Years 7-8 Syllabus
Years 7-8 Band Level Description
In Years 7 and 8, students are beginning their learning of Arabic language. This will be influenced by the extent of the students’ backgrounds and prior experiences of language learning. Students use Arabic to describe their personal worlds and interact and collaborate with teachers and peers within and beyond the classroom. Background-language learners may also interact in Arabic within their family and in their local community. Listening, speaking, reading and viewing, and writing activities are supported by modelling, scaffolding and feedback as required. Background-language learners and second-language learners may work collaboratively to facilitate learning.
Students access authentic and purpose-developed spoken, written and multimodal resources which may include traditional and contemporary stories, conversations, audio and video clips, textbooks, advertisements, blogs and magazines. Background-language learners may source texts and other resources from their local community to share with peers. Students use their English and/or Arabic literacy knowledge of metalanguage to reflect on similarities and differences between Arabic and English language pronunciation, structures and features. They understand that the Arabic alphabet is written from right to left and that letters need to be joined to form words. They recognise that language choices reflect cultural identity, beliefs and values.
Years 7-8 Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 8, students use Arabic language to interact and collaborate with others, and to share information and plan activities in familiar contexts. They respond to others’ contributions, and recognise familiar gestures, questions and instructions in exchanges. They recognise relationships between spoken and written forms. They locate and respond to information in texts and use non-verbal, visual and contextual cues to help make meaning. They respond in Arabic or English, and demonstrate understanding of context, purpose and audience in texts. They use familiar language and modelled sentence and grammatical structures to create texts, with conventions of letter position and vowel marks in writing.
Students approximate pronunciation and intonation in spoken Arabic. They demonstrate understanding that Arabic has conventions and rules for non-verbal, spoken and written communication. They comment on aspects of Arabic and English language structures and features, using metalanguage. They demonstrate awareness that the Arabic language is connected with culture and identity, and that this connection is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Years 7-8 Content Descriptions
Interacting in Arabic
interact with others using modelled language to exchange information in familiar contexts about self and personal worlds
greeting others using appropriate expressions, titles and gestures, for example, مرحبا ، صباح الخير، صباح النور، مساء الخير، مع السلامة، شكرا، مرحبا أستاذ، صباح الخير سيدة، أهلاَ وسهلاَ، الحمد لله، نشكر الله
introducing themselves, family and friends, using formulaic expressions, for example,
... اسمي ...، عمري ...، عنواني ...، أسكن في/ أعيش في ...، أصلي من / أنا من ...، مدرستي في ...، هوايتي ...، أنا طويل، هذا أبي ... هو يعمل في ...، هذه أمي ... وهي تعمل في expressing likes and dislikes, using modelled language such as أحب جدّي كثيراً ، لا أحب الرياضة في المدرسةأحبُّ / لا أُحبُّ ...، أفضل ...لأن...، أكره ... لأن ...
socialising and discussing daily home and school routines and responsibilities, for example, أستيقظ ...، آتناول الفطور، أنظف أسناني، ألبس ثيابي، أشاهد التلفاز، أكمل فروض المدرسة، أرتب سريري، أنظف غرفتي، ألعب كرة القدم، أذهب إلى المسبحفي المنزل لا بد لي من غسل الصحون، في المدرسة أنا كابتن المستوى العام
asking and responding to questions about a range of topics such as family, cultural background, friends and special occasions, for example, ما اسمك؟ أين تسكن؟ كيف حالكَ / حالكِ؟ متى تتناول طعامك؟أي لغة تتكلم في البيت؟ أين تذهب يوم السبت؟ من هي صديقتك؟ لماذا تحب جدتك؟ أي رياضة تلعب؟ من هو معلمك المفضل؟ هل تحب أن تأتي إلى حفل عيد ميلادي؟
discussing aspects of their lifestyles such as hobbies, sport and activities that may interest Arabic speakers of their own age, for example, بيتي صغير، غرفتي واسعة، مدرستي كبيرة، صديقي ذكي، معلمتي طيبةذهبت البارحة مع عائلتي إلى المتحف، شاهدت مع أخي فيلماً جديداً في السينما، كانت لعبة الركبي ممتعة، كانت الرحلة المدرسية إلى حديقة الحيوان مملّةيوم السبت ألعب التنس مع أبي، في عطلة نهاية الأسبوع أذهب مع عائلتي إلى المطعم، أحضر حصة الموسيقى يوم الجمعة، أشعر بالسعادة في حصة الموسيقى.
