Languages Other Than English
Language connects Hurlstone students to the world, opening doors to new cultures, perspectives, and opportunities beyond the classroom.
Our Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Faculty inspires excellence in communication, cultural understanding, and global perspective through the study of Japanese for Stage 4-6 and Korean for Stage 6. Hurlstone empowers students to master new languages with precision and confidence, fostering the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly international world.
Students engage in rigorous, immersive learning that extends beyond the classroom—connecting with partner schools overseas, participating in authentic cultural exchanges, and engaging in hands-on experiences that bring language and culture to life. Every lesson balances academic challenge with creativity, collaboration, and curiosity.
LOTE is studied by all students in Years 8–10, with opportunities to extend and specialise through senior elective courses. These programs develop advanced literacy, empathy, and critical thinking—preparing Hurlstone students not just to speak another language, but to lead in a global community.
Teaching and Learning
Below you’ll find an overview of the LOTE units studied from Year 8 to Year 12, showcasing how students build knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience across plant, animal, and agricultural systems.
Year 8 Japanese
In Year 8, students begin their journey into Japanese or Korean language learning, developing the foundational skills to communicate, connect, and appreciate diverse cultures. Through engaging units that explore identity, family, and leisure, students build confidence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing while developing an understanding of how language reflects values and ways of life. By combining authentic communication with cultural exploration, students learn that studying a language opens doors to global citizenship, empathy, and new perspectives on the world.
About Me, About You
In this first unit of study, students begin their journey into Japanese by learning how to communicate about themselves and connect with others. Through structured conversations and interactive activities, they learn to greet people, share personal details, and explore similarities and differences that shape individual identity and culture. By developing the foundational skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing, students build confidence in using their new language authentically. This unit fosters curiosity, respect, and intercultural awareness—encouraging students to see language learning as a bridge between people, ideas, and communities across the world.
Family Life
In this unit, students deepen their understanding of Japanese by learning to communicate about family, pets, food, and other topics central to daily life and culture. They describe family members, talk about routines, express likes and dislikes, and explore how language reflects relationships and social values. Through comparisons between family traditions, students gain insight into how culture shapes everyday communication. By using authentic vocabulary, dialogue, and cultural expressions, they build fluency and appreciation for the ways language connects people, family, and community across cultures.
Free Time Activities
In this unit, students expand their communication skills by discussing leisure, hobbies, and daily routines in Japanese. They learn to talk about the days of the week, describe activities, express ability and preference, and share how and with whom they spend their free time. Through the study of cultural traditions such as Japanese festivals, popular sports, and modes of transport, students explore how language reflects lifestyle and identity. By engaging in dialogues, role-plays, and cultural comparisons, students develop both linguistic fluency and intercultural understanding, discovering how leisure connects people and communities across the world.
Stage 5 Elective Japanese
In Stage 5 Japanese, students deepen their mastery of language and culture through immersive, real-world communication experiences. Across units such as Going Out with Friends, A Week in My Life, A Fun Day with Friends, Travelling Around Japan, and Leisure and Work, students build fluency in speaking, reading, writing, and listening while exploring themes of friendship, travel, and future aspirations. Learning extends beyond the classroom through cultural simulations and authentic tasks that mirror contemporary Japanese life. By integrating language with intercultural understanding, students develop confidence, curiosity, and a global perspective that prepares them for advanced language study and international engagement.
Going Out with Friends
In this unit, students extend their ability to communicate naturally in Japanese through conversations about leisure and social life. They learn to use time expressions, make and respond to invitations, and share opinions about activities while developing confidence in recounting events using past-tense structures. Through an intercultural lens, students explore how friendship, entertainment, and community are represented in Japanese culture—particularly through the influence of manga and anime. By analysing these cultural forms and engaging in role-plays and written exchanges, students refine both linguistic fluency and cultural insight, gaining a richer understanding of how language connects to everyday life in Japan.
A Week in My Life
In this unit, students deepen their understanding of everyday Japanese by describing their routines, school life, and surroundings. They learn to discuss where objects and people are located, express preferences for school subjects, and use comparative structures to explain opinions and reasons. By incorporating language to describe weather and seasonal changes, students develop the vocabulary and grammatical control needed to express the rhythms of daily life. The unit highlights how cultural values such as routine, respect, and balance are reflected in Japanese communication, encouraging students to connect their learning to real-world contexts and global perspectives.
A Fun Day With Friends
In this unit, students extend their conversational skills by navigating real-world scenarios such as shopping and dining out in Japan. They learn to use the て-form flexibly to make requests, connect ideas, and describe actions, while building fluency in discussing clothing, food, and social experiences. Through an intercultural focus on Japanese service culture, etiquette, and design, students explore how language reflects values of respect, precision, and hospitality. By engaging in authentic role-plays and cultural simulations, they gain confidence using Japanese in practical, social contexts that mirror everyday life in Japan.
