
multiple inte ll igences are used. This analysis could t hen be used as a basis
for expanding the types of activities offered in future lessons.
Figure 4: The intelligence pizza
The intelligence pizza helps children understand in which ways we are 'smart'.
*
art smart
(adapted from Armstrong 1994)
This figure is one way to introduce the idea of the mult iple intelligences to
children, using words and visuals that children understand. Children
should be informed that they are all 'smart' in different ways, each 'smart'
matching up with the various intelligences discussed earlier. Nature smart
is the 'smart' for naturalistic intelligence, se lf-smart is intrapersonal
intelligence etc. Children can begin to make decisions about the different
ways that they like to learn and demonstrate their learning
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN EN GLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULU M GUIDELINES •
Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives
After I finish planning a
unit of work. I look at the ideas from Bloom and
Gardner once again.
I sometimes use them as
a checklist to make sure
that the tasks planned for
a unit of work provide
enough opportunities for
children to utilise a reasonable number of
intelligences. Then I make
a note of the intelligences
that could be utilised next time I plan a unit for
that class. Bloom,s
Taxonomy helps me
check that the tasks challenge children
cognitively, especially
tasks that involve the use
of familiar language.
(Years I to 3 LOT£
teacher)
Challenges for ch ildren in t he LOTE program can come from both the
demand of t he task or the language requ ired for the task. Tasks t hat challenge chi ldren to create and communicate their own language
utterances are more likely to mot ivate children than just imitation.
Chi ld ren can al so be encouraged to begin to develop an awareness of th e
thinki ng ski lls and strategies used for a pa rti cula r task. Metacognit ion ca n
be promoted through teacher modelling, children sharing the st rategies
and thinki ng skill s used in a part icular task with others in t he class or by
d irectl y teaching t he skill or strategy that will ass ist ch ildren to complet e a
task. These strategies help child ren t hink about their language learning
Metacognit ive t hinking skill s, l ike commun ication skill s, are best
developed in context as t he chil dren are in the process of making an
important decision or explori ng an idea.
Another opport unity to provide chall enges fo r children is t hrough the
inclus ion of a range of t hinking ski lls in a uni t of work. Tasks can use a high
level of thinking without necessarily req uiring higher levels of language.
Tasks with a high cogn itive demand but t hat are embedded in a rea l o r li fe like con text will be more accessible to children.
Bloom's Ta xonomy of Eduw tional Objectives describes a sequential
development of thinking ski ll s and impl ies that higher-order thinki ng skill s
are beyond young chil dren. More recent work with young chi ldren has
ind icated that they are capab le of dea ling with abstractions earlier than
was origina lly t hought. If teachers understand the progression of logica l
thinking, t hey ca n provide tasks appropri ate to t he developmenta l level
of chi ldren and also provide appropria te cha llenges.
Bloom's taxonomy provides a model for developing vari ed learning and
teaching based on a va ri ety of thinking ski ll s. An overlap occurs between
t hese thinking skill s and t he language funct ions li sted in 'P lann ing for
tasks' . The taxonomy incl udes the fo llowing types of t hinking
Knowledge • Learn ing new informat ion - list, te ll , defi ne.
Comprehension • Understanding new information - explain , describe, interpret.
Appliwtion • Using or applying knowledge - apply, practise, illustrate.
Analysis • Breaking down information- class ify, compare, survey.
Synthesis • Combining informat ion in di fferent or new ways - create, des ign,
imagine.
Eva luation • Making judgments about t he informat ion - judge, decide,
recommend.
Teachers can plan an appropriate ba lance of thinking skills for children in a un it of work, ensuring that skills such as knowledge, comprehension and
application are supplemented with tasks that demand other types of
thinking. This balance may need to be adapted for some children.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH •
Appendix 3 LOTE planner template
Title:
Foundation field: (see 'Foundation fie lds of learning')
• YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Cross-curricular links: (Consu lt with t he class teacher for ideas.)
Learning outcomes: (see 'Suggested learning outcomes' at t he Introductory Level, Level I and Level 2)
Content: (see 'Planning for tasks')
Teaching considerations: (see 'lnclusivity')
Assessment strategy: (see 'Assessment')
Resources:
*
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Sequence of learning
Orientating:
Enhancing:
Synthesising:
*
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICU LUM GUIDELI NES •
Appendix 4 Assessment template examples
Years I to 3 Languages other than English (LOTE) Profile
Suggested Learning Outcomes
Name: LOTE:
Introductory Level Level I
Comprehending Date Comprehending Date
IL. I Ch ildren distingui sh familiar 1.1 Chi ldren dist ingu ish sounds and sounds and sou nd patterns and sound patterns and understand and understand high-frequency language respond to high-frequency language with with support from visual cues. support from visua l cues.
