Level Description

The nature of the learners

These years represent a transition to secondary school. Students in this sequence are continuing to study Modern Greek, bringing with them an established capability to interact in different situations, to engage with a variety of texts and to communicate with some help about their immediate world and that of Greece, Cyprus and other Greek-speaking communities. They have experience in analysing the major features of the language system and in reflecting on the intercultural exchanges in which they are involved.

Modern Greek language learning and use

At this level, learners express ideas and feelings, exchange opinions, negotiate relationships and manage shared activities. They use modelled and rehearsed language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts and increasingly generate original and personal language (Τα ενδιαφέροντά μου είναι ..., Σου αρέσει η μαγειρική;). They create and perform more complex and varied texts, for example, role-plays of interactions at a restaurant, songs about leisure activities, acrostic poems, blogs about experiences at school, tourism advertisements for a Greek island and journal entries. They plan, draft and present imaginative and informative texts, for example, a children’s book, design interactive texts, for example, word games, and collaborative tasks, for example, menus, and participate in discussions and games, such as Greek board games. They use vocabulary and grammar with increasing accuracy, drafting and editing to improve structure and clarify meaning.

Contexts of interaction

Learners work collaboratively and independently, exploring different modes and genres of communication with particular reference to their social, cultural and communicative interests. They pool language knowledge and resources to plan, problem-solve, monitor and reflect. Modern Greek is used not only for classroom interactions and transactions but also for broader interactive and intercultural experiences, such as the exchange of language and culture that occurs with sister-school relationships, and study trips to Greece or Cyprus (Θα επικοινωνήσουμε αύριο με το σχολείο μας στην Ελλάδα ...). Extra opportunities for interaction are provided by purposeful and integrated use of information and communication technologies (ICT), for example, videoconferencing, internet video and audio calling, instant messaging and e-learning.

Texts and resources

Learners read, view and interact with a broad range of texts and resources specifically designed for learning Modern Greek in school contexts, such as textbooks, readers, videos and online materials, including those developed for computer-supported collaborative learning. They also access authentic materials created for Greek-speaking communities, such as films, websites, advertisements and magazines.

Features of Modern Greek language use

By building their vocabulary knowledge, learners are able to develop and express more complex concepts in Modern Greek. They use a range of grammatical forms and structures to convey relationships between ideas, events and experiences, developing awareness of the language structures and features of specific texts. They use different processing strategies and their knowledge of language, increasingly drawing on understanding of text types, for example, writing a journal entry, and patterns, for example, correctly using verb endings. They make connections between texts and cultural contexts, identifying how cultural values and perspectives are embedded in language (το παλικάρι, η πατρίδα), and how language choices determine how people, issues and circumstances are represented (Να ζήσετε, Πάντα άξιος, Καλά στέφανα, Καλή όρεξη, Στην υγειά σου, Γεια μας, Σιδερένιος!).

Level of support

Learners may have a range of previous experience in the language or may be new learners. A multilevel and personalised approach to teaching and task design is needed for this diversity of prior experience. Consolidation of prior learning is balanced with the provision of new, engaging and challenging experiences. Learners are supported, as they develop increasing autonomy as language learners and users, to self-monitor and reflect on language use in response to their experiences in diverse contexts.

The role of English

Modern Greek is the main language of instruction and interaction, and English is used for conceptually demanding explanations and discussions. Learners continue to develop a metalanguage for thinking and communicating about language, culture and their sense of self, and connections within and across languages and cultures.

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 8, students use written and spoken Greek to initiate and sustain classroom interactions, (for example, Πότε θα πάμε σινεμά;) to carry out transactions (for example, Πώς πέρασες τις διακοπές σου;) and to exchange information, ideas, thoughts and feelings about people, (for example, Ο μπαμπάς μου είναι καλός μάγειρας), objects, places and events such as, Τι ώρα θα πάμε στη συναυλία αύριο; They ask and respond to open-ended questions (for example, Πού θα ήθελες να ταξιδέψεις στο μέλλον;) and use rehearsed and spontaneous language to engage in discussions, negotiate, make decisions and arrangements, and offer opinions such as, Θέλω να πάω στην Ελλάδα κάποια μέρα. They apply appropriate pronunciation and rhythm in spoken Greek to a range of sentence types, including the use of the accent mark for both intonation and meaning. They locate and interpret information and ideas on topics of interest, such as, Πώς διασκεδάζουν στην Ελλάδα; from a range of texts and communicate information, views and ideas using different modes of presentation. They share their response to different imaginative texts by expressing thoughts and opinions and describing ways in which ideas, characters, places and events are represented. Students create imaginative texts about people, places and experiences to entertain others (for example, Μία αξέχαστη εκδρομή, Όταν ξέχασα να ...). They use grammatical features, such as regular verbs, irregular verbs, adverbs, adjectives (for example, έμεινα, έπαιζα, θα μείνω, είπε, να μπορέσω, γρήγορα, πιο γρήγορα, γρηγορότερα, πολύ), pronouns (for example, αυτός, κάτι) and conjunctions (for example, που, πως, ότι, επειδή, δηλαδή, αλλά, γιατί) to construct compound and complex sentences and link ideas and sentences. They apply rules of punctuation and spelling to their own written constructions. They translate and interpret texts, identifying and explaining words with particular cultural significance in Greek, and create bilingual texts for the school and wider community, providing subtitles, captions or commentaries to help meaning. They explain why communication with others involves shared responsibility for making meaning, and identify the choices and adjustments they make when participating in intercultural interactions.

Students identify and reproduce irregularities of some sound–letter relationships and combinations. They analyse the structure and linguistic features of different text types to identify their relationship with audience and purpose. They analyse language use in different contexts, including formal and informal (for example, Συγγνώμη, Με συγχωρείτε), explaining the impact of purpose, audience and social setting. They explain the dynamic nature of the Greek language from ancient to modern times, and suggest reasons for change. They give examples of ways that language use reflects cultural ideas, assumptions and perspectives such as, Έχει φιλότιμο, Καλύτερα να σου βγει το μάτι παρά το όνομα, and how what is considered normal in communication varies across cultures.