Years 5 to 6
Languages
ASLANJAPF10Y56
Years 5 to 6 Japanese Achievement Standard
10 statements aligned to content descriptors and elaborations
Achievement standard (as ACARA publishes it)
Achievement standard
Click any sentence to jump to its statement and linked content descriptors.
By the end of Year 6, students initiate and use strategies to maintain interactions in Japanese language that are related to their immediate environment. They use appropriate combinations of hiragana sounds, intonation and rhythm in spoken texts. They collaborate in spoken and written activities that involve the language of planning and problem-solving to share information, ideas, and preferences. They use strategies to locate and interpret information and ideas in texts, and demonstrate understanding by responding in Japanese or English, adjusting their response to context, purpose and audience. They create texts, selecting and using a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to suit context. They sequence information and ideas, and use conventions appropriate to text type. They use hiragana and familiar katakana and kanji appropriate to context.
Students apply rules for pronunciation and intonation, punctuation, modelled structures and scripts, when creating and responding in Japanese. They compare language structures and features in Japanese and English, using some metalanguage. They show understanding of how some language reflects cultural practices and consider how this is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Foundation to Year 10 sequence
The 10 achievement standard statements
Open a statement to see the content descriptors ACARA links to it, then open a descriptor's elaborations.
By the end of Year 6, students initiate and use strategies to maintain interactions in Japanese language that are related to their immediate environment.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C01 Communicating meaning in Japanese
initiate and sustain modelled exchanges in familiar contexts related to students’ personal world and school environment
Elaborations (7)
- Elaboration conversing with others using greetings, culturally appropriate formulaic expressions, inquiries and simple questions, for example, しつれいします、こんにちは、おげんきですか、きょうはどうでしたか、たいへんでした、しゅうまつに何をしましたか。サッカーをしました。
- Elaboration communicating with others using a range of strategies (active listening skills, turn-taking cues, requests for clarification, using respectful language, etc.), for example, はい、そうですね、いいですか、たのしかった、～さんのばん
- Elaboration using appropriate language, actions and gestures to participate in interactions such as interrupting or asking for clarification or permission using formulaic expressions, for example, 先生、 すみません。 ちょっとわかりません。ゆっくり (おねがいします) 、 おそくなってすみません、～をつかってもいいですか。
- Elaboration using and identifying basic あいづち、for example, へー？、うん、はい、うそ！、すごい, during a supported sustained conversation in pairs or groups, and responding with appropriate interjections and body language such as nodding
- Elaboration conducting じこしょうかい using familiar expressions, body language and gestures, and requesting information, for example, たんじょう日は～月です。～からきました。かぞくは六人がいます。でんわばんごうは～です。ペットは犬です。しゅみは～です。 ～さんは？
- Elaboration recounting and exchanging information with one another, or with other Japanese-speaking students, about school or home routines, leisure activities, interests or preferences, popular culture or sport, for example, サッカーをしますか。いつしますか。土よう日にサッカーをします。サッカー がすきですか。ぼくもすきです。土よう日にともだちとうみに行きました。
- Elaboration exchanging simple correspondence such as greeting cards and messages based on modelled language おたんじょう日おめでとうございます。あけましておめでとうございます。おかあさん、ありがとう。～へ～より
They use appropriate combinations of hiragana sounds, intonation and rhythm in spoken texts.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C04 Communicating meaning in Japanese
apply strategies to interpret and convey meaning in Japanese language in familiar spoken, written and non-verbal cultural contexts
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration collecting, using and explaining Japanese words and expressions that do not readily translate into English, such as おかえり、いらっしゃいませ、ごちそうさま、たいへん、げんき、がんばって, and katakana words and Japanese words used within their own language(s), for example, understanding the origin of the word ‘tsunami’
- Elaboration recognising that some Japanese words can be made more or less formal with slight changes, for example, understanding that お can be placed in front of はし、なまえ and べんとう to suit the context and audience
- Elaboration using strategies, such as accessing a bilingual dictionary, online translators, resources and applications, or creating their own word banks, to assist with interpreting and conveying meaning, considering relative advantages or limitations of each resource