IL.2 Chi ldren associate words with 1.2 Children understand the meaning of sounds and meaning related to familiar key written word s to which there has contexts and rely completely on graph ic been significant exposure. as well as detail and teacher model l ing to decode and recognise some written comprehend meaning. words from oral vocabulary through an
awareness of sound-symbol relationships.
IL.3 Child ren demonstrate a beginning 1.3 Ch i ldren recognise when content awareness of the culture of the target refers to the target cu lture rather than language. their own and demonstrate
understanding of some culturally specifi c gestures in a l imited range of contexts .
Composing Date Composing Date
IL.4 Children respond to fami l iar 1.4 Chi ldren respond to quest ions with questions nonverba lly or by repeating short memorised utterances and words or phrases maintain interaction when their speaking
partner uses repetition and/or simpl ifi cation
IL.5 Ch i ldren communicate through 1.5 Ch ildren label items and write set tracing, copying or writing fami liar text ph rases used regularly in class combinations, such as signs, captions approximating spel l ing of words written and labels. from memory and demonstra te an
awa reness of the conventions of print in the target language.
IL.6 Children demonstrate a beginning 1.6 Children imitate cultu ral ly awareness of cultural appreciation appropriate language and sociocu lturally through the use of language and gesture appropriate gestu res in high-frequency, as modelled by teacher. learned situations.
Year Teacher Year: Teacher:
* Year Teacher: Yea r: Teacher:
* * *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Appendix 4 Assessment template examples (continued)
Years I to 3 Languages other than English (LOTE) Profile
Suggested Learning Outcomes
Name: LOTE:
Level 2 Comments
Comprehending Date
2. 1 Children understand a range of familiar statements and questions with visual support, controlled language when the context is obvious. and key words in short, spoken, authent ic texts of several l inked utterances.
2.2 Children identify the main purpose in a simple text on a fam iliar topic, rely ing on key word s for understanding, and read and identify single items of information in short. repetitive texts contain ing famil iar language.
2.3 Children identi fy some key explicit cu ltural references to very famil iar aspects of the target cu lture in texts and can determine mea ning by interpreting cu lturall y specific gestures. intonation and other visual or aud itory cues .
Composing Date
2.4 Children make requests and interact with peers and familiar ad ults us ing key words or ph rases and adapting memorised material on rehearsed topics using spoken models.
2.5 Children write phrases or short sentences based on models and contribute to the production of stories. class books, posters and other simple texts.
2.6 Ch ildren display appropriate body language and gestures in basic social situations.
Year: Teacher:
* Year: Teacher:
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
I
Learner Profile of Outcomes (Years I to 3)
Year: Assessment opportunities/date
School:
Term:
Semester:
LOTE:
Names:
I.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
II .
12.
13.
14.
IS.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
2 1.
22.
23 .
24.
25 .
26.
27.
28.
29.
* 30.
31.
32.
* * *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Learner Profile of Outcomes (Years I to 3)
Suggested Learning Outcomes
Introductory Level Beginner
Comprehending
IL. I Children distinguish familiar sounds and sound patterns and understand high-frequency language with support from visual cues.
IL.2 Children associate words with sounds and meaning related to familiar contexts and rely completely on graphic detail and teacher modelling to comprehend meaning.
IL.3 Chi ldren demonstrate a beginning awareness of the culture of the target language
Composing
IL.4 Chi ldren respond to familiar quest ions nonverbally or by repeating words or phrases
IL.5 Chi ldren communicate through tracing, copying, or writing familiar text combinations, such as signs. captions and labels.
IL.6 Children demonstrate a beginning awareness of cultural appreciation th rough the use of language and gesture as modelled by the teacher.
Level I Beginner
Comprehending
1.1 Chi ldren distinguish sounds and sound patterns and understand and respond to high-frequency language with support from visua I cues.
1.2 Children understand the meaning of key written words to which there has been significant exposure, as well as decode and recogn ise some written words from oral vocabulary through an awa reness of sound-symbol relationships.
1.3 Children recognise when content refers to the target cultu re rather than the ir own and demonstrate understanding of some cu lturally spec ific gestures in a limited range of contexts.
Composing
1.4 Children respond to questions with short memorised utterances and maintain interaction when their speaking pa rtner uses repetition and/or simplification.
