F-10 Australian Curriculum Italian

Foundation to Year 2 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Children enter the early years of schooling with established communication skills in one or more languages and varying degrees of early literacy capability. For young students, learning typically focuses on their immediate world of family, home, school, friends and neighbourhood. They are learning how to socialise with new people, share with others, and participate in structured routines and activities at school. Typically they have little to no experience of Italian language and culture.

Italian language learning and use

Students use Italian for social interactions such as greetings, asking and answering simple questions, responding to instructions, singing songs, and taking turns in games and simple shared tasks. The focus is on listening to the sounds, shapes and patterns of Italian through activities such as rhymes, songs, clapping and action games. Repetition and recycling help children to identify frequently used words and simple phrases, and to recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts. They identify and use Italian non-verbal communication strategies and experiment with formulaic expressions and one or two-word responses to prompts and cues. Through creative play and action-related talk, children begin to notice that language can behave differently in different situations and that Italian speakers communicate in some ways that are different from their own. Students are encouraged to notice that they are part of a connected world which includes many languages and cultures, and they begin to become aware of themselves as communicators in particular cultural contexts and communities.

Contexts of interaction

Children interact with each other and the teacher, with some access to wider school and community members. Virtual and digital resources provide access to additional Italian language and cultural experiences, connecting learners' social worlds with those of Italian-speaking children.

Texts and resources

The transition from spoken to written language is scaffolded through shared exploration of simple texts and language features. Children progress from supported comprehension and a small number of high-frequency and personally significant sight words and phrases to more elaborated simple texts which include a context, purpose and audience. They use grapho-phonic, grammatical, cultural and contextual cues to comprehend texts and communicative interactions. Writing skills progress from labelling and copying words, to writing simple texts using familiar vocabulary, and language structures and features. Written texts that students experience include children's stories, big books, descriptions, recounts and labels.

Features of Italian language use

Students focus on the sounds of the alphabet, in particular the vowel sounds, and 'c' (ciao) and 'ch' (Chi?), and on intonation patterns and the use of accents. Students are also introduced to nouns and pronouns. They learn simple sentence structure using subject–verb–object order as well as how to form questions. They explore the idea of masculine and feminine gender, how to use singular and plural forms, the negative form non and the placement of adjectives.

Level of support

Students' learning is highly experiential and activity-related, and is supported by the use of concrete materials and resources, visual supports, gestures and body language. Scaffolding includes modelling, monitoring and moderating by the teacher; provision of multiple and varied sources of input; opportunities for revisiting, recycling and reviewing; and continuous cues, feedback and encouragement.

The role of English

Children are encouraged to use Italian whenever possible. They use English to talk about differences and similarities they notice between Italian, English and other known; about how they feel when they hear or use Italian; and about how they view different languages and the people who speak them. English is used by both the teacher and learners for talking about the language and about learning, and for noticing, questioning and explaining.

Foundation to Year 2 Content Descriptions

Foundation to Year 2 Achievement Standards

Years 3 and 4 Band Description

The nature of the learners

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

Italian language learning and use

The development of oral proficiency requires rich language input in different modes and from different sources. Children develop active listening skills and respond through action-related talk. They strengthen their comprehension skills, using contextual and grammatical cues as well as phonic and non-verbal cues. The language they encounter is authentic, with modification when necessary, involving familiar vocabulary and simple structures. Children are supported to use the language themselves in familiar contexts and situations, such as exchanging simple ideas and information, negotiating predictable activities and interactions, and participating in shared tasks, performance and play. They continue to build vocabulary which can be adapted for different purposes, and to control simple grammatical forms to communicate in familiar contexts.

Contexts of interaction

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

Texts and resources

Children develop literacy skills and textual knowledge through supported interaction with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts (such as picture books, stories, puppet plays, songs and games) engage the expressive and cultural dimensions of language. Procedural, informational and descriptive texts (such as negotiated classroom rules, planned activities, and family and class profiles) encourage students to use language to 'get things done'.