- Elaboration acting out a situation or scenario and responding appropriately using non-verbal and verbal forms of communication, for example, role-playing an earthquake or tsunami drill, a lunch scene in a Japanese school, or cheering at a sports day
- Elaboration performing a role-play or skit for a class or assembly, using Japanese for the performance and English for supporting explanations, for example, performing a skit in Japanese and explaining it afterwards in English, or performing an assembly where the host speaks in Japanese, and English subtitles are displayed on a screen for the audience
They collaborate in spoken and written activities that involve the language of planning and problem-solving to share information, ideas, and preferences.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C02 Communicating meaning in Japanese
participate in activities that involve planning and negotiating with others, using language that expresses information, preferences and ideas
Elaborations (6)
- Elaboration stating preferences in a range of activities and interactions using がすきです and reacting to others ほんとう？すきじゃないです, or responding to どちらがすきですか to express preference between 2 things
- Elaboration taking on different roles and responsibilities in the classroom とうばん such as recycling monitor, calling the roll, identifying the date, describing the weather or giving instructions, for example, 本をください、ノートをだして、かみをリサイクルしてください、 きりつ、れい、ちゃくせき, using appropriate gestures
- Elaboration participating in an activity for an assembly, school or class event or performance, using language related to place, people, items, time and numbers and creating promotional materials, for example, producing a poster or video to encourage recycling, ペットボトルをリサイクルをしてください。
- Elaboration conducting digital or real shopping expeditions, (using online catalogues and menus, comparing prices and values, discussing intended purchases, etc.) using formulaic expressions such as ちょっとたかいです。でも、 かいたいです。
- Elaboration creating a skit, performance or action game to share with a buddy class to teach aspects of Japanese language and culture, for example, introducing hiragana, individual words or expressions or behaviours, such as bowing appropriately or receiving a gift with 2 hands
- Elaboration responding to and using classroom instructions to lead games, complete work or get ready for class, for example, role-playing teacher/student games with students giving each other instructions; たってください、すわってください、かいてください、みてください、よんでください、きいてください, leading younger learners in an うんどうかい event or game
They use strategies to locate and interpret information and ideas in texts, and demonstrate understanding by responding in Japanese or English, adjusting their response to context, purpose and audience.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C03 Communicating meaning in Japanese
locate and process information and ideas in a range of spoken, written and multimodal texts, and respond in different ways to suit purpose
Elaborations (7)
- Elaboration identifying and responding to language and cultural points of information in authentic texts (advertisements, letters, conversations, brochures, announcements, etc.), for example, decoding and ordering from a Japanese menu, finding a particular greeting on a card, or recording a phone number or the time
- Elaboration accessing, organising and presenting information relating to aspects of Japanese culture (fashion, places in Japan, festivals, etc.) using supporting resources and providing a structured summary, for example, ふじさんです。たかいです。そして、ゆうめいです。かざんです。
- Elaboration listening to a simple community announcement, such as a weather forecast for the week, and then writing an informal short message to a friend, for example, using modelled sentences to invite a friend to play, 土よう日ははれです。こうえんに行きましょうか。たのしいです。十じに行きます。
- Elaboration listening to, or viewing First Nations Australian authors’ stories and responding to them using words, formulaic expressions and modelled sentences in Japanese
- Elaboration inferring details, for example, listening to a conversation and inferring who is speaking depending on the formality of the language or viewing a clip of a shrine visit and answering questions including どこ、だれ、どうして、いつ、なに to interpret cultural practices
- Elaboration extracting key points from a range of spoken, written or digital texts on topics such as nutrition, school lunches, home or school routines, and discussing findings and comparing opinions, for example, 日本で子どもはがっこうのそうじをします。オーストラリアの子どもはがっこうのそうじをしません。
- Elaboration using a range of print and digital tools, surveying and compiling simple information about others’ interests and preferences (favourite things, leisure activities, etc.) and presenting findings in a range of formats (flowcharts, graphs, diagrams, oral presentations, etc.)
