German (Version 8.4)

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Context statement

The place of the German language and culture in Australia and in the world
German is an official language of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Belgium, Luxembourg and in South Tyrol in Italy.

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PDF documents

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

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Years 7 and 8

Years 7 and 8 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Students are beginning their study of German and typically have had little prior exposure to the language and associated cultures. Many will have learnt an additional language in primary school, and some have proficiency in different home languages and bring existing language-learning strategies and intercultural awareness to the new experience of learning German. Students’ textual knowledge developed through English literacy learning supports the development of literacy in German. Skills in analysing, comparing and reflecting on language and culture in both languages are mutually supportive. Students may need encouragement to take risks in learning a new language at this stage of social development and to consider how the experience of learning a new language impacts on the sense of the ‘norms’ associated with their first language and culture.

German language learning and use

Learners are offered the necessary scaffolding to listen to, view, read, speak, perform and write German in a range of simple classroom interactions and transactions with the teacher and peers. The teacher speaks increasingly in German in order to provide rich language input and to maximise exposure to the target language. Learners work collaboratively and independently, pooling information, language knowledge and resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They use modelled and rehearsed language in guided situations with familiar contexts and roles, and begin to use and adapt the language learnt to express their own personal meanings. They reflect on intercultural perspectives and their experience of interaction and make cross-curricular connections. Opportunities are provided for real and simulated interactions with other German speakers within and beyond the school community, including via purposeful and integrated use of ICT such as social media and applications.

Contexts of interaction

The German classroom is the primary context for learning, with ICT resources and community links providing access to additional resources and learning experiences. Learners may communicate with peers in German-speaking countries using teacher-guided digital technologies such as wikis, email or online chat. They may also access German-language events or resources in the wider community, such as interschool activities, film festivals or cultural performances.

Texts and resources

Learners listen to, read, view and interact with a growing range of simple texts for a variety of purposes (social, informative, transactional, imaginative, expressive). They apply learnt processing strategies, drawing on their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge and understanding of text conventions and patterns to gain meaning and to produce texts. They plan, create and present short, simple informative and imaginative texts (personal profiles, letters, timetables, poetry, songs/raps, blogs, advertisements)

Features of German language use

Students become familiar with the sounds of German, including pronunciation, rhythm, intonation and stress. They recognise similarities with many English words, noting differences in pronunciation (Computer, Buch, Auto). They approximate the pronunciation and phrasing of single words and short phrases, including distinctive sounds such as ch, r, th, u and z, diphthongs such as au, ei, eu and ie, and the impact of the Umlaut. They understand and apply elements of German grammar such as subject-verb-object word order, simple verb forms, and gender and number agreement of nouns and pronouns. Students understand that language is organised as text and that texts use different structures and language features to achieve different purposes. They create their own short texts, mainly using the present tense of regular and common irregular verbs, enriched by the use of adjectives and adverbs. They understand that language use reflects and shapes values and attitudes, and explore how language choices determine how people, events or circumstances are represented.

Level of support

Learners rely on teacher instruction, modelling, feedback and structured opportunities for practising and understanding new language. Support resources and activities include word lists, dictionaries, visual organisers, images and gestures. Learners support one another through structured pair and group tasks that have clear roles and expectations. Opportunities are required for monitoring and evaluating their language and culture learning.

The role of English

The teacher provides rich and supported German language input, using English as a medium for most explanation and discussion. Learners are supported to use German as much as possible for classroom routines and interactions, structured learning tasks, language experimentation and practice. As their first language capabilities far exceed their proficiency in German at this stage, it is likely that they will use mainly English for discussion, clarification, explanation and analysis.


Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Socialising

Socialise and interact with teacher and peers to exchange greetings, good wishes, and factual information about self, family, home, school and interests, and express likes, dislikes and preferences

[Key concepts: family, relationships; Key processes: interacting, describing] (ACLGEC001 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • exchanging simple greetings, thanks and good wishes using formulaic expressions, adjusting language to suit the situation, for example, Guten Morgen! Guten Abend! Auf Wiedersehen! Tschüss! Danke! Alles Gute zum Geburtstag! Frohe Ostern! Guten Appetit!
  • introducing and describing self, others and possessions, for example, Ich heiße … und du? Das ist …, sie ist nett.; Ich bin … Jahre alt und meine Augen sind braun.; Ich wohne in … .; Ich komme aus … .; Das ist mein Vater/meine Freundin/mein Handy.
  • interacting in class activities and (electronic) games such as Leute-Lotto and Stadt, Land, Fluss, for example, Du bist dran!; Ich gewinne! Du mogelst!
  • expressing likes, dislikes and preferences, for example, Ich mag Rot; Meine Lieblingsband heißt … .; Ich lese gern.; Ich esse gern Pizza, aber ich esse lieber Nudeln.
  • expressing how they are feeling, for example, Es geht mir nicht gut. Ich bin krank.; Ich bin glücklich.
  • exchanging information about daily routine, for example, Wie kommst du zur Schule? Ich komme/fahre mit dem Bus/Auto.; Wann stehst du auf? Um sechs Uhr.
  • sharing and comparing information about own and classmates’ interests with German-speaking teenagers, such as in an e-pal project or via social media, considering local sports seasons, co-curricular activities, length of school day, and national and regional preferences
Make plans and arrangements to carry out activities together and obtain goods or services, through transacting with others in simple and guided real or simulated situations

[Key concepts: collaboration, transaction; Key processes: planning, transacting, participating] (ACLGEC002 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • making arrangements with a friend, for example, Ich gehe am Samstag zum Fußball. Kommst du mit?
  • planning for a class celebration or performance, for example, following a model to create an invitation or program (Wann? Was? Wer? Wo?) or to write a shopping list, such as for a Grillfest
  • accepting or declining an invitation, for example, a short message, Liebe/r X, danke für deine Einladung. Ich kann am Freitag nicht mitkommen. Ich habe Basketballtraining.
  • participating in collaborative projects, for example, making and playing a vocabulary game such as Domino, Memory or Quartett, or producing and sharing a digital alphabet or number book for a younger audience
  • following procedures and instructions together, for example, participating in sport/dance/craft activities or using a recipe in German to make Rösti or Kartoffelpuffer
  • participating in real or simulated situations, such as buying a bus/cinema ticket or food, for example, Ich nehme ein Käsebrötchen; Was kostet ein Eis?; Das macht 6,50 Euro.
Participate in classroom routines and exchanges by following instructions, asking and answering questions, apologising and making requests

[Key concepts: roles, routines; Key processes: participating, responding, contributing] (ACLGEC003 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • responding with actions/gestures to questions such as Wo ist … ? and instructions such as Steht auf! Alle zusammen! Mach die Tür bitte zu!
  • using repair strategies such as asking for repetition or details of tasks and expressing lack of knowledge, for example, Wie bitte?; Welche Seite?; Wie sagt man das auf Deutsch?; Ich verstehe das nicht .
  • apologising, for example, Entschuldigung!, Es tut mir leid
  • making polite requests, including for assistance and permission, for example, Ich möchte … , bitte; Hilfe, bitte!; Darf ich bitte auf die Toilette gehen?

Informing

Identify topic, gist and specific points of information in a range of simple spoken and written texts relating to own world and that of other teenagers

[Key concepts: lifestyles, school, home; Key processes: listening, reading, identifying, classifying] (ACLGEC004 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • identifying key details, expressions and information in conversations and announcements, and using obtained information in new ways, for example, listening to an interview with a German teenager about family and completing a family tree
  • reading and viewing a range of simple texts (promotional brochures, signs, websites and cards) to obtain and compile information about places, lifestyles and events, for example, information related to homes, schools, leisure activities, climate and geography
  • locating, classifying and summarising data such as results of class surveys or information from notices, timetables and announcements, and presenting findings to others, for example, in a digital visual presentation, poster or wall chart
  • gathering information about people, time and activities in German-speaking contexts, and using the information, for example, to create a profile or timetable/timeline to show a sequence of activities/events
  • compiling a list of questions and interviewing a German speaker, such as a visiting exchange student, about family, home, interests and abilities, and presenting the responses in Steckbrief format
Present in modelled spoken and written texts information relating to own world and that of other teenagers

