French (Version 8.4)

Understand how French works

Context statement

The place of the French language and culture in Australia and in the world
French is a major world language, spoken as the first language in more than two dozen countries on five continents and as an official language in 33 countries.

PDF documents

Resources and support materials for the Australian Curriculum: Languages - French are available as PDF documents.
Languages - French: Sequence of content
Languages - French: Sequence of Achievement - F-10 Sequence
Languages - French: Sequence of …

Years 7 and 8

Years 7 and 8 Band Description

The nature of the learners

These years represent a transition to secondary school. Students in this pathway are continuing to study French, bringing with them an established capability to interact in different situations, to engage with a variety of texts and to communicate with some assistance about their immediate world and that of France and other French-speaking communities. They have experience in analysing the major features of the language system and in reflecting on the nature of intercultural exchanges in which they are involved.

French language learning and use

French is used for classroom interactions and transactions, for explaining and practising language forms and for developing cultural understanding. Additional opportunities for interaction in the target language are provided by purposeful and integrated use of ICT. Learners work both collaboratively and independently, exploring different modes and genres of communication, with particular reference to their own current interests. They pool language knowledge and resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They use modelled and rehearsed language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts and increasingly generate original and personal language. They make cross-curricular connections and explore intercultural perspectives and experience.

Contexts of interaction

The primary context for learning remains the French language class; however, there may be increasing opportunities for interaction with peers in France and other French-speaking communities through technology, partner-school arrangements or community connections. Learners have access to additional French resources through websites, social media and radio streaming.

Features of French language use

Learners expand their range of vocabulary beyond their immediate world. They make clearer distinctions between sounds and intonation patterns. They develop more detailed grammatical knowledge, using additional tenses (le passé composé, le futur proche), some reflexive verb forms and additional irregular verbs. They become more familiar with features of different types of text (for example, informative, transactional, expressive), using this understanding to guide their own text production. They create and present more varied texts (such as poems, web pages and brochures), plan events and join in competitions and debates. They use French with increasing accuracy and fluency, drafting and editing texts to improve structure and effect. They make connections more confidently between texts and cultural contexts.

Texts and resources

Learners work with a range of texts specifically designed for learning French in schools, such as textbooks, videos, readers and online resources. They also access materials created for French-speaking communities, such as films (with subtitles), websites, advertisements and magazines. Authentic French-community resources provide access to additional cultural expression and experience.

Level of support

This is a period of review and consolidation and of engaging with new and challenging learning experiences. Continued scaffolding, modelling and material support are required to manage this transitional phase. Learners require modelled language use, particularly at the paragraph and whole text level for written language and for developing fluency and accuracy in spoken French. Focused attention on grammatical and textual features supports learners’ development as text producers. Learners are encouraged to become more autonomous, to self-monitor and to reflect on their learning.

The role of English

French is increasingly used at this level for classroom interactions and routines, for task participation and structured discussions. English continues to be used for more complex elements of instruction, and more substantive discussion, analysis and reflection in relation to abstract concepts. Learners continue to develop a metalanguage for thinking and talking about language, culture, identity and the experience of learning and using French.

Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Communicating

Socialising

Participate in a range of spoken and written interactions, for example, exchanging views or experiences, apologising or excusing, inviting or congratulating

[Key concepts: friendship, respect, communication; Key processes: responding, expressing, connecting] (ACLFRC055 - Scootle )

Engage in tasks and activities that involve negotiation and problem-solving

[Key concepts: value, design, audience, purpose; Key processes: negotiating, considering, reflecting, evaluating] (ACLFRC056 - Scootle )

Interact in classroom activities and discussions through asking and responding to open-ended questions, offering opinions and explaining positions

[Key concepts: exploratory talk, discussion, exchange; Key processes: eliciting, prompting, responding, explaining] (ACLFRC057 - Scootle )

Informing

Access, summarise and analyse information from different sources relating to contemporary community and lifestyle issues

[Key concepts: values, generation, culture; Key processes: researching, comparing, evaluating, reflecting] (ACLFRC058 - Scootle )

Organise and present information and ideas on different topics, issues or events, comparing perspectives and experiences

[Key concepts: perspective, engagement, action, debate; Key processes: managing information, shaping text, engaging] (ACLFRC059 - Scootle )

Creating

Respond to a variety of imaginative texts, analysing ideas, themes, values and techniques used to engage and entertain audiences

[Key concepts: audience, engagement, themes; Key processes: responding, analysing, contextualising, explaining] (ACLFRC060 - Scootle )

Create simple songs, plays or stories to entertain others, involving imagined contexts and characters

