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 3 and 4

Years 3 and 4 Band Description

The nature of the learners

At this level, children are developing awareness of their social world and membership of various groups, including that of the German class. They have developed initial literacy in English, and this assists to some degree in learning German, such as writing in the Roman alphabet. They benefit from varied, activity-based learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.

German language learning and use

The development of oral proficiency at this stage continues to rely on rich language input in different modes and from different sources. Learners build active listening and comprehension skills, using contextual, grammatical, phonic and non-verbal cues. Language is authentic with some modification, involving familiar vocabulary and simple structures. The balance between listening and speaking gradually shifts as learners are supported to use the language themselves in familiar contexts and situations, exchanging simple ideas and information, and participating in predictable activities and interactions, shared tasks, performance and play. They continue to build vocabulary that can be adapted for different purposes, and to use simple grammatical forms with some accuracy to communicate in familiar contexts.

A balance between language knowledge and language use is established by integrating focused attention to grammar, vocabulary building, pronunciation, and non-verbal and cultural dimensions of language use with opportunities for purposeful communication.

Contexts of interaction

The contexts in which learners interact in learning and using German are primarily local – the classroom, school, home and community – with some access to wider communities of German speakers through audiovisual and digital technologies.

Texts and resources

Learners develop literacy skills and textual knowledge through supported engagement with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative texts (such as picture books, fairy tales, puppet plays, songs and digital games) involve the expressive and cultural dimensions of language. Procedural, informative and descriptive texts (such as recipes, annotated posters, and family and class profiles) show how language is used for a variety of purposes.

Features of German language use

Learners notice features of German communication such as the use of gestures, facial expressions and intonation patterns. They become familiar with the idea of grammatical gender and become familiar with how to use singular and plural forms. Learning German contributes to the process of making sense of their personal/social worlds that characterises this stage of learners’ development. As they encounter German language and culture they make comparisons with their own language(s) and culture(s) and consider their own ways of communicating. This leads to exploring concepts of identity, commonality and difference, and to becoming aware of themselves as communicators in particular cultural contexts and communities.

Level of support

This stage of learning involves extensive support. Form-focused activities build learners’ grammatical knowledge and understanding, developing accuracy and control in spoken and written German. Teachers provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts and resources needed to manage and complete the task; make time for experimentation, drafting and redrafting; and provide support for self-monitoring and reflection.

The role of English

Learners use German for classroom routines and structured learning tasks, and for listening to and viewing German texts. English is used for class discussions, such as noticing and discussing aspects of German language and culture; for comparing English and German languages and cultures; and for reflecting on the process of learning another language.


Years 3 and 4 Content Descriptions

Socialising

Share information with peers and teacher about aspects of their personal worlds such as friends, home, favourite objects and activities

[Key concepts: friendship, identity; Key processes: describing, expressing] (ACLGEC120 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • exchanging information about their siblings, homes, pets and activities, for example, Ich habe einen Bruder und zwei Schwestern. Wir haben einen Hund und vier Vögel. Kannst du gut schwimmen? Ich wohne in einer Wohnung und ich habe eine Katze.
  • using common responses to frequently asked questions or comments (sehr gut, das stimmt, ich auch, ich nicht, igitt!), imitating modelled intonation and stress patterns
  • asking and answering questions relating to concepts such as time, place, number, days of the week, months and seasons, for example, Wann spielst du Basketball? Wer hat im August Geburtstag? Wo spielst du Hockey? Wie viele Hobbies hast du?
  • exchanging simple correspondence such as notes, invitations or birthday cards in print or digital form
Participate collaboratively in shared class experiences and transactions

[Key concepts: participation, creativity; Key processes: exchanging, negotiating, planning] (ACLGEC121 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • creating a shared digital photo story after a class activity or event such as a visit to a German restaurant
  • following procedures and instructions with peers, for example, how to create a Hampelmann or Lebkuchenhaus
  • preparing a German item for a school performance, for example, Schnappi or Kleiner Hai song, Hänsel und Gretel play
  • conducting real or simulated transactions such as a ‘picture swap’ or choosing a present for a friend, for example, Lara mag Puppen. Was kostet die Puppe?
Participate in everyday classroom activities, responding to questions, instructions and requests, asking for clarification or assistance and making simple statements about own and others’ learning