[Key concepts: personal world, community, presentation; Key processes: representing, reporting, speaking, writing] (ACLGEC005 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • presenting information, orally and in writing, on aspects of their immediate environment or personal world (a school/community event, celebration or excursion, or a new student), supported by the use of visuals
  • creating simple persuasive and informative texts for a targeted audience, for example, an advertisement for an event, a virtual tour of their own and/or a partner school, a notice for a school excursion, or a report on a favourite band or type of music
  • presenting statistics related to Australia and other countries, including German-speaking countries, for example, population and physical size, daily temperatures, number and type of dwellings, percentage of students learning one or two foreign languages
  • presenting the results of a class survey, for example, creating graphs and/or writing statements to report findings on such topics as the range of leisure activities undertaken by classmates; favourite apps/electronic games, TV series, food, music or pets; or amount of time spent using social media

Creating

Engage with imaginative and creative texts by identifying, describing and discussing key elements, including characters, events and ideas

[Key concepts: character, imagination, representation; Key processes: responding, describing, performing] (ACLGEC006 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • engaging with imaginative texts to respond to questions about characters, events and ideas, for example, producing a profile of a character or a timeline of the main events
  • responding to an imaginative text in various ways, such as using a thinking tool to give opinions about the characters and express reactions to the text, for example, Ich finde das Mädchen sehr lustig. Das Ende ist traurig.
  • selecting images to illustrate a piece of text, such as a picture, colour, symbol or emoticon to reflect the content or mood, and explaining choice, for example, Das Lied ist optimistisch/aggressiv.
  • listening to and viewing performances such as music video clips or extracts from films, sharing reactions with peers, noticing ideas and comparing aspects that may be similar or different across cultures
  • performing a song or poem in response to an imagined experience, incorporating actions and props to enhance meaning and to entertain
Reinterpret or adapt a familiar text and/or use a modelled structure and language to create simple and original imaginative texts

[Key concepts: interpretation, imagination, creativity; Key processes: interpreting, expressing] (ACLGEC007 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • inventing a new aspect of a text, such as a new character, a different setting or an alternative ending
  • creating own version of familiar texts to entertain others, using a model and/or a list of key words, for example, a digital comic strip or Big Book for younger students, a rap or role-play to present to parents, or a poem for an online newsletter
  • creating and performing imagined interactions, for example, between avatars (using apps) or meeting a character from a text for the first time
  • creating a profile of an unknown person, for example, based on a photo, imagining aspects such as Name, Alter, Beruf, Familie, Freunde, Herkunft, Interessen and Wohnort

Translating

Translate and interpret texts such as greetings, signs, emails and conversations, from German to English and vice versa, noticing similarities and differences

[Key concepts: representation, equivalence; Key processes: interpreting, translating, explaining] (ACLGEC008 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • translating short personal texts, identifying words and phrases that can be translated literally and those that cannot, for example, Guten Appetit! Guten Tag! Ohrwurm
  • using German–English cognates to predict meaning, for example, Brot/‘bread’, kalt/‘cold’, trinken/‘to drink’
  • recognising compound words, and collecting and analysing interesting examples (der Schulsport, die Realschule, babyleicht), noting that compound nouns take the gender of the last noun in the compound
  • translating public signs from German to English and vice versa, noticing similarities and differences
  • interpreting for and explaining to peers and family members aspects of German language and culture (in texts such as emails and conversations) that are interesting and/or different, for example, that when addressing teachers in German you use family names after the titles Frau and Herr, unlike the English use of just ‘Miss’ or ‘Sir’
Create and maintain individual and shared bilingual texts and resources such as signs, word lists, posters, games and photo stories