[Key concepts: mood, drama, effect, audience; Key processes: character and context building, creating] (ACLFRC061 - Scootle )

Translating

Translate and interpret texts, compare own translation to classmates’, and consider why there might be differences in interpretation and how language reflects elements of culture

[Key concepts: culture, equivalence, idiom; Key processes: translating, interpreting, mediating] (ACLFRC062 - Scootle )

Create bilingual texts such as glossaries, menus, captions or brochures, identifying words or expressions that carry specific cultural meaning in either language

[Key concepts: language, culture, meaning; Key processes: selecting, identifying, explaining, comparing] (ACLFRC063 - Scootle )

Reflecting

Reflect on cultural differences between French and English communicative styles and on how these affect intercultural interactions

[Key concepts: values, perspective, respect; Key processes: reflecting, analysing, comparing] (ACLFRC064 - Scootle )

Consider how own biography including family origins, traditions, interests and experience, impacts on identity and communication

[Key concepts: culture, community, communication, identity; Key processes: reflecting, analysing, explaining] (ACLFRC065 - Scootle )

Understanding

Systems of language

Recognise individual elements of spoken and written words, phrases and non-verbal forms of expression, and notice how they combine to make or to change meaning

[Key concepts: word parts, idioms, expression; Key processes: listening, reading, identifying, describing] (ACLFRU066 - Scootle )

Understand and control additional elements of French grammar such as compound tenses, irregular and reflexive verb forms, verb moods and modalities

[Key concepts: tenses, parts of speech, moods, modalities, metalanguage; Key processes: analysing, categorising, distinguishing] (ACLFRU067 - Scootle )

Analyse the structure and organisation of a range of texts created for purposes such as information exchange or social interaction

[Key concepts: tenor, lexical and rhetorical resources; Key processes: experimenting, reflecting, comparing] (ACLFRU068 - Scootle )

Language variation and change

Examine how elements of communication such as gestures, facial expressions and choice of language vary according to context and situation

[Key concepts: body language, personal space, expression; Key processes: observing, comparing, analysing] (ACLFRU069 - Scootle )

Reflect on changes in their own use of language(s) over time, noticing how and when new ways are adopted or existing ways adapted

[Key concepts: change, influence, communication, identity; Key processes: observing, reflecting, explaining] (ACLFRU070 - Scootle )

Investigate the nature and extent of French language use in both Australian and global contexts

[Key concepts: community, arts, fashion, music, cuisine; Key processes: researching, analysing, classifying] (ACLFRU071 - Scootle )

Role of language and culture

Reflect on different aspects of the cultural dimension of learning and using French

[Key concepts: cultural expression, representation, difference, diversity; Key processes: reflecting, comparing, analysing] (ACLFRU072 - Scootle )

Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 8, students use written and spoken French to interact with teachers, peers and others and to exchange experiences, opinions and views. They use descriptive and expressive language to talk and write about immediate environments, personal interests and feelings and technical language to discuss issues of wider interest (for example, les nouvelles téchnologies, les rapports entre les générations, le travail, la musique). They ask, give and follow directions and instructions, using phrases such as prenez la deuxième rue à gauche ..., suivez le boulevard jusqu’à ... and choisissez la photo. They locate and analyse information from different sources presenting it in modes and formats suitable for the intended audience. They use strategies such as emphasis, repetition and summary to support fluency and expression in shared reading, performances, discussions and debate. They plan, draft and present imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, using simple and compound sentences to structure arguments and to explain or justify a position. Students use regular verbs in the passé composé form independently as well as high-frequency irregular verbs such as faire, être and avoir. They use declarative, imperative and interrogative verbs in affirmative and negative forms. They interpret and translate language which has colloquial or cultural associations in either French or Australian English, providing alternative expressions when equivalence is not possible (for example, à tout à l’heure, good on ya!). They make appropriate language choices when communicating in French in different contexts and situations.

Students use metalanguage to explain language features and elements, using appropriate grammatical terms (such as tenses, genres, agreement). They identify how language features such as vocabulary, tenor and register serve different purposes in different modes. They make connections between texts and contexts, comparing expression and representation in similar texts from different cultural contexts (for example, invitations to celebrations or ceremonies, postcards or letters between friends). Students identify the relationship between language and culture, understanding that personal and community identity are expressed through cultural expression and language use. They reflect on their own ways of communicating, discussing how these might be interpreted by others.

Years 9 and 10

Years 9 and 10 Band Description

The nature of the learners

At this level, students bring existing knowledge of French language and culture and a range of learning strategies to their learning. They are increasingly aware of the world beyond their own and are engaging with youth-related and social and environmental issues. They require continued guidance and mentoring, but are increasingly independent in terms of analysis, reflection and monitoring of their language learning and intercultural experiences. They are considering future pathways and options, including the possible role of French in these.

