The nature of the learners
These years represent a transition to secondary school, and students in this pathway are continuing to study Indonesian, bringing with them a capability to communicate, with some assistance, about their immediate world and Indonesia. They have experience in analysing the major features of the language system and in considering intercultural exchanges, including their role in these.
Indonesian language learning and use
Learners interact using Indonesian in classroom routines and communicative tasks. They give presentations and participate in dialogues, with some preparation and support, such as cue cards. They respond to short texts in Indonesian, locating specific details and gist. Learners are extending the range and quality of their writing through increased vocabulary and grammar knowledge, and by drafting and editing their own work and that of their peers. They recognise text-type features and use models to create a range of texts, including descriptions, recounts and reflections.
Contexts of interaction
The primary context for learning remains the Indonesian language class; however, there may be opportunities for interacting with peers in Indonesia and with other learners of Indonesian, such as through technology and sister school relationships. Learners may be exposed to Indonesian speakers, media and community events.
Texts and resources
Learners engage with a range of increasingly complex texts specifically designed for learning Indonesian in schools, such as textbooks, videos, stories and online resources. Use of authentic texts created for the Indonesian-speaking community, such as songs, films (with subtitles), websites, advertisements, and excerpts from stories, provides opportunities to extend learners’ understanding of language and culture.
Features of Indonesian language use
Learners are extending their grammatical knowledge, such as how language structures and features are used in texts. They are increasingly aware of connections between language and culture, noticing, for example, degrees of formality in language use according to social relationships. Learners are exploring cultural concepts evident in Indonesian, such as gotong-royong, jam karet and selamatan, and comparing them to concepts in their own language and culture. They are learning to reflect on their own language and culture and how identity impacts on intercultural experiences.
Level of support
Learners require modelled language use, particularly at the paragraph and whole-text levels, and explicit instruction in grammatical knowledge, with comparison between English and Indonesian. They need support in using dictionaries, particularly in determining base words and choosing appropriate meanings for the context. Learners continue to access word lists, charts and examples to support their receptive and productive language use.
The role of English
Indonesian is used for classroom interaction, language learning tasks and experiences, and, with support, reflection on learning. Indonesian may be used for learning new content drawn from other learning areas. English is used for analysis, comparison and reflection in relation to abstract concepts.
By the end of Year 8, students use Indonesian to interact and exchange ideas, experiences and interests with teachers, peers and others. They pronounce familiar polysyllabic words such as mendengarkan, pekerjaan and mengerjakan, stressing the penultimate syllable. When interacting, they ask questions using for example Apakah?, Di mana?, Kapan?, Berapa?, and respond to questions using, for example, Setuju tidak? Benar/Salah, and asking follow up questions using, for example, Kapan? Bagaimana? Mengapa? They explain and clarify their answers using, for example, karena, or supaya. Students give opinions using for example Pada pendapat saya…, saya kira…, setuju/tidak setuju, make comparisons using lebih… daripada…, and state preferences using saya lebih suka…, yang paling baik… They locate and evaluate factual information in texts, and use models to create their own informative and imaginative texts in order to narrate, correspond with and report to others. . They vary their sentence construction (for example, rambut saya hitam/Ibu berambut cokelat/Bapak mempunyai rambut pirang) to create interest for the audience. Students use cohesive devices such as time markers (for example, Besok, sebelum), adverbs of frequency (for example, biasanya, jarang, belum pernah) and conjunctions (for example, lalu, untuk). They use a range of personal pronouns such as dia, mereka, kami, kita, ber- verbs such as bersekolah, berselancar and simple me- verbs such as memasak, memakai, menjadi, mengunjungi. Students use prepositions of time using pada and place, using di (including with, for example, belakang, samping, antara). They describe qualities using colours (for example, biru tua, merah muda) and adjectives (for example, sombong, murah hati). They translate across languages, identifying where equivalence is not possible, for example, gotong royong, jam karet or ‘daylight saving’. They describe their reactions to intercultural experiences, describing aspects that do or do not fit with their own identity and considering why.
Students know that Indonesian has a base word system that works with prefixes and suffixes to create verbs and nouns, such as -an, ber- and me- words. They differentiate between similar-sounding words and how they are written (such as suka/sukar, muda/mudah), and apply spelling conventions such as ngg (tinggal) and final h (terima kasih). They describe how possessive word order differs from English and have a metalanguage to identify common features such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and subject-verb-object construction. Students identify and reproduce features of familiar text types such as salutations, narrative sequence and cohesive devices. They know that languages and cultures influence and borrow from each other. Students know that cultural values and ideas are embedded in language use, including their own, and consider where these may have come from and how they may be seen from another cultural perspective.