Years 7-8 Vietnamese Syllabus
Year 7-8 Syllabus
Years 7-8 Band Level Description
In Years 7 and 8, Vietnamese language learning builds on each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students use Vietnamese language, in person or via digital access within and beyond the classroom. Background-language learners and second-language learners may interact and collaborate in different ways within and beyond the classroom to facilitate learning. Students listen, speak, read, view and write to exchange information, ideas and opinions about their worlds. They work increasingly independently, individually and in groups, and continue to receive feedback and support from peers and teachers as required.
Students access a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts from an increasing range of authentic, traditional and contemporary sources which may include audio and video clips, online magazines, advertisements, stories and articles. Background-language learners may source texts and other resources from their local community to share with peers. Students use their English and/or Vietnamese literacy knowledge of metalanguage in an increasing range of contexts to reflect on similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English language structures and features. They recognise that language choices reflect cultural identity, beliefs and values.
Years 7-8 Achievement Standard
By the end of Year 8, students initiate and maintain interactions in Vietnamese language in familiar and some unfamiliar contexts related to a range of interests and experiences. They use Vietnamese to collaborate and problem-solve, and adjust language in response to others. They interpret information, ideas and opinions in texts. They demonstrate understanding of similarities and differences between languages, in both familiar and some unfamiliar cultural contexts, by adjusting and reorganising responses. They select and use vocabulary sentence structures, and expressions to create texts.
Students apply the conventions of spoken Vietnamese to develop fluency. They demonstrate understanding that spoken, written and multimodal texts use different language conventions, structures and features to convey meaning. They comment on structures and features of Vietnamese text, using metalanguage. They reflect on how the Vietnamese language, culture and identity are interconnected, and compare this with their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Years 7-8 Content Descriptions
Interacting in Vietnamese
initiate and sustain exchanges in familiar and some unfamiliar contexts related to students’ experiences, feelings and views, adjusting their language in response to others
- sustaining face-to-face and online conversations, for example, encouraging responses through questions such as Ngoài âm nhạc, bạn còn có sở thích gì khác? Tại sao vậy? Tôi nghĩ đọc sách rất có ích. Bạn có đồng ý với tôi không? Bạn thích xem phim hay đọc sách hơn? Tại sao?
- sharing information and opinions with peers in class and in online communities about a range of topics such as friends, family, lifestyles, celebrations, Vietnamese cuisines, for example, Mình nên cẩn thận khi làm bạn ở trên mạng. Chúng ta nên ăn uống lành mạnh để có sức khỏe tốt. Chúng ta nên tôn trọng mọi người xung quanh. Chúng ta nên lễ phép với thầy cô giáo.
- using descriptive language to discuss contrasting aspects of their personal worlds such as home and school, study and entertainment or discipline and freedom, and justifying opinions, for example, Chúng ta nói tiếng Anh với thầy cô và bạn bè ở trường nhưng nên nói tiếng Việt ở nhà. Chúng ta nên biết cân bằng giữa việc học và giải trí. Gia đình tôi sống rất hòa thuận và vui vẻ. Cuối tuần tôi thường đi bơi hay đi xem phim với bạn bè.
- asking and responding to open-ended questions about learning activities or strategies, for example, Mình phải làm sao để phân biệt được các dấu trong tiếng Việt? Bạn phải cố gắng tập nghe, tập đọc và tập viết cho nhiều và chú ý cách phát âm.
- summarising different opinions in interactions, for example, Có bạn thì thích phim hành động, có bạn thì thích phim hoạt hình
- acknowledging others’ ideas and opinions and indicating agreement or disagreement in non-judgemental ways, for example, Tôi hiểu ý của bạn nhưng bạn nghĩ sao nếu…
- requesting repetition or asking for and providing clarification, for example, Bạn vui lòng lặp lại/nói rõ hơn về …, Bạn nghĩ sao về việc …? Thưa cô, chữ ‘vẻ mặt’ là dấu hỏi hay dấu ngã? Thưa thầy, chữ “xin lỗi” dùng dấu ngã phải không?
- initiating written exchanges such as writing to a student in Vietnam, requesting information and responding appropriately, for example, Ở Việt Nam, bạn ăn Tết trong bao lâu? Bên Úc, gia đình mình chỉ ăn Tết vào ngày cuối tuần.
collaborate in activities that involve the language of transaction, negotiation and problem-solving to plan projects and events
- participating in authentic cultural experiences in the community, such as an excursion to a Vietnamese restaurant or festival, and rehearsing studied vocabulary, structures and manners, for example, Mình nên dùng món khai vị gì? Còn món ăn chính thì sao? Chúng ta nên ăn tráng miệng bằng trái cây thay cho bánh ngọt. Các bạn nhớ đừng nói chuyện ồn ào khi ăn uống.