French language learning and use

This is a period of language exploration, vocabulary expansion and experimentation with different modes of communication (for example, digital and hypermedia, collaborative performance and group discussions). Learners become more confident in communicating in a wider range of contexts through greater control of language structures and increased understanding of the variability of language use. They use French to communicate and interact; to access and exchange information; to express feelings and opinions; to participate in imaginative and creative experiences; and to create, interpret and analyse a wider range of texts and experiences. They use French more fluently, with a greater degree of self-correction and repair. They reference the accuracy of their language use against a stronger frame of grammatical knowledge. They demonstrate understanding of language variation and change and of how intercultural experience, technology, media and globalisation influence communication.

Contexts of interaction

Learners interact with peers, teachers and other French speakers in immediate and local contexts, and with wider communities and cultural resources via virtual and online environments. They may access additional French experience through community events such as film festivals, interschool events or cultural performances.

Texts and resources

Learners use texts designed for language learning such as textbooks, teacher-generated materials and online resources. Learning is enriched by exposure to a range of authentic materials designed for or generated by young French speakers in France and other francophone regions, such as video clips, magazine features, television programs or advertisements. Students take some responsibility for sourcing additional materials to support their own learning.

Features of French language use

Learners expand their knowledge and control of grammatical elements such as verb tenses (l’imparfait, le futur simple, le conditionnel) and emphatic, direct and indirect object pronouns. They extend their knowledge of text types and language functions by maintaining a balance between form-focused activities and communicative tasks and performance. Task characteristics and conditions involve collaborative as well as independent language planning and performance, and strategic use of language and cultural resources. Tasks involve interpreting, creating, evaluating and performing. Learners engage in critical analysis of texts such as posters, advertisements or news reports, identifying how language choices reflect perspectives and shape meaning.

Learners examine the processes involved in learning and using a different language, recognising them as cognitive, cultural and personal as well as linguistic. They explore the reciprocal nature of intercultural communication: how moving between different languages and cultural systems impacts on ways of thinking and behaving; and how successful communication requires flexibility, awareness and openness to alternative ways. They develop the capacity to ‘decentre’ from normative ways of thinking and communicating, to consider themselves through the eyes of others, and to communicate in interculturally appropriate ways.

Level of support

Support at this level of learning includes provision of rich and varied stimulus materials, continued scaffolding and modelling of language functions and communicative tasks, and explicit instruction and explanation of the grammatical system, with opportunities for learners to discuss, clarify, practise and apply their knowledge. Critical and constructive teacher feedback combines with peer support and self-review to monitor and evaluate learning outcomes (for example, portfolios, peer review, e–journalling).

The role of English

English continues to be used for substantive discussion, explanation and analysis. This allows learners to talk in depth and detail about their experience of learning French, and about their thoughts on culture, identity and intercultural experience. English is the language of analysis and critique, supporting discussion of concepts such as ‘stereotypes’, ‘difference’, ‘diversity’ and ‘values’. It allows for a degree of expression and debate that is beyond learners’ communicative capabilities in French.

Years 9 and 10 Content Descriptions

Communicating

Socialising

Discuss and compare young people’s interests, behaviours and values across cultural contexts, using formal and informal registers

[Key concepts: perspectives, generation, change, cultural diversity; Key processes: exchanging, responding, discussing] (ACLFRC073 - Scootle )

Engage in shared activities such as planning and managing events, exchanging resources and information

[Key concepts: communication, collaboration, information exchange; Key processes: calculating, predicting, planning] (ACLFRC074 - Scootle )

Compare and reflect on the experience of learning and using French

[Key concepts: metalanguage, reflection, awareness; Key processes: expressing, reflecting, analysing] (ACLFRC075 - Scootle )

Informing

Research and evaluate information from different perspectives on local and global issues, identifying how culture and context affect how information is presented

[Key concepts: standpoint, representation, cultural literacy; Key processes: researching, comparing, analysing] (ACLFRC076 - Scootle )

Convey information on selected topics, using different modes of presentation to suit different audiences or to achieve different purposes

[Key concepts: content, audience, mode; Key processes: selecting, designing, aligning] (ACLFRC077 - Scootle )

Creating

Analyse how expressive and imaginative texts create aesthetic, humorous or emotional effects in ways that reflect cultural influence

[Key concepts: culture, humour, expression, tradition; Key processes: interpreting, analysing, evaluating] (ACLFRC078 - Scootle )