[Key concepts: support, learning strategies; Key processes: requesting, clarifying, responding] (ACLGEC122 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • asking and responding to questions related to a learning activity or lesson, for example, Wie bitte? Ich verstehe das nicht. Welche Seite? Wie sagt man das auf Deutsch? Wie spät ist es? Bist du fertig?
  • apologising, making polite requests (including attracting attention), and asking for assistance and permission, for example, Tut mir Leid! Entschuldigung, Frau Lenz! Hilfe, bitte!; Darf ich bitte auf dieToilette gehen?
  • commenting on own and others’ learning, for example, Super! Tolle Arbeit! Gut gemacht!

Informing

Obtain and process information from peers and texts related to personal, social and natural worlds

[Key concepts: community, family, friends; Key processes: reading, listening, selecting, organising] (ACLGEC123 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • gathering information about a fellow student or German speaker relating to family, home, interests and abilities, and compiling the information in a modelled format, such as Steckbrief
  • obtaining information about lifestyles in German-speaking countries (homes, schools, climate, pets, geography) from shared and independent reading of simple digital texts
  • collecting information about different animal species (Haustiere, Wildtiere, Waldtiere, australische Tiere), and creating a display with names and appropriate adjectives, for example, Der Löwe ist mutig und stark.
  • identifying points of information in short spoken texts with some unfamiliar language, for example, the name and number on a recorded phone message, the age of a child interviewed, some items on a recorded shopping list
  • comparing information about activities and practices across cultures, for example, reading, viewing or listening to texts related to aspects of school life such as timetables, canteen menus, extracurricular activities and sports
  • working in groups to obtain and use factual information from texts related to other learning areas, for example, completing a simple science experiment, naming countries and significant land features, or recording distances using geography skills
Present information in modelled spoken and written texts relating to personal, social and natural worlds

[Key concepts: family, friends; Key processes: describing, presenting, collating] (ACLGEC124 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • introducing family members and friends, identifying relationships and cultural backgrounds (Das ist mein Opa. Er kommt aus China.), using simple descriptive language and supporting resources to enhance meaning
  • collecting information about one another’s likes, dislikes or interests, using checklists, surveys or question cues to present a class profile, chart or database, for example, Lieblingstiere, Lieblingssport, Lieblingsserie, Lieblingsmusik
  • selecting information gained from print, visual or digital texts to design a class book or digital display, for example, details of animals and their habitats and/or food from a zoo website or a children’s documentary film about wild animals (Der Affe wohnt im Dschungel)

Creating

Respond to imaginative print and digital texts in a variety of ways such as by acting out events, identifying favourite elements and making simple statements about characters

[Key concepts: character, events; Key processes: describing, retelling] (ACLGEC125 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • using modelled structures and picture prompts to retell the basic plot of a narrative, or making simple summary statements, for example, Shrek und Fiona sind im Schloss.
  • creating a profile of a favourite character from a text, including features such as Name, Alter, mag/mag … nicht, Aussehen and Bild
  • creating a timeline of the main events of a story using pictures, words and/or simple sentences
  • using a thinking tool to respond to an imaginative text in various ways, such as describing what emotions they feel listening to the story, for example, Das macht mich glücklich/traurig/nervös
  • acting out a text with a repetitive plot and/or dialogue, for example, Das Rübenziehen
Create imaginative texts such as simple plays, poems and stories, using formulaic expressions and modelled language as well as simple visual supports

[Key concepts: fantasy, entertainment, amusement; Key processes: performing, creating, presenting] (ACLGEC126 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • collaborating to create and perform a new version of a traditional or contemporary text, for example, the script of a play for the German fairy tale Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten
  • creating and performing a puppet play involving a German character and an Australian character, such as die Maus (Die Sendung mit der Maus) meeting Bananas in Pyjamas or an Igel meeting an echidna, using modelled German language
  • using digital technologies to create and illustrate short imaginative texts designed to amuse or entertain, such as Mein Traumhaus (Ich wohne in einem Schloss. Mein Schloss ist sehr alt, groβ und schön) or fantasy stories featuring imaginary creatures
  • producing and presenting illustrated or multimodal texts using a modelled structure, for example, an acrostic poem based on their first name or Elfchen

