1. Content descriptors
The descriptors connect communication in the language with understanding of language, culture, Country or Place and identity.
Australian Curriculum v9
Years 3–4 First Language Learner Pathway Curriculum
This hub combines the Years 3–4 First Language Learner Pathway achievement standard with its 10 descriptors. Planning must remain grounded in the authority, language practices and priorities of the relevant Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community.
Available combined curriculum hubs
Browse published Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages, First Language Learner Pathway curriculum maps.
All Languages achievement standards | All Languages content descriptors
How the curriculum elements fit together
2. Learning and assessment
Learning should extend students’ existing language strengths through community authorised purposes, texts and interactions.
3. Achievement standard
Evidence must be culturally appropriate and reflect communication and understanding valued in the local language program.
ASLANFALFLLY34
Open the standalone ASLANFALFLLY34 page →
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 4, students use [Language] language to initiate structured interactions to share information related to Country/Place, the learning environment and their personal worlds. They use familiar language to participate in spoken and written activities that involve planning and transacting. They locate and respond to key items of information in texts, using strategies to help interpret and convey meaning in familiar contexts. They use familiar and formulaic language, and basic syntax, to create texts.
Students use the sounds, pronunciation and intonation patterns of spoken [Language]. They demonstrate understanding that [Language] has non-verbal, spoken and written language conventions and rules to create and make meaning. They recognise that some terms have cultural meanings. They identify patterns in [Language] and make comparisons between [Language] and English. They understand that the [Language] language is passed down from generation to generation by its Custodians and is connected with culture and identity. They identify how this is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
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 4, students use [Language] language to initiate structured interactions to share information related to Country/Place, the learning environment and their personal worlds.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4C01 Communicating meaning in [Language]
initiate exchanges and respond to modelled questions about self, others and the learning environment, using modelled expressions
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration using appropriate ways of talking and interacting in different social situations or with different social groups, including talking to Elders and/or community members or people from a different Country/Place
- Elaboration negotiating and following class rules, and demonstrating understanding of class/school/teacher/community expectations, in relation to respectful relationships, behaviour and ways of talking in class, at school and on Country/Place
- Elaboration engaging in face-to-face or online discussions with other young language learners to exchange information about cultural practices, experiences and shared interests, for example, discussing traditional ways of preventing sickness and staying healthy or comparing how they get to and from school
- Elaboration participating in class, group and paired discussions, noticing and talking about how the same event can be presented from different perspectives, for example, comparing experiences of participating in traditional dances from different cultures and languages
- Elaboration using the language of classroom interaction, for example, asking relevant questions, prompting and checking individual and group understanding
- Elaboration sharing and describing recent events, pastimes and personal experiences, for example, a sporting event, a fishing trip, a trip to a waterhole, calling in on family or visiting a neighbouring community
- Elaboration providing opinions about personal interests and leisure activities, for example, expressing preferences for traditional games, music, dances or sports specific to their own culture(s)
- Elaboration talking about significant people in their lives, staying safe and healthy, and role-playing ways of asking for assistance
They use familiar language to participate in spoken and written activities that involve planning and transacting.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4C02 Communicating meaning in [Language]
participate in activities that involve planning with others, using a range of phrases and modelled structures in familiar contexts
Elaborations (11)
- Elaboration following instructions from Elders and/or community members, using appropriate protocols, for example, learning to make necklaces or making bush shampoo after collecting beans, shells
