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Advice for teachers -
Chinese First Language

Teaching and learning activities

Unit 4

Unit 4 Area of Study 1: Interpretive communication

Outcome 1

Analyse and use information from written and viewed texts.

Examples of learning activities

These learning activities are based on:
The world around us: Studies of Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

  • Discuss in class your personal knowledge about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. What do you know about them? What is the source of that information?
  • Develop a series of questions to guide your research into Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; for example, how many distinct language groups exist among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
  • Invite a respected member from your local community to come to and speak to the class. Write an email/social media post to tell a friend what you learned.
  • Conduct research to discover the name of the Aboriginal people on whose land your school is built. Note the name of their community, nation, clan and language. Compare results with other students in the class. If there are differences in names or spelling, discuss possible reasons and / or talk to your local Community about their preference.
  • Study maps of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander language groupings (e.g. the Gambay First Languages Map, and maps published by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), and the Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages (VACL)). Cross-reference this information to determine whose Country you are on.
  • Research your local area of Victoria and create a matrix to record information about its geography, climate, and native animals and plants.
  • Create a vocabulary list of important words and expressions that are needed to discuss this topic in a meaningful way in Chinese.
  • Read an Aboriginal creation story that is relevant to your local area, reading it in translation to Chinese OR translating it in small groups. For example, refer to Creative Victoria’s Nyernila: Listening Continuously (Aboriginal Creation Stories of Victoria) which is free to download as a PDF.
  • View images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, artefacts or culture, and read about their features. Consider why the production and sale of counterfeit items is considered cultural misappropriation.
  • As an informative and linguistic exercise, translate an Aboriginal story written for children, such as Wilam, A Birrarung Story by Aunty Joy Murphy and Andrew Kelly (Walker Books Australia, 2019).
  • Visit Museums Victoria to view the exhibition ‘Bunjil’s Wings’.
  • Research key events in Australian history to better understand the impact of European settlement on the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Events could include the 1967 Referendum, Native Title Act 1993, Reconciliation Australia in 2001, or the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, which is available in Chinese.
  • Search for articles or news items from a country or region where Chinese is spoken about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Summarise them to discover the main themes.
  • Investigate articles / news items produced in Chinese in Australia about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for a local Chinese-speaking group. Note the factual information and the opinions presented.
  • View a film or a documentary about Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples as a dubbed or a subtitled version in Chinese. Write a critique of the film to give your opinion on how the filmmaker portrays Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples and their cultures.
  • Read about famous Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and their achievements. Note their contributions to Australia in fields such as music, art, politics, sport and theatre. Note also how or why they are Australian role models.
  • Read and view texts about an indigenous population of a country or region where Chinese is spoken and write an essay that compares the indigenous languages and / or cultures in Australia and that country or region.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Write responses to written and viewed texts about Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Responses to written and viewed texts about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

  • Create a workbook to record information, notes and bibliographic details gathered throughout the area of study. Develop a glossary of key terms and concepts.
  • Use the Museums Victoria website to view images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and artefacts.
  • In your workbook, note key information about the art and artefacts: name of artist / creator, origin (country, nation or clan), depictions on the art / artefact (e.g. animals, people, geographical features). Add a statement about the significance of the art / artefact to the creator(s) and to Australia.
  • Read an article about a famous Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person and write a summary of the significant points.
  • View a video where Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people discuss their culture and values and why they are important to them. Write a summary and discuss in class.
  • Practise writing paragraph-length responses to a set of questions that require a synthesis of information.
  • Consolidate the above exercises by reading an article, looking at an image, discussing how information is conveyed in both (article and image) and formulating a response that combines and reorganises the content appropriately for the task.

Unit 4 Area of Study 2: Presentational communication

Outcome 2

Respond critically to spoken, viewed and written texts which reflect aspects of language and culture through the extended study.

Examples of learning activities

These learning activities are based on:
Tradition and change in Chinese-speaking communities: Literature and the Arts: Modern and traditional literature