- collaborating to decide on a menu for a class lunch, and negotiating items, prices and delivery with a local restaurant, for example, Lớp chúng ta nên nấu món gì cho ngày hội Đa Văn Hoá? Cơm chiên và chả giò được không? Mình cần chuẩn bị những gì nè?
- planning and making arrangements for activities such as outings using expressions related to place, time and numbers, for example, Các bạn muốn hẹn gặp nhau ở đâu? Mấy giờ thì mình sẽ đi leo núi? Mình gặp nhau lúc bảy giờ sáng được không?
- collaborating to create a short children’s story based on a Vietnamese cultural event such as Tết, and reading it to younger learners of Vietnamese
- collaborating to create displays, presentations or performances for family, friends or the school community to showcase Vietnamese learning, for example, singing a song in Vietnamese, reciting a poem such as Xin chào Vietnam, bài thơ Tôn Trọng
- participating in a collaborative project such as contributing to a school newsletter, secure blog or posters to promote awareness of an important issue, for example, creating posters to promote Vietnamese language and culture and displaying in local libraries and primary schools
- conducting interviews with Vietnamese-speaking residents in nursing homes on various topics such as migration, life experiences in Australia, career choices and family history, and preparing a presentation using digital tools and apps
- providing feedback using metalanguage to support peers, for example, editing each others written or spoken texts and work samples, and justifying reasons for editing or changing text
- creating resources to help others, such as a set of helpful hints for new Vietnamese-speaking students or students starting school, travelling to Vietnam for the first time, or teaching a skill step-by-step
Mediating meaning in and between languages
interpret information, ideas and opinions in a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts, and respond appropriately to cultural context, purpose and audience
- comparing key points and supporting detail from a range of texts about special occasions and ceremonies and discussing culture-specific terms and representations such as Ở Úc, người ta không ăn Tết nhiều ngày như ở Việt Nam
- using reading strategies to understand and respond to texts, for example, identifying the gist of an informative text about climate change and responding with a personal action or opinion such as Mọi gia đình nên tái chế rác thải để bảo vệ môi trường.
- accessing a range of digital and other texts, such as books, webpages, documentaries, news items or interviews, to collate and present information about aspects of Vietnamese and Australian lifestyles, for example, creating a multimodal presentation on Vietnamese teenagers’ fashion and tastes in music
- listening to, reading or viewing First Nations Australian authors’ stories in English and responding to them in spoken or written Vietnamese
- responding to a narrative by writing and performing a simple monologue of a main character, demonstrating empathy
- researching and comparing aspects of life in Vietnam and Australia and presenting this information, for example, researching and comparing ways of transport in Vietnam and Australia and presenting this information in a table
- listening to, viewing and reading a range of texts, including multimodal and digital narratives, such as cartoons, films, comics, stories, poems and songs, and identifying themes, messages and plot, for example, Sơn Tinh Thủy Tinh, bài thơ Làm Anh, bài hát Xin chào Việt Nam
- comparing humour in Vietnamese comedies with Australian/Western expressions of humour, for example, comparing comedies by Anh Đỗ with Mr. Bean and discussing personal responses
- identifying differences between language use in formal interviews and speeches, and in everyday conversations, and replicating these differences in their own speeches or conversations, such as Bạn vui lòng cho biết ý kiến của bạn về vấn đề này? versus Bạn nghĩ sao về chuyện này? or Xin chào cô và các bạn versus Lan nè/Ê Lan, khỏe không?