- Elaboration using [Language] in action games, and to create/compose dances and songs with guidance from Elders and/or community members as appropriate, for example, teaching each other string games to make different animal shapes
- Elaboration working with visual, print and digital modes of expression to create texts such as invitations or programs for a class performance or event, for example, a digital presentation about a market night or preparing art with guidance from Elders and/or community members as appropriate, annotated with [Language] for a fundraiser
- Elaboration engaging in shared tasks which involve planning and collaborating, for example, rehearsing for presentations or performances such as a skit or dance for a school assembly
- Elaboration participating in national and local community celebrations and significant events, for example, NAIDOC Week, National Reconciliation Week, Harmony Day and Mabo Day
- Elaboration collaborating to create a shared text in [Language], for example, producing a digital photo story after a class activity or event such as an overnight camping trip on Country/Place or at school
- Elaboration developing language that supports planning learning tasks and activities, such as organising a class garden and allocating roles, for example, creating a persuasive presentation to encourage and justify participation in a water-saving program
- Elaboration knowing appropriate questions to ask specific audiences, for example, formulating appropriate types of questions to ask a class visitor or Elders and/or community members, such as open and closed questions and when, why and how questions
- Elaboration conducting, recording and presenting observations and findings of collaborative experiments, for example, monitoring the water in a fish tank, recording the growth of a plant from a seed, or going through the process of incubating and hatching eggs
- Elaboration collaborating to design an item such as a [Language] flag, instrument, tool, logo or totem that incorporates important elements related to the [Language] community, for example, making traditional hand shakers for a performance, using recycled and traditional materials
- Elaboration participating in shared reading of texts, or in activities using the lyrics of songs, using pictures, context, meaning, phonics and grammatical knowledge to help comprehension
They locate and respond to key items of information in texts, using strategies to help interpret and convey meaning in familiar contexts.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4C03 Communicating meaning in [Language]
locate and respond to key information related to familiar content obtained from spoken, written and multimodal texts
Elaborations (13)
- Elaboration learning key information about Country/Place from Elders and/or community members or Rangers, for example, after a guided walk on Country/Place with an Elder, drawing and labelling different tracks and writing captions and comments in [Language] to make a class book
- Elaboration making and recording observations of habitats and how living things such as insects, frogs or plants develop through their life cycles, recognising the effect of different environmental factors on these cycles
- Elaboration listening to Elders and/or community speakers tell stories and sing songs, and making connections with their own lives, for example, hearing from Elders about limiting turtle egg collection so that there are enough remaining eggs to maintain the life cycle of turtles, and understanding how to apply sustainability in their own futures
- Elaboration creating and responding to task cards for a treasure hunt with directions or pictures, using words such as near and far, above and below, beside and opposite or equivalent as appropriate in [Language]
- Elaboration mapping Country/Place in various forms, for example, on paper, online, or in sand or mud, and labelling key landmarks, topographical features, infrastructure and key community facilities, indicating distances and describing Country/Place from a bird's-eye view, for example, mapping a local waterhole
- Elaboration comparing photographs, journals and drawings from the past to the present, identifying and discussing elements of both change and continuity, for example, using the book ‘My Place’ to compare the past and present
- Elaboration comparing traditional and contemporary roles and places in the community, for example, roles such as storekeeper, ocean diver, nurse, teacher, park ranger, traditional healer and people responsible for Lore, song and dance, and places such as settlements, schools, roads and tracks
- Elaboration identifying and recording indicators of seasonal and weather changes, and using these indicators to describe the seasons, for example, the behaviour of animals, reptiles, birds, insects and plants, or changes in wind direction
- Elaboration asking Elders and/or community members about traditional objects such as baskets, carvings, canoes, instruments, tools and mats, and identifying and describing how they are used, how they are made and maintained, and what materials they are made from