1.5 Children label items and write set ph rases used regularly in class approximating spel ling of words written from memory and demonst rate an awareness of the conventions of print in the ta rget language.
1.6 Children imitate culturally appropriate language and sociocu lturally appropriate gestures in high-frequency. learned situations.
Level 2 Beginner
Comprehending
2 .1 Children understand a range of familiar statements and questions with visual support, controlled language when the context is obvious, and key words in short, spoken, authentic texts of several linked utterances.
2.2 Children identi fy the main purpose in a simple text on a familiar topic, rely ing on key words for understanding. and read and identify single items of information in short . repetitive texts containi ng fam iliar language.
2.3 Children identify some key explicit cultural references to very fam iliar aspects of the target culture in texts and can determine meaning by interpreting culturally specific gestu res, intonation and other visual or auditory cues.
Composing
2.4 Children make requests and interact with peers and famil iar adults using key words or phrases and adapti ng memorised material on rehea rsed top ics using spoken models.
2.5 Children write phrases or short sentences based on models and cont ribute to the product ion of stories, class books and posters and other simple texts. * 2.6 Ch i ldren display appropriate body language and gestures in basic social situat ions.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
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Background speaker A person for whom the language other than
English is his or her first language
Communicative competence Children 's knowledge of language, wh ich
they draw on as they interact.
Comprehensible input Language that can be understood by the child.
Language can be made comprehens ible by means of clues, such as prior
information ava ilable to the chi ld , gestures or the context It is generally
thought that comprehensible input is necessary for successful second
language acquisition.
Comprehensible output Output refers to language produced by a chi ld
Swain ( 1985) proposed that. when learners make an effort to ensure that
their output is comprehensible , second language acquisition can be
promoted
Context The integration of natural and constructed aspects of an
environment that gives meaning to human behaviour.
Corrective feedback Learners are made aware of the fact that their use
of the language is incorrect. Feedback may be direct (i.e correction) or
indirect (i e clarification request).
Culture The diverse knowledge, beliefs, values and perspectives that
members of a group share and embody in their rituals, roles, relationships
and customs.
Cultural context The frame of reference in which systems of knowledge,
beliefs , values and perspectives and their embodiment in roles ,
relationships and customs are experienced
Discourse patterns The actions, interactions and language patterns
used within a context
Diversity The variety of differences that exist in a classroom, community,
culture or country - for example, ability, gender. race and culture.
Evaluation A process undertaken to determine the effectiveness of an
act ivity, program or practice.
First Language (Ll) The first language learned by an individual
Focus on form How meaning is expressed through the structures.
Formulaic patterns Language provided in 'chunks' and not analysed
Fossilisation The cessation in development of a particular language form
while st ill short of target language competence.
Foundation learning areas A framework for exploring content of the
early childhood curricul um described in terms of understandings and
dispositions, learning processes, teaching strategies and outcomes.
Genre Any purposeful act ivity that is characteristic of a cultural
community. It has a characteristic staged 'generic structure', for example,
recipe, report. fab le, invitation.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Holistic Thinking o f a person as a whole, integrated being, not the mere
sum of parts.
Inclusive practices Ways in wh ich all students have access to,
participate in and benefit from t he cu rr iculum and school ing These
practices include the challenging of barriers; the va luing of diversity,
experiences and perspectives; and the provision of multiple opportuniti es
for learning and assessment.
Individuality The sum of each person 's intrinsic and cultural
characterist ics that makes everyone unique and in need of special
curricu lum planning consideration
Input The language (written or spoken) to which children are exposed in
a given environment.
Interaction Reciproca l commun ication to which both (or all ) parti cipant s
contribute actively.
Intercultural competence The abil ity to relate to and in teract with
people from different cultural contexts , to understand their own cultural
located ness and to consider other 'versions' of the world.
lnterlanguage The individual construction of knowledge of the systems
of language developed as ch ildren learn. It may have components of the
ch ild 's previously learnt language(s). components of the LOTE, and more
general components that appear in all or most language systems
lnterlanguages are dynamic since they are consta nt ly evolving as children
receive language input and systematically use their interlanguage to revise
their hypotheses about the LOTE.
Key learning areas A nationally developed organisational st ructure for
the Years I to 10 cu rricu lum- The Arts, Engli sh, Hea lth and Physical
Education , Languages other than Engl ish (LOTE). Mathematics , Science,
Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE). and Technology- has been
adopted by the Queensland government as its organ ising structure.