- identifying alliteration in Vietnamese texts, for example, vui vẻ, mát mẻ, lanh lợi, and using this in their own creative texts
interpret and adjust non-verbal, spoken and written language to convey meaning in Vietnamese language in familiar and some unfamiliar cultural contexts
- discussing strategies for translating difficult words and concepts, such as expanding descriptions or explanations, providing examples to assist meaning, or connecting to context to identify the meaning of a word, for example, reading the sentence ‘that tea is strong’ and working out from the context that the meaning of strong is đậm not khoẻ
- comparing choices of language and behaviours when communicating in Vietnamese and English, explaining the modifications they make and why, for example, being indirect when making refusals in Vietnamese-speaking contexts such as Dạ con không dám hứa. Chắc để con xem lại. Con cũng thích món quà này nhưng mà ... or using both hands when giving something to show respect
- comparing their own translations of short texts with those of their classmates, then comparing both to versions produced by bilingual digital or print dictionaries, discussing reasons for variations and discrepancies, for example, phi trường/sân bay, ga xe lửa/ trạm xe lửa
- reflecting on and explaining which words, expressions or gestures should or should not be incorporated when interacting with Vietnamese speakers or speakers of other languages, for example, using expressions of praise or admiration, beckoning downwards or upwards, hugging someone in greeting or making or avoiding eye contact during conversation
- understanding how to convert informal spoken language such as ai cũng biết hết into formal register to suit particular purposes and audiences, and experimenting with formal expressions such as mọi người đều biết, như các bạn đã biết
- discussing and amending inaccurate translations of public signs or notices in Vietnam and in Australia, for example, roundabout is bùng bình not vòng tròn
- recognising changes required for sentence structure or word use in English-Vietnamese translation, for example, This lesson is too hard to understand = Bài học này khó quá, tôi không hiểu được; I can’t help laughing = Tôi không thể nhịn cười được
- interpreting examples of colloquialisms or slang typically used by young people such as gấu (partner), toang (broken)
- creating Vietnamese glossaries to accompany English texts such as dự báo thời tiết (weather forecasts), phim tài liệu về thiên nhiên (nature documentary), phim hoạt hình (cartoons), du lịch (travel blog) or truyện cổ tích (folk tales)
Creating text in Vietnamese
create and present spoken, written and multimodal, informative and imaginative texts for specific purposes, selecting vocabulary, expressions, grammatical structures, features and conventions appropriate to text type and context
- creating spoken or written texts such as an advertisement promoting travel (tourist brochure, itinerary for young Australian travellers to Vietnam, etc.), including key words, phrases, and information about cultural practices, for example, Bao nhiêu tiền? Phòng vệ sinh ở đâu? Làm ơn chở tôi đến nhà hàng/khách sạn/phi trường, xin lỗi, cám ơn
- reporting in the form of a recount, a secure blog or a multimodal presentation, a personal experience such as a school excursion, a holiday or a local cultural event, using descriptive captions, subtitles or other audio/visual aids to enhance effect
- composing bilingual texts for non-Vietnamese and non-English speakers, for example, menus for Vietnamese restaurants with footnotes in English and public signs and notices for Vietnamese and Australian contexts, paying attention to aspects of culture
- creating a print or digital poster in Vietnamese to promote travel to a significant cultural location on a First Nations Country/Place, including what to see and do
- writing texts such as a diary entry to reflect on an event in a story or film, or an imagined interview with a character from a story or film
- performing in or creating a multimedia videoclip of a dramatisation of a creative text, for example, imagining themselves as characters in a poem, song or painting and creating a scenario and dialogue, such as bài thơ Làm Anh, bài nhạc Xin Chào Việt Nam
- adapting stories or films to new settings and contexts, imagining how characters might behave and react in different contexts and times
- creating the next scene, a new character or an alternative ending for Vietnamese imaginative texts such as a folk tale, short story, drama or film, for example, Ăn khế trả vàng. Sơn Tinh Thuỷ Tinh
- creating jingles or songs to well-known or original tunes to entertain peers or a younger audience, for example, choosing a tune from a famous pop song and using key language to create a new song
- creating captions, commentaries or subtitles for short video clips or slideshow presentations of intercultural experiences such as going on a holiday, attending a wedding ceremony, giving or accepting a gift, or informing Vietnamese-speaking peers and community of school or cultural events
- presenting and comparing information about Vietnamese and Australian cultural practices they see at home, school or in the community, for example, using graphic organisers to compare ways of celebrating New Year and birthday
Understanding systems of language
apply knowledge of conventions of spoken Vietnamese to enhance fluency, and to respond to and create texts in familiar and some unfamiliar contexts
- applying Vietnamese pronunciation and spelling rules to own speech and writing to pronounce and spell new words encountered in interactions and texts, for example, if the spelling of the word mười is known, then the spelling of the word người can be determined without knowing its meaning
- experimenting with intonation patterns to distinguish different types of sentences, for example, a statement Con không đi chơi đâu.; a question Con không đi chơi đâu?; and an exclamation Con không đi chơi đâu!
- distinguishing and making nuances in pronunciation and spelling between some similar diphthongs and triphthongs, for example, chiều cao and cây cau, lỗ mũi and con muỗi, cái túi and trái chuối
- developing features of spoken Vietnamese, including intonation, tone and stress, to increase fluency and enhance expression in a range of activities such as listening to and repeating pronunciation using digital tools, reading aloud and conversing with a wide range of people
- listening to short interactions between unfamiliar voices at diverse speeds or levels of clarity to develop auditory and comprehension skills
- developing strategies to understand meaning when listening to diverse regional Vietnamese accents, for example, inferring meaning from the context
- practising ways in which tone varies according to setting and context, for example, saying the same sentence in different tones to (friendly/unfriendly, respectful/ironic, etc.) to change the meaning, such as Hôm nay, em tới sớm thế!