- Elaboration asking Elders, Rangers and community members about practices that care for Country/Place, for example, waterhole management and protection, fire management, flora and fauna management
- Elaboration collecting information about each other’s likes, dislikes or interests to create a class profile, chart or database, using checklists, surveys or questions, for example, asking each other about favourite animals, food, hobbies or their learning goals in [Language]
- Elaboration listening to Rangers and writing short stories based on the information that has been shared, for example, hearing about sharks swimming into warmer waters during breeding time and writing a diary from the perspective of the shark in [Language]
- Elaboration conveying understanding of plot and sequence in texts, for example, by recreating a sequence using a storyboard, labelling key events or creating a timeline with supporting commentary
Content descriptorAC9L1F4C04 Communicating meaning in [Language]
develop strategies to comprehend and adjust [Language] language to convey cultural meaning
Elaborations (7)
- Elaboration translating short, simple spoken texts such as instructions or procedures, for example, how to make a coolamon or fish trap, or how to dig for honey ants, identifying words and phrases that have more than one meaning
- Elaboration identifying concepts, practices and expressions in [Language] which do not easily translate into English, and vice versa, for example, the number system, time, terms for colour, daily and seasonal cycles, kinship terms and environmental sounds, and elements such as noises made by different birds
- Elaboration translating and matching words to describe family and relationships in [Language] and English, finding examples of words that have no [Language] or English equivalents
- Elaboration demonstrating and explaining to others elements of non-verbal communication in [Language] that require interpretation, such as silences, gestures or hand talk, facial expressions, eye contact or lip pointing
- Elaboration creating bilingual/multilingual texts to promote school or community events, such as invitations, brochures, digital presentations, posters, maps and newsletter items
- Elaboration creating bilingual/multilingual resources for buddy classes, for example, stories, animations or vocabulary games
- Elaboration creating bilingual/multilingual texts such as cartoons, songs and photo stories, reflecting on how different meanings are communicated in different languages for different audiences
They use familiar and formulaic language, and basic syntax, to create texts.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4C05 Communicating meaning in [Language]
create and present informative and imaginative spoken, written and multimodal texts, using formulaic expressions, simple phrases and sentences, and modelled textual conventions
Elaborations (9)
- Elaboration creating profiles of significant people to present to the class, for example, Elders who have made significant contributions to the community, music groups, celebrities or community leaders
- Elaboration creating and editing a presentation that includes text, images and sounds, to record and explain aspects of life in their school, community or region
- Elaboration recounting an event, an experience or a journey such as a hunting trip, for example, providing details such as how they travelled, who was with them, what animals they tracked and sighted, and who cooked the animal
- Elaboration writing procedural texts, for example, a recipe including how to grow, prepare and cook food, or simple instructions on how to make and decorate tools or replica artefacts
- Elaboration creating an informative or imaginative video clip, for example, promoting sustainable practices through using a storyboard to create and plan a story such as demonstrating how to husk a coconut to provide a renewable resource, or how to look after waterways
- Elaboration telling a story through mime, photo stories, ebooks, dances or drawings, with guidance from Elders and/or community members as appropriate, for example, composing songs in groups, based on a storyline, to share with peers, or giving a show and tell about an object or topic of interest
- Elaboration designing visual representations, such as artworks with guidance from Elders and/or community members, concept maps or posters, to showcase their local community activities such as a fishing event, bottle canoe racing, or creating a poster to represent the clans and their shields, if appropriate
- Elaboration composing dialogues between real or imagined characters in challenging or amusing situations, using expressions and behaviours that convey emotion or humour
- Elaboration telling the story of a real or imagined journey with characters, places or animals, and presenting through performance, digital display, or a visual representation such as shadow puppets, to entertain younger audiences
Students use the sounds, pronunciation and intonation patterns of spoken [Language].
