Subject description

Australian Languages — Additional Language is a 20‑credit subject at Stage 2.

In this subject, ‘Australian Languages’ refers to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and cultures of Australia. (For information about the teaching and learning of Auslan, another Australian language, please see the Auslan Continuers Level subject outline.)

The importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language, culture, communities and knowledge is affirmed through the study of Australian languages. Students can study:

• Australian Languages — First Language. This subject is mainly for students who use an Australian Language as their first language.
• Australian Languages — Additional Language. This subject is mainly for students who wish to study an Australian Language as an additional language. A language chosen for this subject will be a well-resourced language that has a sizeable first‑speaker base.
• Australian Languages — Revival Language. This subject is mainly for students with a heritage in an Australian Language that has been marginalised since colonisation.

Australian Languages — Additional Language caters for students who do not speak [Additional Language] as a first language. This may include students with a heritage in the [Additional Language] community, or those students who have little or no previous experience with [Additional Language]. All teaching and learning programs require the approval of the [Additional Language] community.

Students in the senior secondary language classroom bring a diversity of language and learning skills to the classroom; however, the study of an Australian Language as an additional language may occur off‑Country. Learning can be enriched and authenticated by interaction with visiting Elders and community speakers, and, where possible, visits to Country.

The study of Australian Languages — Additional Language develops students’ capacity to communicate in language, and develops their linguistic, cultural knowledge, and understanding. Students respond to and create resources for a range of personal, social, and community contexts and purposes. Students learn about the interdependence of language and culture, and explore issues of self, and linguistic and cultural identity. They develop their understanding of language ecologies, including the ways that languages came into contact with each other historically and the impacts of language contact. They explore factors that affect the language studied, and consider how to support [Additional Language] and other Australian Languages.

Through the study of Australian Languages — Additional Language, students develop an awareness of the oral and written systems and structures of the language and develop skills in analysing linguistic, cultural, and stylistic features of the language. By exploring resources, students interpret meaning in the language they bring and the additional language they are learning.

Students reflect on their personal experiences as both learners and users of an Australian Language, and their own identity. 

The study of Australian Languages — Additional Language, provides a space in which the knowledge and perspectives of Aboriginal communities are understood and respected. Central to this is collaboration with others in learning the language. Working collaboratively with other students and/or community members, students design and implement a language in action project using [Additional Language] for an intended purpose and audience.

Through the study of Australian Languages, students enhance their linguistic competencies, their respect for Aboriginal peoples and communities and their ethical considerations and responsibilities as Australian Languages — Additional Language learners.

Principles and protocols

The following guiding principles and protocols have been identified as fundamental to the development of all Australian Languages programs.

It is necessary that:

• each Australian Language is recognised as belonging to a group of people who are its custodians
• program developers (e.g. teachers, school leaders, or schooling sectors) consult, involve, and inform custodians about all aspects of the teaching of their languages
• the wishes of the relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are canvassed, respected, and adhered to
• the ultimate authority regarding the choice of target language rests with the custodians
• all programs have the approval of the custodians of the target language. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities differ in their attitudes to teaching a language to people not associated with the home group, especially if it is taught outside its home Country. Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities may disapprove of their language being taught in schools. Some communities strongly approve of the teaching of their language to others in different locations, while other groups may endorse the teaching of their language only in its home territory to their own people
• sufficient time is allowed for thorough consultation processes in accordance with local situations
• thorough preparation takes place before any program is established. Preparation may require substantial time and resources, and will depend on factors in the school and community, including existing resources
• the overriding outcomes of all Australian Languages programs are the strengthening of the target language and the promotion of Australian Languages and linguistic diversity in Australia
• appropriate teaching and learning processes are developed according to local situations. A team approach involving community people who are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language and cultural specialists, linguists, and teachers should be adopted in most situations
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ input into all aspects of the programs is maximised. Local school programs should encourage cooperation between schools, community members, and organisations with an interest in Australian Languages
• programs should actively encourage the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as teachers and/or students.

Capabilities

The capabilities connect student learning within and across subjects in a range of contexts.

The SACE identifies seven capabilities.