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C04 Communicating meaning in Japanese
apply strategies to interpret and convey meaning in Japanese language in familiar spoken, written and non-verbal cultural contexts
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration collecting, using and explaining Japanese words and expressions that do not readily translate into English, such as おかえり、いらっしゃいませ、ごちそうさま、たいへん、げんき、がんばって, and katakana words and Japanese words used within their own language(s), for example, understanding the origin of the word ‘tsunami’
- Elaboration recognising that some Japanese words can be made more or less formal with slight changes, for example, understanding that お can be placed in front of はし、なまえ and べんとう to suit the context and audience
- Elaboration using strategies, such as accessing a bilingual dictionary, online translators, resources and applications, or creating their own word banks, to assist with interpreting and conveying meaning, considering relative advantages or limitations of each resource
- Elaboration acting out a situation or scenario and responding appropriately using non-verbal and verbal forms of communication, for example, role-playing an earthquake or tsunami drill, a lunch scene in a Japanese school, or cheering at a sports day
- Elaboration performing a role-play or skit for a class or assembly, using Japanese for the performance and English for supporting explanations, for example, performing a skit in Japanese and explaining it afterwards in English, or performing an assembly where the host speaks in Japanese, and English subtitles are displayed on a screen for the audience
They create texts, selecting and using a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to suit context.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C05 Communicating meaning in Japanese
create and present informative and imaginative spoken, written and multimodal texts using a variety of modelled sentence structures to sequence information and ideas, textual conventions, and hiragana and some familiar katakana and kanji appropriate to context
Elaborations (10)
- Elaboration producing a rap, song or haiku poem that involves experimentation with rhyme and rhythm, for example, completing a cloze activity where groups take responsibility for different verses incorporating their own language, rhyme and gestures to support meaning
- Elaboration creating a presentation about an imaginary experience, such as a dream trip to Japan, using the polite form past or present おおさかに行きました。しんかんせんで行きました。きれいなしろをみました。
- Elaboration constructing and presenting bilingual texts, for example, writing a short story about another student, and then reading it to them, こちらはメリさんです。六さいです。一ねんせいです。アイスクリームがすきです。むしがすきじゃないです。
- Elaboration creating a class print or digital poster, locating and describing, in Japanese, a specific First Nations Country/Place location in a local or regional context, or elsewhere in Australia
- Elaboration producing and presenting picture books/’Big Books’/mini-books or short scripted scenarios for other students, incorporating elements of Japanese language and culture that are likely to be unfamiliar, engaging or challenging
- Elaboration designing and presenting an advertisement for a sustainable, environmentally friendly product likely to appeal to their age group, for example, designing a reusable cutlery or bento set, and presenting the idea using a range of words such as エコ、リーサイクリング
- Elaboration using familiar and modelled language to create informative texts, such as a photo story, ebook or personal profile, for example, profiling a member of their family or friendship group
- Elaboration developing understanding and applying some features and conventions of familiar texts, for example, experimenting with set expressions and language devices such as rhyme, rhythm, imagery, and onomatopoeia, to entertain and engage target audiences
- Elaboration planning and creating texts (charts, posters, story boards, menus, etc.) and experimenting with the use of hiragana, diacritic marks, long vowels, double consonants and blends, and some topic-specific kanji and katakana words such as 見、行、百、上、スーパーマーケット、クリスマス、チョコレート, etc.
