Languages

​​Japanese

Japanese has been taught in Australia for more than 100 years, significantly as a second or additional language. It is the official language of Japan and widely used by communities of speakers in Hawaii, Peru and Brazil. Japanese culture influences many areas of contemporary Australian society, including the arts, design, technology, fashion, popular culture and cuisine.  

Junior Curriculum

Japanese in the junior program will see students enjoying purposeful and active use of language in tasks that contribute to their understanding of many diverse issues and concepts and involve negotiation and socialisation with peers.

Students are introduced to the three linguistic scripts – hiragana, katakana and kanji as well as writing in Japanese using phonetic alphabet with a basic introduction to the pictorial characters. During their studies, students compare and contrast aspects of Japanese culture with Australian culture and that of other countries.

In Year 7 students explore the language and culture of Japan through the following topics:

Famous Faces & Going Places

• Greetings and self-introductions
• Numbers and colours
• Age, nationality and appearance
• Likes, dislikes and hobbies
• Dates, days and months
• Future and past tense verbs

In Year 8 students explore the language and culture of Japan through the following topics:

Meeting New People & Let's Eat!

• Greetings and self-introductions
• Express personal opinions about food, drink, hobbies and capabilities
• Before and after school activities
• schedule events and personal dates
• Grammar sequences -for complex sentences

Assessment involves written, oral (spoken), reading comprehension and listening activities​

Extracurricular Activities

• Japanese Lunch Club
• Excursions
• Mini Matsuri

​​French is a major world language and the French culture has contributed to the shaping of global movements and traditions associated with the arts, cinema, philosophy, fashion, design, food and culture

Junior Curriculum

French in the junior program is taught using ‘AIM’ sign language – an innovative method that helps students understand and speak quickly than with traditional methods.

Year 7 course introduces students to the basics of the French language, using ‘classroom language’ as the context.  Students are trained to become active ‘listeners’ and ‘speakers’, and to use as much French as possible in the classroom. 

Year 8 the context of learning becomes ‘the family’, and students acquire sufficient vocabulary and grammar to allow them to introduce and describe their family and pets to others. 

​Activities

In Class Cultural Activities including Bastille Day, Tour de France, Mardi Gras (Pancake Tuesday), Monaco Grand Prix

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