Learner-centred classroom A classroom that provides ch ildren with
more opportunities to part icipate in decision making about the nature of
the language used, take more turns in the use of the language and become
increasingly independent as they move from one task to another.
Learning outcomes The descriptions of expected forms and levels of
what children know and what they can do with what they know. They have
a dual role: to inform curricu lum planning and to be a framework for
assessment.
Level statement A summary of the intended learning outcomes for each
level that provides the conceptua l framework for grouping the suggested
learning outcomes.
Metacognition A person's abil ity to reflect on and discuss how he or she
learns and demonstrates his or her knowledge.
Negotiation of meaning Ad justments made in language use during
interactions between speakers, which allows communication to occur.
Private speech Some language learners go through a 'silent' period
preparing for social speech by ho lding conversat ions with themselves.
Reformulation The rephrasing o f in formation to make it easier for the
learner to access. This is often necessary for beginners' classes
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
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Scaffolding The scaffo ld ing analogy (from the building industry) refers
to the process of supporting a child wh ile he or she learns to so lve a
problem or perform a task that could not be accompl ished by that child
alone. The aim is to gradually reduce support unt il the child can use the
new learning independently.
Second language (L2) Any language learned oth er than a first language.
Social context The immediate social conditions under which an
interaction takes place.
Target language The language being learned by a child , which could be
a first. second, third or even fourth language.
Task Any endeavour that has a recognisable purpose and that will
involve the use of language to achieve that purpose.
Teacher-centred classroom A classroom that is dominated by the
teacher, who contro ls the language to be used and does most of the
commun icat ing.
Text Any written, spoken, nonverbal, visual and/or auditory
communicat ion that conveys meaning and is created for a particular
purpose and context.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN EN GLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULU M GUIDELINES •
Curriculum
* * ~l~ct bibliograpby
Arthur, L., Beecher, B , Dockett , S., Farmer, S. & Richards, E. 1993, Programming and Planning in Early Childhood Settings, Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich Group, Sydney.
The Association of Independent Schools of NSW Limited 1997, LOTE links to the Primary Classroom (French, German and Italian), Sydney
Austral ian Education Counci l 1994, A Statement on Languages other than English for Australian Schools, Curriculum Corporation, Carlton, Vic.
Board of Studies New South Wales 1996, Languages other than English K- 6
Generic Syllabus Framework, Board of Studies NSW, North Sydney
Bronson, M.S. 1995, The Right Stuff for Children Birth to 8 Selecting Play Materials to Support Development , National Association for the Education of Young
Ch i ldren, Washington, D.C.
Clyne, M, jenkins, C. , Chen, I, Tsokalidou, R. & Wallner, T 1995, Developing Second Language from Primary School Models and Outcomes, National Languages
and Literacy Inst itute of Austra lia, Canberra.
Creaser, B. & Dau, E. 1996, The Anti-bias Approach in Early Childhood, Harper
Educational, Pymble
Curriculum Corporat ion
1993, Yoroshiku Niko Niko Series- Stages A & 8, Carlton, Vic.
1995, Studies of Asia A Statement for Australian Schools, Carlton, Vic.
1997, The Integrated Units Collection: Oodles of Noodles Early Yea rs , Carlton,
Vic.
Curtain , H. 1997, Integrating Foreign Language and Content Instructi on in
Grades K- 8, Available URL: http://www.cal.org/ea rlylang/conteach.htm .
Curtain, H. & Pesola, C. 1994, Languages and Children Making the Match, Longman, New York.
Education Queensland 1998, Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Education Materials, Brisbane.
Hood, P 1994, 'Primary Foreign Languages - The Integration Model: Some Parameters for Research ', The Curriculum Journal (5) 2.
Lipton , G. 1994, Practical Handbook to Elementary Foreign Language Programs , National Textbook Co , Lincolnwood, Illinois.
Queensland Department of Education 1997, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Early Childhood Teacher's Handbook , Brisbane.
-- 1996, Principles of Inclusive Curriculum , Brisbane.
Queensland School Curriculum Council
1999a, Literacy position paper, Brisbane.
1999b, Numeracy position paper, Brisbane.
1999c, Lifeski lls position paper, Brisbane.
1999d, Futures perspective position paper, Bri sbane
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Early childhood
Learning approaches
Queen sland School Curriculum Counci l
2000 , Years 4 to 10 Languages other than Engl ish (LOTE) CO-ROMs,
French, German, Ita lian, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean ,
Brisbane.