using spontaneous exclamations and interjections when interacting with others at school or in the community to show interest and comprehension and fill pauses, for example, نعم، لا، شكراً، كل عام وأنت بخير، أتمنى لك عيداً سعيداً، تفضّل، تفضّلي
following classroom instructions when starting and finishing class, completing tasks, and engaging in activities, for example, افتح الكتاب / الكمبيوتر ...، استمع إلى ...، ارفع يدك ...، اصعد / اكتب على اللوح ...، أنهِ فرضك ...
- interacting using a secure blog or chat group with Arabic-speaking students, posting news items, comments and questions in both Arabic and English
engaging in written exchanges with peers such as sharing greeting cards and messages, for example, عيد مولد سعيد! أطيب التمنيات!
develop language to interact in exchanges, routines, tasks and responsibilities related to classroom and interests
contributing to classroom activities, expressing opinions about procedures and tasks, giving advice and sharing ideas with peers, and responding respectfully to others’ contributions, for example, إستمع للمعلمة، إحترم الجميع، إنتظر دورك، إذهب إلى الحمام في الفرصة، أكمل كل دروسك في الصف، كن مؤدباً، لطيفاً، هادئاً، عادلاً، ودوداً، كوني هادئة، لطيفة، صادقةهذا الواجب صعب، الإمتحان طويل، ما عندي وقت، لم تصحح المعلمة إمتحان الإملاء بعد، الأفضل أن نوضّح العنوان، هذا الخط أفضل من الآخر، أقترح استعمال الألوان في الرسم
participating in activities such as games, discussions and role plays, taking turns, praising and encouraging peers, for example, دوركَ / دوركِ، ممتاز، جيد، حسنا، أنت جيد في هذه اللعبة، أنت ماهر في هذا الدور؟ أنت ممثل بارع، صوتك جميل، أنا أحب هذه اللعبة! فكرة رائعة! هل يمكن أن ...؟ ماذا عن دور الأب؟ أنت لا تقدر ان تكتب كل القصة، ليكن دوري المشتري وأنت دورك البائع، هل تحب أن تكون البائع؟
making polite requests when attracting attention and asking for help, requesting repetition, asking for clarification or permission and responding appropriately, or asking how to say something in Arabic, for example, من فضلكَ / فضلكِ، هل تسمح ...؟ أريد أن أذهب إلى الحمام، هل يمكنكَ / يمكنكِ إعادة السؤال من فضلك؟
agreeing, politely disagreeing or declining using appropriate expressions, for example, أريد أن أذهب إلى هذا المكان من فضلك، بكم هذه؟ أعتذر، لا أستطيع أن آتي
taking turns being a class leader or teacher’s assistant responsible for the start and finish of lessons, greetings and roll call, distributing work and responding to peer questions, for example, افتح الكتاب، أين الممحاة؟ أين المقص؟ افتح النافذة، لا تتكلم في الصف، اجلس في مكانك. من الطالب الغائب اليوم؟
- making a board or card game using Arabic language, and playing together to practise vocabulary and grammar using the target language, for example, playing word games, memory games and card games
engage in modelled non-verbal, spoken and written exchanges with peers to organise activities relating to daily life and school environment
participating in transactions by asking for and providing information about items, prices and quantities, and requesting goods and services, for example, ما سعر …؟ بكم هذه اللعبة؟ ما سعر كيلو البرتقال؟ بكم كيس الخبز؟ كيس الخبز بدولار ونصف، سعر كيلو التفاح ثلاثة دولاراتأحتاج مساعدة من فضلك، هل تستطيع أن تساعدني؟ أبحث عن خوذة لقيادة الدراجة أين أجدها؟ هل عندكم الفيلم الكارتوني الجديد؟
making decisions about classroom duties, using simple expressions such as أنت لا تقدر ان تكتب كل القصة، أنا اكتب النصف الأول وأنت النصف الآخر، ليكن دوري المشتري وأنت دورك البائع ،هل تحب أن تكون البائع؟اكتب دور المشتري وأنا سأكتب دور البائع
planning and organising an outing or activity such as an excursion to a restaurant, arranging to meet friends or preparing for a surprise party, using expressions related to time, place, and numbers, for example, متى ستكون هذه الحفلة؟ في أي ساعة؟ أين ستكون؟ ما رأيك أن نذهب إلى هذا المكان؟هل تريد أن تأتي معي إلى المهرجان العربي يوم السبت الساعة العاشرة
accepting or declining invitations, adjusting language to suit formal or informal contexts, for example, inviting a special guest speaker or friend to a birthday party, for example, حضرة المدير...، صديقي هاني ...