- Elaboration creating a school profile, using appropriate digital tools, for a specific audience, for example, producing a profile that includes information about subjects, lesson and break times, points of cultural difference and key events for an exchange student group or partner school
They sequence information and ideas, and use conventions appropriate to text type.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C05 Communicating meaning in Japanese
create and present informative and imaginative spoken, written and multimodal texts using a variety of modelled sentence structures to sequence information and ideas, textual conventions, and hiragana and some familiar katakana and kanji appropriate to context
Elaborations (10)
- Elaboration producing a rap, song or haiku poem that involves experimentation with rhyme and rhythm, for example, completing a cloze activity where groups take responsibility for different verses incorporating their own language, rhyme and gestures to support meaning
- Elaboration creating a presentation about an imaginary experience, such as a dream trip to Japan, using the polite form past or present おおさかに行きました。しんかんせんで行きました。きれいなしろをみました。
- Elaboration constructing and presenting bilingual texts, for example, writing a short story about another student, and then reading it to them, こちらはメリさんです。六さいです。一ねんせいです。アイスクリームがすきです。むしがすきじゃないです。
- Elaboration creating a class print or digital poster, locating and describing, in Japanese, a specific First Nations Country/Place location in a local or regional context, or elsewhere in Australia
- Elaboration producing and presenting picture books/’Big Books’/mini-books or short scripted scenarios for other students, incorporating elements of Japanese language and culture that are likely to be unfamiliar, engaging or challenging
- Elaboration designing and presenting an advertisement for a sustainable, environmentally friendly product likely to appeal to their age group, for example, designing a reusable cutlery or bento set, and presenting the idea using a range of words such as エコ、リーサイクリング
- Elaboration using familiar and modelled language to create informative texts, such as a photo story, ebook or personal profile, for example, profiling a member of their family or friendship group
- Elaboration developing understanding and applying some features and conventions of familiar texts, for example, experimenting with set expressions and language devices such as rhyme, rhythm, imagery, and onomatopoeia, to entertain and engage target audiences
- Elaboration planning and creating texts (charts, posters, story boards, menus, etc.) and experimenting with the use of hiragana, diacritic marks, long vowels, double consonants and blends, and some topic-specific kanji and katakana words such as 見、行、百、上、スーパーマーケット、クリスマス、チョコレート, etc.
- Elaboration creating a school profile, using appropriate digital tools, for a specific audience, for example, producing a profile that includes information about subjects, lesson and break times, points of cultural difference and key events for an exchange student group or partner school
They use hiragana and familiar katakana and kanji appropriate to context.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6C05 Communicating meaning in Japanese
create and present informative and imaginative spoken, written and multimodal texts using a variety of modelled sentence structures to sequence information and ideas, textual conventions, and hiragana and some familiar katakana and kanji appropriate to context
Elaborations (10)
- Elaboration producing a rap, song or haiku poem that involves experimentation with rhyme and rhythm, for example, completing a cloze activity where groups take responsibility for different verses incorporating their own language, rhyme and gestures to support meaning
- Elaboration creating a presentation about an imaginary experience, such as a dream trip to Japan, using the polite form past or present おおさかに行きました。しんかんせんで行きました。きれいなしろをみました。
- Elaboration constructing and presenting bilingual texts, for example, writing a short story about another student, and then reading it to them, こちらはメリさんです。六さいです。一ねんせいです。アイスクリームがすきです。むしがすきじゃないです。
- Elaboration creating a class print or digital poster, locating and describing, in Japanese, a specific First Nations Country/Place location in a local or regional context, or elsewhere in Australia
- Elaboration producing and presenting picture books/’Big Books’/mini-books or short scripted scenarios for other students, incorporating elements of Japanese language and culture that are likely to be unfamiliar, engaging or challenging
- Elaboration designing and presenting an advertisement for a sustainable, environmentally friendly product likely to appeal to their age group, for example, designing a reusable cutlery or bento set, and presenting the idea using a range of words such as エコ、リーサイクリング
- Elaboration using familiar and modelled language to create informative texts, such as a photo story, ebook or personal profile, for example, profiling a member of their family or friendship group
- Elaboration developing understanding and applying some features and conventions of familiar texts, for example, experimenting with set expressions and language devices such as rhyme, rhythm, imagery, and onomatopoeia, to entertain and engage target audiences
- Elaboration planning and creating texts (charts, posters, story boards, menus, etc.) and experimenting with the use of hiragana, diacritic marks, long vowels, double consonants and blends, and some topic-specific kanji and katakana words such as 見、行、百、上、スーパーマーケット、クリスマス、チョコレート, etc.