2000, Years 4 to 10 Languages other than English (LOTE)
Syllabuses, French, German. Ita l ian, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian,
Korean, Brisbane.
Satchwell , P. & de Si lva,). 1995, Catching Them Young, Centre for Informat ion
on Language Teaching and Resea rch, London.
Sca rino, A, Va le , D., McKay, P. & Clark, ). 1988, Australian. Language Levels Guidelines (Books 1-4). Curriculum Development Cent re, Ca nberra.
Singh, M. & Gilbert. R. 1992, Focus on Cultural Learn ings in Schools
a discussion paper, Department of Education, Bri sbane.
Wright. A 1995, Storytelling With Children., Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Boulton-Lewis , G. & Catherwood, D. 1994, The Early Years Development , Learning and Teaching, Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn , Vic.
Fleer, M. 1996, 'Profiling Children Th rough Play', in Fleer, M. (ed). Play Through the Profiles Profiles Through Play , Australian Early Childhood
Association, Watson, ACT
Gestwicki, C. 1997, The Essentials of Early Education , Delmar, New York.
Harrison , J 1996, Understa nding Children., Australian Counci l for Educational
Research, Camberwell , Vic.
King, E., Ch ipman, M. & Cruz-janzen, M. 1994, Educating Young Children. in. a Society, Allyn and Bacon, Boston.
Koste lni k, M , Soderman, A & Whiren, A 1993, Developmentally Appropriate Programs in. Early Childhood Education, Macmillan, New York.
Queensland School Curricu lum Counci l 1998, Preschool Curriculum Guidelines, Brisbane.
Shipley, D. 1993, Empowering Children. Play-Based Curriculum for Lifelong Learn ing, Nelson Ca nada, Scarborough, Ontario.
Armstrong, T 1994, Multiple Intelligences in. the Classroom, Associat ion for
Supervis ion and Curriculum Development (ASCD). A lexand ri a, Virgini a.
Bloom, B. S. 1964, Taxonomy of Educational Objectives The Classification. of Educa tional Goa ls, Handbook I: Cog nitive Domain , Longman, New York.
Campbell , L. 1997, 'How Teachers Interpret M l Theory' , Educational Leadership (55) I, 14- 19.
Checkley, K. 1997, 'The First Seven and the Eighth A Conversation with
Howard Gardner', Educational Leadership (55) I , 8-1 3.
Christi son, M. 1996a, 'Teaching and Learning Languages Through Multiple
Intelligences', Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages Journal 6 (I). I 0-14.
-- 1996b , 'Multip le Intelligences and Second Language Learners', * The Journal of the Imagination. in. Language Teach ing 3, 8-13.
* *
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Second language acquisition
Fogarty, R. & Bellanca. J 1995, Multiple Intelligences A Collection, Hawker
Brown low Education , Cheltenham, Vic.
Gardner, H. 1985, Frames of Mind TJ1e TJ1eory of Multiple In tell igences, Heinemann , London
-- 1993, Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice , Basic Books, New York
-- 1995, 'Re fl ect ions on Multiple Intell igences: Myths and Messages', Phi
Delta Kappan, November
Lazear, D. 1994, Seven Multiple Intelligence Approaches to Assessment, Hawker
Brown low Educat ion, Cheltenham, Vic.
-- 1994, Seven Ways of Knowing - Teaching for Multiple Intelligences . Hawker
Brown low Education, Cheltenham, Vic.
-- 1994, Seven Ways of Teaching - The Artistry of Teaching with Multiple Intelligences, Hawker Brownlow Education , Cheltenham, Vic.
Meyer, M. 1997, 'The Greening of Learning: Using the Eighth Inte lligence' ,
Educational Leadership (55) I, 32-34.
McGrath , H. & Noble, T 1993, Different Kids Same Classroom Making Mixed Ability Classes Really Work, Longman, South Melbourne.
Reid, J 1998, Understanding Learning Styles in the Second Language Classroom , Prentice Hall Regents, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey
Sauer, C. 1996, 'Mult iple Intelligences' Ava i lable URL
http://oa k. cats. oh i ou. ed u/ -cs882 288.
Wa lker, D. & Brown. P 1994. Pathways to Co-operation: Starting Points for Co-operative Learning , Eleanor Curtain Publishing, Armida le.
Wilson, ). & Hoyne, P 1993, Co-operative Challenges for Infants, Thomas Nelson
Australia , South Melbourne.
