About this resource:
The nature of the learners
Students are beginning their study of Korean and typically have had little prior exposure to the language and associated cultures. Many will have learnt an additional language in primary school, some have proficiency in different home languages and bring existing language learning strategies and intercultural awareness to the new experience of learning Korean. Students’ textual knowledge developed through English literacy learning supports the development of literacy in Korean. Skills in analysing, comparing and reflecting on language and culture in both languages are mutually supportive. Students may need encouragement to take risks in learning a new language at this stage of social development and to consider issues of how the experience impacts on the sense of ‘norms’ associated with their first language and culture.
Korean language learning and use
Learners use Korean in a range of classroom interactions and learning activities, communicating with the teacher and each other. They listen to, read, create and present texts on topics of interest including those drawn from other learning areas in different formats and modes, practising language forms and using modelled language with support from the teacher. Drawing on their literacy in their first language, learners understand that the Korean language is a linguistic and cultural system different from their own. They learn Hangeul, experimenting with syllable blocks and their pronunciations, and connecting sounds and letters in the Korean language. Literacy development in Korean at this stage enables learners to access and use texts in different modes and to explore and experiment with Korean with increasing independence. Students use familiar vocabulary and basic forms and structures including some honorific elements, recognising how communicating in Korean is different from communicating in their own language/s. They recognise that language use varies according to audiences, purposes and contexts, developing cultural knowledge and intercultural awareness. Through interactional routines where cultural appropriateness is embedded (for example, the teacher’s consistent use of the informal polite sentence ender -어/아요 for instruction), students learn how to establish cultural appropriateness through language. Students reflect on their experience as Korean language learners and users and explore how language and culture influence each other. They develop metalanguage for discussing aspects of Korean language and culture and for comparing them with those of English.
Contexts of interaction
The Korean classroom is the primary context for language and culture experience, with some access, both face-to-face and digital, to a broader Korean-speaking network in the school and in the community such as peers, teacher assistants or community members. ICT resources such as emails, online chats or wikis provide access to extra authentic experiences of Korean language and culture, connecting learners’ social worlds with those of Korean-speaking peers and the wider Korean community in Australia and worldwide. Learners may also access Korean-language events or resources in the community, such as inter-school activities, film festivals or cultural performances.
Texts and resources
Learners are engaged with a range of texts designed for language learning such as textbooks, audio recordings, teacher-generated materials and online resources including computer-based language learning materials, and authentic texts such as advertisements, greeting cards, songs, stories and notices, including those in digital form. Some authentic texts will be used for discussing and analysing cultural aspects and language use, for example, conversations, comic strips, excerpts from films (with subtitles) and television programs.
Features of Korean language use
Learners become familiar with the sounds of Korean and approximate pronunciation of Korean syllables in words and short phrases, noting meaningful sounds in Korean and their differences from English sounds. They are introduced to Hangeul, recognising its alphabetical nature and different shapes of vowel and consonant letters. They construct syllable blocks and combine them to write words, associating them with their corresponding spoken forms and noting the position of 받침 in syllable blocks. They become familiar with verb-final word order and use the -어/아요 ending at the end of sentence-final verbs recognising that it signals the end of a sentence with politeness embedded. They understand and apply basic elements of Korean grammar including major case markers and particles, informal polite verb endings, word order, pronouns, question words and descriptive and action verbs. They use a range of familiar vocabulary including numbers in two number systems with appropriate counters and infer meanings of some unfamiliar vocabulary from context. They recognise and use honorific elements in Korean grammar and vocabulary. They create their own texts consisting of short sentences in simple structures with some complex verb phrases introduced as set phrases. They understand meanings of culture-specific words or expressions and appropriately use basic expressions closely related to everyday life.
Level of support
Learning Korean as a new language at this level is supported by the provision of rich and varied language input in meaningful context. As the main source of target language input, the teacher of Korean provides a language- and culture-rich environment by giving ample language models and examples. Tasks are designed to be challenging but achievable independently or through pair or group work and to give students structured opportunities for practising and understanding the new language. Learners will need explicit instruction and explanation of the grammatical system and features in order to be able to discuss, clarify and analyse the language and to compare it with English. Continuous scaffolding and feedback from focus-on-form approach during interaction support learners to revise and monitor their language. Support material and resources include word lists, visual organisers, images, audio recordings and dictionaries (used with teacher support). Learners need regular opportunities to monitor and evaluate their language and culture learning.
The role of English
Learners are encouraged to use as much Korean as possible for classroom routines and interactions, structured learning tasks and language experimentation and practice. English is the main medium for instruction, discussion, explanation, comparison, analysis and reflection, but Korean may be used wherever it is possible to integrate language components students have acquired, for example, to get students’ attention, to signal transition of topics or to check understanding. Learners develop a metalanguage for thinking and talking about language, culture and identity, and about their experience of learning and using Korean.
About this record:
http://rdf.australiancurriculum.edu.au/elements/2018/05/d886da6b-13a2-445c-9254-c1f9d6f822a6.rdf