Features of Italian language use

Students experiment with pronunciation and intonation in Italian, noticing similarities and differences with other familiar languages. They focus on structures and grammatical rules such as those relating to the use of possessive pronouns, prepositions and negation. They extend their knowledge of definite and indefinite articles, and of gender and singular/plural forms.

As they encounter Italian 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 commonality and difference, and of identity, and to thinking about what it means to speak more than one language.

Level of support

Children's grammatical knowledge and accuracy in spoken and written Italian are developed both through form-focused activities and through opportunities to apply this knowledge in meaningful task activity, as they build their communicative skills, confidence and fluency. Teachers provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts and resources needed to manage and complete tasks; make time for experimentation and drafting; and provide support for self-monitoring and reflection.

The role of English

The use of English, when appropriate, provides support opportunities for discussion and exploration of ideas which help children to build a conceptual frame and metalanguage for talking about language and culture, and about their experiences as learners moving between languages and cultures.

Years 3 and 4 Content Descriptions

Years 3 and 4 Achievement Standards

Years 5 and 6 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Students are expanding their social networks, experiences and communicative repertoires in both their first language and Italian. They continue to need guidance and participate in structured, collaborative tasks that both recycle and extend language. Students are gaining greater independence and becoming more conscious of their peers and social context. They are gaining awareness of the world around them and of the relationship of Australia with Italy and other Italian-speaking communities. They are noticing similarities and differences between Italian language and culture and their own.

Italian language learning and use

Students' pronunciation, intonation and phrasing are more confident, and they access wider vocabulary resources and use non-verbal strategies appropriately to support communication. They participate in shared tasks and purposeful language experiences as well as focusing explicitly on language structures and systems, literacy skills and cultural elements of communication.

Oracy development at this level includes active listening to a range of input from different sources, and building interactional skills such as maintaining conversations, turn-taking, and contributing to discussions with observations and opinions. They learn skills in 'reading' language for cultural and contextual meaning. Individual and group oral-presentation and performance skills are developed through researching and organising information, rehearsing and resourcing the content of presentations, and selecting appropriate language to engage particular audiences.

Contexts of interaction

Learners use Italian with each other and the teacher for a range of purposes: exchanging information, expressing ideas and feelings, performing and responding to Italian texts and experiences. They use ICTs to interact with each other and with peers in Italian-speaking communities, exchanging resources and information, accessing music and media resources, and contributing to class activities such as a blog or webpage.

Texts and resources

Learners engage with a range of oral, written, multimodal and digital texts that are increasingly public in nature. They use cues and decoding strategies to assist comprehension and to make connections between contexts, ideas and language within and between texts. They create texts for a range of purposes and audiences, such as emails, dialogues, public signs, presentations and performances. With support, they build cohesion into their Italian production in terms of both content and expression.

Features of Italian language use

Students increase their range of Italian language vocabulary, grammatical knowledge and textual knowledge. They learn how to describe present and immediate future actions, situations and events using familiar verbs. They use adverbs, adjectives and prepositions to create more complex sentences. They develop a metalanguage to describe patterns, rules and variations in language structures.

Learners consider how language features and expressions reflect cultural values and experiences (for example, language variation relating to gender, generation, status or cultural context). This leads to considering their own ways of communicating and to thinking about personal and community identities, stereotypes and perspectives reflected in language.

Level of support

While learners work more independently at this level, ongoing support, including modelling and scaffolding, is incorporated into task activity. Ongoing feedback and review support the interactive process of learning. While first language capabilities are more developed than learners' Italian language proficiency, learning tasks and experiences need to take account of both their second language linguistic level and their more general cognitive and social levels of development.

The role of English

The use of English, in conjunction with Italian, for discussion, reflection and explanation ensures the continued development of learners' knowledge base and intercultural capability and provides opportunities for learners to share understanding and experiences.