Douglas Brown, H. & Gonzo, S. 1995, Readings on Second Language Acquisition , Prentice Hall Regents , Upper Sadd le River, New Jersey
Harley, B. 1998, 'The Role of Focus-on-form Tasks in Promoting Chi ld L2
Acquisit ion' in Doughty, C. & Williams,). (eds) Focus on Form in Classroom Second Language Acquisition , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Harley, B. , Howard, J & Hart. D. 1995, 'Second Language Processing at
Different Ages: Do Younger Learners Pay More Attention to Prosodic Cues
to Sentence Structure?', Language Learning, 45: I , 43- 71.
Johnstone. R. 1994, Teaching Modern Languages in the Primary School, Scottish
Counci l for Research in Education, Edinburgh
Lightbown, P & Spada, N. 1993, How Languages are Learned, Oxford
Un iversity Press, Oxford.
Makin, L , Campbell , J & Jones Diaz, C. 1995, One Childhood Many Languages , Harper Educational. Pymble.
Patkowski, M. 1994, 'The Critical Age Hypothes is and lnterlanguage
Phonology' in Yavas, M. 1994, First and Second Language Phonology , Singular
Publish ing Group Inc. , San Diego
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
*
Phi llips, S. 1993, Young Learners, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Reil ly, V. & Ward, S. 1997, Very Young Learners, Oxford University Press ,
Oxford.
Tough, J 199 1, 'Young Chi ldren Learning Languages' in Brumfit , C ,
Moon , J. & Tongue, R. 1991, Teaching English to Children: From Practice to Principle, Collins ELT Publishers, London.
• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
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Contributors and trial schools
The va luable contribut ions of the fol lowing individuals, organisations and
schools are gratefully acknowledged
Office of the Queensland School Curriculum Council
Deleece Batt
Amanda Pentti
Carolyn Harrod
Barry Salmon
Jim Tun sta ll
LOTE Management Group
Member
Deleece Batt
Project Officer, writing team
Project Officer, writing team
Principal Project Officer, Years I to I 0
Languages other than English Curriculum
Development Project
Assistant Director (Cu rri culum Development)
Director
Organisation represented
Queensland School Curriculum Council,
Execut ive Officer
Carmel Gomm-Wright Education Queensland
Carolyn Harrod Queensland Schoo l Cu rri culum Council. Chai r
Tony Kitchen Queensland Catholic Education Commission
May Kwan The Association of Independent Schools of
Queensland Inc.
Amanda Pentti
Marie! Tisdell
LOTE Syllabus Advisory Committee
Queensland School Curriculum Council
The University of Queensland
Member Organisation represented
Judy Chapman Education Queensland
Christine Davis Queensland Board of Senior Secondary
School Stud ies
Mari a Dobrenov-Major Higher Education Forum
David Goodwin Education Queensland
Carolyn Harrod Queensland School Curriculum Council, Chair
Robyn Jones Modern Language Teachers' Associat ion
of Queensland
Michelle Kennedy Queensland Council of Parents and
Citizens' Associations Inc., The Federation of
Parents and Friends Associations of Catholic
Schools in Queensland and Independent Parents * and Friends Counci l of Queensland Inc.
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• LANGUAGES OTHER THAN ENGLISH • • YEARS I TO 3 CURRICULUM GUIDELINES •
Molly Kreid l
May Kwan
Pam Lait
A llan Langdon
Christi ne Ludwig
Marcel Noest
Wendy Parkinson
Maria Queale
Carolyn Robinson
Queensland Teachers' Union and Queensland
Independent Education Union
The Associat ion of Independent Schools
o f Queensland Inc.
Education Queensland
Educat ion Queensland
Queensland Schoo l Curri culum Counci l
(Literacy and Numeracy)
The Association of Independent Schools
of Queensland Inc.
Queensland Catholic Education Commission
Queensland Catholic Education Commi ss ion
Education Queensland
Kathryn-Anne Sym mons Education Queensland
Jenny Wi lson Queensland School Curricu lum Counci l (Equity)
Tertiary critical friends
Trial schools
*
Jo Carr
Jane Crawford
Penny McKay
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
The va luable contribut ions of staff and children of the following trial
schools are gratefu lly acknowledged:
Bellevue Park State School, Bellevue Park
Benowa State School, Benowa
Canterbu ry College, Been leigh
The Glenn ie Preparatory School, Toowoomba
Good Shepherd Lutheran College, Noosavi lle
John Paul College, Daisy Hill
Saint Stephen's College, Oxenford
St Joseph's School, Bardon
St Paul 's School , Ba ld Hills
Sunshine Coast Grammar School, Forest Glen