​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​

French

​​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. 

Year 9 programme allows students to rapidly increase their range of vocabulary, and to speak French using complete sentences, and by the end of the course, students are able to present a play in French to an audience. 

Year 10 intermediate course focuses on allowing students to communicate about future and past events, preparing them for study at the senior level.  They are introduced to French literature through the study of ‘Little Nicolas’ – a book of short stories which is both amusing and interesting.

Senior Curriculum

Senior French in Years 11/12 

Students are enrolled in this course via Brisbane School of Distance Education, online learning. ​

Senior French focuses on students becoming competent in the four skills of language learning – Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Through the study of contemporary and relevant themes, the course promotes interactive communication skills, mastery of the principles of grammar, and once again exposure to excerpts from French literature. This is a General subject and contributes to an ATAR for tertiary study.

Activities

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