Level Description

The nature of the learners

At this level, children are developing awareness of their social world and membership of various groups, including of the Korean class. They have developed initial literacy in English and this helps to some degree in learning Korean. They benefit from varied, activity-based learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.

Korean language learning and use

Learners interact with peers and the teacher in classroom routines and a variety of classroom activities. They build oral proficiency with provision of rich language input and ample opportunities to rehearse modelled language in communicative activities where grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation are purposefully integrated. They develop understanding of the alphabetic nature of Hangeul and read words that consist of syllable blocks with 받침. They exchange simple information, feelings and ideas related to their personal worlds, finding commonalities and acknowledging differences between each other. The language they use and hear is in simple structures and with familiar vocabulary. They follow instructions, respond to questions and read and create short texts on topics relevant to their interests and enjoyment such as family, pets or favourite sports or food, and those drawn from other learning areas. They explore ideas and values important to Korean culture through shared tasks such as shared reading of Korean folktales. The language used in routine activities is re-used from lesson to lesson in different situations, making connections between what has been learnt and what is to be learnt.

Contexts of interaction

The primary context of interaction in Korean is the classroom, where Korean is used as much as possible. Learners have access to resources and authentic texts in Korean via virtual and digital technology and are encouraged to share their learning at home where possible. They experience authentic Korean language and culture through community activities, for example, with Korean-speaking neighbours or at Korean festivals.

Texts and resources

Learners engage primarily with a variety of teacher-generated materials, stories, games and songs, and with materials produced for young learners of Korean such as interactive computer language games, cards and readers. They may also have access to materials developed for children in Korea, such as television programs, advertisements or web pages, as a means of developing cultural awareness and language experience.

Features of Korean language use

Learners are increasingly aware that the Korean language is used not only in Korea and in the Korean community in Australia, but also in many other places around the world. They make connections and comparisons, and look for differences and similarities between Korean and English. They begin to make connections between speech and writing in Korean and understand that Korean is a system that works differently from English. They differentiate sounds of Hangeul syllable blocks, and their literacy in Hangeul develops with a growing phonological awareness and understanding of Hangeul as an alphabetic system. They notice features of key grammatical forms and structures that they use as part of formulaic or set phrases, and understand that such phrases are required elements in Korean sentences in order to make sense. They are increasingly aware that a verb comes at the end of a Korean sentence and use basic common action and descriptive verbs with the informal polite ending –어/아요 and its honorific form –(으)세요 as appropriate. They create short texts using familiar words relating to their expanding interests and basic grammatical forms and structures. They develop understanding that the same word may be used in different meanings according to the context. Through continuous use of Korean with culturally appropriate gestures and body language, they become increasingly aware of the interdependency of language and culture, and begin to establish their identity as a learner of Korean, mediating between Korean language and culture and the familiar world of their own, exploring and comparing cultural norms embedded in everyday interactions in Korean and in their own language/s.

Level of support

The primary support for learners is the teacher of Korean, who gives instruction, explanation, examples, models, reinforcement, encouragement and feedback. Form-focused instructions are integrated into task-based activities for grammar and vocabulary learning. Support also includes material resources such as word lists, pictures, Hangeul charts, realia and multimedia resources.

The role of English

Learners use Korean for classroom routines, familiar interactions, and structured learning tasks and for listening to and viewing Korean texts. English is used where appropriate for instruction, explanation and discussion, while learners may move between Korean and English, for example, when they discuss or compare aspects of Korean and English language and culture, or when they create bilingual texts.

Achievement Standard

By the end of Year 4, students use Korean to interact in classroom routines, action-related talk and play with teachers and peers. They exchange personal information relating to aspects such as age or interests, using simple questions and short statements as set phrases (for example, 몇 살이에요? 아홉 살이에요; ...이/가 좋아요? 네, 좋아요). They use formulaic language to express rapport with others (for example, 아, 그래요? 나도 좋아요). Students respond to instructions for familiar classroom routines and activities taking required actions (for example, 해 보세요, 들으세요, 읽으세요) and to simple questions (for example, 이게 뭐예요? 누구예요? 몇이에요? 오늘 뭐 해요?) with set phrases ending in –이에요/예요 or -어/아요 (for example, 책상이에요; 벤이에요; 구예요; 학교에 가요). They ask for repetition (for example, 다시 해 주세요) and for a turn to ask a question (for example, 질문 있어요) and negotiate requests using simple language (for example, … 있어요?; 네, 있어요/아니요, 없어요; 빌려 주세요; 여기 있어요). Students identify key words or topics from simple oral, visual and written texts, using cues such as context, graphics, familiar vocabulary and language features to support understanding. They present simple information in texts in different formats and create and perform their own texts with the support of modelled language and other resources. Students approximate the sounds, rhythms and intonations of spoken Korean and write familiar words in Hangeul with some accuracy. They create simple sentences in their speech and writing, using basic case markers (such as –은/는, –이/가, –을/를, –에) and a particle –도 as an inseparable part of a formulaic structure: a noun/pronoun + a case marker/particle (for example, 저는 …, 집에 …, 나도 …). They use common action verbs and descriptive verbs (such as 가다, 일어나다, 듣다, 좋다) as part of formulaic expressions ending in –어/아요 or its honorific form –(으)세요, varying intonation contours for statements, questions (with or without a question word), requests or commands. They ask simple questions about people, objects or numbers, using question words such as 누구/누가, 무엇/뭐 and . They use contractions of demonstrative pronouns and –이 (for example, 이게, 저게 and 그게), as formulaic chunks, and vocabulary related to school (such as 학교, 책, 지우개), home (such as 집, 엄마, 아빠) and sports and leisure activities (such as 방학, 수영, 크리켓). They use vocabulary for major colours (such as 빨간색, 파란색, …) and number expressions, choosing between native Korean and Sino-Korean number systems up to 10 as appropriate, using counters to describe ages (for example, 아홉 살), school years (for example, 사 학년) and numbers of objects (for example, 한 개), animals (for example, 두 마리) or people (for example, 세 명). Students match known Korean words or expressions with their English equivalents and create simple bilingual texts of familiar objects with support. They understand that meaning may change through translation across languages and exemplify words that could be translated differently according to context (such as : house/home; … 있어요: I have …/there is (are) …). They identify different social networks they belong to such as clubs or language-speaking communities and compare their past and current intercultural capability with reference to the experience of learning Korean.

Students discriminate between meaningful sounds in Korean which are not distinguished in English or other languages such as // versus // versus // or // versus //, and associate the pronunciation of simple words with their script. Students differentiate statements from questions according to intonation. They identify simple consonant and vowel letters in Hangeul and combine them to construct a syllable block. They create short texts using syllable blocks combined together to form a word. They apply their understanding of Korean and English having different grammatical systems by using appropriate word order (subject-object-verb) and case–marked formulaic chuncks (for example, 저는, 사과를) in simple Korean sentences. They identify differences between Korean and English in some aspects of language use such as naming conventions or ways of addressing people. They apply their understanding of the importance of politeness in using Korean and select the appropriate form of language to acknowledge age and social relationships when greeting (for example, 안녕? versus 안녕하세요?; 안녕히 가세요/안녕히 계세요 versus 잘 가/잘 있어). They identify aspects of language use in both Korean and English that people from other cultures might or might not regard as appropriate, such as ways of greeting or (not) making eye contact during interactions.