[Key concepts: resources, context, meaning; Key processes: explaining, comparing] (ACLGEC009 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • creating and using bilingual resources for language learning, such as glossaries or personal German–English and English–German print and digital word lists and dictionaries with examples and explanations of language use and parts of speech
  • creating bilingual texts for specific audiences, for example, a Big Book or game for young learners of German, invitations to a class event or posters for a performance, noticing how meaning needs to be tailored to audience and cultural perspectives
  • creating bilingual signs and notices for the school and local community, such as Bücherei – Library, Sporthalle – Gymnasium
  • designing and maintaining a bilingual website with a partner school or contact group of English learners in a German-speaking community, making choices about when to use German or English depending on the context, topic and nature of the interaction

Reflecting

Engage with German speakers and texts, noticing how interactions involve culture as well as language

[Key concepts: exchange, awareness; Key processes: reflecting, responding, noticing] (ACLGEC010 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • reflecting on choices made when using German to interact with others, considering the relationship between language, culture and behaviour, for example, the use of family names with titles (Guten Tag, Frau Stein) and formal/informal register (du/ihr/Sie), and comparing these with English and other known languages
  • observing interactions between German speakers in different contexts, noticing and recording elements that reflect cultural attitudes or behaviours, such as language associated with politeness or emotion (bitte schön; Entschuldigung; Wie schön!; Du bist gemein!), gift-giving customs, or ways of showing collective appreciation or approval, for example, applauding by rapping on surface
  • participating in cultural experiences, such as eating at a German/Swiss/Austrian restaurant or café in Australia or watching a German music performance, soccer match or skiing competition, and reflecting on cultural similarities and differences that are manifested through language
  • reflecting on how some personal or community ideas and actions in the Australian context may be perceived by German speakers, for example, being able to go camping all year round, or taking into account the vastness of Australia when planning a holiday, and discussing possible implications
  • comparing the use and cultural significance of gestures and body language in German and other languages and selecting those that can be easily incorporated into own interactions when communicating in German, for example, shaking hands as a common greeting, not putting hands in pockets while talking with someone (as this may be considered rude), and maintaining eye contact
Reflect on experiences of learning and using another language, and share aspects of own identity, such as age, interests and family background, reflecting on how these impact on intercultural exchange

[Key concepts: exchange, identity; Key processes: reflecting, comparing, connecting] (ACLGEC011 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • sharing ideas about the experience of learning and using German, including any perceived changes in levels of confidence, or in attitudes to culture and intercultural communication, for example, ‘How did I feel when I first heard/spoke German? How do I feel now?’
  • preparing a class profile to exchange with German-speaking students, showing cultural backgrounds, languages used in the home, interests and values, and using resources such as photos, captions, quotes and symbols
  • annotating a family tree with information about family members, such as significant places or languages spoken, identifying own heritage (Ich bin Australier/-in. Mein Opa kommt aus Griechenland.), and reflecting on how own background has shaped identity
  • participating in a discussion in English about an aspect of identity, for example, considering the impact of a school uniform on personal identity and exploring how German students might view wearing a school uniform
  • comparing aspects of identity that may be important across cultures, such as state, country, ethnic group, language, religion, age, gender, and position in family

Systems of language

Recognise and use key features of the German sound system, including pronunciation, rhythm, stress and intonation, and identify main similarities and differences between the phonological and orthographic systems of English and German

[Key concepts: pronunciation, spelling, intonation; Key processes: listening, imitating, recognising] (ACLGEU012 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • noticing and imitating German sounds, and developing awareness of letter–sound relationships, including distinctive sounds such as those represented by the letters ch, r, th, u and z; consonant blends and clusters such as sch; short and long vowel sounds and diphthongs such as au, ei, eu and ie; the impact of the Umlaut on a, o and u; and ß
  • applying German capitalisation rules to nouns and noticing that the capitalisation of the formal ‘you’ form Sie distinguishes it from sie (she/they)
  • understanding that β can only be used in lower case, otherwise SS, and that ä, ö and ü can be written as ae, oe and ue respectively, for example, in upper case signs or word puzzles such as crosswords
  • understanding the meaning and use of full stops and commas in German ordinal or decimal numbers, for example, die 8. Klasse; 9,50 Euro; 15.30 Uhr
  • learning to pronounce the German alphabet by singing das Alphabetlied, and using the German alphabet for spelling out names and other words
  • practising pronunciation of particular sounds and rhythms by saying tongue twisters, rhymes and short poems
  • recognising differences in intonation and rhythm between statements, questions and commands
Develop knowledge of elements of the German grammatical system, including gender and number, nominative and accusative cases, present tense of regular and some irregular verbs, personal pronouns, possessive adjectives and word order, to describe people, objects, actions, events and relationships