Content descriptorAC9L1F4U01 Understanding language and culture
use combinations of sounds, pronunciation and intonation patterns of [Language] to form words and phrases
Elaborations (9)
- Elaboration recognising that there are constraints in the ways speech sounds may be ordered to form words, for example, sounds allowed at the beginnings and ends of words in prefixes and suffixes, or consonants that may cluster together
- Elaboration noticing the role of parts of the mouth, nose and throat in the production of speech sounds
- Elaboration linking written morphemes, words and phrases with the spoken forms of [Language]
- Elaboration reading, reciting or retelling Creation, Dreamtime, Dreaming or traditional stories, with a focus on pronunciation
- Elaboration linking written devices/techniques to spoken differentiation among statements, questions, requests and exclamations, as well as to beginnings, pauses and ends
- Elaboration using knowledge of sound-symbol correspondence to read syllables and familiar words, phrases, sentences and extended texts aloud
- Elaboration using morphemes and syllabification to break up simple words and using visual memory to write more complex or less familiar words
- Elaboration identifying different uses of commas in texts, including to separate clauses and items in a list, and associating this with pauses when reading connected text
- Elaboration paying attention to consistency in spelling, checking spelling using dictionaries (if available) and other sources such as linguists or Elders and/or community members
They demonstrate understanding that [Language] has non-verbal, spoken and written language conventions and rules to create and make meaning.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4U02 Understanding language and culture
recognise and use [Language] language conventions, grammatical structures and syntax, in familiar texts and contexts
Elaborations (9)
- Elaboration identifying patterns in languages, such as free and fixed word order and tenses in verbs, and making sentences without verbs
- Elaboration adding a suffix to a verb to describe the number of people doing the action in simple sentences, for example, by creating and completing a table to show suffix variation in a verb in [Language]
- Elaboration discussing the formation of words, for example, the addition or change of a prefix to convey different meanings
- Elaboration describing how word classes are treated differently in [Language] and/or other known language(s) including English, for example, the use of number in nouns and pronouns (singular, dual, plural)
- Elaboration using collective nouns for family members to describe kinship
- Elaboration noticing similarities between particular vocabulary sets in languages from the same region, such as words for body parts
- Elaboration recognising temporal expressions in [Language], for example, expressions for cosmological time and equivalent expressions as appropriate for day-night cycle, lunar and seasonal cycles, before, after, soon, recent and long ago
- Elaboration applying emerging knowledge of text conventions, using classroom models, for example, determining and highlighting points in written versions of oral texts where commas, full stops and paragraph breaks might be used
- Elaboration using a range of conjunctions to join groups of sentences together in [Language]
They recognise that some terms have cultural meanings.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4U04 Understanding language and culture
recognise that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are passed down by Custodians, from generation to generation
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration identifying ways communities are maintaining and strengthening language, for example, learning about ceremonies and traditions from Elders and/or community members or performing with and for Elders who have passed down the knowledge
- Elaboration using [Language] within families, in school language programs, and in storytelling and recording stories in written form
- Elaboration developing an understanding of the protocols surrounding the retelling and sharing of stories
- Elaboration understanding the importance of story and informal yarning in passing on and sustaining language, culture and traditional knowledge
- Elaboration understanding that for many Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, conventions of written text are in the process of being documented, for example, grammar guides and websites are being developed, and that these resources give power to [Language]
They identify patterns in [Language] and make comparisons between [Language] and English.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4U03 Understanding language and culture
recognise familiar [Language] language features and compare with those of English, in known contexts
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration becoming familiar with the conventions of a range of text types, for example, narratives, reports and instructions
- Elaboration distinguishing the purpose of a text and its features, for example, a local story to teach a lesson with a beginning, middle and end, or a problem with a solution, or a seasonal calendar to teach knowledge of Country/Place and Peoples
- Elaboration recognising language features such as metaphors and symbols typically associated with familiar texts, for example, using directional features in [Language] in a seasonal calendar or noticing how metaphors in stories relate back to the meaning
- Elaboration investigating the purpose and use of gestures and hand signs, for example, for hunting, for recently bereaved, for communicating at a distance, and for restricting who can understand the message
- Elaboration identifying differences between spoken and written texts, for example, comparing a written story with a spoken version of the same story
They understand that the [Language] language is passed down from generation to generation by its Custodians and is connected with culture and identity.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4U04 Understanding language and culture