negotiating with others to plan and make decisions, expressing and accepting preferences and ideas, for example, ما رأيك بهذه الصالة؟ هل تحب هذا المكان؟ أفضل أن أذهبَ إلى السينما فكره جيدة!
- participating in activities such as treasure hunts, games such as mystery games, or scenarios such as being lost/helping someone who is lost and asking for/giving directions, for example, لقد ضعت أين محطة القطار؟
working with peers to produce bilingual signs, flyers and posters to promote sustainability and waste reduction within the school community such as labelling bins and containers, for example, من فضلك ضع علبتك في سلة إعادة التدوير
Mediating meaning in and between languages
locate and process information and ideas in familiar spoken, written and multimodal texts, responding in ways appropriate to cultural context, purpose and audience
listening to texts such as songs, notices or phone messages, and identifying key points of information, using intonation and keywords to assist understanding, and then creating own text, for example, recording a phone message, مرحباً، إسمي سهام، اود التكلم مع سامر بخصوص الإمتحان، أرجو الإتصال بي على الرقم ٤۰٥٦٥٦٦۷۷۷
- reading a print or digital text such as a short story or article relating to familiar contexts, using pictures, key words and contextual cues to predict meaning and to assist in identifying information
- obtaining and interpreting information from a source and conveying details in a different format for a different audience, for example, viewing movie session times and then writing an imagined dialogue with a friend, negotiating what to see, time, place to meet
- listening to, reading or viewing First Nations Australian authors’ stories in English and responding to them in spoken or written Arabic
locating and sequencing information used to describe people and events, for example, البنت تدرس، الولد يساعد أمه، الأب ينظف الحديقة، في الصباح أمي تحضر الفطور، في المساء أبي ينظف السيارة
- demonstrating understanding of detail in a text such as viewing a menu and recommending dishes appropriate for vegetarian options, for example, لا يوجد لحمة في المعكرونة
- comparing information in a number of travel advertisements to determine which holiday package would meet requirements for specific budget, timing and activities
interviewing others using a variety of questions, and summarising information in graphs, tables or images, on topics such as favourite things, pets, family, daily routine, pop culture من لديه حيوان؟ ما نوع الموسيقى التي تحبها؟
listening to and viewing imaginative texts such as traditional folk tales and fables and sharing opinions or feelings about characters and events, for example, أحبّ قصة علاء الدين لأنها مسلية، قصة علاء الدين مملّة لأنها قديمةأنا أحبّ دور الولد في الفيلم لأنّه شقيّ مثلي، البنت غيورة جداً، الأب في الفيلم حنون مثل أبي
predicting words and phrases in non-verbal activities such as charades or mime, for example, هل أنت تأكل تبولة؟ كلا، هل أنت طائرة؟عمول منيح وكب بالبحر
develop and begin to apply strategies to interpret, translate and convey meaning in Arabic in familiar contexts
- translating short excerpts from traditional stories, identifying words and expressions that reference cultural values, history and beliefs, and are difficult to translate into English
- using a print or digital dictionary, or an online translator, developing personal word or grammar lists to assist with translation and enhance working with unfamiliar language
recognising that some words and expressions in Arabic do not have equivalent words or expressions in English, and vice versa على راسي، نعيماً، بلّط البحر
- creating school signs, notices, timetables and class rules in Arabic, and considering why some words and expressions require flexibility in translation, for example, ‘the oval’, ‘the office’, ‘the canteen’, ‘out of bounds’, ‘no hat, no play’
- understanding that the Arabic language has a standard form called Al Fusha, العربية الفصحى اللغة , which is mainly used in writing, and a range of oral dialects that differ from region to region, for example, regional dialects in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Morocco, Iraq, Egypt