[Key concepts: grammar features and structures, tenses, gender, syntax; Key processes: noticing patterns, making connections, applying] (ACLGEU013 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • understanding that German has multiple words for ‘the’ and ‘a/an’ according to the gender of the relevant noun, and noticing that the articles for masculine nouns sometimes change (nominative to accusative), for example, Die Frau hat einen BMW.; Der Film hat ein Happy End
  • comparing pluralisation of nouns in German and English, for example, die for plural nouns
  • using post-nominal (predicative) adjectives, for example, Unsere Deutschlehrerin ist intelligent.; Die Berge in Österreich sind sehr schön.; Meine Augen sind blau.
  • noticing the relationship between gender, article, adjective and case when using pre-nominal (attributive) adjectives to describe people, objects, places and events, for example, Ich habe einen kleinen Bruder.
  • noticing that as well as the articles (for masculine nouns), some pronouns change after certain verbs (accusative direct object), for example, Wir sehen heute den Film.; Es gibt einen neuen Schüler in Klasse 8A.; Ich mag dich.
  • noticing that articles and pronouns change after particular prepositions (dative), such as those associated with location and destination, for example, Wir sind in der Stadt.; Die Party ist im Garten.; Wie kommst du zur Schule?
  • using common prepositional phrases formulaically, for example, nach Hause, zu Hause
  • using personal pronouns to refer to people and things, for example, Was kostet die App? Sie kostet… .
  • understanding the three German pronouns for ‘you’ (du/ihr/Sie) and when to use them
  • expressing a relationship to a person or object using some possessive adjectives in the nominative and accusative case, for example, Seine Familie kommt aus Afrika.; Ich liebe meinen Hund .
  • recognising that in German a subject + verb can have multiple English translations, for example, wir spielen can mean ‘we play’, ‘we are playing’, ‘we do play’, ‘we shall/will play’ and ‘we’re going to play’, and applying this understanding when formulating own German sentences
  • understanding the concept of regular and irregular verbs (spielen and lesen) and noticing that this is a feature of both German and English (and other languages, such as French, Italian and Spanish)
  • conjugating the present tense of regular verbs and some common irregular verbs, including sein and haben
  • understanding structures to express likes, dislikes and preferences, for example, Ich mag Tennis. Ich spiele nicht gern Fuβball. Ich spiele lieber Kricket.
  • using common modal verbs such as können to describe capabilities (Ich kann gut schwimmen., and Ich möchte and Darf ich… ?) or to make polite requests
  • gaining awareness of a limited number of routine past tense expressions including some with war and hatte and the present perfect, for example, Sabine war gestern krank. Das hat Spaβ gemacht. Habt ihr ein schönes Wochenende gehabt?
  • negating verbs and adjectives using nicht and nouns using kein/e, for example, Nein, Marcus hat keine Geschwister.
  • describing frequency using adverbs and adverbial expressions such as oft, manchmal, jeden Tag, ab und zu, nie
  • understanding the subject-verb-object (SVO) word order, for example, Ich spiele Basketball., and the need for subject-verb inversion to keep the verb as the second idea/element in the sentence, for example, Heute Abend spiele ich Basketball.
  • joining words, phrases and sentences using the coordinating conjunctions und, oder, aber
  • understanding how to form a question, using subject-verb inversion, for example, Hast du Geschwister? and with interrogatives such as wann, was, wer, wie, wie viel, wie viele, wo, woher, warum, welche(-r/s/n) and wohin
  • locating people, places and objects using adverbs such as rechts, links, oben, unten, hier, dort
  • using ordinal numbers to give the date or a birthday, for example, Heute ist der erste Ma.i; Seine Mutter hat am 22. April Geburtstag.
  • understanding and locating events in time (days, months, seasons), including the use of the 24-hour clock, prepositions such as nach and vor, and adverbs and formulaic expressions such as heute, vorgestern, früher, später, am Wochenende, in den Ferien
  • referring to quantities of people and things, including money, using cardinal numbers up to a billion, as well as decimals, common fractions and negative numbers, for example, Deutschland hat 81,9 Millionen Einwohner.; Die Tagestemperatur liegt bei minus 3 Grad.; Ich habe eine Halbschwester.
  • building metalanguage to comment on grammar and vocabulary (for example, Nomen, Verben, Zahlen, Fragewörter, groβ/klein schreiben), comparing with equivalent English terms
Recognise and use structures and other textual features of common spoken, written and multimodal texts such as invitations, emails, surveys, advertisements and music video clips

