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 Modern Greek class. They are further developing literacy capabilities in English, such as writing in the Roman alphabet, and this helps to some degree in learning Modern Greek. They benefit from multimodal, activity-based learning which builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning, including English and other languages.
Modern Greek language learning and use
Learners interact with peers and the teacher in a variety of communicative activities where grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation are purposefully integrated. They primarily engage in a variety of listening and viewing activities, and understand familiar stories, songs and poems. Language use remains at a simplistic, repetitive level within familiar and predictable contexts. Students use simple language structures, vocabulary and phrases (Τι καιρό κάνει σήμερα; Χρόνια πολλά). They understand basic grammatical features such as the position of the possessive pronoun (η μαμά μου), and the importance of the use of articles (η ΄Αννα), and apply them in their own speech and writing. Specific language learning skills such as memory and communication strategies are developed. Listening skills are developed further, and through constant repetition and consolidation learners ask and respond to questions, give information, and read and write simple texts. With extensive support, students use their imagination to create short songs, games and performances. They discuss and begin to explore the significance of certain traditions, practices and values and the language associated with these, such as 25η Mαρτίου, Απόκριες, 28η Οκτωβρίου.
Contexts of interaction
The contexts in which learners interact in learning and using Modern Greek are primarily the classroom and school, with some sharing of their learning at home. Students may have access to wider communities of Greek speakers and resources through out-of-classroom activities and the use of virtual and digital technology. They work independently and cooperatively, further developing their sense of personal as well as group identity.
Texts and resources
Learners develop literacy skills through interacting with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Procedural, informative and descriptive texts, for example, recipes, weather reports and family descriptions, show how language is used in different ways and for different purposes.
Features of Modern Greek language use
Learners begin to develop a metalanguage for understanding and discussing language features, and make connections and comparisons between English and Modern Greek. For example, they understand that in English there is one word for the definite article (‘the’), whereas in Greek the definite article changes according to case, gender and number (ο, η, το, οι, οι, τα). Comparing the structures and patterns of Modern Greek to those of English helps learners understand both languages, helping in the development of their overall literacy skills. At this level, learners have control of writing the Greek alphabet letters.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support through scaffolding. Teachers model what is expected, introduce language concepts and resources needed to manage and complete tasks, and make time for experimentation, drafting and redrafting, providing support for self-monitoring and reflection. Support includes a range of spoken, written, visual and interactive resources, such as puppet plays, songs, YouTube clips and digital games.
The role of English
Learners are encouraged to use Modern Greek as much as possible for classroom routines, social interactions, structured learning tasks, and language experimentation and practice. English is used for discussion, explanation and reflection, as learners become aware of the interdependence of Greek language and culture and how these systems connect and compare to their own language and culture.
By the end of Year 4, students interact with the teacher and peers to share simple information about aspects of their lives, such as school (for example, Mαθαίνω ελληνικά), home (for example, Το σπίτι μου είναι μεγάλο) and everyday routines (for example, Παίζω μπάλα). They use formulaic expressions when participating in classroom routines, collaborative activities and simple transactional exchanges, such as praising and encouraging others (for example, Μπράβο σου), asking for help, seeking clarification (for example, Συγγνώμη, κυρία), and requesting permission (for example, Μπορώ να πάω έξω;). They use features of Greek pronunciation when asking questions such as, Πού είναι; , and making statements and exclamations (for example, Ελάτε τώρα!), including use of the accent mark. Students locate information from spoken and written texts related to everyday contexts and routines such as, Να το βιβλίο μου, Τη Δευτέρα παίζω τένις, and use simple statements and support materials to present information about themselves (for example, Αγαπώ τη μουσική, Είμαι οχτώ χρονών), others (for example, Πόσων χρονών είσαι;), home (for example, Μένω στο ...) and school (for example, Να η τάξη μου). They respond to imaginative texts by discussing favourite elements, acting out events and making simple statements about characters. They perform and create short imaginative texts, using formulaic expressions and modelled language (for example, Πού είναι ο Φρίξος; Είναι …). Students use vocabulary related to school, home and everyday routines such as, η πόρτα, το σπίτι, το σχολείο, τα χόμπυ μου, η οικογένειά μου, and describe people, objects or events using adjectives and adverbs. They use appropriate word order, gender, and singular and plural forms in simple spοken and written texts (for example, Να η γάτα, Να ο γάτος, Να οι γάτες). They translate and interpret common words and frequently used language relating to familiar environments (for example, Oρίστε Μαρία, Παρακαλώ), and create simple bilingual resources for the classroom. They identify ways that their own language and the Greek language reflect ways of behaving as well as words.
Students write letters of the Greek alphabet, and identify sound–letter relationships, letter clusters, vowel–consonant combinations and the most common digraphs (for example, ου, αι, οι, ει, μπ, ντ). They identify the structure and linguistic features of texts used in familiar contexts, such as stories, songs, recipes and conversations (for example, Τέλος, Καλημέρα, Τι κάνεις;). They give examples of how language use varies according to the context and purpose of the exchange (for example, Γεια σου / σας). They identify ways that languages change over time, and how languages influence each other, providing examples of words in English that are borrowed from Greek and words in Greek that are borrowed from other languages. They compare Greek and English, identifying similarities and differences, particularly in vocabulary, behaviours and expressions related to cultural practices, such as special occasions.