Literacy

In this subject, students extend and apply their literacy capability by, for example:

• extending their skills of listening, speaking, reading, viewing, and writing
• expressing and exchanging ideas, opinions, and experiences in [Additional Language]
• communicating effectively and appropriately in [Additional Language] for different  purposes and audiences
• recognising and experimenting with language patterns and structures
• extending their linguistic knowledge and skills.

Numeracy

In this subject students extend and apply their numeracy capability by, for example:

• extending their understanding of concepts such as age, time, measurement, and kinship in different cultures as expressed through language
• building their understanding of differences between Aboriginal and non‑Aboriginal number systems
• building their understanding of culturally specific ways of ordering place and space.

Information and communication technology (ICT) capability

In this subject students extend and apply their ICT capability by, for example:

• using technologies to engage with a diverse range of audiences beyond the classroom
• engaging with a variety of digital resources
• using technologies to maintain and sustain [Additional Language]
• learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices through digital, audiovisual, and multimedia sources.

Critical and creative thinking

In this subject students extend and apply their critical and creative thinking capability by, for example:

• extending their understanding of the relationships between language(s), culture, Country, and spirituality
• understanding and creating links between existing and new knowledge
• analysing features of [Additional Language]
• applying their understanding of the power and function of [Additional Language]
• questioning, appreciating, and being open to different perspectives in resources
• making comparisons between languages to develop their knowledge and understanding of the nature of language variation.

Personal and social capability

In this subject students extend and apply their personal and social capability by, for example:

• exploring and extending their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of being and seeing the world
• contributing to social cohesion in the community through the study of [Additional Language]
• exploring their identity and connections through a range of contexts
• collaborating with other learners and users of [Additional Language] to co‑construct, exchange, and mediate meaning and advance collaborative skills and capacities
• increasing awareness of ways in which their own language and culture shape their actions, attitudes, and identity.

Ethical understanding

In this subject students extend and apply their ethical understanding capability by, for example:

• extending their understanding that Australian Languages belong to Country
• understanding and applying cultural norms and protocols associated with learning and using Australian Languages
• making connections between language learning and social justice and equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• reflecting on the impact of their own assumptions, beliefs, values, and perspectives
• appreciating and learning from diverse ways of knowing, being, and acting in different contexts.

Intercultural understanding

In this subject students extend and apply their intercultural understanding capability by, for example:

• appreciating and understanding the diversity and importance of cultural expressions, including language, literature, painting, music, performance, and oral traditions
• respecting and understanding cultural protocols, including intellectual and cultural property rights
• contributing to the reconciliation processes through increased linguistic and intercultural competence
• appreciating that the long‑term maintenance of [Additional Language] is of great importance and contributes to the national identity of all Australians
• understanding the importance of ecological understanding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• reflecting on how others make meaning from what they say and how they make meaning from what others say.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, cultures, and perspectives

In partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and schools and school sectors, the SACE Board of South Australia supports the development of high-quality learning and assessment design that respects the diverse knowledge, cultures, and perspectives of Indigenous Australians.

The SACE Board encourages teachers to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives in the design, delivery, and assessment of teaching and learning programs by:

• providing opportunities in SACE subjects for students to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and contemporary experiences
• recognising and respecting the significant contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to Australian society
• drawing students’ attention to the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge and perspectives from the past and the present
• promoting the use of culturally appropriate protocols when engaging with and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.  

Learning requirements

The learning requirements summarise the knowledge, skills, and understanding that students are expected to develop and demonstrate through their learning in Stage 2 Australian Languages — Additional Language.

In this subject, students are expected to:

1. interact with others to exchange information, experiences, ideas and/or opinions in [Additional Language]
2. create resources in [Additional Language] to express information, experiences, ideas, and/or opinions
3. analyse and respond to resources that are in [Additional Language]
4. understand and apply knowledge of [Additional Language] systems and structures
5. explore and understand relationships between language, culture, identity, and communities.

The history of Australian Languages means that written materials in or about a language being studied may not be extensive. Students are encouraged to use and engage with as wide a range of resources as possible. Resources include, but are not limited to:

• spoken materials, such as talks, conversations, and interviews, whether filmed, recorded, transcribed, or experienced personally
• written materials, such as books, articles, diaries, letters, and administrative records
• artwork, music, songs, and other creative materials
• online materials.

