The nature of the learners
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social worlds and of their memberships of various groups including of the French class. They are developing literacy capabilities in English, such as writing in the Roman alphabet, and this assists to some degree in learning French. They benefit from varied, activity-based learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
French language learning and use
A balance between language knowledge and language use is established. Activities that focus on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation are integrated with purposeful, varied communicative activities. The development of oral proficiency at this stage continues to rely on rich language input. Learners engage in a lot of listening, developing active-listening and comprehension skills, using contextual, grammatical, phonic and non-verbal cues. The language they hear is authentic with modification, involving familiar vocabulary and simple structures. The balance between listening and speaking gradually shifts as learners are supported to use the language themselves in familiar contexts and situations. They exchange simple ideas and information, negotiate predictable activities and interactions, and participate in shared tasks, performance and play. They continue to build vocabulary that can be adapted for different purposes. They control simple grammatical forms with some accuracy to communicate in familiar contexts.
Contexts of interaction
The context in which students interact is primarily the language classroom and the school environment, with some sharing of their learning at home. They also have some access to wider communities of French speakers and resources through virtual and digital technology. The familiarity and routine dimension of the classroom context provide scaffolding and opportunities for language practice and experimentation.
Texts and resources
Learners develop literacy skills through interacting with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts such as picture books, stories, puppet play, songs and computer games introduce them to the expressive and cultural dimensions of French. Procedural, informative and descriptive texts, such as timetables, tuckshop orders or class profiles, show how language is used to organise, to describe and to ‘get things done’. Learners may have access to resources developed for children in France, such as television programs, advertisements or web pages, as a way of developing cultural knowledge.
Features of French language use
Learning French contributes to the process of making sense of the children’s worlds that characterises this stage of development. As they encounter French language and culture they understand that French and English have many similarities and also some interesting differences. They notice features of French communication such as the use of gestures, facial expressions, intonation patterns and polite forms of address. They make comparisons with their own ways of communicating. This leads them to think about identity and difference and about what it means to speak more than one language.
Level of support
This stage of learning involves extensive support. This is primarily provided by the teacher, who provides instruction, explanations, examples, repetition, reinforcement and feedback. Tasks and activities are carefully scaffolded and resourced. Time is allowed for experimentation, drafting and redrafting. Learners are supported to self-monitor and reflect on their learning.
The role of English
Learners are supported to use French 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, enabling learners to develop a language for sharing ideas about language and culture systems. It enables them to ask questions to support their learning and to reflect on the experience of moving between languages and cultures. Using both French and English in the classroom develops a sense of what it means to be bilingual.
By the end of Year 4, students interact with teachers and each other through classroom routines, action-related talk and play. They exchange greetings and wishes, respond to familiar instructions and to questions such as Qu’est-ce que c’est? and Qu’est-ce que tu fais? They share simple ideas and information, express positive and negative feelings (for example, Je suis très contente; Je n’aime pas la pluie) and ask for help, clarification and permission. They interpret visual, non-verbal and contextual cues such as intonation, gestures and facial expressions to help make meaning. They make statements using the present tense and present + infinitive form about self, family and interests (for example, Je suis australien et italien; J’habite à Brisbane; Je vais partir demain). They approximate the sounds, rhythms and pitch of spoken French. They comprehend simple, spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts, using cues such as context, graphics, familiar vocabulary and language features. They use modelled sentence structures to compose short original texts such as descriptions, captions or simple narratives, using conjunctions such as et and mais, and prepositions such as sous, sur and devant. They use vocabulary related to familiar contexts and their personal worlds, and apply gender and number agreements in simple constructions (for example, une petite maison, les grands chiens).
Students know that French is a significant language spoken in many parts of the world, including Australia; that it is similar to English in some ways (for example, it has the same alphabet and basic sentence structure and many shared words) and different in other ways (such as in the use of titles, gestures, some new sounds such as r and u and gender forms). They know that languages change over time and influence each other. They identify French words used in English (such as menu, mousse) and English words used in French (such as le weekend, stop!). They demonstrate understanding of the fact that language may need to be adjusted to suit different situations and relationships (for example, formal and informal language, different text types). They explain how French has its own rules for pronunciation, non-verbal communication and grammar. They use terms such as verb, adjective and gender for talking about language and learning. Students identify ways in which languages are connected with cultures, and how the French language, like their own, reflects ways of behaving and thinking as well as ways of using language.