[Key concepts: text structure, genre; Key processes: analysing, recognising, organising] (ACLGEU014 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • identifying and analysing the purpose, intended audience and key features of familiar texts in German, such as signs, instructions, postcards, advertisements, songs and conversations, and comparing these with texts in own language and culture
  • examining how texts are constructed, including textual features (greetings in correspondence), grammatical structures such as parts of speech (adjectives and prepositions), and visual cues (images in brochures)
  • transforming a simple text such as a short poem into another text type, such as a conversation or a cartoon, and applying the key features of the second text type
  • understanding how to create textual cohesion by using elements such as coordinating conjunctions (und, aber, oder) to link ideas

Language variation and change

Recognise some of the common variations in German as it is used in different contexts and locations by different people

[Key concepts: variation, register, place; Key processes: comparing, observing, applying] (ACLGEU015 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • using appropriate forms of address and greetings/salutations for peers and teacher, depending on gender (Lieber/Liebe… and Dein/Deine/Eure … in a letter) and social status (Guten Morgen, Herr Schiller; Hallo, Tim!) of participants, and recognising the effects of inappropriate choices, for example, greeting peers with Guten Morgen, Frau Mary!
  • observing telephone interactions in film clips and real life and practising telephone etiquette when answering mobile phones in comparison with the family landline (surname only) and ending phone call with Auf Wiederhören
  • noticing that in public announcements and/or on the phone certain words are pronounced differently or varied slightly to ensure clarity, for example, zwei/zwo, Juli (pronounced as Julei)
  • recognising different registers, such as the different words for ‘you’, for example, Was machst du, Peter? Was macht ihr, Kinder (Klasse 7)? Setz dich, Peter! Setzt euch Kinder! Kommen Sie bitte herein, Herr Berger!
  • being aware of some regional variations in language, such as in greetings (the Swiss Grüezi and Austrian Servus) or the lack of the Eszett in Switzerland
  • comparing written and spoken modes of a particular language function such as an invitation, noticing language structures used and varying levels of formality
  • comparing the concept of diversity in accents, dialects and vocabulary in German-speaking communities with similar diversity in the use of English within and beyond Australia
Recognise that German and English are related languages and that German is an important European and global language

[Key concepts: relationships, global language; Key processes: recognising, comparing] (ACLGEU016 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • noticing that German and English share many words, for example, Computer, Bus, Taxi and Auto, and understanding that this is a result of historical events as well as the dynamic nature of languages
  • recognising that English and other languages have borrowed German words, for example, Hamburger, kaputt, Kindergarten, Glockenspiel and Mischmasch, and comparing how these words are pronounced by German and English speakers
  • understanding that English grammar used to be more similar to German grammar but that English has changed, for example, recognising the link between the Middle English ‘What thinkest thou?’ and Was denkst du?
  • recognising that the German language continuously borrows and adapts words and expressions from other languages, including English, for example, das Internet, die App, häppi, joggen, shoppen, simsen/texten, Stopp! and Sorry!
  • recognising that German is an official language of the ‘DACHL’ countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) as well as in Belgium, Luxembourg and South Tyrol