- Elaboration creating a school profile, using appropriate digital tools, for a specific audience, for example, producing a profile that includes information about subjects, lesson and break times, points of cultural difference and key events for an exchange student group or partner school
Students apply rules for pronunciation and intonation, punctuation, modelled structures and scripts, when creating and responding in Japanese.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6U01 Understanding language and culture
apply knowledge of combinations of hiragana sounds, pronunciation and intonation patterns to develop fluency and rhythm to known words and phrases
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration pronouncing all the sounds in the kana chart, including voiced and unvoiced sounds, combined and long vowel sounds, and double consonants, for example, きって and りょうり
- Elaboration recognising and discerning differences in hiragana sounds, for example, たて versus たって
- Elaboration using the kana chart as reference, pronouncing some common katakana words, and using them in texts, for example, アイスクリーム、インターネット
- Elaboration noticing the relationship between stress, pacing and meaning, and using appropriate intonation patterns for familiar language to exclaim, make a statement or ask a question, for example, demonstrating fluency in a paired speaking activity or reading a familiar story aloud, or drawing lines going up or down to indicate intonation in questions and statements
- Elaboration building knowledge of kanji, including their origin from China, common radicals and compounds, and understanding that some of the same kanji can be pronounced differently when combined with other kanji, for example, 人、にん and じん
- Elaboration understanding the use of furigana as a reading and pronunciation aid
- Elaboration recognising that the hiragana used for some particles does not match its pronunciation, for example, ‘wa’ for は, ‘e’ for へ, ‘o/wo’ for を
- Elaboration experimenting with using a keyboard with romaji input settings to type words or short sentences, and choosing matching hiragana or kanji appropriate to context
Content descriptorAC9LJ6U02 Understanding language and culture
use knowledge of modelled grammatical structures, formulaic expressions and writing system rules to compose and respond to texts using appropriate punctuation and textual conventions
Elaborations (11)
- Elaboration identifying and using elements of different sentence structures including location words, prepositions, 上, 下, directions and the use of particles in modelled structures, for example, しんかんせんで行きました、えんぴつは つくえの上です。
- Elaboration with support, using present/past/negative verb forms, for example, のみます、たべます、見みました、行きません to describe actions and recount events and experiences in time
- Elaboration using picture/word flashcards to sort or display on a student-created word wall, recognising that there are 2 groups for adjectives, い and な, and using both types of adjectives to describe a range of nouns, for example, きれいなはな、かわいいねこ
- Elaboration deepening their knowledge of, and practising basic kana and kanji stroke order, for example, recognising the order from top to bottom, and left to right, that horizontal goes first, and boxes are 3 strokes, etc.
- Elaboration understanding and using a range of particles in simple compound sentences, for example, へ、 で、に、を、と、も and exploring the use of が／に あります／います to refer to inanimate/animate objects
- Elaboration understanding and using some conventions associated with げんこうようし, for example, considering the size of small characters, the position in the square and punctuation marks such as まる
- Elaboration using some counters in Japanese, for example, ～人、～才、～ぴき ／ ひき／びき、～月、～日、～円 and understanding Japanese numerical place order: 一、十、ひゃく、せん、まん
- Elaboration using language such as これ、それ、あれ、どれ, and conjunctions such as そして、それから, to link and sequence ideas in modelled oral and written language tasks
- Elaboration recognising the systematic nature of Japanese scripts and grammatical rules, creating personal notes and resources, and applying these to generate new language for a range of purposes
- Elaboration applying the language features of different types of texts, for example, using appropriate wording when opening and closing emails, letters or simple phone conversations, for example, ～さんへ、～より、もしもし
- Elaboration recognising the order for writing the components of the date and time in Japanese, for example, 年、月、日、～よう日、 ～時、～分, and incorporating into texts
They compare language structures and features in Japanese and English, using some metalanguage.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6U03 Understanding language and culture
compare some Japanese language structures and features with those of English, using some familiar metalanguage
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration expanding metalanguage for communicating about language, using the correct terminology for parts of speech (noun, verb and adjective), and additional terms such as pronoun and conjunction, for example, identifying parts of speech in a reading text
- Elaboration discussing why some words are written in katakana and why these words cannot be pronounced identically to the original language they were borrowed from, for example, オーストラリア, and trying to spell some words using katakana chart