Translating

Compare aspects of German and English language, such as vocabulary, sounds and rhymes, and cultural information, and share with peers and family

[Key concepts: meaning, interconnection; Key processes: comparing, interpreting, explaining] (ACLGEC127 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • comparing and matching key words in German and English, such as names for German-speaking countries and some cities (Deutschland/Germany, Wien/Vienna) and animals
  • listening to the way animal sounds are represented in German, such as in Das kleine Küken animation, and comparing them with English and other languages, for example, Ein Hahn macht, kikeriki, ein Hund macht, wau wau
  • sharing an item relating to German language and culture through the school newsletter, at an assembly or in a library display, such as an Ostereierwettbewerb and Osterbaum, or electronically displaying links to digitally produced student items such as movies or photo-text collages
  • comparing the Australian and German ways of writing a postal address, for example, in German the Hausnummer appears after the street name and the Postleitzahl appears before the suburb/town
Produce texts such as signs, class word lists and picture dictionaries in both German and English for the classroom and school community

[Key concepts: vocabulary, translation; Key processes: labelling, matching, translating] (ACLGEC128 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • making and using individual word lists, and print and digital dictionaries, for example, using digital tools
  • producing classroom signs such as Bitte mach die Tür zu! Hier sind die Scheren/Klebestifte/Stifte!
  • creating bilingual texts for the classroom or school community, such as posters, library displays or online newsletter items

Reflecting

Notice and describe what looks or feels similar or different to own language and culture when interacting in German

[Key concepts: communication, difference, respect; Key processes: noticing, comparing, describing] (ACLGEC129 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • recognising that there are similarities and differences between German and English ways of showing politeness, for example, the use of family names after Frau and Herr, responding to danke schön with bitte schön, shaking hands
  • noticing how own language use influences expectations about German language use, for example, wanting to use one word for ‘you’, and not expecting to capitalise all nouns
  • considering how aspects of own language might be understood from a German perspective, for example, culture-specific expressions such as ‘school assembly’, ‘kick a footy’, or eating ’brekky’
  • noticing that there are alternative ideas and ways of interacting to those offered by one’s own language and culture
  • exploring how language is linked to a place, time and people, and what they do together, for example, by examining the meanings and associations they make with words and expressions such as zu Hause, Pausenbrot and Spielplatz
Describe their own experiences of learning and using German and explore their sense of identity, including elements such as family, cultural heritage and friends

[Key concepts: self, family, friends; Key processes: exploring, comparing, identifying] (ACLGEC130 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • comparing own experiences of learning German with peers’, and imagining what aspects of English a German speaker might find challenging and why
  • participating in an online discussion about learning and using another language, reflecting on the experience of becoming bilingual (or, in the case of some learners, plurilingual), and considering what advantages this brings and whether it impacts on identity
  • comparing learning a language at school with another context for learning a language, such as at home, at community language school or on holiday
  • communicating about identity and language use within the family context, such as positioning self within the family and identifying own and family members’ heritage, for example, Ich bin Australier/-in. Mein Opa kommt aus Griechenland.
  • identifying family traditions and possessions that stem from another culture, such as opening presents on Christmas Day or Heiligabend, learning folk dancing, or having a German grandparent’s name

Systems of language

Experiment with the pronunciation of vowel sounds, letter combinations and intonation patterns, and recognise and write high-frequency words and expressions in familiar contexts

[Key concepts: pronunciation, intonation, accents; Key processes: distinguishing sounds, recognising, practising] (ACLGEU131 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • recognising and practising short and long vowel sounds, initial consonants and blends, for example, ja, rot, singen, Sport, Winter, zwei
  • recognising and using the Umlaut and Eszett to pronounce and write familiar German words
  • understanding that intonation patterns create different meanings, as in the distinction between statements, questions and exclamations (Du bist acht. Du bist acht? Du bist acht!)
  • encoding and decoding familiar German words using alphabetic knowledge of single letters, consonant clusters (sch) and vowel combinations (au, ei, eu, ie), applying learnt memory aids such as ‘when E and I go walking, the second one does the talking’
Notice and apply elements of German grammar such as gender and singular/plural forms, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns and word order in simple spoken and written texts