Content

Stage 1 Australian Languages — Additional Language is a 10‑credit subject or a 20‑credit subject that consists of the following three focus areas:

• self and community — using [Additional Language] to interact with others and create resources about the students’ own worlds
• [Additional Language] community — understanding community life, connections, Country protocols, stories, and histories
• Australia and the wider world — exploring the cultures and languages of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, relationships with other Australians and the wider world.

Students study all three focus areas.

The focus areas are broad enough to allow flexibility in school programs, but specific enough to be of practical assistance to students and teachers. They are intended to be taught independently. They are not necessarily designed to be of equal length and they may be sequenced and structured to suit individual groups of students.

Students should study a range of cultural resources, including those in [Additional Language].

The length of time and depth of treatment for each focus area will depend on a number of factors, including:

• particular learning requirement(s) being covered
• how familiar the student is with topics studied previously
• needs and interests of the students
• access to cultural resources
• the nature of the language itself
• linguistic and conceptual complexity of the resources selected for study
• linguistic and sociocultural distance between the focus area and the student’s own world and experience
• assessments (including ways in which they are structured and the conditions under which they are set)
• language of the response.

The three focus areas are discussed in more detail below.

Self and community

In the focus area of self and community, students engage with [Additional Language] to share information, experiences, ideas, and/or opinions about the students’ own worlds. This may include connections with the [Additional Language] community. They may focus their study on, for example:

• being a language learner and user
• social interactions
• interests and leisure activities
• hopes and aspirations
• friendships
• relationships
• kinship
• health, body, and spirit (e.g. feelings and emotions, healthy living)
• personal opinions on local, national, and international topics.

[Additional Language] community

In the focus area of [Additional Language] community, students explore and engage with [Additional Language] to develop an understanding of community life, connections, Country protocols, stories, and histories. Students develop an understanding of the interdependence of language, identity, and community. They may focus their study on, for example:

• Aboriginal family and kinship connections
• Country
• personal identifiers (e.g. skin groups, moieties, totems)
• family histories
• naming protocols
• music and art of the community
• community projects and/or programs
• significant events, celebrations, and ceremonies in the life of the community
• imagining future communities
• Australian Languages ecology.

Australia and the wider world

The focus area of Australia and the wider world enables students to engage with the broader context of Australian Languages and cultures. Students develop an understanding of language change and consider ways to support [Additional Language]. Students may focus their study on:

• [Additional Language] history and status
• bringing [Additional Language] knowledge to the wider world
• connections and collaboration between [Additional Language] communities and other communities
• reconciliation
• impact of national and international matters on [Additional Language] communities
• supporting [Additional language] understanding with Australians and the wider world
• imagining future worlds.

Evidence of learning

All Stage 2 subjects have a school assessment component and an external assessment component.

The following assessment types enable students to demonstrate their learning in Stage 2 Australian Languages — Additional Language:

School assessment (70%)

• Assessment Type 1: Creating and Responding (50%)
• Assessment Type 2: Language in Action (20%).

External assessment (30%)

• Assessment Type 3: Language Study (30%).

Students provide evidence of their learning through six assessments, including the external assessment component. Students complete:

• four creating and responding tasks (two resource creations and two responses to resources)
• one language in action task
• one language study.

Assessment design criteria

The assessment design criteria are based on the learning requirements and are used by:

• teachers to clarify for students what they need to learn
• teachers and assessors to design opportunities for students to provide evidence of their learning at the highest possible level of achievement.

The assessment design criteria consist of specific features that:

• students should demonstrate in their learning
• teachers and assessors look for as evidence that students have met the learning requirements.

For this subject the assessment design criteria are:

• communicating
• awareness and analysis.

Communicating 

The specific features are as follows:

Awareness and Analysis  

The specific features are as follows:

School assessment

The school assessment component for Stage 2 Australian Languages — Additional language consists of two assessment types:

• Assessment Type 1: Creating and Responding (50%)
• Assessment Type 2: Language in Action (20%).