  • Read a piece of literature in Chinese, annotating selected pages, chapters or passages that you may want to refer to in a presentation to the class.
  • Prepare a presentation to the class that provides: general overview of the piece of literature, special or significant vocabulary, particular grammatical features.
  • Write personal journal entries after each class presentation to highlight main points and personal reactions to the day’s readings.
  • Share personal reactions with other members of the class and discuss how some readers respond differently to others.
  • Watch a video about the author of a piece of literature.
  • View an image associated with this piece of literature, such as a picture of a character or of a scene, or a portrait or photo of the author. Analyse the image and write a caption.
  • Take notes on the relationship between the author’s life and the piece of literature as well as any other significant and relevant information.
  • Re-read passages of the text and discuss evidence of the author’s intention and attitude.
  • Listen to a radio broadcast or interview about a piece of literature.
  • Answer prepared questions about a piece of literature based on the radio broadcast or interview.
  • Read reviews of a piece of literature by different critics and highlight similarities and differences between them. Consider the different perspectives that readers bring to an interpretation of a text.
  • Note linguistic elements that are used when interpreting and responding critically to literature.
  • Choose your favourite character in a piece of literature and write about their life, characteristics and relationships.
  • Research the popularity of a piece of Chinese literature. Compare this to a piece of Australian literature that you are familiar with that comes from a similar genre.
  • Answer prepared questions from an article about the piece of literature and watch a broadcast or documentary based on the literature piece.
  • Prepare a passage from a piece of literature to read aloud to the class. Explain to the class why you chose that particular passage.
  • Write an evaluative review of a piece of literature.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Develop an extended critical written response to texts.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Persuasive article as a critical response to texts

These exercises are based on a novel in Chinese being studied by the class.

Students answer questions from an article and view / listen to a broadcast about a novel. They use this information to write an article persuading readers to read the novel.

  • As a class, read a selected piece of literature in Chinese.
  • Students annotate selected pages, chapters or passages and share notes about the features and characteristics of the text.
  • Listen to a section of the text in an audiobook form. Identify where it comes from in the text, the major action that is taking place, which characters are involved, and how it fits into the plot.
  • View a documentary or a video about the author and their life. Discuss how the author conveyed their intention or attitude in their writing.
  • Read a review of the text. Discuss its positive and negative criticisms in small groups.
  • Write a 400-character response to the review.
  • Select a passage of the text. Write questions about this section and give to another student to answer. Discuss the answers with the class.
  • Read an article written in a persuasive style. Identify its main features and the techniques that the writer uses to achieve the purpose of the piece.
  • Write a plan for the piece of writing to be undertaken (a persuasive article). Consider the texts studied, and the different perspectives and attitudes expressed in order to present a particular stance about the texts.
  • Write a persuasive article as a critical response to the texts studied.

Unit 4 Area of Study 3: Interpersonal communication

Outcome 3

Exchange information, ideas and opinions in response to spoken, viewed and written texts which reflect aspects of language and culture through the extended study.

Examples of learning activities

These learning activities are based on:
Tradition and change in Chinese-speaking communities: Literature and the Arts: Modern and traditional literature

  • Choose a piece of literature to study and research its context: for example, when it was written, key events of that time, any other influences.
  • Research the life of the author of the piece of literature.
  • View a film adaptation of the piece of literature.
  • Discuss any ways in which the film diverged from the piece of literature and discuss possible reasons. Create a table to compare how the film and the written piece of literature use different ‘languages’.
  • Research the filmmaker and their relationship with the author of the piece of literature.
  • Identify a particular aspect of the piece of literature or film that interests you in order to conduct further study.
  • Brainstorm ideas and concepts about what makes for an effective film adaptation of a piece of literature. Discuss the possibilities and scope for conversations and writing.
  • Give a two-minute speech to the class about your identified area of interest in relation to a piece of literature.
  • Write a 400-character evaluative report for the rest of the class about your area of interest.
  • Write notes about the piece of literature’s place in the culture of China. Explore its cultural significance.
  • Search for another written or artistic product associated with this piece of literature. Consider whether it originates from the same time as the piece of literature, a later time, or whether it is contemporary. Read it or an extract from it.
  • Compare ideas with other students in the class to enhance your knowledge on this topic. Write these up in your notes section.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Participate in an interview to explore an issue related to the texts studied.
Example icon for advice for teachers

Detailed example

Interview to explore an issue related to a piece of literature

  • Having identified the cultural significance of the piece of literature, write a 500-character summary of how it, or an element of it, could be described as a ‘classic’ of Chinese literature and what form that takes.
  • Give a two-minute talk to a small group about the relationship of this piece of literature to other literature from China.
  • Prepare for an interview by reviewing a range of question forms, their particular vocabulary and grammatical features.
  • Listen to or watch examples of people discussing the cultural significance of the piece of literature or a similar one. Note the linguistic and culturally appropriate ways in which the speakers relate to each other.
  • In pairs, practise using some of their expressions and ways of delivering their message.
  • Write a script for an interview, presenting a viewpoint on a specific aspect of the piece of literature that was studied.
  • Add to the script with informative and evaluative ideas and supporting points about this aspect of the piece of literature.
  • Students practise aloud their part of the interview to incorporate all their ideas, hone pronunciation, and become comfortable with your delivery.
  • Practise the interview with a classmate.
  • With the teacher, students participate in an interview about a specific aspect of the piece of literature studied.