While the richness of Australian culture stems from its diversity, the profundity of Chinese culture is rooted in its long history. Culture is the shared root of a people, and a common language provides a cultural tie that transcends national boundaries. We hope that other children who are learning Chinese reach beyond the language itself and fall in love with the culture behind it.
At Cranbourne Carlisle Primary School, our Language Other Than English (LOTE) subject, Mandarin, endeavours to provide children not only with language skills, but also a cultural awareness of the Chinese speaking community.
Our Mandarin program includes a variety of topics for different Year levels, such as:
Foundation to Year 2: Greeting, Numbers, Family members, animals, colours, Class routines, and emotions.
Year 3 and Year 4: Self-induction, Colours, Fruits, Countries, Chinese zodiac, and simple sentences.
Year 5 and Year 6: Dates, Foods and Drinks, school life, school in China, Chinese festivals and short paragraphs.
Through various classroom activities such as songs, raps, storytelling, gestures, games and many other activities, we aim to develop children’s language proficiency and promote intercultural understanding. What is more, our goal is to prepare our children with a global outlook, who have deepened knowledge and understanding of Australia’s engagement with Asia. 
As part of our High Ability Program students are invited to participate in learning opportunities that extend their understanding of and engagement with language and culture. This includes participation in external competitions where our students have performed to a high standard receiving awards in various categories.
