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Advice for teachers -
Vietnamese Second Language

Teaching and learning activities

Unit 2

Unit 2 – Area of Study 1: Interpersonal communication

Theme: The Vietnamese-speaking communities
Topic: The Vietnamese cultural heritage
Sub topic: A novel or short story ('the text')

Outcome 1

Respond in writing in Vietnamese to spoken, written or visual texts presented in Vietnamese.

Examples of learning activities

  • Read the text. Individually, focus on its key aspects and make notes. Present to the class a general overview of the text noting significant features.
  • Write a summary of the text.
  • Write personal journal entries to highlight main points and reactions to the selected text.
  • Watch a video about the author of the text. Take notes about any relationship between the author’s life and the text as well as any other significant and relevant connections or comparisons.
  • Listen to a radio interview about the texts, or any aspect of it.
  • Read critical writing about the selected text and note the points made, highlighting any similarities and differences between the critics.
  • Choose a favourite character from the text and write a poster detailing the character’s life, characteristics and relationships.
  • Interview a Vietnamese speaker about their memories and perceptions of the selected text.
  • Prepare a section of the text to read or present to the class. Explain the choice of section.
  • Write an evaluative review of the text.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    After reading a novel or short story in Vietnamese and completing several learning activities, synthesise information, ideas and opinions into a speech persuading others to read the text.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A persuasive speech based on a novel or short story 

  1. Read the text and identify the plot and main characters.
  2. Read reviews of the text. Discuss positive and negative views in small groups.
  3. Write a 100-word response to each of the reviews.
  4. Select a section of the text. In pairs, write questions about this section.
  5. Swap questions with the other groups and proceed to answer them.
  6. Complete comprehension exercises based on the text and discuss responses with the class.
  7. Read a speech written in a persuasive style. Identify its main features.
  8. Write a plan for the piece of writing to be undertaken.
  9. Write a persuasive speech encouraging others to read the text. Include your opinions.

Unit 2 – Area of Study 2: Interpretative communication

Theme: The Vietnamese-speaking communities
Topic: Living in a Vietnamese community
Sub topic: The migrant experience

Outcome 2

Analyse and use information from written, spoken or visual texts to produce an extended written response in Vietnamese.

Examples of learning activities

  • Research statistics about migration from Vietnam to Australia. Consider the questions: How do Vietnamese migrants arrive? Why do they come?
  • View a video about Vietnamese migrants to Australia. Take notes and identify issues for further investigation.
  • Listen to Vietnamese migrants talking about their lives before migration and their experience of living in Vietnam.
  • View a series of historical photos that depict significant moments in the lives of migrants and analyse them.
  • Participate in a class discussion about general features of the migrant experience.
  • Visit the Immigration Museum in Melbourne to view and research relevant materials.
  • Prepare a PowerPoint presentation reflecting aspects of the Vietnamese migrant experience, as researched, in Australia.
  • Write a 200-word blog post about reactions to information gathered about Vietnamese migration.
  • View a film about Vietnamese migration. Identify similarities and differences between current research and what is portrayed in the film. Discuss those aspects with a partner and create a poster for the class to read.
  • Interview a person who has migrated to Australia from Vietnam.
  • Write a biographical extract of a migrant from Vietnam.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Develop a role-play with another student, or in a small group, to explore reasons for leaving a homeland and coming to Australia.
  • Read a newspaper, magazine or online article that expresses the views of migrants to Australia.
  • Conduct research to find out whether there are certain towns or areas in Australia that attract more Vietnamese migrants than others. Find out why that might be so and discuss these reasons.
  • Write a 200-word evaluative piece that compares life in Vietnam and Australia from the point of view of a Vietnamese migrant.
  • Complete questions as part of a listening and reading comprehension task and write up answers in another text type.
  • Write an imaginative journal account to describe your first month in Australia as a newly arrived migrant.
  • Participate in a group conversation, sharing information about migrants from different places in the world and their journeys to Australia. Discuss the pros and cons of the migrant experience.
  • Listen to a podcast from a migrant to Australia. Note any expressions used to describe their experience.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A role-play to explore reasons for migrating

  1. List and quantify vocabulary related to this topic from all material studied so far.
  2. Practise useful expressions and grammar in Vietnamese.
  3. Become familiar with features of informal Vietnamese conversations designed to elicit information.
  4. Discuss the expression of emotions by listening to extracts of conversations.
  5. Write the script of an interview with a Vietnamese migrant to Australia regarding his/her experience. Share this with a classmate. Based on the two scripts, prepare and participate in a role-play to highlight the migrant experience in Australia.
  6. Refine relevant material as well as grammar and expressions.
  7. Practise aloud to establish the rhythm of interchange between the two characters – questioning and answering. Consider cultural elements specific to the Vietnamese conversational form.
  8. Perform the role-play in front of the class.
  9. Share oral and written feedback between peers and the teacher.

Unit 2 – Area of Study 3: Presentational communication

Theme: The Vietnamese-speaking communities
Topic: Living in a Vietnamese community
Sub topic: Modern architecture in Vietnam

Outcome 3

Explain information, ideas and concepts orally in Vietnamese to a specific audience about an aspect of culture within communities where Vietnamese is spoken.

Examples of learning activities

  • Research a town or city in Vietnam and write a time-line of its development.
  • Note the major architectural styles and periods of the town. Read extracts about each of the styles and summarise the elements in an informative piece of writing.
  • Consider the aspects of culture that underpin the architectural styles of the town and discuss whether these are representative of, or specific to Vietnamese culture.
  • Watch a video about the latest wave of construction in the town.
  • Work in small groups to identify the reasons for this latest period of construction and its key elements. Prepare a poster of one of the exemplar buildings of this latest style. Note on it the major elements.
  • Interview another student about their choice of building and how it is unique and/or representative of this style.
  • Research one or more of the architects associated with these buildings. Outline, in a short biography, their influences on the development of the buildings.
  • Identify a particular street or district that features this latest architecture. Address the questions: Where in the town is it? Why was it built here? Is it a residential or business building? Identify any similar architectural elements in buildings in Melbourne or another town in Australia.
  • Listen to radio broadcasts about modern architecture in Vietnam. Take notes about how the locals perceive these new buildings. Read online blogs by architectural commentators about this modern development.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Prepare a series of images and an accompanying 200-word article to explain the latest architectural developments in a town in Vietnam.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A two hundred-word article on architectural developments in a Vietnamese town

  1. Watch a documentary about architecture in Vietnam.
  2. Read an article about the latest buildings in the town chosen for this unit.
  3. Create a glossary of appropriate architectural terms to support this topic.
  4. Identify cultural features/meaning in the new buildings constructed in this modern style.
  5. Research a range of the latest buildings in this town. Tabulate similarities and differences between the buildings.
  6. Discover if these are private or public buildings and consider why this might be significant.
  7. Create a montage of images to illustrate this latest architectural trend.
  8. Listen to local people talking about these new buildings. Note their reactions and grade them as positive, negative or neutral. Note also examples of language used to describe the buildings.
  9. Draft your article using images of buildings along with explanatory captions. Combine content, language and cultural information to make connections and comparisons.
  10. Research the elements required for an article and choose grammar elements to best support the writing.