- recognising how the dialect spoken at home may differ from Modern Standard Arabic learnt in class, and noticing the diversity of Arabic speakers
- monitoring their use of Arabic and English in different areas of their lives, for example, by keeping a record of when they use each language over a particular day or in different contexts
- understanding that particular Australian-English terms and expressions have no equivalent in Arabic, for example, ‘billabong’, ‘the bush’, ‘the movies’, ‘footy’ and ‘backyard’
Creating text in Arabic
create spoken, written and multimodal, informative and imaginative texts using modelled conventions of letter position and vowel marks, appropriate vocabulary, expressions, grammatical structures, and some textual conventions
- using handwritten Arabic, with support, to create texts, and learning how to represent Arabic script digitally
making bilingual texts such as greeting cards or invitations for special occasions, considering how to convey messages in each language, for example, عيد أم سعيد، عيد أم مبارك، كل عام وأنت بخير، كل عام وأنت بألف خير، دمت لي سالمة
recording a commentary for a video or photo slideshow about their daily routine or childhood, for example, استيقظت الساعة السابعة صباحاً، غسلت وجهي وتناولت طعام الفطورعندما كنت صغيرة سافرت إلى العراق وتعرفت على جدتي
- creating a print or digital poster in Arabic to promote travel to a significant cultural location on a First Nations Country/Place, including what to see and do
presenting information in spoken or written form about own and peer’s personal worlds, likes and dislikes or leisure activities, describing experiences and expressing feelings, for example, ألعب كرة القدم جيداً، أسبح بمهارة، اقرأ بطلاقة، ألعب الألعاب الإلكترونية كثيراً، سمير يلعب التنسعندما أعزف الموسيقى أشعر بالفرح، بالحزن، بالملل، بالنشاط، بالسعادة، أحب الرسموليد لا يحب الرياضيات ولا القراءة، عند فادية أخ صغير في المدرسة، سميرة تسكن في شقة، مازن يحب الديناصورات
creating a print or digital class book for younger learners of Arabic, sequencing a series of pictures with captions or creating a storyboard with labels, speech bubbles or subtitles, using familiar words and modelled language, for example, استيقظ سامر صباحاً، غسل وجهه، بعدها ذهب إلى...
creating a short brochure, video clip or presentation to support new students coming to the school, introducing aspects of school culture, achievements, staff, timetable, uniform, available study and extra-curricular options, for example, يمكنك لعب كرة القدم يوم الإثنين بعد المدرسة
- creating and performing alternative versions or endings of familiar stories, using voice, rhythm and gestures to animate characters
preparing a script for a real or imagined scenario such as asking for directions, starting high school or at the doctor’s surgery and presenting to the class, using props and realia, for example, اين الحديقة؟ ما هو وقت الغداء؟ رأسي يؤلمني
designing promotional material for special events such as Harmony Week, a specific Arabic country Independence Day, Earth Hour, for example, امشي الى المدرسةاليوم عيد تعدد الثقافاتاحترام الثقافات المختلفة
- mapping their own or others linguistic and cultural profiles, for example, by creating a timeline or simple biography to highlight elements such as family language(s), traditions and beliefs, key relationships and intercultural experiences
Understanding systems of language
recognise and use features of the Arabic sound system, including pitch, rhythm, stress, pronunciation and intonation, and demonstrate understanding of how these are represented in familiar contexts
- recognising and pronouncing the 28 sounds of the Arabic sound system
- noticing and practising different mouth and tongue positions to reproduce sounds such as the 4 emphatic consonants, articulated with the tongue in a high position
recognising that letters are joined in different ways to make words, for example, باب، خال، حال، هذا، هي
- discriminating between short vowels, for example, تْ ت تِ تُ long vowels such as تا تي تو and consonant letters in a syllable block