Years 5 and 6 Content Descriptions

Years 5 and 6 Achievement Standards

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 Italian, 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 own immediate world and that of Italy and other Italian-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.

Italian language learning and use

Learners work both collaboratively and independently, exploring different modes and genres of communication with reference to their current social, cultural and communicative interests. They use modelled and rehearsed language in both familiar and unfamiliar contexts and begin to generate some original language. They work in groups to pool language knowledge and resources, and to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. They are encouraged to make cross-curricular connections and explore intercultural experiences and perspectives, particularly through comparison.

Contexts of interaction

Italian is used for classroom interactions and transactions, for creating and maintaining a class dynamic, for explaining and practising language forms, and for developing cultural understanding. Additional opportunities for using Italian are provided by purposeful and integrated use of ICTs.

Texts and resources

Learners read, view and interact with a widening range of texts for a variety of purposes (for example, informational, transactional, imaginative, expressive). They draw upon Italian-speaking people in the local community and beyond to extend their experience of using Italian beyond the classroom and to gain different perspectives on aspects of Italian culture. They use a range of processing strategies and draw on understanding of text conventions and patterns in language to comprehend and create texts. They are supported to identify how cultural values and perspectives are embedded in language and how language choices influence how people, ideas and circumstances are represented. They compose and present texts (for example, media and hypermedia texts, shared stories, poetry, songs/raps, blogs, advertisements, reports, journal entries). They plan, draft and present informative, imaginative and persuasive texts, and participate in collaborative tasks and in discussions.

Features of Italian language use

This stage involves learners consolidating their understanding and use of regular forms and familiar grammatical structures. They expand their understanding through noticing variation and non-standard forms, for example, dialects used in the local community. They also notice exceptions to rules, for example, irregular forms. They learn to experiment with past and future tenses in their own texts.

Students learn how to closely analyse the relationship between language and culture to identify cultural references in texts and consider how language communicates perspectives and values. They compare their own language(s) and Italian, and reflect on intercultural experiences, including the process of moving between languages and cultural systems.

Level of support

This is a period of reviewing and consolidating students' prior learning and providing engaging and relevant new experiences and connections. Students continue to benefit from scaffolding and support, such as the provision of visual and contextual cues when accessing texts. They use models, teacher feedback and resources such as word lists and dictionaries when constructing their own texts.

The role of English

Italian is used in classroom routines, tasks and structured discussions. English is used, when appropriate, as a basis for comparison of language and cultural systems. It is also used to allow for explanation, reflection and substantive, open-ended discussions to support the development of the use of Italian.

Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards

Years 9 and 10 Band Description

The nature of the learners

At this level, students bring existing knowledge of Italian language and culture and a range of language 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 Italian in these.

Italian language learning and use

This is a period of experimenting with a range of modes of communication (for example, digital and hypermedia, collaborative performance and group discussions). Through their greater control of language structures and growing understanding of the variability of language use, learners become more confident in communicating in a range of contexts. Learners use Italian to interact and communicate; to access, exchange and present information; to express feelings and opinions; to participate in imaginative and creative experiences; and to interpret, analyse and create a range of texts and experiences. They use Italian more fluently and monitor their accuracy and use against their knowledge of grammar and associated systems. They explore intercultural experience more deliberately, for example, noting the influence of technology, media and globalisation on language use and communication.

Contexts of interaction

Learners interact with peers and teachers in their immediate school context and with members of broader Italian communities and resources available through a range of actual and virtual environments.

