Years 7 and 8 Band Description
The nature of the learners
These years represent a transition to secondary school. Students in this sequence are continuing to study Arabic, bringing with them an established capability to interact in different situations, to engage with a variety of texts and to communicate about their immediate world and that of Arabic-speaking countries and communities overseas.
Arabic language learning and use
The focus of learning shifts from the world of learners’ own experience and imagination to the wider world. Learners make cross-curricular connections and explore intercultural perspectives and experiences relating to teenage life and interests. They engage in a range of interactions with others, expressing their feelings أتمنى أن نسافر إلى كوينزلاند في عطلة المدرسة, exchanging and clarifying their views ما رأيك؛ سامي أعطنا رأيك, describing and explaining their actions and responses تأخرت في الصباح لأنني إستيقضت متأخراَ , and negotiating and making arrangements أن ساعدتني في البحث؛ سنحصل على درجة عالية. They increasingly access information from local sources and the internet to explore perspectives and views on topics of interest to teenagers, such as leisure, entertainment and special occasions. Learners use different processing strategies and their knowledge of language, increasingly drawing on their understanding of text types, when conveying information in a range of texts. They produce personal, informative and persuasive texts, such as blogs, diary entries, emails, reports, articles and speeches, about their own social and cultural experiences at home, at school, and in Arabic-speaking communities in the Australian context. They examine a range of imaginative texts, such as Arabic legends, to analyse and give their opinions on themes, characters, events, messages and ideas الفيلم غير واقعي, and discuss and compare how elements of Arabic culture are represented. They use their imagination to create and perform songs, short plays and stories to entertain different audiences. They use vocabulary and grammar with increasing accuracy, drafting and editing to improve structure and clarify expression and meaning.
Contexts of interaction
Learners work both collaboratively and independently, exploring different modes and genres of communication with particular reference to their current social, cultural and communicative interests. They pool language knowledge and resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They use Arabic to interact with teachers, peers and local Arabic speakers, participating in authentic situations at home, at school and within the local community. The context of interactions extends beyond the home and classroom and involves participation in community events or celebrations. Additional opportunities for interaction are provided by purposeful and integrated use of information and communications technologies (ICT), for example, videoconferencing and e-learning.
Texts and resources
Learners read, view and interact with a broad range of texts and resources specifically designed for learning Arabic in school contexts, such as textbooks, readers, videos and online materials, including those developed for computer-supported collaborative learning. They also access authentic materials created for Arabic-speaking communities, such as films, literature, websites and magazines. They use a range of dictionaries and translation methods to support comprehension.
Features of Arabic language use
Learners use appropriate pronunciation, intonation, rhythm patterns and writing conventions to convey specific meaning in a range of texts. By building their vocabulary knowledge, learners are able to develop and express more complex concepts in Arabic. They use a range of grammatical forms and structures to convey relationships between people, places, events and ideas. They employ a variety of sentence structures, including grammatical elements such as adjective–noun agreement, dual forms of nouns and verbs, and irregular plural, imperative and auxiliary verbs to describe and compare people, actions and events, elaborate on ideas and opinions رياضة السباحة ممتعة ومفيدة خاصة هنا في أستراليا؛ بينما كرة القدم ليست مفيدة مع أنها شعبية and enrich their understanding and use of language. They make connections between texts and cultural contexts, identifying how cultural values and perspectives are embedded in language, and how Arabic speakers use particular language and gestures to convey their feelings about and attitudes towards other people and ideas.
Level of support
The class will likely comprise background learners with a range of prior experience in studying Arabic. Learners are supported through multilevel and differentiated tasks. Consolidation of prior learning is balanced with the provision of new, engaging and challenging experiences. As they develop increasing autonomy as language learners and users, learners are supported to self-monitor and reflect on language use in response to their experiences in diverse contexts.
The role of English
The classroom is increasingly characterised by bilinguality, with Arabic being the principal language of communication. English may be used separately or in conjunction with Arabic to express ideas, personal views and experiences relating to communicating in Arabic and English in different contexts of interaction. Learners continue to develop a metalanguage for thinking and communicating about language, culture and their sense of identity from a bilingual perspective, and about the importance of maintaining their Arabic cultural heritage.