recognise that Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages are passed down by Custodians, from generation to generation
Elaborations (5)
- Elaboration identifying ways communities are maintaining and strengthening language, for example, learning about ceremonies and traditions from Elders and/or community members or performing with and for Elders who have passed down the knowledge
- Elaboration using [Language] within families, in school language programs, and in storytelling and recording stories in written form
- Elaboration developing an understanding of the protocols surrounding the retelling and sharing of stories
- Elaboration understanding the importance of story and informal yarning in passing on and sustaining language, culture and traditional knowledge
- Elaboration understanding that for many Aboriginal languages and Torres Strait Islander languages, conventions of written text are in the process of being documented, for example, grammar guides and websites are being developed, and that these resources give power to [Language]
Content descriptorAC9L1F4U05 Understanding language and culture
identify connections among [Language] language, culture, Country/Place and identity
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration understanding how a Welcome to Country relates to their own clan, Country/Place and their families, for example, learning through watching tribal Elders and/or community members perform a Welcome to Country
- Elaboration demonstrating respectful behaviours in the presence of visiting Elders and/or community members, and during visits to important sites
- Elaboration learning from Elders and/or community members about roles and responsibilities in caring for Country/Place and how this connects with the importance of preserving cultural heritage
- Elaboration knowing that certain songs, dances, items, tools and places are only for people with cultural connections with them, for example, some sacred places are for men only or women only
- Elaboration identifying cultural practices and language related to food, for example, using [Language] associated with gardening, or when feasting on the bogong moth, or when celebrating a sand-bar opening by eating freshwater fish and prawns
- Elaboration identifying and discussing the meanings of personal and family names, and how they relate to identity and reflect ancestral connections with the land, waters and sky, for example, making links between names and Land when a name has originated from Country/Place
- Elaboration talking about ways a community expresses elements of identity, for example, community activities such as Rangers helping students identify and name local sea grasses and native birds so that students feel connected with Country/Place or running other community events with a focus on sharing information about local practices or culture
- Elaboration identifying and naming traditional Country/Place of parents and grandparents, for example, using a short family tree and modelled [Language] to introduce themselves in this context
They identify how this is reflected in their own language(s), culture(s) and identity.
Content descriptorAC9L1F4U05 Understanding language and culture
identify connections among [Language] language, culture, Country/Place and identity
Elaborations (8)
- Elaboration understanding how a Welcome to Country relates to their own clan, Country/Place and their families, for example, learning through watching tribal Elders and/or community members perform a Welcome to Country
- Elaboration demonstrating respectful behaviours in the presence of visiting Elders and/or community members, and during visits to important sites
- Elaboration learning from Elders and/or community members about roles and responsibilities in caring for Country/Place and how this connects with the importance of preserving cultural heritage
- Elaboration knowing that certain songs, dances, items, tools and places are only for people with cultural connections with them, for example, some sacred places are for men only or women only
- Elaboration identifying cultural practices and language related to food, for example, using [Language] associated with gardening, or when feasting on the bogong moth, or when celebrating a sand-bar opening by eating freshwater fish and prawns
- Elaboration identifying and discussing the meanings of personal and family names, and how they relate to identity and reflect ancestral connections with the land, waters and sky, for example, making links between names and Land when a name has originated from Country/Place
- Elaboration talking about ways a community expresses elements of identity, for example, community activities such as Rangers helping students identify and name local sea grasses and native birds so that students feel connected with Country/Place or running other community events with a focus on sharing information about local practices or culture
- Elaboration identifying and naming traditional Country/Place of parents and grandparents, for example, using a short family tree and modelled [Language] to introduce themselves in this context
About the strands
The 10 content descriptors linked to ASLANFALFLLY34 sit under these strands.
Communicating meaning in [Language]
How students interact, interpret and create meaning through the target language.
Understanding language and culture
How students develop knowledge of language systems, culture, identity and variation.
A practical planning sequence
- Choose the curriculum focus. Plan with the relevant language owners, custodians and community educators.
- Select a meaningful context. Use authentic, approved language practices, texts, relationships and connections to Country or Place.
- Plan connected learning. Use the linked descriptors together where that creates a coherent sequence.
- Map the evidence. Collect culturally appropriate evidence across communication and language understanding.
Turn this curriculum map into a teaching sequence
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