Role of language and culture

Understand that language use is shaped by and reflects the values, ideas and norms of a community

[Key concepts: attitudes, social norms, values; Key processes: observing, comparing, connecting] (ACLGEU017 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • investigating connections between language and significant cultural values or practices in Australia and German-speaking countries, for example, individual rights, shared social responsibility, respect for the environment, Reconciliation, anti-racism, ‘fair go’
  • developing language to analyse and explain the nature of the relationship between language and culture, using terms such as ‘meaning’, ‘perspective’, ‘values’, ‘assumptions’ and ‘difference’
  • examining examples of cultural representation in language, symbols and behaviour, such as die Märchenstraβe, (lack of) speed limits on the Autobahn, national flags, and the ‘visibility’ of the European Union through placement of its logo (for example, on car numberplates)
  • recognising that there are different and/or multiple expressions that communicate ideas across cultures, for example, when describing Brot or school excursions (Klassenfahrt, Wandertag)
  • exploring how origin, geography and religion are directly connected to lifestyle, daily practices and language use, for example, Recycling, Kaffee und Kuchen, Wandern, religious/public holidays, choice of Fremdsprachen offered in schools
  • participating in guided discussion on the nature and role of ‘culture’ and its relationship with language, with reference to German, English and other known languages

Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards

By the end of Year 8, students share information about their personal worlds, including personal details, family, friends, interests, likes, dislikes and preferences. They interact with others to carry out transactions, participate in class routines and socialise. They use modelled language and simple expressions to ask and respond to familiar questions and give and respond to instructions, such as, Hört gut zu!; Hol’ einen Laptop!; Wer ist das?; Woher kommt dein Vater?; Hast du Geschwister?, request help or permission, for example, Ich möchte … , bitte.; Hilfe, bitte!; Darf ich bitte auf die Toilette gehen?, ask for information, clarification or assistance, such as, Wie bitte? Hast du mein Buch? Wie sagt man das auf Deutsch?, and clarify answers, for example, Das ist meine Freundin und sie kommt aus China. ... Ja, ich habe zwei Brüder, sie heißen Nick und Max.. When socialising, they make simple statements such as Ich mag Fuβball, aber Toms Lieblingssport ist Basketball. They use key features of pronunciation, stress and intonation, including short and long vowel sounds, single consonants, blends and diphthongs, in different words, phrases and sentences, such as,ja, rot, singen, Sport, Winter, zwei, ich auch. They obtain key points of information and identify main ideas in simple texts relating to own world and that of teenagers in German-speaking countries, using contextual clues to help make meaning. They use high-frequency vocabulary to describe characters, events and ideas encountered in imaginative texts, and create short informative and imaginative texts using modelled sentence structures and formulaic expressions with present tense forms of regular and some irregular verbs, and correct word order. They use a range of grammatical elements to describe people, objects, actions, events and relationships, including articles, such as, der/ein, personal pronouns and some possessive adjectives, for example, mein, dein, sein, ihr in the nominative and accusative. They qualify meaning with reference to time, manner and place using everyday adverbs and phrases, for example, am Montag; besser; in der Schule, and link words, phrases and sentences using und, aber and oder, and other connectives such as dann, später and zuerst. They work with German and English to translate texts and create simple bilingual texts for peers and family, noticing where equivalence is not possible. They identify the relationship between language and culture, giving examples of adjustments made as a result of reactions and intercultural experiences. They explain how aspects of their own identity impact on intercultural exchange.

Students identify German as an important European and global language and that it is related to English. They identify some of the common variations in German used in different contexts by different people. They differentiate statements, questions, imperatives and exclamations according to intonation, sentence structure and punctuation. They understand and apply grammatical concepts such as gender and number, and nominative and accusative case. They identify key similarities and differences between the phonological and orthographic systems of English and German, including the Umlaut and Eszett, capitalisation, and punctuation used in numbers (ordinals, decimals). They identify features of common spoken, written and multimodal texts. They understand and give examples of how language use is shaped by and reflects the values, ideas and norms of a community.


Years 7 and 8 Work Sample Portfolios