Texts and resources

Learners extend their familiarity with text types and language functions by balancing attention to language forms with purposeful language use. Sequences of tasks provide opportunities for collaborative planning and performance, resource development, and increased use of different language and cultural resources. Learners strengthen their communication strategies and processes of interpreting, creating, evaluating and performing in relation to a widening range of texts. Media resources, fiction and nonfiction texts, performances and research projects allow for exploration of themes of personal and contemporary relevance (for example, global and environmental issues, identity and relationships, and linguistic and cultural diversity). Learners develop critical analysis skills to investigate texts and to identify how language choices shape perspectives and meaning, and how those choices are in turn shaped by context and intention. They learn to consider different viewpoints and experiences, and analyse their own linguistic and cultural stance, and beliefs and practices that influence communication and intercultural exchange.

Features of Italian language use

The focus of learning Italian shifts to expanding learners' range and control of the linguistic systems to develop the sophistication of language use. They learn to choose appropriate tenses, to identify and create mood, and to use cohesive devices to create extended texts such as narratives, reports and dialogues. They continue to build a metalanguage, using specific terms to assist understanding and control of grammar and textual conventions (for example, adverbs, conditional, imperative, subjunctive, past tenses, reflexive verbs).

Level of support

Learners are encouraged to develop greater autonomy, to self-monitor, and to adjust language in response to their experience in different contexts. They develop independent skills to access resources such as textbooks, dictionaries and online translators, and to critically evaluate the effectiveness of such resources and their role in learning and communicating. Students continue to benefit from scaffolding and support to access and create increasingly complex texts, such as the provision of visual and contextual cues.

The role of English

Italian is used for interaction within and beyond the classroom, for task accomplishment and for some discussion of ideas in texts. English is used, as and when appropriate, to facilitate comparison, evaluation, reflection and substantive discussion.

Years 9 and 10 Content Descriptions

Years 9 and 10 Achievement Standards

Years 7 and 8 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Students are beginning their study of Italian and typically have had little prior exposure to the language and associated cultures. Many will have learnt an additional language in primary school, some have proficiency in different home languages and bring existing language learning strategies and intercultural awareness to the new experience of learning Italian. Students' textual knowledge developed through English literacy learning supports the development of literacy in Italian. 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 issues of how the experience impacts on their sense of 'norms' associated with their first language and culture.

Italian language learning and use

Students work with different modes of communication and with different text genres, with reference to their own social, cultural and communicative interests. They learn to use modelled and rehearsed language in familiar contexts and begin to use the language to create and communicate their own meanings. They work with others collaboratively to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect on aspects of their learning. They learn how to make observations about the relationship between language and culture, particularly through comparing what they learn in Italian to their own language(s) and culture(s). They identify cultural references in texts and consider how language reflects practices, perspectives and values. They reflect on the process of moving between languages and cultures and developing their capability as learners of Italian.

Contexts of interaction

Opportunities for interaction in Italian are provided through working with the teacher and peers in class, and using resources and materials, including online resources as appropriate; there is also some interaction beyond the classroom with members of Italian communities. Italian is used by the teacher in classroom routines, structured interaction and learning tasks.

Texts and resources

Students listen to, read, view and interact with a range of texts for a variety of purposes, such as personal, social, informational, transactional, imaginative and expressive. They develop skills in planning, drafting and presenting descriptive and informative texts and participate in collaborative tasks, games and discussions. They compose and present simple texts such as stories, poems, songs/raps, blogs, advertisements, reports and journal entries. They develop metalanguage for referring to Italian language and learning, and use processing strategies, such as comparing and categorising, that draw on their developing understanding of text conventions and patterns. They learn to identify how cultural values and perspectives are embedded in texts and become aware that language choices determine how people and circumstances are represented.

Features of Italian language use

Students become familiar with the pronunciation and sound system of Italian, noting similarities and differences with English. They build a vocabulary relating to people and objects in their immediate worlds. They learn how to use definite and indefinite articles. They learn how to form singular and plural nouns, to recognise patterns of noun categories and to understand the general rule of gender and agreement. Students learn simple sentence construction (subject–verb–object), which is enriched by the use of adjectives. They create their own texts mainly using the present tense of regular and common irregular verbs. They gradually build more extended texts, using cohesive devices. Students develop language for interacting with the teacher and each other. They learn to distinguish between formal and informal register. They develop a metalanguage to describe and discuss features of Italian.