Assessment Type 1: Creating and Responding (50%)

Students complete one creating and responding assessment type comprising:

• two resource creations
• two responses to resources.

Resource creation

Students create oral, written, and/or multimodal resources using [Additional Language] to communicate information, experiences, ideas, and/or opinions accurately and appropriately to an intended audience.

Resources may be created for a variety of purposes and audiences. For example:

• a dialogue (basic conversation or exchange)
• an oral performance
• a role‑play
• a short speech
• a song
• a personal profile
• a story
• a blog post, email, or journal entry
• a description of Country
• a multimedia display to educate a target group about an issue
• an artistic product (e.g. painting, drawing, 3D representation), with annotations in [Additional Language].

The design of the assessments should specify:

• a context
• an audience
• the purpose of the resource (e.g. informative, imaginative, narrative, personal, persuasive, evaluative, or descriptive)
• the resource type for creation.

Resource creations may be in oral, written, or multimodal form.

Response to resources

Students respond to a resource or resources that are in [Additional Language] with responses predominantly in [Additional Language]. However, English or a combination of [Additional Language] and English may be appropriate in some contexts.

Resources for study may include, for example:

• talks
• conversations
• interviews
• drawings and/or paintings
• film extracts
• songs
• poems
• online resources
• non‑fiction resources
• narratives, including geographic narrative texts
• advocacy resources (i.e. those that seek to change attitudes or actions)
• biographical resources.

Responses may focus on, but are not limited to, analysis of:

• language and linguistic structures
• the relationship between language, culture, communities, and identity
• sociocultural representations (i.e. culture‑specific terminology)
• grammar
• textual features (e.g. tone, register, stylistic features, geographic reference).

Teachers may negotiate the form of the responses with students. Responses to resources could include, but are not limited to:

• an oral presentation
• an interview
• a conversation or exchange
• a performance
• a role‑play
• a review
• answers to questions about a resource
• a digital text (e.g. blog entry/entries, vlog, visual representations with captions)
• a performance
• an artistic product (i.e. painting, drawing, 3D representation) with annotations.

Responses may be in oral, written, or multimodal form.

The combined evidence from all four assessments in this assessment type should comprise a maximum of 12 minutes if oral, 2000 words if written, or the equivalent in multimodal form (where 6 minutes is equivalent to 1000 words).

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• communicating
• awareness and analysis.

Assessment Type 2: Language in Action (20%)

Students complete one language in action project.

This assessment type has two parts:

• Part 1: Language in action project — collaborative task
• Part 2: Review — individual task.

Part 1: Language in action project

Students work collaboratively to share and build their [Additional Language] knowledge, understanding, and skills in creating a language in action project. They also develop their linguistic and intercultural knowledge to produce a presentation/performance or product.

Students may work in a school or community-based group, or any other appropriate collaboration. The group may collaborate face to face or in a digital environment, including social media forums, or in a combination of both. Students need to adhere to the principles and protocols of engaging with [Additional Language] and as appropriate seek the advice of the language custodians.

The language in action project should be different to the Stage 1 language in action project and may include, for example:

• an [Additional Language] retelling of a historical event
• presentation to peers on new learning about [Additional Language] arising from a visit to Aboriginal communities and/or organisations or engagement with primary or secondary sources
• creation of an online [Additional Language] tool or resource (e.g. digital dictionary, digital curation of resources, interactive game or app)
• a bilingual school assembly or performance
• curation and presentation of an exhibition of art or design works
• celebrating [Additional Language] narratives.

Students should consider the context, purpose, and audience for their project.

The project may be presented in [Additional Language], English, or a combination of [Additional Language] and English. It should be a maximum of 5 minutes if oral, 500 words if written, or the equivalent in multimodal form.

Part 2: Review

Students individually review their language in action project and their learning.

The review may include discussion about:

• self as a language learner and a language user in the complex Australian Languages context
• issues relating to learning about advocacy for [Additional Language] and how the project addressed these
• the knowledge and skills developed through the collaboration process
• the impact of the project on audience and self
• the power of language.

Evidence to support the individual review of the project and learning may include annotated photographs, movie clips, peer assessment, interview transcripts or digital files, annotated resources, journal notes, and analysis of the collaboration process. 