- comparing own Vietnamese speech patterns with Standard Vietnamese pronunciation, and making adjustments to their pronunciation of certain sounds or tone markers as necessary, for example, g and r, s and x, ch and tr, or d and gi and v
apply understanding of grammatical structures and expressions to compose and respond to texts
- understanding and applying punctuation in writing, or adhering to punctuation conventions in reading, for example, full stops, commas, exclamation marks, brackets, apostrophes, speech marks and question marks
- exploring homonyms encountered in texts, for example, bò ‘cow’ or ‘to crawl’, ăn ‘eat’ or ‘win’, đỗ/đậu ‘pass the exam’ or ‘bean’, bàn table’ or ‘discuss’, lợi ‘benefit’ or ‘gum’, đá ‘kịck’ or ‘ice’
- understanding the use of được and bị for positive and negative meanings, for example, Em được điểm tốt. Em được thầy cô khen. Em bị bệnh. Cành cây bị gãy.
- understanding and using verbs to express modality such as nên, cần and phải, for example, Các em nên chăm học. Chúng ta cần không khí để thở, Học sinh phải mặc đồng phục khi đi học
- using direct and indirect speech conventions, for example, Ba mẹ nói với tôi: ‘Con nên chăm học’, and Ba mẹ bảo tôi nên chăm học
- using a range of expressions for indefinite quantities, for example, hàng ngàn, triệu triệu, vô số, hàng hà sa số, biết bao nhiêu là …
- constructing a range of sentences in affirmative, negative, interrogative and imperative forms for different purposes, for example, Tuyệt vời!, Nhanh tay lên!, Sao chậm quá vậy?, Lạnh quá đi!
- differentiating interrogative forms with tag questions and using them according to context, for example, Em thích ăn cơm chiên không? is a yes/no question to discover whether the other person likes fried rice and Em thích ăn cơm chiên phải không? is a tag question to confirm that the other person likes fried rice
- recognising differences in Vietnamese and English responses to negative tag questions to avoid misinterpretation, for example, in Vietnamese the response to the question Em chưa làm bài tập về nhà phải không? “You haven’t done your homework, have you?” would be Dạ phải. Em chưa làm? “Yes, I haven’t”, while in English it would be “No, I haven’t”
- recognising the purpose and effect of exclamatory sentences as opposed to statements, for example, the statement Hôm nay Lan đi học sớm simply states that Lan came to school early today, while the exclamatory sentence Hôm nay Lan đi học sớm thế/vậy! may suggest surprise or irony
reflect on similarities and differences between Vietnamese and English language structures and features, using metalanguage
- identifying and comparing language features in Vietnamese and English texts, for example, use of first-person point of view, and descriptive and emotive language in personal recounts and diary entries
- extending understanding of metalanguage to communicate in Vietnamese and English about word order, verbs and adjectives, for example, Tính từ luôn đi sau danh từ.
- exploring the way content is developed in different types of texts in Vietnamese and English, and how ideas and information are structured, for example, identifying headings, paragraphs, topic sentences, elaborations, topic/idea shifts
- applying their understanding of key features of familiar types of Vietnamese and English texts to understand unfamiliar content, for example, in print and digital public announcements, commercials, advertisements or itineraries
- examining structural features of a range of informative and imaginative text types in both Vietnamese and English texts, for example, identifying elements such as paragraphing or conjunctions to sequence and link ideas for cohesion
- teaching younger students or non-Vietnamese speakers about some key differences between Vietnamese and English language, using support resources such as flash cards, diagrams, charts or tables
- comparing spoken and written Vietnamese and English texts, for example, a spoken and a print advertisement, or an oral conversation and an email, and explaining how mode relates to linguistic structures and features, and how this affects meaning
Understanding the interrelationship of language and culture
reflect on and explain how identity is shaped by language(s), culture(s), attitudes, beliefs and values
- identifying Vietnamese and Australian cultural practices, attitudes, beliefs and values presented in diverse situations and contexts, such as in everyday conversations or in television programs, for example, standing up out of respect when an older person enters the room or the eldest person sitting down first
- reflecting on the influence of Vietnamese culture on own communication style, for example, discussing whether they modify their communication style, such as waving a hand instead of arm crossing or head bowing, when interacting in English-speaking contexts
- discussing cultural cues in communication that suggest differences in ideas, traditions or values, for example, the importance of respect as seen in the way Vietnamese people greet each other or address older people, for example, dạ/thưa/kính thưa
- examining, in Vietnamese or English, how First Nations Australians’ languages have strong connections to Country/Place and how these can be compared with language variation across Vietnamese-speaking communities
- comparing cultural elements reflected in language use and social norms such as body language, volume of voice, and the use of personal space and silence, in different cultural contexts and exchanges
- recognising that some Vietnamese social behaviours may be misinterpreted as a lack of courtesy, for example, smiling instead of saying thank you, or not opening gifts straight away in front of guests
- sharing understandings of what culture is and of how it relates to language and identity, using statements such as văn hóa và ngôn ngữ là đặc điểm quan trọng nhất của một quốc gia. Văn hóa tạo ra ngôn ngữ, ngôn ngữ tạo ra văn hóa.