Travelling Around Japan
In this unit, students develop the language skills needed to travel confidently throughout Japan. They learn to ask for and grant permission, give and follow directions, and justify decisions using appropriate sentence structures and expressions. By simulating real-life travel experiences such as navigating stations, exploring cities, and engaging with local customs, students build both linguistic fluency and cultural awareness. The unit encourages independence and intercultural understanding, helping students appreciate how communication, respect, and etiquette shape travel and daily life in Japan.
Leisure and Work
In this unit, students explore the balance between leisure and future aspirations through the context of a Japanese job interview. They learn to express likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, and ambitions for future careers while developing confidence using comparative and past tense structures. By engaging in authentic communicative tasks, such as mock interviews and professional introductions, students gain insight into Japan’s work culture and the values of respect, perseverance, and humility. The unit fosters both linguistic precision and cultural intelligence, preparing students to navigate formal interactions in Japanese with confidence and poise.
Year 11 Preliminary HSC Japanese Continuers
In Stage 6 Japanese, students consolidate their understanding of the language through purposeful, real-world communication and cultural exploration. Across units such as Myself, My Family, Home and Friends, Daily Routines, Neighbourhood, School Life, and Shopping and Eating Out, students develop confidence using increasingly complex grammatical forms and expressions to communicate ideas, experiences, and opinions with accuracy and nuance.
Through immersive speaking, listening, reading, and writing tasks, students gain practical skills for travel, study, and interaction in Japan while deepening their appreciation of the culture’s values of harmony, respect, and community. By the end of the course, students are equipped with the linguistic fluency and intercultural understanding needed to thrive as globally aware and articulate communicators.
Myself, My Family
In this unit, students learn to communicate about themselves and their families using increasingly complex sentence structures. They develop confidence joining ideas with conjunctions such as が and けれども, describing ongoing actions with the て-form, and expressing relationships and activities using のこと, について, and という. Through practical conversations and written exchanges, students describe family members, routines, and relationships, deepening their understanding of how language reflects social and cultural values in Japan. The unit builds grammatical fluency and prepares students to express personal experiences with accuracy and nuance.
Home and Friends
In this unit, students learn to express comparisons, preferences, and opinions while communicating about home life and friendships. They explore how to compare people and things using より and 一番, express reasons with から, and use the plain form to connect ideas naturally in conversation. Students also develop the ability to share thoughts and express uncertainty through と思います and でしょう, building the confidence to communicate opinions politely and appropriately. By discussing familiar topics such as home, friendship, and personal growth, students strengthen both their grammatical accuracy and their cultural awareness of how relationships are expressed in Japanese society.
Daily Routines
In this unit, students extend their understanding of the plain form of verbs to describe daily activities, habits, and personal routines with fluency and precision. They learn to express cause and effect using から and ので, sequence actions with てから, and describe appearance or hearsay through the various uses of そう. By discussing everyday experiences—such as school, leisure, and home life—students practise connecting ideas naturally and expressing nuance using が and けれども. The unit strengthens grammatical confidence and prepares students to communicate real-life routines with clarity, subtlety, and authentic cultural awareness.
Neighbourhood
In this unit, students learn to communicate about their local community and daily interactions while deepening their understanding of nuance, generosity, and connection in Japanese language and culture. They use structures such as あげる and くれる to express giving and receiving, たり〜たりする to describe a variety of activities, and 前 and 後 to sequence events in time. Students also build their ability to share opinions and uncertainty using と思う and でしょう, while expressing scale and emphasis through こんなに, そんなに, and あんなに. Through describing neighbourhoods, community life, and shared experiences, students learn how language reflects values of kindness, respect, and reciprocity within Japanese society.
School Life
In this unit, students explore the routines, expectations, and relationships that shape school life in Japan. They learn to express obligation and prohibition using なければならない and ないで, describe experiences and reactions with てよかった, and report speech through と⾔う. Through authentic discussions, students compare Australian and Japanese schooling, learning to use とき to describe moments in time and て-form structures to express reason, sequence, and completion. The unit strengthens students’ ability to participate in natural, conversational Japanese while deepening their appreciation of discipline, respect, and community as core values of Japanese education.
In this unit, students apply their language skills in authentic contexts of daily life — shopping, dining, and interacting in Japanese communities. They learn to use relative clauses for detailed descriptions, express possibility and uncertainty with かどうか, and discuss preferences or hopes using たら and たらいい. Students practise communicating politely in shops and restaurants while using expressions such as 見える and 聞こえるto describe sensory experiences. By learning how to navigate transactions, give opinions, and reflect on past experiences through たことがある, students gain both linguistic fluency and cultural competence for real-world communication in Japan.