[Key concepts: word order, connections, syntax, cases; Key processes: noticing patterns, making connections] (ACLGEU132 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • recognising the link between a noun’s gender and its definite/indefinite article and nominative pronoun in relation to people, for example, der Bruder, ein Bruder, er
  • using the nominative and accusative indefinite articles to denote an unspecified person or object, for example, Rotkäppchen hatte einen Korb.
  • comparing pluralisation of nouns in German and English, and using die for plural nouns in German, for example, der Apfel/die Äpfel
  • describing a relationship using a possessive adjective, for example, mein/e, dein/e, sein/e, ihr/e
  • understanding and using pronouns to refer to people, for example, ich, du, er, sie (singular); wir, ihr, sie (plural); Sie heißt Anna. Sie heißen Ben und Sarah.
  • using the correct verb form associated with a noun or pronoun or combination thereof, for example, Die Lehrerin singt ein Lied; Herr Schwarz trinkt Kaffee; Sie spielt Tennis; Mein Freund und ich sprechen Englisch.
  • using present tense forms of irregular verbs such as haben and sein and recognising similarities to the English verbs ‘to have’ and ‘to be’
  • describing capabilities and preferences using limited forms of the modal verbs können and mögen, for example, Ich kann gut schwimmen. Er mag Cricket. Wir möchten eine Party machen.
  • understanding and describing current and recurring actions using verbs such as essen, fliegen, fressen, laufen, leben, schwimmen, sprechen and trinken
  • understanding and describing past events using the simple past tense of familiar verbs such as war, hatte, ging, sah, spielte and machte
  • joining words, phrases and sentences using und, oder and aber
  • understanding the meaning of and using common time phrases and cohesive devices, for example, gestern, heute, dann and zuerst
  • understanding and formulating questions using subject–verb inversion, for example, Magst du Sport?
  • understanding and using a range of question words and the intended/related answer, for example, woher, welcher and wie viel
  • locating events in time with regard to days, months, seasons and ‘half past’ time, for example, Ich spiele im Winter Fußball. Die Schule beginnt um halb neun.
  • describing location formulaically using prepositional phrases such as im Wasser, in der Luft, auf dem Land, neben dem Tisch or auf der linken Seite
  • using ordinal numbers to give the date, for example, Heute ist der dritte Juli. Er hat am siebten August Geburtstag.
  • referring to quantities of people and things (including money) using cardinal numbers up to 100
Identify the purposes of familiar personal, informative and imaginative texts such as maps, calendars and fairy tales, and explain how particular features of such texts help to achieve these purposes

[Key concepts: text function, structure, features of texts; Key processes: classifying, comparing, explaining] (ACLGEU133 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Numeracy
  • Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Capability
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • classifying a range of digital and other texts such as fairy tales, recipes, instructions, advertisements, greeting cards, maps or songs according to their purpose(s) (such as to entertain, describe or instruct), discussing and justifying choices in English
  • comparing wall calendars from a German-speaking country and Australia in terms of structure, public holidays, pictorial representation of seasons, and cultural influences
  • identifying and comparing the features of different types of texts, such as a cookery book, a picture storybook or a comic
  • discussing the structure of shared reading texts, identifying sentences, questions, answers and greetings (Satz, Frage, Antwort and Gruß), and recognising how different textual elements such as title, layout, script and images combine to make meaning

Language variation and change

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

[Key concepts: variation, register; Key processes: noticing, comparing, exploring] (ACLGEU134 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • noticing that the teacher uses different words for ‘you’ when addressing one or more students, for example, Setz dich, Peter! Setzt euch, Kinder!
  • comparing ways in which language changes according to purpose and text type, for example, differences in amount of language, tone and layout between a dialogue and a list of instructions
  • investigating the different names used to address the one person in various contexts (‘James Brown from 3M’, ‘Jimmy’, ‘mate’, ‘kid’), and considering when, by whom and why different names are used, reflecting on the effect a name choice can have on shaping the relationship between the speakers
  • exploring questions such as why we have greetings and what different greetings tell us, for example, time of day, relationship with the speaker, and background of the speaker
Recognise that German and English are related languages and that German is an important European and global language