- recognising the different ways of sounding ا و ي consonants, for example, بي/ بابا، وَلد/ توت
recognising the double sound and consonants with shadda دَرَّسَ، أحبَّ، أحسَّ
noticing that vocalisation such as harakat may change the function of the word depending on where it is placed, for example, كَتَبَ، كُتُب، لَعِبَ، لُعَب
reciting tongue twisters to practise pronunciation خيط حرير على حيط خليل
understanding how intonation and tone are used to change the meaning of speech, and how the purpose of interactions such as to command or invite, would change the emphasis on words being used, for example, !ندى، تعالي! تعالي يا ندى، ضع الكتاب على الطاولة، الكتاب، ضعه على الطاولة الآن
- understanding that the sounds of the letters depend on the mood of the sentence in Arabic, and the need to memorise the pronunciation of the sun and moon letters
identifying Arabic sounds that do not exist in spoken English, for example, ح and غ, and articulating reasons why some Arabic sounds may be hard for English speakers to vocalise, such as the rolled r and kh sound
develop knowledge of the Arabic alphabet, and use structures and features of Arabic letter positions, vowel marks, and grammatical systems, to understand and create spoken, written and multimodal texts
- exploring the characteristics of Arabic script, such as writing right to left, letter shapes, diacritic marks and connected letters for example, حصان، صحن، صباح
recognising the shape of laam alif and comparing the different ways to write the letter أ, for example, أَ، أُ، إِ، ى، آ
comparing the different ways of writing hamza أ، ؤ، ئ، and recognising definite, hamza wasel and indefinite articles with the moon and sun letters, for example, مُعلّمة / المعلمة، أستاذ / الأستاذ، طاولة / الطّاولة، البيت، الولد، المدرسة، اللؤلؤ، مليئة
using definite and indefinite articles to identify grammatical endings such as تنوين ٌ ٍ ً and placing emphasis on the tanween Al-Fatih “تنوين الفتح اً ” سيارةٌ، عفواً، في مطعمٍ
recognising masculine and feminine words, and “التاء المربوطة” with feminine words مدرسة، أستاذة، تلميذة / تلميذ، طاولة، سيارة
using sound masculine plural, feminine plural and plural pronouns أنتم، أنتنّ، هم، هنّ، نحن هم مهندسون، هنّ مدرّسات، أنتم خبّازون
understanding gender agreement in singular feminine and masculine form adjectives, for example, أمي طويلة وأبي وسيم، صديقي سعيد ومعلمتي حزينة، أخي ظريف وأختي مزعجة ، هو أبٌ حنونٌ، هذه الأمُّ جميلةٌ، هذه طاولةٌ كبيرةٌ
using singular and possessive pronouns with non-verbal sentences such as أنأ، أنتَ، أنتِ، هو، هي هو تلميذٌ، هي مُجتهدةٌ،
using prepositions such as في، على، من، إلى، عن، تحت، فوق، أمام، وراء، بجانب، بينالمدرسة على اليسار، هذا كلب تحت الطاولة، القلم في الحقيبة
forming questions using interrogatives such as ماذا، متى، أين، لماذا، كيف، كم، بكم، أيّ/أيّة، هل، ماما اسمك؟ كيف حالك؟ أنت من أين؟ متى أتيت إلى البيت؟ من أعدّ لك الفطور؟ ماذا احضرتِ للغداء؟ كيف أتيت إلى المدرسة؟
using modelled past, present, future and irregular verbs related to home and school contexts, for example, قدمت فرضي للمعلمة، تأخرت عن الدرس، نمت متأخرا، نسيت كتبي في البيتأنتَ تدرس كثيرا، أنتِ تلعبين مع غيري، هو يمشي على الشاطئ، هي ترجو أمها
using simple negation such as for expressing dislikes, for example, لا أحب السفر، ليس لدي إخوة،أحب طعام أمي أحب الرياضة ولا أحب الرسم
using simple imperatives to give and respond to instructions, for example, إفتح الباب، أجلس في مكانك، لا تتكلم دون إذن، نظّف غرفتك، اكمل عملك
using simple adverbs of place and time, for example, تَحْتَ، فَوْقَ، أَمَامَ، بَيْنَ، أحياناً، جداً، دائماً، عادة
counting and writing the numbers 1–100, and using ordinal and cardinal numbers from 1-10, for example, واحد، اثنان / أول، ثاني، هذه تفاحة واحدة، هذا كرسي واحد
using simple linking words and expressions, for example, و، أو، أيضا، كذلك
using word order and sentence structures with verbal and nominal sentences, for example, كتب عادل رسالة، هو أخي، جَدّي ودود
compare Arabic language structures and features with English, using familiar metalanguage
