The nature of the learners

At this level, learners have established communication and literacy skills in Vietnamese that enable them to explore aspects of Vietnamese language and culture as well as topical issues or themes drawn from other key learning areas. They are widening their social networks, experiences and communicative repertoires in both Vietnamese and English, and developing some biliteracy capabilities. They participate in collaborative tasks that both recycle and extend language. They are gaining greater independence and becoming more conscious of their peers and social context, and have an increased awareness of the world around them.

Vietnamese language learning and use

Purposeful language use in authentic contexts and shared activities in the classroom develop language skills and enhance communication and understanding. Learning how Vietnamese is structured reinforces their oracy and literacy. Learners develop their speaking skills by interacting with teachers, peers, family and local Vietnamese speakers to share their own and enquire about others’ experiences, interests and opinions. They have access to a broader range of vocabulary, and use strategies such as effective listening skills to support communication. They explore Vietnamese language and culture by engaging with simple folk tales (truyện cổ tích), fables (truyện ngụ ngôn) and folk songs (ca dao). They read extracts from both Vietnamese and Australian imaginative texts to engage with themes, characters and messages, and explore embedded cultural beliefs, values and practices. They read nonfiction texts to obtain information about significant places, figures and events relating to Vietnamese-speaking communities, and apply their language knowledge and skills to decode unknown words and predict meaning. Individual and group presentation and performance skills are developed through modelling, rehearsing and resourcing the content of presentations. Learners write more accurately and fluently for a wider range of purposes and audiences, for example, creating imaginative narratives and weekly journals describing personal experiences to share with their peers.

Contexts of interaction

Learners use Vietnamese in the classroom and in their extended social space, such as family, neighbourhood and community, for a widening range of purposes, for example, exchanging information, expressing ideas and feelings, and responding to experiences. They are able to work more independently, and also enjoy working collaboratively. They explore cultural aspects of communication, and use information and communication technologies (ICT) to support and enhance their learning.

Texts and resources

Learners interact with an increasing range of informative, persuasive and imaginative texts about their neighbourhood, Vietnamese-speaking communities and individuals. They refer to and use a broad range of grammatical and lexical resources to understand and communicate in Vietnamese. The use of dictionaries is encouraged to support language acquisition and accuracy of language use, ensuring the correct interpretation of similar words, for example, ‘old’ as già or cũ; ngon as ‘tasty’ or ‘delicious’.

Features of Vietnamese language use

Learners’ pronunciation, intonation and phrasing are more confident. They apply appropriate sentence structures, using nouns, adjectives, verbs, conjunctions and writing conventions to express opinions (for example, Tôi thích học tiếng Việt để nói chuyện với ông bà), and describe actions and events in relation to time and place (for example, Tuần trước tôi đi dự hội chợ Tết ở Richmond or Hôm qua ba mẹ tổ chức sinh nhật cho tôi ở nhà), in a range of written texts. They use comparative modes (for example, đẹp, đẹp hơn, đẹp nhất), possessive cases (for example, cái áo của anh, trường tôi) and time expressions (for example, năm trước, năm nay, tháng sau, hôm kia, ngày mai) to express themselves in a range of social situations. They reflect on language and how it is used in different ways to communicate. They explore cross-linguistic and intercultural influences on the Vietnamese language, such as words derived from Chinese (phụ huynh, sư phụ, phụ nữ) and French (ga ra, cà rốt and căn-tin). As they use Vietnamese for a wider range of interactions, they recognise how language features and expressions reflect cultural beliefs and practices (for example, con số hên, ngày tốt, tốt ngày, Cháu chúc ông bà sống lâu trăm tuổi, Chúc em bé ngoan ăn chóng lớn), and the cultural and social impact of some grammatical forms or vocabulary, for example, using informal or formal language to address others in specific contexts (Cháu biếu ông bà/Tôi tặng bạn/Anh cho em một món quà).

Level of support

While learners work both independently and collaboratively at this level, ongoing support and feedback are incorporated into activities such as the production of written texts. Support includes the provision of models, scaffolds, stimulus materials, and resources such as word charts, vocabulary lists and dictionaries.

The role of English

Classroom interactions are increasingly bilingual. Vietnamese is used primarily for communication, while English and Vietnamese are used for discussion of linguistic features and cultural practices, and for reflective tasks and explanations. Learners are given opportunities to think about personal and community identity. They engage with texts that reflect Vietnamese culture, and ask questions about cultural values and practices and how these relate to their own sense of identity when interacting in Vietnamese- and English-speaking contexts.