[Key concepts: global language, culture, identity; Key processes: identifying, exploring, researching] (ACLGEU135 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • exploring some similarities between Germanic languages, such as Dutch, English and German cognates
  • recognising that German is an official language of the ‘DACHL’ countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein) as well as in Belgium, Luxembourg and South Tyrol
  • finding examples of German used at home or in the community and creating a class collection or display, for example, products, labels or words used in English language advertisements, shop signs, recipe books or menus

Role of language and culture

Make connections between culture and language use, for example, by identifying vocabulary and expressions that reflect cultural values, traditions or practices

[Key concepts: connections, values, traditions; Key processes: identifying, describing] (ACLGEU136 - Scootle )

  • Literacy
  • Critical and Creative Thinking
  • Personal and Social Capability
  • Ethical Understanding
  • Intercultural Understanding
  • comparing terms across German-speaking cultures, for example, Liebchen/Liebling, mein Schatz, Spitznamen
  • recognising that language carries cultural ideas, for example, Sommerbeginn, which is officially 1 December in Australia but 21/22 June in Europe; hitzefrei (‘heat-free’), referring to the practice of dismissing students early from school if a certain temperature is reached or forecast; or Wald, the setting in many German fairy tales
  • recognising character traits and values, such as those of animal characters in German stories, for example, the wolf in Rotkäppchen, and comparing them with familiar Australian stories
  • learning how to communicate about culture and language using terms such as ‘meaning’, ‘difference’ and ‘behaviour’
  • discussing parallel expressions such as ‘G’day’/Tag, ‘morning tea’/Kaffeepause and ‘Bless you’/Gesundheit

Years 3 and 4 Achievement Standards

By the end of Year 4, students interact with teachers and peers in classroom routines, action-related talk and play. They respond to instructions and use formulaic expressions to interact, ask questions, seek assistance, and make statements related to their personal worlds, for example, bitte schön; Ich bin dran; Welche Farbe? Wie viele Geschwister hast du? Mein Lieblingsspiel ist Lotto. They reproduce German short and long single vowel and diphthong sounds, including Umlaute, and Eszett, and initial consonants and blends, for example, Post/los, mein, die, Bruder/Brüder, heißen, ja, rot, singen, Sport, Winter, zwei. They answer questions related to their personal worlds with factual information, and respond to imaginative texts by identifying favourite elements, sequencing main events and producing short scaffolded summaries. They create short, simple sentences from modelled language and use coordinating conjunctions, for example, und, aber, oder, to compose short original texts. They use some forms of common regular verbs in the present tense, (for example, heißen, kosten, spielen, wohnen), some irregular verb forms, (for example, bin, bist, ist, sind, hast, hat), and limited forms of modal verbs, (for example, kann, mag, möchte, muss), simple past tense verbs, (for example, hatte, ging, war) and the accusative case, (for example, Ich habe einen Hund.). They respond to and use interrogatives, such as was, wann, wer, wie, wie viele, wo and some ja/nein questions. They refer to time, manner and place using familiar words and phrases, for example, morgen, sehr gut, im Wald. They compare aspects of German and English language and culture that are reflected in texts they have viewed, listened to or read and they create texts in German and English for the classroom and school community. They identify ways in which culture influences aspects of communication in routine exchanges such as greetings, and describe their own sense of identity, including elements such as family, cultural heritage and friends.

Students identify German as an important European and global language and give examples showing how it is related to English. They differentiate statements, questions, imperatives and exclamations according to intonation, sentence structure and punctuation. They identify the purpose of the Eszett and show how the Umlaut alters the pronunciation of particular vowels (ä, ö, ü). They identify single letters, some consonant clusters (sch) and vowel combinations (au, ei, eu, ie). They identify the audience and purpose of familiar personal, informative and imaginative texts. They give examples of how language use varies according to the participants, purpose and context of an exchange. They give examples of how language and culture are intrinsically linked, and identify cultural values, traditions or practices that are conveyed in words and expressions they and others use.


Years 3 and 4 Work Sample Portfolios