Level of support

Students require support to build on existing language-learning strategies and knowledge, such as using mnemonic devices and developing a metalanguage to talk about language and culture and about language learning. Scaffolding is continuously provided by the teacher and by support materials such as word banks, focused language activities, and interactive models of language use and analysis.

The role of English

English serves two main functions in the Italian class: it represents a point of reference for Italian learning by enabling students to compare structures, features, and cultural meanings in both languages; and it is used when appropriate for explanation, reflection and discussion.

Years 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Years 7 and 8 Achievement Standards

Years 9 and 10 Band Description

The nature of the learners

Students have prior experience of learning Italian and bring a range of capabilities, strategies and knowledge that can be applied to new learning. They are expanding the range and nature of their learning experiences and of the contexts in which they communicate with others. They have a growing awareness of the wider world, including the diversity of languages, cultures and forms of intercultural communication. They are considering future pathways and prospects, including how Italian may feature in these.

Italian language learning and use

This is a period of vocabulary and grammar expansion and of experimentation with different forms of communication (for example, digital and hypermedia, collaborative performance and group discussions). Learners use Italian to communicate and interact with each other and with online resources, to access and exchange information, to express feelings and opinions, to participate in imaginative and creative experiences, and to design, interpret and analyse a range of texts and experiences. They develop strategies for self-correction by referencing their developing understanding of grammar and context. They explore language variation and change, noticing how intercultural experience, technology, media and globalisation influence language use and forms of communication. Learners investigate links between the Italian language and cultural representation and expression. They learn to analyse and reflect on different viewpoints and experiences, including their own cultural stance, action and responses.

Contexts of interaction

Learners interact with peers and teachers in local contexts that relate to their social and learning worlds, and with some members of broader Italian-speaking communities and cultural resources through virtual and online environments.

Texts and resources

Students work with a range of texts, tasks and experiences which involve both independent and collaborative planning and performance, as well as some resource development, and intentional and strategic use of language and cultural resources. They learn to interpret, create, evaluate and perform different types of texts (for example, procedural, persuasive, narrative) across a range of domains. Genres such as media resources, fiction and nonfiction texts, performances and research projects allow for exploration of concepts of personal and contemporary relevance (such as the environment, identity, relationship, diversity and inclusivity).

Features of Italian language use

Learners experiment with intonation and supporting gestures to convey emotion or create emphasis in texts. They learn to use possessive, reflexive, demonstrative and relative pronoun forms. They are encouraged to extend their use of language beyond familiar contexts. They use verbs (irregular and reflexive) and increase their range of adjectives and adverbs, comparatives and superlatives. Students learn to construct more extended texts by using relative clauses and by relating episodes in time (for example, prima … poi … infine). They use the present perfect, imperfect and future tenses, and begin using the conditional tense. They continue to expand language for interaction, initiating and maintaining conversations, seeking clarification and repetition, and contributing to structured discussions in Italian.

Level of support

While learners are increasingly autonomous when using Italian in familiar domains, they require continued scaffolding and support when using the language in less familiar contexts involving more abstract concepts. They draw on peer support, working collaboratively with each other, sharing knowledge to construct meaning. They are supported in relation to language use through explicit teacher instruction and feedback, and are provided with opportunities for reflection through structured tasks and scaffolded discussion. Students extend their critical analysis skills and autonomy as learners through activities such as evaluating the effectiveness of dictionaries and online translators, managing records of their learning, and building resources for independent work.

The role of English

Some of the discussion and reflection in relation to learners' developing communicative competence, intercultural capability and language analysis are carried out in English, to allow for more elaborated discussion, but learners are increasingly supported to build language to express ideas, opinions and reactions in Italian.

Years 9 and 10 Content Descriptions

Years 9 and 10 Achievement Standards