Year 11 Preliminary HSC Korean Beginners
In the Preliminary Korean Beginners course, students develop a strong foundation in both the language and culture of Korea through practical, real-world communication. Across units such as Introduction to the Korean Language, Family Life, Home and Neighbourhood, Friends, Recreation and Pastimes, and People, Places and Communities, students build essential vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation skills while exploring the customs, values, and social interactions that shape everyday life in Korea.
Through interactive speaking, listening, reading, and writing experiences, students gain the confidence to engage in conversations about themselves, their relationships, and their communities. The course fosters intercultural understanding and global awareness, preparing students to participate meaningfully in an increasingly connected world.
Introduction to the Korean Language
In this foundation unit, students are introduced to Hangeul, the Korean writing system, developing their ability to read, write, and pronounce Korean accurately. Through guided practice, they explore the structure, sounds, and logic of the script, gaining insight into how Hangeul reflects the scientific and cultural heritage of Korea. By mastering the building blocks of the language, students establish the essential skills for communication and lay the groundwork for confident participation in everyday Korean conversation and study in future units.
Family Life, Home and Neighbourhood
In this unit, students learn to communicate about their personal lives and surroundings using foundational Korean expressions. They practise greeting others, introducing themselves and their families, and describing their homes, neighbourhoods, and special occasions such as birthdays. Through simple conversations and written exchanges, students explore how language conveys relationships, respect, and belonging in Korean culture. By the end of the unit, they can confidently share personal information and describe familiar environments using accurate pronunciation and sentence structures.
Friends, Recreation and Pastimes
In this unit, students develop the language skills to talk about friendship, leisure, and everyday activities. They learn to describe hobbies, sports, health, and routines, as well as share information about their friends and weekend plans. Through engaging dialogues and real-world scenarios, students practise telling the time, sequencing daily events, and expressing likes and preferences. The unit encourages students to reflect on the role of recreation and relationships in Korean society, building their confidence to communicate naturally about life beyond the classroom.
People, Places and Communities
In this unit, students expand their communication skills to navigate daily life and social situations in Korean. They learn to discuss the weather and seasons, give and follow directions, and use practical language for real-world experiences such as eating at restaurants, shopping for gifts, and attending concerts. Through interactive role-plays and cultural exploration, students develop an understanding of how respect, politeness, and social connection shape Korean communication. The unit builds confidence in using language authentically while fostering appreciation for the rhythms and relationships of everyday life in Korea.
Year 12 HSC Japanese Continuers
In the HSC Japanese Continuers course, students refine their mastery of the language through authentic communication and deeper intercultural engagement. Across units such as Leisure, Traditions and Culture, Planning a Trip, Travelling in Japan, Future Plans and Work, and Issues, students develop advanced grammatical control, cultural understanding, and the confidence to express complex ideas with accuracy and nuance.
Through speaking, listening, reading, and writing tasks grounded in real-world themes, students explore how language connects people, places, and perspectives in a rapidly changing world. The course equips learners to participate meaningfully in academic, professional, and global contexts, preparing them to use Japanese with fluency, insight, and cultural empathy beyond school.
Leisure
In this unit, students explore how leisure, holidays, and wellbeing shape personal and cultural identity in Japan and Australia. They learn to express simultaneous actions, intentions, and decisions using advanced grammatical forms, including 〜ましょう, 〜すぎる, and 〜ながら, while discussing travel, relaxation, and health. Through authentic scenarios such as planning trips, describing sightseeing experiences, and managing illness, students refine their ability to communicate naturally and fluently. The unit encourages reflection on how leisure reflects values, balance, and lifestyle across cultures, strengthening students’ linguistic confidence and intercultural understanding.
Traditions and Culture
In this unit, students explore the richness of Japanese traditions and contemporary culture through language and etiquette. They learn to express intentions, reasons, and explanations using structures such as 〜し, の, and こと, while refining their ability to describe experiences and express gratitude through もらう and 〜ていただく. Through discussions and tasks on customs, hospitality, and modern Japanese society, students deepen their understanding of how language reflects respect, formality, and shared values. The unit strengthens students’ ability to communicate with nuance and authenticity while fostering appreciation for the harmony between tradition and innovation in Japan.