- Elaboration identifying different parts of speech, for example, indicating the adjective or verb conjugation pattern in a sentence and translating sentences word for word to compare differences in word order and punctuation (subject+object+verb. versus subject+verb+object), for example, circling or colouring different parts of speech in a sentence
- Elaboration comparing features of familiar genres of Japanese texts (picture books, digital books, games, video clips, songs, etc). for example, reading shared texts and noticing and comparing grammatical elements such as the use of tense, word order and sentence structure
- Elaboration understanding the Japanese number system and comparing with other numerical systems, 一、十、百、千、万, including reference to the use of the そろばん (abacus) versus calculators
They show understanding of how some language reflects cultural practices and consider how this is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Content descriptorAC9LJ6U04 Understanding language and culture
recognise that language reflects cultural practices, values and identity, and that this impacts on non-verbal and verbal communication
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration using the cultural ‘iceberg model’ to identify and examine the visible and invisible aspects of their own culture(s) and identity, and Japanese culture(s) and identity
- Elaboration identifying common events, celebrations and commemorations in their own culture and Japan; considering the basis of these events, (family, community, country, history, religion; identifying and making connections, etc.), for example, examining why ANZAC day and Heiwa no Hi are commemorated
- Elaboration imagining potential challenges for a visiting Japanese student spending time in an Australian home or an Australian student visiting Japan; identifying phrases, expressions and behaviours that may need explaining; demonstrating through text or role-play instances of intercultural miscommunication, for example, considering the challenges of bath time, the use of personal space or volume of voice that may appear inappropriate, and expressions such as “Please help yourself”
- Elaboration exploring how language and culture are expressed through First Nations Australians’ song, dance or artworks, considering similarities with and differences from an aspect of the cultural expressions of Japanese-speaking people or communities
- Elaboration understanding that people ‘translate’ intercultural experiences in different ways depending on their cultural perspective, recognising the validity of different perspectives and questioning notions of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, for example, viewing digital image of someone asleep on a train, or lifting and drinking directly from a bowl
- Elaboration explaining how Japanese language and behaviour demonstrate values and traditions, for example, considering a reluctance to volunteer or compete for attention in class, the response to compliments じょうずですね。いいえ, prioritising others rather than self おさきにどうぞ, and instead of giving a clear “no” answer, being vague, ちょっと …
- Elaboration appreciating cultural backgrounds and perspectives, for example, understanding perspectives of the group versus the individual, school lunch in Australia and Japan, and gratitude and humility
- Elaboration considering how Japanese language and interaction patterns are based around familiar routines such as mealtimes, and how greeting others reflect values associated with respect and caring for others, for example, using formulaic expressions such as いただきます。いってきます。いってらっしゃい。ただいま。おかえり。
This achievement standard describes the expected learning for Years 5 to 6 Japanese · Foundation to Year 10 sequence. Use it to plan teaching and assessment with the Australian Curriculum v9.
At a Glance
| Strand | Substrand | CDs | Elaborations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communicating meaning in Japanese | Interacting in Japanese | 2 | 13 |
| Communicating meaning in Japanese | Mediating meaning in and between languages | 2 | 12 |
| Communicating meaning in Japanese | Creating text in Japanese | 1 | 10 |
| Understanding language and culture | Understanding systems of language | 3 | 24 |
| Understanding language and culture | Understanding the interrelationship of language and culture | 1 | 8 |
| Total | 9 | 67 | |
Frequently Asked Questions
What should students know by the end of Years 5 to 6 Japanese?
By the end of Year 6, students initiate and use strategies to maintain interactions in Japanese language that are related to their immediate environment. They use appropriate combinations of hiragana sounds, intonation and rhythm in spoken texts. Read the full standard
How many Content Descriptors support this standard?
9 Content Descriptors support this Achievement Standard (Communicating meaning in Japanese: 5, Understanding language and culture: 4).
How does this compare to Years 3 to 4?
The Years 3 to 4 Japanese standard (ASLANJAPF10Y34) covers the preceding curriculum level. Standards build progressively, with Years 5 to 6 expectations extending what was introduced in Years 3 to 4.
Is this from the latest Australian Curriculum?
Yes, this Achievement Standard is from the Australian Curriculum version 9.0 (AC v9), the most current version published by ACARA.