Create imaginative texts involving moods and effects designed to engage different audiences

[Key concepts: imagination, creativity, stimulus; Key processes: planning, projecting, engaging, entertaining] (ACLFRC079 - Scootle )

Translating

Consider the nature of translating and interpreting and the role of culture when transferring meaning from one language to another

[Key concepts: culture, text, context, perspective; Key processes: comparing, analysing, critical and cultural reading] (ACLFRC080 - Scootle )

Create glossaries to interpret cultural aspects of contemporary and traditional French texts

[Key concepts: representation, critical and cultural literacy; Key processes: referencing, explaining, interpreting] (ACLFRC081 - Scootle )

Reflecting

Reflect on the experience of learning and using French, considering how intercultural communication involves shared responsibility for meaning making

[Key concepts: reciprocity, understanding, intercultural experience; Key processes: communicating, observing, reflecting, analysing, responding] (ACLFRC082 - Scootle )

Reflect on own cultural identity and how it shapes personal ways of communicating and thinking

[Key concepts: identity, culture, communication; Key processes: reflecting, explaining] (ACLFRC083 - Scootle )

Understanding

Systems of language

Increase control of regular and irregular elements of spoken and written French, using elements such as liaisons, accents and expression

[Key concepts: liaisons, accents, expression, style; Key processes: recognising, classifying, discriminating] (ACLFRU084 - Scootle )

Analyse how grammatical elements such as tenses and verb moods impact on the making of meaning

[Key concepts: grammatical analysis, register, tenor; Key processes: identifying, defining, classifying] (ACLFRU085 - Scootle )

Analyse how different types of text incorporate cultural and contextual elements

[Key concepts: context, culture, perspective; Key processes: comparing, analysing, identifying] (ACLFRU086 - Scootle )

Language variation and change

Analyse and explain how and why language is used differently in different contexts and relationships

[Key concepts: genres, register, variation; Key processes: grammatical and lexical analysis] (ACLFRU087 - Scootle )

Explore changes to both French and Australian English, and identify reasons for these changes, such as technology, popular culture and intercultural exchange

[Key concepts: globalisation, exchange, influence; Key processes: mapping, classifying, analysing] (ACLFRU088 - Scootle )

Identify examples of French language used to influence social and cultural relationships and practices

[Key concepts: authority, language as power, inclusion, exclusion; Key processes: scanning, selecting, analysing] (ACLFRU089 - Scootle )

Role of language and culture

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

[Key concepts: culture, language, meaning; Key processes: discussing, reflecting, comparing] (ACLFRU090 - Scootle )

Years 9 and 10 Achievement Standards

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 10, students use written and spoken French to communicate with teachers, peers and others in a range of settings and for a range of purposes They use language to access and exchange information on a broad range of social, cultural and youth-related issues (for example, student politics and priorities, the environment, virtual worlds). They socialise, express feelings and opinions, and use expressive and descriptive language to participate in different modes of imaginative and creative expression. They initiate conversations and discussion (such as Qu’est-ce que vous pensez au sujet de ... ? A mon avis ...), change or elaborate on topics (for example, Oui, mais … d’autre part ...), and provide feedback and encouragement (for example, En effet - c’est intéressant; et toi, qu’est-ce que tu en dis?). They employ self-correction and repair strategies, and use non-verbal elements such as gestures, pacing and pitch to maintain momentum and engage interest. They locate and evaluate information on local and global issues from a range of perspectives and sources. They produce informative, persuasive and imaginative texts, incorporating relative clauses and adverbial phrases, using some specialised vocabulary and cohesive devices. Students use présent, passé composé, imparfait and futur proche tenses in their own texts, and the conditional tense to express intention or preference (for example, Je voudrais aller au cinéma ce soir). They use with support futur and plus-que-parfait tenses. Students translate and interpret a range of French and English texts, comparing versions and analysing processes.

Students explain differences between spoken and written French, and identify the contribution of non-verbal elements of spoken communication and the crafted nature of written text (for example, grammatical elaboration, cohesion). They provide examples of the blurring of these differences in modes of communication such as text messages, emails or conversation transcripts. They describe how languages change, borrow from, build upon and blend with each other (for example, le franglais). They demonstrate understanding of the power of language to shape relationships, to include and exclude. They use appropriate terminology to explain some irregularities of grammatical patterns and rules (such as irregular verb forms, different word order of some adjective-noun combinations), and textual conventions associated with familiar genres such as invitations, apologies or music reviews. They reflect on their own cultural perspectives and discuss how these are impacted by French language and culture learning.

Years 9 and 10 Work Sample Portfolios

Satisfactory