- understanding that Arabic texts are written and read from right to left, using a cursive script
- recognising that Arabic has borrowed words from English, for example, إنترنت، كومبيوتر، تلفاز , and English has borrowed words from Arabic, such as ‘admiral’, ‘alcohol’, ‘algebra’, ‘coffee’, ‘genie’, ‘hazard’ and ‘sultan’
- comparing common text types in Arabic and English, observing similar patterns and features, for example, the opening and the signature of an email or traditional story or rhyme
- analysing how different types of texts in Arabic create specific effects through the use of different language features, for example, the use of superlatives in advertisements designed to persuade, or the use of repetition for emphasis in speeches and compare with similar text types in English
- recognising that there is no distinction between lower and upper case in Arabic, and the rules on the use of punctuation are less strict compared with English
- identifying similarities and differences in word order and syntax, for example English subject+verb+object and Arabic verb+subject+object
- noticing specific differences in Arabic sentence structure, including the absence of verbs in nominal sentences, such as verb ‘to be’ الطقس جميل، السيارة حمراء
- building metalanguage to describe grammatical concepts by developing learning resources, for example, verb charts, vocabulary lists, and groups of pronouns, adverbs or adjectives محب، سامح، يد، لين، سامي،
Understanding the interrelationship of language and culture
recognise how identity is shaped by language(s), culture(s), attitudes, beliefs and values
- exploring the meaning of ‘culture’, and understanding that it involves visible elements, such as ways of eating and behaving, and invisible aspects such as how people live, what they value and how they think of themselves and others
discussing how language reflects cultural concepts and values, for example, the importance of seeking agreement and compromise as reflected in the way Arabic people express disagreement بالرغم من إحترامي لك، لا اتفق معك
identifying cultural practices that are important when interacting in Arabic, for example, using the correct personal pronouns to address older people أنتَ/أنتِ, shaking or not shaking hands depending on gender, and the number of kisses on the cheek, for example, حضرتك، أستاذ، المهندس، دكتور
- examining, in Arabic or English, how First Nations Australians’ languages have strong connections to Country/Place and how these can be compared with language variation across Arabic-speaking communities
- explaining gestures and facial expressions that can be used without language to convey meaning such as in greetings, for example, shaking hands, or hand to the heart, kissing 3 times on the cheeks
connecting the history of Arab migration to Australia with the formation of communities of speakers of Arabic who identify as Arab-Australian and noticing language variation and the influence of English, for example, كمبيوتر، انترنت، موبايل
recognising and explaining to others the significance of some common cultural practices and customs in Arabic-speaking societies, such as traditional hospitality and exchanging well wishes, for example, تفضل صحة وهنا، بالهناء والشفاء، سلامتك، الله معك
exploring the importance of music and traditional dance in some Arabic cultures, as an expression of identity and emotions, for example, الدبكة الفلسطنية والعراقية واللبنانية، الرقص الفلكلوري
- researching Arabic-speaking communities of the world, and how cultural identity, traditions and dialects may vary between countries, regions and communities
- examining their own personal and community practices, beliefs and values to identify connections with Arabic heritage, language and culture, for example, customs, festivals, cooking, history, sports clubs, associations
- participating in cultural experiences such as Arabic film festivals, attending Arabic restaurants and performances, or wearing traditional clothing, and reflecting on cultural similarities and differences in own language, practices and behaviours