Planning a Trip
In this unit, students apply their language skills to real-world contexts of travel and exploration in Japan. They learn to use advanced grammar patterns such as the potential form, 〜ば, and 〜ても to express ability, possibility, and conditional ideas, while practising how to make reservations, give advice, and discuss sightseeing plans. Through scenarios such as booking accommodation, visiting attractions, and negotiating itineraries, students develop fluency in managing authentic interactions with clarity and cultural awareness. The unit encourages confidence, independence, and adaptability, equipping students to communicate effectively while navigating the practical and social dimensions of travel in Japan.
Traveling in Japan
In this unit, students refine their ability to communicate confidently while travelling throughout Japan, learning to navigate transport, purchase tickets, and describe experiences with precision and nuance. They use advanced structures such as 〜ように, 〜みたい, and 〜ても to express purpose, comparison, and contrast, as well as grammar forms to convey probability, limitation, and instruction. Through role-play and practical language application, students simulate real travel interactions, such as seeking assistance, understanding timetables, and giving directions. The unit builds fluency and cultural competence, helping students respond naturally to unexpected situations and deepening their understanding of the values of respect, flexibility, and harmony in Japanese communication.
Future Plans and Work
In this unit, students explore their aspirations and career goals while learning to discuss future possibilities and expectations in Japanese. They use complex grammatical forms such as 〜はず, 〜ても, and embedded questions to express predictions, report requests, and compare actions with precision and fluency. Through practical communication tasks and discussions about career pathways that involve Japanese language skills, students gain insight into Japan’s professional culture, etiquette, and global opportunities. The unit empowers students to articulate their ambitions with confidence, connecting language learning to real-world careers and international engagement.
Issues
In this unit, students engage critically with contemporary issues in Japan and the wider world, including environmental sustainability, social change, and the impact of technology. They learn to express opinions, obligations, and purposes using advanced grammatical structures such as 〜ために, 〜のに, and transitive and intransitive verb pairs. Through discussion, research, and analysis, students explore how language reflects social responsibility and evolving cultural perspectives. The unit challenges them to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively, developing both linguistic mastery and global awareness as they consider Japan’s role in addressing modern issues.
Year 12 HSC Korean Beginners
In the HSC Korean Beginners course, students refine their communication skills and deepen their understanding of Korean language and culture through authentic, real-world contexts. Across units such as Education and Work, Holidays, Travel and Tourism, and Future Plans and Aspirations, students develop confidence using Korean to discuss their studies, experiences, and ambitions.
Through speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities, students explore the connections between language, culture, and identity, examining how communication reflects respect, perseverance, and aspiration in Korean society. The course equips students with the linguistic fluency and intercultural awareness to engage meaningfully in academic, social, and professional settings both in Australia and abroad.
Education and Work
In this unit, students explore school life and future pathways while developing the language skills to communicate about education and employment in Korean. They learn to describe their school environment, timetable, favourite subjects, and exam experiences, as well as discuss part-time jobs and career aspirations. Through authentic communication tasks and cultural comparison, students gain insight into the values of diligence, respect, and perseverance that underpin education and work in Korea. The unit builds both linguistic confidence and intercultural understanding, helping students express their ambitions and experiences with clarity and purpose.
Holidays, Travel and Tourism
In this unit, students develop the language and cultural awareness to communicate about travel, tourism, and celebration in Korean. They learn to describe destinations, experiences, and special events while exploring the significance of traditional Korean holidays and customs. Through comparative study of Australia and Korea, including iconic locations such as Insadong and The Rocks, students practise real-world communication such as welcoming guests, shopping, and sharing travel stories. The unit enhances students’ fluency and cultural understanding, preparing them to navigate and appreciate travel experiences across both cultures.
Future Plans and Aspirations
In this unit, students learn to communicate about their goals, dreams, and career ambitions in Korean. They develop the language skills to discuss occupations, express future intentions, and engage in real-world scenarios such as job surveys, interviews, and workplace conversations. Through interactive tasks like participating in mock interviews and online marketplaces, students gain insight into Korean work culture, social expectations, and the value placed on determination and lifelong learning. The unit empowers students to articulate their aspirations with confidence and cultural understanding, connecting language study to personal growth and future success.
Support for High Potential Learners
Hurlstone’s Languages Other Than English (LOTE) Faculty sets the highest expectations for academic and cultural excellence. Designed for students with advanced linguistic aptitude and curiosity about the world, our programs in Japanese and Korean challenge learners to think critically, communicate with authenticity, and engage meaningfully across cultures. High potential students are extended through accelerated language acquisition, cultural immersion experiences, and enrichment pathways that deepen both fluency and global perspective. If your child demonstrates exceptional ability or interest in languages, contact us to learn how our High Potential and Gifted Education (HPGE) programs in LOTE can help them excel as articulate, culturally intelligent global citizens.
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