Year: 8 – Compulsory
Length: Semester
Contact Person: Karen Slattery
Content: In Year 7 & 8 students at Clare High School will engage in one Semester of ‘Language Studies’.
Students at Clare High School come to learning languages with diverse linguistic, cultural and personal profiles and experiences, bringing distinctive biographies which include individual histories; biographies; particular motivations, expectations, and aspirations. We recognise that students interpret the world and make sense of their experiences through their own social and cultural traditions, understanding and values.
The ‘Language Studies’ course incorporates a range of domains to accommodate the diversity of our students and their experiences. These include; (but are not limited to) the evolution of language, the cultural and historical elements of different languages, and the local history of our region. At CHS we recognise that the study of languages, and their origins, contributes to the general education
of all students, and it is essential for students to communicate and engage effectively within our culturally diverse interconnected world.
Language learning builds upon students’ intercultural understanding and sense of identity, students are encouraged to explore and recognise their own linguistic, social, and cultural practices and identities, as well as those associated with the speakers of the language being learnt. Each language has its own distinctive structure, systems, conventions for use, related culture(s), and place in the Australian and international communities – as well as its own history in Australian education.
Learning languages also develops students’ overall literacy, strengthening literacy-related capabilities that are transferable across all learning areas. The key concepts of language, culture, and learning, underpin the course and provide the basis for a rationale that seeks to broaden the global perspectives and experiences of our students.
Modelling the Australian Curriculum, ‘Language Studies’ follows 2 interrelated strands: Communicating and Understanding. With the aim to ensure that students develop skills, knowledge, and understanding – as learners of language. The curriculum content and assessments undertaken within ‘Language Studies’ will be shaped to correlate with staffing, timetabling, local resourcing and connection. This curriculum structure provides flexibility for our school to make program arrangements best suited to our local context and needs.
Assessment: Students are assessed using the Australian Curriculum Achievement Standards.