The review may be presented in [Additional Language], or English, or a combination of [Additional Language] and English. It should be a maximum of 4 minutes if oral, 300 words if written, or the equivalent in multimodal form.

For this assessment type, students provide evidence of their learning primarily in relation to the following assessment design criteria:

• communicating
• awareness and analysis.

External assessment

The external assessment component for Stage 2 Australian Languages — Additional Language consists of a language study.

Assessment Type 3: Examination (30%)

Students complete one language study.

This assessment type has two parts, both of which are carried out individually:

• Part 1: Language study
• Part 2: Review.

Part 1: Language study

Students undertake an individual language study relating to [Additional Language], in which they explore an area of interest related to one or more focus areas. After selecting an area of interest students, determine a purpose to help guide the research. This may take the form of a question. The language study may be presented as an informative, creative, or persuasive piece.

Possible areas of interest may include, but are not limited to:

• cultural perspectives
• contemporary life and language in the [Additional Language] community
• language change
• cosmology
• kinship
• the relationship between language and identity
• Aboriginal art and/or performance in the [Additional Language] community
• a social or environment issue relating to [Additional Language]
• major event(s) in the [Additional Language] community
• the relationship between language, land, and Country
• issues — impacts on language and culture (e.g. colonisation, reconciliation, the stolen generation)
• protocols, appropriate language, and interactions with [Additional Language] in different contexts (e.g. language used online, language in the community, formal and/or informal language)
• past and present ways of living in  the [Additional Language] community.

Students use [Additional Language] to engage with available sources of information to develop their knowledge and understanding.

The cultural resources (oral, written, and/or multimodal) that form the basis of the language study may include, for example, interviews with Elders, members of the community, artistic products, guest speakers, articles, online resources, documentaries, films, short stories, songs, interviews, and oral histories, either in their original form or adapted for language learning. The resources used may be subtitled, or produced in English, if appropriate.

A range of resources relating to the topic of the language study should be selected for analysis and interpretation, so that students are able to explore their topic in sufficient depth. At least one of the resources should be in [Additional Language].

Students may present their language study primarily in [Additional Language], in English, or in a combination of both in oral, written, or multimodal form. It should be a maximum of 7 minutes if oral, 1200 words if written, or the equivalent in multimodal form.

Ways of presenting the language study include, but are not limited to:

• performance
• role‑play
• presentation
• digital recording
• song
• story.

Part 2: Review

Students individually review their language study and their learning.

The review may include discussion about:

• how the language study has increased their understanding of the [Additional Language]-speaking community
• how the language study has changed their personal values, beliefs, and sense of personal identity
• what they learnt about how language reflects culture and identity.

The review is presented in English and should be a maximum of 2 minutes if oral, 300 words if written, or the equivalent in multimodal form.

The review may include, but is not limited to:

•  interview with a peer or teacher
• written answers to questions
• reflective monologue (recorded)
• digital presentation
• mind map (drawing)
• annotated drawing or photos.

The following specific features of the assessment design criteria for this subject are assessed in the language study:

• communicating — C1, C2, C3
• awareness and analysis — AA2, AA3, AA4.

Performance standards

The performance standards describe five levels of achievement, A to E. 

Each level of achievement describes the knowledge, skills, and understanding that teachers and assessors refer to in deciding how well students have demonstrated their learning on the basis of the evidence provided. 

During the teaching and learning program the teacher gives students feedback on their learning, with reference to the performance standards.

At the student’s completion of study of each school assessment type, the teacher makes a decision about the quality of the student’s learning by:

• referring to the performance standards
• assigning a grade between A+ and E– for the assessment type.  

The student’s school assessment and external assessment are combined for a final result, which is reported as a grade between A+ and E–.

Performance standards

Stage 2 performance standards for Australian Languages — Additional Language can be viewed below. You can also download in Word format [DOC 27KB].

To learn more about what performance standards are, how they are used, and other general information, see performance standards and grades. 

Subject changes (for 2022)

Assessment Type 3: Language Study

Remove specific feature AA1 (Knowledge, understanding and application of [Additional Language] systems and structures) from being assessed in the language study.